A very mini preview of Stoke

Quite a few people are saying we are now safe after quite a few times telling us we were doomed and things needed to change. If we lose against Stoke, watch them predict doom and gloom again.

However, in terms of relegation, the result tomorrow doesn't matter. We were never going down because teams below us were always going to keep us up.

The reason the result tomorrow does matter, is because football is about winning and it matters that we finish as high as we can and for the players to say they did it for the gaffer.

But whatever the result, all is going to be fine. If we lose, it was because the players were in shock, lost without their leader. If we win, it is all for the right reasons and they will keep it going until the end of the season.

Stoke

Stoke are safe and in the final of the FA Cup. They are going to be second to every ball on Saturday and they are not going to jump in on the tackle.

With one eye on the FA Cup - something that they can win, they are going to want to keep it as fresh as they can and nobody is going to risk injury. My point; Stoke are for the taking and we should take them.

Gerard Houllier

I'm reading messages of support for the manager on quite a few websites and from quite a few people and the one thing that struck me when reading them was that this really is quite serious and not just indigestion.

I don't even know what happened, but if you have chest pains and you are kept in hospital for several days and you have a hisotry of heart problems then the chances of you continuing a job considered stressful are slim.

I think we are going to see the next stage of the secret plan very soon. A new manager is coming and I think Houllier will have a hand in picking him. I'm afraid there is no coming back from this.

Prediction

We will win tomorrow becasue we are going to want it more, despite everything that has happened this week and because we are at home and because the players are confident.

A note about comments

Every comment posted yesterday from people we have seen post on here before was perfect. There will always be some people, coincidentally that have never posted on here before, that will leave a comment that is just not nice.

They probably don't even support Aston Villa and my advice is to not respond to them.