John

1 hour ago, Lichfield Dean said:

Oh, I assumed it stopped close to the ground? Does it stop on the Lichfield Road?

I think near Aston station, but I'm not quite 100% on that. 

4 hours ago, Lichfield Dean said:

I'll give it a go!  

Why is it more than the capped bus fares of £2 a trip?

I guess it's because the club has been charged for the use of the buses and the charge for the journey reflects how much they have been stung by the bus company, perhaps there is some charge included for the loss of income on scheduled passenger routes and a charge for having stops in the city centre/station area too?  

Pity it doesn't drop/pick up nearer Villa Park imo. 

He didn't quite look like the world's number two last night, but that second half run-out should help him to be ready to step up on Thursday night. 

Last night's point could prove to be a vital one. It gives us a 7 point gap over Spurs and I suspect a point is the very best that they will get against an Arsenal side, that will be handing the title to Manchester City, should they do anything less than win today and against Chelsea in mid-week (assuming they are as up for that one, as they seem to be when they come to Villa Park this season). I love the way the pundits are seeing last night's result as an opportunity for Spurs to take fourth, I'm thinking that it has actually increased our chances of claiming it. 

A game of two halves, the second one during which, we showed just how much we rely on Emi. For the second time this season, Chelsea came to Villa Park on the back of an abject performance and dominated the midfield area. Fortunately, this time we scored two goals ourselves and with Emi in place, we might yet have won a game that our visitors had enjoyed the lions share of the possession in. Three points would have been terrific, but despite the BBC claiming this result dents our CL hopes and potentially strengthens Spurs inevitable run to snatch 4th place from us, I think the point could prove to be a vital one. It gives us a 7 point gap over them and I suspect a point is the very best that they will get against an Arsenal side, that will be handing the title to Manchester City, should they do anything less than win today. 

For once VAR was in our corner last night, if the referee was not (particularly during the last half hour). Injuries to Youri and Emi, made a difficult game harder, than it already was and to come out of it with a point, will do for me. I hope that Chelsea play with the same resolve when they meet Spurs in mid-week, rather than play like rabbits in headlights, as they had against Arsenal before this game and Wolves before their FA Cup win against us. If so, Spurs will struggle to get anything out of that game too. We were not at our best last night and met the Chelsea team, that will give anyone a game, rather than the team that can't be bothered. That point we took looks better than it did last night (although it looked decent enough then) and it could well look decisive after Spurs have played their next two games. 

On 24/04/2024 at 08:20, Lochheads twin said:

We are currently have some of the best players we have had for many a year.

I occasionally think, "He is the best since ............"

Here are a selection of pairings of a current player with a star from yesteryear. Who would you pick?

• Dougie or Gareth Barry (2000's) - making the game look effortless
• John McGinn or Dennis Mortimer (80's) - captains leading by example
• Moreno (2023) or John Gidman (70's) - rampaging fullbacks
• Ollie or Dwight Yorke - (2000's) - silky but deadly
• Leon Bailey or Ashley Young Mk1 - what are you going to get today?
• Emi Martinez - peerless.

If you are lucky enough to be younger than me, make up your own pairing. Who matches with Mings or Konsa, lots of great centre backs over the years.

There are no wrong answers.

Onwards & Upwards!

I would have to reluctantly swap Super John for Morty, I would have Giddy for Moreno and Ash for Bailey. Close call though, these replacements aren't as young as they once were. 

Chelsea were beaten 4-2 by Wolves at Stamford Bridge, before they knocked us out of the FA Cup, so awful as they were last night, we can't take a win for granted. I thought they would lose last night, but not by so many against another London club. They are at home to Spurs on Thursday, being at home and given the two clubs mutual dislike for each other, I'm hoping they will show up for that one. 

On 23/04/2024 at 11:27, NorthEastVillan said:

Win Europa League 100%. European final, travelling around Europe and silverware. 

CL is all well and good but we've time to get there and does very little for you if you get knocked out early. Look at some of the teams that have played in it over the last few years (Newcastle, Spurs, Leicester). They don't seem to have benefited from it.

I know exactly where you are coming from and that would have been my answer a few months ago, but we need the money that CL qualification will bring us. That will prevent us being forced to sell one of our better players, will satisfy any player's thirst for CL football and will help us manage our FFP. We might even win it!  

2 minutes ago, viivvaa66 said:

The chances for that to happened is about 20%, so nothing really wrong with prediction. 

Other than it isn't going to happen. 

5 hours ago, CarryOnVilla said:

Oddly my best friends is a spuds fan and he shares this exact opinion. He just doesn’t want them in a competition they’re not likely to win. “It would be embarrassing”

Spurs fans are completely broken by their “big club” status and not winning anything 

It has been embarrassing for him since 2008 then.

You've got to be in it to win it and there is no guarantee that the English club that qualifies for the ECL next year (although they would be likely favourites), will actually go on to win it. I think this "big club" thing has been ruined by Manchester City in recent years, there are a limited number of trophies and too many "big clubs" for them all to win one every year. Everton were seen as one of those "big clubs" not that long ago, but their focus has been on the other end of the table, for a long time now. 

The Europa Cup will be a tough trophy to lift next year, but I'm sure 99% of Spurs fans would be fancying a run in that, if they don't make the CL. I think they would start as one of the favourites for that, I doubt we would be for the CL, but we weren't in 1982 either. 

