jackbauer24

I still think Newcastle will beat Luton. There's not long left, but enough That's an area where we really lack I think, we don't seem to get many points from losing positions.

I missed the build up/ rumours and saw it today with transfer window news and assumed it was just a joke to get people interested in the upcoming F1 season, comparing two sports and what big transfers look like etc... But then, wow! Completely off guard. The big problem I have is that I have been a Ferrari fan since Alesi and Berger and I really can't stand Hamilton. It's like Deeney or Savage joining Villa. I'm spinning. Do I let love or hate win?! I just hope Leclerc absolutely outclasses him!

I have no idea if it was sold out as I don't know what they consider that to be. However, it certainly wasn't rammed. Even at it's most busy, there seemed to be enough space to sit, quick to get served food, empty toilets and easy to get a drink. It also took a while to get to 'busy', probably just the last 90mins. However, I'm more interested in how many people actually paid for it! Or were a massive percentage in there for free?

Assuming Man Utd and West Ham win tomorrow (which is likely), those two teams are 5 and 8 points behind us respectively. Newcastle are the ones who need a bigger turn around but they're beginning to stabilise and will do so more once transfer window closes. None of this requires us massively plummeting, but that sort of turn around is quite feasible. Look at our run to 7th last season, teams below us now can easily do it.

Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs will be the top 4 this season. We made hay while the sun was shining and made the most of our home form but issues with injuries, squad depth and, frankly, quality have caught up with us. We were never really going to challenge those teams. We've had far more good results than we've had good performances. The real challenge is to make the most of our great start, and Utd and Chelsea stumbling, to see if we can hold on to 5th or 6th. My gut says both West Ham and Newcastle will leapfrog us over the remainder of the season and Man Utd could too. It's disappointing, but the party line will be that we use it for experience and improve further next year... It just goes to show how hard it is to break that ceiling. We'll likely lose some big names/wages due to FFP and no Champions League, but that's why teams like West Ham (Rice) and Brighton (loads!) have been knocking at that door for a few seasons but unable to break it down. But, ultimately, this is why as a fan I am far more interested in a Cup win than scraping fifth and a potential CL place due to coefficients or whatever it is. I'll remember lifting the trophy far more than sporadic forays in to the CL before top players move on. I'd take an FA Cup win and ending 9th over CL qualification. Unfortunately, based on recent form, that dream will be over by this time next week too!

Just thought I'd do a very simple review of the Lower Grounds as I was there because of what I read on here. Doors opened up at 5.15 and me and the wife turned up about 5.30. Greeted by representatives who check your name off a list, give you one of those classic plastic clip wristbands like you used to get in theme parks in the 90s and then tell you where everything is including bar, cloakroom and toilet. You're then given a programme per person and go in. On entering, place had maybe 100 people in max at that point so there was plenty of places to sit on the long table and benches that were spread through the room with a central platform for the special guests to talk later. Around the room were some small food stations, manned normally by one server. There was: Chips and gravy and a choice of three burgers Chicken drumsticks and chips Nachos stand 2 x Hot Dog stands Pick and mix stand with mini doughnuts Ice cream stand with mini tubs of ice cream of a waffle cone whuch is filled with gelato like ice cream and a choice of toppings. That was it. Food was very quick to serve but largely pre-prepared and could be luke warm. Occasionally they'd run out of chips and some kid would run across with a fresh tray. Queues at the busiest were maybe five or six people long. Very much what you can get on the normal concourses minus the speciality foods, pies, sausage rolls etc. The bar was long and even at it's busiest you were generally served within a few minutes. Drinks seemed to be soft, white or red wine, a selection of lagers and ciders. No payment means it's quite quick turnaround. The atmposhere is fairly standard. TVs are playing sports but the sound system plays pop music at about the right level so you can have a conversation. Decoratively, there's a few shirts around but it's a pretty bland room. A host introduces a couple of ex players and interviews them for about 20mins and then they float around for photos to return to the stage about an hour later for a repeat. Going to the toilet at VP is a unique experience in here, felt weird without 20 guys vying for one spot!! Lovely, clean, largely empty toilets were great!! Then we left about 15mins before they would have closed. That was it. We could have returned for an hour after the game (just drinks) but it was late and the result didn't make me feel like sticking around! My wife and I discussed the value... For free, amazing! So stuffed, warm, chilled environment, clean toilets. Would we pay £70 for a bolt on? Hell no. Not even half that. If you're drinking alcohol it might be worth it but unlikely still. Feels more like it should be a simple lottery perk for ST holders if they want to persevere with it. Heck was floating about too but decided I didn't want to interview him on badge and get removed...! All in all, A+ when free, terrible when it's £70.

