stewiek2 Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 I once doubted Unai Emery. Thankfully it was only for a split second. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewiek2 Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 On 28/01/2024 at 09:50, Nigel said: I thought at the time, and still do that Mon did the right thing playing a reserve side in that European game! In fairness that side played really well and were unlucky I thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewiek2 Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 On 28/01/2024 at 11:16, Captain_Townsend said: A lot of revisionism here with Houllier. I simply cannot let it stand. We played Newcastle on 10 April 2011. It was our 31st game and we were on 34 points. It was basically a must win game. Remember that effort to make an official remake of "Bells are Ringing" was the week before that game because our survival was at stake. That was our first flirt with relegation since Ellis was owner in 2006 and, I think, it eroded a lot of confidence at the club That was a horrible season. He upended the whole team, he rubbed the fans up the wrong way, especially at Anfield, and after 3 consecutive top 6 finishes, and spending a club record fee on Darren Bent, it wasn't good enough. I concede we finished very strongly in the final 7 games. But then Downing and Young were sold of course. For me, that was the year the rot really set in. Yep, we got our shite together after his heart attack and Gary Mac took over. Similar happened at Plop when he was sidelined and Phil Thompson took the reins. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pez1974 Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 On 28/01/2024 at 20:40, choffer said: I’ve been to about 70 Brentford games since I last went to Villa Park (in 2013). I’ve also been to Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea and West Ham multiple times during that period and only one of those was to see Villa. I really need to sort that out. I haven't been to Villa Park since before Covid. I even had to sell my Springsteen tickets from last summer (the wife's fault) - I'm cursed. In that time - I have been to about 10 Walsall games (my mate if a season ticket holder, so we often go to a game before we go on the pop). Excuse - I didn't want to go during our winning run, as I knew we'd lose and it would be my fauly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 (edited) Anyway mine are: - I don't get the Remi Garde hate. Obviously he was a failure but the club was already in a huge tailspin when he came in. He was more of a hapless nonentity rather than some sort of awful awful manager - I thought Gerrard would be good for us for a while - I can totally understand why the club let Marc Albrighton go at the time - Even though he was clearly past it, I still think it's cool that Robert Pires played for us Edited January 30 by Mantis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoelVilla Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 On 29/01/2024 at 14:24, nick76 said: I know I’m in the minority of one but I never rated Alan Wright. We are two at least. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
It's Your Round Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 When I was about 13, my bedroom walls were covered in Aston Villa posters. Deano and Dalian, McGrath, Guy Whittingham… all the legends. And on one particular wall I’d got the 1992/93 team photo poster with scarves around it. A sort of shrine to the Villa I guess. Anyway I can’t remember which game it was, but we were losing and at half time I ran upstairs and bowed my head to the shrine, eyes closed and praying to the gods that Villa get back into it and win the game. I only realised my cousin had seen the whole thing when he quietly said “are you praying to Aston Villa” from the other side of the room! I denied it through embarrassment and said I had something in my eye 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vive_La_Villa Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 I had a shit at the game once. I felt really dirty. Probably should have at least gone to the toilet. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 24 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said: I had a shit at the game once. I felt really dirty. Probably should have at least gone to the toilet. If we won then you should have made it a tradition 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 (edited) 2 hours ago, Mantis said: If anything I think Houllier is under-appreciated. Perhaps attitudes have softened to him since a bit but definitely at the time I felt he was treated rather harshly. To be fair the decline started before he came in. O'Neill wasting a summer and then walking out in a tantrum just before the start of the season when things really started to go down hill, and we all know that he always leaves clubs in a mess. We certainly wouldn't have been seriously challenging for the top 4 again regardless of who came in, especially after Milner left. Add to that we had a huge injury crisis that season which basically makes this season look like nothing. To be fair to Houllier he did genuinely try and modernise the club, both in terms of playing style and professionalism, but he got a lot of resistance from certain sections of the squad that preferred O'Neill's old-fashioned ways. Houllier is a strange one. He was shite for us, alienated fans and nearly took us down but it was the type of appointment style we should have made the summer before. MON should have been sacked in 2009 and a continental manager appointed That squad had a decent base for a better manager to work with instead of bringing in Dunne,Collins, Warnock etc who did a decent job for a short spell Edited January 30 by Zatman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 1 hour ago, It's Your Round said: When I was about 13, my bedroom walls were covered in Aston Villa posters. Deano and Dalian, McGrath, Guy Whittingham… all the legends. And on one particular wall I’d got the 1992/93 team photo poster with scarves around it. A sort of shrine to the Villa I guess. Anyway I can’t remember which game it was, but we were losing and at half time I ran upstairs and bowed my head to the shrine, eyes closed and praying to the gods that Villa get back into it and win the game. I only realised my cousin had seen the whole thing when he quietly said “are you praying to Aston Villa” from the other side of the room! I denied it through embarrassment and said I had something in my eye Well, did we get back into the game? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
