John Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 We face Preston on Tuesday night. This is a game between two of the founder members of the Football League. Our visitors were the unbeaten first League Champions in 1888-89 and were also FA Cup winners thus becoming the first team to claim the league & cup double. They were champions again in the following season and were runners-up in the next three. As we know we were the next team to win the league and cup double in 1896-97. We were League champions in 1893-94, 1895-96, 1896-97, 1898-99 and 1899-1900, also claiming the FA Cup three times before that century had closed. Clearly times have sadly changed for Proud Preston and the Mighty Villa since those heady Victorian years. Our last home win against The Lilywhites came in 1973 when Bobby Charlton was their manager and Tommy Docherty was ours. They have drawn their two league visits to Villa Park since then, 1-1 last season and 2-2 the season before that. At the time of writing they find themselves at the bottom of the league table, but they were only 2 points off the play off places last season and we therefore cannot take a win for granted because surely, they will start picking up points soon. Hopefully we can claim the much-needed win that we need on Tuesday. A 2-0 win would be nice! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ingram85 Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 PNE beating us got RDM the sack at this very point 2 seasons ago in the 11th league game. Can history repeat itself and we’ll see Spud’Ed gone Tuesday night/Wednesday morning following a PNE win? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugeley Villa Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 For the life of me, I just can’t see us winning this. Another frustrating draw. 1.1 and another nail in the coffin for Bruce, and promotion hopes. We will then go and lose at Millwall which will get Bruce the sack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chappy Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Two games against 23rd and 24th. Anything less than 6 points and I think Bruce will be gone (fwiw I think he should go anyway). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted September 30, 2018 Author Share Posted September 30, 2018 8 minutes ago, chappy said: Two games against 23rd and 24th. Anything less than 6 points and I think Bruce will be gone (fwiw I think he should go anyway). I think 4 points from 6 would be acceptable. It would be 3 points better than we managed from these two fixtures last season. We need to win this one first. It's about this match and how many points we will have after it rather than getting a new manager by losing game after game. One result won't necessarily save Bruce's job but it might cost us any hope we still have of getting promotion at the end of the season whoever is our manager then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mottaloo Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Villa old boys to come back and haunt us on this one, I fear. Villa win and Bruce will be all "See ? I knaa what i'm doin' !" Villa draw and Bruce will be all "well, that's the championship for ya" Villa lose and Bruce will be all "When i came here 2 yrs ago.....no easy games....there or thereabouts.....i can't please all wor fans..." I don't know what's worse : the performance we're bound to put in on tue night or the piss poor sky red button coverage, if it's anything like last fri night. Bruce out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Albrighton Posted September 30, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted September 30, 2018 Had a quick look, around 8,300 tickets left for this one. Depending on how many Preston bring, we may be looking at around 29,000. I reckon a Rotherham style win and us idiots dissatisfied with the performance. To be followed up with a draw at Millwall itself followed by the sweet relief of no club football for a week or two. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa89 Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 I want whatever result gets Bruce sacked. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alreadyexists Posted October 1, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted October 1, 2018 I still want us to win, it’s seems... wrong to hope for anything else. I love Villa and I don’t ever want us to lose, even if that’s for the ‘greater good’. I actually think we will win this one... just got a feeling. 2-0 Villa. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted October 1, 2018 Moderator Share Posted October 1, 2018 On 30/09/2018 at 07:55, Rugeley Villa said: For the life of me, I just can’t see us winning this. Another frustrating draw. 1.1 and another nail in the coffin for Bruce, and promotion hopes. We will then go and lose at Millwall which will get Bruce the sack. It is precisely because Bruce is on the ropes that I can see us winning this. Home to bottom of the league, just when he needs it. Last time he needed it he got Rotherham at home. He's a jammy ****. 