blunther

First thing we need to look for now we have Europe is a competent second keeper. We should be able to offer some decent cup minutes so be able to get someone half decent. I dont know if he'd come to be second choice but I'd be making an offer for the Leeds keeper as a young understudy to play in the cups. 

Who cares. Even their own fans probably don't care. Kick the **** out of the league. 

40 minutes ago, MarkLillis said:

IMO they have helped to elevate the standard of PL football to the highest I’ve seen in my lifetime.

If the best team in the league is this good then the others (or at the least the ones with aspirations) just have to find a way to compete.

Liverpool in the past few seasons are an example now we will see if Arsenal can rise to the challenge or maybe the Geordies.

The Premier League benefits massively by having Citeh set the standard.

But other teams seem to follow the rules (which already favour the rich teams). Man City don't, hence the investigation. If it's true they've been cooking the books, every trophy they have cheated to win needs removing, and they need a lengthy ban from the premier league.

**** him then

I've seen absolutely nothing from the bloke that suggests he'd be worth a place in this squad, especially if we bolster midfield in the summer. Plus he's had a year of doing absolutely **** all. No idea why we'd want to entertain the idea. If he really does want to make a career for himself he needs to drop down to Championship level and prove he's a good player.

There are thousands of promising young players that end up either making a career at a lower level or just plummeting through the levels entirely. Haven't seen anything to suggest that's not the case here.

11 minutes ago, NeilS said:

And the one on Watkins from yesterday, same VAR who thought Kane’s was a penalty , but didn’t think Watkins was fouled. No consistency from the same Ref. I think it was Jarred Gillette on VAR, questions need to be asked why he took two very different decisions in the same game?

I don't think questions need to be raised, we all know what happened and why, as do fans of most other clubs. There are just no consequences. 

3 hours ago, DJBOB said:

Oddly enough, the crowd noise didn’t come across on stream. I suppose another case of trying to protect the Sky 6 from too much atmosphere. 
 
But can usually tell when it’s going since everyone in the Holte are standing for the majority of the game. 

I haven't sat down in the holte once since we came back up to the premier League so don't think that's much of an indicator. It was as noisy as it's ever been at times today though.  

1 hour ago, The_Steve said:

Only 3 minutes added on against Wolves last week despite two head injuries. They added on 6 minutes for reasons they only know. The corruption is actually sickening. 

In fairness it took them a good five minutes to spot what was officially a "clear and obvious error"

It's going to be tought to get Europe now, and I think top 6 is going to be a bit too much of an ask. But to even be in the conversation after the start we had under He Who Shall Not Be Named is amazing. I really want Europe, I'd be delighted with the conference. I think conference instead of Europa could be good for us, there;ll be easier games, gives us a hance to see what some of the squad players and youngsters are made o f, and gives us a really decent chance at winning a trophy. But if we finish outside of the European places, I'll be looking on the bright side of us having fewer games next season, and a proper pre season with a proper manager, and seeing what we can do

I get the use of xG, xGa and xAss, but xPoints is a stretch too far since the pattern of the game would vary so much based on the actual goals vs expected goals.

Pitch looks an absolute state. Wouldn't be surprised to see a bad injury here. 

High line hasn't worked at all. Be surprised if we play the same way second half. 

How many PL goals is he on now? I'll be glad when he's our top PL era scorer and we can get that knobhead Agbonlahor off top spot. 

19 hours ago, PieFacE said:

I don't hugely disagree with the overall sentiment of your post and personally i'm a point where I'd like to see VAR get put in the bin, but I would say that at least the way they handle offside is almost black and white to some degree. You don't see a lot of "big club bias" when it comes to offsides and VAR and I think that's largely due to the fact that they have to draw those lines regardless. Remove that then you have a whole grey area again which is even more frustrating.

Of the long list of things wrong with VAR i'd say the way they handle offsides is probably bottom of that list for me. 

