Delphinho123

He’s having a stormer is Buendia.

Such a strange half. We haven’t played very well at all but we’re doing well to nullify them. We’re still terrible at putting ourselves under pressure with daft passes in our own third. 

Watkins and Bailey haven’t done much. Buendia has been rubbish and I think Luiz and Kamara have been fairly average. Olsen scares the life out of me. 

Id love a 0-0, but I think they’ll break us down at some point. 

1 minute ago, rodders0223 said:

"Unnatural position"

His elbow literally touching his torso.

Don Goodman has headed too many balls the dribbling moron

So agree with this. Unnatural position? Lol. His arm Is attached to his body ffs

2 minutes ago, andym said:

Buendia just won the ball from Kane, then tried to back heel it through Kane to Konsa while on the edge of our box

Unbelieveably stupid

His flicks never come off. They’re rubbish. He’s rubbish.

9 minutes ago, rodders0223 said:

It is getting harder to defend him, you can run all day, if you lose it as cheaply as he has when he has got the nod then it's pointless.

He just loses the ball over, and over and over again. It’s tiresome. So weak.

Buendia is appalling. 

Just now, rodders0223 said:

"It was always the decision to miss both games" paraphrasing.

Not what I would have done with a GK personally especially with Olsen as No.2 but I'm not an elite coach.

Just because you’re not an elite coach, doesn’t mean you can’t be right about team selection. 

It’s Martinez who last played 2 weeks ago, or Olsen. If Martinez is breathing, he should be playing.

10 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Messi not back today either. He’s off. 
 

Fans are nuts.

However will PSG cope. 

8 minutes ago, MaVilla said:

honestly, do you think Emi 1 wouldnt be playing if he was ready/fit?

I can only assume he isnt actually fit/mentally ready or something, why do we automatically blame Emery for not picking him?, there must be a good reason!?!?

I don’t think people are. Quite the opposite in fact. As another poster suggested, he’s gonna get some stick for not playing today if we lose, especially as they have two starters from the same match playing. It’s inexcusable he isn’t in goal today. Absolutely inexcusable. 

The lads who made that banner for the Holte really want to have a rethink. It’s one thing having a goalkeeper who won the World Cup, but it’s another having one who is too much of a prick to get back in time in a fit state to start and one who has probably cost us 2-6 points in the games he’s missed. 

Fuming about this. Feels like we’re completely handicapped going into this match. 

I’m calling it now, something isn’t right here. This isn’t a case of us being able to rest a player because we have an able back up, this is a win/lose situation. We’re massively handicapped having Olsen in goal to the point where we may as well give the other team a 2 goal headstart. 

He’s back at Bodymoor and he’s breathing therefore he should be playing. It’s either a criminal bit of mismanagement from Emery, which I doubt, or something has gone on here. Martinez should/has to be playing this match. 

I can see him leaving before end of Jan. 

Just now, av1 said:

I hate it when keepers do that. If I was an Everton defender I’d be bollocking him every time he conceded a goal. 

Me too. He’s got proper small man/arm syndrome. You can see he stands on his tip toes whenever singing the national anthem just to make himself look taller.

He’s not a bad keeper, he’s just not as a good as Martinez and he’s a little weirdo. 

Just now, Tomaszk said:

I'd devastated to sign Pickford.

Total mess of a footballer.

Would hate to have him at the Villa. The whole shouting at the defenders whenever he’s asked to do anything is just embarrassing. 

30 minutes ago, Mandy Lifeboats said:

Russia would need to fully mobilise its male population and leave huge amounts of Russia completely undefended. They would literally need to use everything they have got AND hope NATO stay out of the conflict. 

That will not happen.  The loses would be horrendous and it would ruin Russia’s economy and military for decades to come.  NATO could probably prevent it happening using air power alone. 

Russia’s future is bleak.  They are fighting an actual war in Ukraine and an economic war against countries that are much richer.   But the cherry on the cake is that China isn’t really supporting Russia.  In fact some would say China are exploiting Russia for cheap gas and oil.  

