MadridVilla

Latest as of about 6pm. The greyed out blocks are either sold out (I think blocks such as 129 and 130), or in many cases haven't been released yet (i.e. the whole upper tier). Plenty of tickets to be had in the upper tier still, not so much in the lower tier. I'm not sure how many other poor souls have had a season ticket since 15/16 but it doesn't seem like the tickets are flying out. If you're on your own/two of you you might be in luck further down the booking windows, because most of the blocks have a lot of single seats left over. If anyone wants more updates then just ask, thought it might be helpful for those without a season ticket.

Back to reality with a bump. It was a poor performance, but I thought we still did enough for a point. Credit to Bournemouth for managing to hold on, they were very organised at the back and broke down everything we threw at them. Especially Billing, who controlled the midfield all day, even after Lerma had been sent off. I wish we had more patience when going forwards, the amount of aimless balls forward from Mings and Hause which gave possession away was so frustrating. I know that Bournemouth had a good press in the first half, but even when the press relented towards the end of the game they were still pumping long balls into Samatta. There was no plan B for the latter stages and Smith has to hold his hands up for that. He cost himself an early sub by bringing on Engels, which I don't think he had to do, and then limited himself in how late he could bring on Trezeguet as a result. That alone didn't cost us the game but it was poor game management. On the positive side, Samatta got his first goal on his league debut and at last we have an aerial threat for the millions of crosses a game we put in the box. Davis also looked sharp when coming on and is probably pushing Samatta for a starting position, though I think he's best in a 2 striker formation. Plus, given other results we stay out of the relegation zone - just. Villa have got plenty of work to do before the Spurs game - just as well they've got plenty of time to do it. UTV

Anyone with a shred of business acumen would know that a presence online on YouTube, not just on the club's in-house platform, is much better for engaging with fans around the world, as well as attracting new fans who would not otherwise find highlights. I know for example from watching the NBA highlights on YouTube that I would never have bothered to search for the teams online, find their media platform, log in, find the highlights etc. Also the problems Villa have had with AVTV have been far too common - rebranding it as Villa TV won't necessarily change my opinion on it.

I think we would struggle to move fans back to the North Stand, because the PL regulations mean that away allocations are capped at 3,000, and fans have to have at least one block pitchside. I don't think the lower North is big enough to hold 3,000 and the whole North Stand is more like 5,000, so it only works for cup games. Plus I think the move was also to get away fans further from the family area, which is fair enough.

Atmosphere was immense from what I could see on TV. Definitely played its part in helping us win the tie. Bit of a hot take but I completely disagree with pitch invasions in general, and particularly at big clubs like Villa. I say this from the point of view as an ex-ballboy, when the pitch invasion vs West Brom happened the fans were gathering around the edge of the pitch in front of me - when I told them to move so I could do my job, I got abuse. Bear in mind I was only a kid trying to do my job. We were ordered to go in before the game finished and we couldn't celebrate. It was a great moment for the club but personally the pitch invasion spoiled it for us. I think it's unfair that all the players get mobbed - some love it, some hate it. I understand the outpouring of joy but there's other ways of showing that imo. I think it's unfair for those in the upper tiers who don't get the usual celebrations - no music, can barely see the players for all the fans on the pitch etc. It's unfair for the groundsmen who will have no doubt more work to do to prepare the pitch for the next game at VP. And I think it's disrespectful to the football community in general - the fences came down in the 90s to save lives, not to allow idiots to stream onto the pitch. Fans shouldn't abuse that. Also we go to Wembley every year, and getting to a cup final is not exactly a rarity for Aston Villa. We can't bang on about how big our club is and pitch invade whenever we make a cup final.

Does anyone know whether McGinn will be fit for the final? Must be close to returning by then surely

That was simply incredible. No matter whether it was lucky, the benefits of winning that game for the morale of the club as a whole is immeasurable. This will really gel a team together going through this, which is vital for the upcoming relegation fight. Back to our holiday home in London once again! Great performances from Nyland (MOTM), Targett, Fred, Nakamba, Grealish to name but a few - the back 3 also fantastic. Samatta showed glimpses but clearly lacking the sharpness having only been here a week. Luiz didn't have his best game, but in the end it wasn't hugely significant. Thank you Mr Trezeguet for causing the ensuing damage to the bank balance and ozone layer to get me to Wembley... I'd do it anytime mind you

Full strength team. Give it Grealish. Que será será.

