Jacob Tanswell
@J_Tanswell
Followers
30K
Following
9K
Media
945
Statuses
20K
Aston Villa writer for @TheAthleticFC | #AVFC | Email: [email protected] Bluesky: https://t.co/IfuJdPoP2M Subscribe here: https://t.co/T0ODbIYl1h
Joined March 2018
🚨#SaintsFC have agreed a deal to sign Ainsley Maitland-Niles on a season-long from Arsenal with an option to buy. Southampton have been long-term admirers & is able to play in both FB positions. Story @TheAthleticUK - first reported by @FabrizioRomano.
74
670
5K
🚨#SaintsFC have agreed a deal to sign Mislav Orsic from Dinamo Zagreb and is close to being completed. Initial fee worth around £6m, with club keen to bring players in quickly. Orsic is over 27 but Nathan Jones wants experience. Story @TheAthleticFC .
102
248
3K
People boo because Jordan Henderson chose money over principles and in doing that, ended his career at the top level. So the fact he still gets picked for England is jarring. From a purely footballing perspective, I can think of certain other midfielders who deserve their chance.
Gareth Southgate says he does not understand the reception Jordan Henderson received at Wembley during England’s victory over Australia. #ENGAUS
77
164
3K
🚨Chelsea proposed a £50m bid for Romeo Lavia on deadline day. Lavia has essentially played 4 &1/2 PL games & #SaintsFC would have made a £38m profit less than two months after signing him. Story on @TheAthleticUK, reported first by @FabrizioRomano:.
34
127
3K
Emiliano Martinez does it again. He runs the full length of the pitch to celebrate with the Villa fans high up in the far corner. Shithousery of the highest order. Villa coaches are understandably pushing him off the pitch now. #AVFC
42
171
3K
I mean, what is Jhon Duran supposed to do with his feet there? Poor refereeing before the decision, too. Emery and the bench enraged. #AVFC down to ten men.
107
171
3K
Apparently, Jhon Duran does this type of thing in training a lot. He can be as good as he wants to be. All three of his goals this season were winning goals from the bench. No player has scored more winners as a substitute in a single Premier League campaign. #AVFC.
9
91
2K
Philogene takes an eternity to get off the pitch. Fulham fans boo him, but he raises three fingers up and one on the other hand, to remind them of the score. #AVFC.
16
66
2K
Emery: "We are not talking about Kamara at centre-back. Wow. Wow. Fantastic. He's playing fantastic. Maybe you can call on teams to try and sign him!" #AVFC.
27
83
2K
Nathan Jones: "I don't know if I changed perceptions. Within 10 minutes of the Brighton game, I was inept. "The non-league manager criticised me the other day. It baffled me. I don't speak about Havant & Waterlooville. I don't speak about levels I don't know about.". #SaintsFC.
69
84
1K
I don't think you can appreciate just how good Morgan Rogers is until you watch him live. Shrugs off players with ease, drives forward and the sheer power of it all at just 22 years of age is astonishing. #AVFC.
36
72
1K
Unai Emery: "Emiliano Martinez is the best goalkeeper in the world. Before the penalty, I was sat down on the bench dreaming he would save it. and he did." #AVFC.
3
57
1K
You can have all the set play organisation you want, sometimes you just need Tyrone Mings to come in and head everything away. #AVFC.
20
55
1K
Aston Villa are down to their fifth and sixth choice centre-backs and are in the top four. Injuries have been relentless and yet they are still there. They are beginning to look like they've got the endurance to last the race. #AVFC.
31
145
1K
Roberto De Zerbi: "To be honest, this was not Villa today. I can understand it because they are competing in the Conference League and have a lot of injuries. "And because of that, they couldn't be the Aston Villa of usual." #AVFC.
26
101
1K
Pep Guardiola on whether Aston Villa can win the title: "Yes definitely. When you see the organisation from Unai, the pressing, the set pieces, the goalkeeper. yes definitely.". Big words. #AVFC.
15
83
1K
Villa Park singing "there's only one Wayne Rooney", in tribute to the work he's doing at Birmingham City. #AVFC.
12
93
1K
🚨EXCL: Jesse Marsch is set to become #SaintsFC manager. Contract length was a sticking point but Monday's talks went well. Club wanted a new manager before Chelsea & Marsch was the lead candidate. w/@dansheldonsport & @PhilHay_ @TheAthleticFC .
125
193
1K
MARTINEZ BOOKED for winding up the crowd again. He's already been booked. Yet he stays on. what the fuck is happening. #AVFC.
40
77
1K
Long-term absentees Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara have been named in Aston Villa's 25-man Premier League squad. #AVFC.
