Written by Damian Saturday, 13 March 2010 10:39
Well, based on the competition yesterday, that you can still enter, I think most think this is a win but there is a fair number of you saying it could be a draw and while it is fair to say a point at Stoke would generally be a decent result, you could also say, that at the business end of the season, we really do need three.
Business is business and we are at that part of the season and only three points will see us move up a place in the league today. If we do win and move up the league today it would also be seen as a very big step and will do wonders for the confidence of supporters and no doubt the squad, ahead of a very busy two weeks.
News
But, before we get to the match, we've got a little bit of news. Martin O'Neill has spoken of his hope that Gabby and Webcam don't give up on their chances to get into the England squad for the World Cup in South Africa. I have a feeling that Gabby might get picked, but I'm not sure Webcam will - although both have a number of games left to make an impression and anything can happen.
In other news; Nigel Reo-Coker is back training. It is just light running, but he is back and well, there is every chance we will see him on the bench and making five or ten minute appearances before the end of the season.
News and Speculation Links
- O'Neill understands why Habib Beye spoke out - Link
- Martin O'Neill apparently keeping an eye on Manchester United keeper Tomasz Kuszczak - Link
New Aston Villa site
In site news, we have a new site launching next week or the week after - it is basically an extension to what we do with the site for Aston Villa desktop wallpapers - rather than having wallpapers on this site, we put it on another. The new site launching next week will focus very much on websites associated with Aston Villa - so if you have an Aston Villa website and you would like it featured - and it can be loosely linked to the club, then click the contact link above and email me the URL and a logo and we will do our best to get it up.
Aston Villa live
Away from news and to the match. We will be doing updates here all day and on Twitter here for those on the road or who prefer it that way and we will try to do the same on both but it won't happen like that.
As soon as we get team news we will update and at kick off, there will be updates happening on a very regular basis, so bookmark or come back later.
John Carew goal against Stoke
Click here to watch a fantastic John Carew goal, but probably best to turn your volume down .
Betting
I've just noticed this, but you'll get 13/10 on Villa today at Paddypower - it is a decent price. I'm not having it personally, as I've decided to not bet on matches with Villa playing again, but it is a good price if you are that way inclined.
For now, I'm going to sit back with Sky Sports and read the papers and hope that my beer arrives in time. I'm sure it will.
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Mark
said:
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... I don't think Albrighton will get a proper run until Capello selects his team for SA. MON knows that Gabby, Ash and Downing's value will increase if they are selected, so he will keep putting them in the shop window. |
dominic elmer
said:
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... I think it'll be a draw but would obviously love it if we got all 3. Either way I think we'll have a good run up to Wembley. |
Paul Christo
said:
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... Fantastic news about Reo Coker back in training..  I would like think Reo,as he is still young(only 25)can be the player to step up and take over from Petrov in the central defensive midfield role..The lad hasnt really been given a good run in the team,in that possition.Yet the few occassions he has played,he has arguably been our man of the match(Anfield away and pre-season springs to mind)....Alot of fans seem to think he will be off in the summer but I think he is too good a player for the Club to lose..With his defensive cover and ball winning skills in the middle,I think it would allow players like Milner and Young to play a more attacking game,rather than tracking back all the time. |
kieron
said:
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... Please, please, please Villa, you need to do me proud today! Apart from the scum game this is the biggest game of the season for me, I live in Stoke and need the bragging rights!! Im still getting stick from last time  |
paul mclafferty
said:
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... just a thought for you damian .... if we lose today and the clowns beat everton then they go above us for a short while anyway!!  |
George Templeton
said:
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... Well Damian at that very moment, everything the announcer said was true. I was at work, watching that and I thought everyone one of those things. I had no idea that Aston Villa had reached the top of the roller coaster and the dip we were headed for |
Cian Donaghy
said:
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... arrrrrr it make me so angry when i see how good carew (is) can be! himself and and ash could be hitting form at the right time for us. 4th place here we come! 3 points come on villa! |
Damian
said:
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... George Templeton that is why i am not getting carried away with anything this season holteend paul honestly - that hadn't registered and it is a daunting prospect if at the end of the day they had won and we had lost ... |
Ollie_Villa
said:
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... I really think we will win today, but then again i think that every week  . Don't want to be stepping on any toes here, but read an interesting preview from another Villa fan, looks like they've only just started blogging, but still an interesting read. http://theholteend.blogspot.co...eview.html |
Villatx
said:
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... So I'm taking a day trip to stonhenge today so I'll miss the game but I'm following on Twitter...maybe those magic stones can bring us more luck...UTV |
Damian
said:
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... Ollie_Villa did you read that or create it? not stepping on toes - we will add the site to the new site coming next week or the week after - if you have a logo or anything - please email it to me |
michael060670
said:
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... Man Utd have played 29 games, chelsea/arsenal/spurs have played 28 games and man city have played 27. we've only played 26 games so far. we need to win all our games in hand 2 get into that 4th place ahead of spurs. for me they are the favourites at the moment but as we've always known about them, they can die on their ass fairly quickly. this season under rednapp though they seem 2've turned a corner and are pushing on. we have to stay with them and get ahead of them by the end of the month, if we can. a good start would be a win at stoke 2day. i've already saad that it may take 70pts or more to get that 4th spot this season. the difference between the top 3 and the next 5 teams is a lot smaller than in previous seasons. the gap is closing? maybe not, the top 3 have lost a good few games which is practically unheard of. will be keeeping a close eye on twitter 2day Damian, here's hoping 2day starts a great run of results for the villa, please god! come on villa!    |
scott harwood
said:
