Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Match Threads & Player Ratings => Topic started by: Dave P on December 15, 2025, 09:48:26 AM
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So will our run continue against a team we have beaten once at home in 30 years?
They are missing Mbeumo and a few other due to AFCON.
2-0 Watkins with both. Merry Christmas.
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1-3 to them with us playing like the players just met half an hour before kick off.
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Think we'll draw. Tielemans and a Lindelof own-goal
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Anyone thinking we aren't going to win this one because it's them needs to get that out of their heads.
It's going to be such an easy win. They are shit. They don't have the intensity, coaching or quality that we have.
3-0 Villa and Merry Christmas. Trust me.
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My only prediction is some kind of rank injustice.
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1-1
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Is our setup somewhat susceptible to 5-3-2, or is it just Palace?
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Anyone thinking we aren't going to win this one because it's them needs to get that out of their heads.
It's going to be such an easy win. They are shit. They don't have the intensity, coaching or quality that we have.
3-0 Villa and Merry Christmas. Trust me.
Watkins hat-trick.
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They are good away. We are good at home.
3.1.
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So will our run continue against a team we have beaten once at home in 30 years?
They are missing Mbeumo and a few other due to AFCON.
2-0 Watkins with both. Merry Christmas.
I knew it was bad, but didn't realise it was that bad.
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So will our run continue against a team we have beaten once at home in 30 years?
They are missing Mbeumo and a few other due to AFCON.
2-0 Watkins with both. Merry Christmas.
I knew it was bad, but didn't realise it was that bad.
Even Bologna fans shake their head when they hear that stat.
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Yanited will be missing Bryan Mbeumo due to AFCON, plus Diallo and Mazraoiu for the same reason.
Home win 3-1.
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I think we'll win 2-1.
Just please don't start at a snail pace against them which Emery always seems to want to do.
Our tactics on the final day were completely mind boggling. Not just barely attacking but we weren't even attempting any 50/50s or to press them much.
The crowd were ready to turn big time on them that day and we just let Fernandes dictate the play and they grew in confidence and should've been 3-0 up even before the Rogers non goal.
Anyway it takes a very good performance to beat us at VP these days. Can't see Man. United being capable of that especially with three of their best players at AFCON.
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To steal somebody else's lines, just FTF.
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Anyone who thinks we’ll get anything from this game is totally deluded, and be saying that even if we’d won all 16 league games so far. To hope for anything is ridiculous. It will the usual injustice, a dodgy penalty scored by Fernandes, and as usual Villa fans will have to deal with their impotent rage.
I prefer Small Heath to them.
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A very unpleasant fixture to have just before Xmas at an unpleasant time as well. I detest Sunday 4.30 games almost as much as I detest Newton Heath. This one partially saved by the time of year and a meet up in Town pre match with a few old faces.
Yes, we should win. But then we should receive equal treatment from the officials, and even the last meeting shows that this doesn't happen consistently. It sounds like sour grapes, well it fucking is actually, and as much as you'd like to rise above it, the general reaction to what happened in May or lack of it means we have no option but to just get on with it.
We'll get on with it via a stonking victory, invoking Christmas 1989 and the obligatory horrendous decision in their favour will be rendered meaningless.
3-0
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Anyone thinking we aren't going to win this one because it's them needs to get that out of their heads.
It's going to be such an easy win. They are shit. They don't have the intensity, coaching or quality that we have.
3-0 Villa and Merry Christmas. Trust me.
Watkins hat-trick.
Might just happen 8)
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I’d usually be reticent to be overly confident in this on for obvious historical reasons. But I actually think we’re going to smash them. They are what we used to be when they beat us so often : mid table also rans coming up against a genuinely quality side with a winning mentality.
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Please just beat these twats and don't get any centre-halves injured.
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These fuckers rock up to ruin everything.
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I was fortunate enough to be on The Holte when we spanked them 3:0 all those years ago, Kevin Gage overlapping on the right caused them a nightmare. About time we revisited that performance with a Cash masterclass 🙏
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I enjoyed Ronaldo's last match for them very much. I hope we can end someone else's career with them too.
Anyway, just fucking beat them, I don't care how. Watkins, Rogers, Buendia, McGinn, Maatsen and a Cash rocket would be nice.
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4-0
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4-0
what ? have you been hacked ?
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I don't like these very much :o
Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to smack these overentitled, cheating, official intimidating biggest bunch of cnuts to have ever played the game cum buckets.
Every ill of the modern game from the sky spunk fest over them to the wankiest "celeb fans" to Red faced cnuts "Fergie time" can be placed at their door.
