The West Ham Manager Looked Be-Moyse-d!

Yes, David, you perhaps have a right to be rueful-looking watching how Villa broke away to score the third and fourth goals. At that time, West Ham, having come back to 2-1 following their fortuitous goal, were striving to make a break-through and a Villa of old might just have caved in.

But the Villa showed clearly that they have a superior quality stemming from confidence when on the ball, and that appeared to be the difference. Those third and fourth goals were super-confidently taken. But it wasn't just Villa's quality in scoring those goals; in the first half Villa largely controlled the match and, indeed, should have gone in at the interval two or three goals ahead, not just the single well-taken goal.

In the first-half Villa's play was patient and sometimes very piercing as they 'transitioned' the ball through. How Watkins didn't score from his one big chance, and how their keeper saved Douglas Luiz's top-corner-bound shot, are two big questions. For the rest of Villa's shots, they were mostly wastefully wide of the mark when they should have done better.

But those third and fourth goals made up for all that.

So, four home league games and 17 goals scored in the process. This is a Villa Park performance that is way overdue and I believe there's a good chance Villa will score 50 or more goals at VP this season. If we can improve the away play and the results, that would be something.

Performances from all the team were good today, but McGinn was not much in it apart from flashes and particularly an excellent ball to send Watkins away for the third goal. Zaniolo played a better team game today, but I think a fit Ramsey would get the nod over him.

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The Wolves Were The Real Villains

A mostly awful match to watch, but then it was a derby and derbies have often brought up such situations. Wolves with 19 fouls against them, and a red card to boot, demonstrated they are a team of spoiling tactics, with a couple of their players falling over like flies because of a knock or two.

The Villa, though, should have had the game wrapped up in the first 15 minutes. Initially, Wolves looked a bit nervous facing their local rivals who had scored six last time out, and McGinn really should have scored his 20th Villa goal today with two shots that were good but inaccurate. 

So Wolves, having got through that period, must have thought they had a chance of winning, and very occasionally that workmanlike but scrappy team looked as though they could do that while spoiling Villa's chances of making progress with niggly fouls. That trip from behind just as Watkins was about to shoot near the end should have produced a penalty, but the referee wasn't interested. And there were other fouls that went unpenalised.

We should have won, but I'm grateful that Villa didn't lose this difficult match, unlike Man City last week.

The team looked a bit tired I thought, and now for a break for those not in international squads, and extra time for Ramsey and others to recover from their injuries. Then we go again.

Considering that we're without Ramsey, Buendia, Moreno and Mings, and Tielemans not yet coming up to scratch, we are not doing badly at all.

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6-1! How Did It Happen?

I am still perplexed. Nine attempts on target and six scored with only 39% possession. Actually, perhaps it says a lot about Brighton, who spend so much time passing the ball (though quickly) but against a defence like Villa's it did not help them much. Their one goal was through a freakish passback from Digne instead of whacking it out for a corner if that was his only real option, but at that stage there seemed to be a possibility that the Seagulls might claw their way back (so to speak!).

The replacement of Zaniolo with Ramsey was key I think. As Pete the Canadian directly put it in his analysis after the Everton fiasco, Zaniolo just now looks full of promise from time to time, but it is so little that comes from him to help the team in the entire period he's on the field. Ramsey made that needed difference to keep us looking purposeful.

So, an impressive scoreline to keep the fans happy. After Wednesday's match there were a lot who were far from happy, in particular the season ticket holders who no longer get a gratis cup match ticket and have to pay the full whack to attend a cup match. Quite a few were also complaining about what is being done to the Holte End to provide fresh 'experiences' - and at what cost to their pockets! Also the constant display of ads around the pitch. For me, watching on the box, I just find the pre-match flag waving and flame blowing all a bit too much ucky and almost a turnoff. Add to all that business about the sweaty shirts and the decision to review the Club's crest yet again (etc) I sometimes wonder when the backroom boys at Villa are going to get it right.

After all, what is the 'experience' that the fans really want? None of the commercial and glossy stuff but to watch a team that entertains with commitment ... and is successful.

As to success, I am pleased that Ollie has regained his scoring instincts. A tad lucky with one or two of them today, but he was there working his socks off and he got his rewards. His four goals in two league games must surely be giving him the boost he needs.

As for Tielemans I am almost shocked he's not producing more by now. He's had plenty of opportunity.

Well, away to Wolves next match. We have come unstuck against them before but perhaps this time we will put out a team that will hold things together.

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Some Villa Fans Need A Reality Check - For The Sake Of Their Health!

A win, partly thanks to a sending-off I feel, as I don't think there was much to choose between the teams. If 11 Chelsea men had remained on the field I think the final score could have been 5-5 without the performances put in by the two 'keepers. 

Both goalkeepers excelled themselves to keep down the number of goals. There were two thunderbolt shots from Villa and their keeper's response to both was superlative. But Emi also did his job very well, showing great anticipation.

Villa still are not quite 'there' yet, as numerous other writers would agree, but there's something satisfying about the players' commitment. Not only that but the fact that after this week-end's results, only Manchester City have won more points than the Villa this year! Yes, in the calendar year of 2023 it would seem that we have racked up 55 points - alongside Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. We are therefore in joint second place for the year versus the steamroller that is Manchester City, on 74 points.

And yet I have just read a blog by a Villa fan that says that after the Liverpool match he did not know where to put himself and didn't view any further Villa match until Thursday just gone, in Warsaw.

If a Villa supporter can allow himself to do that having presumably experienced the hell years between 2011 and 2018 (dare I mention 2015-16 in particular?) then he surely needs a reality check. I am sorry, that is how I see it: life is far more than grumbling about the odd defeat in a general scenario that shows that the Villa is quietly 'getting there'. And thanks to Emery really. He may have some flaws but at least he owns up to his errors and generally gets things sorted pretty quickly. The fact that the players have 'bought' into his methods and decisions is a very positive sign. And I'm quite enjoying Villa's style of play.

