West Ham – Villa; I don’t have a clue.

Another stupid kick off time means it has to be another Villa game.
I think the headline sums this one up pretty well actually.
I don’t mean I don’t have a clue in general (although some might think that), but it’s more that we’re capable of any result possible and we’re already showing major inconsistency.
My points prediction for the games up to christmas have already gone out of the window, after all.

We’re just so hard to predict aren’t we?
Look at the teams we’ve beaten and then the teams we’ve lost to and you’d pretty much say that it’s 100% the opposite of what you’d expect.
Add in the fact that we’ve lost three games at home and won three games away already and well, what chance have you got?
I think I’ve given up with predictions for a while and anything now will be more based on hope.

Squad news and Guilbert and Hause are both training, but won’t be ready.
Keinan Davis is apparently fit, so will almost certainly make the bench, but it’s doubtful he’ll start, although questions have been asked about Smith going with two up front. I just don’t see it.
I’ve just seens a report that Traore is doubtful, but I’m not seeing anything to back that up.

The main news(?) is that Ross Barkley is out and the question is who comes in to replace him?
The clever money says it’ll be Conor Hourihane, but it was interesting that Dean Smith preferred Traore over him when Barkley went off last week.
It makes you wonder how much the manager rates the Irishman, but there’s no other logical starter.
Lansbury was notable for his absence when the Mail did a training ground article and there may have been a simple explanation for that, but I don’t think he’d be in the frame anyway.

Our squad is horrendously thin isn’t it? and the question will inevitably be will we be entering the market for reinforcements in the window? but that’s for another day.

As for the Hammers, Michail Antonio could return tonight having missed three matches due to a hamstring problem.
Andriy Yarmolenko has been in self-isolation because of a positive Covid-19 test and it’s not known if he’ll be ready.

They’re fully fit otherwise.

So no predictions based on logic then and it’s purely heart-based.

Where, even so, I’ve got us to lose this one, 0-1.

Well, I might as well. Everytime I say draw or win, I invariably get it wrong.

UTV!

106 Comments

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  1. Hitchens60
    Hitchens60 November 30, 2020 at 9:48 pm . Reply

    And Elmo passes the ball over the goal line.

  2. Hitchens60
    Hitchens60 November 30, 2020 at 9:50 pm . Reply

    VAR offside

  3. Holte66
    Holte66 November 30, 2020 at 9:50 pm . Reply

    VAR against the Villa?

  4. Holte66
    Holte66 November 30, 2020 at 9:51 pm . Reply

    Course It will be disallowed

  5. Hitchens60
    Hitchens60 November 30, 2020 at 9:52 pm . Reply

    Fucking load of crap – football is fucking stupid

  6. Holte66
    Holte66 November 30, 2020 at 9:52 pm . Reply

    F**k VAR

    1. Tom
      Tom November 30, 2020 at 9:54 pm . Reply

      I’m totally done with football. I’m following UFC for my sporting fix now

  7. Holte66
    Holte66 November 30, 2020 at 9:53 pm . Reply

    Football has become a joke

  8. Hitchens60
    Hitchens60 November 30, 2020 at 9:56 pm . Reply

    It’s our own fault – Spam have had two shots on goal – need I say more!

    I’m pissed off because we lose to all the teams supported by my mates – being a Villa supporter is really sh*t at times.

    I don’t think I want to watch anymore

  9. Holte66
    Holte66 November 30, 2020 at 9:56 pm . Reply

    What does clear and obvious mean? When is it supposed to be used? I’m at a loss to what the rules are.

  10. Holte66
    Holte66 November 30, 2020 at 9:58 pm . Reply

    We’re bound to lose to Newcastle on Friday

    1. Hitchens60
      Hitchens60 November 30, 2020 at 10:02 pm . Reply

      I’ve had enough Holte – not going to bother watching. In fact so pissed off going to cancel my Sky subscription and save money.

  11. Adam
    Adam November 30, 2020 at 9:59 pm . Reply

    Must win on Friday now. VAR is a joke

  12. DSVilla
    DSVilla November 30, 2020 at 10:00 pm . Reply

    Just weak. I can’t even be bothered to say more. Completely predictable loss against a team no better than us.

    1. Holte66
      Holte66 November 30, 2020 at 10:06 pm . Reply

      Ultimately we lost because of them scoring with their two chances and our defence failing to deal with simple crosses.

      1. DSVilla
        DSVilla November 30, 2020 at 10:26 pm . Reply

        They had very little threat but how often did we work their keeper?
        I don’t particularly rate Moyes but if he had our team he would make Watkins stick in the middle and bombard crosses. We have him running the channels but aren’t keyed up to get forward and give attacking options for him to bring in.

        Way too passive and heading in the wrong direction.

        We have a talented first 11 and a weak bench. We need to get out tactics right, and we need to be tougher mentally.

