As I write this, it looks as though QPR will brave the elements on head up to Villa Park since our pitch has been kept nice and warm. And I must admit, I have a bit of a soft spot for the Hoops—after all, Stan Bowles was one of my favorite players back in the day.
Being in London, trips to Villa Park weren’t as frequent as I’d have liked. So, there were eagerly anticipated days out to see Villa on their travels, then many others to Loftus Road, Upton Park, Craven Cottage, and Stamford Bridge when Villa weren’t on the bill somewhere. Leyton Orient, even. Think I still have that program somewhere. White Hart Lane and Highbury not as often, but I don’t know why, especially since Liam Brady was another of my favorites. In the end, I didn’t much care as long as we were at a match, and dad was paying.
It’s been many years since I was a boy in the ’70s, so some will forgive me thinking QPR are one of those teams that seem like they should be in the top flight along with Villa, Forest and Leeds. There are others, too, stamped in my memory, but it was just a moment in time. A glorious time, actually, because…well, because that’s when I fell in love with football and it all seemed so perfect.
There won’t be any love lost Saturday, though, if the game goes ahead as scheduled. Just like every other match since the holidays, Villa obviously need maximum points. I also find Ian Holloway annoying and entertaining in almost equal measure—the annoying side usually wins out—and look forward to seeing him on the losing end.
Word is that Uncle Albert will be ready, restoring a bit of balance and danger. Jack seems to be on hold until at least Tuesday’s clash with Sunderland. Axel and Alan are still out.
Steve Bruce’s presser wasn’t bad insofar as he acknowledged it’s taking a bit to retool in the absence of Adomah and Grealish, and that his ‘strategery’ is leaving us open. Of course, that might be down to certain players as much as a change of system, but fair enough. Plenty of blame to go round. At any rate, we did somehow find the goals late in a game where the scoreline could easily have been reversed, and that always buoys a team. We didn’t stop trying, and I’d like to think it helps build a sense of destiny around the campaign.
In the meantime, keep warm.
Over to you.
The Author
John Clark
John is co-owner of AVL, and has followed the Villa since the '70s. A journalist by trade, he is, by most accounts, a very nice person. You can follow me on Twitter @JClarkKohoutek. It's an astonishing experience. Or a complete waste of time.Comments 96
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John,
I too have fond memories of players like Stan Bowles (and Rodney Marsh) and QPR v Villa was the first match I saw after I moved to London in ’76. Then Brian Little and Andy Gray led the way for us, and three-quarters of the way through the match a stick-like player came onto the pitch as sub by the name of Gordon Cowans. I think it was his 2nd appearance in a Villa shirt. I thought “who is this player … he doesn’t look as though he’ll last long”!! Whoops!
As for the deviating thread on the previous page, I’ve made a couple more comments but am leaving them there. Basically I think that in contrast to Trump, Putin is Captain Marvel! 😀
Lovely, John…Those were good days.
All I can say is that compared to Trump, anyone might look good. Will be back for kick-off.
Thanks for the leader, JC.
Hope you guys up north are keeping warm. I did a bit of snorkeling early this morning. The afternoon was largely spent doing work stuff before doing a good hill walk to get a sweat up. After that, I watched the cricket, England vs NZ on TV. It was a good match.
I feel Villa has a good chance of beating whoever they play these days but I’m lousy at predicting results. Hope you all enjoy the QPR game.
UTV
My favourite memory of a QPR v Villa game was in the 70’s at Loftus Rd, midweek, semi final of the League Cup 1st leg.
Stan Bowles (or was it Rodney Marsh?) was taking the pi$$ in front of the main stand as usual. He beat our LB John Robson only to go back around him and beat him a 2nd time. When he tried it a 3rd time Robbo kicked in the goolies and the main stand was outraged. Needless to say, all of us in the Villa end roared our approval. The game finished 0-0.
Sorry to disappoint, or may be please you all folks, but the game has been postponed, and I wonder if the game on Tuesday is safe against Sunderland.
It will now give Villa the chance to get more players fit, and save many fans from missing the game.
Plug,
In that 3-match League Cup sequence in ’77, wasn’t there a big mess-up concerning Frank McLintock and (I think) Brian Little?
For those not of the 70s, the craggy Scottish half-back McLintock had been a big player with Leicester and Arsenal and was then playing out his days at QPR.
It’s the first game at Villa Park to be called off since the game against Leicester City in December 2000.