I hope we play like we did in the first Man City win (the Bailey winner one) and swarm them and leave them breathless. I hope we put every fibre of our being into every challenge, i want us to show them we are the new kids on the block and they and the wankiest, intolerable set of glory hunting followers and they stand amazed at the grace and fervor when we take them apart.
And with 5 mins left and by the time we are 4-0 up - bring on a kid from the reserves and tell them to take out rat man with a studded throat high challenge.
More than likely it will be a scrappy niggly affair, dominated by piss poor officiating with them getting almost all of the calls in their favour and we lose to the inevitable Rat Cnut pen
Please, please just beat them
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Someone in the crowd will probably sneeze and the rat will probably fall over and get a penalty.
I actually feel pretty confident. 3-2 Villa.
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I'm going for a 2-1 Villa win.
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We need to use the abomination of the last game against these as our motivation.
Never again will we put in a performance like that one and we will avenge that horror (no) show.
3-0 villa
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I was fortunate enough to be on The Holte when we spanked them 3:0 all those years ago, Kevin Gage overlapping on the right caused them a nightmare. About time we revisited that performance with a Cash masterclass 🙏
Yes me too as a 15 year old! It was so packed, could hardly move.
3-0 us again and for Gage, Platt and Olney, ill give you Rogers, McGinn and Malen
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So will our run continue against a team we have beaten once at home in 30 years?
They are missing Mbeumo and a few other due to AFCON.
2-0 Watkins with both. Merry Christmas.
I knew it was bad, but didn't realise it was that bad.
Amad at AFCON too, decent.
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4-0
what ? have you been hacked ?
4-0 is this season's 0-2. It's indicative of just how much Unai has raised expectations at Villa Park.
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We should batter them.
But we probably won’t.
The film has the same ending.
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4-0
what ? have you been hacked ?
Has to be the Russians.
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Anyone thinking we aren't going to win this one because it's them needs to get that out of their heads.
It's going to be such an easy win. They are shit. They don't have the intensity, coaching or quality that we have.
3-0 Villa and Merry Christmas. Trust me.
Watkins hat-trick.
This for me.
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Casemiro booked and out for the game on Sunday.
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Casemiro booked and out for the game on Sunday.
Unless they get Donald Trump to have a word
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Dishing out anything less than a 5 goal thrashing to this bunch of clowns will bring great shame upon this once great club.
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Casemiro booked and out for the game on Sunday.
He’s not the best now and is a starter for them so that’s a shame. If he’s replaced with the defensive Ugarte it’s not so bad but Mainoo is decent and can play.
Realistically whoever plays for them in midfield shouldn’t be able to cope with whoever we pick but it doesn’t work like that especially, against st these utter wankers.
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If he’s replaced with the defensive Ugarte it’s not so bad but Mainoo is decent and can play.
Mainoo and Fernandes in a midfield two would be like us having a central midfield of Rogers and McGinn.
Good players, but would be completely overrun.
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If they play Mainoo & Fernandez as their midfield two we'll pull them apart.
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If he’s replaced with the defensive Ugarte it’s not so bad but Mainoo is decent and can play.
Mainoo and Fernandes in a midfield two would be like us having a central midfield of Rogers and McGinn.
Good players, but would be completely overrun.
Maybe so but imo Mainoo is a better player than Casemiro. Hopefully it’ll be irrelevant who they pick and we’ll destroy them.
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.
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If he’s replaced with the defensive Ugarte it’s not so bad but Mainoo is decent and can play.
Mainoo and Fernandes in a midfield two would be like us having a central midfield of Rogers and McGinn.
Good players, but would be completely overrun.
Maybe so but imo Mainoo is a better player than Casemiro. Hopefully it’ll be irrelevant who they pick and we’ll destroy them.
He might be, but players are there to perform roles, and their current midfield is already defensively flaky by shoe-horning Fernandes in there, deeper than he should be.
Even in his current elderly state, Casemiro's a big loss for them, because in the absence of Ugarte being any good, they don't have someone who can do the defensive midfield stuff.
With no Mbuemo I reckon they move Fernandes forward and play Mainoo and Ugarte.
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Ugarte would be the natural replacement for Casemiro, he’s also likely to pick up the Brazilian’ customary yellow card as well.
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This is a different Villa now. We go into every game genuinely expecting to win. We’ve already beaten a top Champions League side at Villa Park, so there’s no reason to fear this lot.
We’ve got the better manager, the stronger squad, and we play better, more intelligent football. Tactically, we’re streets ahead. United are conceding goals for fun at the moment, so even if they somehow raced into a big lead, I’d still back us to get back into it.
They’ll probably get their usual bit of luck or a soft goal — that’s a given — but if we stick to the plan and play our game, we’ll have more than enough to see them off. Up the Villa. 🟣⚽
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They're going to play someone who's out of form and can't normally get in the side? Oh, well I don't foresee any potential issues with that.
