Ratings & Reactions: Villa v Man City

[AvonVillain]

2 hours ago, OutByEaster? said:

- he had his name sung and he was applauded at the end of the game - an outcome I'm not sure I expected going into the day.

Incredible. Absolutely incredible. Great to see a bit of positivity. It doesn't look likely, but I really hope this is the beginning of something, instead of the end, as we all thought.

[chappy]

Great night at VP yesterday. We t expecting to lose by 4 or 5. Game changed when Cash went off - Ashley Young was magnificent and our MOTM. Also very good performances from Watkins and Mings. Luiz/Kamara partnership is a must and makes us look a lot better. 
 

Thought Ramsey struggled further forward at first but he grew into the game and when he moved back after McGinn went off was back to near his best. As for Meatball, he really is out of form and would benefit from time out of the side against Leicester and Soton, let him have a break and recover his form with Scotland in the break.

A word for Emi and taking the sting out of the game straight after our equaliser, top class! Great finish Bailey and quietly assured performances from Digne and Konsa. A real team performance and Gerrard has to take credit for that despite the bad run we’re on. Still think he’s not the right man but he’s bought himself the next couple of matches here. UTV!

[TomC]

4 hours ago, OutByEaster? said:

The referee was diabolical all day, managing to ensure that at every opportunity City were handed the advantage; ignoring shirt pulls, pushes and fouls and then committing his coup de grace by preventing the Coutinho goal. It has over the last few years become increasingly difficult to believe that the game is honest and that the need for the league to maintain simple narratives and consistency amongst the brand leaders doesn't play a part in the decision making of the officials that it employs. Given the way we operate it, it's hard to believe that VAR wasn't introduced to protect the TV show and ensure that advertisers and sponsors never again have to deal with the confusing emergence of a Leicester style aberration or a year where Man Utd aren't in Europe. I can take a bad referee, I can take inconsistency, I can take incompetence - but the level of consistency in decisions that are wrong and only favour certain teams is almost impossible to ignore.

I agree with overwhelming majority of your post, but not this part.

The mistake was pretty bad, but as a former referee, I can say that it's 100% a mistake, not a conspiracy. The linesman had no way of knowing the ball would end up in the net when the flag went up. He got trigger happy. It happens. I've done it.

And even if the TV execs have the power to influence refereeing decisions, why do they want to prevent another Leicester? They want eyeballs on screens. An underdog story brings more eyeballs. The Leicester story intrigued the world. Do you think they want Man City winning 10 titles in a row like Bayern? So people can decide that the PL is boring like the Bundesliga and ignore it? The more teams in the title race, or the European race, or the relegation battle, the more must-watch matches there are.

 

[tomav84]

2 hours ago, Podster said:

Gerrard had very little to do with it, he picked a team that half the people on this forum would have picked.

look if we're going to slate him for the shit performances he deserves praise for the good ones

and i doubt many on here would've had both coutinho and buendia on the bench

we actually looked like we had a plan and that the players were well drilled yesterday

[dudevillaisnice]

I actually enjoyed the performance yesterday, we looked much better when mcginn came off too. Looked like we had a shape and gameplan for the first time this season, can't play like that every week though but it's a start.. hopefully a win vs Leicester can really get us going.

[jim]

6 hours ago, Podster said:

Gerrard had very little to do with it, he picked a team that half the people on this forum would have picked.

What a load of horse manure.

I doubt anyone here would have left both Coutinho and Buendia in the bench.

How many would have brought Young on when Cash was injured? I’ll tell you, none judging by the comments in the match thread.

We haven’t been good this season but credit where it is due, he got it right yesterday. 

[CLARETANDBLUEFOXY]

Not gonna lie - I’m still buzzing from this game. So glad I went. Best feeling ever. Up the Villa! 

[daft]

We have gone toe to toe with one of the best teams in the world? 

I must have slept through that part of our recent history. Wtf?

[Keyblade]

1 minute ago, Made In Aston said:

I think you have your rose tinted specs on. We were absolutely battered in that game and if it wasn't for their poor finishing we would have lost 0-4.