The rearranged fixture will now take place on Tuesday 13th March at 7.45pm
(Courtesy of the MOMS site)
Oh well can’t help but feel that if it was in the prem it would be on 🙂
Strange that Bristol’s, forest and derbys games are still on though they had it pretty bad I think
Mark, thawing fast down here in the southwest, which would explain why the Bristol game is on.
Having previously lived in Staffordshire for a number of years, I noticed on a number of occasions how the weather went from sleet to snow as you climbed up towards Birmingham . . . . I guess there’s been a bit of that happening over the last few days.
We’ve already been refunded for our tickets as there’s no way we can get up from Devon to Birmingham for a midweek evening game.
Can’t help feeling that the club should be considering a ‘weekend’ season ticket for fans like me who find it impossible to get to midweek games but would like to secure a seat for all the weekend games.
PP. I reckon the Sunderland game will be fine. Yesterday was so snowy here that the only way I could get milk from our local village was to ski there as the roads were impassable. Today the fields are 90% green again and as the warmth spreads north I’m guessing the same will happen in Aston shortly.
r0bb0
Know what you mean, I’ve run out of milk & it’s either dig the car out & de-ice, which is difficult for me, or focus on the wood for the fire.
The fire’s won, thank goodness for freezers & fridges
Sounds a rough life, Trinity. Glad someone’s got it right.
Dug the car out yesterday to fetch bread and milk, but had no intention of going anywhere today!
not much sign of any thaw here in Mid-Wales, and not sure of how bad weather and freezing will be around Sunderland and Newcastle. It is not the pitches that are the problem, but health and safety around the grounds.
Tidied my old Villa programmes, finding the one for the QPR game that JL referred to against QPR on 18 February 1977. A great piece on a young lad by the name of Gordon Cowans, who had played a couple of times for the first team, and at 18yrs old was hoping to make his name, under the guidance of a certain Bill Shorthouse, but it was Vic Crowe who had invited him to Villa Park to look around when he was 11 years old. Ron Saunders was the man who instigated his development.
Nice to hear him say how much the first team players, Dennis Mortimer, Frank Carrodus, Leighton Phillips and Chris Nichol, all helped in mentoring him.
Different era then, as the biggest home crowd of the season up to then was 50, 084 against Small Heath!!!
Brian Little scored his hat trick in the replay at Highbury, before we went onto our 3 match final saga against Everton, and once again, I was lucky enough to be there, and still have the programmes as a memento!
Fulham now two up away to Derby….Look out !! they are on the up…!
Paul,
Thanks for digging up your old progs!
Bill Shorthouse was an old Wolves player of the 40s/50s.
I think it was Cowans who was lured to Villa by signing his father as the kit manager! 😀
Cowans, Little and Johnny Dixon were all from the north-east.
beginning to thaw in north Oxfordshire and rain due later
I think you could be right JL,
His Dad and Mum ran the Villa hostel for about a year, and that is when we finally grabbed Gordon as an apprentice. His Mum and dad had moved there from Mansfield, which is where Vic Crowe spotted him.
John Deehan scored both goals in the 2-2 draw at Villa Park against QPR, who were described as one of these best footballing sides in the league at the time, but their position in the league did not reflect that!…Villa finished fourth…. behind Liverpool, Man City and Ipswich…..how times change..!!
Below us Arsenal, Man Utd and Newcastle Utd…!!
Fact file:
1976/77 season Brian Little played every single minute of the 56 matches that Villa played, scoring 26 goals, only 3 behind Andy Gray, who scored 29. He was 23 years old and had been playing first team football since 1972 aged 19yrs old!
More snow due in Brum at 7 until about midnight, with freezing fog after that, until freezing rain due later about 3am until 8ish, then more fog.
Then the thaw with freezing patches, with rain for most of next week off & on.
So our next match should be on at least.
Am amazed that Gordon Cowans never missed a match between 1079 and 1983. Players must have been made of different stuff in those days, or is it that when you are small and skilful, you avoid being caught and injured, until some player decides to clog you, and put you out of the game for good..!!
Paul: “Villa finished fourth…. behind Liverpool, Man City and Ipswich…..how times change..!!
Let’s not forget that Ipswich were then a top team and we put 5 past them as we did also Arsenal *and* Liverpool..
In fact we did well against all the top half of the table but did not win the championship (it seems) because we didn’t do so well against the bottom half!