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2-0 Watkins with both. Merry Christmas.
I'd start Malen. Watkins hasn’t scored a league goal vs manure in 10 previous attempts. Easy call for me that won't happen.
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2-0 Watkins with both. Merry Christmas.
I'd start Malen. Watkins hasn’t scored a league goal vs manure in 10 previous attempts. Easy call for me that won't happen.
I would start Malen too.
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This is a different Villa now. We go into every game genuinely expecting to win. We’ve already beaten a two top Champions League side at Villa Park, so there’s no reason to fear this.
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2-0 Watkins with both. Merry Christmas.
I'd start Malen. Watkins hasn’t scored a league goal vs manure in 10 previous attempts. Easy call for me that won't happen.
I would start Malen too.
Bit leftfield for you that. Next you'll be saying you want to play Lindelof up front.
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Ugarte would be the natural replacement for Casemiro, he’s also likely to pick up the Brazilian’ customary yellow card as well.
They were trying to sign Ugarte for maybe 12 months. Once he signed and had played a few games you started to wonder what they saw in him at all. Lightweight. That's motm sorted!
We should be beating this rabble at our ease. But it's Man United and the ghosts of that no show in May might not have been fully put to bed. Id bring Tielemans back in next to Kamara for starters and then it's one of Malen or Buendia up with Watkins.
Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen, Kamara, Tielemans, McGinn, Rogers, Buendia, Watkins.
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Just looking at the fixtures.
Why are we the only Premier League game playing on Sunday?
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There seem to be two 8pm games on Saturday. One features Arsenal and the other features Palace. Arsenal play Palace in the League Cup on the following Tuesday so I imagine one of their games was originally supposed to be played on Sunday but has been moved to allow sufficient recovery time.
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Found it here, both the Arsenal and Palace games were originally supposed to be played on Sunday but have been moved.
https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/arsenal-crystal-palace-fixtures-moved-133607370.html
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Found it here, both the Arsenal and Palace games were originally supposed to be played on Sunday but have been moved.
https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/arsenal-crystal-palace-fixtures-moved-133607370.html
Thanks. I guess we’re guaranteed a lot of interest then!
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Found it here, both the Arsenal and Palace games were originally supposed to be played on Sunday but have been moved.
https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/arsenal-crystal-palace-fixtures-moved-133607370.html
Thanks. I guess we’re guaranteed a lot of interest then!
You're likely to be half right. I see that four of the first five articles on the BBC football page this morning are devoted to Man Utd.
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I would hope that the players have been waiting for this one since the shambolic end to last season. And with a full week to prepare will produce the kind of masterclass Unai will demand and a proper hammering.
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They proved last night that they are a dangerous team that can score goals,they are also vulnerable defensively.
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This has to be the one where we get this monkey off our backs once and for all - we are indisputably superior to them in every single department at the moment. Looking at how they played last night, what their likely line-up is and just how strong we are now, we cannot go into this game expecting anything other than a big win.
Manure have got form over the last few years for having at least one absolute pasting in a season - Sunday is the day it happens this year, 5-1 or 6-1 at least.
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We've got:
The better manager
The better team
More self belief
Better fans
Home advantage
They'll have
The tosser with the whistle and Stockley Park
Ratboy
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Hope we treat them like any other mid table side that visits Villa Park. They are nothing special and haven’t been for several years.
Refs/VAR haven’t got the memo though, and still officiate their games as if Sir Alex is breathing down their necks. Suspect we’ll have to deal with at least one dodgy major decision going against us, as per usual with this lot.
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Michael Oliver in charge.
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Michael Oliver in charge.
Oh Gawd!
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*Everyone suddenly adds two to the opposition score in the predictions*
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We haven’t yet had the Rogers/Kamara/Tielemans/Konsa/Martinez to Man Utd stories planted in the media. They really are losing their touch.
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Wait until Friday and Saturday. If they do it too early it is wasted.
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We are better. But they are, annoyingly, improving from the shambles of last year.
They are also our closest rival, I think, for a CL spot (assuming that Liverpool and Chelsea overhaul us over the course of the season - not a given, but reasonably likely).
So a lot riding on this. We need to go into this game with the ironclad conviction that we will win. I’m thinking Newcastle at home in spring of 2025 and 2023, Brighton at home in 2023.
UTV!
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They really aren't improving, and are going to be significantly weaker this weekend. The reaction in the media to their game last night is astonishing - they scraped a 4-4 draw at home to a side who haven't won in nearly two months (and who we recently smashed 4-0 by the way) and the BBC are talking like it's Ferguson's side in their pomp. They are only helped by the congestion in mid-table this year, but on their current form they will pretty soon revert to lower mid-table once they meet a few better sides.
