Bloody typical isn’t it?
The missus and myself left the game early, because we were frankly near frozen after being away for a couple of weeks.
We were just walking past the Holte when we heard the roar and someone said Mings had scored.
We’d just got past the Aston Social where someone said Abraham scored.
And then the daughter called me to say Green had scored for 3-3.
Cue me kicking myself for doing something I’ve hardly ever done, in leaving early.
Not that I’m overly bothered.
Okay, we’ve shown massive resilience in coming back from 3-0 down, but make no mistake about it, this team is utter, utter rubbish and I found myself wondering how people bother paying good money in the cold to watch this stuff.
Well, maybe I might have been willing to watch a three goal comeback, but it really shouldn’t be like this.
For as much of the game that I saw, I commented that when Alan Hutton looks our biggest threat, you just know there’s something majorly wrong.
I’m sure I’ve said that previously, a few times.
We’d offered absolutely nothing and I bet their goalie’s hands were as cold as mine.
Kodjia was awful, as was our whole midfield.
Even McGinn couldn’t show his usual effort.
What worries me is that we show no desire whatsoever and were second best to the ball nearly all the time.
I’m sure Abraham must wonder what he’s doing at the Villa at times, as he had no service whatsoever and looked disinterested to me.
The referee was abysmal too.
He must have given Sheffield fifteen frees compared to our one or two, yet it was never that sort of a game.
No doubt the talk will be about how we pulled a draw from the jaws of defeat.
But what I saw just simply isn’t good enough and our defence still looks poor, as much as I thought Mings did okay.
The worrying part is, I don’t really see what Smith can do about it.
Promotion?
You’re having a laugh.
I can’t see me rushing to watch another game down the Villa.
At least not until I get used to the weather again.
Comments
67 responses to “Villa – Sheff Utd; Six goals and I missed all ours!”
RIP Ian Ross 🙁
RIP Ian.
For all them that didn’t know Ian,
A utility player, Ross’s debut was for Liverpool on 14 January 1967 at Sheffield Wednesday in the First Division. He then moved to Aston Villa for £60,000 in February 1972, where captained their side that gained promotion to the top flight and also won the League Cup.
After falling out of favour at Villa, he had spells on loan at Notts County and Northampton Town before joining Peterborough United in December 1976. Here, he amassed over 100 appearances during two-and-a-half seasons, in which he also served the club in a coaching role.
He joined First Division Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1979 primarily as a coach, following his former Peterborough manager John Barnwell. He remained a registered player but never played a first team game for the club. He stepped in as caretaker manager after Barnwell’s eventual sacking in January 1982, taking charge of five games, losing all. Ross left the club soon after, joining Hereford United in a similar role, though here he did make 15 first team appearances during the 1982–83 season.
He moved to Iceland to manage Valur, KR and later Keflavík before returning to the UK and later took up the reins at Huddersfield Town in 1992–93. He subsequently managed Berwick Rangers in 1996
From Wikipedia. .
Remember him well at Villa, Bill but wasn’t aware that he went into management.
RIP Ian Ross
Very sad news about Ian Ross. I was 8 years old when i went to my first game in 1975 to watch Villa beat Sunderland 2-0, and Ian scored from penalty spot. RIP Ian.
See that Callum O’Hare got MOM for Carlisle at the weekend.
I think he has a big role to play for Villa next season and the experience at Carlisle will help him enormously as did JG’s loan period with Notts County.
That might be just as well if JG leaves as suspected.
Badger – if JG is to be sold in the summer (assuming we don’t get promotion that is 🙂 ) then we must settle the deal early in the window so as to allow us time to sensibly reinvest the funds. I fear a last day deal and us haring around buying the wrong players
O’Hare has the ability to be our next playmaker and this loan spell will harden him in the way U23’s doesn’t. I can’t see Grealish being at Villa next season because he will have definitely been told last summer that he can go if we fail to get promoted, otherwise he wouldn’t have signed an extended contract. I would expect a £25 million clause based on talk last summer. More importantly is that Smith builds a team that isn’t so reliant on Grealish. Hourihane, Bjarnasson and Lansbury all have failed up till now. McGinn is top drawer but a different type of player. Whelan and Jedinak are both past their prime and I will be shocked if they are offered new contracts. Fact is that we can’t replace him like for like while we are in the championship, so Smith needs to act quickly as Hitch says to enable us to have a decent pre season
Actually, I’m not 100% convinced Grealish will leave in the summer.
It would make sense, but I’m not convinced he would want to leave, in his heart of hearts.
It all comes down to money and while he might want to go to a club seriously challenging, you never know.
If we can match the money offered (a big ask, but we’d seriously push the boat out for him, as there’s nothing better than “one of our own” for the fans) he might just stay.
Better a legend at the Villa than a failure at a top club, I’d suggest.
Yes, I think there’s a £25 mill resale clause.
6 players at around £4 mill.
You’d think that would be enough for Smith, plus any money we can get for the garbage players.
I just dont understand why a 20 year old footballer never get a run out at Villa, yesterday on the box a young player on the wing ran the feet off a defender and got praised from the commentator. We just go along with players that know they will not be playing come next season and just go through the motion. Just gets me wondering.
It’s because they’ve been deemed as not good enough by more than one manager Bill.
Simple as.
My belief is they’re just not man/experienced enough yet and that’s why they’ve been farmed out.
A canny 30 yo will rip a raving fit 20 yo to pieces on average, in my experience of everyday life.
It takes something pretty exceptional to break that rule and I’m not yet convinced O’Hare has it.
He’s bloody small and similar to Grealish, who, let’s face it, was poor for a good while and took a long time to learn the ropes, as much as we can see the skill.
And Badger – Grealish’s real improvement came when he bulked up physically. For all the skill a footballer has, in the modern game they must be able to meet the physical demands it imposes.
Half a season with Carlisle will,hopefully, help O’Hare in this respect.
Oh yes.
A great decision to send them all out, imo.
Although some might say Gabby’s bulking up against the advice of MON was what ruined him.
Different player though and his pace was all he had, imo.
Whatever, all our kids out on loan will live or die by the sword of playing proper games.
It’s been crazy how they’ve been molly-coddled so much over the years.
If we get a couple who prove to actually be able to play the real game, then I see the point of the academy.
It’s why I’ve slated it so much for ages.
Sadly, Gabby wasn’t blessed with a range of football skills, so, as you say, speed was his greatest asset. Modern sprinters are pretty muscular but it’s important to strengthen the right ones! I suspect that’s where Gabby went wrong 🙂
Ha, one of my own replies got put into moderation 🙂
Shows it’s nothing personal, I suppose.