Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Match Threads & Player Ratings => Topic started by: Legion on September 19, 2010, 09:34:54 AM
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2-0 Home win
Albrighton 23
Petrov 45
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3 - 1.
Carew 2
Ireland
Got my ticket then realised yesterday i can't go. Typical.
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Friedel
L Young Collins Cuellar Warnock
Downing NRC Petrov A Young
Ireland
Gabby
2-0 A Young 20 Ireland-76.What do you reckon ?
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nil - nil and asleep by the 60th minute bettering yesterdays 75 minute nod off
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Wouldn't surprise me if he played a bit of a changed line up
--------------------Guzan-----------------------
---Young---Cuellar---Davies---Warnock---
---Albrighton---Sidwell---NRC---Young----
-------------------Ireland-----------------------
-----------------------------Carew--------------
2-1 Villa win
Ireland (34 pen)
Cuellar (67)
Dunn (39)
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Dull as ditch water 1-0 win
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2-1 win.
Albrighton and Ireland to score.
Samba for them.
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Friedel
Young
Cuellar
Collins
Warnock
Albrighton
NRC
Petrov
Ireland
Young
Carew
Please.
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Carew instead of Gabby?
Christ. Is Gabby injured?
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Another side who will fancy their chances of bullying us. Hopefully the new manager will have an impact otherwise I'm expecting us to get knocked out.
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Carew instead of Gabby?
Christ. Is Gabby injured?
Rest him, we'll need him for the derby game on Sunday.
:)
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Well hopefully we'll be tactically astute and we can have Ireland in an advanced role, because he showed what he can do.
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Yep, we can't afford to get bullied in midfield. NRC and Petrov both have to play for me. I'd agree with the team above, but would play Gabby and try and get him match fit.
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Our first game of the new season, seven matches in.
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I can't see GH playing Downing, Young and Albrighton. I got a feeling it will be Albrighton and Downing making way for a more rigid midfield, with Reo, Ierland and Petrov all in there.
It will be interesting, because he will have his ideas but doesn't know the players too well. Which by accounts of the last few weeks we have looked pretty average and thats with a manager who knows the players well.
I can't believe (and I don't want to praise MON too much because of the manner he left us) but other than 1 key player its the same squad. We look so disorgainsed, and so low on confidence. We were never the best passers of the ball but we never gave up, we looked orgainsed and we looked like we could score on the break. We seem to be at a right low, mood wise from this site, from the lokks on the players faces and from the press. To me it feels like 4 years ago under O'leary in that when we go out I don't expect us to win. God help us when we play a good team.
You can't fault MON for the way he installed belief in the team, even against the so called Sky 4 we felt we could cause a upset.
Come on Gerard sort them out. Put some belief back into the team, give us all somthing to cheer about.
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The team I see him playing is
Friedel
L Young Collins Cuellar Warnock
Petrov
NRC Ireland
A young
Gabby or Carew or Heskey
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I can see him bringing in NRC for Albrighton and switching Ashley out onto the wing, with Ireland playing where he should be in an advanced role and NRC providing us with somebody who can win the ball. It’s quite amazing out of the three cloggers we have played, two were able to bully us and one was not. It’s of no coincidence that we weren’t bullied by Stoke when NRC was on the pitch.
I think we'll see a strong team given its his first game.
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2-1 Villa win. Gabby and Ashley.
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Just bloody win the game/tie/match/whatever.
I don't fucking care about the scoreline/hairline/airline.
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I'm expecting Gezza to start with a win.
Although if I'm honest I'm more interested in the team/formation he plays than anything else!
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Decent crowd hopefully and a Villa win
2-1
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Both Newcastle & Bolton bullied us and we dropped points ..............
Now I wonder what tactics Big Sam and Blackburn might use ?
There's no doubt they will be smarting from us knocking them out
of both cup competitions last season and will want revenge this
time around -
Surely if the new management team pick the side it's going to be
a strong one ( no Davies Beye etc,.)
I have an uneasy feeling about this match even though the
players and supporters should be 'up fot it'
A bruising encounter and 1-0 defeat I fear
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With Delph not fit and Milner gone, then we need somebody with the physical presence and the ability to go box-to-box. NRC has to start. Stoke, the biggest bullies of the lot, couldn't bully us off the ball and we played round them for the most part- and NRC was excellent.
