newhavenhibby

I think you are right mickeyp102, in that he has always had that fan frustration when he does a lot of good work and then the final ball is not there. Sometimes he charges forward with the ball , scares the opposition defenders, and then makes a poor decision. This scenario I saw when you played WBA and with a few minutes left and leading, he charged upfield and then instead of taking the ball wide to the corner and wind the clock down, he tried to make something happen and just ran the ball out . ........WBA then score, albeit by a handball. He becomes a fans favourite due to the effort he puts in but still needs to work on his distribution. I thought this would happen when he moved to Villa, bigger league, better players but unfortunately all around him are struggling so this will hold his development back a little at this moment in time. Due to this I think he will stay, as I also don't think he is ready for the Premier League yet and would struggle with speed and accuracy needed. In the meantime , hopefully Smith and Terry can get some decent coaching done and start to turn things around as if the team start to get some confidence going it can only benefit the development of McGinn. They also need to get the players to scrap for the shirt and badge. At present too many sides see playing you as their cup final by being one of the biggest clubs in the Championship, and you then find yourselves out fought and losing to a team that on paper you should beat.

Another disappointing afternoon for Smith and Villa. When he came in there was a certain honeymoon period which has obviously gone now and he now needs time and money ( if available ??) to bring in his own players. Having said that, I am not sure what John Terry is coaching as the defense seems at sea at times when I have seen it and sounds that today was no different. You don't mind conceding when their forwards outsmart the defense with skill but not when there is poor organisation and positioning so gifting goals. Going forward will improve when Grealish returns I think, but the Keegan scattergun approach of scoring one more goal than you let in is never a recipe for success in the long term. The back needs better organisation and then you can work forward from there. Interesting to see whether Smith is "big" enough to manage Villa and all the fan and Club expectation but only time will tell. In modern football many fans want instant success and if it is not there calls to get rid soon come in. Lets face it Alex Ferguson would have been kicked out from Man U in his first season if these thoughts and actions had existed then. I see McGinn is again the favourite in the poll......best of a bad bunch I suppose as he always seems to try even if nothing comes from his "arsing" about lol. Surprisingly he never showed leadership qualities at Hibs and cannot remember him taking the captains armband........pity really as he would be the ideal type to do so and get vocal but I know when some players get that sort of responsibility it affects their general game and they don't want it. Easy for me to say looking in from the outside, keep the faith and lets hope Smith can improve the sides fortune quickly........but FFS get that back four sorted somehow in this transfer window either with new players or better coaching..........

Still follow Hereford FC having watched them regularly as Hereford United through the 80s and 90s. Great attitude by their fans to get the club up and running again as Hereford FC in 2015 following the winding up of United in 2014 and fortunately Edgar Street had not been redeveloped so gave them somewhere to play. Struggling this season in National League North after a run of promotions and a Wembley visit in the Vase in 2016.. Shows how slight the margins were in football as I was at Edgar Street for the final game of the season in 1997. We had been mid table going into the New Year that season and Brighton were well adrift at the foot of the table. Then we started to lose and they win and by the last game we needed a win to stay up and they needed to draw. We were winning 1 . 0 until the last few minutes when Brighton equalised to stay in the League and relegate us. Hereford United eventually folded as a Club and Brighton are now a Premier League club and all the gravy train money that brings. ......"forever United"....

Lot of time for Kenny Miller .........born a hibee, played superbly for us through his early career and was the first Rangers player into the Hibs dressing room to congratulate us when we had just beat them to lift the Scottish Cup in 2016. When you watch him he still runs more during the game than most of his team mates who are up to 20 years his junior. I'll say again, Gerrard has done well so far but no more than the huns fans will demand. Finishing second to Celtic by the bare minimum will be the worst he can do to keep them onside. The difference with the money is so important as the 2 uglies have strength in depth and so can cover for injuries and suspensions, the rest cannot.........Hearts were doing fine till injuries lost them the spine of the side for the last half of 2018 and so slipped down the table. They are just getting back now but have dropped to many points to be serious contenders . Of course you also have the uglies buying up the best of the rest so weakening their sides..........Sevco have just taken players from Dundee and Kilmarnock which will affect their run in to the season in 2019. As for us we have very few players left ( sold, injured, terminated contracts etc etc ) and a bit like Villa need a good transfer window to turn our season around or it is going to be a struggle.

Forgot to say, the reason he got a "bombscare" reputation, especially early in his career, is the fact he doesn't like to aimlessly hoof the ball forward but always looks for a pass. He used to get caught in possession a lot, especially at Celtic, but has worked hard on his game to cut this out and although gives fans the occasional heart in mouth moment it is much better than it used to be. With his pace he ghosts pasts the opposition at times and had become a good attacking option. Good luck to Efe........but most Hibs fans are absolutely gutted he has gone.

