Shomin Geki

I've heard it from both my memory and my imagination that Pegg played Toby Young in the film How To Lose Friends and Alienate People, a film role he took up specifically to enjoy the erotic frissons of channelling Young's dark voodoo.

What Pete didn't mention here is that the actual decision took almost 30 minutes to decide. All the while we were treated to slow-motion replays of Moloney repeatedly jabbing Franco, with nary a headbutt to be seen. And somehow a NC is called! Ah, boxing, hating on filthy casuals till it Pied Pipers them to more octagon-shaped sanctuaries. And yeah, Crawford was way too good for Brook. It was all a bit lion versus faintly fighty gazelle.

Very interesting! One point though. Has the distinction of handball always been ruled as precisely as a literal diagram of the human form? In the actual laws of the game? Whether it was Balotelli's shouldering of the ball in, Carew volleyballing a loose ball away with one almighty shrug, or the Mings penalty last season, I've frequently wondered if this was something of a grey area. A decent presumption was that the bony part of the shoulder was fair game. The fleshy part, no. So, does this new application of the handball rule actually, strangely, alter the fundamentals of the game? Are shoulders now a legit footballing option? Could an enterprising individual incorporate this more directly into their game, crosses deliberately fired below the head for a deadly MMA style shoulder strike goal? And so on. Or is it limited to given scenarios? Part of this suggestion is pure impish glee at the darkish arts, but another part of me is kinda surprised that a precise ruling in football isn't somehow 'gamed' more. I seem to remember, I think, Van Nistelrooy creatively exploiting the 'second phase' development of the offside rule during its infancy, gazumping bemused defenders. But very little since. Whilst defending has undoubtedly become more organised and cultured, I'm convinced there's space there to exploit...

I've been grimly following this story for the past couple of months via The Good Law Project on Twitter. In addition to a couple of Guardian articles, I see that Bill Esterson, the Labour MP for Sefton Central, has recently commented on these seemingly indefensible findings. But is this enough? How is this not bigger news? This is not a rhetorical question. I've found precisely one instance, so far, of this issue being brought up in parliament, yet such apparently straightforward wrongdoing, if not criminal, activity still lurks principally around the shoutier ends of social media. Could anyone offer any suggestions as to why this ongoing story, which, if nothing else, neatly ties together many somewhat loose ends connecting Tory incompetence, venality and myopia, hasn't been seized upon by, at least, the Labour leadership?

So, Inoue Moloney and Lomachenko Lopez coming up very soon, and all very exciting of course, but... ...I felt deeply compelled to post in order to strongly implore all lovers of pugilism, or indeed those entranced by man's eternal war against one another, to please put your tender ones to bed and watch Zepeda versus Baranchyck. Because... my goodness. I may struggle to sleep tonight.

