jackbauer24

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.

43 minutes ago, wilko154 said:

First time I've considered not going to Villa Park in a long, long time.

£38.50 for Carabao Cup game when we already have four extra European games at Villa Park this year seems really high.

Completely understand the club need to make more revenue, but that cost is daft and shows how out of touch they now are with the fansbase.

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.

1 minute ago, briny_ear said:

3-0 wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I feared after the first 20 minutes or so. Looks like Villatalkers are ganging up on Torres and selecting him as the next scapegoat, which is a bit mad.

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.

10 hours ago, tonyh29 said:

I’m guessing tickets for away games  will be impossible if you aren’t a season ticket holder ?

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.

6 hours ago, mikeyp102 said:

It’s ok for a manager to analyse everything, but as a fan why don’t you just enjoy a 5-0 victory. 

I did. I don't quite understand why they're are seen as separate things. Equally, I've seen us lose and been happy with aspects of our performance or certain players contributions.

But if we're all supposed to just be happy after a game, should we close down the boards for 24hrs after a win?! I don't quite get the logic!

Wow, the third GK kit is bright!

4 hours ago, a-k said:

Numbers on the back look a bit strange

Strange is a polite way of putting it. I can't link the instagram post from Villa showing all the backs of shirts but WOW! Forget the numbers and font, the alignment was embarrassingly bad!

If anyone can find the image of Kamara's and Cash's particularly, it looked like a nursery child using magnetic letters! Kamara's was lop sided on the curve and Cash's looked like they'd forgotten he had a H and squeezed it in one the end. I wonder if it's because of the blue panel at the top that makes the curve tighter.

Looked really bad.

36 minutes ago, Kiwivillan said:

People critiquing players after 5-0 win is just bizarre

Very strongly disagree and think Unai would too! You should analyse every game, every performance regardless of the result. We should see what worked, what didn't, who performed and who showed weaknesses. And use that information to carry on improving.

The performance today from most was actually average at best, I'm not sure the application was really there throughout the team. Diaby had his worst game for us so far, including friendlies, as he lost the ball a lot and tried to be a little too clever with a number of situations where he could have been a lot more effective.

So, while clearly an incredibly talented player, analysing his performance today would perhaps show he didn't approach the game with quite the right mindset and I think Unai would address that.

There has been more intensity in a preseason friendly! I actually think most of our players underperformed tonight. Digne was only stand out player. Most of the rest, and possibly to be expected, treated it lightly and weren't really going for the jugular. They were sloppy, not committed and showboating unnecessarily. McGinn was invisible! Diaby was shocking.

Think if every goal had been important, we could have put ten past these.

But job done, so we move on.

We've done more than enough and clearly the gulf in class is huge... but I've been a little disappointed by our approach really. Emery has named a full strength team but I don't think our attitude or application has been great at all - we've done enough but feel that if we'd really approached this than more than a preseason friendly, we could have double the score. The players have looked sloppy, low on energy and like they can't be bothered! Weird to say when 4-0 up!

Who would you say has played well? Digne for me, most others have actually been far below their best. If we'd put on players trying to get in to the first XI, I feel they'd have had a better application and this could have been even better.

I think, so far, he's been our best player tonight. Only one who looks like he's not treating it lightly.

I don't even think we get a Villa rewards boost now - used to get something like 500points for being a ST holder.

This isn't a one off tie like Stevanage, I think we can afford to make a few changes and, if it doesn't go to plan, go a bit stronger in second leg at Villa Park.

For me;

Olsen

Cash Carlos Torres Digne(?)

Tielmanns Luiz McGinn

Traore Zaniolo

Duran

You'd hope that team could take a lead to Villa Park, even a draw and you'd fancy us to finish the job at home. Defensively strong, a solid midfield (McGinn will insist on playing and I'd sub Luiz/Kamara out to save legs between them) and then some forward players with something to prove.

10 minutes ago, andyjsg said:

Anybody else still having issues with kit delivery, ordered it 28 July and still not got it?

I did a massive training wear order the day it all got released? Hoodie and tracksuit bottoms arrived within a week, two training tops delayer by a further two weeks but arrived... Final top still not arrived but due by end of August now apparently. All of these things are available 'next day' according to Fanatics... Not sure how that works!

They did give me 25% off my next order though for the delay.

I find the debate around transgenderism fascinating and can see where arguments come from on both sides. There are obviously some more extreme views on both sides that I don't agree with, and some aspects which I suspect are basically impossible to resolve. In the main, live and let live is my motto about everything but that's not always possible when it comes to rights/safety/sport etc.

I have, like 99% of people, no answers! I'll try and respect people's views and keep as many people happy as possible but I try to form what I think is a middle ground approach. I like to debate and understand a topic, without questions or queries being used as 'evidence' of bigotry. There are no silly questions if people don't understand. People are told to educate themselves, but how can they when they get shot down for asking questions?!

To this end, despite many more outlandish examples, I think the only thing that can really be used as a reasonable reference point is age. Not perfect, but as close as I can think.

On the day we are born we are scientifically assigned sex (98.3%) and a birth day (100%!).

Through out our lives we may identify as younger or older than we are. We may be more mature or less mature. We may grow old 'disgracefully', we may be mature beyond our years. We can dress younger or older, we can do what we like in our spare time, we can get treatments to make us look younger, we can date with massive age gaps, we can largely ignore the age we are and dismiss it as a number.

But we are not treated differently based on how we feel when it comes to certain things. We can not drink in a pub because we feel mature, we can not claim a bus pass because we feel old, we can not play U12s football when we're 35, we can not have sex when we're not old enough. No one really argues that.

Furthermore, there are many medical issues that cause people to stop developing mentally and having the mental age of a child even as a middle aged person. We care for these people and support them, they're still not allowed to take part in activities just for children.

There is a cut off. And I think this is where I feel my thinking falls. If you feel different from the sex you were born (gender as I understand the terminology) then I fully endorse and support your right to dress as you wish, do as you wish, change your appearance as you wish, date as you wish, be called what you want and largely ignore your assigned sex, but I'm not sure I fully understand/recognise why it is unreasonable to suggest there are certain lines that still can't be crossed for the good of society as a whole.

Sport is the 'easist' one as far as I'm concerned (other than the 1.7% intersex which is a different discussion) as it does not matter if I feel old for my age, I can't enter an over 50s football competition. Or if I feel young for my age, I can't enter a U12s league. So if my sex doesn't match my feelings then, in my mind, the rules still apply; join the league that fits your scientific sex OR join/create a league that is open to a similar group.

I'm fairly confident, in an open environment, this viewpoint would be slaughtered or considered insensitive. But why? I'd love to know what I'm missing or not considering so I can learn and grow without being shutdown for asking a question.

Most people on this site have far more nuanced tastes and are music specialists and know all those random bands I've never heard of. There are lots of songs that might trigger me personally for a variety of reasons but this relatively recent song seems to make everyone shed a tear when they listen to it; from friends to family and across age ranges.

Why? Well it's about a son facing up to the thought of losing his father and everyone can empathise with that;

Except that Lucas Digne is in the latest training video on Villa X(twitter) page. Unless he trained in prep for Everton today and the raced to airport suddenly...

He had a shot from about 35yards from a fairly good position with multiple options in front of him. It barely had enough power on to reach the goal... and was off target. I think that says all we need to know about Coutinho these days; talent has gone, physically dropped off, doesn't care and hasn't bought in  to the whole Uni considered build up approach. Offered nothing and hasn't for at least a year.

Needs to go.

I quite like the away which, as many state, is a million times better than the home shirt.

However, they also released the sponsorless training wear, so I'm now not eating this month...