Welp, another tough match in what’s proven to be a challenging stretch. Villa’s 10 minutes of chaos against Brentford cost them two points and 4th, for now, while City was…sobering, perhaps.

But, here we are with Lille coming to town for a Conference League Quarterfinal in what might be yet another ‘must-win’. You never know, of course, but you’d certainly like to win the home leg.

As you might expect, Emery is fielding about as strong a side as he can, with Rogers and Bailey getting starting nods and Konsa, Carlos and Torres filling out the back three with Digne wide left. Will certainly be good to have Super John back in the side.

Not an easy match by any means, but at least we’re not particularly hamstrung personnel-wise. I’m sure everyone will be wanting to put in a performance to keep themselves in contention for silverware and rediscover the 90 minutes of concentration they’ll need over the run-in.

Over to you.

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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 389

  27. r0bb0

    I’m all for quick VAR decisions, but that was such a clear penalty if you take 20 seconds to view it.
    Are they changing the way VAR is used to leave more of the emphasis on the referee’s initial decision maybe?

  54. James Gill

    When you look we can’t fill bench,European games it’s 12or 13 subs
    No cash kamara or ramsay lenget never mind mings and beundi, think that’s 47 games already played,not a bit wonder we aren’t free flowing, emery is doing unbelievable work

  56. Plug

    Extremely fortunate to win the game. The world’s number 1 saved us on 3 occasions in the first half alone when faced with a player clean through on him. Not to mention his 2nd half stops. I started worrying immediately SJM made it 2-0. It’s that score line again that haunts me. We stop playing and ignored loads of opportunities to play a long ball over their back line for our speedsters to race into. And then the inevitable happened. From my seat in the North stand their offside goal looked OK to me so it was a pleasant surprise to see it chalked off.

  57. Plug

    Atmosphere was great even though Lille only sold enough tickets to fill the lower section of their allocation. Ollie detonated it on 13 minutes. Thought the French team played the ref very well, much better than we did. He was awful.

    Great goal from SJM lifted the roof off. And from where I was sat, Ollie looked like he’d been cleaned out for a penalty. What was the ref doing? A LOSC foul was a foul and a Villa foul was a booking.

  58. Plug

    All in all it was a tough game. It is going to be tight next week in France. Had the feeling we were running on vapour and judging by the English results, so are the others. Only the EPL can arrange a fixture congestion in April just when the European games are coming to a climax.

  59. Plug

    As mentioned by other Lifers, the subs didn’t do much. Zaniolo was ineffective, Duran strolled around and wasn’t very busy. Diaby never got any service over the top. And I don’t like Konsa at RB with Carlos inside him. But can’t complain as Unai’s only other choice is to play Kesler at RB. Doesn’t he trust him?

  60. James Gill

    Hoping now Ramadan is over diaby gets back on it,not a bit wonder evening matches don’t suit,energy levels must be really flat
    PLUG
    Good point on premier league fixture pile up,it’s crazy why can’t they extend season by a fortnight, must other leagues have same amount teams

  61. John Clark

    It really is all about attrition. The schedule is brutal now having already played so many games. If only Villa had a bit more luck with injuries and a deeper bench.

    I think this is why Villa are wanting to go into cruise control, why 2-0 leads don’t look very safe. Mental fatigue compounds physical fatigue. The minutes Ollie, Doug and SJM have logged are massive.

    Even trying to pull any of them for the last 10-15 mins can lead to problems.

  62. John Clark

    Lille, Emi did come up big…Though I will say the space was pretty compressed and the nature of those chances ultimately played to his strengths. A keeper that doesn’t come out quick and get big like he does would’ve been beaten.

    But time and again we see the same tactics against us. Sometimes feels like we’re watching the same game over and over. Obviously that’s the approach against high lines, and there’s not much to be done about perfect passes. It’s a percentage game and you’re betting they can’t/won’t hit more than two or three a match. We’d be better off with Ty’s recovery speed back there, never mind his aerial presence.

    So you see the big switch left time and again, someone central receiving, turning and quickly making that pass while the other attackers make their runs. And it’s tough watching Konsa in all that space. He’s doing pretty well out there all things considered, and to be honest, I’m not sure Cash would stop much more coming in than Ezri has. Flipside is that we are more dangerous down that side with a quick FB like Cash going forward.

    Anyway, same as Ajax, we’ll see if they have two games like that in them.

  63. Plug

    I see the French teams left in Europe have all been given the weekend off. None of them are playing which means Lille will be completely refreshed whilst Villa try and deal with Arsenal. The greed of the EPL really is killing the golden goose and they can’t see it. Fools.

  64. John Clark

    I like the idea of a weekend off to help in Europe, Plug, but some doing it while others don’t/can’t (TV, etc) smacks a bit of cheating, tbh. Should be either all or none.

    But your broader point: Yeah, the EPL is, well…greedy?

  65. VillaMD

    French clubs in Europe having the weekend off is a disgrace. At least Cash and Lenglet are back.

    Maybe all the transfer talk has gotten to Luiz. Pulling an opponent jersey is silly. Conceding the goal may help – kick up the backside.

    Will be interesting to see if Unai will risk a Buendia return before the end of season

  66. r0bb0

    Villa MD, yes, the jersey pull was silly, but maybe he’d also been silly enough to think that the referee was going to be just a tiny bit consistent with his decision making!

  67. r0bb0

    Plug, from where I was sitting (in front of my tv) I said straight away. . . is he offside?. . .but it was still a mighty relief when it was finally called.

    I’m not sure I agree that we were fortunate to win the game though. The fact is that Emi is one of our players, and he’s bloody good at what he does. If Ollie scores a goal 9because he’s also bloody good at what he does) we don’t consider ourselves lucky to get the goal so I’m not convinced we should feel lucky when another of our very best players does his job very well.

  68. r0bb0

    where we were very unlucky was with that penalty. I bet, like me, most of your have now seen replays of it.

    It looked a certain penalty in real time, but on the replays, its just outrageous!

    What were the officials thinking???

  69. r0bb0

    Well. . . thank you Newcastle!

    So, how about Emery and Arteta agreeing to both field weakened sides, to give us half a chance against European opposition this week. The French clubs have been given a weekend off, but no such luck here, so it’d make sense for both sides to agree to a breather. . . I’d be ‘more’ than happy with a 1-0 loss tomorrow, to keep.us in 4th place with Spurs playing the top 3 in their next 3 games.

  70. VillaMD

    R0bb0,

    Toon should have won by 8!

    I think we’ll be up for it tomorrow. I’d take 4th over Conference League trophy. Hopefully Tim starts.

    Good to see Louie Barry back in division 1.

