Try as I might, I’m struggling to keep my interest in the FA cup alive at the moment, as much as I appreciate it for what it is.
The sad fact is it is of no real interest to me now, as even if we were to win it, it would pale into insignificance if we were to be relegated, so powerful is the pull of the Premier league these days.
And that’s a view that I somewhat despise myself for, as an eighth FA cup win has always been amongst my dreams as the only thing I’ve never seen the club win in my lifetime.
That’s what it’s down to though and as much as I admired the point against Leicester, a game where I thought we deserved all three points, I’m now seriously beginning to accept the fact that we’re down.
Similar to all season, we’ve had no luck whatsoever and all the relegation contenders aren’t losing in the way we would want.
It’s so sad to say, but I think we’re now beyond hope of surviving.
We just don’t have the time.
On a brighter note and sticking with the FA cup, then; as I hinted, I strongly believe in what it is and what it does.
Regardless of my somewhat bleak mood, it’s superb for the smaller clubs.
I’ll bet Gareth Ainsworth, the Wycombe manager, was well chuffed when his side managed to bring us back to Villa park.
They had a full house at their ground and couple that with a nice six figure sum from this fixture, hopefully they’re keeping the wolf from the door for another season at least.
Let’s not forget lads; as much as things are currently bleak for us, so they’re a lot worse for clubs lower down the leagues and anything that gives a club a serious injection of cash, has to be a good thing.
Onto an even brighter note, I now expect us to have enough about us to win this game, as long as Remi doesn’t mess it up by changing it about too much.
We can’t afford any complacency, but should be able to give Richards, Clark and perhaps a couple of others a run out.
I’d seriously expect Gabby to start from a purely footballing point of view and if he doesn’t, well, my guess is he’ll never wear the Claret and Blue again, regardless of if he gets a loan/transfer in what remains of the window or not.
Reading between the lines, I’m not convinced he’ll start.
Which will only back up what I’ve thought for a fair while; he’s got ideas above his station and being “Mr Aston Villa” isn’t going to save him.
So watch him start then.
Or maybe not, as Barry Norman (aimed at the old timers amongst us, sorry) would have said.
Prediction time and it’s a brief 2-1 to us.
No particular reason, apart from I just feel it in my water.
It’s a rubbish reason, I know, but let’s face it, I’m on a roll, where I actually predicted the Leicester game correctly; a first this season, I think.
Hey, there’s a big plus in that, in that I’m predicting we’ll score 2!!!!
I’ve been strapped for time, which slightly explains why I didn’t post a review of Saturday’s game, but I thought while I’ve got a chance, I might as well give my opinion of what’s going on in the transfer window.
Well, it doesn’t take much working out does it?
We’re not getting anyone in, is basically the simple way to say it.
I think we all knew it really and the stories about Garde supposedly demanding funds for players who might save us are simply total sphericals.
Yes, some sources might link us with supposed top players, but they’re not realistic are they?
I’d maybe expect the odd £5 mill or so for Remi to splash out with, but the big emphasis is now undoubtedly “take them off our hands, PLEASE!”
Who’d entertain Gabby at around £65k a week?
See, I knew I’d make you laugh at the end of this post.
A win.
You heard it here first, remember.
UTV
just seen the goal on tv. decent cross and we had men in the box. duh. the play is too negative and safe a lot of the time. i know confidence is low but we will not win games by playing negatively. man city would destroy us and you can just see us rolling over – again. when will we get a manager and team that really tries to take the game to the opposition? lower league teams always give it a go as they have nothing to lose. i wish we could get some of that mentality.
We are a lower league team and we did give it a go
Sinclair Villas best player said by Dean Saunders, thing is we selling him,
2-0…Gana…..
or whatever his name is…LOL
Sounds like we were awful but a win is a win and just think – more money in Randy’s pocket!
It keeps momentum going I guess tonight was a freebie weekend game us what matters. Did grealish play right bk if so why?
No Lyden played right back according to Sky – why play a young kid out of position?