Swansea on the up, with Jordan Ayew playing his part again, while Bristol City thrashing Wednesday 4-0. Derby beginning a fightback, now 1-2.
Notice Pullis is now getting the best out of Traore and Bamford at the ‘Boro. Watch them start to climb.
Deeney still doing his stuff at Watford..
72 min Fulham v Derby now 2-1
Bristol city v SW 4-0
Small Heath now losing 1-0 v Forest
Fulham now only 1 point behind us
Fulham are 1 point behind, but they are behind … which is the operative word, and with Villa having a game in hand.
Small Heath lose 2-1 against Forest – in bottom 3 [hee hee], & Barnsley [4th from bottom] has a game in hand, as does Burton [2nd from Bottom] & Hull 5th from bottom.
As do the top 3, but Fulham beat Derby 2-1 & are only 1 point behind us
Is it too soon to call it? Or is there anybody else thinking like me?
The 2 auto promotion places are now looking like any 2 from Wolves, Cardiff, Villa and Fulham. Not wishing to write off other teams but it now seems a 4 horse race to me.
Plug
That’s how I see it, & what happens on Tues & against Wolves, should illuminate our chances of auto promotion
Plug,
But it’s really a race between Cardiff, Villa and Fulham – Wolves are not likely to fall out of the top 2… Are they?
I think Plug just meant that Wolves have one of the two spots sewn up, so the top two will ultimately be Wolves, plus one of Cardiff, Villa, or Fulham.
This is why beating Fulham was so important if we wanted to solidify our second place ambitions, we would be 6 more points ahead of them now, as it is I can’t see them losing again unless PNE or Sheff utd can stop them. After the next two (Sheff utd, PNE) there run in is easy, ours not so can’t see Leeds or Norwich taking points off them. We have given ourselves a hill to climb with wolves derby cardiff and Leeds at home, we also have some tough away grounds to visit, Millwall, Bolton, Ipswich,Hull, Norwich. If we are going to get second we really have to win the lot, Villa tints on and fingers crossed.
Losing to Fulham could end up being a disaster. Of all our recent games, that was probably one of the most important, unless we can win at least 3 out of the next 4.
Winning the Wolves and QPR games are now crucial, and coming away with at least a point from Sunderland on Tuesday.
I agree with you MK. Think between now and the end of the season we need to match Fulham’s results moreso than Cardiff’s. Starting with a win at the Stadium of Light. All out attack please Mr SB.
Fulham’s last game of the season is at small heath who will throw them a win if it stops Villa from getting promoted. Despite Steve Cotterill being handed the tin tack tonight.
John,
I did understand that. However, I was just pointing out that it’s really a race just for the other promotion spot. That’s all! 🙂
Villa’s Automtaic Promotion Chances
I think we’re over-hyping already about the situation. It can really go any way and Fulham may (I don’t wish it upon them) start suffering injuries to cause them to fall back. or just bad luck or even bad form.
We all know that footie can go that way, and usually does. Certainlt, Fulham’s run goes back some way and I find it difficult to accept that they’ll continue that way right to the end of the season.
So long as Villa just treat the auto-promotion opportunity as being in their own hands and not worry about others.
Mark,
I found this link which seems to tie in quite nicely to Muldashev’s book in respect of psychic issues.
https://simplecapacity.com/2016/08/scientists-discover-that-humans-have-a-magnetic-6th-sense-to-detect-something-we-cant-even-see/
The article includes the statement:
Researchers at HeartMath have begun what’s called the The Global Coherence Initiative (GCI), an international cooperative effort to help activate the heart of humanity and facilitate a shift in global consciousness. It aims primarily to invite people to participate by actively adding more heart-coherent love, care, and compassion into the planetary field. The second focus is scientific research into how we are all energetically connected with each other and the planet, and how we can utilize this interconnectivity to raise our personal vibration and thereby help create a better world.
But you’ll find that what they’re doing is replicating all of what was indicated in the Vedas long ago. Another Russian – Ouspensky – did a lot of investigation into inter-connectivity into this in the early part of the 20th c. and is documented in his book “The Fourth Way”.
Certainly the Armenian named Gurdjieff knew all this as do all advanced mystics.
Thanks JL- There are many fields all investigating the same phenomenon at the moment, all from different angles in my eyes. The Bio-field is being mapped and used for healing through technology, the effects of Electro magnetic fields we generate through wifi, dirty electricity etc are all found to cause problems. I have no doubt that this is all old hat in former civilisations although maybe they still had more of that 6th sense available?