  72. r0bb0

    VillaMD, I know where you’re coming from, but the top 4 are only significant vecuse of the Champions League qualification.
    if we were to win the Europa conference, that would go a long way
    towards earning England the 5th Champion’s
    league spot and we really ‘should’ still be strong enough to earn that 5th spot even if we fall short for the 4th.

  73. James Gill

    What a difference in a week,
    6 matches each left us and spurs,3 v same opposition including 2 massive derbies for spurs ,then it’s 3 matches and they have city and 2 relegated teams,we have 3 midtable teams ,to close to call just as long as we get 9 points and make sure of 5th,
    United have been run ragged but as usual ref gives dodgy penalty to draw them level with at least 30mins to go

  74. r0bb0

    Just started watching the united game as they were awarded a penalty.
    I can see why the referee gave it although it was marginal.
    This was an example of the punishment really not fitting the crime though. Why should a ball accidentally hitting the arm of someone who happens to be in the penalty area change the whole course of a game?
    It just doesn’t feel right

  75. James Gill

    Didn’t see that one,but absolutely joke at end ,foul carried on into box for Bournemouth
    Going to be tough next Sunday against them but God utd are a bucket side

  77. Plug

    It’s scandalous what Manure get away with. Referee Tony Harrington couldn’t point to the spot quick enough when the ball fizzed up onto the Bournemouth defender’s arm. When the same thing happened to a Manure defender earlier in the game, he ignored it immediately. The integrity of the whole competition is in tatters.

  78. r0bb0

    Must admit, I’d be feeling hard done by if I was a Bournemouth fan.
    It’s possible to argue that the one towards the end shouldn’t have been given as a penalty because the initial contact was outside the area, but Jamie Redknapp got it right when he said that the defender also blocked the attacker with his arm ‘inside’ the box so it should have been a penalty.

    I’ve seen someone point out that the ‘clear and obvious error’ rule doesn’t apply when the question is black and white, such as offsides or, whether contact was in the box or not, but in this instance, it’s a judgement call as to whether the defender was impeding the player in the box with his arm.
    It therefore wasn’t a clear and obvious error and the referees original decision should have stood.

    I was furious with Ollie’s penalty not being given on Thursday but at least they ‘quickly’ decided, not to overturn the referees decision. Yesterday there should have been a quick decision not to overturn the Bournemouth penalty. Having taken their time, there’s absolutely no excuse for them getting it
    wrong.
    I’m not going to say it’s corruption, but I do think there’s an innate tendency for officials to favour the ‘bigger’ clubs. There’s an inbuilt expectation that those teams will win, and it’s hard not to be subconsciously swayed by that. The officials just need to do better in learning to rise above their subjective bias.

  79. Plug

    Team news:

    Villa XI: Martinez, Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne, Zaniolo, Tielemans, Diaby, Rogers, McGinn, Watkins

    Subs: Olsen, Cash, Moreno, Chambers, Lenglet, Duran, Kesler-Hayden, Bailey, Iroegbunam

  85. Plug

    My favourite ref David Coote, stops play with Villa in possession because an Arsenal player is down and then gives the restart possession to the home team. The man is a retard.

  86. Plug

    Overall Arsenal are very slick and pass with speed and precision. But Villa have handled it and looked quite classy themselves. We carry a threat on the counter and Ollie hit the post. But Emi has been required a couple of times.

  90. Plug

    WHAT A RESULT. Fully deserved. Every man jack of them stood. Carlos was immense. But the others weren’t far behind. Beers on tap.

  91. Plug

    WHAT A WEEKEND. Spurs drubbed. Manure held. Villa victorious. It’s the Arse again. The double. Maybe took their title. The guys in work are going to cop it tomorrow.

  93. r0bb0

    Oh me of little faith.

    I’m afraid I really hadn’t seen that coming. Thank good news the manager and players have more faith than I did!

    Just amazing. . . . and better still. . . deserved!

  95. r0bb0

    Plug. . . so right about Carlos. He’s come in for some stick recently (much of it over the top) but what a performance today. . .showed real class and determination.

  96. John Clark

    So…I’m going take some credit. 1) Left Lille post up cause that was a win, and 2) could only watch 1st half due to family obligations. Father-in-law asks me if I want tune in, watch the end, and I refused: “Only way we’ll win is if I don’t watch.”

    I’ll be taking congratulations in the comments. 😀

  97. John Clark

    But what a win. For Villa, for Emery…hell, for football. So proud of the lads. The mentality is there. Doing the double, two days less rest, away, incredible.

    Once again, what Emery has done is nothing less than miraculous.

  106. VillaMD

    Great overall performance. Emi, Carlos, Digne, Tielemans, SJM, Rogers and Ollie. Wonder if Frem still thinks Ollie is sh$t. What a dink finish. Player of the year – Ollie or Bailey or Douglas?

    R0bb0, if 5th gets CL, then winning the Conference Cup would be ideal

  108. Plug

    Still buzzing from the result. The Arse blogs are in meltdown. Likewise the Spurs blogs. It was another Unai masterclass.

    Tielemans sublime pass and Ollie’s sand wedge drained the stadium. It also ignited wild bedlam in the away support. And from that moment it was very noticeable that Coote starting giving Villa free kicks when fouled which he had ignored for the whole game.

  109. r0bb0

    I didn’t think I could Arteta less. . . . . and yet

    Since the game he’s said that they should have scored 4 or 5 in the first half. . . . . delusional or what.

    He’s bemoaning the ‘crazy schedule’ of games even though Arsenal have played 8 games since the beginning of March to Villa’s 10. . . . . and he had a full squad to pick from whereas we were missing half of our first choice starters.

    Does a manager like that deserve to win the title?

  110. r0bb0

    oh yes. . . . .Ollie said that the players sensed that Arsenal were tiring. . . . let’s not forget that their full strength squad, who’d played two fewer games, also had 2 extra days rest before yesterday’s game.

  111. r0bb0

    Thanks for mentioning the arsenal and spurs blogs Plug. . . . I know it isn’t nice to gloat . . . but maybe just a little bit is ok?

    Ive just seen this one on an Arsenal forum: Arteta has done very well thus far. There’s no question about that. But we have to be very careful in not exaggerating things.

    This is one of our best seasons under Arteta and yet not only did Aston Villa beat us at home, but they’re only 8 points behind us. Unai Emery has a worse player in almost every position (except striker) than Arsenal and yet he’s done a *better* job than Arteta in the PL.

    If Emery was backed as well as Arteta has been, we might have achieved a lot more. That’s the reality. Emery wasn’t given a chance. But Arteta was.

    So let’s not act like Arteta is a unicorn. Yes, Arteta has done a remarkable job, there’s no question about that. But he was also given remarkable (actually unprecedented) backing.

