Enda

Bournemouth scored twice today. One from an awful mistake/pass by Carlos, and an excellent swivel and finish for their second. But they should have scored at least four.

The ref bottled it. Should have sent at least Semenyo off. And he didn’t and that changed the game. But let’s be honest Bournemouth should have scored at least four and that’s not the ref’s fault.

Cash needed a rest and so the back line was disjointed. A new RB would be preferable to playing Konsa, a top top centre half, out of position.

Martinez man of the match. Watkins with a very impressive finish. Zaniolo looked like a lost child. Tielemens very inconsistent, sometimes excellent (one tackle around 60 mins was pure class) but sometimes muck (loose passes).

Overall we were lucky. Two moments of excellence from our attack, and marvelous saves, earned us a point from an otherwise daily turgid team performance.

The question asks which we'd prefer this season.

I'd love us to win the FA Cup this season. I'd rather that than access to the Champions League cash cow just so we can win the FA Cup a year later

All in due course. We're about three players short of Top 4 imho* and we'll be better able to push on next year.

* We'll get an injury. The drop-off in quality in GK, RB, CM, and Ollie means we'll have a tough patch sometime between now and March. Imho.

Historian Tom Holland (from The Rest is History podcast, not the actor) is a Villa fan.

In a continuing series of Brexiteers having very little idea about international relations, we now have this all-time classic from Steve Baker MP.

The EU can’t do business with these clowns.

1 hour ago, NeilS said:

I need to see it again from a better angle, but if Bailey is not on the goal side of the defender as the defender heads it he can’t be offside, same as if a team mate pulls the ball back to him. I think the ruling was made from Watkins header rather than the defender header, I don’t know if that is correct method anymore. 

My reading was:

- The “shot” is cleared off the line. By this point Bailey is offside because the keeper had strayed a yard out.

- The “save” is by the defender who never gains control of the ball, so it’s like a keeper pushing the ball away.

- Bailey receives the ball, as if he’d been offside from a shot and scored from the rebound. We’d all call that offside.

On the one hand, it’s madness. On the other hand, you have to hand it to the linesman. That’s US Supreme Court level of argument right there.

3 hours ago, OutByEaster? said:

When the defender heads the ball off the line, Bailey is behind the ball, so not in an offside position.

Behind the keeper though, wasn’t he?

I’m going to be Mr Unpopular here and say our offside goal was a bloody fantastic call by the linesman. I never would have reached his conclusion. I always think of “last man behind the ball” as the last defender but, in this specific moment, the keeper and the defender on the line have essentially switched places. Very good officiating to notice that, even if it’s a decision against us.

We were quite poor for large parts of the match, but were the better side.

Dougie's pinpoint pass won us the game.

A number of players could do with a rest. Diaby, for example, did very little.

The French Bailey in midfield has been quiet enough.

Bailey been a bit disappointing.

The English Bailey up front has been feeding off scraps.

The commentator is calling all of our black players “Bailey”

Mat Ryan making Olson look cool as ice.

19 minutes ago, MotoMkali said:

What rot are you lot chatting

He's been injured, and emery has probably been asked about him and emery has said yeah he's a world class talent he just needs to make the most of it. 

I don’t think that’s the full truth. Given the stuff with his social media and now Emery says “I don’t know” when asked if there’s a problem, there’s more than enough reason to think there’s been a bit of an argument. Fights happen all the time at football clubs and they’re rarely made fully public.

37 minutes ago, Kiwivillan said:

Rewind a week or so it was get the hell out of my club. What was that O'Leary word?

Lads.

It was lads. “Decent, hard-working bunch of lads.” Every time.

58 minutes ago, Jareth said:

I heard he''s fed up of Duran Duran puns so has changed his surname to Wet-Wet

He feels it in his toes.

8 hours ago, est1874 said:

As usual, the truth is somewhere in the middle.

I wouldn’t go that far 

1 hour ago, sheepyvillian said:

He's 19yrs of age, he's allowed strops. 

Disagree.

"I like fishing so much."

Iconic interview from the man on Sky Sports.

I’m not blaming Ollie.

But had he gone down after the push in the back, it’s a penalty and a sending off.

Fair play to Watkins for trying to be honest, but a bit of guile would have gone a good way against a crap ref.

We look quite tired. Very little spark.

Wolves should have had about three players sent off.

Hey @Tomaszk get over here you’re late, very poor, McCormack-esque performance from you today, what’s the lineup?

1 minute ago, LondonLax said:

 

 

I, eh, wouldn’t trust/retweet Ashlea Simon.