13
39
1K
I ask Unai Emery if, in game 33, Aston Villa can be Champions League contenders. "Yes. on 63 points. yes we can be Champions League contenders.". #AVFC.
22
42
1K
Reckon this may well be Jhon Duran's best game in a Villa shirt. He has scored more spectacular goals, but his all-round display has been great. Intensity closing down, holding the ball up, right decision-making etc. #AVFC.
25
47
1K
Jhon Duran, Amadou Onana and Emiliano Martinez dance in front of the away end. Onana then returns for his increasingly familiar fist bumps in front of the #AVFC supporters who sing his name.
6
54
1K
🚨Unai Emery has extended his contract as #AVFC's head coach until 2027. Villa intend to sit down with Emery this summer and prolong his terms even further. Story @TheAthleticFC - @David_Ornstein .
21
87
1K
Eddie Howe on Tyrone Mings: "I signed Tyrone in what feels like a long time ago. On debut for us, he got a really serious injury for us. But he faced it with incredible courage and resilience and what he has gone on to achieve is a testament to that. I send him my love.".#AVFC.
9
59
1K
Middlesbrough fans make their feelings known about the early kick off time, unfurling this banner. Before the game, they applauded the #afcb fans for making the trip, before singing “Sky TV is fuc*ing sh*t”and continuing the chant throughout the first half.
15
146
1K
Genuinely extraordinary. From Emiliano Martinez's heroic save at the death, to Duran's finish, to Emery's gameplan. It was hard work, tactical brilliance and an organisation that brings out the best in Aston Villa. These scenes are the culmination of remarkable progress. #AVFC.
8
48
1K
Was speaking to John McGinn in the mixed zone and Unai Emery, on his way to his press conference walked past. He slapped his captain on the back, smiling. “Super John McGinn! He’s not always, but he was today!” . #AVFC.
11
25
1K
Hasenhuttl confirms James Ward-Prowse only had one session with the team due to his calf injury. He says JWP didn't want the risk to play for England on Wednesday as he wanted to play for #SaintsFC today Took the decision himself. RH says this shows why he is captain of the team.
9
71
1K
Emi Martinez sprints towards the corner where the #AVFC fans are , pumping his fists and throws his gloves in the crowd. John McGinn and.Co follow him.
4
53
1K
Grealish and Onana are now exchanging words, with Haaland getting involved. Not been a good day for Grealish. #AVFC.
16
24
1K
Knew I was extremely privileged to report on #AVFC in the summer, but covering the team on this run and how outstanding they’re playing and coached has been so enjoyable. Villa Park’s atmosphere in the last four days is something I’ve not experienced before. Records broken!.
24
29
974
Pep Guardiola: "Congratulations to Aston Villa on a well-deserved result. "They changed the pressing in the second half. We could not drop them. Kamara filled the pockets really well, with the transitions with Morgan." #AVFC.
9
29
1K
Emery recalls #AVFC's defeat to Arsenal: " Two years ago, we lost 4-2 and Jorginho scored a goal when our striker was not defending the edge of the box. Today, City did one cross and Jhon Duran was there defending. Two years ago, we were demanding him to do it and now he is.".
9
49
991
Emery on Watkins: "I don't want him to be sold. it's good new to have offers from other clubs. "Every player can be in the market in case its good for the player, club & the team. But to get this deal, of course we are going to be very demanding and Watkins is our striker."#AVFC.
50
129
990
The #SaintsFC players push Ruben Selles to the front to celebrate with the away fans who are singing his name. I told you they loved him. What a result, what a turnaround.
14
70
957
Pep Guardiola: "I give more credit to Aston Villa than what we have done. They have momentum and the ability to punish you. They attack behind and they are good. I accept it. When a team is better than us, I accept it." #AVFC.
4
55
958
Unai Emery: "I don't like the word pressure. Pressure, for instance, is what teams are feeling to avoid relegation or even, in everyday life, the real pressure is what every family feels to get income to raise a family. We don't have pressure - we have an opportunity." #AVFC.
18
66
936
Aston Villa have finished in the top eight and booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League. An extraordinary achievement for a team just arriving back on the grander scene. Marvellous. #AVFC.
16
33
972
Unai Emery: "I never use injured players as an excuse because other teams have that as well. We try to use the players we have available. For example, it was fantastic how Calum Chambers helped us recover the ball for the second goal." #AVFC.
7
33
931
🚨#SaintsFC are considering Jesse Marsch to replace Nathan Jones as manager. Southampton have held a long-standing interest in Marsch which predates Sport Republic's arrival. Marsch is still in the UK after #LUFC sacking. Story @TheAthleticFC.