I know it's in our nature to be pessimistic, but this is absolutely the time for us to start backing ourselves. If both sides play to their full capacity we beat them 9 times out of 10 with current line-ups. We have to go into this one expecting to absolutely funeral them, and I think we will.
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I’d be worried about Matheus Cunha, that’s if he fancies being up for it. He’s a quality player when he wants to be, but he’s also easily frustrated and could lose it. He was excellent last night.
Mbeumo‘s an odd one. In the space of 20 minutes he’s a world beater and also Nigel Callaghan. For many times last season I would love to of seen us sign him, but not sure now. He’s off now though, so I guess one less to worry about.
Casemiro is a big loss for them, he fits into their system well and poses a threat from midfield. I’m glad he’s out.
The key will be to go out and not worry about their game and try and put that shakey defence under lots of pressure.
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Be interesting to see how we approach it. Go for them, like we did against bournemouth, or sit back and try to dictate the pace and slow the game down.
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I’d be worried about Matheus Cunha, that’s if he fancies being up for it. He’s a quality player when he wants to be, but he’s also easily frustrated and could lose it. He was excellent last night.
Mbeumo‘s an odd one. In the space of 20 minutes he’s a world beater and also Nigel Callaghan. For many times last season I would love to of seen us sign him, but not sure now. He’s off now though, so I guess one less to worry about.
Casemiro is a big loss for them, he fits into their system well and poses a threat from midfield. I’m glad he’s out.
The key will be to go out and not worry about their game and try and put that shakey defence under lots of pressure.
Isn't Mbuemo (Cameroon) off to AFCON, along with Amad (Ivory Coast) and Mazroui (Morocco)?
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Yup - as he says, gone now so one less to worry about.
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Michael Oliver in charge.
Oh Gawd!
Oh good, he's the best.....which I get isn't the ringing endorsement it should be.
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They really aren't improving, and are going to be significantly weaker this weekend. The reaction in the media to their game last night is astonishing - they scraped a 4-4 draw at home to a side who haven't won in nearly two months (and who we recently smashed 4-0 by the way) and the BBC are talking like it's Ferguson's side in their pomp. They are only helped by the congestion in mid-table this year, but on their current form they will pretty soon revert to lower mid-table once they meet a few better sides.
I know it's in our nature to be pessimistic, but this is absolutely the time for us to start backing ourselves. If both sides play to their full capacity we beat them 9 times out of 10 with current line-ups. We have to go into this one expecting to absolutely funeral them, and I think we will.
I mean, they ARE improving, but only because they were so utterly terrible last year. They finished 15th last season, and are currently sat 6th. Any other team had that turnaround from one season to the next and we'd be saying "blimey, they're a VERY different proposition to last year".
That's NOT to say they're particularly good. But they're where they are in the league for a reason.
We definitely owe them a good shoeing, and I hope to God it's this weekend, not least to keep the gap to 6th place nice and big, but also because the next two will be particularly difficult games and I'd prefer to go into them with our run intact. If our run ends against Chelsea or Arsenal, there's no real shame in that, but losing it to these buggers would be galling in the extreme.
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That's slightly misleading though because of how condensed the table is this season, they're 4 points better off than they were after 16 games last season, and that was after they decided to sack Ten Haag for underperforming so not massive.
Where things may change is that last season they were truly fucking shit from about this point on, getting 17 points from the 21 games before we went there on the last day. They could easily have been in the relegation battle if the 3 promoted teams hadn't been so poor (same for Spurs who were even worse in that run and got just 15 points from the last 22 games).
They'll undoubtedly end up in a better place than they did last season because there's no way they're going to be that shit again but they're still very much a midtable team, it's just 'midtable' is now every from 4th to 16th.
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Although they also spent about £200mil on three attackers so if they were "as bad" as last season then we would be facing *insert new managers name* Man Utd instead.
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I think Dave has mentioned this, but I'll be pissed off if Casimero's suspension leads to Amorim actually playing Fernandes in a more advanced position, where he should be, also made more likely by Mbuemo going. If he has any sense he will play Mainoo and Ugarte together but I don't think he has. Saying that, they will be pretty rusty.
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Our problem against this lot, however bad or good they are, is that we never turn up...or at least haven't for about 30 years. Our record against them is one of the most bizarre statistics in football, almost unthinkable. Biased reffing hasn't helped 😑
I'd be over the moon with a win of any sort.
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I think Dave has mentioned this, but I'll be pissed off if Casimero's suspension leads to Amorim actually playing Fernandes in a more advanced position, where he should be, also made more likely by Mbuemo going. If he has any sense he will play Mainoo and Ugarte together but I don't think he has. Saying that, they will be pretty rusty.
