pete165

magnificent by dunne

could go either way this. heskey trying hard, lots of energy. just need milner or young to create something.

hang on - are playing away from home against a decent side and not playing like the home side? disgrace. or, of course, we're battling it out and just need to nick a goal 2nd half. i know we'd all like to see us play better passing football, but MON is not going to turn into wenger anytime soon. he'll go with the way he knows - think guppy and matt elliott - until it stops getting results.

You mean players like Aurelio, Agger, Carragher, Lucas, Kuyt, Riera, Benayoun and Vornin? Nah, I think I'll stick to the players we have. Liverpool don't have top 4 quality.. yet they still make the top 4. Doesn't seem to matter. Actually, yes I do mean those players. Benayoun has more technical ability than anyone in our side. Agger and Carragher may be off-form but are strong defenders. Lucas is the anfield scapegoat, Kuyt is a very hard worker and Riera is good enough for the Spain squad. Voronin, admittedly, is pants. But the point remains that Sidwell, Carew, etc. would not get a game not only for the likes of Liverpool, but the likes of City or Spurs.

Oh come one people, what's the big suprise here? We are NOT a top four team. We do NOT have players that are good enough for the top four. Think about teams that are going to be in the top four and who they have playing for them. We're nowhere near in that league. We DON'T play much good football and we still have quite a few ordinary players. Considering all of that, I can't quite understand why people are suprised at drawing an away derby.

Unrealistic expectations from some. We're not good enough to win every time we don't play well. A point isn't bad away from home. No easy games in the Prem. Didn't play well. Ashley is having a tough time and midfield created nothing. Still doing fine in the table, but we do look like a side punching above thier weight once again this season. Sadly, we don't play much more good football than the lower sides in the division.

Quite simply he's the best thing to happen to us in a decade. Anyone that wants him out simply because you want a bit more 'pretty' football needs their head checking. We've got a great squad, the best defence in the league, a great balance of youth and experience, have beaten Chelsea and Liverpool already this season - not just drawn, BEAT. Add in two top 6 finishes and people like Delph, Downing, Albrighton waiting in the wings and it's impossible to be bleak right now. By the way, am I the only one that didn't get as involved in us beating either Liverpool or Chelsea as I did the night that the kids beat Juve heroically on pens in the Peace Cup? I keep thinking back to Del Piero's arrogance and laughing.

You need luck against the top 4 - we've had none. Penalty should have been given. Their goal very lucky. And yet rather than feel sorry for ourselves, we defended for our lives to stay 1-0 and then equalised. After that, we've really given it a go. Well done boys. Awesome performance thus far.

I fear this post may be in vain, but here goes. I'm as desperate as anyone for us to win today. However, Chelsea are the best team in the league right now and the gulf in class between us and them is still, in my opinion, huge. If we get walloped, let's not go back to square one from a supporter's point of view and start picking holes in every player who struggled to cope. Remember that Drogba, Anelka and co make fools of even the best players in our league - the likes of Carragher, etc. I can cope with us winning, drawing or even losing today...but what makes things so depressing on a matchday is when the rest of the fanbase show their most fickle, negative sides. In essence, what I'm saying is that people are currently voting in another post in favour of a Villa win. Let's remember when the game finishes that the reason for that is that we have a good team - no-one is going to become 'just shit', 'limited', 'hopeless' or MON 'clueless' because of 90 minutes against the top team in the division.

any premiership away game is tough and we should be happy to take a point in my opinion. I'm sure he'll go 4-5-1: ---------------------------Friedel----------------------------- ----Cuellar----------Dunne-----Collins--------Warnock---- ---------------Sidwell-----Petrov---Delph------------------- ------Milner-------------------------------------A.Young----- -------------------------Agbonlahor---------------------------

I predict: --------------------------------Chicken------------------------------- ---MondayTuesday----Collins--------Cuellar----------Shorey----- ----------------------NRC-----------Gardner-------------------------- ----------------------------------Delph--------------------------------- --------Milner----------------------------------------------Young------ ---------------------------------Carew----------------------------------

Villa 2 - 0 Portsmouth

the game has got stretched. we're not doing anything badly wrong, but will need to be clinical on the counter and stay strong at the back. obviously!

desderve to be 3 up. hope we don't do a stoke

another lovely run from gabby and intelligent low cross

Excellent positive start

nice forward run from sidders there

we look an exciting side. gabby looks well up for it.

Andre's funeral is on Wednesday 23rd - next week. I will be there, but I can tell you one thing - I won't be asking Luke when he's playing for us again. Some things are bigger than football.

I think he may throw a suprise and go with gardner, but would like to see delph or a 442 with carew

As a regular poster on this site, it's been difficult to read this thread. As some of you will know from my previous posts when Luke Young signed for Villa, his half-brother Andre was someone I knew extremely well. I remember the morning after Luke signed for us - knowing I was a Villa fan, Andre was thrilled to tell me about it, as he was when Luke got his chance for England. He attended the school that I work at in Saffron Walden and I have been his form tutor, working with him every day, for his entire time at the school. I took him through everything from his GCSEs to work experience and A-levels; he was an amazingly talented, funny and fantastic person. I also taught him English when he was in the sixth form - he had just finished his AS exams in July and then went on holiday where he had the tragic accident. Andre and most of the other boys that went on the holiday had become really good friends of mine and everyone at school is still going through a really difficult time. Memorials events are being arranged by my students at the moment. I think football can wait - for Luke Young - and for me at the moment. When he's ready, he's ready and I'm sure MON will do the right thing. Considering what the family, who I also know well, are going through, even a fierce local derby pales into significance.

I am incredibly proud of these boys. Phenomenal effort.

we have been magnificent tonight. absolutely magnificent.

davies crocked

sidwell anonymous but tough playing in an empty midfield - very isolated.