Marks out of ten time. Obviously a difficult game to rate but I enjoy reading these and writing them. Martinez 9- Radiates authority and composure. It's been a long time since the Villa penalty area looked quite so safe. Strong, excellent hands, unflappable. Plus the kind of penalty save that quite simply hollers 'you shall not pass'! And they never really looked like they would. Konsa 8- It's been a pleasure watching the boy Ezra become a man over the past twelve months. Those panicked glances increasingly seem like acute readings of potential threats. Seems more muscular in his obvious comfort on the ball. Him and Mings appear to have a good understanding, and once again his judicious forays upfield were rewarded, this time with a tenaciously claimed and smartly converted header. Mings 7- Commanding and on the front foot, those long strides purposefully strutting out time and time again from the back. I liked his support in attack, especially for the goal, and despite the odd threat of a jittery moment, no heroics were ever necessary. Targett 6- Obviously a player there, although I wonder if he sacrifices something in mobility in order to afford him his clean, incisive strikes of the ball. When Grealish is a little off the boil he suffers too, but he's definitely a player that will benefit from greater movement around him. Lacked a little in awareness at times, even if contact on the penalty seemed minimal at best. Cash 7- A reasonable debut. Seems to have a good engine, a decent cross on him, and he reads the game well throughout. A little like Targett I felt he didn't make enough telling contributions, nor was he as physical as I would have liked, but maybe that wasn't really needed for this game. A player I feel confident could raise his levels when required. Luiz 8- As we know, a proper player, the boy oozes class whilst barely breaking a sweat. Could be a touch faster to the ball, but maybe needs a more dynamic midfield than McGinn and Connor to reach the next gear. There are issues with movement off the ball and link up play that will likely be exploited against less agricultural opposition and Luiz shouldn't be expected to shoulder too much in the centre. I wonder what Grealish's possible move inside might do to him as a player. Hourihane 6- Played some nice balls, which he should be able to do in his sleep, but his contributions were a bit muted for what is already a pretty anonymous player. Like much of the Villa team today he seemed not to exploit the fabled 'corridor of uncertainty' with his crosses. Probably needs to work harder to find space around the penalty area. McGinn 5- Is it time to worry about McGinn yet? Undoubtedly a force when we're on the front foot and flourishing, his limitations may become harder to overlook the more we improve in other areas. Particularly with his apparently less than dedicated approach to his fitness. McGinn seemed off the pace, was sometimes clumsy, and struggled to impose himself on the game. You want a McGinn in the thick of the action, a one man mad pack of wolves. Unpossessed with adrenalised enthusiasm he can seem a wee bit average. I'm not expecting much thunder from him at this moment in time, but I'm prepared to be patient. How much patience Smith will afford him is another matter. I do worry that he may be overindulged, which I felt he was at times last season. Another midfield option would be wise, if possible. Trezeguet 5- Endeavoured, as he always does, but never once looked like beating his man or doing anything other than his patented 'right man at the right time' routine. His workrate is valuable however and there is the concern of a lack of energy in the middle if we get an upgrade. Any real Cash-Trezeguet link up was also notably inactive. An obvious place for an upgrade here, Trez just isn't enough of a threat to hurt the opposition. Grealish 6- Not his best day. Uncharacteristically sloppy with the ball, his feet a whisker or two away from the expected stardust. And a whisker or two is a telling measurement when it comes to the ballerina precision that Jack possesses. But he still pulses with possibility throughout the game and even if he can be a slow starter sometimes we know how devastating he can be in no time at all. Yeah, he can hang onto the ball too long at times, but you can understand the unwillingness. Watkins 6- Was impressed by his control and generally intelligent all round play. He needs a touch more sharpness at this level, which I'm sure will come as he progresses. I don't know enough about Watkins as a player to foresee whether he'll grow into a figure of devastating efficiency, or if there's more to his game, but the boy has real promise and a nice level of positivity and enthusiasm. Davis 6- Fine. I'm not sure the lad's gonna make it though. It always seems a bit laboured. There's something of bringing a shield to a knife fight about him.

Yeah, this is far more succinct and pointed than what I've stated. I absolutely believe this is what Smith is aiming for, broadly speaking. However, I guess I'm focusing somewhat beyond a general systematic approach, essential as that is. I think there are two relevant factors to consider. Firstly, as much as I was thrilled at Villa's gung-ho sturm und drang in many of the early Premier League games, Smith obviously felt the need to modify that later on, including the experiments with more of a 532 and the greater emphasis on defence and organisation post-restart. He's frequently mentioned both himself and his team learning as they go along, experience, perhaps for himself as much as his players, a key virtue. What I'm curious about, or maybe simply excited and intrigued (which may have given the impression of a greater sense of concern than was intended), is the intended ceiling of what is very much a work in progress. Villa didn't click as they might have last season and some of our best work has been more reactive and shrewd, and less aggressively assertive. The question I find intriguing is, I guess, that gap between what our expectations are if we flourish as fruitfully as intended, and what Smith and co can do to mould us appropriately as we undergo several further baptisms and challenges. We're still a relatively new, 'ungelled' machine and we've seen that ambitious intentions don't necessarily work out as Smith would like in reality. I believe him and his team, still learning, still thinking somewhat on their feet, have a certain, deliberate, maybe even necessary, in-built flexibility and I'm curious to see how this is exercised. You sometimes got a sense of what Villa were really trying to do last season, but not always accomplishing, and there was a more cautious, conservative application at times. I think what I'm wondering is how far we will go in fulfilling our obviously exciting potential. I know we're a massive side but I still find it impressive, if not a little daunting, how bold our approach seems to be for something of a new kid on the block. If we didn't quite do a Fulham last year, who or what exactly are we doing? And secondly, clearly a lot of thought and planning has gone into our recruitment. Real attention to detail, and seemingly a decent array of voices considered too. The focus on personalities, for example, team cohesion, Smith's mantra of 'being a good teammate', coupled with a more data-driven approach, strikes me as refreshingly progressive, maybe even bold and daring. It's certainly not the conservatism of a solid, rigid system, 'playing the percentages', or a reliance on big names or proven quality. We don't, to our absolute credit, seem to be doing things 'the easy way', if indeed there is an 'easy way' to get things done in our current position. I'm not sure what a typical Smith Villa player is at this moment. I'm intrigued by what a quintessential Smith Villa move, or goal, would look like. The fact that there are discussions about what the best position for Luiz might be, or indeed Watkins or Traore, leaves plenty of work for us to watch unfold. Work I'm nervous about us accomplishing but very excited to see attempted.