There are the examples of players in an offside position, in view of the keeper but not playing the ball being given/not being given as offside depending on what team is playing though. See McGinn's goal against Arsenal vs Arsenal's third against us this season. There was one the other week too which unsurprisingly went in favour of the 'big' team, when you can guarantee if the shirts were switched a different decision would be given.

1 minute ago, Mic09 said:

They can change it to whatever they want. They will still look at the badge to make a decision. 

It's the same as the offside player in the way of the goalkeeper thing. Just another way for the PL to decide who they allow to score. Villa against arsenal, oh no, definitely blocking the keeper, rule it out. Arsenal against villa, yeah no problem, give the goal. 

VAR just an extra method to get the results needed to ensure the teams that bring in money stay successful. 

Just now, StefanAVFC said:

Just a joke how that can be a goal. Blatant handball.

Farcical. I get it being too far back for one of the accidental ball-to-hand things, but that's a deliberate arm-to-ball leading directly to a through ball. It's an utter pisstake, and you know 100% if that goal is against Liverpool or Man U it's getting ruled out. Games a joke. 

14 minutes ago, villatillidie1980 said:

Fair should have caveated ‘in the prem’

Two seasons ago, with that caveat. 

That was like nothing I've ever seen down the villa. 3-0 against a good team, hit the woodwork twice, one ruled out. The saved Martinez needed to make were relatively comfortable. We absolutely bossed it. 

Hard to choose MotM today but two goals and an assist gets you that vote. But every player was absolutely magnificent. From the first minute Watkins had the better of them and seemed able to get behind their defence at will. I don't know what tricks were conjured up by Emery, I can't even pretend to understand what the man does as his level is way beyond my understanding - the man is a magician. 

I gave the ref poor. No idea what Newcastle fans are on about, but they should have had more yellows, the bloke marking mcginn had his shirt every time for the first hour. They seemed able to take free kicks and throw ins from anywhere on the pitch and they had the ball in a dangerous position in our box once from a rolling ball and once from a blatant foul throw. Terrible refereeing really but fortunately he never had any real big calls to make. 

I genuinely can't remember seeing the villa this good. The 7-2 is the only recent example but that was more of a mad fluke in strange times - this was just an absolute footballing masterclass.

Moreno makes me very excited to see who we sign in the summer. What an absolute steal. 

11 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

Discussed over the last few pages if you read back.

Also, how do you lot get on at parties, nights out with the lads of general life? Since trivial shite winds some of you up so much.

I'll either stop, or change it to EVENING next time, it's obviously humor geared at CONQUERING each team/environment.

Aside from, that, it's OBVIOUSLY humour with good intent.

It's not about having no filter or not being able to have fun, it just isn't very funny, and it's even less funny the 50th time 

I really like this little lad. Him and Buendia played some lovely silky European stuff together. 

STATUE. NOW. 

Tricky one this. But for once I have faith that we've got a manager who knows vastly more than any of us, whos been watching that and who can make something happen at half time to give us the win. 

I'd love Conference League, and I don't think we're far from having the squad for it. It'd save loaning out a few players, I imagine Iroegbunam, Archer and Little Ramsey would love to play some games in Europe, and it'd mean we have them in the squad available for league/cups too. Plus players that are going to replaced but aren't bad players, like Konsa and potentially Bailey, if we get another second striker in. Plus Traore. And it'd give a good boost to us signing a fairly decent second keeper if we could promise some guaranteed time in the Conference. Along with other squad players like Dendonker, possibly Digne, Chambers, Ashley Young if he's getting another year, a chance to blood Duran, as well as whichever regular first teamers are fit and raring to go, we'd have a great chance of going deep in that competition without burning ourselves out. And all that is without us making an extra couple of signings on top.

Unfortunately I think we're just a little too far away to land 7th. Next year though.

33 minutes ago, bannedfromHandV said:

Why was there a bagpiper outside the Holte pub pre kick off?

He's there quite often. Just busking I think, think the money used to be for charity but not sure.