Happy anniversary from our halcyon days

From the ridiculous to the sublime.

Our line up vs Brentford under Val just 4 years ago was

Collins

Solbauer Helik Andersen

Brittain Palmer Mowatt Styles

Morris Dike Chaplin

 

Decent team, mind you a lot on here didn't rate Chaplin

 

Simply one of the best performances I’ve watched a Barnsley side put in. Instead of playing direct, we matched them up (think they’d easily beaten us at Oakwell?) and were just too good for them. I knew at that point we were capable of something special.

First trip to that stadium too. Having been there for the last game at their old gaff.

Great people at Brentford. Sad to see how big the gap has grown between the clubs since.

 

Or Palmer

 

Or Styles or Brittain.

 

I'm sure we beat Villa 3-1 away and Fulham 3-0 at the Cottage on the same date in 2017 and 2020 respectively. I'm sure because I was with my now wife both times doing valentines shìt so missed the games

 

It’s an absolute joke , how we have gone from that to the current situation in 4 years . Our best chance to stabilise in the championship in years was thrown away by pure incompetence at the top.

 

I did!

 

I prefer today being the eight year anniversary of this. What a team we had then to be proud of.

 

And me.

 

Look at those attacking options

Bradshaw
Armstrong
Kent
Watkins

and Hammill on the bench

 

https://www.11v11.com/matches/aston-villa-v-barnsley-14-february-2017-352232/#google_vignette

The likes of Grealish, Hogan and Hourihane were no match for them.

 

Doesn’t compare with the Brentford one for me. It was a weird win that we failed to repeat very often moving forward having sold our best players. A death rattle of sorts.

 

Blimey that Fulham result.

Think they had a front 3 at that time of Knockaert Mitrovic and Cavaleiro.

 

On that Brentford match 8 of our players are now in the Championship and 1 in the Premier League.

Shame we have to constantly lose our best players. There's nothing new there - it's been that way throughout history.

 

I was working at the FCO with a couple of Villa fans. Asked them if they fancied making a night of it but it was beneath them.
Next day, never heard so many #TeamsLikeBarnsley quotes.

 

One hell of a football club though, Villa. I’m glad they’re back amongst the elite. Forest too.

The Asencio fella they’ve recently signed (Villa) is an absolute throwback. A player you’d pay to watch. Like Guti was all those years ago. Or an Adam Hammill in BFC terms. Amine Bassi most recently (great little player). Far too many robots in the modern game and our squad is littered with them.

 

Villa looked really good v Spurs last weekend.

My Mums family were all Villa - all evacuated up to Gods Own County during the war and never went back. Say what you like about Hitler, if it wasn't for him I'd be a Brummie.

 

That Chaplin and Morris.
Now they were dreadful with us (only kidding) and didnt their careers go down the pan when they left us.