MadridVilla

I'm feeling a little uneasy about tomorrow night, I've been watching a fair bit of BCD football from the other leagues and found it so difficult to get into the games. Maybe it's just so long without watching football I've lost my viewer's match fitness Wouldn't it be brilliant to start with a win, especially for Deano after losing his father recently. Sometimes it feels like things are meant to be, and this is one of them. It would be brilliant for the club and for Smith to keep this grand club in the top flight, and I'm sure his loss will have sharpened his resolve to turn things around. -------------------------------- Nyland-------------------------------- ---Guilbert--------Engels-------Mings----------Targett--- -----------------------Luiz----------McGinn-------------------- ---Trezeguet-----------Grealish---------------El Ghazi---- -----------------------------Samatta---------------------------------

What's been happening? Have you been living on the moon? There's been thousands of people protesting against the murder of a black man, in a country with a racist leader, a racist history, and a racist police force. Funnily enough, the UK also has a racist leader, a racist history and a racist police force. The problem with being proud of our heritage is that there is so little to be proud of. Are you really proud of a nation that has committed so many atrocities through its history? Are you really proud of our history of slavery, stealing the historical artifacts of other countries to display in our museums, the massacre of hundreds of Indians at Amritsar, the partition of India and Pakistan, Bloody Sunday? The list goes on and on. Fighting against the Nazis does not excuse our country of the disgraces it has committed. It is a source of pride that we defeated Nazism, but all our other historical controversies are a source of great shame to me.

The DFLA are planning a march on Saturday, protecting war memorials etc. You can expect trouble with these far-right nationalist hooligans clashing with protesters

AFAIK that is all there is to it, as long as players test negative they carry on as normal, once they test positive they self-isolate. It's reactive rather than proactive, given that they're expecting a small number of cases. Having said that the test and trace scheme would suggest anyone who comes into contact with someone who tests positive should self-isolate, but I don't think clubs are following this, else the league would never have been able to restart realistically.

Maybe. I would say that has a lot to owe Cummings. It was, after all, Cumming's work on the vote leave campaign that was so important for the referendum decision, which ultimately led to Johnson becoming PM. Consequently Johnson is immeasurably indebted to Cummings and as a result, he gives him the role of special adviser as a 'thank you' or something along those lines. I think that Boris is placing a greater importance of his friendship with Cummings than the rule of law and public health, because he knows without Cummings he wouldn't be where he is today. However, I don't know whether he would be such a loyal friend that it severely damages his own reputation. Why would he put himself in such a bad position if it were just to be a loyal friend? I think there is more to it, like you said - I think there must be a reason why Boris is willing to self-destruct his own government's reputation to protect Cummings.

I'd be interested to see an opinion poll of the govt/Johnson after this story has surfaced. From what I've seen on here there is no support, but on Twitter there is quite a bit more pro-Boris, anti-media sentiment. I'd be interested to see if Boris supporters are as angry as lefties or whether they believe Cummings was right to do what he did. Anyone on VT able to enlighten us all?

Honestly where are the journalists who can ask the right questions? All they have to do is quote the own government's advice to show he broke the rules. And if Johnson claims it was to protect his child, why is nobody asking why he received no childcare from his family? And why was it never mentioned you can use your instincts to look after your children? The notion that everyone else who has looked after their kids while they are ill and didn't seek help from other family are bad parents is gaslighting on an unimaginable scale. There are thousands upon thousands of families, including family of mine, who had both contracted the virus and continued to look after their children as they believed these were the rules. It leaves me lost for words that this is bad parenting, and breaking the lockdown rules, putting elderly family members at risk is good parenting. I have never been a fan of Johnson but I have always believed he is acting in what he believes is the best way for the country, even if I disagree with his vision. However it is now palpably clear that this is absolutely untrue - he will look after his chums to the hilt, regardless of the legality of their actions.