I'm happy with the odd 'blip'.

As to today's match I'll not say anything more except mention our Belgian friend Tielemans. In the last two league matches he has come on as a sub and - for me at least - looks good. I feel he will show us some more of what he can do pretty soon.

Well, next up is a League Cup match against a resurgent Everton. But we can do it.

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Football Is Not Played By Robots - Yet!

Well, we lost in Warsaw. Defensively in particular, we looked naive. But with so many changes in that area I am not surprised at the misunderstanding showing in Villa's defensive ranks.

Most importantly, it's not the end of the world considering this is a group stage. We have a good chance to put things right and progress further. It was by no means a fluid Villa performance, but to some extent you have to give credit to Legia for that being the case. 

Legia managed things better, in addition to some muscle that stopped Villa from getting through on a few occasions. The time Duran was pulled back just when he was about to shoot comes to mind, plus a high kick to stop Bailey getting through. That was a red card incident in my view.

But if you were to read the knee-jerk reactions of some regular Villa supporters and their match assessment reports you'd think that there were some very awful individual performances from Villa players last night. I feel that much of it was lack of understanding; after all, it is a team game and understanding has to be built up. Chambers is rarely used and Lenglet was making his first appearance, so what we saw was, for me, not altogether surprising against a quick team like Legia. Otherwise those players played some good stuff last night in my view. 

Yet on the Villa supporters sites I mentioned there were scores of 3 and 4 given for individual performances. 

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if they're not capable of making reasoned judgments then stay quiet, please. Otherwise all it does is encourage over-expectation for instant success. For goodness sake, Emery has been in the job for less than a year and what he has done in that time is quite remarkable. But on the way there are going to be blips, and this one was surely down to lack of mutual understanding at the back.

Robots have not yet taken over to make football perfect (and every game a 0-0 result!) and long may they stay away.

Let's see what happens on Sunday.

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VAR is a VAT! (Value Added Tax)

So goals are being refused by VAR when a toe is judged to be offside? I thought that the powers-that-be were trying to learn how to use VAR properly? How come that a goal scored with such skill can be chalked off because the player's toe is too long? What kind of game are they trying to create?

Hands up anyone who remembers that the 'three points for a win' law was introduced in 1981 to encourage more goals to be scored; to move away from the defensive mentality. Today we have the unfortunate situation that team managers are scared of losing, hence their support for VAR even though it remains so much a debatable tool in the way it is being used.

For a while yesterday, the refusal of Diaby's 'goal' had the effect of encouraging the Palace's mass defence and breakaway tactic to the point that it nearly made the game sterile. Until they scored just after the break. That had the benefit of making Villa realise they had to do more, and with a few team adjustments, 'more' was achieved in the shape of three goals. But even one of those brought about more controversy.

Well, we have to thank Jhon (spelling?!) for a remarkable goal to bring hope back to Villa Park. His shooting really is good; rarely does he shoot off target, but that shot was a cracker. Whether he is really the entire answer to Ollie's scoring difficulties just now, I'm not sure, but the thought does occur to me that perhaps we should play both of them, with Ollie lying deeper. One issue is, however, that there would be no other recognised striker to warm the bench in case of need unless Zaniolo is able to plug the gap.

One positive development for me, yesterday, was the better contribution from Tielemans. It was he who set Diaby racing through to provide the assist for the third goal, and Tielemans it was who provided the slide rule pass to Watkins, who won the penalty.

Ah, the penalty. I was impressed by the referee yesterday as he clearly stood his ground having recognised the intent of the defender to stop Ollie at all costs. It was a clever tackle, in my opinion, to give the impression that he was playing the ball, but this referee was having none of it. The VAR check again took so long, and the referee in charge at VAR HQ seems to have been taken in by the clever tackle. The ref on the turf, however, would not be intimidated. Good for him, and I am not saying that because he made a decision in our favour. Perhaps our ref was disgusted by the chalking-off of Diaby's goal! Justice was done in my view. And good for Douglas Luiz, too, as he also kept his nerve.

In the end a much-needed (and deserved) win to restore confidence, especially with a visit to Chelsea coming up who (despite - or because of - their league position) will be wanting to be top dog in that match), and then we have Brighton, who are really impressive just now.

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I Saw Red Today!

Well, if you play average opposition over four games and score 15 goals in the process I suppose you can get a bit complacent. But there is complacency and there is naivety, for surely everyone knows that if you go to Anfield they'll run at you and pass you by if you'll let them.

Unfortunately, no one seems to have told Mr. Torres that as he tried (what we now know is) his normal shimmy and was robbed of the ball, leading to a corner that produced a goal. And that in the third minute too. What a way to get shaken up, and then followed by Matty's own goal, which was just plain unfortunate. And in-between Carlos having to come off the field with yet further injury.

In reality, the final score could have been about 6-3, but a three-goal deficit whichever way you look at it. At no time in the match did we really look as though we might come back into it, but we had three fluffed chances that went begging, and if one had gone in who knows what might have happened.

I couldn't help but notice that after Messrs. Zaniolo and Duran came on there was a touch more sharpness, but being already 3-0 down didn't do much for their confidence as they couldn't put anything on target. But it was a general sharpness that Villa lacked today after their menu of average opposition in the last few weeks. After Newcastle and now Anfield we should by now have learnt our lesson and be following our Club's own ancient motto: "Prepared".

