Well, it has, hasn’t it?
Quite simply, we’re facing the poorest team in the league at home.
And as far as I’m concerned, that’s all there is to it. I know this is football and anything can happen, but the fact is we won’t get an easier game all season.
Norwich still have a mathematical chance of staying up, but everybody knows that when you’re ten points adrift of safety at this stage it’s looking incredibly unlikely.
What does this mean for my newly acquired gambling habit then?
Well, I’m not twenty quid confident, but I’m more than a tenner confident, so have gone, er, in the middle.
So the Villa had definitely better win!
Mind you, I’m pretty much saying it should be straightforward, but a glance at the table shows that their current form dwarfs ours. They actually have a win and a draw in their last five games.
Which says it all about our shocking form of a solitary point.
Apparently, there’s going to be some sort of appreciation thing going on for Dean Smith and while I understand the sentiment, I don’t quite understand why we’d go that far. How will Stevie G feel about that?
What’s wrong with the good old fashioned big round of applause, similar to what we give ex-players who have been good servants?
Don’t get me wrong, I liked Dean Smith as one of our own, but this almost seems to me like some kind of admission that we were wrong to call for his head. We weren’t. He had to go because we weren’t progressing in the way we needed too.
I know we’ve gone through similar stuff under the present manager, but the circumstances are totally different. Gerrard hasn’t had anywhere near enough time, as much as things look bleak just now. He will not get much chance next season and a poor run of form then will see him sacked too.
Squad news then and there isn’t much really.
Bertrand Traore is back, but Sanson and Hause are both out. I’m past caring about the Frenchman, I think, because he’s a 100% goner. Hause too, probably, but I see that as a shame. If we do get another centreback in, I hope he can head the ball.
Josh Sargent is on the verge of a return for Norwich after being out with an ankle injury. Lukas Rupp is also back from a knee problem and Kenny McLean has a broken toe, but might play via an injection.
Defender Christoph Zimmermann is out with a hip flexor problem.
I can’t say I’ve heard of any of them, to be honest.
So given that this is the easiest game we have left this season, surely we can expect to see some of the kids can’t we?
Certainly looking at the rest of our games, they’re a lot tougher and any of them would be a baptism of fire for a young inexperienced player to start.
I’m going to guess that if we’re in a good position, the likes of Tim Iroegbunam might get minutes, but I don’t think Gerrard will have the courage to start him.
So we can expect the usual players that have performed so poorly over the last few weeks.
The manager has asked for plenty of agression, but that’s a smokescreen to me. Agression and effort isn’t the problem for me. There’s so much of that on display that we look like headless chickens, running around like idiots and not actually concentrating on anything that involves quality, like passing the ball accurately.
To be honest, it’s this sort of claptrap that actually turns me off this manager, but in his defence, what else is he supposed to say?
I’ve still got it in mind that even a very good player like John McGinn looks like a total clown lately.
That’s worrying.
So what to think?
Well, I’ve gone for the final result to Villa in my bet and it’s just a matter of the score.
I’m going for 2-1, but I’m not really convinced. I just can’t bring myself to say that Norwich will beat us, but I could possibly see a draw, which would be interesting because I think Villa fans’ patience is already wearing thin.
UTV!
Comments
140 responses to “Villa – Norwich; No excuses for this one. It’s got to be a win”
I will not be very happy if I lose that £15.
Good piece Badger.
Like you I’ve had to call a win but a draw wouldn’t overly surprise me.
Love BFR’s confidence – hope he’s right
I really don’t know if Sacking Smithy was right or wrong but king bin Dipper? Just no.
2-1 either way.
Don’t beat about the bush, say what you think eh, RSS? lol.
I hope you’re wrong, but have a sneaky feeling you’re probably right.
Lol as you’ve probably guessed I’m not a fully paid up member of the SG appreciation society.
And nice write up Badger 👍
Iroegbunam starts instead of Luiz as well as Chambers for Konsa and Digne for Young. Still persists with Bailey over Buendia which is disappointing! Can’t be arsed to predict. Anything other than a Villa win is a massive disappointment.
IngridBergman?
I thought she’d retired.
I thought Digne wasn’t contact ready?
Hmm, Gerrard drops the right sort of surprise on us for once.
Bailey instead of Buendia?
Hmm.
Well this is impressive – not
Not impressed at all, both teams are average and deserve to be bottom. I can see this going either way because we don’t have gutsy players. Crap game.
But Bill – Norwich are playing better than us – what does that say?
Looks like Bailey’s game is over. Yet another sick note!
Get that weak twat off, Bailey is a showman and don’t deserve to play football.
We can’t keep the ball for more than two passes!
Bailey is such a robust player.
Feel bad for Bailey. That kid is made of glass. We’d do well to offload in the summer for 20m
Bailey feels sorry for Bailey
Watkins
Ings on for Bailey who is looking more and more like another sicknote.
We don’t deserve that, lucky.