Earths magnetic fields have been dropping for years, maybe we are part of the reason they are or we are generating opposing fields the more we expand in population, modernisation and unrest? who knows.
One thing I like from Muldashev’s book is that its clear the earth/environment has an effect on us, call it nature or evolution it doesn’t matter. So if we have ever had a true usable sixth sense such as the third eye why would we devolve? or what caused us to devolve? Interesting also that great pains are taken to keep humans in existence rather than start another evolutionary cycle. Makes we wonder how random life really is?
I read about a project recently that has succeeded in creating a tractor beam that can lift very light objects. To make it work they had to use opposing torsion fields to stabilise the objects in the air. Maybe that is how The Atlateans used there third eye with both negative and positive fields needed?
One substance we have in our bodies from birth is called magnetite maybe it has some function in the body to do with our sixth sense? oddly you cannot add more through diet, you have what you have at birth.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/06/body-s-hidden-compass-what-it-and-how-does-it-work
Mark,
But scientific investigation is all very well, but what do they find? Something that’s already known!
In other words certain data has been hidden and hidden for a reason, as the previous civilisations didn’t use their knowledge wisely. Now, we have “to seek and thou shalt find” as Jesus said. But not just by scientific observation. That is something that scientists have yet to discover.
Brighton went 2-0 up against Arsenal
Now 2-1 at HT
Paul Pears and Mark. . . . but we DID beat Fulham!!!!!!!!!
We beat them 2-1 at our place. Maybe only games that we lose count as six pointers?
Did you know that we beat Burton away but Fulham lost the same fixture . . . . there’s another six points . . . but in our favour.
Ignore the six pointer nonsense please Mr Bruce and put out a side and tactics to win ‘every’ game . . . that’s all we want (or should do anyway)
Mark and John. In my youth I went to the library very regularly and avidly absorbed anything I could find about ley lines, previous civilisations, sixth sense etc but have steadily become an ultra cynic.
I’ve just started a beekeeping course and found that there is much research going on concerning various aspects of bee navigation. This includes various pieces of research revolving around their ability to detect magnetic fields using magnetite based receptors in the abdomen.
I may have become cynical, but maybe that’s why I find it really exciting when there are hints that conventional, experimental based science is discovering that aspects of the ‘mystical’ really could become the knowable.
You actually need to field walk with much of this so it doesn’t become an intellectual wish to prove what glitters to you.
Just as in the same way archeologists do, except coming at it with less limitations as it’s experiential more rather than applying theories, especially with Ley Lines where you have to tune in to the landscape & see it afresh as to what man has added in tune with the landscape.
Then wild landscape becomes easier to read & survival instincts kick in.
In the Himalaya it can mean the difference between life & death, & many places are dedicated to Kali, Durga or Shiva.
The Kali places are always dangerous often at certain seasons especially & if you get used to this it becomes logical & easier to see.
But it’s amazing how many people die because they ignore this.
IanG: “The Kali places are always dangerous often at certain seasons especially & if you get used to this it becomes logical & easier to see. But it’s amazing how many people die because they ignore this.”
And the fact that things like this occur should help the world to look more closely at phenomena and follow the clues as to why and how they exist. That way the world might learn something.
But of course there are vested interests in keeping us asleep. And we snore pretty loudly at that to close out what is uncomfortable. 😉
JL- I think you would be surprised at the thinking of some of the scientists involved in this field of work some are much like Muldashev, I have listened to many talk and they all stress the importance of the inner world, in fact gratitude and meditation are two of the biggest talked about subjects among top achievers in all sorts of fields.
Robbo- six pointers are games where you can directly effect the opposition close to you, we can’t stop Fulham beating anyone bar us, nor make them lose to others, can’t understand why you can’t grasp that. There are many games that effect the season of course but few that are in your hands at certain times.
Mark
I’ve accepted that at the end of the season if a team other than Aston Villa are in second then we’ll wish we’d beaten that team. But we’ll also wish we’d beaten Sheffield Wednesday and middlesborough . . . . Teams we really should have beaten.
I’m in the same position, that I really don’t understand why you can’t grasp that we need to try and win every game and the ones we’ll really regret losing are those that we ‘should’ have won!
How come we only drew with Birmingham and Hull and lost to Reading.
It’s why I was so angry doing a 450 mile round trip to watch as we failed to perform or score against Millwall .
That capitulation could be the day we threw away the premiership because we could and should have won it!
