Our game at Villa Park tomorrow would under any other circumstances have the central theme of reunions at the heart of it with Dean Smith returning to the club he supports and indeed managed until very recently and our travelling support gets to see Emi Buendia up close and personal once more. That’s if Emi leaves the Villa bench of course, which is by no means a certainty.
However, should we fail to turn up and lose and Burnley triumph at Watford it will be the game that finally puts us all out of our agony and sends us down in April, so one theme overrides the other in this case.
After the Newcastle debacle Dean Smith said: “All I can concentrate on now is Villa next week, digest this game, reflect on it and see what we can learn from it. That’s all we can do and we need to come back better next week to not give goals away like we are giving away at the moment. Hopefully, we can then put in a performance at Villa Park.”
Well, we’ll soon find out what we learned after that abysmal defeat to the Magpies and if we have suddenly found the ability to cut out the individual errors that have plagued us all season.
I discovered that MFW regular Don Harold was visiting the Second City to attend the game [lucky old Don, hey] so I thought I’d ask him for his pre-match musings. It’s over to him:
DH: Martin asked me to help out with the Villa preview as I live and work in the area and I am going to the game. While these credentials might make Garth Crooks feel he could give an analysis of the game, I realise I am under-qualified. I, therefore, asked my mate and Villa season ticket holder, John Riley, to help.
I began by asking John how he thought Villa’s season had gone so far.
JR: The season’s positives would be adapting to selling our main asset in Jack Grealish and rebuilding the team – steadying the ship I guess. Negatives would be our poor form and the fact that we’re too inconsistent. Win a couple, lose a couple, draw, lose, no form at all. And we have spent big money on Leon Bailey and Lucas Digne, neither of which can seem to keep match fit.
DH: I think the appointment of Steven Gerrard was a risky one, and from talking to Villa fans generally it seems the jury is still out. John, do you concur with this feeling?
JR: Gerrard will be judged over the next two transfer windows and on a full season. No doubt he can attract marquee names [John is also an avid NFL fan – Don] such as Philippe Coutinho and Digne. Proof will be when he moves players on and implements his own formation and tactics. I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt – for now.
DH: Since the end of last season Norwich and Villa have had a couple of high-profile exchanges of personnel, so I asked for John’s thoughts.
JR: Buendia was always going to carry the burden of replacing Grealish. Not the same player, but took his shirt number and had a big price tag. I actually feel he’s a quality playmaker and prior to Coutinho signing he was in his best run of form. We have to find a formation and a way of getting him into the side. Ollie Watkins looks twice the player with Buendia in the side [I’m sure Teemu Pukki knows that feeling – Martin].
I felt for Dean Smith as the remit for any manager is to leave the club in a better state than he found it and Smith more than ticked that box. However, there’s no room for sentiment in football and I understand the board’s decision after five defeats in a row. I just felt he had earned the right to one more game at Villa Park to try to turn things around. He will always be welcome back at the Villa and Norwich will be in good hands for the foreseeable.
DH: Although Villa Park is one of my favourite away grounds, I’m not particularly looking forward to the match, I think Villa will have a comfortable win [most teams’ wins are comfortable against us] and predict it will be 3-0.
JR: I don’t know about a comfortable win. The carrot is there for us to win and pretty much guarantee our survival. Everton are in big trouble and Leeds may yet get drawn into the relegation mix. As you’re pressing me, I’ll go for a 2-0 win for the Villa.
DH: So it’s thanks to John for his thoughts. Mine are that it’s a horrible irony that just under three years after wrapping up the Championship title at Villa Park, we go there with the very real possibility that our relegation will be confirmed.
Football eh? Bl00dy hell.
***
An almighty big thanks from myself to Messrs Harold & Riley [sounds like a good name for gentlemen’s outfitters to me 
] and as they’ve proffered score guesses themselves I’m going to agree with John R and go with 2-0 to Villa.
If we ignore HRH Prince William the Duke of Cambridge [no sniggering at the back please] I’ll leave you with this gem with lyrics written by Aston Villa’s best-known supporter, the inimitable Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath fame.
I admire him so much that I even named my dog after him.
It’s a shame NCFC haven’t shown this attitude this season as we limp back to the Championship with more than a fair degree of media-perceived ridicule:
A visit to Villa Park – we clinched the title there and are now about to be relegated there. That happened at Charlton – relegated to L1 then a year later we got promotion at the Valley. One of the quirky things football throws up.
We made bloody hard work of beating Charlton in the cup, and I cannot see any result at Villa other than 3-0. I’ll be glad when the act finally gets done, we know it is coming has been for a long, long while.
Hi Lad
Yes the fixtures sure can turn up some anomilies!
A season to forget I am afraid.
Cheers
what season is that then Mr P . have we had one recently.
🙂
Hi Martin
An interesting preview.
Villa are a founding club of the Football League with a great history and Deadly Dug as an owner who sacked more managers than any other owner but Watford must be close.
While there’s breath there’s hope so I am told so are city brain dead and the rest of the body doesn’t receive the signals telling them to go quietly into the next world.