No idea
If we postpone all our weekend fixtures to a Tuesday night we’ll stay up at this rate! 🙂
See it’s only the express running the Kalinic story – and why is it we’re always ‘on the verge’ of signing someone. Sounds like we’re standing on the pavement watching the traffic speeding past.
I thought this keeper would be in the having a medical process by now not even SSN TRANSFER CENTRE has mentioned him for a while.
The FA have taken him to Broadmoor to be sectioned, why the hell would any sane player join this club at present?
Another defender moved on Crespo loaned out, is this about saving money?
Hi Bill; according to reports he has not adapted to the prem – in other words he’s another journeyman taking wages for no contribution.
It’s just too cold for him here…
On a different note, seems that Klopp is very busy trying to persuade the world that Benteke still has a future with the Bindippers – expect him to be available at a knock-down price in the summer!
Hi Hittch, looking like all our players are in that mould, Garde saying Grealish is not up to standard and should do more. I for the love of life cannot see how we are ever going to progress with schoolboys mentality with what we have at Villa. It’s looking Grimm mate.
Grealish is just another in a long line of young players [ & not just at VP] who make an impact early, then start to believe all the hype surrounding them and regress.
Whichever division we’re in next season, if Garde is still in charge I think he’ll probably have the biggest clear-out of players in living memory.
I don’t think he’s wrong though Bill.
On the whole I’ve been pretty much underwhelmed with young Mr G that is with the one exception of the semi final. Great (or even good)players make some sort impact in a game, a cross, pass, shot, tackle some little bit of something special that is out the ordinary and I just don’t see that in him. To me he looks a little too full of himself with his silly socks and daft haircuts, a case of style of substance me thinks.
I hope I’m wrong but time will tell.
Completely agree BWS, needs to get his head down and work hard (pull his socks up) and graft rather than try to be the next poster boy… We have had far too many Lee Sharpes, and not enough Paul Scholes.. !
Garde may try and have a clear out in the summer, but this has been tried many times before and we generally sell our best and are left with the dross, because of terrible contracts signed off by our board !!
I don’t disagree, although the fact that the likes of Shabby, N’zog, etc. seem to have been told that they’re not wanted, and basically either find another club or get paid-off and disappear into obscurity, suggests that the club will bite the bullet and simply do what it takes to get rid of players who have nothing left to contribute.
Look at Callum McManaman at the Baggies, not the most gifted player ever to grace a football field but the fans love him and why’s that? Because he gives (as Sir Ron used to say) 110% ever game, not that he always has a great game but the efforts always there and fans ain’t stupid and they know when someone’s trying to mug them off.
Bit like Ian Taylor not great ability wise but sweated claret and blue blood every game he played for us
I think there are some notable exceptions Bill – Ayew, Vertout ( now he’s had a little time to adjust), Gana (maybe?), Okore and whatever you think of their ability Cissoko, Hutton and Kozak put in a shift when they are playing. The risk is we lose those with real ability and keep the very average players on badly structured overpaid contracts.
I’m still very concerned that Lerner missed yet another opportunity to get some real combined football and business expertise at the top by appointing Hollis. The trouble is we will probably be bottom of the Championship before Lerner even notices – too busy counting the cash he’s stored under the mattress.
I still to this day I think 2 countries vying for his services did him no favours his ego must of been bursting.
I think that decision was purely a financial one but what if he never gets the call for England? He’s going to have to eat one extra large slice of humble pie to get back in with the Irish.
I agree he can’t even get into the England U21’s.shame he wasnt from Malta.
Thing is he is still a teenager according to the press. He’s been playing in a truely woeful Villa team, under multiple managers. He missed the last 3 games through illness, and he is drafted in for an FA Cup game with the bomb squad mark 2.
For the manager to come out in the media and slam him individually for his performance, even though the entire team/squad is sub-standard and played shit is not helping. Fergie kept everything in-house, particularly with young players at Utd, and he reaped the rewards.
Seems Villa haven’t figured out how to treat young players still.
He’s 20 going on 21 hardly a teenager and so at what age does a player stop being a precocious talent and start to become a prima donna?
Rooney at 16 was scoring last-minute winning goals against Arsenal, if the talents there.