Even now, with only a dozen games to go, neither you nor I know which team will turn out to be the ‘one’ team that we should have beaten. Will it be derby or Fulham, or maybe someone else? A few months ago we might have said Sheffield united or Bristol city or even Leeds.
We can’t know which game it was until the end of the season so why treat any game differently . . . just try and win every game, because at the end of the season the only thing that matters is whether we have enough points.
.
Mark “There are many games that effect the season of course but few that are in your hands at certain times.”
All the games are in ‘our’ hands at all points through the season.
And Mark, several times now we’ve agreed to disagree. I’ve tried to see your perspective and have at least conceded that at the end of the season we may wish that we’d beaten the one team that takes the place in the table that we wanted.
At least I’m not so arrogant that I haven’t tried to see an alternative view or so deliberately confrontational that I have kept bringing the point up again and again and again.
I take it that 9 pointer would be beating a direct rival & either getting their star players sent off or sadly they get injured, resulting in prolonging them losing points to our immediate benefit after our particular match?
Come on Robbo, both your & Marks’s particular view are both valid, one does not disprove of negate the other, & in fact can include the other.
Mountain out of molehill it seems.
IanG- just a bit mate, or the term 6 pointer would not exist 🙂
To improve the gap between us and Fulham to 6 more points at this time we could have won three more games instead of drawing them against others, won two games that we lost against others, Fulham lose two games they have won against others or drawn three that they have won against others instead, or we could just beat them at Craven cottage opening up a further 6 point gap, hence six pointer. As they appear to be a serious contender not a bad idea.
Iang: ” I think you would be surprised at the thinking of some of the scientists involved in this field of work some are much like Muldashev”
No, I would not be surprised! 😉 In fact I know of scientists whose thinking is not so fixed and have read some of their material. Including Einstein who understood far more than the usual scientist in spiritual matters. But, there again, he was not educated in the scientific discipline but learnt what he did purely through his own endeavours. He was more open to truth no matter where it came from.
But the point is that there is still quite a gulf between spiritual philosophy and the sciences as disciplines and, as Muldashev indicates, there are many scientists who have closed the gates even further. And there are many who have not.
As I have said, there are many things that scientists say they have discovered but in fact were known long ago.
IanG: “[r0bb0’s comments:] Mountain out of molehill it seems.”
Spoken like a true Mark King fan club member! 😀
r0bb0: “at the end of the season the only thing that matters is whether we have enough points.”
That’s it – in a nutshell.
Until that point it’s like a long flat race at Ascot where the riders jockey and change positions several times before the winning post.
Talking about races, Roger Bannister has just died. Watching film of that historic race last night I was reminded of the pacemakers Chris Brasher and Chris Chattaway, who both became famous in their own lines.
The quote above my reply on science v religion should refer to MK of course, not IanG!
Jl
Not the only thing you got wrong mate!
JL
Your being a bit of an old reprobate stirrer & creating non-existent personality clashes over & over, rather than focusing on what is being said, is a little yawn inducing.
In racing, those situations where you describe ‘where the riders jockey and change positions several times before the winning post’, is the most entertaining & addictive part of flat racing, & without it it there wouldn’t be a sport to bet on.
ian g
he has a couple more aiding and abetting his words
JL- Do wanna be in my gang 😉
I’ve been struggling with the tread of late whether I should jump in or hold back. I’ve decided that you’ve all started to eat school paste again as you get more and more dodgy in your thinking. 🙂
A six pointer is an illusion where one adds the points lost by one team to the points gained by the victor. And regarding the end results when the season is over? Well that’s God’s will. We had nothing to do with the ending of said season. It’s all scripted in some mythical book that is built on hindsight and the herding of people who can’t think of themselves.
Robbo- Just read the rest of your your rather snotty bit of a dig , Arrogant ? Confrontational? Bringing up the point again? oh course nobody can accuse you of those things 🙂
As It is Fulham are now 1 point behind us as we speak and I thought it was worth revisiting as people were talking about it, you can take it personally as you have appeared to do or not ( take it from me it was not aimed at you, your not that special mate). You can always reserve your right to say nothing about it or you can cause a bit of a stink, last time I looked its not your place to decide what I can or cannot talk about, rather arrogant of you to think you can.