I suppose that having spent so much on new players the expectancy factor is so much higher, but that expenditure brings me to think about the sale of Aaron Ramsey, Archer and Philogene. Archer already shows quality for the Premiership - I saw it two years ago against Chelsea and two really good strikes for the Blades over the week-end confirms his quality. Yes, I know we have buy-back clauses for each of them, but these players really needed better massaging for first-team action last season, not to be dealt with in the way that has transpired, though I will accept that the Club's pragmatic target was European competition for this season.

Well, let's dust ourselves down and pick ourselves up for the visit of the once claret-and-blue team of Crystal Palace. We have two weeks nearly to work out how to do it! In particular, how do we solve the cenre-back crisis that has emerged now Carlos has gone down again. And will Mr. Torres not be so casual in the future? At present, I live in fear of what good opposing sides may do to our defence.

Still, there are plenty of average sides to practise against and get points off.

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The Toffees Managed To Get Stuck

So, the goal difference has been restored to zero!  And really it should be showing plus, but I can accept that with matches coming thick and fast, and with a few injuries to worry about, there's no point in the players blowing a gasket I suppose. At least one more Villa player has gone down today with a serious injury it would seem.

What were the Toffees doing? It is difficult to believe they were so poor, but perhaps they got mesmerised by some really skillful play in the first half in particular.  Using two old Villans in their ranks (Gueye and Young) did not help them one bit, allowing their old boy (Digne) to strut his stuff and provide Diaby with a chance to show his volleying skills again, and other close calls. 

With Burnley next up, we have another chance to sharpen up before we get to Anfield, and perhaps the Hibernian games will provide good practise as well. By the time we get to Anfield we will have a far better idea of how we are shaping.

I continue to admire our manager/coach in his approach, but sad also that young players are being shipped out in favour of big-money signings, and foreign players at that. But complaining is a luxury as the owners probably think that enough time has passed without silverware and if it means a big spend up to get that then so be it. I suppose. I have never been happy with that approach in the game and have long complained about the Manchester clubs, Chelseas and others for the big-spend attitude. Because my own club is now doing it rather than promoting more young players cannot change my view on this big-money philosophy. 

So long as the football is good to watch and matches are entertaining then I will try more to hold my counsel. Nevertheless, the amount of money in this sport is frightening, and with the ladies wanting their slice of the cake as well now, together with the hype building in their game, an independent observer might think that football has become something that matters above all else. This in a world that is increasingly suffering.

Don't the big-money people read the media for the news?  Do they help? Do they want to?

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They Got Our Measure - Helped By Our Own Errors

Well, where do you start? You could put it all down to the Geordies' Pace, Precision and Power; but was it as simple as that?

At half-time we had, amazingly, recorded more shots than them, but a couple of those were genuinely squandered chances. We should have been at least level at half-time.

But one of the two real turning points in the game was firstly in losing Mings to injury, and secondly that awful lapse in concentration by Konsa to effectively give away the third goal. This was after we had spent nearly 15 minutes at the start of the second half trying to take control of the match, plus the 15 minutes before half-time.

The departure of Mings affected Konsa's play, I feel, as they have formed a solid partnership over the past two or three years.

After the third goal, Villa seemed to just lose whatever cohesion they had. At the end of it all, Newcastle had 17 shots and we had 15! The difference was that 13 of theirs were on target, while only 6 of ours were similarly placed.

This result is a bit of a shock to Villa fans, but perhaps we should accept that their manager had at last got the measure of Villa's play after their defeat at Villa Park last Spring, and the draw in the pre-season tournament. They learned something while we seemed to be utterly complacent - particularly at the back, even before Mings' premature departure.

It's a bit early to draw conclusions, but it seems that injuries are rocking the boat at Villa Park quite a bit just now, plus the fact that I feel that Cash and Bailey will have to fight harder for their places. I really like Philogene; one spin turn of his near the end left three players in his wake and I feel that with being played more and with encouragement, Bailey will find what he's up against for his place in the team.

As to the new signings we saw today, Diaby will do well, I have no doubt. Tielemans came on at half-time but did little for me. Is he suited for such a match? Torres will also do well, but it's a question of getting that understanding going with his defensive colleagues. Carlos is still virtually a new player and will help our cause, no doubt. Perhaps we will see a back four of Konsa or Chambers, Carlos, Torres and Digne while Mings is out.

Well, Mr. Emery has got something to think about. The upcoming matches versus Everton and Burnley give him a chance to get things back on track before the visit to Anfield. That's the Premier League; there's not much of a gap between the really difficult matches!

Further, this defeat and the injury situation really makes me wonder whether Aaron Ramsey's supposed transfer to Burnley makes sense.

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Konsa Leads The Way!

Well, so there is still feeling in football after all! After watching Ezri Konsa's highly individual goal against his old team, I am enthused to see that coaching methods have not wiped away the individual's need to express himself.

I can imagine his thoughts. After surrendering a penalty he must have started to get angry. When Villa went 2-0 down he must have been seething as the scoreline was against the run of play. Then, suddenly, he receives the ball just outside his own penalty area and just goes for it.

The sight of two opposition players just falling off him without making one bit of difference was not only hilarious but just underlined the importance of determination ... as well as the strength and the skill.

I always had the feeling that there's more to Konsa than meets the eye. I've often got the impression that he does get really angry when things are not going right, and this time he was determined enough to put things right.

Will he do the same thing in a league match when the situation demands it? Would any of the back three be so determined to do it in a league match? I would hope that Emery is actually encouraging a certain level of individuality, as the over-coached mechanical play on show for so many years does not do it for me.

The fact that the Villa has brought in Diaby seems to indicate the desire to create more flair in Villa's play. Bailey also indicated that spirit, but Diaby's early showing seems to indicate he is the real deal. If Diaby's example rubs off on Bailey then all the better, but we also have Philogene showing real spark, and that is really good. Showing such confidence should also provide other youngsters with the example needed to break through.

