Kid Icarus

Martinez is easily the most likeable thing about Villa imo.

Stuart Pearce tipped us last season. We need to see who's signed first, but I don't see it for quite a few years yet like.

Been trying to think what it is about his performances and impact of late that reminds me of something else and I think I've got it. The first 6 months of David Ginola when we all realised we had an absolute superstar who had instantly taken us to a whole new level.

Sounds good but is it not a bit too casual?

Aye, all of the Man United fans I've ever known up here, all lifelong fans who wouldn't ever accept being called a casual are all absolute bellends to a man like.

A couple of guesses for pro and fan versions based on the rumours, the tiro 25 template and Shadow's posts.

This half has felt like 90 minutes ffs

Taylor is about as big and close as it gets I reckon. Clough was nowhere near the same without him and I daresay it would be the same for Howe without Tindall.

Sounds weird but this is a very good outcome when all we knew was that he had to be hospitalised. Pneumonia's no joke obviously but it could have been something far worse. So happy that he seems to be on the mend.

You really notice Tonali's quick thinking here. Brilliant https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNdFhXW1Y/

I love an unnecessary top bins. The peak imo:

Great minds

Outsprinting and having more desire than a player that came on after half time as well.

I was lead to believe Ugarte is really good though?

Wew. @Sempiternal Cunha:

I watched them a bit that season to try and see it and I did, but it didn't look terminal and it was easy to see how Howe would improve his off-the-ball work. I think Howe wanted him when we were looking for that RW/AM hybrid, which lines up with us going for Szoboszlai the summer after because I remember their FBRef profiles were spookily similar. Really not sure whether Howe's still after that type of player anymore (Cunha maybe?) but it would be pretty interesting to see what role he would have had here, because I think it would have been Murphy he played instead of rather than anyone in our midfield 3.

When we were linked with him and we were doing our sleuthing on Foxestalk, it was a pretty widespread opinion that he talked a good game, but did a lot of hiding when the going got tough.

Probably a bit of a sliding doors moment, he might have done well elsewhere, but tbf at the same time I think a lot of people thought Maddison made an obviously bad choice to go there at the time.

Literally that yeah. Offset by the Anderson sale the other way. Slim pickings trying trying to find a Howe signing that was a dud, so I understand the difficult position you're in.

Targett's pretty much the only signing that hasn't worked out and it's mainly because of injury as well. Brilliant when he came in on loan.

Noticed that he quite often starts to shine at the end of matches. Thought he was brilliant from about 60 minutes. Quiet otherwise, but I think we've come so accustomed to having someone in midfield who does the simple thing so well that we maybe won't notice it until he's missing.

I knew he was good but fucking hell. I hope I never take it for granted in the way I maybe have with Bruno. He has levels to go as well, in our system he still has that inside right channel to get goals from like he did today and like Longstaff used to.

You're stepping on a rake with that one Froggy

Definitely, I do love how we play and I can see why we play how we do. We so often control matches out of possession now, force the opposition into about 3 or 4 different traps then pounce. Could be wrong but it feels like we have a few different ways to win now and don't just try and brute force our way to a result in a way that might not really work, like possession football against a team in a low block.