    I don’t agree with him about them having better players in every position, but I suppose the question is, which of their players are ‘innately’ better, and how many of ours are better than theirs purely because of coaching (for ‘coaching’, you can read ‘Emery’ if you like)

  112. Plug

    r0bBo, I think it’s like John mentioned, comes down to mental strength. Just 3 days after the Lille game we produce that performance. It must all be in the head. Mind over matter. If the head is determined, success is possible. I am therefore looking for a repeat of that mentality on Thursday.

  113. r0bb0

    I do wonder if Frem has had his damascene moment yet.

    I just took a look at the FA fantasy league and Watkins is now the highest ranked forward in the league with 208 points, a full 20% more than the next best player, Haaland.

    Not only that, he’s actually the highest ranked player in any position in the whole of the premier league!

    Well done Ollie. You’ve been through some testing times, but risen above them with grace, and proved the haters wrong. We all hope you can keep it going till the end of the season (hopefully 9 more games!) and break even more records.

  114. r0bb0

    Plug, I’m certain that you and JC are totally right. . . . .Emery and the players somehow managed to get their heads right for that game whereas Arteta did a Pep and out-thunk himself, and their players lost their legs and mojo.

    The trick of course is keeping it going for the next 6-9 games and there’s no manager I’d rather have in place to do just that.

  115. John Clark

    To your points, r0bb0, and the blogs, etc…

    Yeah, I think Arsenal are bottlers, in the end, and that flows from the top down. Arteta is so prickly and fragile…The team kind of takes on that personality. When’s it’s all going well and there’s no pressure, they’ve played some lovely football.

    Gets down to this stage? City keep winning, and Arsenal almost surrendered yesterday. Came out of the traps fast, and when they didn’t get any joy from it, Villa grew into it, started asserting themselves, and finished far stronger. Think I saw that from 30the minute on, Villa had 55% possession.

    Villa looked like the team that wasn’t afraid, and Arsenal didn’t know what to do when we wouldn’t just concede the match.

  116. John Clark

    And while there’s still a lot of football left, yesterday may well end up being a defining moment.

    Felt like Villa might be wobbling a bit with the injuries, games, etc., and that Spurs might be ready to overtake us for good.

    But Sunday was a statement. They showed up, said we’re not dead yet, took Arsenal’s best shot, and proved they want to keep fighting for it all. That was a no-excuses team and performance Sunday.

  117. James Gill

    An hour in yesterday I would have loved a draw,but at same time I felt we had our earlier season swagger back
    Watching zanilo wouldn’t be surprised or disappointed if emery signs him,,starting to look a premier league player it does take time just take scamacca last week v pool
    Lille now then Bournemouth take a weeks break it’s breathless

  119. r0bb0

    JC. . . . .you’ve created a bit of a problem for yourself there haven’t you!

    But first, we should all say a big “Thank-you” for not putting up a new post and not watching the game and bringing us the win against Arsenal!

    So where does that leave things now? Have we seen the last post of the season. . . . can you never watch another game?

    😮

  120. r0bb0

    I saw a compilation of clips of us passing the ball out from the back on Sunday. I’ll bet, like me, you all often had your hearts in your mouths, but gosh, wasn’t it slick. . . . wasn’t it great to see villa players able to do that.

  121. John Clark

    Haha, r0bb0…

    The feeling comes and goes. I think it was more that I felt fate might have a pleasant surprise for us given the conflicting activities. Sort of like washing the car when you want it to rain.

    Lille? We might have to get through that one on this thread, as well.

  122. John Clark

    Playing it out against their press did have me nervous, r0bb0. There were a couple of times where we got ourselves into a cul de sac, but overall, did it well.

    Couple interesting twists in the patterns we used…but that ball going to the 6/8 player coming over to help from Pau or the LB, whew. That’s a brave one, almost always under a lot of attention.

    But you can see why it’s worth sticking to. When you pull it off, just a lot of extra running for the opponent to no good end, and they can obviously be caught upfield in numbers and vulnerable. Eventually they drop off.

    It’s interesting how much more sparingly Emery uses the press, and that held true even when he had more bodies available having played far fewer matches. It’s very situational.

  124. VillaMD

    JC – yeah, maybe watch recordings of Villa

    I watched the 2nd half again. So much easier when you know the result

    I said Zaniolo should not play for Viila as he’s Lazy. He proved me wrong. I was wrong and I’m happy to be wrong

  125. Plug

    Barcelona v PSG last night. The Romanian referee handed out 5 yellows and 1 red card to Barca in a game where they committed 10 fouls in total. The red came after half hour when Barca held a 2 goal advantage. Has the long tentacles of Qatar been involved? I’d start checking bank accounts.

  126. John Clark

    MD,

    Agree…really does help knowing the result, and you see a lot more.

    Zaniolo’s funny. Came in, and you thought he just had to bag one, and he’d be scoring for fun. Then he just sort of faded away. And tbh, I thought he just looked lost, more than anything.

    Which is also how I viewed Diaby there for a while, and players like Tim.

    Leads me to believe that not only is there a learning curve for the PL, but also one for Emery’s system. It takes a bit away from the new players to begin with (who are often being asked to do different things in different areas than they have before), but then as they get it, they start to show their quality again.

  127. John Clark

    Having said that, we know Diaby will be here, but like everyone else, I’m very curious about Zaniolo’s future, particularly if Emery feels like he’s invested a lot in him.

    Obviously the fee is probably the biggest factor, but does he see a player who has what he wants and will only get better, or does he see one who’s been found wanting (big picture) and should be thrown back to find better value elsewhere?

    Not that he’d give a lot of specifics about any individual player, but I wish Villa official would interview him in Spanish more so we could hear Emery really express himself.

  129. VillaMD

    JC

    Good points on foreign players moving to EPL and also fitting into Unai system. Bailey is best example. I think Diaby will come good and Zaniolo can be a great part player

  131. John Clark

    Didn’t see the match, but read Bayern used similar tactics to Villa.

    So, Cash is back in, Konsa and Torres in a traditional pairing, and Rogers makes way for Douglas.

    No real surprises, just have to go out and do it.

  132. John Clark

    I guess Zaniolo starting again might be a small surprise, as is Bailey on the bench.

    Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Luiz, Tielemans, McGinn, Diaby, Zaniolo, Watkins

  135. James Gill

    Tough 1st half,,good goal from them,ref card happy,expect good team talk from emery
    Luis still really poor even with rest
    Zanilo off injured ,Rogers on
    Bad miss from Luis but ref had blown up for a foul sparing Luis blushes

  136. John Clark

    I can see Emery’s not happy…Not sure what Fonseca’s beef is, they foul at every opportunity to stop things happening. They’re a better side than that.

    But yeah, expecting a good talk, a tweak or two. Wouldn’t mind a few more speculative balls to run onto. I’m assuming that maintaining the cautious approach was by design even after conceding.

  167. John Clark

    Hahaha…indeed they are, JG. That just about did me in.