The effects of having a 3 week break between seasons would be catastrophic for next season. Relegated clubs would be desperate to get players off their wage bill and free up space to sign replacements, while promoted clubs would be held to ransom to improve their squads. Can you imagine the difficulty a team promoted via the play-offs would have? They would have to release or sell players they no longer wanted in the squad, find their replacements, negotiate a deal, integrate the new signings into the team with little to no friendly matches, scout their upcoming opposition etc. Not to mention the difficulties the ticket office would have in selling tickets in such a short time window, negotiating new sponsorship deals, upgrading the stadium if necessary, relaying the pitch as clubs do every season and so on. All in 3 weeks. Would it really be any surprise if they were relegated straight back down based on their inability to prepare for the season ahead. Meanwhile the relegated clubs would likely be suffering from an unbalanced squad, either losing their key players on the cheap or being forced to keep high earners on the wage bill, or both. It seems that these are the unfortunate consequences that clubs will have to accept with such a short break between seasons - a gap which would be much longer under PPG, but that's another story.

Before the start of this season BT Sport used computers and big data to predict the entire football season. It was called 'Unscripted' and if you haven't seen it then you should give it a look as it's fairly prescient today. Footballers and pundits received a copy of the script, before promptly destroying it to make the point that football is unpredictable. And yet, there are now calls to finish the season using PPG. PPG takes away all that makes football exciting - the unpredictability, with twists and turns, underdog victories and (in Villa's case) shocking collapses. To finish a season based on a prediction of the future is absolutely 100% against the spirit of the game, and it reduces football to a league with no real meaning. After all, what is the point in football if not for the emotions it can bring to the fans, the highs and lows, the friendships and the rivalries? PPG would strip football of all that makes it worthwhile watching for fans, for the sake of money and greed. The reason football is so popular is that it is unpredictable. It's what makes it both intensely frustrating, intensely exciting, and intensely addictive. PPG is the antithesis of what makes football so good. I am fast becoming disillusioned with the Premier League and if what I'm reading in the press is true then I'll be quietly relieved to escape it.

I wonder which way they'll vote?

I don't know if I'm missing something but what's the point in playing at neutral venues? If the concern is that fans will turn up outside the ground I would imagine moving Villa's games to Leicester won't stop fans travelling if they want to go. Also for bigger clubs who have fans across the country, it wouldn't matter where you move the games to because there will still be fans nearby who can congregate outside the ground. If they're that concerned why not set up a roadblock outside stadiums and fine people who turn up. Also if the PL threaten dissenters with relegation it's a pretty hollow threat in my opinion. They can't send Villa down having played a game less than everyone else around them, and PPG is a non-starter. They also couldn't send all 6 dissenters down, so to punish 3 with relegation and 3 with no punishment would surely be unfair. I'd guess it's just tabloid talk taken out of context. The best thing to do is to play the games behind closed doors at the normal stadiums, and create a backup plan in case the season still can't be finished before the end of July.

Agreed. I'm no legal expert, in fact I have no idea, but I would imagine that relegating a club with 10 games to go would never be allowed if it were to go to court. It would be interesting to hear from a legal expert where the PL stands in their ability to end a season prematurely. I would imagine there would be more leniency with FFP because of a loss of matchday revenue. It would be against the spirit of FFP to fine clubs for matters out of their control, though again, it depends on the fine print of these agreements. It's a shame that this season is going to be reduced to a legal battle over the outcomes of each tournament. I will just be glad to watch football again next season whichever division we end up in.

As it stands I can't see any way the season can be finished in a fair manner, so in my eyes a cancellation of the rest of the season seems the only option. If the coronavirus isn't under more control by May, which doesn't seem likely, then there will surely be no time for finishing the season and having a proper pre-season, even if the Euros are delayed a year, as all these delays will only be pushed further along the calendar. The question is what is fairer - finishing the season as it stands now, voiding the entire season, or carrying on next season with last season's points. None of them are 'fair' per se, but I think the FA/PL/EFL will have to decide which is the least unfair of the 3. Villa and Norwich may well be handed the most unlikely get out of jail free card in the history of English football. I for one am absolutely 100% behind this level of shithousery if it were to happen.

