How The Palace Was Shattered

On Sunday at 4:20 p.m., or thereabouts UK-time, the pulses of many Villa fans slowed down to a more healthy rate following a league win for the first time after 10 previous matches. During that time, only 2 draws had been obtained, and only 5 goals scored. Of those 5 goals, only one had been scored by a forward - and that had been 10 games before this one.

Villa's opponents in this latest match, Crystal Palace, had the temerity to field two ex-Villa players. Did Mr. Hodgson think they would be extra-fired-up against the Villa? But - worse - they are a club that decided to ditch the old Villa colours some 50-plus years ago. So, looking for their first points in five matches, the Palace came to Villa, thinking no doubt that our old club would lie down and concede them their wish. Thankfully - after all - this proved not to be the weak Villa side that gave up the ghost in 2015-16. This time they made a match of it.

The gaffer, talking of Villa's recent run of defeats, simply said that the recent matches were mostly against top-6 sides. Did he say this as though to say "We'll win this one!"? True, most of our recent matches were too much for this embryonic Villa squad, though we did have some chances against those teams and should have taken some of them. But, for me, against the likes of Zaha, the Palace were not to be thought of as push-overs.

And then we had a player injured before kick-off, and then another within minutes of the kick-off. Both the full-backs in fact. But, luckily, the two subs were probably just what we needed for this match, though Taylor had done a pretty good job.

But Villa's luck didn't look too good when Palace nudged the ball into the net after only seven minutes, only for it to be VAR-ed and declared a no goal. Phew. But I was pleased by the decision - not for the handball that they decided it was - but because Mr. Reina had bounced off one of our old players, Ayew, and was lying on the ground as the ball entered the net.

Ref., you should know by now that no goal is allowed if our keeper is lying on the ground! Says I! 😏

But it was Mr. Trezeguet who lit up the afternoon for me. Two good goals, and it should have been three from him. Yes, Jack probed here and probed there, but does he hack it any more than in the last match? No. Not for me. And as for the penalty cry, when he went into a booth to think about whether he would fall over or not, was too much! If he thought that was a trick worth trying then I'm the proverbial Chinaman! Perhaps I am!

Doubtless that reading through my nonsense you will be thinking I've had a tot or two after that result. No, but the result - by itself - did put a bit more life into me. Until, that is, the Bournemouth result ... Bournemouth had taken two points from their last nine games, so they were 'doing a Villa'. I expected them to be the second team soon to know they are down.

But, near two-thirds of the match gone, and Leicester winning 1-0, this was the commentary:

What a shambles! Kasper Schmeichel hits a goal kick into the back of his own player, Wilfred Ndidi. Callum Wilson picks up the ball and Ndidi and Schmeichel combine to bring him down.

The penalty was converted and it was 1-1.

Then:

Almost straight from kick-off Solanke is played in down the left of the area, he hits a low shot which Kasper Schmeichel should hold on to really but it squirms over the line.

Leicester was losing! 1-2. And then, straight away, they had a player sent off.

Bournemouth won 4-1 due to Leicester's suicide tactics. The third goal a massive deflection and the fourth another Leicester give-away.

It remains for Villa to now do some more catching up. As I see it, they have to get at least 7 points from their three remaining matches to stand a chance. Let's see what happens - though I watch without too much expectation.

But, who knows, after Trez scoring two versus Palace then maybe McGinn will want to score a hat-trick on Thursday! And will Jack decide to up his game?

UTV!

Relegation Itself Is A Big Enough Penalty, Surely!

So, so, sad. It's bad enough when you know fortune is not going your way by the thickness of a goal-post, but then to be immediately penalised so harshly at the other end would knock some of the stuffing out of the toughest competitors.

If this - and if that. In the first 25 minutes, Villa could well have been at least 2-0 up if their good chances had been taken - two of which stemmed from good retrieval by the forwards from over-cocky Man U defenders. Further, in that period Man U had produced nothing of note to worry the Villa defence unduly.

And then that awful penalty decision. In ordinary life it would almost warrant arrest for theft. What with three good goals being denied Villa by VAR in the early part of the season, this one just about took the biscuit.

But Villa, let's face it, have only themselves to blame for what has transpired during the season. Apart from some dubious summer signings, the worst decision - in my opinion - was the decision to model the team around Jack Grealish. I am so sorry to say this but though he shines in the Championship, in this unrelenting company he does not hack it for me. As captain and to miss two good chances (not even on target) in the last two games, and at important points in the game, does not reflect well on him. That is apart from the fact that he does not impose himself enough on the play to warrant being captain. A captain is supposed to set the example - not just prettiness of feet.

Harsh words perhaps, but this has proved to be a weak Villa team built around a false premise as I see it. Villa have needed more steel all season and the two so-called 'stars' - Grealish and Mings - have let the side down too much.

Having seen the disastrous season of 1966-67 (though it was a spirited fight until the last few games), the re-building of the club and the aftermath through the old Division 3 days, followed by the tremendous rise to top-notch over 10 years, the fact that Villa have progressively gone down the pan over the last 20 years is extremely concerning. The Lerner years were disastrous years of false dreams in my view. Now another period of false dreams. I really wonder where Villa can go from here.

Well, Villa are not quite down yet. But as the side cannot seem to score - only defenders have scored in the past half-dozen matches - hope has nearly completely drained from my heart. If you can't score you can't win. 

And, with football looking more like automated nonsense as the months go by, I doubt that the sport can be called a sport anymore. 

But the Villa tradition - as it once was - kept me going before. Now, I cannot see it returning.

Heartening - But Liverpool Were Heartless

I doubt that anyone really thought that our lot would get anything from Anfield, but the fact that the score remained goal-less after 70 minutes started to pump hope into my drained heart.

The team selection and format was 'as you were' in the earlier part of the season, and did look more balanced in my opinion. In fact, Villa held up very well and in my view should have done better with the limited chances they had. But, of course, the absence of three of 'Pool's 'big guns' - resting on the bench - was noticeable and, sure enough, when they came on the tide shifted.

But that didn't deter Villa, glad to say, and Grealish - in happier days - would surely have put away the great chance he had, although the 'keeper saved well, to be sure.

Both teams had similar amounts of goal chances, but Villa - as usual these days - lacked the confidence to strike well.

One noticeable thing was that McGinn was beginning to look more like his old self and lasted the full 90 minutes. I can only hope that he comes back to all-cylinders-firing for the rest of the season. Trezeguet, though, lacks confidence, and El Ghazi could do with a touch of extra pep as well.

The good thing is that there's still 5 games and a possible 15 points to go! And let's remember that even Wellington got worried that Nap was going to win until Blucher arrived!

Just one win in the next two matches could change things around completely: that's how close it is really. A win would surely bring back some much-needed confidence, in players and fans alike.

UTV!