If they do play them both then the important thing for us is to be patient. What we've shown recently is that our economy of effort means we can break teams down in the last 20minutes, we get a 2nd wind and dominate once teams start looking tired (only Young Boys and Brighton scoring late consolations has upset the pattern in the last couple of months). The most important thing is no silly mistakes and no gifts.
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We're at home. We'll do them. 3-1.
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Haven't we beaten them more times at their place then at ours in the last 30 years?
Even Unai has only done it once in three attempts.
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Last game before Christmas so it would be very typical for the Christmas Eve talk to be "What a first half of the season (with the obvious exception of the game with Man Utd)" or "What a run we had (which was ended by Man Utd)".
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Our problem against this lot, however bad or good they are, is that we never turn up...or at least haven't for about 30 years. Our record against them is one of the most bizarre statistics in football, almost unthinkable. Biased reffing hasn't helped 😑
I'd be over the moon with a win of any sort.
This is where we have to stop thinking like this. We have to accept that in the main over the last 30 years they have been ahead of us - yes we have had some pretty shit decisions go against us, and we have had a couple of collective mindfarts, but in general we have lost to them because they have been better than us.
This is no longer the case - if we play to our full capability and then even if they play to theirs, we still beat them because we are a much better team. Given our respective runs of form, the players they will be missing and the motivation we should have to stay in touch with the leaders, on the last Sunday before Christmas in front of a packed and expectant Villa Park, we should not only win but we could absolutely batter them. Time to stop thinking small and make a statement about exactly who we are now.
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They really aren't improving, and are going to be significantly weaker this weekend. The reaction in the media to their game last night is astonishing - they scraped a 4-4 draw at home to a side who haven't won in nearly two months (and who we recently smashed 4-0 by the way) and the BBC are talking like it's Ferguson's side in their pomp. They are only helped by the congestion in mid-table this year, but on their current form they will pretty soon revert to lower mid-table once they meet a few better sides.
I know it's in our nature to be pessimistic, but this is absolutely the time for us to start backing ourselves. If both sides play to their full capacity we beat them 9 times out of 10 with current line-ups. We have to go into this one expecting to absolutely funeral them, and I think we will.
I mean, they ARE improving, but only because they were so utterly terrible last year. They finished 15th last season, and are currently sat 6th. Any other team had that turnaround from one season to the next and we'd be saying "blimey, they're a VERY different proposition to last year".
That's NOT to say they're particularly good. But they're where they are in the league for a reason.
We definitely owe them a good shoeing, and I hope to God it's this weekend, not least to keep the gap to 6th place nice and big, but also because the next two will be particularly difficult games and I'd prefer to go into them with our run intact. If our run ends against Chelsea or Arsenal, there's no real shame in that, but losing it to these buggers would be galling in the extreme.
A host of favourable refereeing decisions?
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They are shocking at the back, after watching them last night with huge gaps in the midle of the team I think we will tear them apart, especially if he sticks to the same back three as well.
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Gone too soon on this match thread surely?
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Our problem against this lot, however bad or good they are, is that we never turn up...or at least haven't for about 30 years. Our record against them is one of the most bizarre statistics in football, almost unthinkable. Biased reffing hasn't helped 😑
I'd be over the moon with a win of any sort.
This is where we have to stop thinking like this. We have to accept that in the main over the last 30 years they have been ahead of us - yes we have had some pretty shit decisions go against us, and we have had a couple of collective mindfarts, but in general we have lost to them because they have been better than us.
This is no longer the case - if we play to our full capability and then even if they play to theirs, we still beat them because we are a much better team. Given our respective runs of form, the players they will be missing and the motivation we should have to stay in touch with the leaders, on the last Sunday before Christmas in front of a packed and expectant Villa Park, we should not only win but we could absolutely batter them. Time to stop thinking small and make a statement about exactly who we are now.
I agree with this, the problem is we have been better than them for a while, and yet the last 6 games is 1 draw and 5 defeats. Just beat them Villa
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Zero chance of winning this we’re in Christmas miracle territory
I’ll show my bare arse on the Holte pub corner if we manage to defy history and win this one
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Amad is the little fella that makes Maatsen look like a teenager rather than a child, right? He's quality going forward, glad he's missing more than Bryan Mmbop.
I don't agree with them being mid-table fodder. They have improved and will be fighting for a European spot and I wouldn't be surprised if they sneak into the final CL place.
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Zero chance of winning this we’re in Christmas miracle territory
I’ll show my bare arse on the Holte pub corner if we manage to defy history and win this one
Sounds like a Christmas film, Bare Arsed Miracle on 34th Trinity St
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I’ll show my bare arse on the Holte pub corner if we manage to defy history and win this one
Please don't, algy might have flashbacks if he's in attendance.
