Written by Damian Thursday, 17 December 2009 12:30
We all know what happened last season and it wasn't pretty. Stoke scored two goals in the last two or three minutes to share the points. However, I am fairly confident when I say that won't happen again, mostly because it was a freak ending.
Stoke will fight for sure and they will be troublesome to play against but they won't score two goals in the last two minutes and with a bit of luck they'll actually need to score more than that to rescue anything, although I'd happily take a 1-0 win if it meant three points.
You see, after 17 games last season we were also sitting fourth but this season we have one more point. If we win on Saturday, we will have 35 points and that will be one more point than we had last season after 18 games.
Points and position in the table mean nothing at the moment, but if we do win we will be doing better than last season at the same number of games. That might all change later on Saturday, if Arsenal beat Hull at home, as they will reclaim third spot and then while we will have more points than this time last season, we will be one place worse off.
But it really means nothing. After we had played 18 games last season we were ahead of Manchester United, Liverpool were leading and Everton were nine points behind us. Things changed by the end of this season things will change around quite a bit this season too.
But to Stoke. They are 11th at the moment with 21 points. If they win their game in hand, as the table stands today, they would be ninth. Their away record is seven points from a possible twenty-four, so it maybe isn't excellent, but they've also not done too badly.
They will play much like they did last season and that will actually be good for us I think because we can pretty much do what we did last season and then do what we have been doing a bit of lately; soaking up the pressure and playing counter attacking football in the second half.
That is the thing about this match. If we do exactly what we have done the last couple of games, this has three points all over it. Which is why I fancy we will start with the same eleven that have started the last two matches.
It might be a little more difficult, with Stoke playing a different way to Manchester United and Sunderland, but we have that confidence right now and we are used to winning. We are used to creating chances and we are getting used to scoring. When you do something often enough, it starts become habit forming.
So, the preview is, expect much of the same. Get your bet on Villa to win, I fancy it is a fairly safe bet and if Hull do us a favour later on Saturday, things will all be good.
So that is it I think. Much the same (I'm hoping) in terms of the football and passing it about and three points. I can't really see any other result as long as we keep doing exactly what we have done, but that is so easy to write, anything could happen between now and 3pm on Saturday.
Don't forget about the competition. Win two VIP tickets to Aston Villa v Liverpool at Villa Park on December 29th. Click here for information on how to enter.
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VillaNick
said:
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... This time it will be different. We won't have Davies, Shorey or Knight playing in defence! These games are make or break for us, like the Sunderland game. Up to about a couple of years ago, I could see us only picking up 2 points in those type of games, this season I can see all 6. UTV |
neil57
said:
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... We will win. We are only team not to have had a headed goal scored against us. We also have the best defence, and the most confident midfield in the prem.If Gabby fires, the sky's the limit. I am having dreadful bother getting tickets for the Liverpool game, is it possible it is a sell out? Any ideas? Might have to go corporate, which is ridiculously expensive  Back to Stoke, we will deal better with the long throws. Dunne to score and be MOM 3-0 Villa COYL |
Adrian Kilgallon
said:
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... I think we will steam roller them this time. Last season we should have hammered them but they poxed 2 goals at the end. We will win 4 nil. Heskey to get all 4. I hope i haven't just jinxed us.  |
Chris Harper
said:
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... ak_27 Hope you have put a bet on that,sure Chiefy will!  VillaNick is spot on, the difference is that we have a solid back 4, the best centre back pairing in the league and two no non-sense Full backs. I can see another win, 3-0. Heskey Hat-trick  |
Damian
said:
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... chelt-villan have i missed something about an injury with heskey? if i have, i apologise |
Rattus NorVillicus
said:
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... Other fans still think we will run out of steam like before. The utter destruction of Stoke on Saturday will start to make them wonder if this time Villa are the real deal. |
Chris Harper
said:
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... Pancho Other fans obviously don't know what a good squad we have now, how good our defence is and the difference the Downing effect has had on us.  |
Damian
said:
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... Pancho Villan that was why i put up where we were last season - basically to try and keep expectations in check as we could. there is no precedent for us not running out of steam. i'm trying to figure out how many players we used by this stage last season and how many players we have used this season to see if there is anything that suggests we might not and that we are doing it differently |