Watkins, however, needs to develop a killer instinct in front of goal to be recognised as a true striker, and Archer has not made very good use of his opportunities.

Well, the pre-season matches have so far been somewhat inspiring for me in the quality of play. Let's hope that when it comes to the first real match of the new season we can bring it all together and, especially, again show Newcastle how to play.

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I'm Growing Old Thinking About The Youth

Hello there. Last time I wrote I was aghast at the Villa's policy with regard to the shirt sponsors and also the new logo. Now it's the turn of worry about the lack of young players coming through from the Academy, despite several being lauded as highly promising. 

The recent signing of Rico Richards - another example of poaching from neighbours Albion - makes me think back to all the other players snatched from other clubs, one notable player being Louie Barry from Albion via Barcelona, at the time rated highly and now at the age of 20 you'd expect to be pushing for the first team. Surely he showed his credentials a couple of years ago against Liverpool when the Villa were forced to field the youth team in an FA Cup match. He scored a plum goal as I remember.

Others that had already shown their credentials have included Cameron Archer and Philogen-Bidace who both showed up well against Chelsea in the League Cup two seasons back.

There are countless other youngsters who have been highly talked of, such as Aaron Ramsey, the younger brother of Jacob, and also Tim Iroegbunam, another 20-year-old.

Do you remember that time when the young Stephan Moore was supposed to have outclassed Wayne Rooney in the FA Youth Cup Final of 2002? And his brother Luke was supposed to be better, but even though he scored a league hat-trick in 2005-06 (five goals in 3 matches in fact) the encouragement factor at Villa Park seems to have been nil during the 2000s for those trying to break through. Is it really any better now when we see only Jacob Ramsey in today's first team as a product of the much-vaunted Academy?

I do admire the transformation that Emery has brought to the playing method at Villa Park, but to me, it's so very sad that the names littered around the ground these days have become increasingly foreign sounding, from the top of the club to the first team.

What hope is there for England's footballing future if all the big clubs choose (have chosen) to 'go foreign' with the exception of very, very few British players. The problem seems to be increasing.

Though Dean Smith did not achieve great success during his tenure at Villa Park, I liked his model and, indeed, showed that he was on the way in the 2020-21 season when, after that memorable 7-2 drubbing of Liverpool, the Villa flirted in the top-6 for a few weeks and for much of the season were in 9th place before finishing 11th, partly due to the over-reliance on Grealish who was injured a lot during the second half of the season. But this was also a time when Covid was still casting its mawkish spell. Dean was working under some stress yet he always seemed to learn from whatever situations were presented to him to solve.

Over-aspiration caused Villa's top brass to dispose of Dean in favour of Gerrard after he'd unfortunately lost his main coaching team and also Grealish, despite grabbing a great win at Man U not long before.

Yes, we now do seem to be getting somewhere at VP, but at what cost? I hope we don't rue the day when British blood is squeezed out of the game. Thank goodness for the improved performances of Mings, Ramsey and McGinn this season, otherwise I'm not sure we'd be seeing any British players in the first team in season 2023-24.

Let's see those Academy players being given a better chance. If they turn out well (and why shouldn't they?), that would be a lower-cost investment surely? Or are the Villa using the Academy principally to make money from sales?

UTV!

A Blast From The Past

Hello Fellow Villans!

You might say this is a blast from the past ... and it is! I have been .. away, let's say. A housing problem occurred in October last and it has taken until this month (June) to settle into something that we might call home. It has been something of a traumatic time (but all problems are opportunities are they not?!) and I send my sincere thanks to those of you who inquired of me. But we may yet move again: we will see. 

During my time 'away', one of my most frequent Villa communicants, an octogenarian lady born in Aston but latterly of the south of England, very sadly left this life. I felt her loss during the period we went through. God bless her soul.

Coming back to the Villa, though, I went 'off the air' just after Gerrard's departure ... and the change since has been nothing short of phenomenal. A change that certainly gives us, from a playing point of view, much better hope for the Club. The rise of the Villa since October has barely needed any comment from me, and I am so glad to see the resurgence of Skipper McGinn and the rise of Jacob Ramsay, but I do question the release of Ashley Young. I felt he could have something to offer for another season yet. However, Ash helped to get us back into Europe, he being one of those who played the last time we competed there, in 2010. Thanks Ash!

Note that I limit my praise of Villa's rise since October. There are a couple of non-playing things that have transpired these past few months that I have not welcomed, and they can be summed up in this image:

Apart from the basic shirt design - which I am not that keen about - there are two visible changes that are not welcome to me. Firstly: how on earth are we back into using gambling sponsors? Apart from their grotesque logo the very principle of using BK8 appalls me. The quicker it disappears from the shirt the better for me, but in any case, backing the gambling sector should not be a feature of any sport in my humble opinion.

However, the second issue is the club's new logo or emblem. Yes, why not go back to the circular badge and I am happy for its selection. I will say, however, that I believe that this has been an opportunity lost, both artistically and in the presentation of what the club represents to the locality. The badge could have been so much more in my view. But to reverse the direction in which the lion is pointing just begs the question ... WHY? Now, I happen to have some insight here, as I will now explain.

When I was officially looking after the club's memorabilia during the 2007-10 period, I discovered that the original club's lion (from 1878) faced in this, rightmost, direction, and I reported that fact to the hierarchy at Villa, who were very interested to learn this. Little did I realise that in 2023 this right-facing lion would reappear "for historical reasons", but the historical reason for it is lost on me as this right-facing lion only lasted two years at Villa! In 1880 the lion we were all brought up with was instituted: it lasted 143 years. If anything, therefore, why not introduce two lions - left and right facing - if you want to change the lion at all?