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Just looking at the fixtures.
Why are we the only Premier League game playing on Sunday?
To guarantee Man U are up first on MOTD2.
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Zero chance of winning this we’re in Christmas miracle territory
I’ll show my bare arse on the Holte pub corner if we manage to defy history and win this one
I really fucking hope we win.
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Just looking at the fixtures.
Why are we the only Premier League game playing on Sunday?
To guarantee Man U are up first on MOTD2.
We'll be second.
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Zero chance of winning this we’re in Christmas miracle territory
I’ll show my bare arse on the Holte pub corner if we manage to defy history and win this one
I really fucking hope we win.
The odds are against
In 33/34 years of the premier league we’ve beaten them just 5 fucking times
and lost 41 times with 14 draws
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Zero chance of winning this we’re in Christmas miracle territory
I’ll show my bare arse on the Holte pub corner if we manage to defy history and win this one
I really fucking hope we win.
The odds are against
In 33/34 years of the premier league we’ve beaten them just 5 fucking times
and lost 41 times with 14 draws
Would you say that's a fair representation of how good they've been relative to us in that time though? I would.
But that's not the case any more.
I can genuinely say we are light years ahead of them. It would be a shock if we don't win on the weekend.
I'm not worried at all. In fact I can't fucking wait. We've finished above them for the past two seasons and it's going to be three. Times have changed. We are top dogs now.
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Look, these c**ts nearly always spoil our day. And if they don't, the referee does it for them. It's just one of the immutable laws of the universe and we have to accept it.
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Look, these c**ts nearly always spoil our day. And if they don't, the referee does it for them. It's just one of the immutable laws of the universe and we have to accept it.
Things are easier once this has been internalised.
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Zero chance of winning this we’re in Christmas miracle territory
I’ll show my bare arse on the Holte pub corner if we manage to defy history and win this one
I really fucking hope we win.
The odds are against
In 33/34 years of the premier league we’ve beaten them just 5 fucking times
and lost 41 times with 14 draws
Would you say that's a fair representation of how good they've been relative to us in that time though? I would.
But that's not the case any more.
I can genuinely say we are light years ahead of them. It would be a shock if we don't win on the weekend.
I'm not worried at all. In fact I can't fucking wait. We've finished above them for the past two seasons and it's going to be three. Times have changed. We are top dogs now.
There was a lot of this before TTOD sic disaster. I really hope its different this time.
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Look, these c**ts nearly always spoil our day. And if they don't, the referee does it for them. It's just one of the immutable laws of the universe and we have to accept it.
Indeed.
We've had an exceptional run from the end of Sept until now.
Hopefully we'll use Sunday's defeat/ refereeing injustice to get us firing for the second half of the season.
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Don't forget the equally inevitable ensuing Boxing Day defeat because Villa always spoil Christmas.
I just hope we have enough points to beat the drop.
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I hate and detest this game more than any other.
Like everyone, I am sick to death of losing this game due to us not turning up, blatant cheating by them and or dodgy officiating.
We need to beat these fuckers on Sunday, no excuses.
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Routine home win. Bigger games against genuine rivals coming up. I’d rest a few.
On reflection. Play the strongest team possible and smash these absolute ******. I think we will too.
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At least Sancho isn't playing. I'll nervously say Villa win 2-0.
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No Sancho, Guessand, Torres, Mings or Barkley then. Possibly Martinez too, though I can't for a minute think he'd want to miss it.
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No Sancho, Guessand, Torres, Mings or Barkley then. Possibly Martinez too, though I can't for a minute think he'd want to miss it.
Are they all definitely out? To be fair only one of those plays a lot (Pau), while Yanited are without 3 or 4 regulars.
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Their U21s are losing 2-0 to Tamworth and they didn't have enough players to fill the bench.
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1-1
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No Sancho, Guessand, Torres, Mings or Barkley then.
Isn't Guessand currently only on a reserve/standby list for Côte d'Ivoire?
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No Sancho, Guessand, Torres, Mings or Barkley then.
Isn't Guessand currently only on a reserve/standby list for Côte d'Ivoire?
Yep. And it's only for pre-tournament withdrawals. The first match is same day as the Man U game so imagine we will know for sure soon.
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They have players out due to AFCON.
We have players out due to injury.
We know what the commentators will focus on.
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Michael Oliver in charge.
I suspect he might be limbering up for 2 pens.
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No Sancho, Guessand, Torres, Mings or Barkley then. Possibly Martinez too, though I can't for a minute think he'd want to miss it.
Are they all definitely out? To be fair only one of those plays a lot (Pau), while Yanited are without 3 or 4 regulars.
