Lerner's Driver

Sexcksee. McGinn. X.

Lovely x

Who else's could it be?

To all the dreamers, I say keep dreaming and welcome to Aston Villa. She is a cruel mistress who will edge you to the point of delight before then ruining your pleasure with a violent tug. It has pretty much always been this way.

Sit deep against us and we struggle, it really is as simple as that. That only changes when you get better players. That's why we have reached our level.

I would also like to say, well done Wolverhampton Wanderers, they know how to win one-nil. It's dire, but effective. We would have won that game with more urgency shown by better attacking players. We don't have them yet, so well played Wolves, they did what they had to and you have to admire that.

I would also like to say, well done Wolverhampton Wanderers, they know how to win one-nil. It's dire, but effective. We would have won that game with more urgency shown by better attacking players. We don't have them yet, so well played Wolves, they did what they had to and you have to admire that.

We were the better team and lost. It hurts but we have done the same against teams on our run. My complaint is that we are too slow and not clever enough in the final third. We deserved to lose because we SHOULD have won and couldn't. Very good teams convert their superiority. Hugely disappointing, we've made great progress but have been overperforming and now we are reverting to our level. Still a good season, but not good enough for Europe.

Leon Bailey

Starting to look like one of those games.

I mean it isn't but we need to rediscover our killer touch.

Traore was worth bringing back for his previous goal contributions but he's not a long term option. He just isn't. Too slow.

Well that was **** annoying.

Final ball is wank

Yeah, he wasn't great though, again. It's almost as if he loses his rag when he isn't 'allowed' to play a sexy through ball, which is pretty often in this league. He is capable of excellent things, but very much upgradable, as I imagine he will be in the summer, unless Unai finds a different role for him.

We are running out of steam a bit, but I am still 100% proud of our achievements so far under Emery and particularly in that second half where we were the better team. We deserved a point. I thought we might lose this one, so no shame in this result at all. End of the run, but no way has the momentum been stopped. Well played boys and on to the next match.

Yes, but it's hardly surprising is it. We are away at United and using the same players we did when we're last beaten. Still in it of course. Let's not forget that.

Standard Villa whingeing it seems.

They have to play us yet

Great result. Irritatingly passive second half.

I really want to be wrong, but 1-2.

The Football News Show, Unai Emery’s Villa Revival: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0fdqdcz

There are a lot of similarities between us and Saudi Arabia atm, but I think it is only realistic to say they are ahead of us in their transformation. They've had their dip as well, so their wave is climbing again. As per some of the other comments, I agree that we can win, just not sure we will. Obviously it would be great to do them, but I won't be gutted if we don't, happy to see the gradual improvements and trust the process.

Yesterday was almost the perfect match day experience for me. I bought a ticket on a whim on Thursday after not having been since 2016 and it was one of the last three available! Surely a good sign, further endorsed when I discovered I was sitting a few rows back exactly on the half way line. After recent results, there was a bit of a party feel around the ground before kickoff, everyone was really relaxed and enjoying the sunshine What followed was a first half where the team lacked urgency and precision, in keeping with the beach weather, so the party vibe did subside somewhat. We clearly weren't on it and there was a niggling sense that Forest might nick a goal to punish our profligacy, but we needn't have worried. There is so much to like about this new Villa team, not least how well we adapt to challenges, the improvement in most players, our real threat when we attack and the fact we are now much more comfortable on the ball. All such big improvements and a delight to behold, so why was it only 'almost perfect'? Well, Unai is absolutely right, we do have to improve. The results he is getting out of these players are nothing short of extraordinary and the players themselves deserve great credit for rising to the challenges in front of them, but we are riding our luck a little and we aren't yet fulfilling our potential. The feeling among many before the game was that we should be smashing Forest and in terms of what they showed yesterday, we absolutely should be. They were dire. But we aren't there, yet. Everyone wants that statement performance where we grind the opponent into the ground and it will come, but we haven't quite fully clicked, yet. Some of our play is sparkling at times, the last few minutes yesterday were lovely (what we had been hoping for from the start), but we are going to have to be patient before we see that. And when I say 'we' have to be patient, I do mean us as fans because the players are showing such admirable calm and poise in possession. That for me is the biggest step forward we have taken under Unai. Am I being picky? Yes I am, but so is Unai. He wants more and it IS going to come, you can just tell. Whether it is this season or next with the new additions, it doesn't really matter too much because we are on our way, finally. So, not quite perfect, not smashing teams, but it's coming. We are back.

There's a few stories I could tell. Randy by name...