chelt-villan
said:
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... thats alrite i was half asleep b4 i went to work and im sure they said it on sky sports like i say i was half asleep but im sure i heard it and sorry for spelling your name wrong |
Adrian Kilgallon
said:
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... The heskey injury apparently was mistake on SSN. It was Lescott who is injured for 5 weeks. |
Chris Harper
said:
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... Not the first time they've made a mistake... remember when James Collins signed for us? He was playing in the reserves a couple of hours later! |
Adrian Kilgallon
said:
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... We won't know if will run out of steam until feb/ march. Right now our performaces are really improving but i still have fears over MON not rotating players and actually utilisng the sqaud size. It may be too late in March to start doing so as the milage could well have taken its toll again. |
Daniel Wilson
said:
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... This time around we will beat Stoke convincingly, I'm sure of it. Somethings cooking at Villa park and I like the smell. By the way, did any one else see the Barry interview http://www.mcfc.co.uk/Video after Man City lost last night? He looks completely beat and fed up, I actually feel a bit sorry for him but it was his own stupid mistake to swap clubs.. |
Rattus NorVillicus
said:
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...Damian said: I think we won games we didn't deserve to last season and a combination of luck running out, a terribly out of form Heskey, Laursenn, the Barry's head effect, and being too inexperienced to handle the pressure of expectation, combined to take all the wind out of our sails. I don't think any of the above applies any more plus, as Villa Chris says Villa_Chris said: |
John Samuels
said:
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...i'm trying to figure out how many players we used by this stage last season and how many players we have used this season to see if there is anything that suggests we might not and that we are doing it differently Don't underestimate the fact that we began playing in July last season and had to play home and away in three qualifiers and then three matches (2 away) in europe before we even hit xmas. Not being in europe is a huge blessing this year and I think we'll really notice it come March, the month when we haven't won a game under O'Neill. I can't see the burnout we had last year, and we have the squad to deal with it anyway. Milner and Petrov will have no problem going all season and we have cover all over the place. You may get your wish Damian and see a few of the youngsters once the FA cup starts and the fixture list gets a bit more congested. |
neil57
said:
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... We will not run out of steam. Aforementioned defence with good back up. Laursen's injury and Barry's head were a big effect for dismal run last season. Won't be repeated. BTW, Chris, a young lad called James Collins plays for the reserves Not trying to be smart |
neil57
said:
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... JPA, clean forgot about the Toto thing January must have been like March to a lot of them. MON will not buy Stirridge if you read the BBC thing Brummycop sounds like a bluenose |
Chris Harper
said:
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... http://www.mcfc.co.uk/News/Tea...k-if-asked Oh dear. Barry can't honestly be enjoying his new job.. |
Chris Harper
said:
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...On his day the 26-year-old is a joy to watch but his day is almost a thing of the past. No passion, no commitment, no nothing. As the headline states, his attitude stinks to high heaven. Frem Thats for you mate. Thats what can happen when you sign 'world class' mercenaries. Couldn't say that about any of our squad. Well done Martin. |
Spencer
said:
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... On the subject of burnout I'm sure with this being a World Cup year players across the board will find more energy to stay in contention than maybe they did last year. We're lucky to have a few on the fringes that will be fighting to sneak on the plane so hopefully that will help us. I also think the way we went out of the Europa last season was a real blow mentally. Villa to win 3-0 against Stoke - Gabby, Milner and DJ to score. UTV! |
Dan Clinton
said:
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... Dan Wilson, I've just watched that Barry interview, and he seemed genuinely close to tears. The poor boy; if only he'd have stayed with us. That said, if he had its unlikely we'd have put Milner in centre midfield. He has taken to it like a duck to water AND he scores wonder goals that Barry never used to, which almost makes me think we're better off without him. |
Dan Clinton
said:
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... The defence this year is rock solid so I can't see a repeat of last season's Stoke game. Granted, the last half hour of the Utd game was almost unbearable to listen to on the radio, but I watched the Sunderland game and was never really worried about conceding. This is a radical change from previous seasons, so I'm predicting a healthy win, and I don't think it'll be too long before Downing scores a few goals for us either. If that were true we'd potentially have goal scorers in Gabby, Heskey, Milner, Young and Carew (if he is ever arsed enough to pull his finger out and win back his starting place). Fourth place really can be ours!!! UTV |
Dan Clinton
said:
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... Meant to add Downing to that list obviously, which if they were all to score reasonably frequently would be a formidable list of goal scorers UTV! |
Forest Hill Villan
said:
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... Guys, Talking about burnout and player exhaustion, I am concerned about having to play Arsenal on Sunday 27th and then Liverpool on Tuesday 29th. I know that adrenalin often keeps tired players going, but the recent report from Milan showing that injury to players increases expotentially when they play two games within three days (and we are playing two crucial games against two of the strongest teams in the ESP within two days) does not bode well. Even the FA should have seen that consecutive fixtures like this are ridiculous. |
VillaNick
said:
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... We are better without Barry, he is not the sort of player to build a team around. We held him up on a pedastel for too long, and he became a bit of a billy big head. |
Chris Platt
said:
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... Just read Fabregas is having a scan today amid fears he could be out until the new year with a hamstring injury - would be good news for us |
Daniel Wilson
said:
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...Just read Fabregas is having a scan today amid fears he could be out until the new year with a hamstring injury - would be good news for us That would be fantastic for us, although if we beat them it will just be another excuse to go on about injuries for wenger and the gooner fans. I've just taken him out of my fantasy team as Wenger has said he def won't feature on Saturday. |
Adrian Kilgallon
said:
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... I think by March with our extra cup games we will probably have played nearly the same ammount of games as we had done by last season. We played second string teams in the carling cup game and many of the European games also. But we seem to starting to play better football and i honestly think this will help us also as the more we have the ball the less energy we expend and come March this could be vital. That is a major factor ( i believe at least)in why the top teams always seem to kick on in the last few months. |
Adrian Kilgallon
said:
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... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrw4IlKRPmc This is quality. Some guy has far too much time on his hands though. |
Mike Carter
said:
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... The best thing about the Barry situation, aside from the fact we've above City in the league and playing better football than them, is he'd only be on our bench if he came back now. What a stinker. |
sean
said:
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... This is a match that will represent our progress from last season. We can talk about mosckow etc...but when we threw away two points that day it all went down hill. This season is different and i really am starting to believe that we can achieve something significant. If we win, it will exorcise alot of demons from last year. Here's to three points for the villa! (hopefully) |
Matthew Smith
said:
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... "Cheer up Gareth Barry, Oh what can it mean? To a, Sad, Greedy b*stard and a s*it football team!" If he thinks things are bad now, just wait until we beat them in the cup final and he has to watch Villa lift the cup. Then the icing on the cake will be when he doesn't make the plane to SA. |
Christian
said:
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... This isn't relevant to the post exactly, but, has anyone seen Gary Gardner's form for the youth side of late??!!!!! Check out the academy's recent results and reviews on the official site. The guy cannot stop scoring from midfield!!!! I've never seen him play unfortunately, but my cousin goes to the reserve and youth games quite regularly and says he's head and shoulders above anyone else and also that he has the 'unafraid' nature his older brother has too. So we could be polishing an absolute gem!!! I don't like to get too carried away with young players because they can often disappear, but people have been talking about Gary for a long time now... |
Mike Carter
said:
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... Didn't Doug Ellis highlight Gary Gardner as our best youth player? Doesn't say a great deal, I know, but he has had a decent amount of hype. |
Christian
said:
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... Does anyone else know about the wonderful www.footytube.com website??!! All the goals and highlights from everwhere, great quality too. My mate has just told me about it, it's like Xmas come early I'm just re-living Milner's wonderstrike... |
Chris Harper
said:
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... Christian1983 Yeah thats a great site. You could watch that goal all day long couldn't you?!? Milner is highly rated by all fans, looking at the comments made on the video. Fabio Capello saying 'He's the future, my future' isn't quite so laughable any more is it! I love it, just love it!! UTV! |
Greg
said:
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... unlike last year i think the league is harder this year, so its a bigger achievment to be where we are now, and look at everton who are still a good team, i think the will get stronger and like city, spurs n ourselves will take points off the bigge clubs and there rivals. I am more optimistic because we were winning games by the skin of our teeth last year, and this year we are way more solid and i think we are yet to find top gear. My only concern is that if we get an injury to milner will we have to revert back to our more predicable older style of football, or will delph or some1 be given a chance. We are covered at the back, but milners coming to prominence shows all we were lacking was a real midfielder to go in there, and i wouldnt mind to see us sign some1 in january who can carry out this role in the event of milly having to miss a fews games. Must say im dead excited and the games cant come quick enough. UTV |
