Morgan Rogers reacts as ex-Aston Villa star Jacob Ramsey kisses Newcastle badge
Morgan Rogers showed his disapproval at former Aston Villa star Jacob Ramsey kissing the Newcastle United badge before their FA Cup clash.
Ramsey joined Villa as a six-year-old but ended his lengthy stay at Villa Park to join Newcastle for £40million last summer.
The 24-year-old has featured 28 times for Newcastle this season, but just 14 of those have been in the starting XI, with a meagre six of those coming in the Premier League.
Before Villa’s 3-1 defeat on Saturday, Ramsey risked angering fans when he cheekily kissed the Newcastle badge in the direction of former teammate Rogers, who gave a thumbs down with a smile.
Opinion split over Jacob Ramsey’s actions at Villa Park
Ramsey was born in the Great Barr area of Birmingham and came up through Villa’s academy before making his debut as a 17-year-old against West Brom in 2019.
The midfielder went on to play 167 times for the club, scoring 17 goals along the way. But his game time became more limited under Unai Emery last season, prompting his move to Newcastle.
His fortunes haven’t improved a great deal at St James’ Park, but it seems it is not all doom and gloom for him there after kissing the Newcastle badge, which may have been a wind-up towards Rogers.
It certainly led to a split reaction on X.
One fan tweeted: “Been there six months, played well three times and kissed the badge as a Brummie,” and another supporter commented: “Just having banter with his pal, of course Villa’s his team and always will be…by a mile.”
To rub more salt into Villa’s wounds, Newcastle came from a goal down to beat the 10-man hosts in a controversial game.
Tammy Abraham’s goal should have been ruled out for offside, but as there was no VAR, he got away with it, and the officials didn’t spot it.
Lucas Digne was fortunate not to concede a penalty for a clear handball, along with being lucky to stay on the pitch for a poor foul on Jacob Murphy. It mattered little in the end, though, as Newcastle won 3-1.
- Read more: Unai Emery issues Emi Buendia injury update after Aston Villa defeat vs Newcastle in FA Cup
Will Aston Villa’s FA Cup exit help them this season?
While Villa are out of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, they still have a realistic chance of winning the Europa League this season.
Plus, they are seven points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, with Emery’s side currently third in the table with 12 games to go.
And they are in this lofty position despite a hefty injury list and having a wretched start to the season. A fixture pile-up can sap a team of energy, so maybe exiting the FA Cup isn’t the worst result in the world.
| Aston Villa injuries | Potential return |
| Boubacar Kamara (knee) | Next season |
| Youri Tielemans (ankle) | Mid-April |
| John McGinn (knee) | Early April |
| Matty Cash (knee) | Late February |
| Andres Garcia (thigh) | Late February |
Villa have an outside shot at winning the Premier League, but qualifying for next season’s Champions League is a priority.
Most likely, they can guarantee that by finishing in the top five in the league or winning the Europa League this term.
Winning matches breeds confidence, but Emery said he has learned some valuable lessons from the Newcastle defeat heading into the final third of the season.
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