First off, have I got the fixture the right way round in the title? Check. I obviously must have more interest in this game.
Being a football fan does strange things to you. I know quite a few who are eternally optimistic when it comes to the Villa and refuse to listen to anyone who thinks we might lose, regardless of what the facts are. It’s a nice place to be, I suppose, but it’s something I’ve never been able to go along with. It’s probably why I come across as so negative, but it’s just that I’m a realist, as much as I’d love to think that we’ll win every game.
You might have worked out by now, that I might be being a little economical with the truth in that headline.
Squad news and it’s not great. Emi Martinez is going to be assessed before the game after undergoing “a small injury”. I hope that is all it is and he’s not just picking and choosing his games, not that that would make much sense. He strikes me as a good professional who wants to perform at the highest levels.
Andres Garcia is now firmly back in the squad. Why, I don’t know as again he won’t get a sniff, which makes no sense. It seems Emery will work Matty Cash to exhaustion this season, where he could easily bring Garcia in for a game like this, surely? Isn’t it all supposed to be about squad rotation these days? The manager obviously doesn’t seem to rate him in the slightest, which is odd, given that many Villa fans think he’s looked okay in his few appearances. And then it just adds fuel to the fire of my theory that perhaps Emery doesn’t have the shout we all think he does and never wanted the player in the first place.
Youri Tielemens and Amadou (just call me Mr glass) Onana are both out. As for Ross Barkley, who knows where he is? I have a sneaky feeling we won’t see him again.
The big question surrounds Morgan Rogers, who has looked genuinely as bad as any Villa player I can reall in years. Will the manager finally take him out of the firing line, after fans basically took the mickey out of him for managing to actually complete a pass? I’ve been one of his biggest fans and I’ve previously said I can understand why Emery might want to play him into form. But he has looked progressively worse as the season has gone on. I’m now wondering if all those suggesting he’s unhappy and just totally disinterested in the Villa might actually be correct? Whatever, if Emery does truly believe in playing your best players, he really does have “rest” him. Even one of the kids will be able to best a 42% pass completion rate, after all? But then, I wouldn’t be surprised if he does start again today.
As for Fulham, I’m not seeing any news and it seems that his whole squad is fit and the only fly in the ointment is Kevin, who will be assessed after injuring his shoulder in a cup game earlier in the week. Is that his first name or his surname, I wonder?
So prediction time and you’ve probably worked out I was telling porkies in the headline. No way will it be a resounding victory. Those days, where we were ripping teams to pieces and playing sharp, incisive football, at speed, I hasten to add, seem miles in our past already and the play has for some reason been replaced by slow, sidewards and backwards football, that offers no threat whatsoever and is boring as hell to watch. Even then, Fulham, while not being anything special, are too good to beaten soundly and Marco Silva has them well set up.
No, this has a draw written all over it and I’m very tempted to go 1-1, except with our lack of threat up front, I do find myself wondering, if we’ll even score? Could we possibly lose today?
No, I’m going to stick with my 1-1 and leave it at that. So not a resounding victory, but more like a resounding draw, which will probably see me on the beer early, as I’m near bored to tears again.
1-1 and UTV!
I’d love to be able to say that I think we’re going to win 3-1 or whatever, but we all know that isn’t going to happen.
That said, we need to start winning soon. Lose today, then lose again next week to Burnley and Emery will be walking a tightrope, I reckon.
I feel it’ll be a draw too. I don’t think Emi will pick and choose his games. He wants to be #1 and enjoys the spotlight. I bet you Chesty is in the starting line up today. Fulham are well drilled and may smell blood. We need leaders out there. Konsa! McGinn! in his best central position. Pop the new boys on the wing. Ollie or Malen? I think I’d go for Malen.
I still think a trust was broken when Ollie was left out in favour of Rashford in the CL last season. I think that relationship is broken, and he’d be better off with a new start. Will Chesty sulk or use it as fuel?
Answers on an e-postcard please.
And maybe play Rogers in his better position, which is the right, not the left?
I’d drop Ollie too, but just don’t see it. He couldn’t finish his breakfast at the moment and definitely isn’t working like he used too.
McGinn again! I missed the bloody first half. I tought it was a 3pm KO, duh!
Sulking isn’t an option for Watkins or Rogers. With the World Cup round the corner, they can easily drop out of Tuchel’s plans if they continue to perform the way they have started the season. If they think they are going to get a move in January based on their current form, then they are deluded.
Emery has retained his faith and trust in the pair and a defeat will only add pressure on his future. It’s time for them all to step up and stop moping around and earn the wages we can only dream about.
My prediction is for a 1-1 draw too but a 0-0 or a 1-0 either way are probably good odds. One thing I’m not expecting is an exciting game of football.