He has to feature I'm afraid, limitations on passing aside, he is the only player able to use his pace and presence to cover the back four. We cannot go on playing three wingers and Ireland. One of them has to give way for the sake of balance.
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2-1 WIN. them to be 1 up at HT and a double from Carew in the second.
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With Delph not fit and Milner gone, then we need somebody with the physical presence and the ability to go box-to-box. NRC has to start. Stoke, the biggest bullies of the lot, couldn't bully us off the ball and we played round them for the most part- and NRC was excellent.
He has to feature I'm afraid, limitations on passing aside, he is the only player able to use his pace and presence to cover the back four. We cannot go on playing three wingers and Ireland. One of them has to give way for the sake of balance.
Against Stoke I thought NRC was superb, even his passing was good. Just his finishing let him down, but he isn't quite Essien just yet.
NRC just kept it simple, won the ball and passed it 10 yards to the nearest bloke. If he can keep that up then I think he could still be an asset to us.
He should start v Blackburn.
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Both Newcastle & Bolton bullied us and we dropped points ..............
Now I wonder what tactics Big Sam and Blackburn might use ?
There's no doubt they will be smarting from us knocking them out
of both cup competitions last season and will want revenge this
time around -
Surely if the new management team pick the side it's going to be
a strong one ( no Davies Beye etc,.)
I have an uneasy feeling about this match even though the
players and supporters should be 'up fot it'
A bruising encounter and 1-0 defeat I fear
I`ll be more positive than our kid - I `ll go for a win on penalties !
Just decided to come down for this one - lets get behind the new management team and the squad. Again this could be our best chance of silverware this season - I hope that Houllier will see it that way too.
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Scrappy win I think!
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Long drawn out evening with extra time then losing on penalties watching two virtual reserve sides showing plenty of effort but no real talent in a half empty stadium. Then getting home very late with an early start the next morning because even though its a really low crowd we sit in the car on Aston Hall Road for what seems like an eternity because the bloody police having given up on any traffic control round there. Everybody tired and irate and getting in arguments with cars trying to come down the other way, because nobody has the good sense to employ a one way system for just 40 bloody minutes which would help all us get away quicker and clear the traffic so people who live round there can get back in quicker too. Bloody traffic, bloody police, overpaid bloody footballers, bloody cut backs and a total lack of common bloody sense of how to get a few thousand people out after watching a bloody awful game !
Thats my prediction for the evening anyway........up the villa.
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Long drawn out evening with extra time then losing on penalties watching two virtual reserve sides showing plenty of effort but no real talent in a half empty stadium. Then getting home very late with an early start the next morning because even though its a really low crowd we sit in the car on Aston Hall Road for what seems like an eternity because the bloody police having given up on any traffic control round there. Everybody tired and irate and getting in arguments with cars trying to come down the other way, because nobody has the good sense to employ a one way system for just 40 bloody minutes which would help all us get away quicker and clear the traffic so people who live round there can get back in quicker too. Bloody traffic, bloody police, overpaid bloody footballers, bloody cut backs and a total lack of common bloody sense of how to get a few thousand people out after watching a bloody awful game !
Thats my prediction for the evening anyway........up the villa.
You have failed to mention the chaos prior to kick off as the ticket office is inundated with latecomers wishing to collect their tickets, resulting in a delayed kick off - (8.15pm) meaning that fans do not leave the stadium until 11.15pm. Local residents blocakade the exits as they are up in arms because the floodlights at that time at night means they can`t get to sleep. Police therefore diverted from traffic control duties to placate the angry residents and the 11,000 Villa fans (and 37 Blackburn fans) who are hurling insults like- "Why don`t you buy some decent curtains then !"
I have too much time on my hands
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OS says Dunne out and Ireland a doubt tomorrow-Dead leg in training this morning
Houllier likely to make several changes.Sorry can't do clicky thing
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0-3. See them being way too strong for us.
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OS says Dunne out and Ireland a doubt tomorrow-Dead leg in training this morning
Houllier likely to make several changes.Sorry can't do clicky thing
Dunne should be out for being too fat and prone to making errors.