167
159
914
Unai Emery on Calum Chambers: "He's a very good man. I respect him a lot. Even in the summer, I said let him leave. In the winter, I said let him leave. But he decided to stay here. "I am including him in everything and today I am very happy for him." #AVFC.
10
40
912
Genuinely, Aston Villa could not ask for a better goalkeeper for them. Emiliano Martinez's goalkeeping is often peerless, but it's everything else too - his leadership, bravado, sweeping, distribution, shithousery. He gives Villa a good ego. #AVFC.
15
33
895
Emiliano Martinez runs over to Austin MacPhee and tells him Neto can't see from corners due to the sun, instructing team-mates to stand on Neto and whip crosses directly into the six-yard box. #AVFC.
9
30
905
What a pleasure, what a season covering Aston Villa. Have enjoyed every part of it and extremely fortunate to be writing at such a memorable time in the club’s history on the pitch. Lots more to come over the summer and next season! #AVFC.
45
21
882
Emery was asked about Bayern having a day more to recover:. "We are going to suspend the match and we are not going to play! What do we want? We want to play in Europe. If we don’t want it then we don’t play in Europe and we resting in the week. Fantastic for everybody." #AVFC.
12
37
910
A funny, honest reply from Nathan Jones: "I could have stayed in a mining community, been a PE teacher and had a nice life, married a nice Welsh girl. Beautiful. I don’t. I want to test myself on every level & that’s nothing against Welsh women. I want to test myself.". #SaintsFC.
48
48
866
James Ward-Prowse is substituted and is given a proper chance to say goodbye. Years of service on and off the pitch, he leaves unquestionably one of Southampton’s greats. A fitting, emotional goodbye to a remarkable player and role model. #SaintsFC
21
75
859
A 41-year wait is over. Aston Villa have secured Champions League football. A result of hard work, embracing and enduring the many hurdles with genuine quality. Villa lasted the course. It's driven by the coaching genius of Unai Emery, who got everything out of his players.#AVFC.
11
60
865
Unai Emery asked if he will watch Man City vs Tottenham: "I will watch a match tomorrow - the one from tonight. Then I will watch Crystal Palace.". #AVFC.
12
41
863
Unai Emery on John McGinn saying he could be one of the great #AVFC managers:  I appreciate the words of the players but I don’t like it a lot. I don’t like good words and bad words. I like to be in balance and with John, I’m going to push him more." (1/2).
18
12
870
Absolutely delighted to have joined @TheAthleticUK covering #SaintsFC. To write about the club in the city I grew up in is a privilege. Let's get started, shall we?.
109
30
843
🚨#SaintsFC have agreed a deal worth €21 million to sign Paul Onuachu from Genk. Nathan Jones wanted a physical striker and Southampton's improved offer convinced Genk to accept. Looking like a huge day for the club. Story @TheAthleticFC .
42
81
844
Emery: "Maatsen played a fantastic match. McGinn played well. Duran scored his goal. When we needed fresh legs in the second half, we did. Kamara coming back was perfect today." #AVFC.
4
16
838
Jhon Duran has gone down the tunnel. A miserable face turned to smiles and fist bumps when the crowd started applauding. Which sums him up nicely. #AVFC.
2
12
841
Unai Emery: "In the analysis, we were speaking about the positioning of Neuer - always high. I spoke to my assistant coaches about how he (Duran) shoots. Because he had in his mind this possibility.". #AVFC.
5
41
833
Moussa Diaby on Olympiacos:"We have the mentality of winners and I want to get to the final. I believe in my team. We will win there, for sure. We have to go there full of energy, fight until the end. I know Villa will do this. We have to show them Aston Villa are the best."#AVFC.
18
51
815
For a team that has kept just two clean sheets and have had most of their attacking options out of form, confidence and underperforming most metrics, the fact #AVFC are four points off the top four is pretty and surprisingly good. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
9
53
831
Asked Jaden Philogene just now if he he was nervous about tonight. He simply said "no," and smiled, as if I had asked him a ludicrous question. #AVFC.
7
22
800
Apt that John McGinn has his own moment with The Holte End. The captain and the driver behind the historic home record. Players limping down the tunnel, hugging - left nothing out there. #AVFC
4
38
774
Ollie Watkins' second half is one of the best individual performances you'll see this season. Virtually unplayable. The runs, the quality, the link play and the two assists. The Premier League's second-best striker - maybe No 1, on current form. #AVFC.
14
58
758
Just spoke to Amadou Onana. He’s huge and a very impressive, mature talker. Says he hopes it is the start of a love affair with the #AVFC supporters. Great personality and the type of character Villa need in the most challenging Emery’s position.
