The Unofficial Aston Villa thread!

[theredstar]

A few rumours that we’re in for Moussa Dembele. He’s out of contract in the summer, so he might want to bide his time and get a better pay day.

 

I liked Ings, was a decent pro and never moaned, but it was clear he doesn’t fit Emery’s preferred style of play (though Emery could set us up to get the best from Ings as he’s an actual manager).

 

We’re not going down, are out of the cups, so I’m guessing the money and salary saving was too good to resist.

[Chindie]

Ings going makes sense if it opens things up for us. He doesn't fit Emery's style that well and he doesn't work with Watkins (or vice versa, who knows). 

 

I'm slightly concerned that Emery said it's not a certainty that we replace him now... I'm not so keen on relying on Watkins and Bailey to score every week. Because they won't. We need another forward that can score reliably.

 

Dembele I guess makes sense although he's been injured a lot this year and I think has struggled over the last couple of years. But in Emery we trust. If he really does want him they may as just buy him now - he's out of contract in the summer and Lyon don't need him, chuck them some money to bring him in now and have done with it.

[Naysonymous]

League table if it started on the day Emery got the job.  

[Chindie]

We'd have lost today's game last season.

[Chindie]

Well it looks like we're not bringing anyone else in. We have shipped people out at a rate of knots but we're now looking pretty thin. Hmm.

[Naysonymous]

I’m not too worried tbh.  We’ve signed two players, Moreno looks like he’s very much for here and now while Duran is one for the future.  There are no glaring holes in the squad at the moment, Diego Carlos should be back in March and while it would be nice to sign a top quality striker I’d rather us do that in the summer if it means getting the right man in rather than now just because it’s January.  
 

The table is starting to split between a top half and a bottom half, in terms of points it’s a top 11 vs a bottom 9 and if we can overtake the likes of Fulham and Brentford and finish in the top 8 with 55-60 points that will put us in a good place for recruitment in the summer.   Europe is possible on paper but it’s a big ask, especially if Liverpool and Chelsea pick up, but Unai was always about ‘the project’ which is next season.  
 

I will say our win away at Brighton is looking better with every passing week isn’t it?

[theredstar]

I’m not fussed by the lack of arrivals. I’d rather we wait and get what Emery wants rather than just get a body in. That’s how we ended up with Samata and Lansbury.

 

Of the people who’ve left, they weren’t getting many minutes anyway. Nakamba and Sanson weren’t going to feature, and Ings wanted to go.

 

Plus, Bertie has come back from loan. I think he was harshly treated by Gerrard, and hopefully Emery can get a tune out of him.

[Naysonymous]

File that one under "it could have been worse" I guess.  

 

We were always going to facing the storm today given the week Manchester City have had.  The simple truth is man for man they are better than us across the pitch and it was game over at half time.   Positives to take from the second half was Ollie Watkins again.  Seems Unai is getting a tune out of Ollie and long may it continue, I'm still not sure if he's the long term solution but if he keeps scoring and keeps leading the line like he does then I get why we sold Danny Ings.   It would have been nice to see that shot from Duran go in, you can already see the fans have taken a shine to him.    I'm not at all arsed about the Grealish stuff, he's doing what he's supposed to do as a Manchester City player and if he's happy to collect the wages and if he's serious about keeping a starting spot in the team then he needs to be ruthless.  I still believe the bloke when he says he's a Villa fan. 

[Chindie]

Had Citeh not stepped off it could have been a cricket score. Over a decade of nation state cheat money means they're markedly better than us across the pitch and if they fancy doing us we get battered. It is what it is.

 

Watkins getting some form back is a big plus. He isn't the answer, he's not a good enough finisher reliably, but we'll struggle to get better while keeping his work rate.

 

Duran looks a good prospect. Built like a brick shithouse and seems to have some ability. I reckon he's a player.

[Chindie]

Fucking love that man.

[Naysonymous]

Kamara injured again.  It’s fine I tell myself, because at least it means Chelsea or Liverpool won’t buy him. 
 

 

 

Emery table again too.  Leicester is really the only bad result.  We’ve definitely laboured to a couple of the victories, but we’ve also played the other five sides in this top six. 

[Chindie]

I've found it curiously irritating, for how good we have been under Emery, that we're stuck in 11th. It's like everything transpired to keep us bottom half - the crap state Gerrard left us in, the mini slump of losses at just the worst moment, the teams ahead just getting enough points or goal difference to keep ahead...

 

I'll genuinely feel some relief if we can get through that barrier into top half.

[Chindie]

7th.

 

7th.

 

7th!

[Loik V credern]

On 06/03/2023 at 10:54, Chindie said:

I've found it curiously irritating, for how good we have been under Emery, that we're stuck in 11th. It's like everything transpired to keep us bottom half

 

On 04/04/2023 at 22:21, Chindie said:

7th.