It speaks volumes that with 10 games to go Smith still doesn't know who his best XI is, what his best formation is and whether to attack or sit back in games. I think he's throwing anything at the wall and seeing what sticks. I love the man and always will for last season, as we all should, but honestly if he can't answer these questions at this stage of the season I don't think he' should be there. The problem we have now is that who will come in and turn it around in time? If we don't stay up, does the appointment make sense in the longer term? Or are we going to go carry on going through a manager every 2 years or so?

That was painful, a performance as bad as we've come to expect in recent weeks, probably worse in fact. Way too many errors on the pitch, giving the ball away, not tracking from set pieces etc. Tactically outfoxed by Rodgers meant we never stood a chance. There isn't a single positive to take from tonight whatsoever. But that's football, and we have to move on to the next game now on a short week. Guilbert was the stand-out worst player on the pitch, he was so bad I'm convinced he must have some kind of issue , maybe carrying a knock or an illness, he was so much slower and more lethargic than usual. I'll reserve judgement on him tonight because there's no way he plays that badly if he's not carrying something surely? Reina obviously made a bad mistake and, for what it's worth, I think Nyland will play the rest of the season. I can't see him getting back in the side after a couple of really poor games. Midfield was pretty nonexistent, the less said the better. Everyone at the club had better pull their fingers out because tonight was unforgivable. No passion, desire or effort from anybody tonight. I think the board have a decision to make with Smith and the rest of the season. Personally I wouldn't pull the trigger, but at the same time I wouldn't be surprised if he went this week while the season is just about salvageable.

A loss would surprise absolutely nobody. It's expected, and it's my expectation too of course. A win would be the most incredible, unexpected feeling, and it would be a win that would sit very pretty in Villa's history. It would be the first major trophy won by Villa in my lifetime. Given the expectations going into the game we've got nothing to lose, I don't think there's any pressure to win, and I think this may benefit us given we're the biggest bunch of bottlers under pressure in the league. I'm hoping City see it as such a non-event that they don't turn up all game, we frustrate the game like we did away at Leicester and take whatever chances come our way. If we can keep it level, we'll at least have a chance on penalties. I think us fans in the stadium can make a difference - it may only delay the inevitable or make it less painful, but we should be singing the whole day (and not just Allez Allez Allez on repeat, for that matter). At the very least we'll win the game in the stands - maybe I'm clutching at straws (I definitely am) but we all need something to clutch onto. I'm just planning on enjoying the day as much as I can before the game starts, and anything on the pitch will be a bonus. But 100% I will be right behind them the whole game, and there won't be a hint of apathy once the game starts. I'll be reciting the mantra that 'with Grealish anything is possible'...

28 shots allowed today, 18 against Spurs, 16 against Bournemouth, 22 against Leicester, 22 against City (only 8 vs Watford though). The defensive tactics are pretty bad to allow so many shots. As you said, more defensive pressing is needed. You're right though - the main problem today was the players.

I think Smith is walking a real tightrope with what he says in the media. He's hung a lot of the players out to dry with his comments in the post-match interview - he's arguably right - but I don't think it will win him any favours. I'm beginning to wonder if he's falling out of love with the job a little bit - I have no doubt he still loves the club and is doing all he can to turn things around, but it seems like he has reached the end of his tether with some of the players. I think he is in the process of losing the dressing room, and once that happens there's only one outcome. It's difficult because what he's saying is absolutely right - the players weren't good enough - but he's not free of blame either, which is how it comes across from his comments. It's also pretty clear that the tactics are desperately reliant on Jack to have a blinder every week. That's not really great management. If you look at the tactics Smith used in the Championship, we attacked teams and went on the front foot, whereas now we are playing with 5 at the back and allowing around 20 attempts a game. Whatever tactics Smith used to get us up certainly aren't being used to keep us here, either that or the players aren't capable of playing that style of football (which I doubt is the case). But, I do still think he should keep his job until the end of the season. If we go down and sell a lot of our best players, we will need a manager who can operate on a shoestring budget and perform well, which Smith has pedigree in at that level. Ironically I think if we stay up he has less chance of keeping his job, as I think the owners will make a change at the end of the season to help the club push up the league quicker.