10
23
755
"Nathan Jones your football is shit" sing the #SaintsFC away end. Very loud and very clear.
45
68
756
Unai Emery: "Pau Torres needs to be stronger in his duels with his opponent. But he knows. We are working on it and he reacted fantastic after the goal." #AVFC.
5
22
761
My word, Romeo Lavia is having some debut. Diagonal passes to start counter-attacks, receiving under pressure and defensive positioning has been largely faultless. 18-years-old. Premier League debut. #SaintsFC.
10
38
723
Emi Martinez once again conducts The Holte End. Players collapsed to their knees at full-time, surely knowing this was the night where everything came together. What a display. #AVFC
2
31
715
“Jhon Duran, he stayed because you’re shit," sing the Villa supporters. Five minutes left of the seven added on. #AVFC.
8
38
723
Emiliano Martinez's mouth is wide open, hands on head. In amazement. Captain Chaos. Jhon Duran is a firecracker and that goal is what he can do. Wow. #AVFC think he can be the best young forward in the world and you know what, you can't disagree. Villa Park has erupted.
4
41
724
Unai Emery smiles when asked about Douglas Luiz's penalty. "He took two corners that were very bad so I was thinking 'OK you have to correct that now.'". #AVFC.
4
33
702
Emery and Tindall have to be separated by the fourth official. Tindall puts his finger to his lips and tells Emery to shh. #AVFC.
55
14
723
Tom Hanks: "I was here a year ago for the first time and it was a magical thing. Whenever I'm in the UK, I always check my schedule to see if I can make it to Villa Park and it worked out that I can watch Villa make history tonight. Up the Villa!". #AVFC.
4
27
697
Emery on Martinez's two bookings: "Yes (players thought he was sent off), but we accept the rules. All their supporters were pushing him when he had the ball. But he has experience controlling his emotions. I know he's mature and responsible. I accept him like he is.". #AVFC.
3
19
687
The referee was poor from the start. It's the softest of nudges from Diego Carlos and does not cause Di Gregorio to spill the ball. Unfortunately, those decisions are rarely overturned but Villa are desperately unlucky. #AVFC.
18
34
708
🚨Unai Emery has signed a new five year deal at Aston Villa. Emery sat down with #AVFC’s owners, Damian Vidagany and Monchi this week to decide on long term plans. As reported in April, a new deal was always a priority from all sides. Incredible news.
7
38
667
Excellent atmosphere outside the Trinity Road end as #AVFC supporters turn up early, adhering to the club’s encouragement, to welcome the players to Villa Park. Crazy Train playing over the tannoys, blue smoke and lots of singing.
6
37
674
Emery on Duran: "You know my opinion on him. A fantastic player. A fantastic potential player. I was always trying to get him with my advice. I was so, so close with him, trying to work with him for his development. "But the player has their own objective, own ambition.". #AVFC.
16
40
698
The FA/Premier League can attract faux outrage but charging Jhon Duran.& possibly increasing his ban is ridiculous. #AVFC were punished enough on the day (they thought they had grounds to appeal) then were slapped with a 3-game ban.Feels so unnecessary - Cunha has a two game ban!.
45
57
684
James Ward-Prowse stands on his own away from everyone and looks towards the Chapel. Ruben Selles is the first one over to console him. A horrible image and not deserving of a player and a man who has done so much for #SaintsFC on and off the pitch.
25
51
652
John McGinn addresses the crowd: “We’ve given absolutely everything this season. Hopefully that gets us Champions League football. “Hopefully we’ve delivered some special times and hopefully over the next few years, we can deliver a few more.”. #AVFC.
1
17
666
Little surprise Tyrone Mings won the most aerial duels of any player on the pitch. Was superb and a reminder that his in-box defending remains such a key asset to #AVFC. Was tidy on the ball, organised and helped hugely when Brentford kept delivering crosses. A great return.
8
20
678
A Sheffield United supporter in front of me, who was with what looked to be his partner, stood up and headed for the turnstiles as soon as Bailey scored #AVFC's third. Didn't say a word to his partner, just got up and left.
20
39
655
Ten games unbeaten in London (winning seven of those) and a double against Arsenal this season. Emery doesn’t let excuses filter into the dressing room and even with the fixtures/injuries, this was the result. A word for his talent ID too - Morgan Rogers is a gem. #AVFC.
12
32
649
Emery has full autonomy at #AVFC. Recruitment often entirely centres around who and what he wants. And as DoF Damian Vidagany told me last year, what Emery wants, Villa try to facilitate. He thinks Rashford can be one of the most dangerous attackers in world football & wants him.
32
53
681