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just watched G's press conference. the more i watch him the more impressed i am, looks like we have a good fitness coach so all this rubbish of us getting tired towards end of games will go, new "continetial" traning... sound exciting..
im really looking forward to what mr h and his team can do !!
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Just hoping the "First game for the new manager syndrome" kicks in cause after saturday v Bolton. We were shit ...1-0
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4-1 home win.
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just watched G's press conference. the more i watch him the more impressed i am, looks like we have a good fitness coach so all this rubbish of us getting tired towards end of games will go, new "continetial" traning... sound exciting..
im really looking forward to what mr h and his team can do !!
bloody hell have you ever changed your tune
no matter how much i try and accept this and be happy for houllier being her i cant !! i just dont want him as our manager. fuckin rediculous appointment. he is not the man to take us further, mid table here we come
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I hope GED abandons the 2 winger system of mons era and strengthens centre midfield with an extra man allowing ash to go back wide and switch to either wing , maybe using reo coker and petrov with Ireland in attacking midfield role
I look forward to a decent striker and midfielder coming in the transfer window as we are lacking in these positions , our style of play has been too predictable under o neill and 2 wingers leaves our midfield exposed too much - flexibility is the key a d GED can change tactics and options which is something mon rarely did!
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Which 5 numpties have put draw ;D
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East 19 if we drop a winger for NRC, allowing Ash back out wide then surely we still have 2 wingers, Ash and Downing/Albrighton. The problem is we are playing with 3 wingers not 2. You seem to suggest playing with 1 winger only, but surely we would be unbalanced this way, 2 wingers and 3 centre mids should leave us strong enough.
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the 11,000 Villa fans (and 37 Blackburn fans)
You reckon 37? They must have bought that extra taxi.
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just watched G's press conference. the more i watch him the more impressed i am, looks like we have a good fitness coach so all this rubbish of us getting tired towards end of games will go, new "continetial" traning... sound exciting..
im really looking forward to what mr h and his team can do !!
bloody hell have you ever changed your tune
no matter how much i try and accept this and be happy for houllier being her i cant !! i just dont want him as our manager. fuckin rediculous appointment. he is not the man to take us further, mid table here we come
LOL
I was on my period then !!
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No pedro,I'm suggesting reo coker petrov and ireland with just ash out wide,and 2 up front! Not in every game but a variation in tactics can be useful.
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They will be out to do us over as revenge for the semi last year. However, we will be up for this game too with the players looking to impress GH.
It'll be a close game decided by a goal and I think we will win, 2-1.
I hope the defence play well so that Dunne will not be the automatic first choice. He needs to get out of his comfort zone, slim down and start playing for his place. He's been disappointing for club and country this season.
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No pedro,I'm suggesting reo coker petrov and ireland with just ash out wide,and 2 up front! Not in every game but a variation in tactics can be useful.
That wouldn't work because Ash would get doubled and tripled up on. That was his big problem after his breakthrough year - teams decided just to number up on him because, with the greatest will in the world, Milner wasn't the same threat on the other flank so they didn't have to worry about us switching the play too much. With literally nobody but a full-back on the other wing Ash's impact on the game would be diminished to zero.
Besides, two up front is generally a waste if you're trying to break teams down, because you have two players with their backs to goal, their impact on the game limited by this. In an attack you want to be facing the opposition as much as possible, to be on the front foot where you can, and you have to move off the ball to get into these positions. One up front can be necessary to provide a focal point (although Man Utd, with their two support strikers, or Barcelona play with no out-and-out centre forward). Two up front is useful on the counter-attack, where you can aim at one striker while the other runs beyond, but when trying to break teams down it's counter-productive.
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We need a central midfield player and a centre forward.
Then any of Ash, Ireland, Gabby, Downing, Albrighton, Reo-Coker, Petrov, Carew can play around them.
But we need those two to build around.
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Bloody hell, this is going to be awful isn't it? Us to win it 1-0 in the worst game played out at VP since Saturday.
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I take your point monty but 2 wingers is a luxury and our central midfield gets overrun too easily,also 2wingers and just gabby up front doesn't pose enough of a goal threat for me,agreed if delph
was fit and we sign a top midfielder and quality striker it would work better!
We need to be able to play various systems not just one way.
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Time for a bit of optimism.
