Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Albion blog: Mission Impossible
Tuesday 12th May 2009, 9:10AM BST.
Albion blogger Jarrod Hill eyes up the best ‘Mission Impossible’ yet – the Baggies implausible escape from relegation in the Premier League.
Mission Impossible? Or is it possible?
I am too scared to even contemplate believing we could still stop up, so I am staying firmly put in the ‘it’s not going to happen, but its nice to go down fighting’ camp.
But I still found myself looking at the remaining fixtures and playing out the various scenarios that would make it possible, but I still feel that relegation will be confirmed on Sunday against Liverpool.
One things for sure if we go down on goal difference my anger towards a certain Mr Robert Styles will only intensify.
The most inept refereeing performance I have ever witnessed allowed a rampant Manchester United to give us a thumping at the Hawthorns in January.
Iam adamant we would not have conceded as many goals had the game been officiated by someone else.
Saturday against Wigan was a strange game, we have played better this season and lost – that has been a frustration this season.
The starting line up was a bit of a shock, the return of Dean Kiely in goal and the inclusion of Borja Valero in midfield – who I thought had his best game for us yet. The exclusion of Robert Koren all surprised me.
Yet it worked a treat, Deano made some outstanding saves and must be a cert for Sunday as must Valero. Graham Dorrans was again brilliant until forced to go off and the ever improving Marc Antoine Fortune tortured the Wigan defence with his strength and willingness to work his socks off.
I even heard the Brummie Road singing, wonders will never cease!
The only thing that was wrong about Saturday was the late substitution, I think I have made my feelings on Jay Simpson quite clear and I would much preferred to have seen Roman Bednar come on instead of the cockney brat.
That aside it was a great game, Wigan could have easily come away from the game with a result but for once we had enough luck to get us the three points.
Maybe our lack of luck all season has finally turned and Hull, Newcastle and Middlesbrough will lose their last two games, Liverpool’s coach will break down and the Blackburn players will already be thinking about their holidays.
The result was in spite of another poor refereeing performance, other than the penalty decision he seemed intent on awarding everything else in Wigan’s favour, but it gets glossed over when we still win.
The 4-5-1 formation seems to be working well, probably because Fortune has the ability to make it work.
His hold up play is superb. I find myself thinking if only we had signed him last summer and started as we have finished our season could have been so different.
But then I could say the same about players who have recently come into the team and made a huge difference, Dorrans and Shelton Martis being the most obvious.
Both have grown in confidence and have put in performances that have made the difference between winning and losing.
If the impossible were to happen and we stayed up I would have so much more confidence about next season.
We seem to have found a game plan, a selection of players that works and that is just one more frustration to add to the list that it may have arrived just a little too late.
Or, the timing is perfect and ‘Mission Impossible’ is in motion, fingers crossed, oh dear they’ve got me hoping again.
Please burn after reading.
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Bomber, good blog my friend. I do hope you manage Mission Impossible so good luck with the remaining fixtures. Not so sure about the burn after reading bit !! My boss has just presented me with a bill for £300 for a new monitor !!!
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I wonder if you wrote this before the Newcastle result? I suppose I’ve been lulled into false expectations and the Magpies have brought me back down to earth. What on earth was I thinking? A win against Liverpool???
Then again, I’ve been looking at the stats, and Blackburn have one of the worst defences in the league. Then again, we have one of the worst scoring records away from home. But, as you say, miracles do happen, and the team has been improving fast.
At least being an Albion fan is a bit more interesting than having to follow Villa’s ridiculously predictable fortunes season after seaon.
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Not such a good result last night – although we needed 4 points minimum anyway given our goal difference.
I was cursing Hull pulling one goal back on Saturday – a 4 goal swing was do-able, 5 is stretching it.
Hopefully United will have won the title on Saturday and Liverpool will have nothing to play for – leave Torres, Gerrard, Mascherano, Reina and Carragher at home and give the kids a chance Rafa!!!
I dare to dream, my Facebook status says I “still believe……..!”
And just think, next season we’d start with a 6 point advantage on everyone else – from the Dingles!!
Boing boing!