As it goes I have never disagreed that we will see at the end of the season if we have enough points. Only that the results we get against those around us can stretch or diminish the buffers we have against them. All teams will lose/draw unexpected games thats a given and any scenario be it yours or mine is ultimately pointless but as we are supposedly just having a chat not deciding the fate of mankind is it worth getting uppity about?
Hi Ian, like musical chairs mate better be ready when the music stops but if you can nudge the ones closest to you out the way at the right time its gold dust
IanG: “Not the only thing you got wrong mate!”
Of course, I make it a habi9t to lie about everything.
IanG: “In racing, those situations where you describe ‘where the riders jockey and change positions several times before the winning post’, is the most entertaining & addictive part of flat racing, & without it it there wouldn’t be a sport to bet on.”
Totally agreed Ian! Where’s our difference in opinion?
Ian: “I’ve been struggling with the tread of late…”
Brilliant Ian! Couldn’t have put it better myself! 🙂
MK,
I think you lose track of the fact that football is like water and the Moon … fortunes wax and wane. There’s usually little we can do to predict the result except where (say) Man City or Wolves are far enough ahead to say that they’ve achieved success.
Just read SB’s comments ahead of the Sunderland game. He says we have to be wary, they may have turned it around, scored 3 against Boro and Bristol C plus a draw at Millwall.
Dear oh dear. Looks like we will be going defensive again. Seeing quicksand at every turn. Just get stuck into them Villa from the first whistle. Like Fulham did at Derby and get 2 goals in the first 20 minutes. Non of this cagey cr*p.
Plug
Defensive, I hope not, but if so jedinak & not whelan.
If he plays a disinterested Onomah again we will have our work cut out.
Hope Jack is fit to come on as sub at least, but Adomah should start not Onomah.
Full on at speed with intensity is the best way forward in the first 25 min at least, as you say Plug.
At least it is on radio wm
Ian
It’s all illusory round here.
There is a feeling of satisfaction & advantage to us & deflation to losing ground to a close rival in the table for them [a 6 pointer].
Of course it’s not over until the fat lady sings [gawd help us], but fan morale is important as it transmits to the players, & the now is always more important at the time.
As for illusions, when I used to play rugby, there was a definite advantage playing a dirty team if we got someone sent of or concussed [not illusory to him] but sadly there was no table to reflect on, but we would have had fun with a 9 pointer.
That’s teenagers for you.
Sadly small heath has got a half decent manager now, so the pleasure of seeing them relegated will probably have to wait until another time.
JL
‘I think you lose track of the fact that football is like water and the Moon …’
Eh?
That’s even more debatable than a 9 pointer.
Ian
There’s always a 9 pointed lucky horseshoe
Wonder what the old holte end would have done with some of them?
JL
‘Where’s our difference in opinion?’
About as illusory as some of your wind ups
JG
Good to see you back
Everything fine after the weather?
ian g
fed up shovelling snow,
not great on here last while certain people are making them and anyone who doesnt agree with them wrong,trying to belittle us,i mean its a football blog not rocket science miss old steamer [rip] he didnt mince his words
IanG,
What a sunny personality you’ve proved to be! 😀
IanG,
BTW, I don’t deal in “wind-ups”, you’ll be sorry to hear.
If you or anyone else takes what I say to be such then that’s very unfortunate and not intended.
Boys, boys, Boys…….a little calm please, maybe all this talk on religion, science, spirituality, and possible alien invaders, has raise the tempo of the discussion here.
Only one more day, and we will be back full on football. The main thing that unites us all!!!
I am really enjoying a great book, which I bought a couple of years or so ago, from the man himself, the great Bobby Thomson, who became a legend in his own time. It is called “The real Bobby Dazzler” and written exactly how it was, with no punches pulled. Will give a bit of a summary of the bits that I feel are of interest to everyone, once I have finished it.
Hoping we can put out our strongest team tomorrow and get the win we need to keep us on course.
JG: “miss old steamer [rip] he didnt mince his words”
As I said before, Steamer and I got on pretty well face-to-face and on here as well.
He knew far more about certain su8btleties that a few on here miss unfortunately.
jl
there you go again trying to be smart but really you are coming over all sarcastic, i used to enjoy reading your posts etc,
now its jl is right and everyone who doesnt agree is against you,
James,
Nothing “smart” at all Hames. Just stating the truth.
It seems the truth is just not welcome.
Sorry if you took it as some kind of attack.
jl
i dont mind digs at all, thats what a football blog is about a bit of banter, but you are having a pop all the time and sorry its not all truth from your posts
James,
“Having a pop” is clearly your way of saying that I differ with you, as there is no other way in which I take a “pop” 😉
I suppose your “taking a pop” is the same as what IanG refers to as my “windups”.
