For the last couple of months or more, I’ve become more and more confident and predicted quite a few wins. We all know where that got us.
It just goes to confirm that as soon as you genuinely start to believe, the Villa will do what they’ve done for decades and kick you in the proverbials.
Last week’s win came on the back of me reverting to type and predicting a loss by more than one goal and I find myself sticking to the same vein and going back to being downbeat and not at all confident as it just seems to be a more successful tactic in getting the results we want.
Squad news and the good part, I suppose, is that we haven’t added anyone else to our injury list. We all know the script, I’m sure, so I’m not going to bother to write it all again.
As for Forest, they are without Chris Wood and injured Africa Cup of Nations finalists Ola Aina, Willy Boly and Ibrahim Sangare.
Defender Gonzalo Montiel is training, but probably won’t be ready and Taiwo Awoniyi, who played an hour last week, should start.
I know this should be a straightforward win really, but Villa don’t seem to like playing struggling teams that fight hard and I think this looks very drawish. Hence I’m going for 2-2, mainly because I see a very open game, where I’d like us to get the first goal. If Forest get it, I think I’ll probably be very concerned.
The bad news is I don’t think I’m going to get to see the game, as I’m going to be working.
A quick mention of other stuff and I’m not liking what I’m reading about Heck and his disregard of what the fans think. He needs to go, pronto, but I wonder if he actually has the okay from the owners to ride roughshod over the “customer’s” wants?
Then, we’ve drawn Ajax in the Conference league and I’m fine with that.
They aren’t what they used to be and are actually a place below Alkmaar, who we beat fairly easily in the earlier stage, in the Eredivisie. In keeping with my new totally non confident approach, I’d expect us to narrowly scrape it over two legs.
UTV!
Bill, i think Tielmans looks as though he’s alone in the attacking midfield position and constantly boxed in by 4 Forest players.
That was a cracking ball from Cash to Bailey.
Ramsey not the player he needs to be lately, I’m on tenterhooks with this game thinking we we throwing this game away , Teileman off then the way I’ve seen this game is McGinn is the man in the middle doing a job .
Bill I’m OK with Ramsey given his injury problems. We’ve seen how players who miss pre-season never really catch up.
See Fergie’s had a word with the ref’s – 10 inures added time already!
Ah – it seems it backfired with Fulham’s winner coming in the 9th minute of extra time – don’t you just love Karma 🙂
What a great day – Villa win GD goes to +21 and Manure lose.
Going to enjoy a few bevvies tonight.
United’s GD is precisely ZERO!
8 points between us and Utd now! Well done Fulham!!!!
Our game was bloody stressful! Great all round performance by the lads. Worried about Pau and Moreno though…Brilliant win!!!!!
Another 3 points in the bag and to make the day that bit sweeter Fulham turn over Utd restoring the 8 point gap!
Ain’t life grand 😁
Think I’ll join you Hitch brilliant win we showed massive balls there and now manure finally ran out of luck we are looking guuurd, have a great evening everyone woo hoo up the mighty Villaaaah
Unai is averaging 2 points per match. And this is Villa’s highest points tally after 26 games in their PL history. 👏
And it probably should’ve been a few more!
Phew! That Bailey goal steadied the nerves for sure. Can anyone on here play CB? I hope Konsa makes an early comeback and Torres went off as a precaution although the last time he went off, he missed a lot of games.
Mare I’m in my 50’s 5 ft 8 and over weight but I still reckon I’d do a better job than Chambers 😁🤣
( Thanks Stevie G)
Actually thought Chambers did OK – he’s not the greatest but he didn’t make any howlers that I saw and without him who would have played CB in place of Torres?
Oh he did mate. Under no pressure he hit that needles long ball that went straight to their midfield and put us straight back under pressure totally unnecessarily.
Against better opposition that could have been costly.
He’s not for me.
Fair enough but taken overall I thought he did OK.
On a positive note Lenglet is developing into a very decent CB.
Needless*
Have to say Barron the ref was excellent today ( a refreshing change) hardly noticed him there, the way it should be.
Well refereed Mr Barron 👏
Agreed RSS – although, like Bill, I was not happy with him after the first 10 minutes – after that I thought he was excellent. Praise where praise is due.
No contentious decisions, unbiased, consistent with the bookings and let the game flow.
Can’t really ask for anymore Hitch.
I think Chambers had a good game when he came on considering he’d been told to leave he could have just not try.
Great 44 mins first half bit nervous after though
Mcginn doing well as the double pivot though.
I had no trouble this week on optus,it stopped last week but generally it been good.