The alleged bust-up is FAKE. Mark Regan has just clarified on WM.

That was an utter horror show. Right from the first whistle, Southampton were much quicker with and without the ball. If anything the opening goal in the 8th minute had been coming a while. From what I remember of the stats Southampton had 5 shots on goal in the first 10 minutes, and by the end of the game it was 28. 28 ATTEMPTS. Anyone conceding 28 attempts in a game not only deserves to be relegated, but they should also be docked 12 points for crimes against football. Second half we just completely capitulated. No patterns of play, formation went out the window, and it was just headless, stress-induced chaos. It was just hit and hope, there was clearly no plan in place to actually mount a comeback beyond 'trying a bit harder' or trying to 'get some momentum'. Honestly it's pub league stuff, they had no idea what they were doing. Reina, in fairness to him, kept us in the game with some great saves - then later tried his hardest to concede another, which he succeeded in right at the death. Hause was poor and looked lost - I don't think he is playing with much confidence at the moment. Should be dropped. Luiz and Nakamba were chasing shadows - not only that, they were both chasing the same ones. They were far too close together, and they were completely bypassed for most of the game. Grealish was marked out of the game and got frustrated, then went into his I'm-gonna-do-this-all-by-myself mode which just made him even worse. Frustratingly ineffective. Samatta had no chance. What sort of service were we giving him? Long balls through which were way overhit time and time again from the CBs. Nobody is exempt from the blame for that today. Smith clearly hasn't got them playing how he wants, which he has to take responsibility for. The players out there made so many mistakes and crumpled under the pressure of needing a result. I think the only way we stay up this year is if the 3 teams below us are even more inept than us, which can't be that likely. I'm just going to enjoy watching Grealish etc. for the rest of the season in claret and blue because there's no way he'd want to play with this bunch of clowns next season, even if we stay up. I think you all should do the same.

Won't be letting a last minute goal overshadow a game where we matched a top side. We were much better than before the winter break and deserved at least a point imo. We just made one too many errors today. Simple as that. Gutting to lose in that fashion, but there's still positives to take.

This just illustrates how utterly useless FFP has actually been in promoting fairer competition, when in fact all it has done is promoted positive feedback loops at the top of the game. The biggest European clubs before FFP was introduced have been at a significant benefit as it has essentially acted as a barrier to smaller clubs like City displacing those at the top. The European elite have been given an oligopoly at the top of the game by UEFA where they know the FFP rules make it extremely hard to compete with them. How is this a level playing field for other clubs like City? How long will it be before fans get bored of seeing the same clubs winning the Champions League on rotation year after year? If City manage to fight it in the courts and win the case by virtue of having better and more expensive lawyers than UEFA then what will FFP have achieved? It will only show that the more money you have, the more success you can have, which is the complete antithesis of what FFP was supposed to do. I'm not sure who is doing more damage to the integrity of football in this case, City or UEFA...

I'm clinging onto the fact that, as has already been mentioned on this thread, Spurs will be without Kane and Eriksen who were the difference makers in the game in August. Plus that day I remember Wesley was absolutely dreadful, so Samatta can't really do much worse. We certainly should have come away with something to show for from that game. It's well within our grasp if we play to the best of our ability to get 3 points, though I'd be happy with a point and not overly disappointed with a loss in any case. Of all the bigger teams to get a scalp, surely Spurs is the best target at present? Just as long as they don't go down to 10 men we'll have a fighting chance.

FWIW the club have said there are 58,000 STH and club members. If you're not a claret member, get yourself to the nearest pub on the 1st March. Claret members will have a hell of a time trying to get the tickets left - I can only say good luck to you if that's you.