    Funny thing, though, had a feeling Benteleb and Andre (eyes) would both miss. Thought Emi was going to save the last one, thought, “no he can’t do it yet again,” and…But I thought Andre was more likely to miss the target given the pressure.

  170. Plug

    Emi the world’s no 1…….shithouse. Or maison merde I should say. We got out of jail guys. Very fortunate to survive that passive performance. SJM was a fish out of water. Konsa had one pass all night to the keeper time and again. But the luck was with us.

  175. Plug

    Felt sorry for Ollie tonight. He had no service. And the sight of titch Angel out jumping Pau in the air was outrageous. But both Lille goals came from crosses right on button. And I’m going to claim an assist for Ollie with Cash’s goal.

  177. r0bb0

    Staying down in Cornwall so watched in a pub with no signal but a few other villa fans.
    That felt like a real European night.
    Was nervous as he’ll about the penalties and then saw Emi. . . . Youvwouldnt want any other keeper in the world there would you.
    Two yellows tonight don’t mean he misses the next game do they?

  178. Plug

    What was extremely pleasing though was the home crowd giving stick to Emi all game and then seeing our man piss them off big time at the death.

  179. r0bb0

    I felt that Luiz and Cash were below their best, but will cut them some slack as they both had a break.
    JG. . . Just for you, I thought Duran looked the part tonight (apart from when he did his leg kicking the turf routine to pretend he’s really hurt). He worked for the team, showed bits of skill, and won nearly every header he competed for.
    Honestly. . . . I really really want to see him come good and still believe he has it in him once he gets his head right.

  180. r0bb0

    Plug. . . Yes. . .it was sweet revenge eh?

    Also, I’d normally want a team who knocked us out to go on to win the tournament, but I really disliked Lille’s play acting and cheating (Tiago, Andree and Bentacur, were the worst. . . In that order) and I would have wanted them to get beaten had they gone through.
    Disappointing that the referee fell for Tiago’s diving

  181. r0bb0

    JC, I felt the same about Andre. . . he looked nervous as he’ll and it was lovely seeing him fail I like to think I’m generally quite empathetic, but the little shit pissed me off so.wthing chronic.. . . I wish Tiago had tried and failed too

  183. r0bb0

    I have to say, I was owrfectly happy with the way we approached the game. A manager like Postecoglu would have had the players running around till their hearts burst, but Emery is so much smarter than that.
    As (I think JG?) Pointed out, it’s our 49th game, with unprecedented long-term injuries to key players, and yet we’re still turning up and winning a pressure game like that.
    It’s no coincidence that we’re still competing at the highest level, it’s how the whole squad have been managed and the tactics employed

  186. James Gill

    Robbo
    Duran done well tonight really worked hard,his booking was a joke
    Disappointed in our midfield tonight,never seen mcginn so poor,as for Bournemouth everyone will be on a high but really what can emery do go back to same defence as arsenal game,hope Bailey starts

  188. John Clark

    The midfield was bad, yes. Uncharacteristically so. Credit to Lille and their press (and full week’s rest), but some of the decision-making was woeful as were the touches.

    That said, seemed like there was a Lille player everywhere, and I probably have to point to fatigue for Villa, as well as players not cluing in.

    Like I say, was wanting Konsa to release Cash so many times, and he only gave him the ball when he wasn’t free to roam. We managed to get it out to Bailey some, but that quick midfield take, turn and longer outlet ball was what we needed much more, and they were either instructed not to, or just bottled it a bit. Was clear we weren’t going to link up and play through them, they were set up to prevent exactly that.

  189. Plug

    Seeing that our first shot on target was in the 82nd minute, the stats show we had more shots than Lille on target?? Dougie should have scored in ET, he had a lot of goal to head into.

    Didn’t think our midfield existed tonight. Very lightweight and easily played through. However, Lille must have been putting in a lot of effort because they tired in the end.

    Some scenes have to be cherished. Emi saving the final penalty and heading for the away support, priceless. Unai going ape at the same time effectively giving a rude gesture to Fonseca, his “mate” from Portugal. No love lost there. And I can only imagine what the HRH household was like.

  190. r0bb0

    Up until their second goal I was genuinely pretty happy with how things were going. As long as we were ahead or level, we didn’t need to chase the game and could conserve energy, and to my mind, that was ‘at least’ as important as winning.
    Of the 130 minutes played, I bet around 50 of them saw the ball knocked arou d the back 5 and had most of our players expending next to no energy at all. That could just about still leave us with enough in the tank to properly compete on Sunday

  191. John Clark

    Plug,

    For all their industry, they didn’t really create much, and they were always going to tire.

    I really backed us to win it before penalties, and we almost did twice.

  192. r0bb0

    JG, yes Duran’s booking was a weird one. He isn’t averse to leaving a mark on an opponent, but I couldn’t see why it deserved a yellow.
    I did think that at least one yellow could have been given to Tiago for diving, but then how often are Grealish and Ashley Young booked for diving? They’re all very good at deceiving referees!

  193. John Clark

    r0bb0,

    Same here. Like Plug was saying, they were expending an awful lot of energy and while they were bossing things as a result, there just wasn’t that much threat.

    The 2nd obviously changed that.

    But yeah, some of the instruction I’m sure had to do with conserving as much energy as possible. I mean, we rest on the ball anyway (like all possession sides), but we really were static and dropped very deep. Wasn’t until the end you saw us scrapping up the pitch.

  194. r0bb0

    JC, indeed, it wasn’t as if either team dominated tonight and as you say, Lille didn’t create much. As the game wore on, we gradually looked the more likely winners.

  196. r0bb0

    The player I may be most excited in is Morgan Rogers. For a young player, he’s showing real maturity, and coached by Emery, he could end up being an absolute steal.

  198. r0bb0

    With City, Liverpool and Arsenal all going out, its going to be interesting to see which of them is best able to lift themselves again.
    I’m hoping this weekend it’s Arsenal!

  200. VillaMD

    Had all these French lads ribbing me that Lillle are better and their goalie is the best in the world. Granted he made 3 world class saves. I never doubted Martinez

    Looks like Rogers is World Class at 8m. What a player. Next season – Rogers, Diaby, Bailey and Ramsey running with Buendia passing. Wow

  202. Plug

    Reflecting on the game last night one thing is clear. The Slovakian referee completely lost the plot and was not capable of handling the pressure. As Emi pointed out, his first booking was done on reputation. The crowd was giving him stick from the off and the ref joined in like an idiot. He then decided to ignore the same time wasting by the Lille keeper once his team was 2-0 ahead. Not good enough UEFA.

    The second card was completely unnecessary. After being barracked by the crowd all night, Emi makes a penalty save, celebrates and gets booked again. Lucky he didn’t fart otherwise a third would have been brandished.