Damian
said:
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... Greg Davillain1887 i think we are just doing last year all over again the difference is, this year it is liverpool that are suffering. come january, i expect them to buy what they have to buy to buy top four i'd love to be wrong and i'd love it if we could do it but we will just have to see |
Adrian Kilgallon
said:
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... Damien I actually see an improvement this year over last especially in the last 3 games. This time around our results are = to our performances whereas last year I think lady luck was probably our best player during our good run. Just as long as we can keep Sidwell and Davies (Sorry JPA couldn't help it) out of the team then we'll be far stronger. This team has a far better balance to it and the value of having Warnock over lapping on the left and Young on the right is a huge improvement to our team especially going forward. If we can maybe bring in 2 more players (creative mid and skillful striker) in Jan then we would be in with a great shout especially if Ashley starts to performing like he did over a year ago. The football certainly seems to be improving. |
Spencer
said:
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... I'd just restrict Davies to mainly cup games unless injuries permit otherwise and also like to see more of Delph in cup games initially and then ease him into league matches to rest/take pressure off Milner. I'd be relieved to see Sidwell go in Jan to help fund the skillful striker/CM mentioned above. The thought of him slotting back in if Milner does get injured makes me feel nervous. |
Christian
said:
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... Damian, I think the loss of Laursen was the major cause of last season's demise. In addition to the fact that I felt we were over-performing with the squad we had at that time. And also the inability to beat anyone at home. This season I don't see that happening to us again. We'd have to be very unlucky to lose two of Dunne, Collins and Cuellar longterm. We appear to be able to win at home, and importantly against the 'fodder', and I don't think our squad is 'pushing it's luck' like I did last season. I think we've fully deserved the points we have on the board thus far. That said, I'm still one of life's pessimists and I can see Spurs, Liverpool and even Man City going on good runs, whilst we stutter. But I hang onto the hope that, if that does happen, we have that bit more quality than previously to drag ourselves through it. |
Rattus NorVillicus
said:
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...Damian said: Damian ? Are you crazy ? This is nothing like last year. Liverpool are imploding. Their manager has completely lost the plot. He's bought two players already for £20mil each - Keane & Aquilani - and not played either of them. He's spent a similar amount on Johnson, a right back who can't defend. Even if they give him more money to spend, which I doubt because they're broke, he's got no idea what to do with it. By the time they've been taken apart by the Villa at the end of the year, they'll be carting Benitez off to an institution somewhere. And forget Citeh unless they sack Hughes and get Hiddink or somebody. Spuds - are like us last season, won't last the pace for one reason or another. And then there's the Villa - a totally different situation than last time. Last year we'd lost Laursenn and had a dodgy defence. This year we are rock solid. Barry's head was all wrong - now he's gone Our midfield was unballanced and couldn't keep the ball - now with Downing's arrival and Milner in the middle, we are playing football and scoring from midfield. We are battle hardened - the ultimate failure of last season has given us the mental strength to go on and finish the job this season. The whole team is older, wiser, and more ready. And if all that's not enough - Heskey is starting to look like an England player. Move over red scum, your time is up |
neil57
said:
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... The longer a good run lasts, the harder it is to arrest it as confidence and self belief rises. Witness Arsenal last season. On the contrary, it is possible to be in a rut, like us 2nd half of last season and Citeh now. We are very inspired, confident and defensively extreme sound. The boys will be full of self belief on sat. It is also a good sign to have so few comments from interlopers.Actually, most fans are glad to see us threatening the top 4. The gooners will be visiting next week. Le Shava is as conspicuous as Taglor in his absence 3-0 sat. Dunne, Gabby and Milner Enjoy the ride |
neil57
said:
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... Love it Pancho. You come from the same school as Jerry aka Churchill and JPA. Lots of positive agreement on the blog. Our mentality relied on Laursen and Barry too much last season. Much more cohesive now. No DOL baggage. It shows just how big a bullshitter DOL was, you never see him now. Always remember the pathetic phrase "They're an honest bunch" . What an arse. My son received a text in Florida from his best mate, a Mancs fan, about MONs appointment. He was amazed we had got him. We all think he is the real deal. UTV |
