Last week’s game did a lot to restore my faith in the side, mainly because I was actually entertained for the first time after months of poor, dull football.
Man Utd games tend to be quite decent so I’m looking forward to a decent performance.
Unfortunately history isn’t in our favour, as I’ve just read a couple of shocking statistics.
1) Aston Villa have picked up just one win in their last 44 Premier League matches against Manchester United (D11 L32).
2) They are also unbeaten in 21 matches at Villa Park in all competitions, last losing in the league there in August 1995.
Now I’m sure we all knew our record against the reds was poor, but when you see it written down, it just seems much worse. 1 win in 44!
And then add in that Man U are unbeaten all season in away games and we’re worse at home and it seems to be a bit of a foregone conclusion really.
TEAM NEWS
It’s all quite boring on our part, as nothing has changed. Jack Grealish has apparently started training if you actually believe what Dean Smith says. I suppose it’s a case of having to, but whatever, he’s obviously nowhere near fit enough to play. No doubt he’ll make an appearance or two before the end of the season, but you have to wonder what the injury is doing to his England chances?
Sanson and Trezeguet are still out.
As for Utd, Daniel James, Anthony Martial and Phil Jones are all out.
Utd have 4 games in 8 days and Solskjaer has said he will heavily rotate his side. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing for us. It possibly means they don’t play their best side, but it also means fresh legs.
On the face of it, it doesn’t look like we have much of a chance today. But we’ve been involved in some very strange results this season, winning some very difficult games (Everton last week and of course Liverpool are good examples), yet losing what ought to be very easy games (Sheffield massively wrankles).
So you never know.
If we can play with the energy and desire we showed last week, I think we can beat Utd.
Indeed, that was the sort of performance where I think we’d have a chance of beating anyone.
It all depends which Aston Villa turn up really and it could go either way.
Play like last week and I’ll go for a Villa win, 2-1.
Play like we have done in the weeks beforehand and it’s a comfortable Man U victory, 3-1.
Here’s hoping. UTV!
I don’t think we’ll ever beat United again!
Psychological block?
Luiz needs his wages docking.Has he learned nothing from Old Trafford.
For those who were getting carried away at half-time. The stats show that, since our last home league win over Manure Utd, apparently, we have led 8 times at the break and still not gone on to win.
Enough said.
Smith’s live child is on!
love child 🙂
You just know Utd would have got that penalty we were denied. Ref would have given it and VAR wouldn’t have changed it.
Agreed DS
So who’s getting the ball to all these strikers we have on now then?
Ever get the feeling that if that Greenwood handball would have been given if it was Mings?
I see the holier than thou Rashford isn’t above the sly kick either.
Barkley hasn’t done much today.
Well at least Sky are happy that one of their Super 6 is winning again. I really hate Man Ure but we have gifted them their comeback. Luiz and Mings with shocking defending.
I would love us to beat these (he says Kevin Keegan style)
Why are Utd being given all this bloody time with Slabhead down???
Crap Barkley shot. Predictable. Poor.
This is pathetic in favour of Utd. All TV is should be done whilst the game goes on. It’s not a head injury!!!
Wes and Davies on.
All this…
The sooner Barkley goes back to Chelsea ——— ‘nuff said
Davis & Wesley on – Barkley and El Ghazi off
Davis and Wesley coming on for Barkley and El Ghazi.
Bloody hell.
Keinan and Wesley getting a 10 minute cameo…can the big guys give United something to think about?
Last 15 minutes have been good for us.
Come on Lads!!!!
Ouch.
Oh well… Grrrrrrr……
So that’s 3-1 and Ollie gets a red.
That’s poor and Utd have got the benefit of the doubt again.
I don’t think I’d have give anything at all there, as it looked like the goalie did actually make contact, even if he was pulling out.
Whenever we play Utd they always seem to get the decisions go their way. To make matters worse we have handed them two of their goals.
Just to make sure – the EPL hand the officiating task to a referee from Manchester! You couldn’t make it up. Can we have André Marriner next time? He’s a Villa fan.
Don’t confuse Mings and Konsa for top drawer defenders. They were caught napping by Greenwood and Cavani for a goal apiece.
Two mistakes and 2 Utd goals. Pogba makes a meal of it and gets a penalty. McGuire gets over 6 minutes to sit on the pitch stopping the match when he should have been treated on the touchline. Unclear Ollie challenge and a red card.
I hate Utd even more now.
Not a bad performance by us and it’s a shame it’s not reflected in the scoreline.
I said the same at the time.
“Yes, go on, let them sort their tactics out while he’s sat there”
Piss poor refereeing and you can guarantee if that was one of our players, he’d have been carried off to be treated.
I’m going to comment more on that when I write later.
All of these ‘favours’ that United get every year are nothing less than CORRUPTION. The sooner the Villa hierarchy and others who feel the same do something about it, the better. It’s the same as the VAR point I made last night; if you’re apathetic and show that you don’t give a shit, they’ll keep doing it. Villa top brass should’ve kicked off the moment the referee for the game was announced.
Ollie’s red card was laughable. Greenwood was playing basketball but it’s OK, while Pogba was just waiting to be touched before going down like the proverbial sack of spuds, although, yes, Luiz should have known much better.
Very disappointing result after leading at the break.
Totally blown it. We are miles off challenging for top six with current squad. Think its time to offload a few that are not good enough to take us to next level. McGinn and Luis for starters. Totally outplayed second half and conceded three soft goals from defencive errors. Cant stand loosing to united. Will we ever beat them again this century ? And dont get me started on corners. When we get a corners in games its my que to run to the toilet as we never seem to threaten from them.
Definitely Holte no two ways, Even the comments from Sky was Man supporting. That was a pen for us but it’s decision was a foregone conclusion Man orientated again. I didn’t think we would get a result we lack fitness and wanting, Luise was a joke, Barkley just played and Traori second half was knackered our two backs was great but our midfield was something else. How will we keep the best players if Smith cannot see problems on the pitch.
It’s the same every time we play them – all the key decisions go their way and we get the bum steers!
Turned off after the Cavani goal but report says Watkins got a second yellow for ‘simulation’. Did he deserve it? And given the state of the game was it warranted anyway.
I really do hate Manure with a passion.
I think Smith knows the problems Bill.
He just doesn’t think the options are any better.
Ramsay came on and did nothing. Again.
I don’t see it at all with him, I’m afraid.
How many times has he come on now? And he’s done what, exactly?
I think I remember him hitting the post once.
If they can’t make an impression in the time he’s had, forget it. He isn’t ready yet.
His chance has gone for me and we should give Chuky a go, although it’s too late for me. I’d be giving him a categorical promise that he’ll be brought on for the first 10 games of next season. We might be able to keep him then.
I’d love to know who promised him starts this season.
I think the same Badger, Ramsey and you can see it in his body language he hasn’t got it yet. So why does he persists in him ? You would think they would if picked to play stamp their mark on a game. To be honest Badger we dont have a solid team and he will have to buy, Traore another one, great skills but no stamina yet and doesn’t track back enough for me. I knew that today we wouldn’t win the reasons are we are soft and don’t read games, don’t encourage other players by making spaces and creating forward movement. Barkley was today a passenger not a player that created or wanted to get the team going. You take them free kicks absolute shit .