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Good blog Bomber, though I think it’s easy to blame Mr Styles for our plight. It got me thinking of the points we’d frittered away……
Everton (h) and (a)
Bolton (a)- Miller open goal
Hull (h)
Newcastle (h) and (a)
Blackburn (h)
Wigan (a)
Aston Villa (a)
West Ham (a)
Portsmouth (a)
Man City (a)
Tottenham (a)
…..the original point of this post was that we could so easily have enough points to stay up, as I got further down the fixture list I started thinking “we should be in the Champions League”!! If only……we’ll be back next year!!!
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I am a creature of habit! I park my car in approximately the same place before every home match; I walk the same route from my car to the ground, holding my daughters hand to cross each of the roads, turnstile, purchase program, water and balti pie, get to my seat 20ish minutes before kick off and try to work out whos playing whilst they warm up! I do all these things, and in this order, because if I don’t then it is quite possible that we will loose and it will be my fault, and maybe even the whole fabric of time will unravel! Now before our win against Sunderland I accidently kicked over half of my water onto the floor, so not to break with a lucky thing I purposely spilt a few drops onto the floor when we played Wigan, and we won again… So just a thought, as anyone ever tried getting a watering can through the turnstile? That will be my plan when Liverpool come to town!
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Paully.
I’ll bring the bricks and someone else the cement and with your water we’ll brick up the goals.
I know miracles happen but ALBION beating Liverpool??
No Way!
Even GOD couldn’t manage that one!!
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4,i think we might need a blummin hose pipe aye boing boing wheres the tap
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soz meant 5,if liverpool are on the beach who knows what can happen,i know one thing if we beat liverpool we will stay up,aye boing boing alrit mate
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We have to be realistic, are we really going to get anything off Liverpool? Are we even going to score? Will they do there usual and get at least 3 against us?
We’ll give it our all I’m sure but hey fellow baggies, lets just enjoy it, last home game of the season, bring on the beach party!
Boing Boing!!
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hello everyone long time reader first time poster lol,
i went to the newcastle game last night with a mate and i have to say it was shocking the result was good for newcastle but the standard of play just makes me wonder why were bottom,
i would have played deano a long time ago he has his faults but im thinking he would have given us the few extra points needed and i for one hope he keeps his place for the remainder of the season.
agree with the jay simpselfish comment waste of space but why no bednar is beyond me .
anyway heres to dreaming of the next 2 results
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Can we sign Steven Fletcher please!
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If all else fails I could always lamp Gerard over the head with it!
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leigh james, Ive got this feeling that Bednars gob has got him into trouble with Mowbray! I wouldn’t be to suprised to see Bednar out on his ear come the summer what ever division we’re in. Personally I am in a no lose situation… I had prepared myself mentally for Championship football next season. I was quite prepared to get behind the lads even if we didn’t get another win all season, but now we’re making a bit of a fight of it, it just makes it a load more interesting. In all honesty I can only see one outcome (relegation) but as usual the Baggies give us a hell of a ride for our money! Followed by Championship footie!
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Sir Terry, There will be enough liquid flowing on Sunday without the blinkin hose pipe. ALL hail to the ale and Sir Terry, Boing Boing “hic” “hic”
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Sitting here in glorious sunshine reading the E&S thinking how much i would like Albion to do it stay up and give us all some much needed premiership Derbies.Then i read idiotic comments 3 Supergob u need to grow up.How would you know what signings MM TM may make what teams will start the season.Hopefully(But no thanks to 3)Albion will survive and we can ALL look forward to 2009/10 in the Prem.
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Sky Sports News Latest:
Villa lead the chase for Fortune.
Fulham to bid £3 million for Brunt.
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I cannot express how stupidly angry I was last night when Newcastle won. I watched it in a pub full of them wearing their shirts and I was —well it felt like I was a deflated balloon. Why? Well suddenly there seemed a chance—suddenly Valero looked like a good player—suddenly we had a goalkeeper—and that old bugger hope was rising. I had already told myself that last night would be a draw and we would win our last 2 games condemning Hull Boro and Shearer to the Fizzy—-now what. Could it still happen? Oh yes come on–its only Liverpool
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I think we’re gonna come up short, by a point or two.
It’s always so frustrating. We go on a good run and the results start being the ones we’d expected when we were playing out the “we’re stopping up” scenario. Then we kept having blips where it all just seemed to fall apart.
After the Stoke game i was adamant that we’d blown it. Now you just can’t help hoping, even though you know it’s forelorn hope.