Stan Balaban
said:
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... Emile is very much an unsung hero in our recent form. Whilst his work on the ball is average at best, his positional sense and workrate make him ideal for the team. Our defence starts with our forwards and Emile knows exactly when to drop into midfield and when to be up front. He's even chipped in with some goals and I'm sure his touch, passing and shooting will get better with this continued run in the team. I still feel we need some cover to continue playing the way we are. If Gabby got injured where will our goals come from? If Stu, Ash, Milner got injured we revert back to Sidwell / NRC. I think Benni McCarthy as cover for Gabby (is the Fonz ready to step up so soon?) and Sturridge should provide both impact off the bench or continuing quality if used as cover. |
Stan Balaban
said:
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... On a separate note, a good friend of mine (a Watford fan) got chatting with Skye Andrews the footie agent. Although he's an absolute tool by all accounts, he did give an insight into a PL manager's knowledge of players in the worldwide game. To cut a long story short, managers know how available a player is at all times and any European starlet that gets mentioned by fans as a 'hidden gem undetected by our scouting network' would've already been rammed down PL managers throats many times thanks to the agents. Basically MON has been involved in professional football for all his adult life and doesn't have the drag of a day job to also attend, so when we hear ourselves say MON should go for such and such player he's probably considered it, dismissed it or bid already. There's so much that goes on outside of matchday that we unfortunately will never know about. UTV |
Greg
said:
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... damian ya u could be onto something, sway arsenal of last year to liverpool of this year and their is similarites in form, and i do expect them to raise it sooner or later. I stand by what i said on us though, this year we have a bit more strength in depth at the back especially, and i really dont think we have hit top form so thats really encouraging. I see us growing and going from strenghth to strenghth, and istead of winning games heart in your mouth stlye, i can i can see a composure and fluidity come into our game and we'll have learnt alot from last year, the young guys are strating to realise they are good enough!! it wont be easy but with luck and more of the same we can do it/. |
Chris Platt
said:
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... I think we will last the pace this year, for a lot of reasons listed above. In defense we are not short handed, and worrying about when our most influentual player and captain will be back. We don't have someone in the middle of the park dreaming of a red christmas, and shacking up in a room with Stevie G I don't think there will be much movement in January. Chelsea claim they are not going to spend but who knows, I believe Utd are broke and now matter what Sir Alex says there is no money to spend. Arsenal are Arsenal, and thay seem more interested in paying for their stadium than players. Harrys already been told to sell before he can buy. City's owners must know by now its not worth buying any more players until they have a proper manager in place And Liverscum are flat broke, spend 60 million on three players, Keane is gone, Johnson cost them 3 times more than he's worth, and Aquilani doesn't seem to fit in anywhere-god knows why the FSW bought him This made me laugh thismorning Alex McLeish has told Birmingham owner Carson Yeung that signing "galaticos" next month could wreck City's brilliant form. GALATICOS????? Who the hell is he trying to kid Then that leaves us, a goalscorer would be nice to help Gabby. Whether there is more or not I don't know. My guess is that is MON asks Randy for some money he will get it Lets see UTV |
Mark
said:
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... I quite rate Klasnic from Bolton and would be a steal if Megson can't afford him. He has a good first touch and an apparent goal for eye. I don't think the Bolton style of football. That said, I can't see MON buying anyone else foreign, unless you count McGeady from Celtic. |
James
said:
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... This may be a good time to recall what our hopes were for the season. Did I hear Damian mentioning 8th or above? I started the season expecting to make 5th or if one of the Top 4 drifted into decline then 4th. I joked about looking higher in the last thread, but I actually feel it is important that we all remind ourselves of what we predicted and hoped for from this season. We are going well. Let's not start raising the bar otherwise we'll all be saying that MON blew it in the January transfer window when we had an opportunity to go for the title. |
tubbydunne
said:
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... I am a massive MON fan and delighted with all the positivity but I just want to inject a bit of realism. The only place we have adequate cover is at the back. One injury in midfield to any of the four starters at the moment and our whole way of playing will be changed with the likes of Coker or Sidwell coming in. An injury to Gabby would spell disaster. We have a heavy schedule coming up and the chance of a midfielder or attacker getting injured are very high and unfortunately we haven't the strength in depth to cope. This is where the big boys are going to catch us. Look where injuries have left Everton the team that finished above us a few months ago. Also the January window is not a good one for strengthening. Fingers crossed we have no injuries over the Christmas period but that is as likely as winning the Lotto. I think Collins will start at the weekend with Carlos going to right full, L.Young wasn't great against Sunderland |
