Marka Ragnos

16 hours ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

I'd rather be pessimistic/ cautious than to deal with heartbreak.

I hear you. I understand. It's football. But I'm going to let my heart be free and breakable. How many times have we been able to embrace such incredible possibilities as Villa supporters? I don't want to look back and feel like I let a glum outlook seal me off what the excitement of others, even at the risk of looking a fool (which I do anyway everyday). It's only football. 

13 hours ago, Ceemo said:

Very good side. Press very well and play very controlled football. They aren't particularly an exciting side and aren't going to hammer you as well as unlikely to get hammered.

Any Championship or PL clubs whose style or recent form reminds you of Lille? Crystal Palace?

20 hours ago, Leeroy said:

Look, I’ll get criticism for reproaching Emery, of course I will.

I enjoy reading oppositional perspectives on VT. Not saying I agree, but you and the @Delphinho123 etc of VT keep it interesting. I thought Emery was taking a pretty radical approach to the lineup that did make sense to me. It was an awful situation. I don't think Martinez was malingering, I really don't. I don't think he's like that.

6 hours ago, tinker said:

I don't think it's about protecting them from the emotional stress of defeat it's about minimising the chances of injuries being aggravated and physical exhaustion. City rested their best players and won, we haven't got that depth because we play by the rules. ...

Seems such a reasonable point, esp. when looking at the whole Villa context 360°.

Too, as I've said elsewhere, giving some of the younger players prime time in a big game probably increases their market value, too. My guess is that goal by Jhon last night will give him about £3m-£4m in increased market value, a factor we can't afford to ignore. 

57 minutes ago, TheAuthority said:

Oasis Wonderwall

Ugh. Not a fan of them, but ironic given Zaniolo's un-wonder wall performance.

15 hours ago, TheAuthority said:

Do they really play that nasily whiny song at the end of their games?

That place is a shithole. They are bunch of cheating spunk-trumpets and I can't wait until all of their trophies are stripped.

 

What was it?

1 hour ago, chrisp65 said:

Thinking back, maybe I thought they were too clever and had a suspicion they were posh? Not that they were, but it’s a music I ‘should’ like.

This is deeply interesting to me -- almost seems to prefigure the Oasis vs. Blur wars of the 90s. I felt the same about Radiohead, personally. I liked them until I felt like I was supposed to like them, and then I found them not only unlistenable, but almost physically painful to experience. 

5 hours ago, blandy said:

Because I can’t stand the sound, basically. [I’m the same with Queen]. Also because it was played so many times on the radio when it was released. And it’s dreary and sad.

5 hours ago, bickster said:

Feckin awful song and here are just some of the reasons

• Jools Holland's boogie woogie piano
• The video was shot in John Lennon's old house (where the Imagine video was also filmed)
• Michelle Collins in the video
• Cockney bollocks
• Jools Holland's boogie woogie piano (there is only one song it’s acceptable on - re-recorded version of Uncertain Smile)
• more cockney bollocks 

It's so funny to hear this. The way Squeeze was marketed in the USA was just so different and just very minimal, and not a soul -- not even music critics -- would have had recognized any of those objections. Love all this talk. Thank you for sharing. 

On 10/12/2023 at 11:10, Pinebro said:

Enjoyed Pep smacking him in the head

It would have derailed his career, but I honestly thought he was going to clatter Pep yesterday. You could feel it coming on.

Well, I'm glad the Viking Destroyer is all riled up with something to prove. Thanks, Roy Keane. Just what we need -- Angry Erling.  

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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has defended striker Erling Haaland following Roy Keane's criticism after Sunday's 0-0 draw with Arsenal. 

The ex-Manchester United captain said Haaland's "general play" is "so poor" and "almost like a League Two player".

"I don't agree with him, absolutely not," said Guardiola when asked about Keane's comments.

Haaland scored 52 goals in all competitions last season and has 29 this term - 18 in the Premier League.

"He's the best striker in the world," added Guardiola of the 23-year-old Norwegian.

"He helped us win last season and the reason why we didn't create many answers from Erling is we need more presence in the final third with more people.

"We played an exceptional game, I reviewed the game against Arsenal but we just missed more people in the final third. The quality and different skillset we have, Haaland is exceptional."

City are three points behind leaders Liverpool after Sunday's match, which saw the home side fail to score in a Premier League game at the Etihad Stadium for the first time since October 2021. 

Speaking as a pundit on Sky Sports after the game, Keane said of Haaland: "The levels of his general play is so poor, and not just today. His general play for such a player, it is so poor, I think he has to improve that, he's almost like a League Two player."

 

On 29/03/2024 at 16:18, blandy said:

I **** hate that song, and indeed just about everything they’ve ever done.  But that one the most.

Do you feel it's a personal thing? Not at all to pry, but it does deal with a painful subject, and of course, we only get the bloke's flippant point of view, and not the view of the mother or daughter.

I remember, as a teenager, parking the car late at night in the country with a few friends, closing the windows, filling the car with the smoke of several select herbal products, and listening to this album again and again in a state of abject and helpless awe. "I understand everything on earth now! I get it all!" Sound of a few beers being opened. "Pass that bong around again."

On 31/03/2024 at 15:09, sharkyvilla said:

 

****-ing AMAZING. I forgot all about them. 

40 minutes ago, HKP90 said:

Never thought I'd ever say this but Come on West Ham!

Was thinking exactly the same. I guess hell really does have the occasional cold day or two. 

24 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

 

 

I love this Unai quote: " ... I want good attitude you are showing now."