  203. r0bb0

    I’ve just read that Unai Emery has the highest win rate of ‘any’ Villa manager since the club was founded.
    They also said that he has a win rate of 56.8% and no other villa amangwr has achieved over 50%
    That is so much better than anyone else that it has me wondering if it’s true?

  204. r0bb0

    I’m seeing other blogs saying how badly we played last night and that we were lucky.
    I find it difficult watching us play but last night I actually felt that we were managing the game very well indeed.
    The players were clearly trying to conserve energy which meant that there wasn’t the usual level.of movement, or speculative runs, but that was absolutely fine with me.
    When the chips were down and we finally ‘had’ to attack, we took hold of the game and ended up with more shots on goal than they did and forced two or 3 world class saves out of their keeper to prevent us from winning in normal time.
    I hope they saved ‘enough’ energy for Sunday, but honestly, if fans want the players to chase round like a Bielsa side for 56 or 57 games in a season, they really need to take a good look at themselves and ask how they think that would work.

  205. r0bb0

    At risk of repeating what VillaMD and JC have said, with all players fit, we do now have real choices in midfield. Let’s face it, the backline has held up very well too, when you consider the number of injuries and the number of changes that Emery has been forced to make.
    We have felt a bit short in defensive midfield and are relying heavily on Duran stepping up to give us options up front, but apart from that, it’s astonishing that a squad that looked so theadbare under Gerrard is looking so comparatively strong now.

  206. r0bb0

    just reminded myself that we had 7 yellow cards to their 4. If ever you needed evidence of a weak referee being got at by the crowd, there it is. I wish we’d played in paper shirts last night, just to show the referee how many times Lille players pulled us back. When they should have been booked for diving, we were booked for not making a tackle!
    A bad refereeing performance. Thank goodness he hasn’t able to give Lille the result.

  207. r0bb0

    I should say that the one time the referee ruled in our favour was over the potential Matt Cash handball. If it had been given, we’d have been frustrated, but not surprised. he did seem to be pulling his arm out of the way, but it did look as if it touched him. It certainly didn’t hit him in the chest as the referee indicated.

  208. James Gill

    The morning after
    It’s unreal the way emery has transformed our club
    Injuries have decimated our squad for Sunday don’t know how serious zanilo injury is we have 15 senior players so how much manoeuvring can emery do,hoping adrenalin can get us through
    Looks like martinez will be suspended for home leg ,3 bookings over last 2 matches does it,saying that we had 5 on a tightrope last night and all escaped
    Hail emery

  212. John Clark

    r0bb0,

    Yeah, the ref was very poor and it’s cost Villa going forward with Emi. 30-some minutes in and trailing, and he’s booked for time wasting?

    The second was a complete farce.

    I think I remember one that was deserved. Maybe two.

  213. John Clark

    Villa’s overall performance:

    On the night, a number of players weren’t at their best. I think SJM stood out for me, his touch was nowhere to be found. Cash struggled defensively.

    But. Over two legs, generally you don’t get through undeservedly. The goal we conceded at home made things too interesting to begin with. And Lille had a good half in Brum. But we got to grips and had put the game to bed until the goal out of nowhere.

    Second leg, Lille have a full week’s rest, are at home and only need a goal. Villa have just played Arsenal. Villa are down to the bones with another important match less than 72 hrs later. Lille went all out, Bielsa style, and it was working for them. But they couldn’t take enough advantage, started to wear down, and Villa looked the side more likely to go on and win in open play.

    So you can call it a poor performance, sure. But in the end, apart from the extra running, job done and a new level of mental fortitude established. Villa didn’t buckle, got the tie level, then gained the extremely valuable confidence/experience of winning a penalty shootout in a hostile environment. That was truly impressive, and Lille were gutted. Villa could easily have won it in extra time.

    Over the two legs it was a tournament plan and a tournament win while keeping hold of the almost impossibly lofty goal (for Villa) of finishing fourth in the PL.

  214. John Clark

    And of course we’re all acutely aware, but there’s no side in the top 7 down to as thin a squad as Villa. We were thin to begin with before losing Mings and Buendia, never mind all the injuries over the season culminating in Kamara.

    But for whatever all the reasons are preceding Emery, all of our competition started the year deeper, and have had players come back. I’m not sure anyone around us has had three season-ending injuries.

    We always knew it was going to be a long grind without all that. So yeah, Emery’s done miracles, but he’s not getting enough credit. Ange started with a helluva lot more to work with, and has more to call on even now.

  216. VillaMD

    Hi guys,

    I just care about the results. Shame Emi will miss the 1st leg of semis. Bournemouth are a good team. I’d start Tim on Sunday. Need fresh legs

  218. VillaMD

    This is JC’s blog. I don’t like to add personal stuff, but real quick.

    I’m white and Irish. My lady is black from Ghana. She doesn’t understand football. She’s now a Villa fan

    I work for an Israeli company. Let’s all be friends, but have zero political beliefs

  219. r0bb0

    VillaMD, I’d not heard that about Moreno.. . . as you say. . .how unlucky can we be?

    As for me stepping in. . . .after doing 25km of the Cornish coastal path yesterday I’m finding even standing up a challenge today!

  220. r0bb0

    Villa MD. . . .a Ghanaian wife eh? Any thoughts of you visiting the Ghana lions. . . . . looks like a great atmosphere on match days.
    Our company supports a project in Ghana and I’ve being trying to find a way of justifying me taking the trip.

  223. VillaMD

    I’ve run 18 marathons and 6 half. My best time is 3h18 for full. Funniest thing / I saw a lady waddle over the line ahead of me. I pride myself on running form, but obviously I’ve no clue.

    Only thing I know – black, white, brown / it doesn’t matter

  225. r0bb0

    Anyone watching the FA cup semi final?
    It’s good to see that VAR decision making has sped up so much from the earlier days.
    It now only take 5 seconds to check the badge on the shirt.

  226. r0bb0

    Blimey VillaMD, 18 marathons?
    I represented school and county at 100m and long jump back in the day but any distance beyond 200m had me exhausted just from thinking about it!

  230. James Gill

    If digne plays tomorrow we will have 10 players that have played over 40 times never mind internationals along with Rogers who is looking at game 46,33 for boro
    Some effort from all lads

  234. Plug

    In the process of getting revved up for today’s game. It’s massive. I’m nervous because there’s so much riding on it. COYVB.

  235. r0bb0

    Plug, I reckon we all feel nervous and all feel there’s a lot riding in this game. . . . and I also bet if we don’t get what we hope for this afternoon we’ll be thinking (not for the first time this season) that we’ve blown it.

