Close but far.

You think that's bad? My wife works in the medical field and has mentored new workers.

She told me one mid-20s colleague she was reviewing used the "word" 'unalive' in medical documentation.

My mind boggles. Self-censorship is literally 1984 stuff.

Keir Starmer and all the grandstanding, pearl clutching politicians can fuck right off.

If you want to equate an Israeli fanbase who has a history of causing trouble with Jewish people generally, you're being anti-Semitic.

Jewish people are always welcome at Villa Park. Hooligans aren't.

#UTV

Yeah me too, Bouma was a bit of a cult hero for me and watching that from the Holte, I celebrated it like he'd just scored a worldie.

Thought we did magnificently today at playing a way that nullified Bournemouth and offered them zero opportunities to hit us on the counter. I knew today would probably be a cagey affair where we sit behind the ball a lot because of that, and I have to say the game plan came off perfectly. UTFV.

Fair play. Always liked Iraola, and not many managers would say that.

Also shout out to our new Premier League top scorer - Ollie fucking Watkins. So delighted to see him knock Gabby off the top spot today and whatever happens from here, Ollie you're a fucking legend mate and I'll always remember you fondly.

Up the fucking Villa.

#UTV #AVFC

Absolutely massive win today. I believe now. That was our hardest fixture left, the fact we've won that gives me belief we can finish 5th, or at the very worst 6th to guarantee Europa, but I believe in 5th.

Onanam MOTM for me today.

UTV

#avfc

Youri got my vote too. Surely the winner by an absolute landslide this year, and well deserved too.

Can Messi do it on a warm Thursday in Vancouver?

No, he bloody can't.

#VWFC #Vancouver #Whitecaps

Does this mean there's a chance it gets moved to the midweek before the cup final if we get there?

I would not be happy with that at all, considering I'm already displeased the cup final is no longer the final weekend.

Booo!

If you can beat Newcastle today though I'd be grateful.

I so desperately want him to seal his Villa legend status by lifting us the FA Cup this year. What a story that will be, from player of the year in the promotion season to lifting us the trophy that has eluded us for generations. 🙏

@jrothman.bsky.social I just finished The Ledger and the Chain and wanted to express my gratitude for your work.

I found myself wondering about the lives of slave traders and your book was eye opening on the subject.

Your research help bridge the gaps of time to deepen my understanding. Thank you.

Seems like a lot of waffle to say that Spurs have higher expectations than Villa and the media treats you accordingly.

The word "away" implies the ball was near where the free kick offence occured.

In fact Kamara was trying to speed the game up by helpfully kicking the ball towards the spot of the foul.

Why would the referee caution a player for trying to speed up the game?

Well it was ugly, and it seemed appropriate for a lot of the game that we were playing in a kit last seen when we were a bunch of amateurs, but we got the win which is all that matters.

Hopefully an easier draw in the next round.

Happy Birthday Aston Villa.

#avfc

Marlon Hardwood, Carlton Cole and Danny Ings.

We are half way to the points total we picked up at home last year, yet we have only picked up 10 points away from home compared to last season's 28.

We are definitely not as strong a team away from home as we were last season, however maybe the fixtures we have played have a part to play in that.

Where can we pick up those 10 points in the second half of the season?

If I was Unai I'd be aiming at Spurs at home, Newcastle at home, and then picking up some points at Old Trafford, Selhurst Park, and the Amex.

No easy task, but maybe we won't need as many points to qualify for CL this year.

As we are half way through the season, lets review our fixtures with their equivalent last season. Data from FBref.

10 points down from the same fixtures last season, with less xG but surprisingly lower xGA too.

Is Emi not bailing us out as much this year compared to 23-24?

#avfc

It's still a great time to be a Villa fan, but I can't help feeling frustrated at the missed opportunities this season as the CL places are there for the taking if we can just find some consistency.

10pts down is a lot to make up, but maybe the bar won't be so high for CL in 2025. 6/6

#avfc #UTV

It seems like Emery doesn't trust his squad. I don't understand why there's so many late changes this year, and not rotating the squad more when we're in the busiest period of the year. We basically weakened our team in the summer to strengthen our squad so why aren't we using the squad more. 5/6

There's been a noticeable drop off from last season when playing teams around us in the table, and we're down 10 points on the same fixtures last season. I don't see where we make that up in the second half of the season. 6 points at home vs Spurs and Newcastle? Feels unlikely at the moment. 4/6

I've basically had it in my head we need to win today to finish in the Champions League places again and the only thing that mattered today was the result, and today feels like a big missed opportunity. We aren't getting CL again because we can't beat the teams around us in the league. 3/6

We can see what the plan is and it works most the time, but all it takes is a few seconds of defensive mishaps and we've undone all our good work. We're setting up with a different back 4 nearly every game, and we've conceded a shocking amount of goals from the opposition's first shot on target. 2/6

It's frustrating being a Villa fan at the moment. We are obviously a good team, but in some ways being a good team who aren't performing to expectations is more frustrating than when we were shit. We are such a frustrating team to watch this year because we are our own worst enemy. 1/6 #avfc

Brilliant performance from Anthony there. He was vital for his team from the very first whistle and a key part of their win.

Anthony Taylor that is...

In all seriousness Newcastle weren't anything special today. We could have got something without that terrible red decision.

I hate SJP.

#avfc

I appreciate the vote of confidence but I don't see any result but you getting the three points. Getting our pants pulled down is a regular occurrence at SJP.

I just hope we can get the three points at our place this year.

Well said.

The pearl clutching from the likes of Owen is absurd and shows his own lack of understanding of terrace culture.

He might has well have just written the letter to Liverpool fans because it was entirely him projecting his own feelings of rejection onto Grealish.

#avfc