This seems a good shout. Though perhaps without Kanu's vision and poise, which may itself be a reflection of early 2000s Arsenal. With my, depressingly now fairly limited, knowledge of football beyond the Premier League, the first player I thought of was a right-footed, less silky, more gangly Juan Cuadrado. A wind him up and watch him go kinda player. Obviously a notch or two below. This is, admittedly, based solely on recently-watched Youtube compilations. And I was convinced Cuadrado was going to smash English football... Our transfers in the Premier League are some of the more fascinating out there. It isn't as obvious as it is with other teams precisely what Smith is aspiring to create with his team. Which I suppose could be a bad thing. Smith does seems to, very astutely in my view, appreciate quick, potent feet however. Must have been drunk when assessing Hause and Trez though. Traore has the look of one of those unusual, almost unnatural-looking players. It can be hard to tell the difference, again in the limited clips, between Traore rambling with his feet or setting up an incisive burst. Maybe he isn't sure himself? But such players can be striking wildcards, the counter-intuitive attack keeping defenders perpetually on edge. I'm cautiously optimistic on this one, and certainly more excited about seeing Traore in action than I thought I would be.

Feels a little ghoulish all these pictures of poor Wesley at once, but as requested, here is a video. <div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/dhvcx" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div> I hope I'm doing this right... (I appear not to be; I'll try again) https://streamable.com/dhvcx

With in-built, real time Pickford heart-rate monitor, no less!

Quite stunningly so. I would recommend actually digging out this interview. It is, even by modern political standards, pretty extraordinary.

This is very much a humdinger! I particularly like the parts about players now not knowing how precisely to play by the rules, and the essential challenge VAR makes to football's beautiful simplicity.

Honestly? That things are gonna get much better. I think that the staid ideologies of the past, both political and cultural, are gonna give way to a greater appreciation of more genuinely collaborative work. This will be facilitated through us making technological and scientific advances towards our collective development. We're gonna get smarter and then get smarter at applying this smartness. Whether, alternatively, in the surge in the efficacy of computational thinking, behavioural economics, network science and so on, or in the greater scrutiny (and final constructed clarity) afforded through the inevitable closer immersion of 'real' and 'digital' lives, lives of data and lives of self-examination, we'll have something of a Renaissance. Not as dramatic as before, but decent. We'll begin to get what we were promised with the brave new Internet era. Many currently-dominant theories and ideas will be surpassed and later perceived as foolish. This will of course be expedited through the threat of climate change. I do wonder if one rising ethical matter will be the question of a kind of international interventionism of ideas, as globalisation starts a feedback loop of transferred knowledge and improved practice, amidst an asymmetric distribution and development of, for want of a better expression, evidence-based progression. This problem will be exacerbated through the threat of climate change. Conservative forces will have to contend with the fundamental inertia of their ideology in a world suddenly and profoundly dependant on pro-active flexibility and institutional innovation. This will be made criminally obvious through the threat of climate change. The old reassuring dinosaurs will look pretty silly as they essentially rant and rave at an uncaring, unresponsive sky. We will all get to watch them exposed as the naked, and rather shapeless, emperors they've let themselves become. We should get a little schadenfreude from this, but not too much. I believe this will happen before it's too late. (parklife)

Oh boy is it an understatement! Anwar can be wildly inconsistent, throughout entire stretches of games, literally moment to moment. A flash of real, menacing intent followed by an instant mis-control, a darting cut inside followed by a sudden brainfreeze, brilliantly finding space then slowing down play through indecision. It's almost impressive. It can't be good for a gentle boy's nerves. I think this is where the 'be a good team-mate' philosophy falls afoul. There's generally massive spirit, mutual support and resilience amongst our defenders. The same can't be said about the midfield, the shoe-shufflers at the side of the disco to our defence's sweaty conga. Football is obviously massively about communication. Much of that is instruction obviously. But some of that instruction is simply, for want of a less wanky term, psychological game management. Jack, whilst obviously our talisman, is a bit too much of a brilliant magician to command such a role. Plus, he can't do it all himself. The players, I fear, are simply not good enough all over the pitch to reassure and inspire each other with their technical consistency or organizational prowess. They need to coach themselves through this too.