Mark
said:
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... tubby, We have a bit of quality in depth, not cack like we did last season. Injuries are sometimes the making of the injured player or the player filling his boots. Give the Fonz a run I say. |
tubbydunne
said:
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... Moystn, If a midfielder gets injured, Downing for arguments sake what happens then, Milner on the right wing Ashley on the left and Sidwell in beside Petrov suddenly we don't look half as dangerous as we have been in the last four games. I'm all for the Fonz getting a run but if Gabby got injured can you see Fonz hitting the ground running and doing the job Gabby does. Or if Heskey is injured Carew comes in and who relaces Carew when he runs out of steam. All i'm saying is we don't have the strength in depth of the top four but we are getting there. I just don't want people getting too carried away. |
beh
said:
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... Don`t be hard on McLeish, he was simply saying: singing at the gala bingo bash was not the norm. Jackie Chan had been discussing how he was gonna raise £40mil by january. I would n`t write off liverpool folks (how i`d love too ), i think if we make the top 4, it`ll be at the arses expense. They tend to implode a few times a season, where as `pool are capable of a utd like winning streak. All said and done though, it`s a great time to be a villa fan. My youth was tortured by watching a team of european champions decaying game by game. This has the smell of the late seventies under Saunders, minus the urine up the back of the holte Although the burnin blues scarves provided a seventies style joss-stick to settle queasy stomachs. Ohh the trouble we used to go too... |
Andy Scarborough
said:
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... I believe the squad can handle one or two injuries. We can only hope that any injuries are short ones and multiple injuries are not from the same part of the pitch. What would our second team look like? (I am sure this has been done before by someone) ----- Little Brad ----- Beye -- Curtis -- Clarke -- Shorey (on loan I know) Albrighton -- NRC -- Sidwell -- CraigG -- Delph ---- Fonz ---- That team would be good enough to take points off most Prem sides. Maybe not any from the top eight at the moment, but would hold us in there. How likely is it that we would need to field that sort of team?? |
Andy Scarborough
said:
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... tubbydunne - we could always use Albrighton in place of DJ - thus keeping the current shape of the team. You're right we still don't have the strength in depth YET. We are still in much better shape than this time last year, and the year before. Next year will be better still - CL or no CL. |
beh
said:
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... By the time you read this andy, you will have experienced both good site , good folks, have been lurking in the shadows far too long. It was becoming a tad voyeuristic, thought i`d put me penneth worth in. |
tubbydunne
said:
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... andy I agree we are in much better shape than last year and the squad is improving all the time and I fully believe it will be even better next season. What I'm getting at is that at this point we still don't have the strength in depth of the big four and I just feel people are getting slightly carried away after a few admittedly great results. Fourth place is a massive ask with the squad we have and there would be no one more delighted than me if we could pull it off, however fifth would be a great achievement too and it would be progression. I would love to see a cup with just claret and blue ribbons left on it at Wembley. |
Andy Scarborough
said:
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... beh, positive comments are worth more than a penny. Negative comments are ten a penny (but not since we beat ManU). tubbydunne: it's not called getting carried away, it's called being a football supporter. We need to be touched by madness, we need to be paddling on the far shores of sanity. In fact we need to be totally blinkered to any outcome other than Aston Villa becoming masters of the universe. The, when we ultimately fail we carry on as normal saying things like maybe next season for definite. |
marcus taylor
said:
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... christian1983 in response to ur post about gary gardner, i have alsop seen him play many times and let me tell u, he is quality. he is like u said, head and shoulders above anyone ive seem him play against. hes got so much control and composure on the ball. hes very confient and likes to spread to ball. he also has an eye for the goal like u said. he scored 3 in the FA cup the other week. he definetly 1 for the future. just gona interupt the discussion on the dept of the squad and give my opinion . i think we are very strong this season. if we get an injury up front we have the fonz or carew to go on, in midfield we have delph albrighton and reo, if theres an injury in the back 4, we have collin davies shorey and beye, and we have lil brad in goal. its a very strong squad and injuries wont be a problem. but i do worry about the running out of steam situation, so would love to see MoN use these players in lesser fixtures after xmas. i also thing webcam gabby and maybe milner should be rested for this game so their fully rested for the arse and pool game. -----------------friedel---------------- beye-------collins-------dunne-------shorey albrighton--petrov--reocoker--delph---downing ------------------carew------------------ i no its very mixed up for i think this team would be able to beat stoke, even if its on 1-0 |