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... cmon villa!this will be a tough game,we know exactly what stoke will do and weve looked a bit shaky at the back recently.weve just got to defend well and kill them with pace.as for the wc squad,no matter what gabby and a.young do till the end of the season i just cant see them going.milner is nailed on and downing will defo go for balance. |
Michael
said:
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... Heart says 3 points, head says 1. Will be interesting to see what does happen though... I also dont think all this "If we dont win we dont get 4th" is accurate at all! I dont expect Spuds or Citeh to pick up 3 points every game from now till the end of the season. Do you? 3 points today would be quality though! UTV! |
VillaForeverAndEver
said:
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... SCOTT1, not to worried about Spurs, they'll drop many points. More worried about ..., well - Aston Villa. Would hate if form drops again. |
scott harwood
said:
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... villaforever yeah spurs are due a bad run and are perennial bottlers.i really hope we dont dip and the squad is utilized over the month |
Aaron Wilson
said:
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... that commentary on the stoke game depresses me on so many levels. we should have been there! but... everything happens for a reason, and we have another wembley date to look forward to. lets hammer them bas**rds today! 3-0 Villa |
VillaForeverAndEver
said:
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... The team: Friedel Cuellar - Dunne - Collins - Warnock A Young - Milner - Petrov - Downing Heskey - Carew Subs: Agbonlahor, Guzan, Delph, Sidwell, Delfouneso |
whitey09
said:
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... gutted heskey playing again but at the same time pleased gabb's having a rest,cant av everything i want utv |
fastbackace
said:
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... good to see mon going with form on carew and not his fav. sadly half a mule is still in. lets see a win today boys! any links? |
Damian
said:
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... whitey they need to be given the chance - if htey can do it again - we will all be happy - if they dont - we have gabby to come on with 30 mins to go it is all good |
scott harwood
said:
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... terrible 1st half,flat looking,poor crossing boring as hell.2nd halfs gonna be fantastic,i hope. |
fastbackace
said:
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... we seem to be getting into this game now. our butts nice and warm from the first 45 min. and here we go! UTV |
Nathan Price
said:
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... We havent really threatend but neither have they and to be fair we've looked the better team. If we can sort out our crossing and get Collins to stop lumping it out everytime he gets the ball we could be in with a chance. Webcams looking menacing but needs that final ball. As always Cueller distribution hasnt been great, but he has to play this one because of their aerial threat. |
Nathan Price
said:
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...Don't want to be stepping on any toes here, but read an interesting preview from another Villa fan, looks like they've only just started blogging, but still an interesting read. Nice one, I agree with your blog, although Im not sure about talking about yourself in the third person on here is the way to go.  |
fastbackace
said:
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... we have 61% possesion by the espn stats... pretty good ha? now lets make sure it gives us a goal. |
fastbackace
said:
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... announcer pretty much just summed it up saying heskey doesnt bother a defender, doesn't push or make a physical presence. i totally agree. |
VillaDude
said:
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... Heskey caught ball watching there - should be breaking a gut to get in the six yard box... |
fastbackace
said:
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... someone needs to call mon and tell him in this game... football... he can make subs. |
Andi
said:
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... Villadude -- you would be happy with fuller ?? we have very different idea of where the clubs should be going |
VillaDude
said:
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... No my statement is about subs - how they can affect game if they come on before 82 mins! |
Michael panizza
said:
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... Once again, I clearly know nothing about football as I rate Heskey as much as I'd rate a Championship striker...if the likes of MON, Capello and Eriksson think otherwise he must be good at something...alas, after 15 years of watching him I've still not worked out what that something is. Go figure. |
VillaDude
said:
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... to be honest, i think heskey has been better than carew today, its just if we get that 1 chance, carew will always look more likely to score |
Jeppe Lyhne
said:
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... Maybe the most boring villa game I've ever seen. I can only remember 1 villa chance in the whole game, embarassing |
Aaron Wilson
said:
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... PASS WITH THE FU**ING BALL! STOP PUTTING YOURSELVES BACK UNDER PRESSURE AGAIN AND AGAIN! DO THEY NOT UNDERSTAND THE MOST BLATANT FLAW IN THE WAT THEY ARE PLAYING? We deserve to lose playing this sh**e! |
Aaron Wilson
said:
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... WAHAY!! Big hoof! And surprise... Stoke have the ball again. MORE THROW INS AND CORNERS FOR STOKE. FANTASTIC! |
VillaDude
said:
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... if mon buys Doyle and sells Carew in the summer i will go mad...we need a top striker that looks he might be score! |
fastbackace
said:
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... can we get redcapp in the summer. mon might have gotten us to 6th. but he's keeping us there. |
david c english
said:
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... 7th - 8th in the league this is quite a decent result, any hopes of 4th you really need to make the keeper do something and that hasn't happened |
VillaDude
said:
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... I think that the end of the Heskey-Carew partnership... Out attacking threat in open play can be quite embarassing |
luke
said:
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... Wish id have spent that last 90 minutes watching paint dry because that would have been more entertaining! Poor passing,poor touch of the ball and no invention up front! How can you win a game playing like that. We wont get fourth to save our lives! We just dont have that extra quality you need to win games like that and its quite dissapointing because it seems we will fizzle out like last year again! |
JG
said:
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... I think it is time to let go of the dreams for a fourth place under MON. He doesnt have it. Doesnt matter if we buy ten new players, he will still play eleven til they drop. Embarrasing. If I was Delfouenso I would leave Villa first thing in the morning. In fact, if I was anyone of the not chosen eleven, I would leave. |
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