What is more mystifying, however, is that this logo will not be universally adopted except on the kit for at least another 12 months! Now, what kind of "brand" is Villa introducing? One lion facing one way ... another the other way. How farcical. It shows scant regard for the club's history and tradition, nor knowledge of it. I am afraid the club seems - in reality - too concerned about its commercial presentation. I say let the results do the presentation, and in that area we seem to be going the right way ... so long as the players all wear a logo with the lion pointing the same way!

I'll write when something else grabs my attention before the season starts.

UTV!

A Still Young Young Shows How!

I still rue the loss of Milner and Young back in 2010 and 2011 and both have shown over the years their immense value in service to other leading clubs. Barry's loss too was hurtful, but I feel the two previously mentioned players were the greatest loss. And we've never had their equal since.

During the time those players were at Villa Park, Gabby produced his best footie as well, but after they all went he did not re-ignite, except when Benteke was with us, and effectively fizzled out. But that's another story.

The point here is that we're now enjoying 2 seasons of Young's belated return in his renaissance as a Villa player, and what a corker he delivered last night!

Until he came on as a sub in the Man City match recently he rarely made any great impression. He has been very useful but - though working hard - always gave the impression to me that he was just playing a role in his journey towards retirement.

But from that Man City game onward - 4 games now - he seems to have become virtually undroppable and sets himself as an example. Is it because he was made Club Captain that he suddenly realised that others had confidence in him and that he could still play a significant role?

Whatever it is, the will and execution of that goal of his will long live in my memory. On top of that and his willingness to get forward, he did a tidy job at the back.

Who would have thought that nearly 16 years since he first arrived at VP, he would still get onto Villa's scoring chart? He needs one more for 40 goals for the Villa in his career, and many of his goals are truly memorable. Who can forget that last-minute winner at Everton all those years ago?

That's what makes football really live for me - memories such as that.

As for last night's game? Much of it was like last week's second half at Leeds: a good amount of puff and movement but no execution - apart from Ash the full-back showing how. Bringing on Cameron was far too late i.m.o., especially as I saw little from Ings.

Villa's lack of progress seems to reflect the fact that the policy of bringing in big-name attractions - firstly Gerrard and then Coutinho - is backfiring. Neither is performing at all well.

Well, next up Chelsea is a team getting its form back under a new manager - one that many Villa fans feel should be at Villa. And Chukky may be playing in this match.

Surely it's a match that Gerrard has to at least get a point from. What, another draw (you ask), but if obtained it will be well-earned, I'm sure. A win will surely save Gerrard's bacon.

UTV!

Puff, Puff But Nothing To Show

Boy, did they look rusty! An enforced international break seemed to have a dampening effect on the forwards in particular. Not that they were full of alacrity before the enforced break - they weren't - but when you are up against a 10-man team for the whole of 45 minutes  (including injury time) and not take advantage of the gaps with inadequate firepower was downright appalling.

I can fully understand Gerrard's pragmatic approach right now, but this was a match that was crying out to be put to bed and thus achieving 7 instead of 5 points in the last 3 matches.

All I can say is that we live in hope that these daydreamers wake up to take advantage of struggling Nottm Forest next week.

There's surely something wrong at Villa. The players seem not to be as 'free' in their play as they were under Dean Smith. Not that his era was perfect as the team needed more discipline, and he also lost Grealish, but now we seem to have gone to another extreme. I get the feeling that the players seem to feel the strain of this regime's coaching methods and react to playing circumstances rather than be sufficiently proactive. Other teams seem to find their players much better with their passes - even Leeds (first half). To me, it seems to be more of a psychological issue.

As to individuals, I would first refer to Bailey. He clearly has the capability of being a dangerous player, but I am unhappy with his continual unnecessary fouling, particularly after he has been dispossessed. 

Why was Luiz picked instead of Chambers or Dendoncker? I find that puzzling as I do not rate Luiz for the number 6 role, and Chambers in particular deserves more playing time.

As to Watkins, well when it comes to shooting he seems to be completely out of sorts, although his outfield play is mostly excellent. But we need goals. Ings seems not to be the answer either, but we have a certain Cameron Archer still not getting time on the pitch but who would, I am sure, liven things up a bit. Maybe Archer should play alongside Watkins, simply because scoring goals is the way to winning matches. We have scored just two in the last three matches, even though undefeated in that time.

In any case, surely Archer was the player to bring on yesterday after 70 minutes, if not before. 

Well, I suppose it could be said that Leeds' aggressive approach sublimated Villa's approach work, but I am still not happy.

Nope, as you might have guessed, I am now certainly not a fan of Gerrard. He may have great aspirations, but as various pundits have said, with the playing staff at his disposal he should be doing better.

I am happy, however, that Ashley provides a calming head at the back, with the two c-bs now playing pretty well also. But the fullback positions look decidedly decimated. Let's hope that Matty is available for the next match.

UTV!

Time For Another Break From Club Football

Aside from the COVID-hit season of 2020-21, this is perhaps the most peculiar football league season on record! Firstly the postponement of matches arising from the Queen's sad death, followed straight after (now) by an international break. And then we face the World Cup break in November and December. So from mid-September right up to Christmas it's a staccato fixture list.

Well, it gives injured players some extra room to get back into fitness.

On top of all that I see that the PL clubs are discussing the future of the FA Cup and League Cup, in particular, the removal of the replay idea. Clearly, Man U and such clubs do not like the idea of a lesser team getting a second chance after they have bravely fought for a draw! On top of that, it is being proposed that Champions League clubs play their u-21 sides in the League Cup. 