They’re actually nothing of the kind but a way of asking people to think again. If it’s not liked then please look forward to the end of the season when I’ll be gone! 😀
I am more in sympathy with Ian (Canada), r0bb0 and Old Villan though others have a view or two I can appreciate as well.
well what a fantastic game of Monday night football! It had everything from start to finish with Crystal Palace, the underdogs, coming out and giving United a game, and going ahead with a Townsend goal, from a Benteke assist! They then went on to score a second, at the beginning of the second half, catching United on the break, and then of course Jose is not happy and intensifies the pressure with good substitutions. Then it is all out war and United eventually draw level, but Benteke has had a sterling game, losing count of the number of defensive headers he put in, as well as a great goal line clearance. Some good attacking play by both teams, but United pressure told in the end with a magnificent goal from Matic to win the game. Every player on the pitch put a real shift in.
Let us hope that tomorrow night’s game can live up to it, with Villa coming out on top. No-one can argue if the whole team put a shift in, and tonight United were not going home without the points.
Bobby Thomson would have said the same under Joe Mercer, we only believe in one thing, and that is the win…!!
JL
I also said it was illusory, & maybe cherry picking what suits at any given time ties one in knots as having one’s cake & eating it always gives one indigestion. ‘smiley round thing’ etc
PP
Yes let’s hope that in the moment in tomorrow’s game that the win will be the case.
Then everything else is neither here or there in that moment.
I would imagine there are no dissenters from that, but in advance of the moment, questions & doubt do arise as is natural.
pp
last nights game was just like watching fergies utd play us ,let us go 1/2 ahead and then bring on some unkown italian lad to score the winner
James, would that Italian guy be Macheda?
Fancy Grabban to get one tonight. He will surely be up for it. As long as he’s not benched in favour of Whelan.
IanG: “I also said it was illusory, & maybe cherry picking what suits at any given time ties one in knots”
Which is your impression of what is being said and not necessarily the truth, which is something that words do not properly describe anyway.
When you have had your say on such matters I generally keep quiet. You have doubtless studied/experienced in your way and that is your privilege – as others might have their privilege.
JL
It’s nothing to do with study, it’s basic working class understanding couched in different language.
You don’t ‘learn’ that, it just is that.
Cherry picking is a pointless exercise.
As is keeping on with this.
IanG,
So therefore please dispense with this idea of “cherry picking” – which it isn’t!
You might end up with getting the ‘pip’! 😀
I should also add that I’m very familiar with basic working class understanding – I’m from a council estate.
JL,
The council estates of the 50’s are very different to the council estates of the seventies, hence the change from building huge sprawling council estates to encouraging people to own their own home and take a pride in it. People took pride in having a home back then, with housewife’s polishing their doorknockers, cleaning their windows, and the man of the house tending his garden.
The council estates in the cities took on a different face in many areas in 70’s and were not the places to live. The more rural areas and some older city estates were ok, but not that many, especially as the years went on.
Not happy…!!!
Just did my thoughts on today’s match and it just disappeared….grrrrrrrrr..!!
Blimey I don’t know, I was thinking this morning that in my life (the real one) I get on with pretty much anyone, have some great discussions which never lead to animosity. The only place that happens is on here and we are supposed to be united by our love of Villa but not apparently each other 🙂
Saw a right set to in the Garden I had to sort out, two robins were laying into each other! Robins those chirpy little Xmas card chaps! I had to pull the little sods apart after explaining the seed feeder was communal, all joking aside I was genuinely shocked, they were so engrossed they could both of been cat food.
JL- yes mate fortunes wax and wane but they also sometimes result in runs like Burnley had and win the league, not losing a single game in the second half of the season in the process.
Also it doesn’t particularly bother me but others might not want to told to rethink? They might want to discuss there thoughts? it could also be seen as automatically putting your view in the position of being the correct one? hence the misunderstandings.
As for the magic of the 6 pointer folks we could of lost to Burton but Beat Fulham (upsetting their run) and be 4 points ahead of Fulham now not 1. Its not how it happened but an illustration of how things can sway position at the top.
Heres to a great game and the a winning result a brief return to harmony 🙂
Paul: “The council estates of the 50’s are very different to the council estates of the seventies, hence the change from building huge sprawling council estates to encouraging people to own their own home and take a pride in it.”