It depends. I think dogshit is predictably awful, not turning up, insipid, resigned. Horseshit is a little more aggressive. More of an affront. Buffoonery, brainlessness, lack of nerves etc. So do you prefer your Aston Villa predictably shit, or do you want to be surprised by it in new, exciting ways? As for the game, very encouraging! But we can't keep saying that...

Sometimes the replay sites won't have the full game. https://fullmatchsports.co/aston-villa-vs-norwich-city-full-match-highlights/?tab=download This is where I caught up with the match.

Always happy to be counter-argued with statistics! As the man says though, stats can be misleading. I would like to see his numbers, for example, for unproductive passes, moves created from defence in which he was a creative component, runs not tracked, attacking threat etc. While I appreciate Hause's commitment and strength I just don't see the front-footed dynamism we need with him in defence. I think we're quite rigid and inexpressive as a unit with his limitations in the centre. I do fear a team not as noticeably tame as Norwich will expose him. And in response to Delphinho, I will absolutely bow to your superior vantage. I was, alas, in stinky London rather than spirited Birmingham. I'm always struck at how different the game seems in person. Television is indeed a poor substitute. I like Hause, I just don't think he's that good, but will certainly watch him more diligently considering the defences posted. Very happy to eat my words!

I always like when people do player ratings. So I'll do some player ratings. I hope my thoughts are sufficiently different to KentVillan's excellent summary. HEATON 9 Arms as strong as a bear. Ice-coldness personified. Not only did he make some excellent saves today, but the saves were reassuringly excellent. I do wonder if he should be bollocking the full-backs more for their frequently clueless vulnerability when 'defending' the far-post ball? KONSA 8 Showed keen leadership, bringing pace, intelligence and daring to our back line. Possesses the mixture of athleticism and poise that gives our defence a greater sense of coherency than it deserves. A player quietly growing in stature. HAUSE 6 A noticeably uncultured footballer, unfortunately, frequently swinging aimlessly with his lazy Putter of a left foot. Whilst providing little impetus in creating meaningful forward movement he is at least good in the air and is a pleasingly physical presence in the inevitable melees that we create. A better team will hurt him though. ELMO 5 Decent with the ball at his feet, but still an obviously limited footballer. Elmo will provide the odd charging run and impressive delivery, but invariably the crackle of threat will quickly fade. Has to be held accountable for our miserable far-post achilles heel. TARGETT 5 Disappointing today. When he doesn't 'click' with the players around him he can seem disconcertingly leaden. The trademark slide pass rule is a constant asset, but too often plays at a lick or two below the required intensity. Poor reactions and lapses in concentration sometimes lead to weirdly ragged periods. NAKAMBA 3 Oh my! This was less Bambi on ice than Bambi's mother on ice. Dreadful touch, constant mishit passes and the general air (and threat) of a trapped housefly. Deeply wobbly. Let's hope it's just a confidence issue. LUIZ 8 Really good today. Was everywhere. Showed bite and versatility. I have often wondered if Luiz, who would so clearly be more at home with the neat little passes and touches of Manchester City, is cut out for a relegation scrap. But today his occasional drifts into what sometimes seems like an apathetic complacency were very short-lived and he mostly lead by example. Nowhere clearer than in his brilliant goal-saving clearance. GREALISH 9 Magic again. The boy's a wonder. Notice how many twinkle-toed wonders will feint and fidget with several touches before making a burst past a marker. Not our Jack. Each touch is part of a carefully calibrated dance through the stingiest imaginable space almost redrawing the pitch's shapes as he hops. Could he perhaps demand more of our wingers? His devastating swashbuckling could be even more cutting with wide players that stretch the play. Set piece delivery still too hit and miss. EL GHAZI 6 Whilst very much one of Anwar's more hapless performances, including his trademark point black miss, he's still a constant threat, popping up in the right place again and again. I also thought his hold-up play today was decent. TREZEGUET 3 Oh my, Redux! Sadly, alternates between total anonymity and those seemingly endless close-ups of him looking sheepish and hangdog as another promising ball trickles away from his feet like a tipsy father chasing a beachball on a blustery beach. WESLEY 4 Watching Wesley's performance I frequently thought about those fluttering figures you get outside car dealerships in the U.S. A very mild wind was powering Wesley today. Not sharp enough. Not incisive enough. Not there enough. HOURIHANE 7 Confidently taken goal. Was really good for ten minutes, some neat passes, an uncommon aggression, and smart link-up play... and then a goal... and then very little. But that was about all we needed. JOTA 4 Makes Juan Mata look like Sonic the Hedgehog. I wonder if he's made it home yet? LANSBURY 6 Kicked a ball really hard into the crowd. Has a beard.