That was just awful and that's being polite. But it's also an accumulation of the last month odd. A mixture of injuries, fatigue, teams working us out and, I believe, a level of arrogance that was unwarranted after the Arsenal/ Man City results that has seen both our form and, more depressingly, our application dip significantly. There's obvious issues like Lenglet and Diaby but actually my disappointment comes more from players like Kamara, Luiz and Watkins who look like they're strolling around with out a care in the world. Luiz hasn't taken control of midfield. Kamara has been incredibly lazy. Watkins can't trap a ball. Then even the normally untouchable Emery has had some poorer games where he's been tactically outclassed without an answer and responded far too slowly. Today we played in to Newcastle's hands, didn't catch them offside much, couldn't play out from the back and we're forced in to aerial balls against a towering defensive lineup. Clear we'd got it wrong ten mins in, but failed to respond and the changes were needed at half time. All in all, throughly poor throughout and incredibly telling that Bailey was the MOTM considering he had half an hour. This slump will turn in to a death spiral unless we get at least a performance soon.

Why you all talking about Diaby?! Did he play tonight... I didn't see him.... Fortunately, when Bailey came on with 3 mins to go we had eleven players for the first time all night!

I genuinely think it basically is him, in either a primary or secondary way. Primarily, he marshalls the defence, he adds a calmness to playing it out and he starts nearly every attack. Secondarily, he brings that confidence to the team. Kamara feels confident to play the ball back, midfielders can collect the ball in the correct positions and wingers can make better runs. The drop off to Lenglet in all those areas is killing us. We go from one of the best ball playing defenders in the Premier League to Lenglet who panics and can't do anything but hoof it.

Bit of claret tinted glasses on by a few here! First half we were a clear second best (and that's being nice!), second half we were better but they still dominated and it was thanks to Martinez (and poor finishing after his mistake) that we're still in draw. Diaby should have come off at half time, Lenglet was horrific and Kamara was, once again, incredibly sloppy throughout - nearly game endingly so. Our form is shocking... But basically it's because of no Pau. We're going to really struggle in any games without him. Could be a depressing second half of the season.

So I noticed this post and thought, why not give it a go. And today I was 'successful'... I do now wonder what percentage of people in there are doing it for 'free' through this ballot. Seems a bit lucky to get it on the first go! Apparently, for this game, it should be £70 bolt on - my wife and I means effectively £140, why do I somehow think it'll fail to provide that kind of value?! But for free, let's go see if I'm being unreasonably in my views of this!

Blaming the officials, blaming Everton style - this is the Premier League, half your games will be like this. Physical, hard work, grinding. The higher up the table you are, the more teams will sit deep and try to kick you off the park and unsettle you. And since making a statement against Arsenal and Man City, that's exactly what every team has done and our results and performances have dipped. We aren't good enough to beat teams like this when the going gets tough yet. We didn't exactly pepper their goal, they arguably had the better chance. We miss Pau massively and our midfield has disappeared for whatever reason. Luiz, Kamara and McGinn were awful today. How many times did we get caught on the ball? During the Brentford game, we lost our heads and got pulled down to their level. Today was the same. It's becoming a big weakness. We are doing better than the sum of our parts. It was always unlikely we'd keep up this level but big teams don't just maintain that level, they push on. Fourth is still going to be an almighty challenge and very very unlikely, especially as we don't seem keen/able to reinforce. We have built up a little gap on the chasing pack, but I strongly believe the next month will see us fall rapidly away unfortunately. The break has come at the right time. I look at our performance, we weren't good enough. Simple as that.

I think I'm just becoming numb to everything, nothing improves and I'm generally in the minority with all popular votes. Maybe I'm just getting old(er) and grumpier but there's little in the world that I believe is getting better and not worse! The badge is just another one. I did feel strongly our badge should NOT be a circle because it happened to be a circle in a tiny bit of our history when we were successful. It wasn't round for about 90% of our history. However, I was in the minority and we got the boring, inferior version of the 80s badge with the lion facing the wrong way. Not a fan. Then heard we were changing it again, not overly pleased as it is an amateur process but was pleased we would get the shield back. Then we get this. How can you make the shield bad (in my eyes?)... Oh, get the balance, lion, colours and text position all wrong! Pretty horrendous really. We'd all have opinions, but it's impressive to create a badge no one likes! But, as stated, I think I'm just numb to it now... It'll be what it'll be and as long as Villa win on the pitch, that's all the matters.

Second string is a massive drop off in quality and the returning players have all been awful. Cash terrible, Moreno poor, Ramsey simply shouldnt be on the pitch. Unfortunately that's coupled with the increasingly standard invisible performance of Diaby. McGinn is ineffective due to changed position. Pau, Carlos only decent players so far. Kamara is half the player with Luiz by his side. No urgency, no belief, no effort. Really disappointing performance from the team and actually worse than the Nottingham game. Unai will have to have a massive change in approach/ personnel in the second half as we've been horrific and not truly tested their keeper. A standard away performance? Our first XI is arguably title challengers. This XI are barely top half challengers.