Quote.......one of the worst defenders I have seen and that was 5 years ago...... Efe Ambrose.......Developed into one of our best defenders ( and this year, the best) in the last year. Excellent at bringing the ball forward. If he had stayed he was odds on to being our player of the year. + he knows how John McGinn plays lol...........and as for his goal celebration....... Seriously, not sure how he would go at Villa but the rumours here are that Cardiff and Marseille are looking at him.

He had games like that for us and you wondered at times what all the hype was about .,.........not involved, passes not working etc etc. However many fans could not see any bad games and was always a wonderful influence on the game.......not so. Like all of us he will have off days but then at some point he would be back to his best and turn a game. If you look at the players rating score from the Preston game he is still in third place. When I have seen him lately he seems to be missing his pairing with Grealish and feel when he is back McGinn will spark again. You cannot keep that arse down for long. All the best for 2019

Aye, hopefully with experience he will learn not to over commit especially when he has lost the ball and so reduce the yellow count. He was always like that up here and therefore picked up suspensions. Also has to learn to see the game out at times and not always try to make something happen ........saw this against West Brom earlier in the season where he ran with the ball to the baggies goal line and then just ran the ball out giving them the ball back........and of course they went on to score with that handball. He needed to take the ball to the corner flag and try to win a corner to run the clock down. I'm sure all this will come in time making him an even better player.

Seems SJM had another good performance. Only caught the last 10 minutes and he seemed to be tiring but that would be expected against Leeds who as Smith said were the best team you have faced this season. Good to see both sides going for the win in the final 10 and was unfortunate that they scored.........The move starting deep in their own half following the break up of a Villa attack. Saw McGinn trying to win a freekick by backing his infamous arse into the Leeds player and falling down.......unfortunately the ref didn't fall for it. Certainly good for the neutral but gutting for yourselves. Positives to be taken are that you took the game to Leeds and gave them a run for their money without Grealish........hopefully something will happen to the defensive unit in the January window as that is where the main problems are.......as I am sure you are only too aware! Think if Bruce had still been there, the game plan would have been totally different!! Anyway all the best to McGinn and Villa through into 2019 and hope you all have a good xmas. 'mon Villa

Lucky point........Stevie G has assembled a good set of players by Scottish standards. They were by far the best team to come to Easter Road this season and were faster and stronger than us. I think Celtic will struggle at Ibrox next time based on seeing both sides in 3 days.......provided Morelos has his shooting boots on! Mind you we go there on Boxing Day......hopefully some of the injured players will return but I doubt it will be enough. We lacked a strong midfielder who runs for 90 minutes from box to box and can shield the ball using his arse...........remind you of anyone lol Anyway good luck to you and McGinn on Sunday v Leeds.

Outside the Small Heath game I think this is now the most important game this season so far for you . A win keeps the good sequence going and propels you further up the table whilst clipping Leeds wings. You always seem threatening in attack so hopefully the defense can stand firm which at times this season has not been the case. Don't know if Grealish can play but hopefully McGinn will inspire the midfield again ...........that is if we let him back out of Easter Road last Sunday Good luck and as someone else said they will not fancy going to a full and vocal Villa Park 'mon Villa

Of course they will be a force in Scottish football before too long, possibly this season ( have to win the league).........need more TV money to compete elsewhere. With all that money and fan base at their disposal how can they not? There is only Celtic that can compete over a season but now they have to stay on the right side of the taxman. Last line is only how every other clubs supporters see them lol ........it seems to annoy them I suppose all us other clubs and fans should be grateful for any small crumbs off their and the press and media table allied to Scottish football that is Celtic and The Rangers. Will watch them live this season for the first time tomorrow night at Easter Road so that will tell me how well they and Gerrard are doing. We now have 11 players out with Slivka nobbled by Scott Brown so expecting another struggle.

With the money he has at his disposal compared to every other team in Scotland outwith Celtic the minimum has to be second at the end of the season ( anything worse and his coat is on a shoogly peg) ..........huns fans will expect no less. Big game v Celtic ........win and he buys more time , lose and the fans start to question especially if Killie keep up their good work considering their lack of money in comparison. Obviously Rangers are a new club but their fans still want it to be as successful as the old Glasgow Rangers RIP

Thanks......we were expecting a thumping today with 10 players out. The young lads did well and everyone played their part. That tackle was brilliant but is still learning the game as was seen in the first half where with inexperience he gave the ball away and let Sinclair? in.........couldn't quite see from where we sit! Celtic controlled the ball as expected but failed to find that final ball. Good to see John McGinn back at Easter Road today. Onto Wednesday night when the huns come calling and hopefully we may have a few injured players back.

