Pre match thread

[Demitri_C]

15 hours ago, Robtaylor200 said:

Personally, I am really looking forward to going to Wembley  

Lets not get ahead of ourselves we have two legs to overcome first

[omariqy]

If both Cardiff and Fulham win and we fail to win then we can start resting players, starting with the Derby game. Until then we have to believe we have a chance of 2nd. 

[Demitri_C]

29 minutes ago, omariqy said:

If both Cardiff and Fulham win and we fail to win then we can start resting players, starting with the Derby game. Until then we have to believe we have a chance of 2nd. 

Yeah i think you might be right. Fulham coukd hand cardiff promotion if they dont win at millwall. For first time fulham are under real pressure like laat week and we saw them blow it. Millwall do their upmost to wreck fulhams chances.

[BOF]

1 hour ago, Demitri_C said:

Yeah i think you might be right. Fulham coukd hand cardiff promotion if they dont win at millwall. For first time fulham are under real pressure like laat week and we saw them blow it. Millwall do their upmost to wreck fulhams chances.

Does that mean you're not a "realist" any more?   Or has your realism just slightly aligned with ours?

[Demitri_C]

33 minutes ago, BOF said:

Does that mean you're not a "realist" any more?   Or has your realism just slightly aligned with ours?

Haha yeah i am a realist we blew it against Norwich that was last chance saloon 

[wilko154]

                  Johnstone

Elmo  Chester  Jedinak  Taylor

       Lansbury  Hourihane

Snodgrass   Grealish  Grabban

                    Hogan

 

Really want to see us play with a more attacking midfield, drop the anchor man and see if we begin to play football on the deck feeding balls to Hogan.

For me there is no need to risk Kodjia, Terry or Hutton in this one.

Adomah could do with a rest, then bring him back next game and rest Snodgrass for a week.

[Nigel]

1 hour ago, wilko154 said:

                  Johnstone

Elmo  Chester  Jedinak  Taylor

       Lansbury  Hourihane

Snodgrass   Grealish  Grabban

                    Hogan

 

Really want to see us play with a more attacking midfield, drop the anchor man and see if we begin to play football on the deck feeding balls to Hogan.

For me there is no need to risk Kodjia, Terry or Hutton in this one.

Adomah could do with a rest, then bring him back next game and rest Snodgrass for a week.

You think having folks running at a slow defence containing an even slower midfielder with no protection is a good idea?

[wilko154]

13 minutes ago, Nigel said:

You think having folks running at a slow defence containing an even slower midfielder with no protection is a good idea?

I wouldn't say Elmo, Chester or Taylor are particularly slow.

I just don't think we need to be playing a defensive midfielder in games, it hinders our attacking intent and is a contributing factor to the lack of style of play our team has. Between Lansbury and Hourihane in the midfield they should be able to track back between them to cover defensive duties as well as providing more of an attacking outlet.

[Nigel]

9 minutes ago, wilko154 said:

I wouldn't say Elmo, Chester or Taylor are particularly slow.

I just don't think we need to be playing a defensive midfielder in games, it hinders our attacking intent and is a contributing factor to the lack of style of play our team has. Between Lansbury and Hourihane in the midfield they should be able to track back between them to cover defensive duties as well as providing more of an attacking outlet.

It sounds good but in reality all that would happen is that you would confuse Hourihane and Lansbury as their roles would be blurred.

Far from hindering our attacks it helps having a sitting midfielder.

 

[rjw63]

On 4/17/2018 at 16:00, Robtaylor200 said:

Personally, I am really looking forward to going to Wembley  

Don't know why, it's an overpriced shit hole and a nightmare to get away from.

[BOF]

1 hour ago, rjw63 said:

Don't know why, it's an overpriced shit hole and a nightmare to get away from.

Oh and while we're at it.

Quote

Aston Villa fans set for a nightmare journey to Wembley - should they reach the Championship play-off final

Signalling improvements at Birmingham New Street on May 26 and 27 mean London Euston-Birmingham trains will be replaced by buses

Drama is always guaranteed when the richest game in football takes place at Wembley - but this probably isn't what Aston Villa fans had in mind on May 26.

Because Villa fans hopeful of a play-off final at Wembley could see their plans to get to the capital thwarted by rail engineering work.