We're going to win this 3-1.
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Sorry yes I see East 19. I think that could work as Gabby can pull away to the opposite side to Ash so we still have options each way. I can't make my mind up though whether Gabby needs to work off a big man or is better on his own, the Bolton match made me think the latter but he has played very well alone especially away (eg 2 nil v Arsenal). The other problem is Ireland having to fill the opposite side to Ash, whereas ideally i'd want him in front of NRC and Petrov and behind Gabby. But you're right we must be flexible. A game like Bolton should have seen Carew slug it out with Knight and Gabby spring up from wider/ deeper areas whereas away to e.g. Man Utd Ireland off Gabby and 2 widemen may be best.
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I take your point monty but 2 wingers is a luxury and our central midfield gets overrun too easily,also 2wingers and just gabby up front doesn't pose enough of a goal threat for me,agreed if delph
was fit and we sign a top midfielder and quality striker it would work better!
We need to be able to play various systems not just one way.
Of course, but there are two issues there: first of all, I don't see two wingers as a luxury but as a necessity if you're going to have wide men at all because, as I mentioned it happening to Ash, it's all two easy to neutralise a winger if he's the sole threat on goal; secondly, it wouldn't just be the wingers and Ash posing the goal threat, but Ireland and even Petrov, not to mention centre-backs at set-pieces. NRC, sure, I'd keep well away from the opposition goal, but Delph, when fit, poses a genuine goal threat in his own right. In this 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 sort of system, we'd ideally have Delph fit, but in the mean time NRC has to play. And do we pose more of a goal threat with two forwards? Only ourselves and Spurs in the top 7 played 4-4-2, and we scored the fewest goals (Tottenham having the virtue of not only Jermaine Defoe, but amazing creative talents like Modric we just can't match).
Yes, we do need to able to play different systems and styles, but at the same time we shouldn't be using systems that almost certainly won't work for the sake of variety. We have to have actual plans about how something might work, and for me, with the players we have as much as anything, we can't really play two up front unless we play 3-5-2 against a side playing 4-4-2 - even then we'd be taking an enormous risk.
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2-1 win
Won't be easy, it never is.
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Yes monty its true but I think we do need a decent striker and midfelder to improve things.carew on his day is good but its all too rarely and gabby needs to improve his finishing.
For 2 wingers to work they must both be productive and downing seems to be improving this season.
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For the first time ever I have gone for an away win for a match at VP. The reason being we beat them 3 times in the cup last season so it must be their turn!
However the bastards were the only team to do the double over us last season in the League so here is to REVENGE.
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My optimism peaked on Monday when I decided to buy tickets for this game - Since then Monsieur Houllier has given an interview stating he had prepared one team for this game and another for Wolves - rotation has started early it would seem . I am therefore curious as to the side he will put out tonight - hopefully a strong one going for a win.
Despite losing to ManUre last year both VCTM jnr and I enjoyed a "lads weekend" in North London and would love to do so again - Win on penalties (Big Fat Sam to be sent from the Dug Out to the stands)
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Yes monty its true but I think we do need a decent striker and midfelder to improve things.carew on his day is good but its all too rarely and gabby needs to improve his finishing.
For 2 wingers to work they must both be productive and downing seems to be improving this season.
Gabby's finishing is improving all the time but I agree with you about Carew, his good performances are just too rare these days to be counted on.
What we do lack in the striking department is someone to come on as a substitute when we're chasing the game and put away a half-chance, like Defoe does for England or Solskjaer did so well for United. These players aren't really suited to starting games (so that rules out the likes of Owen whose wages would be too high to start most games on the bench), but would be a very useful plan B. Maybe Weimann when fit, or the Fonz, could do this, but I'm not so sure. In the midfield, we need an all-rounder with a bit of energy to let Ireland and Petrov do what they do best. It really is such a shame that Delph is injured because that's completely what his game is, but I think NRC's done well so far. Definitely need to improve on Sidwell, though.
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With Ireland potentially being an even bigger goal threat than Milner/ Barry were Heskey may get more game time than Carew as he tends to link the play better. I almost can't believe i'm saying this but I actually don't mind the idea of Heskey as the spearhead, playing largely with his back to goal and Young, Gabby and Ireland running off him. The other alternative would for me would be Downing/ Albrighton in for Heskey for the 4-5-1, I just don't see Carew as a starter really anymore.