Tells you a lot about Zanny. He's a character, for sure, and he's extremely ambitious, and still growing up, too. No good coach is going to use that kind of positive reinforcement if there wasn't an underlying tendency towards an unhelpful attitude, but I think in the end, Zanniolo is going to find his place at Villa. He seems like the kind of player who takes it hard when he doesn't do as well as he'd hoped and gets a dark attitude when that happens. He's got to learn to bounce back. Look at all the other players at Villa who have done just that, sometimes several times? He's obviously a very intelligent player, too, perhaps a bit underrated in that area.

I feel like in this English interview from three months ago after Sheffield you get a clear sense of his canniness and self-awareness:

9 minutes ago, TRO said:

I don't think we have the players to go ultra defensive......I think our only chance, is to have a go at them, without being too open.

I don't disagree. I hope we can at least do a bit of man-marking, too, although I also worry about knee injuries. Staying glued to an opposition forward is hard on the ACLs. Marking Haaland really seems to fluster him.

9 minutes ago, AVTuco said:

We might as well play the reserves.

Omari?

I also wish we'd been able to keep Philogene in the mix this year. Always thought there was something about him, but no use crying over it. He brought in some needed funds, presumably. 

We are hurtin'.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  ARG Emiliano Martínez(vice-captain) 2 DF  POL Matty Cash 3 DF  BRA Diego Carlos (vice-captain) 4 DF  ENG Ezri Konsa 5 DF  ENG Tyrone Mings 6 MF  BRA Douglas Luiz 7 MF  SCO John McGinn(captain) 8 MF  BEL Youri Tielemans 10 MF  ARG Emiliano Buendía 11 FW  ENG Ollie Watkins 12 DF  FRA Lucas Digne 14 DF  ESP Pau Torres 15 DF  ESP Àlex Moreno 16 DF  ENG Calum Chambers

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 DF  FRA Clément Lenglet (on loan from Barcelona) 18 GK  AUS Joe Gauci 19 MF  FRA Moussa Diaby 22 MF  ITA Nicolò Zaniolo (on loan from  Galatasaray) 24 FW  COL Jhon Durán 25 GK  SWE Robin Olsen 27 FW  ENG Morgan Rogers 29 DF  ENG Kaine Kesler-Hayden 30 DF  ENG Kortney Hause 31 MF  JAM Leon Bailey 41 MF  ENG Jacob Ramsey 44 MF  FRA Boubacar Kamara 47 MF  ENG Tim Iroegbunam

Some hot takes from the Bluemoon forum today, FWIW. I always like to lurk and take a peek at what the opp are saying. I won't say this is consensus, but I think it gives a snapshot.

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McGinn being suspended and Watkins going off with a hamstring issue yesterday will hopefully help us.

I’d play Bobb as a kick up the arse to Foden and KDB. He’s been in form for Norway, so deserves a shot down the right.

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Villa aren't normally the bus parking type under Emery, If anything they have been brave playing a really high line and catching teams with the offside trap. Whether they do that on Wednesay is another thing. 

Villa are still the best team we've faced this season, They were seriously good against us at Villa Park. 

We need to be careful because they've players that can hurt us with Bailey, Diaby, Duran ect...As you said try and score as early as we can and they'll open up.

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"I think Villa are ravaged with injuries so it wont be the Villa that tore us apart at their gaff. Think we'll win but it'll be ugly."

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I think we will destroy Villa on Wednesday. We may be slow to anger, but our payback is meticulous. 

They will sorely miss Mcginn, Watkins and Cash. Emery will have Villa bring the game to us, playing to keep themselves in the top 4, with Spurs (3pts behind, game in hand) breathing down their necks.

 

1 hour ago, DakotaVilla said:

Arsenal just showed how to play against Man City away out of possession but we just don’t have the personnel available in midfield. It would be a lot to put on Tim but feels like tactically what we should do. 

That's exactly how I see it, too. We have the tactics, we have the will to win --  but probably not the personnel this week. I mean, Ødegaard and Rice were superb, fully matured midfielders, I thought, and when we have Kamara and McGinn, we can create a similar if different style of indefatigable, dogged midfield, but without them, well, Tielemans and Tim just don't have that intensity and experience. Dougie is great, so there's that. I don't think we're equipped to do an "Arsenal" midfield, but you'd think that Unai is wise enough not to try. He'll work with the tools we have not the ones we don't..

7 hours ago, TheAuthority said:

Where has it been confirmed that Watkins is out?

Nowhere I could find. It's sounding so far like a "grade 1" hamstring injury, I gather? Typically takes between a few days to a few weeks to heal. It's good he came off when he did.

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It's a common injury in athletes and can happen in different severities. The 3 grades of hamstring injury are:

grade 1 – a mild muscle pull or strain

grade 2 – a partial muscle tear

grade 3 – a complete muscle tear

The length of time it takes to recover from a hamstring strain or tear will depend on how severe the injury is.

A minor muscle pull or strain (grade 1) may take a few days to heal, whereas it could take weeks or months to recover from a muscle tear (grade 2 or 3).

 

Is there really any doubt whatsoever about how this game needs to go? It’s real simple. We have to overrun them, or we will not get away with a draw.
 

Once again. We overrun them, or we lose.  

That is all. 

1 minute ago, sheepyvillian said:

Anyone find that "Boring"?

I didn’t think it was boring. I did think it was tedious at times, but I was really impressed at Arsenal’s midfield. They were incredible. It was really something to watch that.