  236. James Gill

    No zanilo today ,emery panel getting lighter by game
    Martinez cash konsa torres digne mcginn tielmens Morgan diaby Watkins and Bailey
    Subs
    Olseon Carlos lenget Chambers kessler Tim kellyman duran

  240. James Gill

    More poor reffing,stonewall foul on diaby in front of ref play on we give away penalty, var checks it says no foul on diaby ,solanke scores
    1 down probably against run of play

  246. VillaMD

    Rogers at 6’4”. What a Diamond. We had Bournemouth on the ropes. Konsa – wow. What quality. Bailey is brilliant. Some of Tielemans 1st time passes – unreal

    Bournemouth are decent. Solanke looks great

  259. John Clark

    Hard to believe they played 120mins Thursday. Everyone put in a shift, really dug deep, and ended up looking very comfortable overall.

    So pleased to see the goals spread between Rogers, Diaby and Bailey.

  264. Plug

    Massive, massive result. Massive, massive week. Six points and a semi final booked. Didn’t see all that coming one bit. Sure Spurs have 2 games in hand but I’ll take the 6 point lead any day.

  265. Plug

    Despair, followed by joy, followed by ecstasy. When VP is rocking there are no words. Unai is brilliant. I do like SJM and Tielemans as a double pivot. Rogers had a great game. Emi was king of his domain. And for me at least, Ollie was the best. His through ball for Diaby to steer home detonated the ground. His 2nd assist did all the heavy lifting for Bailey and delirium ensued.

  266. Plug

    We can now catch some breath. Bournemouth are no mugs but we dismantled them. I’m on fire. Just imagine how that turn around gutted Spurs and their fans. Fourth place finish is close. I’m opening a bottle of Shiraz and may have to open a 2nd one.

  267. Plug

    All thoughts now turn to Chelsea. Unai will no doubt hatch a plan and have the players working on it all week. These are top days. As JC says…..impressive.

  268. r0bb0

    Not a lot to say that hasn’t already been said.
    Remember back before Christmas when Emery was telling us that it was far too soon to be getting excited but if we were still near the top 4 with 7 (I think) games to play, then we could start thinking about Champion’s league?
    Well. . . . here we are, in the top 4, with just 4 games to play.
    Still too soon to count any chickens but after the week we’ve just had it does actually feel possible now.

  269. r0bb0

    So impressive how this squad have managed to keep pulling performances like that out of the bag, ‘despite’ the length of the injury list.
    Two weeks ago it felt that we’d finally run out of steam and then we only go and beat Arsenal Lille and Bournemouth in the space of a week.
    Just so so impressive.

  271. r0bb0

    So. . . .Mark Clattenburg has seen behind the scenes and ‘before’ today’s game felt that there was a risk that a Luton supporting official could find it difficult to be impartial in the Forest Everton game.
    He will ‘know’ that bias occurs and you can bet your bottom dollar that it’s discussed between officials.
    Two of the 3 penalty appeals by Forest players should have been awarded as penalties, and one of them was as clear as you could hope to see.
    It was unwise for Forest to be ‘so’ forthright in their social media statement, not becuase they’re wrong, but because the FA hate criticism and will almost certainly punish them
    As they said on MOTD, they would have liked to hear the discussions between the referee and VAR official, but openess is as welcome to the FA as sunlight is to a vampire .
    Until they’re prepared to be open with how decisions are made, and prepared to admit when they make mistakes, then Co spinach theories are only going to grow. . . And you know what. . . They’re probably not just theories. . .bias probably DOES exist and only openness is going to start weeding it out.
    They’re bringing it on themselves, but thir arrogance makes them.incapable of recognising the fact

  273. VillaMD

    I think every player was excellent today. I could pick at least 8 mom’s. If I had to really call it – I’d flip a coin between Konsa and Tielemans

    JC – I’m watching the full match again. Starting to get addicted

  277. Plug

    There was evidence yesterday of the players mentality strength that’s been mentioned above. They looked determined to become Champions League players and set out to achieve it. It can only bode well for the remaining games. A tight squad driven by hunger and desire with a master guiding them is going to take some shifting. Now that 5th place qualification has gone, we must get 4th.

    When Compass rescued us, they stated that we had to become self sustainable. Which in turn means AVFC have to grow their turnover. This is happening. The 22/23 results showed a healthy increase in turnover. For 23/24 we’ve had increased admission prices, European televised football, a long run in the Europa Conference League and a higher EPL finishing position. All before we take into account increased merchandising and associated revenue. Expect 23/24 revenue to leap by a further £30 million or so. For 24/25 turnover to continue its upward trend we need Champions League. It’s important we make it.

  278. r0bb0

    JG. . . . The extra games have been fantastic. . . .. because we’ve been winning them!
    Who would have bet on us winning our last 3 games. . . I know i wouldnt.
    A while back I think I said
    that 70 points has been enough in 9 out of the last 10 years and it’s still looking as if a win and a draw out of our last 4 games would be enough.
    It wouldn’t half take the pressure off if the first 3 of those points came next weekend.

  279. r0bb0

    Plug, you’re right we need to keep I creasing our revenues and the best way to do that is through success on the pitch. To take advantage of our increasing profile and support, at some point though, we’ll probably need to significantly increase
    stadium capacity.
    If that means building a new stadium, somwhere else, I wonder how many fans would support that?
    I must admit, I’m torn . . . If it were possible to retain the Holte end steps and brick facade, somewhere else. . . I think I’d reluctantly say yes, so that we could continue the current trajectory.
    I know as soon as I press send on this I’ll have second thoughts though. . . It’s such an emotive proposition.

  280. r0bb0

    Just a quick follow up to my comments about Clattenberg’s var and refereeing comments.
    I’m not suggesting that referees are consciously biased or corrupt (although I do think it’s unwise for a referee to be accepting the largesse in effect, from an owner of a large club, just before he referees an important match that club is appearing in.
    However. . . I reckon ‘unconscious bias’ is almost inevitable.
    We saw in the Lille game how the referee was swayed by the crowd. I’m sure he felt he was refereeing in an unbiased way, but it’s hard to even recognise the effect that the pulls of our
    subconscious minds are having.
    If a Var official subconsciously wanted Forest to lose (which yesterday’s probably did), then its hard to rise above that.
    It’s bloody hard to explain yesterday’s decisions any other way, unless you think he did actually do it deliberately!

  281. Plug

    roBb0, the VAR yesterday for the Forest game was Stuart Atwell. He was born and brought up in Nuneaton so unlikely to be a Luton fan. However, he might be a Leicester fan who would therefore dislike Forest. The ref was Anthony Taylor who is from Manchester. Back in the summer of 2010, both Taylor and Atwell were sent to do some refereeing in the Japanese J league as part of a referee exchange initiative so they have a history together.

    Atwell has been demoted (2012 ish) but later reinstated to top flight officiating. He didn’t do his career any favours over the weekend. I can’t comment on Young’s hand ball because I no longer understand what is hand ball. When the laws stated it was where “deliberate” it was easy to understand but they’ve screwed with the laws and now it’s a dog’s breakfast. The final Forest penalty appeal should have been referred back to the ref to go to the monitor.