Grealish is overrated. You want to see a player with the right attitude and desire to succeed look no further than Dele Ali at Spurs. If Grealish had the same attitude as Ali then maybe he’d start to fulfill the talent he allegedly has.
The issues is Grealish, a grown man, is acting like a teenager and has himself made the clubs business public with his off the pitch shenanigans. He no longer is an academy player but a well paid first team member of the squad, as such he has to be held to the same standards as everyone else.
Nevertheless Garde coming out in the press to publicly make an example of Grealish is exactly the sort of wake up call the young player needs. He’s not improving and/or trying of late. Personally I think Garde would be doing the team and Grealish a disfavor by coddling him and telling him his poor performance is acceptable. We are bottom of the table and if a player cannot get motivated now to improve himself he never will. And much like Garde, I don’t have the time of day for any player if they don’t show the effort.
He wasn’t “slammed” lets not lose the run of ourselves,
Here is what he said:
“You saw the game,” said Garde. “Jack started and it was his first for quite a long time now, but I haven’t seen exactly what I wanted to see from him tonight.
“I know he has played in the part of the game when we were not good collectively, when we were disappointing for the first hour or so. But then we started to play more collectively and simple.
“But it’s not only about Jack; I was not happy with the way the team played the first hour. We were the Premier League team but for too long tonight I did not see that.”
Was the interviewer not asking about Jack? did he not have an ineffective game for us?
the above is hardly Slamming or singling out .. they were all rubbish and he was asked about one and he said he expected more from him but he has been out, and the rest of the team were not performing either?
some of ye should write for the red tops!
My bad, he has turned 20 now. He spent 3 seasons out on loan under Lambert, and received rave reviews. Sherwood brought him into the first team at the tail end of last season and he looked like a great prospect for the future. Now the new manager is singling him out for personal criticism in the media even though the entire team are shit. Whether you think Grealish is a prospect or not, it’s not the way to manage young players if you want them to succeed.
Players making it in the premier league at 16 is not normal, Rooney was the exception.
Alrighty then how about one Gary Shaw, debut in 77 scored 12 goals the following season or how about Francis down the Blues in the 70’s hitting 4 against Bolton at the tender age of 16? Or more up to date Harry Kane, in his first full season he netted 21 times in 34 games.
As I said earlier -if the talents there.
Think grealish got very bad advice in Autumn, changing allegiance from Ireland who he played all underage football to England where he going to be small fish in tank full of sharks.
But think remi garde being very unfair picking him out just say Westwood missed sitters in 2/3 matches ,got booked in injury time v Norwich for an assault on touchline gave away pen first match v Wycombe never a bad word about one of the most consistent crap midfielder in my time asa fan over 40 years afan Westwood onhis 4 season without getting 5 goals or10 assists
Difference is Westwood is shit but probably has a better attitude
and also what you see is what you get with westwood, not much hope of him improving at this point. Grade is trying to develop Grealish
Garde is justified in calling out Grealish. To be honest, I’m glad Garde is making an example of him. Regardless if Grealish had a sore tooth or recently came off antibiotics he has still been underperforming for some time now. Let it be the international talk or just having a bad attitude in general he is holding himself back and he only has himself to blame.
I also agree with Garde’s comment about Lyden – he may not be a world beater but he at least puts the work and commitment in for the team. Grealish is undoubtedly talented but if he doesn’t show up or put the hard work in what’s the point. Messi didn’t become Messi by just showing up.
Lads, I put it down to attitude, if you or I had that talent I’m sure we would want to show the world I would, he doesn’t show improvement from last year breaking onto the first team, we don’t hear of new hopefuls or how good they are.
Garde needs to bring him back down to earth – interesting that the much reviled Lambert said Grealish wasn’t ready for the first team. Sherwood bigged him up then he had a blinder in the semi and we had all the ‘choose your country’ hype as if he was a shoe in for the national squad. Now thinks he has nothing to prove!
I think it was Shankly who said – ‘is he an ordinary player having a great game or is he a great player having an ordinary game’. At the moment young Jack fits the first category.
VILLA making a move for vidic source the Sun.LOL
Probably recommended by Fergie 🙂