Sancho: Yes, can't play against his parent club.
Guessand: Maybe, depends on if anyone drops out of Afcon squad.
Torres: Maybe. Some rumours reported after the weekend match stated 2 weeks.
Mings: Yes. Emery mentioned probably 4 weeks away on presser start of December.
Barkley: Yes. Last reported 8-10 weeks before return by Emery on same day as Mings update.
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It'll be 3 - 0.
Olney
Platt
Gage
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Be interesting to see how we approach it. Go for them, like we did against bournemouth, or sit back and try to dictate the pace and slow the game down.
Slow the pacing down will just allow likes of Fernandes to get on the ball now. Without Amad and Mbeumo down the right they're also going to be far less dangerous with quick counters.
A problem for us is standing off them and Fernandes getting the ball as he likes to ping quick diagonals over our full backs heads and that causes us issues. The 3-2 Boxing day collapse in 2023 he was doing that at will in the second half.
With likes of Man. City and Arsenal it is more of a chess match in the VP games and that suits us but Man. United are dangerous for quick bursts and then fall away as quickly so I'd rather not give them the ball for large periods to grow in confidence which was seemingly the gameplan for the last day in May for some strange reason.
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Hate playing this lot.
Bit like lancing a boil, let’s get it over with and move onto Chelsea.
If we ‘do’ win, then I’ll start getting my head turned by a title race.
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having considered the squad quality, managers, and current form, I’m still absolutely convinces we’re going to lose this. Somehow.
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What an odd interview by Ratface - just as they have a level of competence and stability.
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What an odd interview by Ratface - just as they have a level of competence and stability.
it was a come and get me to the Saudis.
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He doesn't really fit the system with Amorim so it would have made sense to cash-in and buy the likes of Wharton, for instance. You'd think a top European team would want him but I guess not many can afford him.
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Death, taxes, etc.
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With the possibility of 5 outfield players missing, will Elliott make the bench?
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What an odd interview by Ratface - just as they have a level of competence and stability.
Players are always loose-lipped to their home media. While he's always on his best PR behaviour to Sky Sports etc. It's football cliché number 43.
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Ok no excuses this time, and we owe them for that last game last season and I'm sure Unai will be reminding them of that.
No Amad, Mazroui, Mbuemo, de Ligt, McGuire and Casimero = no excuses
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Ok no excuses this time, and we owe them for that last game last season and I'm sure Unai will be reminding them of that.
No Amad, Mazroui, Mbuemo, de Ligt, McGuire and Casimero = no excuses
They could put the women’s team out, wouldn’t make any difference
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The no Casimero does them a favour , they will actually put legs in Midfield now
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The no Casimero does them a favour , they will actually put legs in Midfield now
As long as they're not attached to bodies we should be ok.
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Statistically at least, red filth are much more effective with Casimero in the side. 75% win rate with versus 42% without.
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The no Casimero does them a favour , they will actually put legs in Midfield now
Ugarte is slower than Casemiro and a far worse passer.
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The no Casimero does them a favour , they will actually put legs in Midfield now
Ugarte is slower than Casemiro and a far worse passer.
He also has the propensity to pick up needles bookings, a bit like Casemiro.
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It'll be 3 - 0.
Olney
Platt
Gage
Or
Withe
Evans
Rideout
And a great performance from Didier Six.
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The League Cup semi final second leg December 1970 remains one of my all time favourite games:
Us 2 (Lochhead, McMahon) v Them 1 (Kidd)
We can't replicate the atmosphere we had in the ground that night but we can still get behind the team so that class prevails.
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I’ll show my bare arse on the Holte pub corner if we manage to defy history and win this one
Please don't, algy might have flashbacks if he's in attendance.
I've still got images of that bloke's hairy arse ingrained in my retinas.
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How much for your retinas?
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There can be no more inferiority complex!!
Our players need to look around our changing room and realise 'God, we are good'.
Then, go the tunnel, turn and face the Man Utd players and realise 'God, they are shit'.
Be positive and it will be 3-0 to the men in C & B.
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There can be no more inferiority complex!!
Our players need to look around our changing room and realise 'God, we are good'.
Then, go the tunnel, turn and face the Man Utd players and realise 'God, they are shit'.
Be positive and it will be 3-0 to the men in C & B.
Fucking love this. Agree with every word my bald brother.
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The League Cup semi final second leg December 1970 remains one of my all time favourite games:
Us 2 (Lochhead, McMahon) v Them 1 (Kidd)
We can't replicate the atmosphere we had in the ground that night but we can still get behind the team so that class prevails.
Christmas definitely came early that year, Magical
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I must have been to old trafford 20 plus times over the years ( I know we’re at home on Sunday)
The only time I’ve seen us win there was 1977 against Everton when we won the cup
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There can be no more inferiority complex!!