  282. r0bb0

    Hi Plug, I know it’s dangerous to believe what you read these days!
    It’s widely reported though that Forest called out Atwell as a Luton fan ‘before’ the game. I don’t know where they got their information although I suppose Clattenberg may have insider knowledge on that. Maybe his parents were from Luton, or he was conceived in the back of a Luton van?

  284. Plug

    For me, the single most important news of the year. Unai extends his contract until 2027. Great news for him, great news for AVFC, great news for the fans. This gives him the time to build a legacy. I can only see even better times ahead.

  285. r0bb0

    Plug, absolutely right. . . . it’s put Bayern back in their box for now.
    I did like this quote from Sawaris:
    “We are thrilled, and are building a sporting operation around Unai to support him, with a view of returning Aston Villa, a co-founder of the English Football League, as we prepare to celebrate our 150th anniversary, to its historic levels of greatness.”

  286. James Gill

    Pinch me
    Great news is following our great club day and night
    Emery is greatest manager we might ever have had,since he took us on we are 4th in table only 15 points behind city after 57 games without wholesale change in personal

  287. James Gill

    This summer what do we need,it’s going to be hard to improve what we’ve got maybe 2 fullbacks and a midfielder to replace kamara until he is fit again
    Wondering what bargains monchi can get
    If Rogers is anything to go by we are in for a treat

  288. r0bb0

    JG, you’re right that Emery is up there with the very best managers ever seen at Villa Park and it feels so good for the extra year’s contract extension to have been agreed. I’ve seen quite a few journalists commenting on the attractions to him of moving to other ‘bigger’ clubs, but they nearly all point out that none of those clubs are going to give him the level of control to shape the squad and wider management team that Villa are giving him. This is ‘his’ project and surely that counts for a lot

  289. r0bb0

    Not sure I’m understanding your point about us being 15 points behind City though. . . . its only 7 points isn’t it? (although they have 2 games in hand which will probably stretch their lead to 13.) We’re actually still only 11 points off the top of the table, having played the same number of games as Arsenal, and an amazing 16 points ahead of 6th place!!

  291. John Clark

    Very glad about the extension, and also the rumored talks to be held over the summer. Many have made the observation that NSWE think Emery will be our Ferguson. This announcement seems mainly to be about squashing rumors.

    And for Emery, Villa is perfect. As others have noted, his team, his operation. He’s in control. Not going to get that at these other clubs.

    He also gets to fly under the radar a bit longer, has everything he needs/wants, doesn’t step into the cauldron of instant success and mercurial owners. He saw how that went at Arsenal.

  292. r0bb0

    JC, thanks for the 15 point clarification and JG, if your stat is that we’re only 15 point short of City over the whole of Emery’s tenure, that is even more remarkable. When you consider the time and money spent in building the City squad, to be THAT close would be astonishing

  293. jbd656

    Are the Villa News tossers on Newsnow so desparate for clicks that they can still winkle out a pundit to say Emery could still move within a year? I don’t know who Dan Bardell is but if he is a Villa fan, does he really need to be associated with such a bunch of faeces diggers?

    Yes I’m stupidly pissed off with these types of writers and shouldn’t look at Newsnow – but I did find AVL there a decade ago (and the Villa Blog!!!)

  294. r0bb0

    jbd656, Villa News is the one site that I actively avoid. They are absolutely the worst. After every game they serve up a clickbait headline of “This 0% player has a shocker and must be dropped” . . . . or something like that. If you open the article it’ll be some nonsense about Martinez having had no shots on target (ok I ‘slightly’ exaggerate, but you get my point.)
    Or, they’d give some health update from their resident doctor which would speculate about what a player’s injury could be and then speculate further about how long they’d be out with it.
    I found it was absolutely exceptional for them to give provide any substantiated, useful news, and the only times they did, you’d have read it somewhere else first. They really are the dregs.

  295. VillaMD

    JG,

    I don’t think we should sign anyone. Mings, Buendia and Ramsey back. Kamara back early October. Hopefully K-Hayden can push on. Louie Barry? Tim now has experience. Diaby will be better

    I follow Ollie on instagram. So happy for him. Beautiful wife and 2 kids. He’s a role model for men

  296. VillaMD

    To have Ollie Watkins play for Villa – I feel honored. He’s in the Paul McGrath class. I like Ollie so much because he’s a really great person. The fact that he’s now a great player is a bonus

  297. James Gill

    Robbo It was 21 points still some achievement
    Man City 136
    Arsenal 130
    Liverpool 125
    ASTONVILLA 115
    man utd 105
    Newcastle 100
    Most teams have played 60 games

  298. James Gill

    VILLAMD
    fergie kept building, buying new players
    we have main core/spine of team but new full backs and back up to kamara are a must,never sit still, the sky is the limit our owners want to be dining at top table
    What part of emerald Isle you from/live

  302. Plug

    James, MD. I’ll be thinking of you both this evening whilst at VP. Absent long distance support is never under estimated.

    Everyone knows the importance of this game. If Villa win, the smell of Champions League will be strong in the nostrils. I’m expecting the ground to be rocking. Let’s grab this opportunity with both hands.

  303. VillaMD

    Plug,

    I’m envious, but happy for you and love your post game updates. Makes us feel a little bit part of it. Thanks.

    JG – Donegal is a beautiful place

  323. r0bb0

    JG, I do t actually think the ref has been the problem today. He does tend to let things go, but he’s been doing it for both teams

  339. r0bb0

    Well. . . . Hopefully we saved some energy for Thursday.
    Hopefully Tielemans isn’t too badly injured
    Hopefully Martinez will be OK for next weekend.

  340. r0bb0

    Hopefully the ball bumbles over the line off the back of Ollie’s head when he’s looking the other way and he gets that 20th goal out of the way

  342. jbd656

    We must be a good side to steal a point from that game. In years gone by that would have been a routine walk over by Chelsea. That might be the point that gets 4th place. Good game next game?

  343. r0bb0

    JG, we have to look at it as a point gained. I’ve veen saying for a while that we needed to get to 70 points for Champion’s league so we’d now only need 1 win out of our last 3 games. . . . .right now that doesn’t quite feel enough though does it?

  345. jbd656

    I quite fancy flogging Carlos off to Milan. Don’t like the macho man routine. Prefer the Allan Evans/Olof Mellberg raw-boned iron hard innocent assassin routine. Anyone out there like that?

  351. jbd656

    Luis has looked mentally drained for several weeks. Today’s performance is just a continuation of those weeks. Has he peaked? Is he bored at Villa? Does he want a new scene? Has he got girlfriend problems like Rashford had?