This is making a further mockery out of the League Cup, a competition that has never been highly regarded from the time it was instigated in 1960. Not many top-tier clubs entered the competition in its first years (the Villa being one of the exceptions and the competition's first winner) and it was not until 1967 that the League Cup Final was held at Wembley. Even so, it has always given the feeling of it being a lesser competition and the only major argument for its existence has been as another entry point for European competition. That was how the Villa first got into Europe in 1975.

The argument against the competition back then was that it was clogging up other fixtures and clearly that is the case now. Therefore, why not drop it altogether? Surely that's preferable to making a complete mockery of it as is proposed? However, perhaps the competition will eventually die a natural death as a result of such mockery. I for one am not unhappy with the idea of the League Cup's demise, or perhaps it should be competed for only by clubs in the Football League. We shall see what they decide, but the League Cup will remain with us for a while yet.

As to the state of the Villa, I now feel a sense of relief that Gerrard is showing signs of learning from his over-rushed changes, particular in his desire to quickly meet the target of NSWE to get into the top few. It's also interesting that the Villa's defence has partly reverted to "as you were" last season, with Konsa and Mings both starting to form the good partnership they had before Gerrard's arrival, a situation that has been brought about by the enforced absence of Carlos. 

The other major signing in the summer (Kamara) is also sidelined, but not so serious it would appear. And we have both Dendoncker and Chambers to cover that position, as well as Luiz, who looks as though he is on the way out of the Club. Anyway, Luiz is clearly better in a more forward position.

The big revelation has been Ashley Young since he took over from the injured Cash in the first third of the Man City match. Though I like Matty Cash, Ashley seems to add some authority in that position and has undoubtedly helped to galvanise better effort and method from the team in the last couple of matches. Having said that, the Saints match was not one for anyone hoping to see quality football. "Pragmatism" seems to be Gerrard's newfound word, and in the light of where Villa was in the table two matches ago, his approach is not easy to argue with.

Gerrard has still to get better input from Coutinho, who often shows flashes of brilliance but without doing anything to turn a match on its head. Meanwhile, the more direct Buendia is looked upon as a support player, even though he is still the club's most expensive signing and, arguably, achieves a lot more. It's often been the case of failure by Ings and Watkins to take advantage of Buendia's magical through balls that have stopped Buendia from acquiring more 'assists'.

Meanwhile, while Bailey looks as though he's a star in the making still, he is far from becoming a supernova.

I have a quiet confidence developing that Gerrard will do better than seemed to be the case a month ago, but how much better remains to be seen. Has he really got the ability to turn a sow's ear into velvet? We shall see.

Meanwhile, I am disgusted with the attitude of fans on some blogs (such as The Villa Blog) who this week were denigrating Gerrard by saying that "he had pushed his head coach under a bus" (and such statements) simply because Gerrard had mentioned in his after match interview that perhaps the new coach was keen for the Villa to be playing a better attacking game. But Gerrard said this while admitting that had been his attitude also, so he was hardly criticising only the coach.

While I am still not Gerrard's greatest fan, I feel that many football supporters just like to read the power of their own indictments while releasing their frustrations, supported by their own prejudice. Fairness goes by the board.

So, nearly two weeks before another football match followed by a month of fixtures before the long World Cup break. Where will the Villa be once we get into the New Year? Anything is possible!

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Do I see a little light? Bailey did!

Based on the Villa's performance in the last 60 minutes I would say there's room for a fair amount of hope. I say that but it was not until Ashley Young came on to replace the injured Matty Cash at 27m did the Villa shown any kind of method. If anyone played a captain's part, he did, constantly seeking a constructive way out of defence and not doing badly in his defensive duties either.

Villa's fortune also seems to be blessed, just as it was against Arsenal early on in mid-week. Before Young's entry I would have expected City to have put two chances away with the calibre of players they have. However, none of their shots was on target during a period when Villa's response to City's constant attack was to get the ball upfield just in the hope that some Villa player would latch onto it. But if Villa did "latch onto it" it was a very rare moment indeed during that period.

Villa kicked off with a side that looked set up to try to snatch a draw, but early on it did not look as though that was on. By half-time, though, I was actually beginning to warm to the idea of getting a draw following Villa's better (but still spasmodic) method in the last 15 minutes of the half. Then... On 50m  de Bruyne somehow got a sublime cross over to Haaland and Villa were behind.

De Bruyne had three Villa defenders to get his centre past on his side of the pitch, not counting the centre-back who should have been close to Haaland in the centre, one Ezri Konsa. Although Martinez seemed to be wrongly positioned, the goal was a superb piece of movement.

"Will there now be an avalanche of goals from them?", I thought.

Well, no. Indeed, 25 minutes later, the Villa constructed their best move of the match via Ramsey, who beautifully switched the ball to Bailey across the penalty area and - wham! The equaliser was beautifully struck and placed.

That goal was good for the Villa fans, the Club and especially for Bailey. His first league goal for a year, and one that was a trademark of his undoubted talent. More please!

Well, what to make of it? While I am partially relieved, Gerrard seems to like getting a chance to organise a good performance when it comes to playing the top teams. Next week, however, we go to lowly Leicester. That - in my opinion - will be the next real test for they want to get points and rise from the bottom. It's an opportunity for the Villa to show that today's result was not a fluke by getting a good win.

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PS The Coutinho 'goal' was not disallowed in reality as the whistle had been blown before Phil had kicked the ball goalwards. The officials, however, seem to agree that they should not have called an offside.

The Transfer Window: Signs Of Non-signings

It is of course noteworthy that Gerrard said that the signing of Coutinho would make Villa a bigger attraction for other major players to enter the portals of Villa Park. However, apart from Carlos and Kamara, what has happened is anything but that aspiration, particularly now that Villa are flirting with the relegation zone.