Buendia is a massive loss and if he were to come back and we're still in the race for... well, let's not limit that... he really could be the difference. I genuinely think he was on the cusp of being the FIRST name on the teamsheet. Gerrard didn't use him so he could play his mate Phil, we were an underperforming team all over the pitch with no identity or tactics. When Emery came in, he began to be integral to how we played. In preseason he was looking incredible. His stats in a poor Norwich team were outstanding, can you imagine what Unai would get out of him?! He suits our style perfectly; energetic, progressive, passionate, a team player and he never quits. He would create so many chances and be yet another option in an attacking sense. Unai improves everyone, I imagine a once coveted by Arsenal Buendia would excel under this Villa... He could yet be our late season ace in the hole.

If we were to take the lead before Arsenal do on Sunday, we'd go top of the As It Stands table I'm generally a negative (realistic?!) person in all aspects of life, and especially Villa, but if you can't dream now... When can you?!

We just need not to lose. We should have enough to secure that, even with some left at home. We then have further backup of Legia needing a win. Finally, if it all goes terribly, we're still through and fix it next year. It's a small gamble and the upside is players get a proper seven day break after a hectic few weeks. Play Luiz and Digne and they still get an extended break due to their suspension. Olsen Cash Chambers Lenglet Digne Zanioli Luiz Dendonker Ramsey Traore/Diaby (depending on injuries) Duran Bench; Marshall, Feeney, Iroegbunam, Young, Kellyman, Hause(?), O'Reilly, Wilson and any other youngsters! Try and leave the first teamers at home. The Brentford game is far more important than this and we need to ensure we don't blow a succesful week by making the squad trek across Europe for very little reason over the festive period.

Except an ellipsis should only have three dots. Amateur.

Nottingham Forest have used the blueprint on how to beat this Villa side. We can not complain, they controlled it. Be physical. Villa are a weak team. Hassle players in pairs/threes in ALL areas* as we panic, especially defensively. *However, give Zanioli, Bailey and Diaby a bit of space - they'll trip themselves up by trying to beat everyone three times over. Keep hitting balls over the top, odds are you eventually beat the offside trap. Don't panic, even when two down, Villa will play out the back at a snail's pace. Don't worry about the bench - Dendonker and Carlos aren't going to change the scoreline. Take the lead. Villa are horrific at coming from behind. Go home, feet up.

We looked tired from minute 1. McGinn was erratic, Pau under hit everything, was weak and outpaced and Luiz had one of his worst performances in a Villa shirt. Diaby, Zanioli and Watkins were largely invisible so only really Cash and Konsa come out with any credit. Wolves offered so little and yet we barely pressed them or drove forward. Getting a point playing like that is good, but it points to the fact our squad is really struggling with Europe on top, and injuries have only exacerbated it. Had that been a decent team, we'd have had a bit of a kicking today with how poor we were. Regroup, rest and move on.

Did anyone else hear the booing when they promoted it at half time (or possibly before game)?! Pretty funny to be fair!! Contradictory as it is, I was half considering upgrading my ST as a one off for my birthday in November, doesn't look like Im going to get much of an idea of what it's like before then. Is it performing even worse than the Terrace?! Villa have race forward with corporate and hospitality before our success really warrants that kind of fandom from the 'day experience' fan.

I'm interested in whether your financial approach to Villa has changed in light of the ongoing cost of living crisis? With season tickets, and tickets in general, shooting up in price, match day costs up, merchandising costs up and cup game tickets seemingly at inflated prices - have you begun to re-evaluate any spending you normally have with Villa, be that a season ticket holder or watching the football on TV and buying the occasional bit of merchandise? I feel the gap between Villa fans expectations/ financial health and the approach of the board towards raising income hasn't been this wide in a very long time. But is it grumbling fans or is there a real change - Carabao Cup ticket sales may suggest fans are struggling to absorb costs so easily.

Unfortunately, I think I agree. Season ticket has shot up, extra European games, no free cup game and this is priced quite high considering the perceived prestige of this cup... I don't know if I can justify another £75 plus extras in the current climate. It will be interesting as to what the attendance is for this one. Season ticket holders may feel any theoretical seat at Wembley is pretty much secured being a ST holder without needing to attend... Will that gap be filled by enough others? Same with Europe, but the opposite - even if we get to the final, 99% of fans aren't getting a ticket for the Final, so the 'need' to secure a ticket is low.

I don't think that's really fair in this instance, I think people are universally recognising he's had a poor start to his career here but most seem to believe he'll come good. Think Emery would have preferred a slower introduction for him, but Mings injury stopped that.

I'm guessing tickets for away games will be impossible even if you are a season ticket holder! Away ticketing is practically a closed shop and has been for a while.