We’re 10 (or is it 11?) days into our Mexican fortnight.
The weather’s superb with nightime lows of about 70, although my stomach’s still a bit twitchy. If I had loads of money, I’d be living somewhere like here six months a year.
Sorry lads, I just thought I’d rub it in a bit.
Of course, you can laugh at me too, because I have to come back home soon and I hear it’s freezing. I’m not looking forward to that.
Whatever, as per, I’m thinking about the Villa.
And what the hell is going to happen if we lose this one?
We can’t do. Can we?
As much as I want to say no, I’m really not sure anymore.
look at the form table and we’re well down there, if not bottom.
We don’t score goals and concede far to many too.
I haven’t even felt the slightest inkling to display the Villa shirt that’s hidden in the wardrobe, which is a first.
And to cap it all, if we don’t turn it around, we look like relegation candidates. Fact.
It’s bleak, isn’t it?
I think it was finally having to concede that we aren’t going up this season, which has put me on such a downer.
Still, all that means we can only be looking upwards from here, doesn’t it?
Sadly, I’m really not convinced.
I know it’s negative, but if we lose this one, I think we’re in serious trouble.
Bruce, as much as I think he is the right manager for where we are now, has to get a result today.
Ipswich are garbage and struggle to score as much as we do.
Yet we have, on paper, possibly the strongest line-up in the league.
You probably wouldn’t think it, but I’ve spent hours mulling over what to write here.
The original intention was to look at formations and all that rubbish.
But do you know what?
I’m becoming very close to not caring.
You can analyse things to death and invariably be wrong.
If Bruce goes negative against this class of team, at home, regardless of how it’s disguised in a 3-5-2 (read 5-3-2), I’ll have to start seriously calling him.
Villa to win 2-1, with us seriously trying to win the game easily.
None of this being careful against inferior opposition rubbish.
Go and grab them by the nads from the off.
Anything less than a win just isn’t good enough and messing about with formations/experimenting is not an adequate reply.
And while I’m on one, if Johnstone messes up again, send him back.
No ifs, no buts.
If he gets the start, that is.
Comments
96 responses to “Villa – Ipswich; If we can’t win this, we’re in trouble”
Apologies chaps.
I got more and more angry as I was writing this. Probably alcohol fuelled over several hours.
We really shouldn’t be losing to lower teams, but who have we beaten in this league?
We’re relegation candidates in every sense,our home form apart.
And it isn’t bloody good enough.
Frustration!!!!!
Hogan and Kodjia will be up for this one, we are at home and not on the TV – I’m going for a comfortable win 3-0… But we will all then start talking about play off possibilities, which we haven’t got a chance of getting near to.
Agreed on the play offs point – best to forget it for this season and start building a settled team, pattern of play and confidence for a real tilt at automatic promotion next season. We need to avoid another full scale replacement of players in the summer – rather we concentrate on two or three key positions and buy real quality.
If we lose to this heap of shite we’re in the shite, Ipswichs league position flatters them. I’m with saddened 3-0 UTV
two things mcCarthy will have ipswich tight at the back no gaps. he knows man for man his inexperienced team are not a match for the villa. but he will see weakness in this villa team, things like a team without unity or settled system. quieten the vp fans for 1hour and then smash and grab.
for us langs SPOT on. villa need a identity, a system we play using these players skills, so it benefits the whole team. we have chopped and changed willy nilly, whether thats players tactics managers coaches. we have no system. teams have a way they play, then they tinker slightly if a opposition strengths needs to be dealt with. but all these changes have meant we are starting from scratch. when all the other teams have their systems worked on for seasons.
oh finally 3 5 2 isn’t a defensive system. it can be very attacking. its how the players operate the system which deems them boring. for instance how many teams we played 442 or 433 and not had a shot on goal. players that are comfortable in a system will thrive and the system which ever it is works. players that are not are the square pegs in round holes and system fooks up
manager and coaches need to work out the system, that these players needs. like lang says. we have this season and pre season to get it right. personally i think a manager not willing to play 2 forwards when you have two of the divisions best forwards in your squad. must be crazy. the squad is not blessed with two decent wingers. but is now blessed with center mids so the 3 5 2 will work best.