Ryan will be a great defender so having seen some games by Villa this year you never know he may end up with you there in years to come. In the 70's when I watched Hibs up here at University and then back to Villa Park when home it was surreal to see the likes of Des Bremner . Alex Cropley wearing the claret and blue after the green. Also watched a young centre forward for Dundee United called Andy Gray.......wonder what happened to him

certainly was AVFCRigo82, I know some fans who didn't return home for 5 or 6 days! Some players were seen out drinking with the fans for the following week down Easter Road pubs. To show the passion watch the "Sunshine on Leith" video sung after the game at Hampden.......that is after they had cleared the pitch and got the broken goalposts out the way. That is the one disappointment of the day that the team could not parade the trophy at Hampden but hey ho it was the fans fault. SPL still produces good players......McGinn now gracing Villa Park, Robertson at Liverpool ( former Dundee United player via Hull) etc. Many other players use it as a stepping stone to get into England eg: we have seen players such as Sol Bamba at Hibs, Liverpools Virgil Van Dijk got a foothold via Celtic etc Watch this space for a young lad we have coming through at present called Ryan Porteous......destined for great things.

Always going to be when clubs lose their best players for peanuts to the awash with money English Leagues. It is always easy to poke fun but financially it is not a level playing field! We used to have a player lately that we sold down South and now there is talk of him going to the Premier League for multi millions........forget his name. Remember when we sold you Ulysses de la Cruz ........lol. Thank you! He still remains our top ever signing financially after he cost us £700,000. ( weeks wages now for some football superstars) Normally we cannot afford players as most of the other clubs so the standard is never going to be Barcelona with loans and frees . When I first watched Hibs, money hadn't taken over and we were beating the Liverpool and drawing with Revies Leeds sides of the 70's. First game at Easter Road was against Juventus. Those days have gone forever down to money. However having said all that the entertainment and game day experience at Easter Road is great and I feel more connected to the club as a supporter and they to the local Community than I ever did with Villa. As a fan, the best football following day was 21 / 5 / 2016 when Hibs finally won the Scottish Cup after 114 years and after all the grief and banter we had taken from the press and other fans especially from those across town. When you are among 200,000 people in Edinburgh celebrating as the team show off the trophy the next day you easily forget it is a cr*p league by English standards. Best weekend and game EVER...... and I was in Rotterdam in 1982 seeing Aston Villa win the European Cup. Realistically now how many sides are likely to win the Champions League now? I'm just happy to know Hibs were the first British side in the European Cup and scored the first British goal in the Competition. Sh*te Mickey Mouse League YES, but based on money available the product is still entertaining and it is this reason I attend games week in week out. Whenever our centre forward misses a sitter and then I watch Aguero do the same for Man City , our player on £1K a week sits easier on my mind than someone on £200,000K+ a week.

Thought he had another solid game. Great shot that hit the post but the way he made space for that was the impressive thing. Agree about the comments re looking up a little more at times and perhaps looking for the simple ball.........this was especially the case late on when he ran from deep in your own half right up to the WBA line and then just ran the ball out. Retaining possession and running the clock down were the most important thing at that stage so even taking the ball to the corner would have done. Mind you he always played the same up here, so always trying to make something happen is in his psyche. Three words sums up last nights game from your point of view...........You was robbed. Still, another game unbeaten and again you looked dangerous in attack and with a little more coolness in front of goal would have put the game to bed well before that obvious handball.

'mon Villa.......keep it going Good luck against the baggies tonight.

McGinn didn't look fully fit but that is two seasons running he has been involved in a 5:5 draw..........and didn't score in either Having seen Nyland tonight ( and especially the fourth and fifth goals ), If another goalkeeper is unavailable you could do worse than to have a look at one of our keepers, Bogdan, on loan from Liverpool. Wouldn't affect us much as we also have a Greek international in Marciano competing for the starting gloves..........and its not between the sticks where our problems lie.......its the other 10 positions

Aye, another certain John McGinn would be nice ..........wonder what happened to him

First game at Villa Park in 1971 v Notts County in the old third division........packed house and a win! Through the 70's and 80's hardly missed a Villa game home and away. Still hate SHA more than I do Heart of Midlothian up here.......must be a birthplace thing.

Great win for you lads over Small Heath on Sunday. It is more pleasing that the team put in a good performance without McGinn which shows confidence is beginning to rise in the rest of the team and that you are not a one trick pony. Obviously if he plays then the team will probably play better, but at times when he is suspended / injured Villa can still perform well. Heres hoping he is back for the Forest game but if not for the tough trip to 'Boro.................................Remember going to the old Ayrsome Park in the 70's at this time of year.........rained all day, not a blade of grass on the pitch and it was 0:0. Whats not to like

SJM probably used to this "ball control" as it still goes on up here in Scotland with in the recent semi final between Hearts and Celtic, the Hearts striker McClean played the part of Jones with Kouassi of Celtic on the receiving end. Times have changed though as although it was missed by the ref at the time McClean received a retrospective ban. He said it was a bit of banter and had done it many times whilst playing.? (Tried to upload similar image but it didn't work...... https://goo.gl/images/gM4Fyc )

Sadly he's from St Mirren......doesn't really fit. ? Like the "Aston Villas" man ?