 

7th.

 

7th!

 

lol one of my favourite things about the premier league is how many stats there are on the site, being able to view the table by gw is so nice when you're trying to remember years later on where a team was. Teams are top of the league by November and everyone thinks 'they're gonna win the league' then by January everyone forgets they ever challenged for it.

 

I'm sure you know this cos it happened in the last week but I just went through it gw by gw and there didn't look like any way Villa would leap above Liverpool and Chelsea. Gw29 was the last gw right. Gw27 Chelsea were 2 points ahead okay I can see getting above them. But Liverpool are 7 points ahead in 6th. They're looking like they're making a charge towards 4th. Newcastle in 5th 2 points ahead, Spurs 6 points ahead, one more game played. Liverpool and Villa both 26 played. Gw28 Villa are 4 points behind Liverpool, Villa having played a game more. Still 11th, 6th. Still behind Chelsea on goal difference and also Fulham, Brentford, just those teams that have been doing well all season. Brentford are 4 points ahead. In one gw Villa have jumped above Chelsea, Brentford, Fulham, Liverpool. I'd be interested to know actually what are the biggest jumps in a gw. Villa have played a game more than Liverpool and Brentford yeah but given their next games are Arsenal and Man United in games those two really need to win I doubt Villa are losing that position when it's even anyway. 

 

Villa getting into the Europa league and building a run to the semis if not the final if you can do it for the amusement of the watching wider world because that's what it's important not the ecstacy of Villa fans, that would be good...

 

Emery has also turned Watkins into a Kane-like one goal a game goal machine and finally, finally a reliable fantasy football asset. 

[Naysonymous]

Comfortable win today against a Forest side who didn't offer much.   I'm glad Watkins scored at the end, 2-0 was a much fairer reflection on the game and you could see just how much it meant to Ollie to get on the score sheet.  He can't be far off an England recall at this point.  

 

Europe is on now isn't it?  Next few games are the acid test, we've got Newcastle, Brentford, Fulham and Man Utd back to back and those games define the season.   I can't see the winning run continuing through all of it but I feel two wins and a draw would be awesome for our chances.   Fulham might be on the slide at this point so we can knock them out of the race but the Brentford and Newcastle games are huge. 

[Chindie]

It's still a big ask but we have to fancy ourselves for it. We're putting in seriously professional performances at the moment.

[theredstar]

It’ll be a big ask, as the squad is looking a bit threadbare.

 

Bailey out for a bit. Kamara and Cash unlikely to be back and Little Phil still nobbled.

 

Not sure Bertie is properly match fit yet, and Ash looked knackered against Leicester.

 

Still, I’d have taken this during the dog days of Gerrard’s reign. Emery has got the absolute maximum out of every player, and transformed some of them into the players we hoped they’d be (Watkins, McGinn, Mings).  Even more importantly, he’s transformed the mood in the squad and the supporters - both of which Gerrard had pissed off.

 

 

 

 

[Naysonymous]

I didn't fancy us at all today, mostly because I'd figured the attrition of recent weeks would catch up with us and from a Newcastle point of view it was a good time to come to Villa Park.  What the hell do I know about football?   We were absolutely magnificent and right now I really do fancy our chances of finishing in the European spots. I'm not sure how many points we will need and our fixtures are against good opposition, but right now all I care about is seeing when tickets for Spurs and Brighton go on sale! 

[Chindie]

We were immense today.

 

We made Newcastle look dire. The score flatters them. It easily, easily could have been 6 or 7.

 

This team is brilliant. Emery is elite level. This is a side with Ashley Young collecting his pension before kick off at RB. Watkins, couldn't score in a brothel, never in the box, turns into one of the best strikers in the league. Ming's playing the best football of his career arguably. Luiz goes from nearly being sold to being one of the best midfielders in the league. McGinn goes from looking a bit broken under the fraud to a complete menace of a midfielder who does everything. Ramsey is suddenly a seasoned box to box goal threat and knife like ball carrier. And the one big signing made, a 29yo left back in the shape of Moreno, has been revelatory.

 

Up the fucking Villa.

[BabelRich]

If only we hadn’t have wasted half a season with a charlatan in charge. 

[Bucky]

11 minutes ago, BabelRich said:

If only we hadn’t have wasted half a season with a charlatan in charge. 

 

I was dismayed when he joined the club because it was nothing more than a stepping stone for him. His removal of Mings has all the hallmarks of a statement firing, an arbitrary show of power out of line with the club's and the fans' sentiments.

 

Liverpool should have paid us danger money for exposing him.