Villa4champoleague
said:
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... Whether we'll actually finish in the top 4 i have no idea, but one thing i feel sure of this year is that we won't run out of steam! The squad is so much stronger and with this current back four, which is basically totally new due to people playing out of position last year i think we'll have a good run at it. I'm not a fan of major changes to the team for lesser games but I do wish MON would change it up a bit more in the last 20 minutes. What difference would albrighton for downing have made, or give the fonz a run. I feel these 2 and delph especially would gain so much from minutes on the pitch as well as giving valuable rest to important players! Little bits of rest for our top players and pitch time for the youth will only enhance the strength of our sqaud as the season draws on. I love AVFC! |
keith
said:
 |
... just a little note about the depth of the squad , little brad and collins are better than any other teams subs in respective positions.i think i recall saying 7th would be a bad season but i have believed top 4 all along. |
Andy Scarborough
said:
|
... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/spo...l?ITO=1490 It seems that everyone loves us but no one thinks we will get top four this year. Which basically means never, to them any way. |
kiddervilla the real me
said:
 |
... i think we are a lot stronger than last season in all departments, its so great to see the villa playing football on the floor as it sould be played nothing better than pass move instead of that kick and hope that we sometimes play, i think the team got stronger each year under mart and may it continue still not there yet but getting there, my hopes for january 2 players 1 defour 2 van the man you watch us go then, or a much hands on forward, but i bet we will end up with benny mac from blackburn, sat 3/1 to the villa boys |
Steve Badger
said:
 |
... I think I said 7th at worst. i think we are just doing last year all over again Damian, no way will we go through a similar thing to the back end of last season. Absolutely no way. |
heskeyshead
said:
 |
... i want to go to villa vs stoke this saturday? dont you need a booking history? i dont have one :/ |
Chris Platt
said:
|
... This is how it is Randy's in Cleveland right now signing Josh cribbs to a new contract, signing up Mike Holmgren to be the new Browns football czar. Everything will be tied up nicely by end of december allowing Randy to assist MON in his January signings PERFECT All is right with the world!! |
jerry
said:
 |
...tubbydunne: it's not called getting carried away, it's called being a football supporter. We need to be touched by madness, we need to be paddling on the far shores of sanity. In fact we need to be totally blinkered to any outcome other than Aston Villa becoming masters of the universe. The, when we ultimately fail we carry on as normal saying things like maybe next season for definite. I've read it five or six times now. Great prose. |
Tom
said:
 |
... We will need some new faces in january to keep this momentum going forward. I think at least one of Reo-Coker, Shorey and Harewood will go, and they will need replacing. Though I think Harewood and Reo-Coker have already been replaced by fonz and Delph but I would like a more senior player that could play in those positions as well as on the wings, now that milner has moved into the centre. Also, if shorey does go, an experienced LB will be very important as back up to Warnock. Defenders always pick up suspensions. January shopping list: an experienced LB if Shorey goes a winger/ss (maybe Marouane Chamakh if we could tempt him) a CM capable of being both the "link-up" man and play the holding role |
Simon
said:
 |
... Damian you obviously read my comments (No. 12) on 16th December and decided to elaborate on them. Yes, we are 1 point better off and i too believe we are stronger this time round. However, you say we are 4th rather than 3rd last time round, but i think the top 3 (Man Chel & Arse) will not get the number of points they did last year, so if we do improve as expected, we could be looking at higher than 4th. Although we were all saying that this time last year. Lets hope though eh |
Rattus NorVillicus
said:
|
... It's them, not us, that will crack We've been there, done it, bought the t-shirt. Liverpool - started the season believing they were going to win the league, now they're in a serious fight for 4th, their manager has lost the plot and probably the dressing room. Watch Gerrard's body language on TV. Citeh - Team full of players who think they are better than they are or who couldn't give a flying fig. Plus Mark Hughes is an idiot. Spurs - have the potential and a good manager, but when the pressure begins to tell, they do not have the mental strength that we got from imploding last year, picking ourselves up, and going again. And unlike us, their defence is nowhere near good enough. We have leaders all over the pitch - they don't. Verdict: The Villa - 4th ! |
neil57
said:
|