14 hours ago, useless said:

In the last four games Chelsea have failed to beat both Burnley and Sheffield United, they lost leads in both games, Burnley were down to ten men for a large portion of the game too, they needed injury time goals to beat Manchester United, both teams were as bad as each other in that game defensively, and they weren't even that great against Everton, Palmer aside, that was more about how poor Everton were.

 

They tend to raise their game against the bigger teams (which includes us). I doubt that they won't be up for it against Arsenal and they were certainly up for it against us in the cup, as I expect them to be at the weekend. They have two potential routes to the Europa Cup via winning the  FA Cup or their league placing, so do have something left to play for imo.

6 hours ago, RicRic said:

No chance! this is just wishful thinking

But I'm the: 

1 hour ago, PaulC said:

With Buendia and Ramsey hopefully fit next season and the signing of Rogers I think he will be surplus to requirements.  He came in to fill.a gap and has done very well in recent weeks.

Depends on the fee I guess, but if UE wants him, then I'm 110% in favour of signing him. 

I think that we might actually already have enough points for 4th.....

Among their remaining 6 games, Spurs face Chelsea (a), Manchester City (h), Arsenal (h) & Liverpool (a). They won't start as favourites to win any of those games and their goal difference might also take the odd hit in some of those games, that couldn't easily be compensated in their other 2 matches. They are clear favourites against Burnley (h) & Sheffield United (a), but that only brings them up to 66 points. I could see them not taking a point from those other 4 games and I struggle to see them getting more than 2 points from them.

That would leave us needing just 2 points from our remaining 4 games. A win against Chelsea next weekend would deflate Spurs and they would then need 4 points from those 4 games, assuming they win their other 2, I think that would be a very big ask. That said, I still think we might just have enough points and 2 more, would provide us with some insurance, against Spurs getting the odd unexpected point.     

A winner today would be nice Barry!  Make it so!

23 hours ago, fruitvilla said:

This drives me mad .... I'm sorry. Bookies respond to betting patterns and don't have some magic insight. If anything you might point to The wisdom of the crowd, where competing punters are the crowd.

 

There are staff that the bookmakers employ specifically to make the odds on racing, football, cricket etc. They do have regard to the bets already placed, but also to form. Their job relies on them getting it right more often than not and that determination is influenced by, but not over reliant on betting patterns, they have to use their own sporting knowledge too.  

Coral have us evens favourites to lift the trophy and Olympiacos are at 9/1. Those bookies know their stuff, they've had us favourites since the start.  

15 minutes ago, gilbertoAVFC said:

I'd take Tiago Santos at right-back just so we never have to play him again.

On a serious note, he fits the profile of the right-back we would be looking for. I expect Cash to leave or become a back-up player, and for the position to alternate between Konsa (more defensive) and a more attack-minded player such as Santos, who is only 21.

He really annoyed me in both legs, must be a future Manchester United player, given that he spends most of his time on his: 

Never in doubt was it? Dibu was not going to ever be on the losing side of that penalty shoot out. Matty had a great return to the team, scoring twice. Top teams find a way to win, even on their "off" nights. It continues we're flying the flag, all the way to Athens and we will be running round the Bull Ring with the cup:

I thought Benjamin Andre looked a decent defensive midfield addition for us last night. He's 34 in August, so he wouldn't cost a lot, but would offer a decent option in Kamara's absence for next season imo. No re-sale value, I know but might be worth thinking about?

Super John McGinn would have been on the list had he still been on the field. 

3 hours ago, tomav84 said:

thing is i think it's really difficult to sustain a europa league campaign whilst being competitive in the league. it's arguably the worst competition to be in. playing good teams so you need to go strong every week (remember we rotated a fair bit in the group games) but without the financial benefits that the CL brings

i'm desperate to qualify for the CL. i want to keep the likes of watkins and emi here and without that there's a chance their heads might be turned. yes it's very easy to say "well if they don't want to be here they can leave" but those 2 are irreplaceable IMO. it totally changes your status as a club. people point to newcastle and how it's not done them many favours but they qualified a year too early. we have enough to get through to the playoff round in the new format so there's no 'group of death' anymore.

whilst on paper it's still improvement and an excellent season, 5th would feel like a failure at this point IMO. i can honestly say i'm going to be more nervous sunday than i will be tonight. sunday's game has occupied more of my mind this week than tonight's to be completely honest...

But, we could always draw the two toughest teams in each of the other pots. That said, bring it on! 

I can't see Spurs getting more than 6-8 points from their remaining games, if they do it just means we will have to wait a little longer to seal our qualification. I'm thinking that a win on Sunday could leave us needing another 2-3 points. We don't need to rely on other teams, which is a good job, because it doesn't seem anyone wants to help us out. 

On 13/04/2024 at 20:41, VillaChris said:

I think Stockport will try to sign him permanently. One of those where we put a big sell on clause in the deal as you never know....

I guess a deal similar to the one we did with Hull might help with FFP and would give us the buy back option. I doubt they would offer enough to make it worth it for us though, his injury came at a bad time for a sale to be made this summer, but clubs may have seen enough to make us an offer, along the lines that we have shown a willingness to consider in the past. 

2 hours ago, The Fun Factory said:

That must be right up there for Schmeichel with the Champions League title  with United and the Euros with Denmark. Pride of place on the mantelpiece.

It must have been the smallest cup that all of them had lifted, no wonder they were laughing. The trophy itself would have fitted on Schmeichel's mantelpiece! I was still glad to win it though...