Just watching Marco Silva interview and I have to question why his English is so much better than Emery. A lot of what Emery says is repeated from one game to the next. It niggles me that he hasn’t shown any improvement in the last few years. Does his poor communication skills eventually leave his players disinterested in his team talks? I know that I struggle to maintain interest in what he says.
Silva is Portuguese, not a Basque, so much more likely to have had intensive English lessons at school. I would think Emery speaks to players in Spanish or French, and has the Spanish translated.
Christ!!!
Great start 😒
I don’t want to say but have we got any forward players in our team as I haven’t heard any yet. Just a thought are players looking to move on in January? It looks like it to me. Minns off god help us.
Olllliiieeeeeeee!!!!!!!
McGinny Ginn Ginn!!!!!!!
Three!!!!!!!
Get in! Buendia for 3!
I’ve only just started watching, as I thought it was a 3pm KO.
Oh no!!! It’s not Saturday Badger!! I’ve enjoyed this. Still urked by the late Black Cats equaliser, but if it stays the same this will be a massive confidence booster!!!
McGinn has been immense. Cash, Konsa and Guessard too.
Pau’s distribution is sooooo good…
Much better football at last, playing as a team now .
Indeed, Bill. I never thought we were that far away…Humphrey needs a shout out too…
Buendia has been a bundle of energy and has great vision.
Why are there so many empty seats? Why can’t I get a bloody ticket?????
Thank you for today AVFC.
If we’d have beaten Sunderland we’d be 8th now.
Where is everyone????
Great result and massively needed.
As for empty seats, Villa have got their pricing seriously wrong, it seems to me.
Much better to have a sold out stadium than one that’s around 7K down, imo.
Not that I’m worried. I have much better things to spend my money on at my age. And £50 for a game of footy isn’t even in my top 20.
Finally some intensity and forward passing. Watkins goal so typical of the way he scores. When he doesn’t have time to think. A great finish too. McGinn made up for missing a sitter with a fantastic strike and good to see Buendia getting a goal. Konsa also with a brilliant goal line clearance was massive too.
A special mention to Rogers who was more like his old self.
Overall I think that’s a great confidence boost for everyone and hopefully we can kick on now.
His passing is still crap, but when a surprise opportunity came his way Buendia made no mistake with a precise finish. Talking of precise finishes – it would have been easy for Ollie to hoist the ball over Leno and the crossbar, but he hit it perfectly. As did Super John with a shot just in the bottom corner.
Fulham are Villa’s ‘can we play you every week team’, just the tonic we needed!
Just got home from the match.
Trouble with football we get too high when we win and too low when we lose. I know I suffer from this!
Today was much improved. We actually attacked on multiple times. I thought Rogers had a far better game. More impressive was numerous chants started at the back of the Holte to support Rogers.
I really like the look of Guessand. At one stage in the first half he had a great run taking on multiple players and showing real skill and strength.
Overall worth the 340 mile round trip. Raring to go for next week against Burnley.
Yes much better match looked like they wanted to play and buendia is like a duracell rabbit running everywhere.
You did well sid to get home that quickly hope you not speeding. When we went to villa park it took us over 5 hours one way by car and train.
Just seen the result on my continuing travels around North America.
Big uplift to the spirit with two home wins in a week but – one (or even two) swallows don’t make a summer. Let’s see the improvement continued over the next few games.
About to fly from West Chester (NY) to Vero Beach, Florida. See you all next week.
Nice, Hitchens, Enjoy, you lucky duck. I might have mis-spelled that 🙂
Ok, things are looking up and hopefully, we’re back in the groove.
Maybe I’ll write a new post tomorrow?
🙂 🙂
Hitchens, hope you enjoy your visit here. I just hit 10 years in Texas. Despite the well publicized negatives the positives still abound and often surprise first time visitors. If you make it to Texas I can send a few good food recs your way.
Watched the fame from hospital again and thought 2nd half we were bright and positive. Elliott sub was a big result and shows Emerys usage of Buendia has still tricks in the locker. We really need to be more chill during our blips. We could self fullfill our own fall sometimes with the pressure we add.
We are really enjoying our visit across North America, first with friends from BC and then our friends from Florida.
If we do make it to Texas at some point I’ll be sure to take up your kind offer.
Hope you’re on the mend and will soon be out of hospital.
3 goals and 3 points. That feels better. It didn’t look likely after a poor start. Fulham gave us a lot of space in their own half so not sure how much was us playing better or them performing badly.
Impressed by Guessand tackling back to help out Cash. I thought Bogarde was good too.
Just back from an absolutely fantastic weekend in my favorite British city did the lower grounds ticket and it was great luv birmingham and luv the villa utv