AFC Bournemouth v Aston Villa

Before Monday's game I was extremely positive that we'd stay up but after that shambolic display in the first half on Monday night I really do wonder if we are good enough to stay up.
The 'we' being the Management team and the players.

I was bemused by the team formation, as I am with those for the PL games.

If we look at the 'Goals For' column, we've only scored 23, only Norwich have scored less. I know we are missing King and realise that he'd replace Solanke but we just don't look like scoring these days.

I realise that we turned it around for the Brighton match but if they had scored first, thankfully not, due to Ramsdale's and Ake's saves I reckon we'd have lost.
Fine margins.

How will the Villa match go? I just hope they're suffering from an anti-climax after getting into the final. They've certainly scored more goals than us this season but also conceded more, the goal difference being the same as ours.
As others have said already, we need to be on top form.

Looking at the table, I can see Norwich and probably Watford going down.
I think Villa will be too good to go down, so it's really between us, Brighton and West Ham. The latter are in the transfer market to get a couple of players which might be enough to help them.

Of the teams on 30 points, I think only Newcastle and Crystal Palace are in slight danger, that said, they aren't so far from the 40 points that teams aim for at the start of the season so they should be OK.

Anyway, let's see how we go on Saturday.
 
I am hoping after breaking his long time without a goal Callum Wilson will carry on scoring like he did after breaking his duck against Leicester.

Strikers thrive on goals and when they don’t score it knocks confidence.

Thought against Brighton Callum looked faster off the mark than he had in previous games and as with most strikers they need the chances and Solanke provided it and Wilson put it away calmly into the net.

I am looking on the positive side from the Brighton result and not the negative from the cup result.
 
I'm not reading too much into the Arsenal game. From the kick off it appeared obvious that Eddie had told the players to treat the game like a training exercise. i.e. don't get injured, don't press, and in Solanke's case, don't risk concussion by heading it.
 
I don't think we should be building Villa up to be an amazing team all of a sudden. Their keeper kept them in that game last night, think he made three or four excellent saves that would have seen Leicester out of sight otherwise. They also somehow survived a penalty for handball too.

Sadly that 93rd minute winner has given them this lift, who knows, a draw and a possible penalty shoot out defeat could have seen a massive cloud over them instead. Fine lines.

If we can play anything like our best [ as in, the last hour against Brighton ] and get that first goal, I can see us winning.
 
davygravy said:
If we can play anything like our best [ as in, the last hour against Brighton ] and get that first goal, I can see us winning.
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If we somehow manage to beat them I vow to do something particularly stupid by way of a celebration. I'll let you know what it was if it happens ;)
I'm currently not too optimistic but if ever there was a time for our boys to surprise us it has to be now ! I still see a glimmer of hope. Just about. Over there.
 
I just don't see Villa as being any better than us in general. They will have a good game here and there but some shockers too. They have a handful of very good players but others that are less so. Wasn't too long ago many of their fans wanted their manager sacked, I guess this morning they will think differently!
For me....its a 50/50 game as it stands. If we play to our levels, we will have a very good chance of winning. If we play below the levels, they are likely to beat us.
 
...hard to be enthused at the moment...I want to see some invention, some risk taking, some pace and energy from the off, and above all clear signs that the players are up for the fight. If I walk away on Saturday and we have managed to do all that then I will be happy whatever the result...

...however if we fall and look as weak as we have been in recent games, the last hour of the Brighton game being the exception, then I will be frustrated and angry at everyone...and as I haven't got a dog I will have to kick the wife...

for this is what it means to me!!!!
 
I also don't think we can take too much from the Arsenal game. 6 changes aside, we visibly only started giving a f**k when things threatened to get embarrassing. At which point we finally started going in for tackles, and Arsenal dropped down a gear, so at times we took control and put a respectable shine on the game/result.

Overall there probably isn't a lot between our current side and Villa's. Over the season to date I've seen them play some great stuff at times, and also look pretty shocking at other times - much like us. It'll all be about who turns up better prepared and more hungry on the day,
 
As they say the league table doesn't lie (well not after 24 games anyway). us and Villa are both poor sides - end of story. Villa have done a bit of a Fulham and ripped up the team that got them promoted, while we have suffered with injuries and integrating younger players into the side.
Could go either way, but I fancy us to sneak it.
 
Villas passing, tackling and positional play was far better than the dross we’ve been subjected to for the last few months. They got stuck in to Leicester and looked like they really wanted it. My concern listening to Eddie after the Arsenal match is that the team are not playing or performing as he has demanded, which makes me wonder if he has lost the dressing room.
 
DodgerCherry said:
My concern listening to Eddie after the Arsenal match is that the team are not playing or performing as he has demanded, which makes me wonder if he has lost the dressing room.
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The dressing room is not lost. It is in exactly the same place under the stand where it has been since the ground opened. I am sure that Eddie knows that too.
 
Controlling Grealish would seem to be a priority if it’s left to Lerma look out for another yellow card which would see him band for the next two games.
 
mark pike said:
Controlling Grealish would seem to be a priority if it’s left to Lerma look out for another yellow card which would see him band for the next two games.
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Is it wrong to hope someone knackers Grealish for much longer than that. Cheating, diving ****************
 
TCherry said:
Before Monday's game I was extremely positive that we'd stay up but after that shambolic display in the first half on Monday night I really do wonder if we are good enough to stay up.
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You can't read anything into our cup games.
Our best-ever PL finish was in 2017 (9th place). Remember our (only) FA Cup game that year?
0-3 to Millwall. Go read the forum from that period if you really want to see panic and meltdown.
On the bright side, Mings was playing.
 
canadiancherry said:
You can't read anything into our cup games.
Our best-ever PL finish was in 2017 (9th place). Remember our (only) FA Cup game that year?
0-3 to Millwall. Go read the forum from that period if you really want to see panic and meltdown.
On the bright side, Mings was playing.
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Ha, Lys Mousset was utterly bewildered that day. Welcome to English football lad, here's 12,000 nutters in the stand and 10 blokes trying to kick you 8 foot in the air. It was like putting a cow on the moon.
Not forgetting Brad Smith actively trying to avoid the football or any contact with a Millwall player. Not a great day.
 
TCherry said:
Before Monday's game I was extremely positive that we'd stay up but after that shambolic display in the first half on Monday night I really do wonder if we are good enough to stay up.
The 'we' being the Management team and the players.

I was bemused by the team formation, as I am with those for the PL games.

If we look at the 'Goals For' column, we've only scored 23, only Norwich have scored less. I know we are missing King and realise that he'd replace Solanke but we just don't look like scoring these days.

I realise that we turned it around for the Brighton match but if they had scored first, thankfully not, due to Ramsdale's and Ake's saves I reckon we'd have lost.
Fine margins.

How will the Villa match go? I just hope they're suffering from an anti-climax after getting into the final. They've certainly scored more goals than us this season but also conceded more, the goal difference being the same as ours.
As others have said already, we need to be on top form.

Looking at the table, I can see Norwich and probably Watford going down.
I think Villa will be too good to go down, so it's really between us, Brighton and West Ham. The latter are in the transfer market to get a couple of players which might be enough to help them.

Of the teams on 30 points, I think only Newcastle and Crystal Palace are in slight danger, that said, they aren't so far from the 40 points that teams aim for at the start of the season so they should be OK.

Anyway, let's see how we go on Saturday.
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I notice that Palace sitting in 11th place with 30 points have only scored 22.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/table
 
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