Those players were dead on their feet at the end, you could see they were all exhausted after putting in a huge effort all game. To score with the last kick of the game is nothing short of what they deserved. Pure elation at the end, and you could see from their celebrations how much it meant to them. This is why we love football, nothing else in life can create such outbursts of joy as a last second winner. Made even sweeter by taking us out of the relegation zone and having the last laugh with Deeney.

No complaints about the performance in general, a lot more intensity and pace to the team compared to previous weeks. Yet one mistake and we find ourselves 1-0 down at home. The goal is a complete mess - Hause has to close down the cross, Mings is nowhere near it and one of Konsa or Guilbert has to take responsibility and win the header. Leaving Deeney with a free header in the 6 yard box is suicidal. Think we will have to aim for a draw at best now - no way are we able to score 2 with no strikers.

In all honesty I don't mind the team selection too much, I think bringing on Vassilev/Luiz in the second half could have the same effect as the weekend. There's no guarantee Vassilev would be able to play with such intensity for 90 minutes, and starting Luiz over Drinkwater would have left Luiz and Nakamba together in midfield, which hasn't worked too well in the past. I also think we're going to be in a physical battle today and Luiz would be too lightweight to play in the midfield alongside Nakamba. Watford are unbeaten in 7 in all competitions so it wouldn't be a big surprise to lose tonight, I'd take a draw now but we're in need of 3 points tonight, by whatever means necessary.

Thank McGrath for Grealish.

JFW. Just **** win.

I bet those calling for Smith to go are the same ones praising the performance against Leicester 4 days ago. Literally just this week we got a great result at Leicester and arguably could have even won the game. Then as soon as we get turned over by the champions, one of the best squads ever assembled in the Premier League, he's the worst manager we've ever had, inept, out of his depth, stupid, the list goes on. These aren't the games we'd expect to win. And a lack of effort is on the players, not the manager. If the players can't motivate themselves enough to even try and play then they shouldn't be wearing the shirt. Honestly you lot are **** embarrassing at times.

One word - concerning. This is the first time this team has drawn parallels to the 15-16 season in my eyes. As good as City are we made it far too easy for them. There was never any belief in the team about getting a result and look what it caused. Those players shouldn't be wearing the shirt if they're going to accept defeat so willingly. Psychologically there is some MAJOR rebuilding that needs to be done, and fast. We cannot afford to carry this baggage with us into the next games.

Patiently waiting for Lescott to tweet a picture of his new car...

Free hit, off the back of a good performance in midweek which should give them some confidence going into the game. I wouldn't expect much from the game, but sometimes football can produce some unexpected results. Let's hope it's us this weekend.

No doubt that Lolley would be better than most of our wingers have been this season, but I don't think Forest would let him go so cheap. He hasn't had the best season compared to last year so his value has possibly fallen, but that would only make Forest less willing to sell him. Whether the Kodjia bargaining chip is a big enough swing for Forest I highly doubt. Getting Kodjia out would be good business for the club but only if another striker can replace him in the squad.

This chant has got to go or be changed. It's not funny, it's not clever and it's not flattering. Ezri is a professional footballer who has no doubt worked hard for years and sacrificed a lot to make it to playing for Villa, where a minority of braindead fans only see him as a lad with a big cock. It's embarrassing, to be honest, and completely undermines his ability as a footballer. If you think peddling a racial stereotype is a compliment to the lad, you'd be wrong. We can do better than that to support the team.

Fantastic game where both teams battled hard and Villa get an (unexpected) draw to take to Villa Park. Full credit to the whole team who fought hard and did well to keep Leicester to just one goal. Sure, we rode our luck at times. And even though the equaliser was frustrating to give away so easily, it's fair to say Leicester were good value for their goal and a draw was probably inevitable. A clean sheet away at Leicester would have been a big ask, and scoring without a striker on the pitch was also a big ask. For me, a 1-1 result was realistically the best Villa could have hoped for. Playing 5 at the back frustrated Leicester and disrupted their game plan - credit to Smith for sticking with the formation from the Burnley game. Sitting a bit deeper and inviting the pressure may be frustrating to watch and lacking ambition, but the alternative was what happened last month. Vardy wasn't able to get in behind the back line for most of the night, which nullified their main threat. No doubt the VT boards will be furious we haven't won this, and it's true we did come close. But I for one am very happy with a draw and making it a winner takes all in the home leg. I would be over the moon with getting past Leicester over 2 legs. We've given ourselves an excellent chance of doing that after the first leg. UTV

