sharkyvilla

One thing that annoys me is that when we go 2 goals up we stop playing out from the back so much.  For one of their goals Emi booted it long and it just came straight back, for the 3rd he got the ball and wanted to start an attack and just threw the ball out of play.  They get the ball back and score.  The thing about keeping it calm and playing out from the back is that you always have an extra player available so it's actually quite easy to keep the ball and take the sting out of the game.

It was the same against Luton and it took Lenglet to take charge and just keep the ball, run with it upfield and then pass it when everyone else was losing their heads.  

1 minute ago, Tayls said:

Im gonna say Arsenal away and Liverpool at home are guaranteed defeats at this point. There isn’t a chance we are getting anything from those. I’ll be amazed if we achieved a single point. 

There's no reason we can't get draws in those games.  Thank God Unai isn't this defeatist.  All teams can lose and win points against the grain at this time of year.  If Liverpool win tomorrow then we need 6 points in 6 games for 5th, we are still in a really strong position.

Yeah a huge miss.  Doug just has so much more workload and it's taken its toll.  

7 hours ago, beasley14 said:

Nobody likes losing games, don't confuse our understanding of the decision as gleefully accepting defeat.

After tonight's result it looks like a good decision, huge game Sat.

Yeah if we get wins against Brentford and Lille by being able to put our first choice team out and Utd drop more points against Liverpool then it just further highlights Unai's genius decision making.

7 minutes ago, PeterSw said:

Absolute joke if that goes through.

Fines will be pocket change to all the rich owners and will be abused.

Already happening in NBA and MLB which makes the big teams separate from the rest.

Tbh I think it's alright.  Ignoring the oil teams for a moment, it seems daft that we can be debt free, selling out games every week and on the verge of qualifying for the Champions League and yet may have to look to sell a big name player just to comply with the current rules.  If owners can give cash to the FA, they then confirm it's kosher then give it back minus say, 20% tax which gets distributed out, then I think it's a bit fairer.

It feels like my life flashes by so quickly these days and yet this Premier League run in seems to be taking an eternity.  I just want it all to be mathematically certain (yes I know it's extremely unlikely Utd can catch us).  A draw or Chelsea win tonight would at least be another step on the way so come on you cockney clearings in the woods.

Just keep Moreno and Digne for another year.  We know their qualities and character, we can rotate without dipping in quality, assuming Moreno gets back into his rhythm.  If we qualify for the Champions League I don't think I'd sell any of our regular players, as a reward for their efforts as much as anything.  I'd put my money towards one of the best defensive midfield prospects as back up for Kamara and probably a quality right back/wing back option.

14 hours ago, Captain_Townsend said:

I am sure this is posted elsewhere in the thread but just reposting it here seeing as the conversation is active again. Still think this was the perfect next step for us rather than a new stadium

3.45: drools!

 

 

 

It's perfect.  Such a shame.

17 hours ago, PieFacE said:

You can double tap and hold R1/RB which will make your defenders mark the players in the box to intercept the cut backs.

Those type of cut backs have been nerfed about 5 times already but are still way too overpowered. Was an absolute nightmare when the game first came out. 

Absolute game changer, cheers mate!

33 minutes ago, KevinRichardsonsMoustache said:

I find it remarkable that there hasn't been more scrutiny about the fee. He remains the most expensive British player of all time (= with Rice?) and that sort of thing used to bring massive attention. Perhaps it's a reflection of how insane transfer fees have become or that it is just pocket change to Citeh that it is barely even mentioned? 

Sometimes it feels like the media doesn't consider the fee a relevant issue or one that should be considered alongside his performances. Is it tacit acknowledgement that he wasn't worth it or that somehow when the fee was going to little ole' AVFC that it doesn't matter? I remember conversations in his first season there about his price tag, but it suddenly disappeared when he seemed to click into gear there. Now he's clearly on the downturn with Citeh, the small issue of the price is invisible. 

If you put the money back into the equation, you have to ask yourself: does he look like a £100m player? Does he exert the sort of influence that £100m should buy for any club? Does he get the media attention that comes to a £100m talisman? The answer to all three is no. And I think Jack knows it. 