Though I am not criticising the player himself, the only permanent signing yesterday - Dendoncker - is hardly a player that the Villa supporters are likely to be ecstatic about. Indeed, I understand that at Wolves he had quietly slid down the ranks of their midfielders and hence why he wanted a move.

He could still, of course, prove to be a very useful signing, but in the face of the fact that a player who has shown grace on the field of play - the versatile Chambers - cannot get into Villa's team as a first-choice player, it makes me wonder what is going on. 

Pretty well everyone is agreed that there is little about Villa's forward play that is either constructive enough or indicates a style of any kind. Pretty well everyone also thought that a 'number 8' was an essential need for Villa to get going with the forward progression problem. But no. Is it that Villa's owners, NSWE, are becoming hugely sceptical of the chief coach (who isn't coaching) and are not going to throw further large sums at Villa until their idea of progress is made?

Villa's position in the league is certainly not what NSWE expected, I am sure, and Purslow's assertion that Dean Smith's 2021 playing record was not good enough doesn't stand up to scrutiny now, after Gerrard's 9 months in charge. To me it seems increasingly clear that Dean Smith needed a strong right-hand man (Terry style) to help get him through the Grealish aftermath. After all, players like Konsa and Targett were flourishing under the Smith-Terry combo. Targett went quickly after Gerrard came in and Konsa no longer looks like the dominant c-b he once was. And, still, Chambers doesn't get a proper look in.

In fact, despite the lack of points being experienced under Smith last season, Villa's players did seem to have a better sense of togetherness and style than they have now. Rumours of all not being well at Bodymoor have surfaced.

To bring in Dendoncker now tells me that the immediate future is all about hands to the pumps and the use of muscle to try to grab points. Oh, and Luiz has been retained solely to score more goals from corner kicks! Muscle and dead ball goals - does that sum up the Villa's aspirations now? It's a policy that will not get the targetted 7th place, that's for sure.

The Coutinho experiment was a lovely dream but hardly very realistic having seen how his performances had dropped since his Liverpool days. Buendia seemed to me to be a much more lively option, but he's not getting a proper run in the team. Nor is Bailey. And certainly not Archer. And Sanson?

The PR team at Villa were recently trying to re-launch Lerner's "Bright Future", and plans for extending Villa Park were announced and are said to be proceeding. Instead, we have a looming and ongoing energy price problem that may see those extra 10,000 seats never being filled if that problem persists, as it is likely. Supporters may well soon have to choose between a season ticket and paying their bills.

The scenario does not indicate a very "Bright Future" despite the hype. Realities are for me rapidly catching up with football. Like everything else, we may soon be choosing what is really sustainable; despite what Bill Shankley said, when it comes down to it there are greater things to be concerned about than sport - and entertainment in general, in fact. This is particularly as it's now a very expensive industry for its punters to participate in.

Well, all that aside (for a few days), we welcome Man City this weekend.

And, despite all, UTV!

Villa Nearly Gunned Down But Also Nearly Get A Point

Well, Villa played with spirit. Fielding the same team put out against the Palace, Villa at least stood up and put their bodies in the right places this time when it came to defending, and had the benefit of a fair amount of luck first half, as well as two superlative saves from Martinez. Shame that he was somewhat to blame for their first goal but, at that stage, the Gunners in fact deserved to be well ahead.

In the second half, Villa were a lot better, attacking-wise, than in the first half, in which Buendia again had at least one reasonable chance to score early on.  But Villa just did not seem to have the 'extra' to create a clear-cut chance. Then, no soon as Luiz came on as a sub, he again produced his now-famous corner piece and fashioned Villa's equaliser, and that was it from Villa really. As before - Villa then soon let in their opponents to score and in fact gain their winner.

What is now very worrying is that Villa are now in 19th place and in 24 hours might even be in bottom place. Perhaps that's where Villa will be after Saturday once Haaland has been to do his demolition job. And then Villa must find the spirit - and attacking skill - to get out of the mire. The best we can hope for this season seems to be escaping relegation rather than looking to 7th place.

It's the attacking side of things that is the biggest worry after watching yet another game where the opponents were not just smarter in getting the ball back, but seemed to know what their colleagues were up to and passed accurately. Apart from Everton and possibly West Ham, all Villa's opponents this season - even Bournemouth - have been quicker, more alert and more accurate when it comes to going forward.

The Villa do not seem to have the answer in how to create chances. Even their centres invariably go to the heads of defenders. There seems to be little method: there's just spirit and dead ball chances now.

In a recent article, Ally McCoist reckons the loss of Michael Beale to his coaching team is playing a part in Steven Gerrard's current form at Aston Villa.

The revelation awhile ago that Gerrard was happy to delegate the coaching to Beale was worrying to me, and particularly so now that he's gone. It's effectively just like losing Dean Smith last season all over again as a new coach is leading them this season, albeit working to parameters that I presume Gerrard must have set.

Well, there's little else to say just now. At least we can say it was only a one-goal defeat, but the scoreline does not reveal what happened. I will doubtless have a better idea of the situation after the City match.

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Reflecting On Cherries, Eagles and Hammers

Villa's opening defeat at Bournemouth was a result of an uninspiring and poor Villa performance and it looks decidedly worse when looking at Bournemouth's (the Cherries') record since, over 3 games: 0-4, 0-3 (home) and now 0-9. Zero goals were scored and 16 were conceded in that time. Certainly, those three defeats were against three of the League's best teams, but where, exactly, does that put the Villa's pretensions to coming close to these 'best teams'?