It's Your Round Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 10 minutes ago, Mantis said: Well, did we get back into the game? I wish I could remember, it was 30 years ago! I’m guessing not though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picicata Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 On 28/01/2024 at 06:45, Delphinho123 said: Here’s one. I don’t like the we play under Emery. I find it tedious and boring. Well he's winning people won't complain. More days like today and the slowness of our football will be questioned by more than just you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post R.Bear Posted January 30 Popular Post Share Posted January 30 Stiliyan Petrov was the most overrated player in Villa's Premier League era. Great guy, great servant to the club, always tried his best. But he was average as **** for us. I can count the great games he had on one hand. He was an ineffective passenger for the lion's share of them, especially against good teams. It boggles my mind how much history has been rewritten about his performances for the club. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delphinho123 Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 51 minutes ago, picicata said: Well he's winning people won't complain. More days like today and the slowness of our football will be questioned by more than just you It’s a results business so I’m well aware my argument holds very little weight when we’re sat in 4th. However, I’m looking at the bigger picture and honestly, it’s irked me for a while. This whole Martinez standing with the ball for 30 seconds and then playing risky passes out along the back line drives me mad. It’s slow, sideways and a good press finds us out more often than not. I don’t see the obsession with wanting to play so much football in our own third. Move the ball quicker. Move it away from our goal faster. Maybe my gripe is at modern football in general. Press, counter press, XGA, XG, transition, low block. All this absolute bollocks winds me up. It’s all about areas now, space and control. Feels like there is less flair players than ever these days. It’s a result business and Emery has been fantastic so far in the results department and I know I’m in the minority but I really dislike our style of play and have done for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delphinho123 Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 33 minutes ago, R.Bear said: Stiliyan Petrov was the most overrated player in Villa's Premier League era. Great guy, great servant to the club, always tried his best. But he was average as **** for us. I can count the great games he had on one hand. He was an ineffective passenger for the lion's share of them, especially against good teams. It boggles my mind how much history has been rewritten about his performances for the club. His debut away at West Ham aside he was bang average, you’re right. Good call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted February 7 VT Supporter Share Posted February 7 (edited) I can't stand Unai Emery's interviews. Don't get me wrong, I worship the guy's ability and everything he doing at the club. What he SAYS is always on point. But the accent, and the strange use of English just makes him sound like Manuel from Fawlty Towers. I speaka da English, I learn it fromabook. And that nervous tic of constantly scratching his face. I still find it all off-putting. Sorry. I prefer to let the players do the talking for him on the pitch. Edited February 7 by mjmooney 1 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshvillan Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 I support villa because I accidentally cheered for us in the 94 league cup final in front of my united supporting mates (who I had followed the crowd and was going to support united). Thought united were in claret and blue not yellow and green. I was 6, and yes that stubborn to save face. Thanks, helps to get that off my chest. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted February 7 Administrator Share Posted February 7 I spent too much money on balloons with pound signs on them, just for Ellis to buy everyone off with one signing. It was a good signing though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMelvillan Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 1. I still have a soft spot for Gabby. Every Villa fan I know hates him, and I know he's a dumbass and downed tools on us. But to be honest it was a pretty crappy time for everyone involved with Villa and when he was on it he was a very exciting player to watch. Also, he scored butt loads of goals for us despite his technical limitations 2. a bit similar to the poster above - I defend Emery to the hilt when anyone makes fun of him for his accent - calling them racist and all sorts!, but........... I dont understand a damn thing he says and have to watch his interviews a couple of times just to get the gist of them!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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