Really, very few of the players in world football that have gone for over £100m have proved to be worth the money.

I've only recently started playing computer games again and mainly EAFC, I just find it so hard to deal with the same move every time, they run to the byline, cut inside, pass it and it's impossible to stop the player from shooting, with it almost inevitable it goes in with the top strikers.  I'm OK playing against people who seem to make it like a football match and try different moves but some people just do the same thing over and over again and it becomes pointless.

This season I've seen plenty of occasions where I'm shouting at the TV at Watkins and Bailey to react more strongly to challenges which should be free kicks, even penalties.  Even that challenge by Mee on Bailey could've been a leg-breaker but Leon just tried carrying on and luckily we had VAR to step in.  Obviously none of us want to see players taking the piss play-acting but when it's a genuine foul you sometimes have to make it obvious to the ref otherwise they bottle it.  I'm sure if Martinez was an outfield player, the opposition would be getting a shitload more yellows and reds.

15 hours ago, theboyangel said:

What an utter knob jockey! 

Plenty of players didn’t perform for Pep today, including Haaland but did he get a public rollicking? 

I seem to remember him doing it with Haaland before, who didn't quite take it as passively as Jack.  I'll be the first to say it, hopefully it means the return of Jack to us is a bit closer.

3 hours ago, LondonLax said:

Twitter are a rival to his truth social platform which he just floated for something like $6billion. He doesn’t want to promote a rival company. 

It limits his audience a fair bit and he can't just win the election with his cult members.  It's why I still can't see him winning again whatever the polls say.

13 hours ago, villa4europe said:

Told this story before... 

Wigan away last game of the season, a load of Villa go for Blackpool weekender, I get on the bus mate 7am with a 6 pack of cans, hit Blackpool have some beers, I'm in flares maybe 3pm, hit by gut rot so rush to the bogs

No toilet seat, you're not beating me

No lock on the door, I'm no amateur I put my leg up to hold it, no way are you beating me

Unleash hell

No bog roll...

Safe to say I binned them pants 

Similar thing happened to me at a pub once but luckily I'd been to the bank earlier and had my paying-in book in my pocket.  

I still can't tell which part of Toney's body they measured the offside from.  It looks like his hand to me but it's so hard to see the vertical lines sometimes.

2 minutes ago, Zatman said:

Brentford 31 shots to United 11

I think the commentator said its the most touches a team has conceded in their own area in a match since the Agueroooooo game.

1 minute ago, rjw63 said:

Why has nine added minutes turned into fourteen ffs?

The first 2 were spent bandaging up Dalot's bonce then 2 goals were scored, seemed fair enough.  

That looked like they used Toney's hand for his line to me?

56 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

You joke but Barcelona famously built downwards to expand the Nou camp because they weren’t allowed to build the stadium any higher

It's how City converted the Commonwealth Games stadium from athletics too but it was easier when the stands are so far back whereas we have no room.  The Nou Camp didn't have a running track but still had stands far enough back to add about half a tier's worth of seats, having extended upwards about a decade earlier.  We just need to build the North Stand, use all that land behind it wisely and get the longer platforms the council have promised.  The longer they take the more expensive it will get.

I'm trying to think who else they might go for, they may actually end up with Gerrard until Alonso decides to move on.  I'd love it.

4 hours ago, turvontour said:

What's the approx annual salary for minimum wage now, assuming normal approx 35 to 40 hour week?

I think it's about £21k a year 

1 hour ago, Lichfield Dean said:

Been discussed before, and there are now obviously financial issues and other problems at the Alexander (although I don't know exactly what) but regardless, I'd hate to see Birmingham's premier athletics stadium and the home of Birchfield Harriers ruined by a football club. And equally, as west ham have proven, trying to make a football stadium that also needs to host athletics events doesn't really work very well.

It's a huge 'no' from me.

I wondered a while ago whether they could build an athletics stadium at Villa Park and build a purpose-built 60k stadium at Alexander Stadium.  Apparently there would still be issues with transport links though.