Well, at least Gerrard has not set his sights on emulating the strongest teams in the land just yet. He decided that West Ham and their performances of the last few seasons would be the immediate target. But, lo and behold, West Ham arrived at Villa Park today with zero points on the board and zero goals to go with it. So, just how did he set Villa's tactics to face such a team, who - surely - would be short of confidence after their opening lack of success this season?

It seemed to me that Gerrard set his team up to be cautious, not trusting West Ham's position in the league. That might have been a fair approach, but it was soon apparent that there was some nervousness in the West Ham defence. Even Declan Rice square passed across to a defender and expected him to stretch for the ball with every sinew.

More speed and less ponderous thought should have produced a good lead for Villa by half-time.

Surely, a team with Leon Bailey in their attack - especially supported by Buendia - would have punished them in that first half? I think so. The trouble was he was not hauled on until only 15 minutes remained on the clock, and in those 15 minutes he, Buendia and Ramsey - while not perfect - looked at least to be making a fighting statement. 

But David Moyes is too canny a guy. Having obtained a fortuitous lead, West Ham did pretty well everything they needed to do to keep Villa at bay. Their keeper did not have one really serious save to make all match. Not that Martinez had too much to do either, except pick the ball out of the net on one occasion, unluckily beaten by a shot that had a wicked deflection on it.

Villa for me, though controlling the first half, looked so ultra-cautious. And though I thought Luiz deserved a starting position after recent displays, he again reverted to passing backwards when Villa needed to go forwards.

No player - apart from Little Phil (more later) - wanted to take full control going forward until the subs came on in the 65th minute.

So, I can imagine David Moyes thinking at half-time, "If we muster up some energy we can beat this lot!". And they did - both mustered the energy and beat the Villa. Quite deservedly too based on their performance after the interval, although Villa's defence looked competent most of the time. It was the play going forward that was the problem - Villa could not get control second half.

Digne, in fact, did one great thing in this match in tracking back and robbing Bowen when he was about to pull the trigger. For the rest of the match, Digne seemed to me to be either forever allowing West Ham to block his passes out of defence or centring the ball straight to the head of a West Ham defender, and doing this over and over again.

Despite the fact that this is the first Gerrard full season and that you would not expect everything to be not yet quite right and dusted, for me he has passed up a good chance of getting 9 points on the board so far this season. Perhaps 10. These opening fixtures were not against the top rank. And who do we face next? Oh, just the Gunners and Man City!

Just where are Villa's goals going to come from? Little Phil must surely be rested now; he does try but seems not to be up to the rigours of the Premier League in his more advanced years. Buendia is significantly more effective in my opinion, but still we are missing something in midfield, and I actually now think there is a problem with McGinn. For me he is not the player he was before Gerrard arrived and after being made to be more of an automaton, it seems to me. The captaincy is not helping methinks.

As things stand I do not think that Gerrard is good for Villa. Even as a statement of the club's aspirations, he needs to back it up with capable team selection and management. He is failing i.m.o. But if Gerrard goes, then there's also an argument that Purslow should accompany him, but it may well be that his achievements on the business side will save him from that ignominy.

Well, if Villa get taken apart by the Gunners and Man City there will surely be nothing left by way of an argument for Gerrard to stay. Continually getting rid of managers is certainly not the best way, but looking at the achievements of Vieira and Howe in such short a time I really do have to ask just how can we be so bad by comparison?

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Hardly A Trot Against The Trotters

Well, we won ... and a 4-1 result looks good for the record books doesn't it?

On the other hand, we played with a strong team against a team two tiers down in the league. What's more, up until a fortuitous goal direct from a corner after 35 minutes, we were a goal down and against a side that played with not very different movement and commitment than Palace last Saturday. Bolton - a club with so much history - was certainly up for it and a banana skin situation looked very much on the cards. They played with skill.

What for me was most alarming is that wee Phil had so much opportunity with his three chances to score first half, but put two shots straight into the keeper when given space and a free-kick that went straight into a wall. Has he lost confidence? I feel divided in my feelings about him; he's a player with proven and visible class but just can't seem to get himself going. I want him to succeed, but something isn't right just now. Last night was his big chance to get his confidence back and I'm sorry to say he fluffed his lines.

Let's take a look at the four goals we scored against a goalkeeper who was clearly not of Premier League class though he saved well on a couple of occasions:

1. Luiz's goal direct from a corner. The 'keeper was certainly not focused properly, though you have to give credit to Luiz for such a well-delivered ball.
2. A penalty. A second dead-ball goal.
3. The chance was well spotted but the 'keeper was way out of position, giving a clear chance to Digne.
4. Well, this was a coup de grace - a superlative late goal by Bailey delivered against an already defeated Bolton.

In short, only one real quality goal from open play - the last. And by then Bolton was well defeated and could have conceded another two in the final minutes, and two chances that Villa should have taken.

Archer came on too late to make a big difference, but as always his sharpness was palpable. There lies a talent that needs to be given better chances to play. For goodness sake, he scored last season against a strong Chelsea and has always shown up well.

Going forward, for me Luiz did quite well, and Bailey (coming on at 71m) again was bright and scored a very good goal. I sadly can't see enough in Ings to warrant his selection in front of Archer. Sadly, the main strikers failed to score in open play.

Coutinho I've already talked about; Buendia (71m) showed up fairly well without being a bright light. Otherwise in the middle of the park we had Kamara and McGinn giving away too many free kicks and sometimes in dangerous positions. McGinn seems to have gone backwards. Perhaps he is trying too hard to justify his captaincy?

Captaincy seems to be a burden as Mings has been almost majestic these past two matches.

In short, a good score for the record books but not enough hope in the performance to envisage a good performance against the Hammers in the next match. Midfield really is a problem, apart from the general malaise that was still apparent - particularly first half.

But, this is all part of the usual Aston Villa story. We should be used to it.

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