Raver50032

A 'disciple of Aston Villa...' Never thought I could reach such heady heights. Every day is a school day... and henceforth I shall be known as 'Raver, Disciple of Aston Villa...'

Controversial view coming up, so don't get too triggered... We kind of know (gut feel at least) that this has the potential for a big, humiliating defeat live and exclusive on Sky Sports... A Pep love in. So why not do a Liverpool? Play the kids... Maybe keep Nyland in... That way, when we get bummed, the media will be more about how plucky the kids were in defeat and how brave they were to go up against the mighty super-heroes of Manchester City. Even in defeat, we could be proud of them... unlike the first team who just seem to have rolled over. Yeah... I'm just kidding. It's a bad idea... Grit your teeth, grin and bear it. Que sera.

A miserable thread reflecting a miserable afternoon at St Marys... But here comes TRO with my all time favourite word. Bless you TRO... brightened my mood like the Villa just can't any more.

I'm normally in tune with most of your posts but... we're not even a candle to the Leicester of 2014/15. And, being 30 seconds away from a draw against CL finalists is not all that unusual for us this season. Liverpool... lost at the death having been 8 (?) minutes from actually winning. It isn't the occasional game against a CL finalist that has mattered for us... It's the 6-1 bumming... the big losses away at Watford... the big loss at home to Southampton (!!)... getting doubled by Bournemouth... VAR fingered at Palace... no show at Wolves... tiring away at Spurs. Week after week, I've seen posts like 'this one is down to Smith...' It's happened one way or the other far too often. We concede. It's inevitable. We're going to need to score at least 4 to be in with a shout in the Cup Final because I no longer have faith in our defence. Defensively, we've let ourselves down so many times. I'm all for 'keeping the faith...' but crikey, that faith shouldn't be blind. And no, I am not accusing you of being blind

If we have any hope of lifting the cup against Manchester City, there is no reason why any of us here would doubt that Hammers have a chance of getting at least a point off them mid-week. Saints is a must win. And for the benefit of the tape, I hope we survive, I really do. I just can't see it at the moment. The incentive though is, £50 to VillaTalk if we do survive.

Doesn't change the fact... even Benitez would recognise that fact

For all the 'we're 17th, we'll stay up no problem' jingoism, the team below us has a game in hand. It currently isn't even fully in our own hands what happens to us. Yeah, Saints have been poor at home... we've been poor away from home. We got beasted at Villa Park by them not too long ago. So what's changed? What makes you think we're suddenly going to do okay at St Marys? All you're doing is delaying the inevitable. We simply haven't been good enough at the back this season.

They haven't been great at home... We haven't been great away from home... We lost badly to these at Villa Park... What could possibly go wrong?

Lol... Aston Villa with no filter. By my reckoning, that makes next week a must win. Yeah, we're 17th... but the team below us has a game in hand. Our destiny isn't fully in our own hands.

Enjoy it while it lasts folks.

That kind of talk will get you banned...

Regulation 2-0 reversal. Next... Nice comfortable win and Mourinho arse kiss on Sky of a Sunday afternoon.

A fantastic and dramatic evening for the Club... Nyland MoTM by a country mile for me. Very happy for Dean Smith and for the supporters. Like others have said, it is especially pleasing to get one over on the media and the pundits who were just clamouring for a Brendan and Leicester super-show... I mean, just look at the back pages today... All about how Klopp is not going to be at next week's FA Cup replay against the Shrews... and some 'mob rule' idiots laying siege to the Man United guy's home. We won a place in a major domestic final... against the media darling's Leicester City. For where we are as a club right now in this instant, that is epoch making and kicking bottom. I hope everyone take's lube for the final... It's nice to be there... and I hope it isn't like the FA Cup final we endured in 2015 (one of the worst days out in my life) or how I imagine Watford felt in the final last season. Well done Villa... did me proud last night.

It's getting close to mid-January... we're in the relegation zone... It's got to be realistic folks... It's going to be Grant Holtesque.

After Southampton at home and Watford away, it's difficult to perceive what a 'winnable game' is any more with this squad in its current state. Difficult to see where our next win is coming from. Confidence is shot... the feel good and cuddle factor of being Aston Villa is not currently as effervescent as we would like. It's all starting to feel a bit 2015/16... I dare not predict this one... all I can do is cross my fingers and wish the Club 'all the best' going into this fixture. We made hard work of Norwich at home, and took our foot off the pedal in the second half at Burnley. Difficult to recall a genuine 'decent' performance from this squad where there has been 90 minutes of consistent 'wow.' I don't think we're capable of it frankly. A symptom of where we are. I can't change it... and I can't be worrying about it. What will be, will be. Over to you players... prove, me, wrong.

Committed Star Wars fan of 40+ years of experience. Just for the record of this thread, I feel the need to spout off and say what an absolute travesty Episode 9 is for the 'Skywalker' saga this was. 7, 8 and 9 are pointless and seemingly precious little to do with the actual Skywalker saga... Either that, or 1 to 6 become pointless as it renders Anakin's sacrifice completely irrelevant, thus crapping on 40-odd years of lore and established story. The modern trilogy has in places attempted to do a remake of 4, 5 and 6 'fit for a 21st Century beta audience' merely with a female skin... And no, I don't have an issue with female lead characters... only poorly written ones, of which Rey is an example. Disney would have been far better starting a completely new story arc with a completely separate trilogy. It's hard, but I'm 'breaking up' with Star Wars. It can kiss my arse now. The wreckage confirmed with 2 hours and 20 minutes of fast paced nonsense. 7, 8 and 9 have been visually stunning in places, eye candy and some fan service... but overall, it's been claptrap. The name of this film is a complete misdirection and cynical attempt to use the Skywalker name in a hope to draw people back in. One of the most troubling things about Episode 9 is the very final sequence. It's complete gibberish, flying in the face of two other times in the film where the character concerned is advised 'don't be afraid of who you are.' It's like somebody deciding to change their name because an uncle by marriage committed an armed robbery once, it got in the papers about the court case, and they can't deal with the 'stain.' Absolute shite-hawking all over the whole thing. The absolute BRASS NECK of Disney. If you haven't already been to see it, save your money. And that's from somebody who has previously considered Star Wars to be the greatest story ever told... Delusions of grandeur now unfortunately.

Relegation threatened sides usually pull off some sort of result against an established top 6 side at some point in the season, or at least, that's what it seems to me. You could argue that our best chance was at home to Liverpool, which was on target until the last ten minutes of the game. So maybe we've already had our chance... Will cheer the boys on, but sense a dead rubber to be fair. Even more so with the tattered squad we have right now.

Well, that's not entirely what I said... but fill your boots old chap.

Yeah, despite the Burnley win, those injuries we've collected will be our undoing, as will the stubborn approach to formation loyalty. It's just not been working often enough. Start preparing for life in the division below now so we can hit the ground running. Problem is, we're likely to be back to basics given the players that will want to leave.

The famous Micah Richards 'we're trying our best' moment?

In before the Ferrari...

The high horse riders can besmirch over reactions all they like this evening, but you can't hide behind anything else other than this side is currently heading down again. We have zero momentum, seemingly zero confidence and the only thing going in our favour is that we play in nice colours. When was the last actual 'good' performance? Too many players looking either like they are going through the motions or just simply not good enough. Crucial 4 games coming up in the league. If things do not improve in that time, I'm sorry, but our goose will be cooked.

Leicester say hello there #foreveryoung

Are we behind already