Russia’s still maintaining its public bravado but it’s slowly softening its standpoints.  At the start of the war Putin threaten “immediate and unprecedented action against any country that interferes”.  NATO called his bluff.  Putin said there would be no mobilisation.  There was.  Putin said they would only accept payments in rubles.  That policy has quietly gone.  Putin threatened Sweden and Finland not to join NATO.  They immediately did. Putin then said he wasn’t bothered whether they joined or not as long as they didn’t have nukes based there. 

But the most telling factor is that Russia started the war to denazify and demilitarise Ukraine. That aim has changed numerous times.  It’s now a war to defend itself against NATO.  They are also demanding “security guarantees” from NATO.  That’s a desperate attempt to portray this as a victory to the Russian people. 

In summary - Russia is absolutely f****d. 
 

 

 

Love this summary. Thanks.

Some great commentary in here as always, thanks.

But, I have a dumb question to ask.

Could Russia still ‘take’ Ukraine? The plan was obviously originally to waltz into Kiev, set up a puppet regime and essentially rule the country. Could that still happen? If they mobilised more and more men? Or is it now just a case of the best case scenario being holding on to as much land as possible in the South East?

I just wonder what 2023 has in stall is all. Ta.

1 hour ago, messi11 said:

You're looking at the wrong stats. Gerard Deulofeu's been insane in Serie A for the last 2 seasons now. He's got better with age. This signing would be the equivalent of taking one of the side's below the top 6 talisman (Zaha, Trossard, Maddison type signing). Would be an incredible business for Villa! 
2.73 chances created per 90. No one comes close to that in the whole of Serie A. Only KDB is better in the PL at 2.94 chances created per 90.
 

 

Great work, Messi

40 minutes ago, Follyfoot said:

I have not given up on the fella. Yes, he has a lot more to prove, but he has ‘it’ in abundance. not that many players have ‘it’ 

 

If ‘it’ is a lack of any discernible attributes, then yea, agreed. 

Chukwueze just scored for Villarreal. I wonder how he compares to Sarr

2 hours ago, messi11 said:

We have Kamara, Coutinho and Bailey. We've come a long way in such a short time.

 

 

 

 

 

All three should be starting for us.

16 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

So with speculation that Thuram wants Man U or top 4 etc, would anyone take Rashford?

Rashford confuses me, he is either on fire or anonymous, but undoubtedly a quality and lethal forward when on it imo.

Come on, mate. Rashford could pretty much take his pick of any team in the world. He isn’t coming here!

7 minutes ago, Condimentalist said:

Yes, it wasn't his first poor performance, but he has given some very good ones too. 

He needs more of the good ones more often to keep his place long term though, no doubt.

I think he needs to be much better tbh mate. Right now, if Ramsey was fit, he’d come in for Buendia and I’d keep McGinn in the side. 

I hope it clicks for him but I think he lacks some very vital attributes at this level to be a top 10 player - pace, strength, shooting, heading. 

1 minute ago, Condimentalist said:

Buendia was really poor against Liverpool but no way am I giving up on him.

He needs a run of games with a consistent way of playing around him.

Bags of talent. 

Really? I’ve seen this line pedalled out a lot, along with people claiming he needs to play on the right of a front 3.

Ultimately, he isn’t going to get a run of games unless he’s performing. At this level, you can’t afford to have players that ‘need a run of games’ to get up to their ‘level’, unless they’re young. Buendia is our record buy and was a hugely expensive purchase for the club. He needs to come in and perform in the position he’s asked to play - no excuses. People say he was poor against Liverpool - granted - but I’ve seen that performance plenty of times over the last 18 months. He needs to be better or leave. If you lot want top 8, we’ll need better than Buendia. 

Clearly something in this link. Not sure how much he’d cost but I really wouldn’t be spending more than 20-25m on a 28yr old with history of a severe injury. 

He’s clearly a good player and Unai will know him well, but he’ll have no resale value and we already have two expensive, diminutive technical players in Coutinho and Buendia. I can actually see both of those players leaving in the Summer. 

8 minutes ago, CVByrne said:

Reliable source is BM

Isn’t it Tom Collomosse reporting it?

I think he’s one we’ll entertain offers for in the Summer. Not sure who would take him off us for the fee we’d want (£25m+?)