2-1 Villa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alreadyexists Posted October 1, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted October 1, 2018 53 minutes ago, BOF said: It is precisely because Bruce is on the ropes that I can see us winning this. Home to bottom of the league, just when he needs it. Last time he needed it he got Rotherham at home. He's a jammy ****. 2-1 Villa. Yep, we’ll win this one. Wonder goal from Kodjia and tap in header from Abraham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pas5898 Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 We will win. It will be dull and awful but we will win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHV Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 Bunn Elmo Tuanzebe Chester Hutton McGinn Hourihane Bolasie Grealish El-Ghazi Kodjia subs Moreira, Bree, Jedinak, Whelan, Bjarnasson, Adomah, Abraham 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted October 1, 2018 Visiting Supporter Share Posted October 1, 2018 The fear factor is no longer there for teams visiting Villa Park so i'm not confident that Villa will beat any Championship team at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodders0223 Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 Hutton is not a left back, I think we need to put that to bed now. He did well there, I thought he could do a job there for the foreseeable - he can't. Aside from the last ditch challenges and runs full of intent, he is bringing nothing in the opposition half. He is making the whole side unbalanced, and offering nothing. You either need to go down the line and pick a cross or provide an overlap, or you need to cut it and find a pass. He is not doing any of those things. If I have to see him run one more time 60 yards to the touchline, get crowded out/ushered comfortably to nowhere or fail miserably to find a cross or a pass I am going to lose the plot. The fact this is coupled with cries of "Go on Alan." when he jogs back is even more annoying. Nobody else would get away with that. I would give Taylor a run from now if he is fit, he isn't the option either but lets see if he can find some form. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilko154 Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 Back to basics is what we now need, players in their correct positions all over the pitch. Nyland Hutton Tuanzebe Chester Taylor McGinn Hourihane Bolasie Grealish El Ghazi Kodjia Either stick with Nyland or bring in Moreira and let him have a chance at number one. Hutton needs to move back to right back, alternatively give Bree a chance. Taylor needs to play and get some form behind him. Midfield of McGinn, Hourihane and Grealish, although it will be slightly harsh on Bjarnasson. Bolasie and El Ghazi right and left, with Kodjia up front. Kodjia had just hit goalscoring form before Abraham arrived, give him another chance up front and switch it in the second half if it isn't working. I have a feeling Bruce will play 4-4-2 in this one though, with Jedinak and Elmo both staring at the back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHV Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 33 minutes ago, wilko154 said: Back to basics is what we now need, players in their correct positions all over the pitch. Nyland Hutton Tuanzebe Chester Taylor McGinn Hourihane Bolasie Grealish El Ghazi Kodjia Either stick with Nyland or bring in Moreira and let him have a chance at number one. Hutton needs to move back to right back, alternatively give Bree a chance. Taylor needs to play and get some form behind him. Midfield of McGinn, Hourihane and Grealish, although it will be slightly harsh on Bjarnasson. Bolasie and El Ghazi right and left, with Kodjia up front. Kodjia had just hit goalscoring form before Abraham arrived, give him another chance up front and switch it in the second half if it isn't working. I have a feeling Bruce will play 4-4-2 in this one though, with Jedinak and Elmo both staring at the back. Nyland is the equivalent of starting 1-0 down. Moreira looked dodgy too. It's astonishing that Mark Bunn is actually our best goalkeeper, throw in the fact we have one centre back at the club it's no surprise we are where we are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa89 Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 (edited) 37 minutes ago, KHV said: It's astonishing that Mark Bunn is actually our best goalkeeper I'm not sure he is. Any time I have seen him he has been abysmal. Edited October 1, 2018 by villa89 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHV Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 1 minute ago, villa89 said: I'm not sure he is. Any time I have seen him he has been abysmal. Abysmal is an improvement on Nyland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raver50032 Posted October 2, 2018 Share Posted October 2, 2018 Bruce can't win either way tonight... Win against Preston and 'we' will say 'it's only bottom of the league Preston...' Lose, and the words will be a little more strong and choice. Hard times to be a Villa fan, and a Villa manager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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