  353. James Gill

    That’s 5th place guaranteed tonight,
    Unbelievable, 2 places higher than last year and 4th is still a fair fight
    Chelsea need points for Europe so now I support gunners Chelsea and Liverpool for a week

  354. James Gill

    Jbd
    Nothing embarrassing, we had an off night,they had good night we still came away with a point
    Wonder will commentators say utd can only finish 6th at best

  358. r0bb0

    JG, well done reminding us that with 3 games still to play, we’re already guaranteed at least 5th place. . . . Pretty remarkable isn’t it

  359. VillaMD

    I’m not sure why we sat back so much. A draw was probably fair. Hopefully Arsenal do us a favor

    Tim and Duran have to start on Thursday. Hopefully Emi and Tielemans will be back at weekend. Hopefully Zaniolo is fit

    I don’t mind macho Carlos as long as he puts in a shift. However, if Mings is fit I’d ship him to AC

  361. Plug

    For me, it was a point gained. Stolen as 656 says. Extremely lucky. Lifers know I dislike VAR with a vengeance but it saved us last night. The Jackson offside goal was tight and he missed a sitter when his header hit the post which was a much harder feat than hitting the gaping net.

    Poch raged after the game that wiping out their “winning” goal damages football. Total BS, he was just gutted. I saw the push clearly from my seat and shouted foul. Pawson was a lot closer, didn’t give it and caused the rumpus. He was very poor.

  362. Plug

    I was nervous all night and couldn’t believe we went in at HT 2-0 up. Unai got his tactics spot on again and deployed the low block or parked the bus in a bid to negate their speedy guys of Jackson, Madueke and Mudryk. Palmer was no drama. On the whole it got us a point.

    We suffered a Chelsea reaction to their woeful performance against the Gooners. Opponents know that if they deploy the high press against us there are rewards to be gained. Our playing out from the back has improved since the start of the season and at times last night it was slick. But Dougie got caught and it gave them the opening they were looking for. Thought him and Pau were below standard on the night.

  363. Plug

    LB Cucurella vacated his position in the 2nd half and moved into an advanced central midfield role. The space created down our right side was not utilized like it might have been by playing in our own speed men. Consequently we became overrun in midfield. And we’ve said it enough times, 2-0 is a dangerous score in which the next goal becomes massive. We keep letting the opposition get it.

  364. Plug

    So I’ll take the hard earned point. It may yet be very important. But we are not there yet and much work remains. Now it’s over to Spurs and we’ll all be Gooners for the day. But I have a feeling that Spurs will chuck the kitchen sink at them and do to them what Everton did to the bindippers.

  365. r0bb0

    Plug, yes, the ‘low block’ was effective for most of the game and even Cole Palmer was unable to find gaps. We were effective at keeping them out, but with space being compressed, we also found it difficult to get the ball away. They were always trying to get a player hovering between the defender and Martinez/Olsen, ready to intercept those passes, so we were unable to play it around and tended to resort to speculative upfield kicks. close control seemed to abandon a number of players, so even when we did manage to breakout, we often lost possession again quickly.
    However. . . . we have some skilful, well drilled players and when we do breakout we always look dangerous, so despite appearing to be on top, Chelsea were never able to relax.
    and now I have to try and find a way to love Arteta and Arsenal for a few hours. . . . .it’ll be tricky, but I’ll manage

  366. r0bb0

    Plug, you’re right, Pochettino made a bit of an exhibition of himself over their disallowed goal at the end. Like you, in real time, I shouted foul, they can’t allow that goal. . . . but nonetheless less, feared that they would.
    When VAR took so long over the offside decision for their other disallowed goal, I said “if it takes that long to decide, they should allow the goal”, but then when we saw the VAR shot, the question was “why did it take so long” It wasn’t like the Coventry Man United one, there was a big gap.
    Going back to Pochettino, I can understand him feeling aggrieved after not getting a penalty for the blatant Grealish handball, but last night, he was a bit of a silly boy.

  368. r0bb0

    So Shearer didn’t think it was a clear foul on Carlos and their goal should have stood. He’s so obviously wrong that you have to ask yourself, what makes these ‘pundits’ say such silly things?

    The Occam’s razor principle suggests that the explanation that requires the fewest assumptions is usually correct.

    Well it doesn’t take much imagination to think that it’s down to self interest. Like it or not, the ‘big 6’ clubs currently have more supporters, and in the case of the London clubs, a greater media following than a club like Villa (although hopefully that is starting to change). So the question is why wouldn’t a pundit give in to self interest and take the line of least resistance. . . .in other words, avoid criticism from the largest number of fans and media.

    It was so obviously a foul that Shearer is just showing unprincipled self interest and maybe it’s just human nature and we have to accept it until we have a much bigger supporter base?

  374. jbd656

    YEEHAH!!!! Full time. spurs2 arse3. Yesterday was obviously an Emery masterclass in exchanging 2 points for maximum energy conservation looking towards Thursday. Job done.

  375. James Gill

    Watching that game and others our recruitment has to be of bigger players,Rogers is a good start but we need more big lads,
    Our fb,3 Central midfielders and both Bailey diaby are really lightweights

  377. Plug

    So now we know. It was a point gained yesterday. Before the weekend, we had a lead of 6 points but Spurs had 2 games in hand. Now we have a lead of 7 points with the chasers 2 games in hand. Oh, and we added 1 to our goal difference advantage over them. Happy days.

  378. Plug

    That’s the end of my Arse support. Have my ticket for the Olympiacos game on Thurs. I will also be supporting Chelsea on the same night from my seat in VP. COYVB.

  380. James Gill

    Any word on the injured players,martinez moreno zanilo and tielmens
    Surely we have some young midfielders at the club instead of using Chambers as sub

  382. John Clark

    Lots of good comments/observations.

    We do have trouble with that kind of pressure, yes. Was the same when they knocked us out of the cup.

    However, I think those talking about energy expenditure are right, too. If that were the only game that mattered, I could see us trying to press more and harder upfield. We saw a bit of it toward the end.

    Have to remember their 4-4 against City, and they were on a good run before the Arsenal game. Funnily, the same sort of thing could’ve happened again, I think, if we’d been able to get the 3rd.

    But, point gained in the end, and Arsenal doing us a favor (though nearly bottling it again).

    Agreed we need one more win and I’d certainly be targeting Brighton for that. Shame that one comes on the heels of Olympiakos. Upside is that they’re safe, struggling, and don’t have much to aim for.

    I think Chelsea will be well up for Spurs.

  387. r0bb0

    Ian, I was definitely thinking it when we went 2-0 up against Chelsea. We’d have been just 6 points behind and a jaded Liverpool, with nothing to fight for still had to play us and Spurs. after coming away with a draw this weekend, I’ve stopped dreaming now though.

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