... Reading papers LOL. Citeh and Spurs in a bit of a fix. We will know at end of year how we are going. To be most negative, a win and 2 draws is not too bad. It would be ace to have 5 out of 5 v prev top 4. Looks like Pool game is a no no for me  £345 for fancy corporate ticket all that is left. Bit steep Hiddink tipped to replace Sparky LOL. He was with prob the best group of players and team in the world,at Chelsea, so he had a solid base to work with. Sparky has tried the Keegan model only nothing as good or as well. It aint working. I think Gus will hold off. I predicted 4th. That is worst. If we beat Arse and Poo, Yes we can Come on Nan, a bit more positivity Pancho, you are becoming a legend UTV |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... I know we're trying to big ourselves up here, but for every argument you make for our rivals not being the ones who will take 4th, there is an equally good counter argument that they will. How do we know Spurs don't have the mental strength? That's a bit of a sweeping statement. They have a terrific squad and it was only a few weeks ago most fans here were saying their midfield was miles better than ours and we need something similar. I still think their midfield is better personally. What if Man City start winning the games they've been drawing so far? They are after all statistically the hardest team in the league to beat so far, so it's fair to say they're a pretty damn good team. Liverpool, well I could care less about Liverpool. But this is essentially the same team that almost won the league last season minus Xabi Alonso. They're in their worst run for a long, long time and it would be naive to think they won't come out of it at some point and start winning again. Torres and Gerrard alone will get them enough points to keep them in the race, if they play. I'm not trying to put a dampener on things, I would just really hate to see everybody's spirit get crushed for a second season in a row after getting so excited. This time last year I was convinced we'd finish 4th and while I agree we're in a slightly better position in terms of the strength of the squad, it's a little negated by the fact we have far more competition this time around. |
Jake Gardner
said:
 |
... looks like what ive been saying about city since before this season is happening, oh yeah  http://www.skysports.com/story...94,00.html |
Jake Gardner
said:
|
... just read that daily mail article and love this from Ian Ladyboy money buys success in football -just look at Chelsea. One league title? |
neil57
said:
|
... Gonzo, 2 titles ??? Mike Holmgren is class, come on The Browns. My posts take a while to come through, then do not appear at the end. I now go back and read prev 10 or so posts so as not to miss anything. Guess the yanks are still in the land of nod |
HT Sweden
said:
 |
... Why not do a "Beckham" in january, and pick a player from Usa? Someone with experience, creativity and what we in Sweden call "vinnarskalle". Babelfish that My suggestion is Freddie Ljungberg, he can be a daddy for our attacking youngsters. No wounds what i´ve heared of recently, and of course he will be honoured of a request, and not ask for fantasy wage. |
Tommy
said:
 |
... No headed goals scored against us? While that's not entirely surprising with the likes of Dunne and Collins winning everything in the air, but that's still a phenomenal stat! I'm confident we can hold out against Stoke this time around, and let's see how they deal with our aerial threat given the quality of Downing, Milner and Young's crossing! I'm betting 2-0 Villa, although there are many who won't be following suit, although it's not their fault! http://cli.gs/y9p37V |
Christian
said:
|
... Ht Sweden, If we sign Freddie Ljungberg I think I might kill myself! Maybe 10 years ago, but he wouldn't even get in the Hull team currently. |
stephen
said:
 |
... hang on "no headed goals past us" how did burnley take the lead, wasn't that a header?? |
villacraig1982
said:
 |
... I managed to win box seats for the villa stoke match last season from the official site. We were sat right behind the stoke fans too. Gutted!!! Think it will be a bit different this year though. Our defence is much meaner, and they'll play their socks off. 2-0 i reckon, downing to get his first league goal, and dunne to get the other!! |
neil57
said:
|
... Chater, apols. Steven Caldwell, header past Friedel The stats got it wrong As Craig said, we will win on sat. Stoke is a good side, Pulis a v capable manager. I like them Hope they aren't workmanlike enough to beat us. Things v quiet on the blog. When times are good, not much for the cup half empty brigade to bitch about. BTW, Have you seen the new Gillette ad? Caption: Gillette, the best a man can get away with Happy Christmas. Neil |
sean
said:
|
... I might be crazy for saying this. Some may think i'm a bit deluded and need to have a lie down. Some may say i've bought into the hype surrounding recent results too much. However what if we win tomorrow, beat arsenal and then liverpool? Now i'm talking in theory right(and i'm a great believer in taking one game at a time) but what if? Every now and again something really special and almost unexaplainable happens in football; i can just sense something special. We may not, we may loose tomorrow and go on a really bad run and get some injuries but what if? I might look like a prat for saying this but what if we could go on a run and win like 10 games in a row? I know it's the toughest league in the world- that's true but i believe that Aston Villa can win the league this season. |
bigjimvilla
said:
 |
... cheer up gareth barry ...could be worse.. you could have signed for liverpool lol |
Andy Scarborough
said:
|
... Thank you seano-star, I have always banged on about being in a league is to try to WIN the bloody thing. That's what I believe MoN is doing. You really are a proper supporter in my mind - good on ya!! |
George Templeton
said:
 |
... I really would like to see Villa thump the Potters after they helped ruin the season last year. More likely it will be a nervy 2-1 win. |
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