KentVillan

I don’t think Rodgers going will change much initially. Still fancy our chances

I know exactly what you and @mjmooneymean. There’s a conversational quality to a really good singing voice - it’s like they use more of their talking voice.

We still have some of the big characters and natural leaders from the Smith era - Mings, Martinez, McGinn - I genuinely believe these 3 love the club. Dougie Luiz also seems to be growing into that role too. And Ashley Young seems to be really enjoying his comeback now, too. Emery has combined that with the ruthlessness that Gerrard claimed he was bringing, and that we did need, but he's done it in a way that hasn't involved picking fights with the big personalities... and the results help, too, of course. One of the things I loved about the Smith era (at least the first 2 or 3 seasons) was it felt like everyone in the squad had a part to play. Whether it was AEG or Hourihane or whoever, most of our squad made an impact at some point, and looked motivated to help the team. Under Gerrard we lost all of that, the fans started to lose interest, and the squad looked disjointed. Now there's that feel good atmosphere in the stands and on the pitch, and you know that when Emery brings someone on in the second half, they'll do a job and enjoy being part of the win. It's crazy really to think that today's starting lineup featured 6 players who've made more appearances for Villa than any other club (Martinez, Mings, Konsa, Luiz, McGinn, Ramsey). Watkins will be going past his Brentford total soon, and Young has made more Premier League appearances for Villa than Utd. So that's 8 players who are "Villa players". Contrast with Chelsea today who had just 4 who can say the same - Kepa, James, Loftus-Cheek, Kovacic - and a couple of those probably only playing because of injuries.

Emery's only had 5 months with the team, with a World Cup break in the middle, and a packed fixture schedule. Some of them like McGinn are clearly good learners who like being coached. Others maybe not so much. I think we'll see some more McGinnesque transformations after the summer. McGinn is just one of the standout examples right now, because he's bright and he was desperate to turn things around. Others will follow, I'm sure of it.

The Watkins thing was worse because he was actually turning out quite a few decent performances when he was getting attacked by our own fans. McGinn is a strange one as he really did have a massive dip in form for an extended spell, just constantly stinking the place out. Given the quality we have in midfield now, I didn't think Emery would be relying on him much, but fair play to him, he's given him a new lease of life... he's a genius.

This is the kind of thing I think Emery works on with players with his video analysis. He spots what is holding them back, and doesn't leave anything to chance. That's why I still have a sneaking suspicion he'll turn Bailey into a much better player. A lot of these are talented players who haven't maximised their potential because they have bad habits or don't make the right decision often enough. All that stuff is very coachable, even in older players.

Moreno's best game in a Villa shirt I thought. I had my doubts about his defensive abilities, but he looked solid today... good positioning, wasn't afraid to put in a heavy tackle if necessary. And we all know what he can do going forward.

Is it just me or did Emery blank him when he came off?

He was, though. I'm so glad it's all coming together for him now, but he was shocking for us under Gerrard and towards the latter part of Smith's tenure. There's no point in denying that. What I don't think was ever the case was that it was a lack of application on his part. Something just went wrong. A mix of being given slightly the wrong responsibilities, maybe carrying a little too much weight, maybe something psychological, maybe an injury, maybe even Long Covid or something like that. So hard to say, but we weren't all imagining it. He admitted it himself in his post-match interview. Delighted for him to turn it around like this. I had Martinez as my MOTM today, but McGinn was definitely a worthy winner too.

Agree with most of that, but I do think he’s a word removed. Not just for leaving us, but the manner of it, and also his general personality. Football fans are weird though. Saw the City fans booing Milner today as if he was some kind of Judas figure!?

What thread are you reading

Best game I’ve seen from him in a long time. Different player from his time here, releases the ball a lot quicker, puts in the hard work defensively. Seems to be on same wavelength as his teammates now. Still a gigantic clearing in the woods

Sort of. I think CBs genuinely are the fastest players on the pitch, but football isn't a top speed, Usain Bolt kind of game. What really matters is that Messi speed over 5-10 yards. Engels, Mings, etc. don't have that. But I fully believe in an all out sprint they are rapid, and the stat is correct.

I think we really underrate how good Mings is. It's madness that he isn't making every single England squad

Hard for us to finish above 7th, but given where we were when Emery joined (ReLeGaTiOn bAtTLe!) it's an incredible achievement to be where we are now, and I definitely feel very optimistic. Trust in Don Unai.

Recommend the Talking History with Patrick Geoghegan podcast. Some good stuff on the Irish War of Independence / Irish Civil War (been taking an interest since watching the Wind That Shakes the Barley).

Yeah was just adding to your post I think with organised crime, the police often "know" exactly what has happened, but pulling together a solid case is extremely hard. There's no chance the key witnesses here would have come forward if he'd just shot another career criminal. Also, as much as the police have definitely done a great job here, and deserve praise, would they have worked so hard on a gangland killing with little media attention? Probably not. Which is arguably why he was still out and about shooting people after being linked with other murders.

Been linked with previous unsolved murders. Probably wouldn't have been turned in if he'd just killed the lad he was after, and would have carried on doing it.

Thomas Cashman found guilty of murdering Olivia Pratt-Korbel. The Sun now reporting he was a hitman for a Liverpool gang affiliated with the Kinahan Cartel: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/21885046/thomas-cashman-hitman-deadliest-gangs/ And Steven Gerrard is mates with this lot.

It’s a late 20th century interpretation of the amendment as well. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution All this bollocks about random lunatics having the right to wander around with assault rifles dates back to the 1970s, when the NRA suddenly shifted from being a sensible, non-partisan group which supported gun control, to a political wing of the Republican Party representing the commercial interests of gun manufacturers. It’s not really about the Constitution, it’s about corruption.

I dunno, I think those are the ones who make a big song and dance about gun rights. I’m sure there’s another category of people who live in a rough neighbourhood and keep a handgun in their bedside drawer, don’t tell anyone about it, and never use it. Whether that’s rational or not, it’s at least not motivated by a desire to feel powerful or to troll libtards or whatever.

No I don’t, and don’t expect this to happen. Was just talking about the hypothetical situation of someone breaking into your house and how you might react. It’s incredibly rare, but obviously it happens. I agree it’s a ludicrous thing to be wasting too much energy worrying about.

Weirdly, this (horrific) story is in the news today: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65062565 Which backs up your point that more often than not, violence isn't the answer, and shows how dangerous the "your home is your castle" attitude can be. Throw guns into the mix, and I imagine stuff like this happens much more often in the US than it does over here. Partly heightened fear because of guns, partly the fact guns make it much easier to kill someone quickly without asking questions first.

You’re right, the chances are extremely low, but not zero. https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/ascii/vdhb.txt What would you do if cornered in that situation and required to protect your family? And please note, I’m not justifying owning a gun - just saying whether violence in self defence may or may not be justified.

I think being willing to use a weapon defensively in a life or death situation is a different question from whether it’s sensible to own a gun. Personally I would not own a gun because the odds are higher that it is involved in killing an innocent person (through accident, suicide, murder) than saving your life. But that doesn’t mean it’s “ludicrous” to be prepared to attack or kill an intruder in the most extreme self defence situations, surely?