Aston Villa Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours/Champions League Thread 2024/25

Esse85

Young with a beauty.

remoteboy

Get in!

circadian

Lovely goal, fair play. Oldest goal scorer for Villa with that one.

Esse85

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119727704#Comment_119727704

Older than Peter Schmeichel when he scored?

basillarkin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119727730#Comment_119727730

yes was said in commentry

remoteboy

Don’t see this finishing 11-a-side

Esse85

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119727797#Comment_119727797

Ref is such a homer.

CSF

Truly despise everything about Gerrard's Aston Villa.

Esse85

Two poor sides you'd know are towards the bottom of the league.

Watkins has offered zilch, must of lost every 50:50 battle. Stupidly offside a few times.

Midfield doesn't gel as per usual. Buendia and Coutinho too lightweight and no pace.

circadian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119727753#Comment_119727753

Ya know what, I think they're wrong. Pretty sure Schmeichel was 38, it was 2001 he scored wasn't it?

Patser

Christ I miss Smith. I miss el Ghazi, I miss Trez - they mightn't have been great but they'd actually run. I miss Targett tearing down the wing too. I miss the Cash and Ramsey of 2 seasons ago, 100% effort and running themselves ragged, the same with McGinn....

Instead now we get slow pass to feet, 2 or 3 touches to slow it down, then pass to another's feet, then wonder why opposition are all back and organised, so pass back, pass back, then Young or Mings launch it for poor old Watkins to chase forlornly....

Is it that hard to create a diamond where Luiz feeds Coutinho/Buendia who then has McGinn and Ramsey tearing past him to offer options, Cash running wide, Watkins dragging defenders out of position, all at speed. Just show some urgency

Esse85

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119727828#Comment_119727828

https://khelnow.com/football/top-10-oldest-goalscorers-in-premier-league

I'm watching on sky so didn't hear that commentary but that link says Schmeichel is two months off 38, whereas Young has another 9 months before he's 38.

circadian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119727797#Comment_119727797

Aye it's getting tasty.

Patser

This is not a Premier League game..... everything feels like a League 1 exhibition match. Atmosphere, quality, tension....

It's dire

Panrich

Our midfield is so shite.

Esse85

McGinn and Watkins should be replaced by Sanson and Archer/Ings.

Absolutely putrid stuff.

Patser

I'd have Dendonker on for Ramsey, Luiz pushed up.....

Oh here's Dendonkcer on for McGinn, so hopefully Luiz up.

And now Archer too, just what I was hoping for. Let's hope it works

remoteboy

Utter dross. There’s no way we stay up if something doesn’t change.

Patser

Luiz still sitting back.... last man usually

Mings somehow the one offering width, Konsa the playmaker

Esse85

Forest lost the last 5 and conceded 18 in the process and look at the state of Villa.

Dendoncker has no mobility or pace.

sc86

Terrible stuff

artanevilla

This is an great point well won against two time European Champions. Away from home no less.

Patser

And there's one huge difference youth and enthusiasm bring. Archer gets ball, runs at defence, gets fouled but keeps going, suddenly there's space, causes all sorts of issues.

Either side of that Young and Luiz both separately throw hands up to ref, stop, lose all momentum, even if its a free they are in useless positions. Just awful to watch. The game is nothing but niggly little fouls, and looking to ref.

1-1. We need a change

sc86

Wow fixture list is terrible looking

Panrich

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119728086#Comment_119728086

Yes. Another great performance. Even was able to give McGinn and Coutinho a well deserved rest.

JPA

Wow, he hasn't a clue, the team haven't a clue.

I'm not one bit surprised by that really either.

You could tell the Villa players had more quality out there, it was like playing a championship team, they just didn't know how to break them down.

LeBash

That was a really tough watch. We are going to beat or draw with Chelsea and it buys Gerrard another 5 or 6 weeks.