4 nil to villa
Oh I hope your right lads, all going for a win, Badgers one game behind me in thinking Bruce might not be the man if we should lose this, what’s bothering me is that determination, I’m seeing some leaving it to others, as for the goalkeeper? Well why take on loans to give them the skills, we have our own problems in that department, the score today? I don’t frigging know don’t yet trust the team enough, might get a draw hopefully a win. Badger get that shirt on mate, i did there in Mexico 3 years ago and the mex’s begged it from me , at a price.
Like others not happy with the GK but I also understand that we don’t know the full story. It’s pretty obvious Gollini wanted out so getting him off the books on an 18 month loan is not a bad piece of business – if he really starts to make a name for himself we still own him. Bunn is OK but not much more than that and Johnstone is not turning out to be any better than Gollini (see above!)
If Bruce couldn’t get the GK he wanted in January he may have been ‘forced’ down the route taken. I think a top GK has to be the no1 priority in the summer – hope Round and his merry men are working on it.
Oh and today’s game – hoping for a win so will go 2-1 Villa.
While Ipswich are a nothing team if you will, they do have a player that we really need to watch out for today, in my opinion. Tom Lawrence, whenever they score it seems to be him, and they are quality goals too. Still think we should win today, as for the clean sheet however I am no so confident with Johnstone playing in goal. 3-1. Hopefully a Villa Park debut goal for Hogan to get him up and running, let’s see himself and Kodjia run their defence ragged.
We need the win today and start playing like a team. I am expecting nothing less than a win. We need to be scoring more than one goal in a game, it feels like when we take the lead we cant push on. I hope this stops today 3nil Villa.
Team:
Johnstone
Hutton
Elphick
Chester
Baker
Taylor
Lansbury
Bjarnason
Hourihane
Hogan
Kodjia
Dont like 5-3-2 at home personally!
Jedinak = injured
Bree = Not in squad, dont know why
Bench = Bunn Bacuna Davis Green Adomah
Aston Villa have made two changes for their Championship clash against Ipswich Town at Villa Park.
Alan Hutton returns to the team at the expense of James Bree, who is believed to be injured.
Neil Taylor is the other change, making his Villa debut, as a replacement for Jack Grealish, who is suspended.
Manager Steve Bruce is expected to stick with his 3-5-2 formation, with Taylor playing as a left wing-back and Birkir Bjarnason moving to a midfield role in Grealish’s absence.
Might be a delay in kick off serious crash near ground and pedestrian has died.
Is Amavi injured or dropped.
Dropped I think.
Bright start, by the sounds of it.
Great save after a scramble.
Morley says great start.
Ipswich going for it too.
Barnason hits the bar with a sliced kick
Kodjia’s got a knock
Very open in the middle.
Going by the stats we’re all over them we need a goal will it be another frustrating afternoon???
5-3-2 at home is very negative IMO…..WTF, 5 defenders at home! You have got to go all out at home to win, particularly so against a poor Ipswich team. Why the frig do we need Elphick, Chester AND Baker at the expense, of say, Adomah….dont get this line up or system at all! Go 5-3-2 to see out a game when your leading, I understand, but not this set up!
Langfordvilla I agree 5 defenders at home and against Ipswich makes you wonder about Bruce s tactics.
Had it not crossed your mind that it is a 3-5-2 with Taylor and Hutton playing as wing backs. Given that Adomah isn’t a defensive player it’ll be pretty daft to play him as a wing back.
That’s what I’ve been saying.
Very thin line between 5-3-2 and 3-5-2, imo.
does sound like we’re all over them though.
Just need a goal.
Langford, i agree it seems he’s playing safe, why? He doesn’t believe in his players. He has to let them play and not defend ffs ,draw this you watch.
HT and we should be leading.
Villa doing ok.
I’d love to say good half but due to no goals I can’t
Seeing 5 defenders immediately gives the impetus to Ioswich. I like Hutton defensively in this league but he is very limited going forward IMO.
Ssecond half team for me should be 4-3-1-2
Johnstone
Hutton Chester Baker Taylor
Adomah Lansbury Bjarnason
Hourihane
Hogan Kodjia
That might well happen Langford.
But comms seem quite happy with the way it’s going and Morley says he’ll be disappointed if we don’t get at least one.