That wasn't me, but I half agree with you and half with the OP. We went toe to toe in the sense that we were trading blows with them and not parking the bus. We weren't going to win because they had some clear-cut chances that they should have buried.

To be fair, I think we've performed better under Gerrard against City than under Smith. All 3 games were decided by 1 goal or were a draw. A vast improvement. The home game in Gerrard's 3rd game I think it was, was really the closest we got to actually matching them (I think there was a bit of fortune involved yesterday). Carney should have gotten us a draw that game.

[ozvilla28]

Let's not get carried away after one decent result the question is can we build on it ?.

[Sam-AVFC]

2 hours ago, daft said:

We have gone toe to toe with one of the best teams in the world? 

I must have slept through that part of our recent history. Wtf?

It's a shame you did. You should watch the Liverpool game from October 2020 foe the best of them. I've also got a few plucky losses and draws if you're after recommendations 

[Aston_Villan4]

Still get a chuckle out of this moment:

“Yes! Let’s go!… wait you guys sit back down. Don’t get too happy.”

Edited September 5, 2022 by Aston_Villan4

[Jas10]

Dropping McGinn for the next couple of games would give me some hope and encouragement and I’d probably lay off the manager (depending on how we set up and perform)… hope we can build on this and that lessons have been learned.

We can’t play without the Luiz & Kamara partnership again…

If he doesn’t realise this by now, then he deserves all the criticism he will get.

My concern is that he never seems to retain the side or elements of the side that performed positively in the previous game, baffling really, it’s like he can’t resist “messing with it”… time to wake up…

But, I hope the last game showed that he is willing to change and learn and stop being stubborn…

The sooner this team gets going, the better.

I’m grateful for some respite and relief from the shite we have had to put up with, but there are some very different challenges coming up. We have to get points on the board and go on some kind of run. Let’s start to make something of this season…

Onwards and upwards from here please, it’s much more pleasant when we put in a decent shift  

[Podster]

7 hours ago, jim said:

What a load of horse manure.

I doubt anyone here would have left both Coutinho and Buendia in the bench.

How many would have brought Young on when Cash was injured? I’ll tell you, none judging by the comments in the match thread.

We haven’t been good this season but credit where it is due, he got it right yesterday. 

And yet the Genius has still got a player who isnt playing well enough to be on the bench as captain. He got lucky yesterday, if he had any managerial skill he would get it right more often, he has been clueless for months, not just this season. 

[Podster]

11 hours ago, tomav84 said:

look if we're going to slate him for the shit performances he deserves praise for the good ones

and i doubt many on here would've had both coutinho and buendia on the bench

we actually looked like we had a plan and that the players were well drilled yesterday

I believe SG got lucky with his choice of team yesterday, if he had any managerial skill he would have shown it more than once in a blue moon, but we will see if he keeps it up, a good manager wouldnt keep playing McGinn as captain but his ego rules his head.

 

[ozvillafan]

1 hour ago, Aston_Villan4 said:

Still get a chuckle out of this moment:

“Yes! Let’s go!… wait you guys sit back down. Don’t get too happy.”

Image is gone, but I think I know the footage you are talking about.

We'd just equalised and Gerrard erupted in joy but quickly settled down and motioned for his staff to do the same. It's almost as if he was embarrassed to celebrate - I certainly wasn't!

[sne]

6 hours ago, daft said:

We have gone toe to toe with one of the best teams in the world? 

I must have slept through that part of our recent history. Wtf?

The 7-2 against Liverplop was kinda fun thou. Once in a blue moon of course, we are decades behind them in every way.

[Pinebro]

We didn't go toe to toe. That's what Newcastle did. 

We parked the bus getting off a couple of counter attacks. 

[Delphinho123]

Our manager is being paid millions to learn on the job. I wish I was afforded the same luxury. 

If we don’t beat Leicester, he needs to go. His record is atrocious.

[flashingqwerty]

12 minutes ago, Delphinho123 said:

Our manager is being paid millions to learn on the job. I wish I was afforded the same luxury. 

If we don’t beat Leicester, he needs to go. His record is atrocious.

6 points from the next 2 games is the minimum for me.