Well, an away win again at last, and 3 points is the best way to start a new year. I thought the 3 centre backs made a real difference to the way we played and suited playing against Burnley. Taylor and Guilbert had more room to get forwards and we were afforded more safety at the back. First half Villa were as good as Burnley were poor, and it was very one-sided. 2 really well taken goals and one awful, inexcusable VAR decision. There is no way that is clear and obviously offside, and we’ve gained no advantage from it whatsoever especially as Wesley didn’t even score the goal. Second half Villa dropped off in intensity and Burnley were much improved. We are still conceding far too many shots and on another day Burnley would’ve taken their chances. Both injuries killed Villa’s momentum and I don’t think the players wanted to be on the pitch after seeing a serious injury to not one but two players. Credit to them for holding on and staying focused enough to see the game out in the end. Good performances today from Grealish especially, also Luiz, Mings and Hause were particularly strong in my eyes. Wesley worked incredibly hard and was looking confident after his goal. Not sure about Trez today, he seemed a little lost up front. It may be 3 points but I think those injuries leave us in a lot of trouble - we absolutely need another striker now that Wesley will likely be out for a while. Kodjia does not look like he wants to be there and we can’t rely on him and Davis alone. Final word goes to Dean Smith who got the tactics right today. He had his hands tied with subs but he got it right today under pressure.

I’ll make a proper post later on, but more importantly wishing a speedy recovery to both Wesley and Heaton. Both looked like serious injuries that could end both of their seasons. Such a shame as they were both fantastic today.

I've been looking at this season's stats to find some insight into what lies ahead, so here goes: - Burnley are 19th in passes this season (Villa 18th), so we may see some of the ball. Most games this season I believe we've lost the possession battle even though Smith's game should be based on possession. - Burnley have kept 7 clean sheets this season (joint 1st in PL) so scoring could be a problem, even with our lethal Brazilian international striker up front. - Burnley have lost 10 games this season (joint 3rd in PL) - at home this season they have won 5 and lost 5. - Burnley have had 0 red cards this season, which is a MAJOR boost for us. - Burnley have had the least shots in the PL (Villa 7th) - they have still scored 2 more goals (25) than Villa (23). AKA Wesley is **** - Burnley are 2nd in offsides this season. It would suggest they play a striker on the last man quite often. Given Villa tend to play a high line this could spell trouble with through balls or long balls. - Burnley are 11th on home form, Villa are 20th on away form - Strange one here, but at home Villa have a definite left-sided dominance to their play (42% left, 34% right, 2nd in PL) - away from home Villa drop to a more even 37% to 36% left-right split (17th in PL). Away from home we have the joint highest attacks through the centre (28%). Arguably it makes us less predictable but the fact it is so different away from home makes me wonder what the hell the game plan is? Clearly at home we are trying to get the ball to Grealish on the wing, but away from home it's not clear what we're trying to do. I would guess we need aerial presence and pace at centre back to deal with the attacking threat of Burnley. Hopefully attacking full backs can bomb forward and join the attack, particularly Targett. Burnley have the lowest right-side attacks at home in the league (31%, compared to 42% left side). If he can link up with Grealish then we can create chances. Can't promise Wesley will score, but that would be my plan at least. 3 points would be massive. A big defeat could be Smith's last game, which would be a sorry end to a fairy-tale appointment.

The most important thing was avoiding the banana skin, which we thankfully did. First 10 minutes we played with no structure, we looked so lethargic and I think the players were expecting a walkover win with no challenge. On another day Liverpool would've taken the early lead and it would've been a different evening. Thankfully two quick-fire goals which were a little lucky settled the nerves and the game was never really in doubt after that. I thought in the second half we were allowed to play some really nice football but ultimately with no end result coming from it. Made up that Wesley managed to get a goal at last, but Kodjia writes the headlines with some really well-executed goals. Big big credit to the Liverpool team who played very well, the scoreline didn't truly reflect that but they were impressive given the circumstances. I think everyone can go away happy - Villa got a win and a confidence boost, and Liverpool put in a good performance which was all they could have hoped for.