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2-1 Villa!
Is it on the telly?
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6-4 Villa
As If there will be 10 goals between these teams, sillly me...
3-1
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Bad feeling on this one, I think they're going to beat us.
We fall apart far too easily, and I think a bit of the physical stuff from Blackburn will have us crumbling.
Hopefully GH will not make the mistake of playing a midfield full of lightweights, but even so, I worry.
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2-1 Villa!
Is it on the telly?
No mention on villastreams either.
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2 nil win for us, not a great result on Sat, players are now playing for Gerard will be trying to make a good impression. Carew and Young. Cuellar and Collins to have a blinder.
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I always have to wear a Villa shirt before games for luck. One of my many, many superstitions. One top that I wear is the 1957 top. Whilst wearing we have never, ever, won. Or drawn. Lost every time. I like the top but am annoyed that we have never got a result whilst wearing it, which means I can never wear it.
So, I thought I'd give it one more chance this season to prove that it was all superstition and fakery (see, Risso?) and donned it before one game and thought, if we lose this - and we won't - then I know it will be destined for the not worn but can't be discarded pile of Villa stuff and other football shirts.
I wore it before the home leg against rapid. Bollocks.
I'm tempted to give it one more shot tonight.
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I always have to wear a Villa shirt before games for luck. One of my many, many superstitions. One top that I wear is the 1957 top. Whilst wearing we have never, ever, won. Or drawn. Lost every time. I like the top but am annoyed that we have never got a result whilst wearing it, which means I can never wear it.
So, I thought I'd give it one more chance this season to prove that it was all superstition and fakery (see, Risso?) and donned it before one game and thought, if we lose this - and we won't - then I know it will be destined for the not worn but can't be discarded pile of Villa stuff and other football shirts.
I wore it before the home leg against rapid. Bollocks.
I'm tempted to give it one more shot tonight.
Don't you dare !! ;)
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If you do choose to wear it this evening peter w, and we then go on to lose, i will place the blame squarely with you regardless of on the field happenings.
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I can't see a Villa win tonight at all. Usually fairly optimistic but tonight seems different....
If we score first then maybe, but I wouldn't be surprised at a 3-0 loss.
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If you do choose to wear it this evening peter w, and we then go on to lose, i will place the blame squarely with you regardless of on the field happenings.
I'll be blaming O'Neill.
*joke*, MON fans.
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Maybe I will wear it. That way we will all know why and GEDH will be absolved from any blame.
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We had a corporate day at the Metropole today and saw the Blackburn team arrive. Samba doesn't look so big close up (he's the same height as me though) and the way they all dawdled past us to their room gave me the impression that they don't have any energy. I've never seen a group of people amble down a corridor looking so bored and fed up as this lot. Perhaps they are conserving energy but they didn't half look glum.
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4-1 Blackburn then.
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Resting half the team that "played" against Bolton. Cause for concern?
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Any links to online viewing ?
Is there highlights on Sky or normal tv later ?
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Searched the internet for a stream and found nothing. The goals are on BBC 1 at 11.45pm tonight but they'll be showing all the other games 1st no doubt.
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11 bloody 45. I hope we lose so I don't have to try and stay up. Up again at 4.45 tomorow.
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Actually it's 11.30pm, my mistake. Doesn't change it much though, our game will be on at 12.30am for 2 minutes most likely. They are showing last nights games plus Man U, Chelsea and Liverpool as well.
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2-1 villa.
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VILLA LINE-UP: Guzan; Lichaj, Clark, Cuellar, Warnock; A Young, Reo-Coker, Sidwell, Bannan; Carew, Agbonlahor. Subs: Friedel, Delfouneso, Davies, Salifou, Beye, Osbourne, Heskey.
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Right come on you Villa boys!
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VILLA LINE-UP: Guzan; Lichaj, Clark, Cuellar, Warnock; A Young, Reo-Coker, Sidwell, Bannan; Carew, Agbonlahor. Subs: Friedel, Delfouneso, Davies, Salifou, Beye, Osbourne, Heskey.
I quite like the look of that actually...
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Any ideas for the best place to see the game on the internet for free. Please