Government-owned Network Rail will carry out more than 820 projects during the first and last weekends of the month.

Signalling improvements at Birmingham New Street on May 26 and 27 mean London Euston-Birmingham trains will be replaced by buses between Birmingham and Coventry.

That means Villa fans hoping to go to Wembley - should the side get there - face a bus trip down the M6 to Coventry before getting on the train to the capital, or making other arrangements.

Villa fans can still get to Wembley from Snow Hill - albeit via a change, at Marylebone or High Wycombe.

The organisation says it schedules work for bank holidays as there are fewer passengers than normal on those days.

Between May 5 and 7 Liverpool's mainline services will be reduced, with some replaced by buses or diverted via Manchester.

Significant work in the south of Scotland between Glasgow and Edinburgh means East Coast services will start and terminate at Edinburgh, while West Coast trains will not run north of Lancaster/Oxenholme Lake District.

Rail connections to the UK's busiest airport, Heathrow, will be severed on May 6, when there will also be no trains serving London Paddington.

A rail replacement bus service will also be in place between Ingatestone/Billericay in Essex and London Liverpool Street throughout the second three-day weekend of the month.

Trains between Didcot and Chippenham/Bristol Parkway will be disrupted due to electrification work.

Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne said: "This May, thousands of rail workers will be working round the clock to deliver crucial upgrades to the rail network as part of our Railway Upgrade Plan.

"This huge investment programme will provide faster, better services and help relieve over-crowding to respond to the huge growth on Britain's railways.

"While most of the network is open for business as usual, some routes are heavily affected and so we strongly advise passengers to plan ahead this May."

 

[Robtaylor200]

2 hours ago, rjw63 said:

Don't know why, it's an overpriced shit hole and a nightmare to get away from.

I have never been to a game at the new Wembley. Been to the old one several times and never seen us lose. 

[OutByEaster?]

Quote

 

“Further to my previous email, please find below some additional information for your fans travelling to Ipswich on Tuesday.

 

1.This match is all ticket for Villa fans.  Any Villa fans found in home areas will be ejected. 

 

2. Alcohol will be available up to kick off (providing there are no issues) but not at half time. 

 

3. The away coaches will park in the Portman Road Car Park which is next to the away turnstiles.”

 

Some info from the club for those travelling.

[Czechlad]

I think we have to figure out our best XI for the playoffs. 

Kodjia needs to start this. He needs to refind his form

Do we put Grabban on the left again, or try to get Adomah back to his scoring ways now that Kodjia is back?

Do we put Thor or Jedinak as our DM next to Hourihane? 

These questions need to solved asap. 

[terrytini]

On 17/04/2018 at 13:20, BOF said:

I'm with you 100%.  Just because something is unlikely to happen, doesn't mean you stop believing that it can, or playing like it can.  All you can do is keep winning your games, and far stranger things have happened in sport.  The rest will take care of itself.  We know we're playoffs at a minimum.  May aswell get the momentum up and keep the pressure on.

Agree. How ludicrous would it be if the - highly-  unlikely DID happen to Fulham and Cardiff but we had rested players and lost ?

Also, I don’t think we are anywhere a good enough side ( not a criticism, I think very few sides can do it effectively ) to pick and choose how much we “ put our foot on the gas”.......we need as many decent performances and results from our best 13 or so players. God forbid we ‘ rest’ people and lose the next 3 playing how we did at Norwich. ( although in the interests of balance, it’d be even worse if we play our best players and THEN lose all 3 !).

 

[terrytini]

On 18/04/2018 at 19:12, Robtaylor200 said:

I have never been to a game at the new Wembley. Been to the old one several times and never seen us lose. 

You haven’t missed much, either from us or the venue.

[sir_gary_cahill]

2 hours ago, terrytini said:

You haven’t missed much, either from us or the venue.

You must have forgotten when we beat Liverpool 2-1 in the FA Cup semi final in 2015, probably the best performance I've seen from a Villa player in Jack Grealish that day

[Nigel]

This week between games seems ages!

[Demitri_C]

I would contemplate starting big kodj next week. Give him another 40 mins tomorrow.

Adomah has had a long week rest i dont want to see the adomah of the last month we can't afford to start players who are not performing with the play offs in mind.

[MONCABA]

2-0 to my Villa boys.