Paul, I am very sorry but I have to put you a little bit right on this! 🙂
(Actually I don’t know how this thread started!)
In point of fact I’ve just written a local history of Billesley and it’s quite clear that when the estate was built a good number of houses were built for purchase – and were purchased through the Municipal Bank. So the whole diea of making people have a pride in their houses by owning them is something that goes back to the 1920s.
The houses then privately purchased on the estate progressively increased until something like 30-40% was privately owned by the 1960s. Thatcher only emphasised a facility that was already available by the 1970/80s!
In point of fact, in the neighbourhood of Billesley where we lived – and for most of the surrounding area – people took a great deal of pride in their properties. Ours was always council rented but my father did a lot of improvements to the house and maintained a w9onderful garden, front and back. But that’s possibly supporting what you said about the character of estates changing (in a retrograde way) by the 1970s.
The fact remains that too many council houses were sold off.
Paragraph 1
Well despite my absence, it appears reading the above that we are still interpreting what each other is saying without the benefit of seeing the words being spoken and all the associated body language.
False or genuine mis-trust of where people are coming from will kill off this group. Debate is paramount, differing views/perspectives essential but keep in mind any pre-disposition towards someone will alter your interpretation of their words. I suggest we all take a step back and reconsider before we type.
Failing that, you are all a bunch of shits, just like me 🙂
Paragraph 2
From my perspective, I’m at that phase that looks at who is playing who, who can catch us, who can we catch and what are the permutations of winning/drawing or losing. There is no science to it just some innate ability to chance my arm at what might happen. Up until recently given the volume of games left, I paid little regard to the fortunes of any side outside of Villa.
Villa can only influence the games it plays in, therefore I’m concerned about SB’s playing up Sunderland, as a theory it can absolutely backfire in that we go out onto the pitch already having won and not make the effort and the glass half full brigade can lay claim to righteousness, or give Sunderland some sense of mis-placed belief that we can use to our advantage.
Paragraph 3
Hi JL
In your research into Billesley, is their social comment from occupants that showed home owners looked at their renting neighbours differently?
DOR- I concur we’re all s##ts
On the social/council housing thing, it seems to be the 1st thing enquired about when buying a new house especially on a new estate. Where I live it doesn’t make much difference as there are so many houses bought to rent out now. You get some good some bad but rarely s##ts as there all on here.
Lively as always…Match preview is now up. COYVB.
Darren
thanks for paragraph 1 – all the same under the skin [as long as we don’t mix & match]. still cant do emojis…
We always were convinced that we could will the ball in the net, & if we were of one mind we would win.
Veering between apprehension & optimism for tonight
Mark
Had a pal who used to have robins land on his fingers all the time.
Yes still have a tendency where if people insist on telling me to turn right, then I’ll turn left etc, it runs very deep.
yeah, spending a lot of my early youth in Birmingham’s first multi cultural ghetto [where council houses could not be bought, & very few would have wanted them], different planet to Billesley where my ex wife’s parents gravitated to from Balsall Heath when the father in law was promoted to management in British Gas [shudder].
But the music was good – bluebeat & ska, along with southern soul, R & B & mkodern jazz, & the goat curries great, & a lot of naughty people about.
Ghetto thinking was that people with a job & money from there usually were the nouveau riche, the biggest enemy of the working class being the working class.
Many with a job & no money just kept their heads down
Those with no job but money… well I leave it to the imagination.
The main job for a 16 yr old was the factory, the building trade, a milkman or the army, where a few learned to play sax in the army band & came out again & joined a band, ‘Locomotive’ being one.
Suffice it to say, instead of banning the whores for showing up the neighbourhood, we had to rescue them from being seriously damaged, & so on, but it was as per normal on the street – different attitude with plenty of escape routes on foot, Aston at that time was worse, & was more criminally oriented.
If it wasn’t bikers, it was west indian pimps.
If it did nothing else it provided a long lasting dislike of petit bourgois mentality.
Recommend the french film from the 70’s ‘the discrete charms of the bourgoisie’ directed by Luis Bunuel who also made ‘Belle de Jour’ in 1967, the title that is quoted so much of late.
As for tonight, as Plug said, it should be interesting & indicative as to how Bruce sets us up & who plays, & I just hope he doesn’t go defensive, & that we start with intensity.
Can you get Radio WM where you are?
My responses to Darren are on the new sheet…