If you like me watched WBA play against Manchester United on Monday night, and if you’re honest, you couldn’t help being impressed with the way that they took the game to United. With every goal that the Baggies scored, it gave me a sickly horrible envious feeling inside, but I couldn’t help being impressed with their build up play and the way in which they dispatched their goals.
Twice they took the lead and twice United equalised, and apart from a twenty-minute dominant United spell in the second half, they looked like two well-matched sides. Now, is it that United is going through a dreadful transformation period at the moment, or is it that WBA have improved?
You might be thinking, why is he writing about the Baggies? Well, whether we like it or not WBA is our closest rivals at the moment, and with our good start to the season (which has now come to an end), I’ve been keeping a close eye on their results. They were down there getting nothing from their games early on in the season, their fans were starting to question the appointment of their manager and looking for reasons why their season was faltering, and I was loving every moment of it.
With an away win to Tottenham, it seems to have kick-started their season and now they’re a point behind with -2 goals compared to our -8. When I was watching them play United, you tend to compare, and I was wondering if we could get a similar result with the performance that they delivered if we were to play Manchester United next week, I didn’t feel so confident that we would.
I wonder, if the Villa players and management are as concerned as me that we try to out do the Baggies in almost everything that they do, I hope they do? If we don’t beat QPR next week and if WBA beat Crystal Palace, I know I’m going to get some very smug phone calls. So it’s imperative that we, Aston Villa, kick-start our season with a win and a good performance against QPR, because nothing else will do. UTV
” With every goal that the Baggies scored, it gave me a sickly horrible envious feeling…”
I get that same feeling with every goal anyone scores at the moment, and with any goal attempt anyone has, and with any impressive interview a manager gives…
Baggies fan in peace.
I don’t think we were as bad as our early season form suggested, and I’m not sure you guys were as good. Yes, we seem to be improving with every game, whilst you’ve been through a baron spell having played consecutive games against some top teams. It’s quite difficult to gage where we are comparatively but I’d suggest reasonably even this season. Both looking like mid table candidates that will no doubt go through some sticky patches.
I guess we’ve probably got a little bit more to be optimistic about, simply because of the promising signs football wise (I’m not sure Lambert will ever play attractive football) but also the unknown quantity that is Irvine. This could of course go either way and our recent form turn out to be a flash in the pan.
Either way, I’m looking forward to our pre-Christmas clash at the Hawthorns.
Another Albion fan here
this blog popped up in our news now section 🙂
I think you’re underestimating Albion, a lot in fact. In all honesty I think we have a better squad than you. I think Irvines signings were wise and above all else we replaced players that were no longer needed. We have the strength in depth that Villa unfortunately do not have. Players like Mulumbu, Samaras, Ideye, Olson and Mcauley are all still waiting for a decent chance. When you compare the two teams you might say that Villa have better individuals i.e Benteke, Delph and Vlarr for example. Squad as a whole however is a different story. Players like Senderos, Bowery, Lowton, Weimann, Baker, Bacuna and Clark simply not good enough. I don’t think you spent enough money and what you did spend was on mediocre at best players. There’s a lot of ignorance towards Lambert and i see a lot of Villa fans notice it too. In the fact that most media coverage gives him the excuse of having a ‘young squad’. By no means are Villa a young team. Players like Lowton and westwood are well into thier 20’s. They will never be of a decent premier league level. I think Keane coming in maybe gave some players a lift at the start of the season but that has well and truly gone now. It’s easy to just dismiss the last month as hard games, but losing streaks are severely detrimental to players confidence as shown at Everton the weekend. Qpr will by no means be a walk in the park. For me Lambert should have gone 12 months ago along with learner. He plays boring football and will get you nowhere. It honestly wouldn’t shock me if you get involved in another relegation fight this year.
Another Albion fan here drawn in my a messageboard posting of this blog.
I think it’s too early to judge either team. Villa looked in for an optimistic season on the pitch after addressing one or two big issues of last year, managerially the same, Keane the unknown but perhaps the kick up the arse yoru squad lacked last year. With us the progress was good on the pitch close season, but still no convincing goalscorer, and what looked a bizarre managerial appointment. It was no surprise to see that your season started well, and ours didn’t.
Now Irvine has had a chance to bed in it seems we have picked up a bit. Villa’s biggest problem however is that Lambert remains in charge, and I am still (after a couple of years at Villa) to be convinced he is a good manager. He couldn’t seem to organise a defence at all last season (your back-line somehow contrived to concede more than ours last term), and the season before you it came very close until a couple of games to go. If he is improving, it is at a very slow rate.
My honest take on it is that Agbonlahor was a massive player for Villa last year, and after Benteke’s cessation of impact for whatever reason Lambert almost became too reliant on him. If Villa can fix that when he isn’t in the side, they’ll be OK. If they can’t, they will struggle again. I doubt they will go down, there is too much dross beneath. But it shouldn’t really be about that for a club with such lofty considerations of itself, should it?