[ryodi]

10 hours ago, BabelRich said:

If only we hadn’t have wasted half a season with a charlatan in charge. 

 

Emery wasn't sacked by Villareal until 25th October and was appointed by Villa a week later, I don't know if you'd have paid his buyout clause like Newcastle prepared to do. Like Liverpool keeping Rodgers on allowed Klopp to have a break before taking over Emery arriving at Villa required some favourable timing to happen. They've been incredible since he took over and I am half tempted to put a bet on you guys reaching a European final next season.

[BabelRich]

I know, it’s more of a lament about sticking with Gerrard as opposed to binning him when it’s was clear to everyone bar Purslow he had no fucking clue how to manage a football team. 

[Naysonymous]

@ryodi Villa paid Emery’s €6m buyout fee, he wasn’t sacked. There was a week’s delay between announcing him and him arriving in England because of his work permit requirements.  
 

The club were all in on Gerrard at the start of the season. The common consensus seems to be that was driven by Purslow and maybe being starry eyed at the media attention Gerrard brought, but results and performances made his position untenable. 

[mash]

3 minutes ago, Naysonymous said:

@ryodi Villa paid Emery’s €6m buyout fee, he wasn’t sacked. There was a week’s delay between announcing him and him arriving in England because of his work permit requirements.  
 

The club were all in on Gerrard at the start of the season. The common consensus seems to be that was driven by Purslow and maybe being starry eyed at the media attention Gerrard brought, but results and performances made his position untenable. 

Surprised Purslow is still at the club, bearing in mind Gerrard was all his doing. Sawiris wanted Emery from the start. Anyhow, it seems as if every game that villa play Gerrard's stock goes down. From pretender in waiting for the Liverpool crown to someone you wouldn't consider managing a pub team. 

 

In an alternate universe, Gerrard stayed at Rangers, liverpool sacked Klopp turned to their 'saviour' Gerrard and got relegated.

[Naysonymous]

Purslow has a small ownership stake in the club and seems to be in charge of the day to day running of things. NSWE are a bit more stand offish but not silent partners.  
 

And I don’t think Liverpool would have ever appointed Gerrard. 

[ryodi]

25 minutes ago, Naysonymous said:

@ryodi Villa paid Emery’s €6m buyout fee, he wasn’t sacked. There was a week’s delay between announcing him and him arriving in England because of his work permit requirements.  
 

The club were all in on Gerrard at the start of the season. The common consensus seems to be that was driven by Purslow and maybe being starry eyed at the media attention Gerrard brought, but results and performances made his position untenable. 

 

My mistake, I could have sworn he'd been sacked. Like you say they did get sucked in by the Gerrard hype and media attention and Emery is showing the benefits of proper couching.

 

1 minute ago, Naysonymous said:

And I don’t think Liverpool would have ever appointed Gerrard. 

 

If Klopp leaves and the fans start to turn FSG then I wouldn't be shocked if did bring him in, OGS had a much better time at United that anyone could have predicted so I wouldn't be surprised if they used the same logic if they brought Gerrard in.

 

Back to Villa it's a shame Coutinho hasn't worked out as well as I'd hoped from his first few games at the club and I assume will be out the door as soon as Villa can find a buyer. 

[Naysonymous]

Coutinho was getting in the team after the World Cup but got a hamstring injury in February and hasn’t featured since.  I think he’s officially injured, whether that’s true or not remains to be seen but I’d not be surprised to see him in the squad next season. 

[Naysonymous]

I'm still trying to figure out how this is yet another false dawn, 30+ years of following the Villa can do that to a man but we keep winning and we keep putting points on the board and you can't ask for more than that at this stage of the season.  The fixtures are rough between now and the final day but then the fixtures in April were rough and we've taken 16 points from a possible 18 which is incredible.   

I can see us getting beat at Old Trafford and at Anfield and I'd take a point at Wolves if you asked me now. The home games will define our season I feel, both against sides around us and while Spurs and Brighton are good teams they are both there for the taking.  Brighton's run in is horrible when you look at it, they've have got 9 games in a month (well, 32 days but tonight is an evening kick-off so whatever) and that includes playing the top four and the bottom three, all of whom will be desperate for the points. 

 

So perhaps 5th is a false position but Europe is on.  I'd rather Europa League of course but I don't even give a shit if it's the Europa Conference, Mourinho winning it with Roma last year legitimised it as worth winning I think.

[BabelRich]

In all honesty I’m not even worrying about whether we get Europe or not. Don’t get me wrong it would be awesome but after how the season started I’m just enjoying us being a good team for the first time since the before the ‘Young and Hungry’ years. 
 

I think wherever we finish will be a success and hopefully it’s not a false dawn and we can build on it next year.

 

But you are right, it’s easy to be skeptical with this club.