Interesting Roy – my Optus feed was terrible and that’s on some ridiculous fibre speed!
The NOW Sports Ch2 feed was excellent. During play commentary in English, stats and half time in Mandarin script and Cantonese. This is a HK channel which nearly always has Villa matches on. We are big in HK, stemming from us always sending a team to the HK soccer sixes.
Sadly OLL it doesn’t now appear to be an option with my source which it used to be. Making some enquiries.
OLL that was what I viewed on Now and have to say excellent stream . Hitch regard’s Ramsey ok he had a bad injury but he’s not back to the Ramsey we had prior, no doubt given time he will . Teiliman is not a McGinn and it’s showing in the game, Bailey I said from day one he has talent when some was on his back , we’re getting there and have to say thank god for Uni , we have the league shuddered when Villa plays and the media interested thinking there’s money in that club Aston Villa . Happy days are back .
we giants of aston deserve to be where we are . hold tight good villans great time they are a-comin!!!
Tottenham have City, Arsenal, and Liverpool back to back before the penultimate and last games – late April. Wouldn’t it be nice to be home n hosed with two games to spare? Unlikely, but one can hope!
UTV!
Great result today. Loved the first half and how we played with style. By the way, am I the only person to have changed my mind on Bailey and believe him to be an elite footballer?
Must admit to nerves when they pulled a goal back, the Torres went off and we conceded a second goal. Then Bailey settled the matter. I hope Torres is OK.
Even better that Man Utd lost!
Badger, I noted your comment about Chris Heck on what you have read online. I accessed Heroes & Villans and under Chris Heck title – page 44 is the article published by ‘Aston Villa Staff’. My gut feel is that there are always two sides to a story. According to the ‘authors’ of the article employment law has been broken. If that is the case, then there will be legal repercussions.
If the FA have been allegedy ‘lied to’, then it will come out in the wash and. Villa would be in trouble.
My gut feel is Chris Heck is totally shaking up the running of the business. He took the Philadelphia 69ers from being worth under $300m to $3bn. They went from 3,500 season ticket holders to a waiting list of 15,000. I think he has metaphorically put a bomb under our commercial operation to put them onto the global stage. Put simply, whether we like it or not, if we ever want to compete at the top end of the league and in Europe we cannot remain doing what we were previously doing to raise revenues.
“we cannot remain doing what we were previously doing to raise revenues.”
Totally agreed, Sid.
But it’s about the cost.
If you want the Villa to become a corporate entity and nothing more, you’re correct.
That said, I think the days where the club gave a toss about the individual fan are long gone.
That should not run to sacking people willy nilly, though.
legal repercussions did?
So you as an individual take on a multi million pound company at an ET?
They have bottomless resources available and top briefs. You on the other hand have maybe a trade union at best?
Lose and there is a possibility you could incur their costs.
Would you take that risk?
Not so simple as legal repercussions.
Sid*
I don’t see how letting a few staff contributes significantly to income. It’s a drop in the ocean.
Shirts sold here and overseas helps massively. I was in a Sports Direct earlier and all the shirts they had were Liverpool, ManUre, Citeh and Arsenal. Nothing else. We need to break that monopoly.
And then sponsorship. And being clever in the transfer market. Wages are difficult as you have to pay the going rate…
Bum Bum I think the letting of staff go is not to save money. More to do with Heck believing they are not up to the standard and / or on the same wave length for what he wants.
Badger ‘corporate identity’ is an inevitability. Football is a business and Heck will ‘ sweat the Villa asset’. If it means we can regularly play Champions League, win cups and the League, it would be a price worth paying.
Letting staff go is that a way of dressing up bit of bullying and harassment?
But is suppose that’s all good as long as he fulfils his remit and we turn a profit?
Let’s be careful what we wish for over Heck, he’s a yank and they don’t care on who they hurt in business, ok to dress up in departments for the good of but not to destroy our history or who we are . I know he’s in there to move us forwards but don’t trim to make people fearful of their jobs . Bullying in America is rife we don’t need it here after all Britain has the brains America has the might , let it stay that way .
https://youtu.be/KcdWx6dB3Yk?si=VeL9k_lyPR4Ibleo
This the UK Ecky Thump.
Dear oh dear – will he soon be a statistic in their fire and replace policy?
Just think what this bloke is earning!
MOLA 4 if you want to watch the final minus the Scouse spiting champions inane drivel
Sadly, today we lose another Villa great in Chris Nicholl. What a centre half he was and who can forget the goal in the League Cup Final replay at Old Trafford that equalised Everton’s lead
Thank you for the memories -RIP big man
Holte Enders in the Sky