It's worth looking, if you haven't, at a certain name that pops up amongst the donations. A good lad.

IT IS very much what everyone thought it was going to be! Albeit directed with a little more chutzpah than one may expect. I saw this last night and was pleasantly entertained for the first half. That was, until it dawned on me that there was no way Abrams was going to be taking all this soaring brio anywhere much. Abrams, being a television dude, is great at momentum, action and pleasingly slippery connective tissue. The big moments, not so much. Does it all hang together? Satisfy? Unify all the elements of the Skywalker saga? Of course not! I still think the new Star Wars films look fantastic, so much so that you can feel the energy and life of brilliant new worlds, but I doubt the cultural, and indeed, emotional impact of these new films will resonate much beyond a momentary buzz. In fact, much like the prequels, I can foresee the new trilogy being picked over with an almost morbid curiousity, as cautionary tales of industrial hubris and a wider cultural malaise. Perhaps Star Wars needs to recognise its true roots, a wondrous pop art amalgam of adventure serials and Kurosawa and boy scout sci-fi, and find the modern day analogue of this heady confection, rather than the fat snake eating yet more of its own tail of recent years? Oh yes, and The Last Jedi 'course correction' is very much an issue. One character simply (literally!) states 'I was wrong' when challenged with their previous motivations.

Completely agree. He looks very much a conspicuously comfortable and educated modern full-back in the making. I actually think one slight mistake in our recruitment was the necessity, for our shape, our tempo, and our organisation, for all our signings to not just click but hit the ground running. So many players are good enough on the ball and intelligent enough to really improve one another. We just rather need all of them to really work for each other at the moment. Which isn't quite happening. But Targett seems solid. And solid is a great quality over 38 tough games. I do hope that the loss of discipline (from many of our players to be fair) was symptomatic of the frustration of three games on the back foot in quick succession. But Targett doesn't strike me as a wally. The face don't match the dude.

Bit of a fantasy punt here, but would be excellent if we were targeting the kind of talented, promising player that would work primarily, at least first of all, as more of an impact sub. Someone to shake the game up a bit, breathe a little new life into those tricky final quarters and tear at the ragged but somewhat steadfast rhythms you can often get as the game moves into its final stretch.

Jack is absolutely underrated smart. Like moustache-twirling smart sometimes. Turtleneck smart. I sometimes wonder when watching Jack if he's deliberately modelled his game on a very astute appreciation of his particular qualities. Good and bad. He knows he's not strikingly fast or strong, but boy does he have smooth, quick, cultured, witty feet! And great vision and a wonderful birds-eye feel for the game. So he's chosen to lean into those freakish superlatives and twist the game to his advantage. Pretty smart. He dictates that the game will be played as he wishes. And then goes on to play that game exceptionally well, the nonstop dance of his witty, witty feet a constant drain on his opponents health bar.

Oh yeah, I also really liked his response to his goal. Very GIFable, I feel. Kinda reminded me of Ivan Drago in Rocky 4. If he dies, he dies. If I score, I score. It shows his commitment and his astute temperament. Don't get carried away, you've still got a job to do. Back in position. Onwards.

I'm a huge fan of Mings. His obvious passion, charisma and mental toughness isn't just window dressing. In a game that's increasingly about concentration, discipline and the kind of synchronised agility between players needed to create those telling penetrations, having a smiling, swaggering drill sergeant in the team is a godsend. It's not just pashun, it's concentrating focus and weaponising morale. As icky as that comes across. I am beginning to wonder however if Tyrone is a bit problematically one-footed? He seems to strongly favour his left, often adjusting himself awkwardly, which hurts his composure just a little. I wonder if Mings struggles when there's a swift switch between a more reactive, fleet-footed vigilant defence and his more pointedly 'quarter-backing' assertive moments. I suspect this untidiness in Mings in attack mode versus Mings in defence mode may be behind the occasional lapses. I hope he can figure out a greater balance, because he can be excellent at both, but worry that the way Mings can seem imperious one moment and then exposed the next is a natural result of our high tempo game. Furthermore, in terms of optimising Mings's ability maybe we should be looking to improve the play from our full-backs in tandem with central midfield? We obviously operate a very wing-based system, but maybe creating more of those those industrious triangles between full backs, central mids and wingers would open up the field of play and afford our defensive midfield, and in turn our centre backs, more time and space?