MackHaakon

I don't understand how Emery can watch Chelsea play these through balls behind us and not correct it. I just don't get it. 

Schooled. Lots of skill but no leadership or steel. Work in progress I guess.

Could be 0-7 this. 

The MIngs / Konsa partnership was the bedrock for us last season. Pau is worrying me, poor decision making and very worryingly defensively. I want my defenders to be good at defending.

The slack ball press with a high line - have we not learned? 

Are the retro kits on sale in the club shop up to speed regarding comfort/materials?

7 minutes ago, May-Z said:

I look back on the Reebok 95-97 kit and think they emphasise part of the point quite well. 

All different, but all definitely transmit 'Villa' in their design. I like how the shorts/socks can all interchange nicely as well from a design perspective. 

Not sure how you would repeat this every year to keep it 'fresh', but I'd argue claret, white, yellow, light blue (maybe navy and black too) included in some way in all shirts in some way would be a start.

 

Is Yorke sporting the Pro Shirt?

We have some excellent kits from the 90s (e.g. 1990 away). A lot of the versions created by fans on this site are great. I don't understand how the club can end up with designs like this. I want to buy a kit (from the Emery era) but my nervous system blocks me from actually clicking the 'Shop' button. 

Because he's so incredibly relaxed in posture and attitude he can take the speed out of a pass and carry the ball with an elegance that reminds me of Grealish or even better. He just lacks a bit aggression and determination both offensively and defensively to really cash in on his talent. 

Ollie !

Pretty poor last 10 minutes. 

Why why why kick the ball away. Where is the cost-benefit analysis Digne?

My first reaction is that I hate football. I hate the ridiculous tribalism, the theatrics and schadenfreude. I hate how you put your own well-being into something you have zero control over. It's completely irrational. It's all put on it's head when we win of course. Then I bask in it.

Newcastle were pumped up with lots of confidence and a great crowd. They got something brewing there, and you could see the synergy when fans get into it. We can do that too. But we panicked. We didn't trust our game when it din't click at once, at they smelled blood. We're good at slowing things down and controlling play with a slow tempo then shifting gears. When we couldn't slow it down we looked lost and out of ideas. Not terrible, just not ourselves.

However, the second half was just a complete horror show. If we play the high line with that kind of limp attitude we will be dismantled by every team in this league. They tried to physically do it, but the heads were gone. Pushing rope.

Credit to Newcastle here, they were on it. We will be better but I think we need to adjust our expectations a little in the short term. The injuries will cost us points, Mings is the kind of figure that increases confidence all around the team. He eats up attacks and the rest of the team can trust their instincts more. The high line need to be rethought and reengineered. 

Off to the beers.

Is there another sport you can recommend?

Haha Tonali. Football players are such spineless little opportunists. 

Close, well done Watkins

I predict at least one of our players sent off in the second half. They will scream the cards out of his pocket. 

They got the game where they wanted it and got the crowd into it. We're not playing great but neither are Saudi-Arabia. It's an ugly little game so far, with lots of energy.

It's just absolutely terrible to lose both Mings and Buendia probably for the season. It just reduces our quality and chances in every competition.  

Looks like another serious injury to a key player. Brilliant week this.

Very bad injury news, again. He is a creator and a goal threat , but also a very important part of our press. We don't have a good replacement atm.  

Great player. I think Mings and Konsa is developing a very strong partnership, partly because they face different types of opposition and challenges together regularly,  and I hope the inevitable rotation and alternating partnerships does not affect that in a negative way. 

It will be a challenge to keep it fresh and familiar at the same time.

Happy with a win and a clean sheet but I felt we were too focused on controlling the game, the tempo at times were just life-drainingly slow and pedestrian.

We have a decent squad but the decision making at times, from Ramsey and Bailey in particular, is so so poor. Ramsey look at bit lost in this possesison oriented style.    

It's the hope that kills you. Teams like Arsenal et al, apart from having better players, have a winning mentality and expect to win games. It just sharpens the whole team. We seem be reacting to the momentum in many games instead of dictating it, not knowing quite if we're good enough to really hurt the opposition. A lot of changes in manager and player staff doesn't help. Hopefully hopefully we're on the right track now.   

Great news. True leader of the team and seems to be a decent human being.  Not a perfect player but he wouldn't be with us if he was. 

As a fan following from abroad I watch every game on tv and I'm not in a position to criticize the Villa park faithful. Saying that I think both the players and the supporters could have a better time if the supporters could support more consistently throughout the game, no matter what happens. A bit like in Germany perhaps. It's just so obvious how the frustration and anxiety on the stands negatively affect the players and the downward spiral is tough to break.

It is obviously the players' responsibility to give a 100 %, but for the most part I think football players in general and perhaps ours particularly are quite vulnerable and young individuals that need a lot of love and positive attention to function optimally. They should obviously have a coach for this aspect of the game as well. 

Villa Park on good vibes is just such an absolute icon - and as a tv-fan thank you all for giving me all those chills throughout the years

We lack leadership on the pitch. Without it the likes of Couthino, Bailey, Watkins and Buendia will drift in and out of utter shitness during a game, and feel sorry for themselves most of the time. We have too many mentally fragile individuals who are mostly there for themselves.