Gary Blanchard

@paddypower What a dopey cunt

Andy Reid on half time coverage at The City Ground. What a left foot. What a footballer.

@J_Tanswell Shame the ref is watching a different game to everyone else. Clear red card for Anderson, foul on Watkins as he’s running through and several other bemusing decisions

Watkins and Rogers battling well up front. #AVFC will take encouragement as they are receiving the ball in 2v2 situations. Need better end product/support from team-mates final pass, but a solid first half and winning a lot of duels.

@felixwhite That young man lets the ball do the talking #spicy

Timmy Banderson for England #tailendersoftheworlduniteandtakeover

@J_Tanswell How big was that save by emi?!

Wow. A crazy 30 seconds. Isidor is put through 1v1 and tries to dink Martinez, who saves. Emery sprints out of his area and screams at his backline. Ridiculous how open #AVFC are Villa then go down the other end and Abraham gets a touch from Digne's cross. utter madness. 4-3

@rderitis @Felix6ood I’m gutted

You’d be livid if you are a Villa fan. Could’ve got a Euro away semi in Porto … instead you’ve got to go to Nottingham

@danbardell He’s already gifted them possession for a goal. Then that. If that was Buendia he’d be getting slaughtered

You cannot miss chances like that….. #AVFC

@johntownley11 Rogers assist at both ends

GOAL: Neco Williams equalises for Forest. Goal comes a few minutes after Morgan Rogers hit the bar. Nottingham Forest 1-1 #AVFC

@StanCollymore Unbelievable isn’t it?! Absolute basics of defending a right footed left winger!

Not once have Villa shown Rowe down the outside. "Come on in and have a shot".

@J_Tanswell How simple though. Gets the ball cuts inside- why not show him the outside?!

Jonathan Rowe finally gets his goal. Cuts inside Matty Cash and into the bottom corner. Best performance I've seen from an opposition player in some time. 2-1 #AVFC

@RationalVillan If grealish cost £100m then a guy that plays more, scores and assists more must be worth £120m

Posting 💩 like this 4 hours before we play a European quarter final. 😴 Tedious. They’re desperate for us to fail. Love their closed shop. £80m too 🤣 absolute bollocks.

@J_Tanswell It’s bollocks if you ask me

Does play stop immediately if someone gets hit in the unmentionables? Is it the same as a head injuruy? Genuine question #AVFC

@J_Tanswell Best half of football in months. Just need to kill the game off now

HT: #AVFC 1-0 West Ham Villa excellent. Rotations, starting outwide, are pulling a weird West Ham set-up apart. Villa's left side been combining sharply, with Barkley/Sancho/Watkins rejuvenated. Villa so dominant - need to keep standards as West Ham will surely change shape

@StanCollymore Let’s talk about the elephant in the room… Konsa and Rogers form being poor. Konsa not playing well at all, at fault for numerous goals in past month. Rogers not showing the fight or quality when not surrounded by the better players.

FT 3-1 No complaints, attacking fortune favours the brave and United were braver when attacking so they got what their intent deserved, chances and goals. Fantastic job Carrick has done to galvanise a group. Villa's malaise is easily identifiable. 1. If players are given licence to attack high up the pitch, great. But their nativity in either not tracking back or arms in the air is gross naivety and grating. Solution? Foul the opponent within 5 seconds of losing it. If Pep and Arteta can do it, we can. 2. Tempo. Said it last week and the week before. Slow slow slow is fine to build a season, punctuated by quick bursts. 50% slow, 50% bursts. Now? 90% slow, 10% bursts. It has to change. If this continues Villa will be reeled in not by Liverpool or Chelsea, but by Newcastle. It's a fight now for almost every team in the division and those that rise to it will acheive aims, those who don't, fall away. Villa "look" as though they're lacking fight. These players have been superb for 2 or 3 seasons, playing way above expected levels but now is the time to ditch the naivety, raise the pace of games ( why did we do it when United scored? Why then?) and start to be a nasty, dark arts, win at all costs team. Others do. Too nice. Too passive.

@J_Tanswell Yes this performance and recent ones have been crap. In January we needed reinforcements for times like this. Obviously, we could not do so despite having the owners wanting to. So we’ve hit a ceiling, because UEFA won’t allow us to grow. So so so so dispondant right now

Garnacho should score to make it 5-1. And yes, it came from Chelsea playing easily through #AVFC before another diagonal pass out-wide and behind Villa's defensive line. Subs are trying to make a difference but Villa look mentally cooked

@J_Tanswell Konsa just let Pedro walk in front of him- where was ten desire to stay ahead of his man

Joao Pedro scores. Konsa playing Gusto on. Always risky when there is no pressure on the ball and Villa are playing a high line. Gusto squares for the forward to tap in. 1-1 #AVFC

@David_Ornstein @TheAthleticFC Villa and Chelsea rivals…? Spurs have been below Villa for 4 years now and are fighting relegation for the 2nd year in a row…

🚨 Tottenham Hotspur rebuffed enquiries from rivals for Lucas Bergvall in January. Chelsea + Aston Villa made contact to check situation while looking to strengthen midfield & amid 20yo’s reduced role but #THFC clear no plan to consider exit @TheAthleticFC nytimes.com/athletic/70456…

@J_Tanswell Time for tammy??

#AVFC can definitely correct this and make the game more fluid, but it's not exactly like the reverse fixture between the two... The three behind the forward are all really struggling to combine with Watkins.

HT: #AVFC 0-0 Brighton Brighton understandably fragile but Villa are struggling to go up the gears.Not near the level of incision or directness required. Neat touches from Sancho, Rogers & Maatsen at times but Rogers is particularly relied on so much due to the midfield injuries

@J_Tanswell Now we see how much we really want this. How much we want to keep the distance between us and the chasing pack.

HT: #AVFC 0-1 Brentford Intriguing contest. Brentford mode of attack is wingers/8s/Kayode timing runs beyond Villa's high line. It has produced good battles between Villa FBs & Brentford wingers,culminating in Schade's stupid sending off & Ouattara's goal.Douglas Luiz, very good

@LoveMcGrathpod It’s not the goals. It’s the link up play that 9/10 breaks down with him through a poor touch or pass. It’s not like previous seasons where this element of play was reliable. This year it isn’t, and arguably Malan’s was better.

Watkins having a down season for sure, undeniable, but…. Only 4 strikers have scored more than him in the Prem and only 3 have scored more from open play Haaland 20 (2 PKs) (Chances missed 6) Igor Thiago 16 (5 PKs) (Chances missed 12) Semenyo 11 (1 PK) (Chances missed 6) DCL 9 (2 PKs) (Chances missed 10) For context, Watkins this time last year had 10 goals & he had missed 18 Chances, currently he’s tracking at 8 goals and 13 Chances missed.

@Scorpwebb @FabrizioRomano Still does not stack up considering they’re outside the top 20 in European revenue for last season with 20th place bringing in €270m

@gblanch7 @FabrizioRomano Yes, the average ticket prices are very expensive, but generally wealthy Arabs and Turks in Istanbul buy them; unfortunately, most of the real fans watch it on TV 😄

❤️💛✈️👀🔜✅ #Galatasaray