I think last night’s result has sealed it for us, but we’ll keep right on until the fat lady sings.
Great blog as usual, keep up the good work.
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Don’t let brunty go for gods sake he’s become one of the most improved players at the Baggies.
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If only points were achieved on second half performances…we’d be 7th !!!
Ahh well….i cant see us doing it,but its good that the team are at last showing some commitment to the cause.
2900 at Blackburn?..more like 15,000 if there is anything left to play for !
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dieing seconds of the match remaining brunty does a 1 2 with MAF on the edge of the liverpool penalty area gets the return pass 2yds inside one stride two strides prepares to strike the liverpool center half slides in with alast ditch tackle taking brunty before before the ball which bobbles behind the goal line,ref gives goal kick, but wait the linos standing with his flag across his chest,ref and lino have aconference which seems to go on extrodinarly long before awarding the penalty kick, mean while brunty lays injured in the box on comes the physio to attend to him he signals mogga that he wont be able to carry on,bednar gets stripped mean while bruntys being helped off on comes roman looking not the least perturbed gets the ball spins it on his indexfinger harlem globe trotter style turns and walks 3 maybe 4 yds towards the sme turns faces the brummie startshis run up does a little shimmy and dinks the ball dwight yorkesk into the net,pandamodium erupts all around except for the visiting fans and playing staff their keeper boots the ball towards the center circle in an upward arc before it can begin its downward loop the ref blows up.NOW THATS THE DREAM IHAD LAST NIGHT so clear so lucid it was all most vision like,scared the brown stuff out of the wife this morning at 10 to 5…
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20.rockstar couldnot agree with you more.sadly dont think i am going to be one of the 29 or 15 as iam rostered on that day.nothing a glass of salt water wont cure about an hour into my shift lol???
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21 Blimey mate what on earth doe you eat before you went to bed last night?! Its like the dream I had about Kylie and Dannie Minogue once, except I woke up before ‘the ball hit the back of the net’.
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21 H i had a dream about the arsenal ladys footie team,aye boing boing corrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
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21 HWB.
That’s some dream, us getting a penalty against Liverpool. I can’t remember us ever doing well against them except 1968 but let’s show those Welsh, Home Counties, Norwegian, Japanese plastic Liverpool supporters what real fans sound like and roar the lads on.
On another thread. Isn’t it good to see some of the doubters getting behind the team for a change and the Valero bashers suddenly realising that he is a good player after all. Perhaps some people will now stop knocking Robbo, Carson et al, or do miracles take a little longer.
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i had a dream about filton wolf last nite,he really is a big softie,aye boing boing hes lovely
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i see wolves are after cardiffs ross macormack,good player but i cant see him wanting to move to a smaller club aye boing boing donk
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i got me blackburn tickets aye boing boing let the party begin
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Tez, when you heading up to Blackpool mate?
We’re heading up on Saturday morning, so we should definitely get something sorted for a few cheeky beers and a stroll down the pier.
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For die hard baggies staying up would be nearly
as good as a good win on the lottery and for all the valid reasons mentioned above we need fate to
lend an hand. Boro did show Liverpool can be
beaten it depends on our resolve are we up for it? I hope TM keeps an unchanged side doubt it
though. My statto friend tells me pool are
vulnerable to crosses into their maybe a set piece heres hoping.
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Cant believe Newcsatle won! They seemed cert 2 go down, they won less games than anyone and they have been by far worst team in recent weeks for quite some time now (since Kinnear went) They DO think there too big 2 go down and yet now I can see them ruining it all for us and beating Fulham saturday not that they deserve it thus effectively relegating us before we even kick a ball off against Liverpool. I believe no-one in this relegation dogfight deserves 2 all of a sudden be safe, everyone has been poor. It should go down 2 the last day, and we do deserve that if nothing else! Even if the mighty moaning magpies loose satday we still NEED 2 get somethin out liverpool game. Deano was great last week, he needs 2 keep his place. We need 2 play this game as our whole season is in that 90 mins! Bout time we beat em. If luck does even out and the things Mowbray talked about happens then we will finally beat a top 4 side this season like he said at start and there is 1 more away win left in the side…being Blackburn. Please God please C’mon u BAGGIES!!!
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