CSF

I've said it before and I'll say it again. There is nothing to be excited about at Villa until the day he is gone.

Esse85

Surely he cannot remain in seat after that.

artanevilla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119728098#Comment_119728098

Absolutely, the whole front line got a rest as they were obviously informed to make as little movement as possible. One can only assume the intel on Forest was that their defender's are reptiles who can't see movement.

CSF

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119728131#Comment_119728131

He can and most likely will. Its been a club that has been addicted to mediocrity with Jack Grealish the only shining spark that took that away temporarily.

pavb2

It was really just a continuation of how we played against Leeds but with less chances, its like watching football under Bruce.

plenty of supporters calling for Gerrard out at the end.

chases0102

Such dross.

The inevitable needs to be done now. If we can't beat a ten man Leeds and a Forest team who had lost 5 in a row how are we going to get any results with our fixture list coming up? And even outside of the results, our performances have been absolutely toothless, slow and worryingly lacking any drive or even effort. I agree with all that has been written above - Watkins' confidence completely gone, why not start Ings last night for example? And as for Coutinho, it's such weak management from SG who is clearly just indulging his friend at this point.

You'd obviously long for the feel good factor of the Smith era, despite how is ended. If only that 2 goal lead against Wolves was kept....

LeBash

Watkins scored 16 in his first season. He hit the bar or post almost as many times. He looks nothing like the player he was under Smith.

Esse85

Douglas Luiz has signed a new long term contract.

Obviously goods news from the club's POV but seems bizarre from his side.

pavb2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119744543#Comment_119744543

Yes, didn’t see that coming I thought he was nailed on to go to Arsenal in January

artanevilla

She's obviously good at what she does.

Patser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119744543#Comment_119744543

Delighted with that. Really think he has the potential to be a key midfielder for us, if played properly ie. given a bit more freedom to be creative when Kamara comes back

Bounty Hunter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119745483#Comment_119745483

Honestly I would not be surprised if this did play a part combined with Villa getting desperate and offering him a great deal.

it is good news though and the lad should have never been out of the team . It’s just a pity it took Kamara’s injury to get him in the side regularly. Think the two of them at the base of our midfield could have made us much more solid and allowed McGinn to play his Scotland role.

The quality of the sides that were interested show the quality the lad has when employed in the right role so hopefully we can see that going forward.

CSF

Obviously none of us want to lose tomorrow, but from a purely logical standpoint would a defeat that got Gerrard sacked be more beneficial in the long run than 3 points?

OneColdHand

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119747733#Comment_119747733

I dont want us to lose as we will need every point we can get. But if we are going to lose, it might be best that we just get thumped 5-0.

CSF

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119748915#Comment_119748915

Yeah, kinda like this. Like yourself, I’ll never watch a game wanting anything other than to win. And tomorrow will be no exception.

But I do believe that every week earlier that he leaves, will result in a higher points tally at the end of the year. If a point tomorrow got Gerrard an extra 2/3 weeks, that probably leads to a lower final points tally than if he goes tomorrow after a defeat.

LeBash

Didn't think Bailey was back for today. Essentially 3 strikers starting is very optimistic imo.

Panrich

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119751293#Comment_119751293

A midfield 3 of Luiz, McGinn and Ramsey up against Chelsea is not something to look forward to. Gerrard has a blind spot about what constitutes a competitive balance in his team.

OneColdHand

Buendia must be so pi$$ed off. Coutinho is finally benched, and he still doesnt get a start.

remoteboy

Ugh

Panrich

Well that was much better apart from the scoreline. Much more like a Dean Smith display. A bit of width without Coutinho or Buendia makes a difference.

Patser

Not much you can do when you throw everything at them but can't score, meanwhile 2 of your key players mess up and gift them soft goals

OneColdHand

The worst thing is Stevie G will be able to put this down to individual errors

Esse85

Lack of goals scored is absolutely alarming, nobody had scored twice in the league this season.