        We were probably lucky that Antonio was struggling for fitness. Otherwise it might have been an easier win for them.

        Pisses me off.

  13. nath
    nath November 30, 2020 at 10:01 pm . Reply

    gutted with that result. we played good in the game. gave away two fast goals in both halves which unsettled us, we were the better the side for most of the game. pen missed and b/s offside disallowed goal.

    end of the day i am pleased with our season sofar. you take the bad with the good nights. we are great to watch and very close to becoming a really top side. tonight we were robbed and very unlucky …chinsup

  14. Hitchens60
    Hitchens60 November 30, 2020 at 10:01 pm . Reply

    That’s two games we’ve lost because we can’t put the ball in the net.

    Sound familiar

    That’s 4 defeats in 5 games and relegation form. We’ll soon be nearer the bottom than the top.

    It’s going to be another long season.

  15. Holte66
    Holte66 November 30, 2020 at 10:03 pm . Reply

    I’m seriously losing interest in watching because of VAR. We should have won with Trezeguet failing to hit a barn door (again) and Watkins missing the penalty. Why didn’t we leave Hourihane on to take it? Surely he is the best dead ball specialist.

    1. Hitchens60
      Hitchens60 November 30, 2020 at 10:05 pm . Reply

      Why didn’t Jack take it?

      Watkins has a poor penalty record

      1. DSVilla
        DSVilla December 1, 2020 at 7:58 am . Reply

        I would have been mad if that penalty was given against us. Really soft. Slight tug of the shirt and Trez threw himself to the ground.

  16. originalondonlion
    originalondonlion November 30, 2020 at 10:11 pm . Reply

    You don’t have a clue, Badger? Nor does our defensive co-ordinator.
    Corners 101, mark their big blokes with your big blokes.
    Penalties 101, aim inside the goal frame.

    Traoré? I have not seen anything that justifies his place in a Premiership team yet, and if it hasn’t emerged by now – it probably isn’t there.

    VAR does stand for Villa Are Robbed.

  17. Holte66
    Holte66 November 30, 2020 at 10:32 pm . Reply

    Carragher and Neville both saying if it’s not a goal because of offside then it should have been a penalty anyway. The foul happens before the offside. Stockley Park continually rob us points.

    1. originallondonlion
      originallondonlion December 1, 2020 at 3:10 pm . Reply

      Absolutely correct Holte66.

      If Watkins stops, does not reach the ball and complains he was held, VAR has to assess – was he fouled inside the area? Clearly yes, so it is a penalty. The ref allows advantage since Watkins breaks out of the illegal hold and ‘scores’. But it is not an advantage if that ‘goal’ is disallowed for a subsequent infringement. Therefore play should be taken back for the penalty.

      The camerawork at VAR is not the problem, it is brilliant in deciphering hairline facts. The problem is the inconsistent ***** at VAR HQ who cannot apply the laws of the game, and – it has to be said – the spineless refs on the pitch. Only one this season has reviewed his decision and decided he was still right.

  18. Roy Bracy
    Roy Bracy November 30, 2020 at 11:03 pm . Reply

    I’m fed up with var it’s now spoiling the game,it was a clear and obvious penalty he had both arms around his neck. And anyway it was his arm they said that was offside,I thought you couldn’t score with your arm so that means he was onside. They should have ex players as well as a referee in stockley park. It was a very good cross and well taken goal and it’s ruined by var with their slide rule and quantum mathematics to see if a player is offside.
    In fact why bother with linesman now.
    I’m really mad tonight 😬😬😬

  19. nath
    nath November 30, 2020 at 11:06 pm . Reply

    i disagree the game wasnt world class, but it was a very good villa performance and game. as in we played a tough hammers team. nothing much between the teams and when two teams are equally matched it can become a chess match. but i thought villa gave them a lift and lead in both halves. that said we dominated the rest of first half. second half started with us giving them a lead again. followed by us dominating the rest of the half.

    hammers manager changed his system h/t which shows you we were dominating them.ok we didnt beat them 7 2 or 3 nil like pool and gunners. but this is premiership league and most teams are equally good. tough to win let alone win big and comfortably

    i have seen the offside back and it is a penalty for sure. the defender is grabbing watkins this was inside the box, var were too concerned with drawing wonky lines to notice the foul. hammeers boss said his team played bad cause villa stopped them playing. and villa were good.

    so you disagree maybe your beef is with the game not villa. maybe you should take a minute to absorb it when you are gutted to lose. missed pen var robbbing you are upset to start off with and your overall views is tinted.

    anyways iam off to bed pissed off cause we should have won at least a draw but to lose is hard to take

  20. Little8
    Little8 November 30, 2020 at 11:52 pm . Reply

    Sooo disappointed with a bit more composure and without the damned var we would be top2 now in a very poor league

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