Seriously being a pessimist with tendencies towards optimum I have since Farke left known that it would happen.
Farke should have been kept on and the recruitment team should have been sent to the grave yard of the unemployed but our owners wanted to keep the firewall in place so all the mess didn’t fall into their laps.
Villa had Billionaire owners prior to the present owners and they never spent to progress and finally succumbed to relegation they now have owners willing to back their manager but could they be the modern equivalent to deadly Dug.
5 games isn’t a poor record we have had worse so should Stevie G be looking over his shoulder to that I would say YES.
Will DS get us promoted next season and cat our pussy cat owners prove they have 9 lives and come out smelling of roses only time will tell.
Success is the only game in football anything else and you are ridiculed by the pundits and our present owners seem addicted to be ridiculed
Hi Alex
As for the ownership smelling of fragrant flowers they will always feel like that in their own minds and some supporters will feel likewise, of course.
Adam Ant once said that *ridicule is nothing to be afraid of*.
But to the best of my knowledge Stuart Goddard isn’t a Norwich City supporter.
Cheers
Wasn’t it “ridicule is nothing to be SCARED of”, Martin?
Hi Dan
Yes it was and you’re quite right.
I’m no fan of Adam and the Ants – it was just a line that stuck in my head and I couldn’t be ar$ed to YoutTube Prince Prince Charming to see if I’d remembered it correctly.
Mind you I had to watch half of it to make sure.
Goddam you Sir 🙂 🙂 🙂
“…if Emi leaves the Villa bench of course, which is by no means a certainty.”
Last week you might have written “… with Lewis not even able to make the squad”
The sums we received for those two players, and the bit-parts they’ve since played in lower to mid-table squads just emphasises what we are up against every time we emerge from the Championship (in the right direction). Both, incidentally, had cut their teeth in the second tier. Thrown into the PL neither seem to have done that much better than the likes of Pierre-Milou, Sargent, Normann and co, thrust straight into the top league with no preparation.
If Buendia is worth £20m+ then its hardly surprising that the single-digit millions we spent on several players isn’t going to buy the quality we need. There are always a few bargains around – Watford seemed to have found one in Dennis – but it didn’t last. He kindly showed his idiotic side against us, and he’s still going to be in the Championship next year.
Perhaps it also demonstrates that whilst some of Webber’s acquisitions have not set the world alight (yet) he can at least negotiate a decent price for those who move on. Those determined to see the back of him tend to forget that.
As for the Villa match, and their general outlook, my feeling is Stephen Gerard will be the next Bryan Robson or Steve Bruce – only surviving by taking jobs where he has a large budget compared to many rivals, and then underperforming. For now he has some contacts still playing, but that won’t last for ever. His record in Scotland – with his only rivals led most of the time by Neil Lennon – is frankly worthless.
But the odds tomorrow must surely be that we will again start brightly, miss a couple of chances, concede a soft goal, and cave in to go down 3-0.
Hi Keith
I did actually give Jamal Lewis a mention on Monday post-Newcastle but I totally get the point you are making – we did indeed get a good price for him and also for Ben Godfrey and the bros. Murphy but I’m not sure what Webber can do about TC if Scott Parker doesn’t want him.
As for Stevie G he can trade on his name and reputation for some time to come as you quite rightly say but that factor tends to dissipate over time.
Your last paragraph will prove to be prophetic I am sure.
Cheers – interesting post.
Just a quick update from Dean Smith this morning.
Josh Sargent and Lukas Rupp are fit and will travel but Zimbo pulled out of training yesterday and is doubtful.
Smith dismissed the idea of apathy at Carrow Road and appeared to support Stuart Webber and his *90%* comments adding that he is looking forward to his personal return to Villa Park. Some kind words for Emi Buendia as well.
That’s all folks.
I saw that is it a case of backing his boss or trying to show harmony in the club???
As for Zimbo put I suppose it will mean a return of Gibson but let’s hope he throws caution to the wind and start Sorensen
I’d love to see Sorensen start but for some unknown reason I don’t really think that will happen. Hope I’m wrong.
Oh no and Kenny stay clean be 40 at least oh well the grass needs cutting 👍🥳😂🌾
Hi Kev
Kenny will be there as Deano says the medical department are working overtime on his broken toe. Should have put that in my press conferece update but I’ll come clean and admit that I forgot about it!
See you Saturday for the Happy? Hammers.
Cheers
Like many I don’t know why Sorensen doesn’t get selected in just about any position – wherever and whenever we’ve played the lad he’s repaid the trust with good effective performances.
I even find myself wondering what he would do if he was put up front with Teemu!
Here’s hoping for a miracle!
COYYs !!
Away at Villa Park. Brings back memories of our 3-2 victory back in 92 that took us to the top of the league. Brilliant game but no chance of a repeat on Saturday. The good old days!!
Hi Dorset
I thoroughly enjoyed that season, possibly because what we achieved by the end of it was so unexpected.
Doubtless like you I’ve been priviliged to witness several further highs as well, but I kind of fear for our future.
Cheers