A little lucky (with the defender slip) but what a goal from Watkins
Good finish but the performance over all?
Average to poor RSS.
We can’t keep hold of the ball!
Second half going the same way as the first, dominate for the first 10 and fade away.
Yup. Iroegbunam looks like a real prospect though.
Norwich could easily nick one.
I’m happy for Bailey.
But we’ve been poor up to now.
And that bloody woman commentator is doing my head in.
Even my missus agrees her voice totally grates.
I did turn it off to swap for WM, but they don’t have it on.
I’ve got the volume down and can’t get into the game.
Lol she is grating.
Think she did today with Newcastle and Liverpool game.. Yes she is so boring and a pain in the arse on commentating a game.,
I’ve just realised I said happy for Bailey. I meant Watkins of course.
Wondered why you were so happy about Bailey’s early bath (-:
Whilst we’ve been poor, the ref hasn’t given us a lot second half.
Inns goal
Ings
Still prefer Buendia to Coutinho
Well that’s us safe now, let’s all look forward to the second season of project stepping stone.
Hear the “Deno” chants?
Love it 😁
A technological meltdown meant I missed all but the last 15 minutes. The comments on here suggest I haven’t missed much though. Bailey (Mr Glass) probably out for the season I’m guessing. Buendia must wonder why he is only getting 15 minutes. I will be fuming if he is gone in the summer because Gerrard has to keep his ex Liverpool buddies happy.
…but is Gerrard on ‘the road to hell’, Holte? 😉
A win is a win!
Badger
I think there are a couple of pointers from this match:
1: Douglas Luiz will be sold this summer. 1 year left in contract.
2: Tim Iroegbunam to start the majority of the remaining matches. He and Nakamba will challenge the new CDM and provide cover in case new player is injured / suspended.
Pep’s City slickers had 19 shots, 6 on target today. Against Spurs, we also had 19, with 8 on target. Today, 21, yes 21, and equal 6 on target to City’s.
Smith’s highest this season was, shockingly, in the 3-0 reverse at Chelsea, with an impressive 18 shots and 6 on target. EVERY other match Smith’s Villa played this season comes in lower than Gerrard’s last 2 games, with some single figures at home. And that’s with Smith’s players and system in place. So please, PLEASE stop with the we love Deano horseshit. One of the stand-out comments on here after his dismissal was that, because he’s so likable, there was a feeling if relief that he was sacked before the Villa fans turned on him. And you can bet your testicles they – we would’ve turned on him.
If I can be arsed, I might write a whole article about why we, the Villa fans, should get behind Gerrard and give him a chance. Smith’s Norwich are relegated with 4 games still to play. That”s poor, in my opinion. For Villa, top 9-10 is still on, which is ALL we could’ve hoped for this season, after the turmoil which started pre-season.
This season has been poor, yes. But the ‘we love Deano’, ‘we hate Gerrard’ routine is lazy and f****** boring. And no, I don’t love Gerrard, but I’m certainly not writing him off after half a season. I found it quite fitting that Smith returned ‘home’ to be dumped back in the Championship by his ‘family and friends.’ That’s the kind of f****** ruthlessness the manager has been calling for. No sentiment. No hugs and kissed. Off you go to the second tier. You love to see it, for want of another bullshit social media cliche.
UTV
(and good luck to Deano in the Championship, no really)
Nice piece mate but we can all find negatives with any stewardship.
I’ll put my cards on the table – king BD could get us into Europe, win the league cup ( or whatever it’s called now) and still I will never never ever have any time for the geezer. Never liked him as a player, don’t like him now and never will!
But what really really sticks in my craw is this stepping stone thing,
Won’t have it, don’t buy into it.
The day this fella collects his P45 I’ll hang the claret & blue bunting out
Taxi for Gerrard!
And the difference between Norwich’s net spend (around £60m) and Villa’s (around £270m) is bigger as a percentage than that of Pep’s Harlem Globetrotters.
Ok King BD is not responsible for that but we should be streets ahead given that financial disparity.
Steven Gerrard And Aston Villa FC
Now some Villa fans of a more cynical disposition are already charging that you see this appointment as a mere intermediary step before you inevitably make your way back to Merseyside”.
“Ya wha?”.
“You’ll be on your toes to Anfield first chance”.
“Eeeeeeee… daydodatdontdaydough. Feckin’ gobshites, de lorra”.
So what’s your message to the Villa faithful?”.
“Walk-ecch on walk-ecch on, with hope in your heart, an’ you’ll never walk-ecch ah-er lone, you’ll NEH-VERER walk-ecch ah-er alone.
As I said previously – Klopp signing an extension to his contract to 2026 hands a lifeline to Gerrard.
On the other hand if he’s still at Villa by then we’ll be doing more than OK.
Given the average tenure of an EPL manager, Villa being a stepping stone to Liverpool seems a somewhat irrelevant arguement.
Is it just me?