Intercourse_The_Penguin

Really want him to stay. Starting to think he will be difficult to replace with all that he's bringing to team now, which I must admit I didn't expect to be saying until quite recently.

He looked like he was drawn to some of those diagonal balls and attempted through-balls like iron filings to a magnet. In the right place to tidy up so often today, and played the ball well when he got it. Really showing the kind of player he can be the last few games he's played. Chuffed.

We did not deserve that game to end as nervy as it did. Dominant display from Delph really stood out. Benteke reaffirming what a goalscorer he is when fit and confident. First half in particular we made the form team of the league look like a Championship side. Love how Tim has got us playing.

Sunderland with Everton, Chelsea and Arsenal away... can they really get more than three more points?

Phew!

Well, I rather enjoyed that half.

Yes, yes, yes!!!

Yes, yes, yes!!!

Given the respective run-ins I'm pretty much assuming that Leicester will finish above Sunderland, so my focus for reassuring myself of our survival is on the Mackems, who are dreadful and have a horrible run. Lose to Southampton on Saturday and their goose could be as good as cooked.

He's done that before to be fair. Something he's kind of known for. He does come across in a number of pressers as unhinged and bizarrely aggressive. I seem to recall him snapping and carping at a journalist not long before their good run, actually, so not sure we can read too much into it in terms of its signs of impact on him or the team.

Even if we lose this weekend, if Sunderland also lose to Southampton, I think another point might end up being just enough, leaving the Mackems with 33 as theboyangel predicts, but probably with worse goal difference than us given their horror away games still to come and starting off one goal worse than us. That would be too nervy, though, and if Sunderland somehow defy form and go on a good run (or even if they just beat Southampton this weekend) it could get really ugly. Gonna be a bag of nerves this weekend...

I wish there weren't any games remaining - and were still 5th bottom ! Ha, yes! Quite. I meant that things seem to even themselves out over a season with respect to who's playing well and who isn't, but over four or five games freak results and failing to convert chances in one or two games can be huge.

I'm still extremely freakin' nervous because I think it's quite possible we could be just three points off 18th (with worse goal difference) after our game against Man City. Whilst I'm really pleased with how the side are playing now, that just doesn't leave much room for error and it piles pressure on the remaining games. On the plus side, I see all our remaining games as ones we can give a damn good go at getting points from. I include City in that because given their current form if we play like we did against Lolerpool we should come back with something. It's just the lack of remaining games and the potential for unexpected results to completely change the picture down the bottom given how close it all is.

Well, that was enjoyable. A couple of months ago there's no way I could have imagined Villa putting in a performance like that against the red scouse in a cup semi. Just superb.

I'm with the late, great Douglas Adams on this right now: In today’s modern Galaxy there is, of course, very little still held to be unspeakable...There is one word that is still beyond the pale. The concept it embodies is so revolting that the publication or broadcast of the word is utterly forbidden in all parts of the galaxy except one - where they don’t know what it means. That word is “Belgium”

One thing that I've noticed under Sherwood is that my mood is once again linked to a ridiculous level to how Villa did in their last game. It always used to be like this, and whenever I reflected on it I always found it daft - a grown man, with family, work, responsibilities, having his mood shaped so fundamentally by how well 11 millionaires from a completely different social world kicked a ball around for an hour and a half. But there it was. Just part of being a fan. Although it was stupid, I was also quite proud of it - how connected I felt at an emotional level to my club. For a good while before Sherwood joined, though, it had changed a bit. I was numbed to utterly dreadful performances and results and I had no real expectations of any other than failure for the club. Matches were pretty dispiriting, but I'd kind of excised its influence on my day-to-day life. Now it feels like because the hope is back it's all come crashing back on top of me again. So I am blaming Sherwood directly for the fact that I feel really pissed off this morning. Not even for the result, but for bringing back a sense of hope that has let all of this back into my life. Bastard!

I did have some gripes about how Sherwood handled the subs and failed to attempt to counter the clear threat of Montero, but equally I thought he deserved credit for the way he got the team playing in the second half after a nervy opening. He'd clearly seen the problems and got his message across to the team as to how to address it and we were much improved, certainly from 45 to about 70 minutes. I thought we bossed that period in the first half of the second half. It did go a bit flat after that it's possible different substitute decisions could have made the difference, who knows. But as much as we might want to slate Sherwood for what he didn't address towards the end (when we didn't have many subs left mind you) I think he did well at reorganising the team at half-time, so it's clear he has that ability to spot and address our weaknesses. I'm pretty damn nervous now just because we have such tough away games and there's so little room for error in the remaining home games, but we're creating enough to go into those games with some confidence.

Yeah, didn't look right today. Especially after his fall. I was surprised he was left on so long. Hope he can get fully fit and firing before too long.

Delph was good. Clark made a few crucial interceptions and blocks, but also gave away a lot of fouls. Fullbacks looked frighteningly vulnerable. Was distinctly unimpressed with Sanchez, and would really have liked to see someone comfortable in possession like Gil, and would have hoped Sherwood would have done something to address our fullbacks being torn apart. Still, we had a go, made some chances, and it was fun to watch for the most part.

Bollocks!!

I think this is spot on. His goal against the Tesco bags is a perfect example . It was almost telegraphed, from the run, the pass, the way he approached the ball and set himself to shoot I felt I knew it was in before it was struck. Feel he can definitely weigh in with more goals both in the remainder of this season and the future.

Yeah, I think once we get ahead of Hull we'll stay ahead of them. They're awful away from home and their fixtures are plain brutal. And now without Jelavic for some of the more winnable ones. Perfect storm. Hopefully we'll go above them this weekend...

I'm hoping that by the time we play them, Everton and Southampton no longer have anything to play for either (it's also possible Burnley could be down by then, but perhaps unlikely). Hull are in a similar position in this respect, but with a tougher set of fixtures. Another point that ratchets up the tension for this weekend's game. A win would be absolutely massive.

It's now appearing in the BBC's fixture list: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/fixtures

Really fantastic news that. Yes, glad this isn't going into the last few games and increasing the tension attached to it, and also breaking up that horrible run of away games to tough sides. Also, QPR are up here to play the Baggies on the Saturday, so two consecutive away games in the West Mids for them in the space of four days. Hmm...