Our players need to look around our changing room and realise 'God, we are good'.
Then, go the tunnel, turn and face the Man Utd players and realise 'God, they are shit'.
Be positive and it will be 3-0 to the men in C & B.
Fucking love this. Agree with every word my bald brother.
Sure but what's God got to do, got to do with it?
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The League Cup semi final second leg December 1970 remains one of my all time favourite games:
Us 2 (Lochhead, McMahon) v Them 1 (Kidd)
We can't replicate the atmosphere we had in the ground that night but we can still get behind the team so that class prevail
I was there that night, incredible atmosphere and a wonderful victory to send us to Wembley.
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Michael Oliver in charge.
I suspect he might be limbering up for 2 pens.
And allowing them to take quick free kicks, whilst making us wait until his whistle?
-
It'll be 3 - 0.
Olney
Platt
Gage
Or
Withe
Evans
Rideout
And a great performance from Didier Six.
Happy days!
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Ok no excuses this time, and we owe them for that last game last season and I'm sure Unai will be reminding them of that.
No Amad, Mazroui, Mbuemo, de Ligt, McGuire and Casimero = no excuses
They could put the women’s team out, wouldn’t make any difference
Sadly i am in this camp
I remember the old days when we played Coventry and just always beat them - no matter how we played or how well they played we just found a way to win.
I hate these games - i really don't like the Blues but would rather lose to them than this lot - fucking cockends all of them
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Michael Oliver in charge.
Oh Gawd!
Oh good, he's the best.....which I get isn't the ringing endorsement it should be.
Part of the Satanic Trinity along with Attwell and Anthony Taylor. Expect drama.
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I have always hated this fixture. Everything about it is just the fucking pits.
I don't have a season ticket these days but when i did have one, I would pounce on any opportunity not to go to this match.
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I have always hated this fixture. Everything about it is just the fucking pits.
I don't have a season ticket these days but when i did have one, I would pounce on any opportunity not to go to this match.
Yeah, even our rare wins are tinged with a kind of menace. That this would be the blip in a long line of utter bullshit.
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November 6th 2022 - let's have a repeat of that day's result!
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The no Casimero does them a favour , they will actually put legs in Midfield now
Ugarte is slower than Casemiro and a far worse passer.
Amorim seems clear that Mainoo doesn't have the legs to play in his midfield two either. Logic unfortunately goes out the window against these. Casemiro and Fernandes ran all over Kamara and Onana in the game in May. Our two froze.
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Mount the fucker looks lively and annoying at the moment and Cunnar is a player , urgh I hate them
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I have always hated this fixture. Everything about it is just the fucking pits.
Agree, but surely that means nothing to Emery and the players. We weren't intimidated by Arsenal, nor should we be by these.
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We were the last time we played them. A wrong to put right, please Villa.
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I have always hated this fixture. Everything about it is just the fucking pits.
Agree, but surely that means nothing to Emery and the players. We weren't intimidated by Arsenal, nor should we be by these.
Normally I'd agree with Paulie on this game but Sunday is different. I'm sure our fans will be well up for it, as will be the players. Nothing to fear but fear itself.
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A lifetime of dodgy decisions, cheating players, flukey results and arrogant, glory hunting fans means I actually hate these pr1cks more than I hate Blues. Please win Villa.
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I have always hated this fixture. Everything about it is just the fucking pits.
Agree, but surely that means nothing to Emery and the players. We weren't intimidated by Arsenal, nor should we be by these.
I wasn't talking about the players, just me. I hate it, and always have.
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I have always hated this fixture. Everything about it is just the fucking pits.
Agree, but surely that means nothing to Emery and the players. We weren't intimidated by Arsenal, nor should we be by these.
We’ve been intimidated by the wankers for 34 years mate 5 wins in 60 league games says we’ve shat our pants on many many occasions
including not beating them in our last 5 meetings when they’ve been absolute crap and we’ve been the best we’ve been for decades
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We’ll beat them by 3 clear goals, trust me.
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Oliver was the obvious pick as ref for this game…after the abomination of giving the YTS trainee the last
Game of last season with zero recriminations for Webb (who has the most protected cushy job in football) he was always going to throw the best of a terrible bunch at this.
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We’ll beat them by 3 clear goals, trust me.
Honestly honestly honesty hope your right
But you can’t blame some of us for not having that same unconditional belief, to many scars I’m afraid
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Apart from his debut, Emery has been Blose as Villa manager against this lot. We've capitulated against them on multiple times in the last 3 years.
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We’ll beat them by 3 clear goals, trust me.
I trust you implicitly. Will it be 3-0, 4-1 or 5-2?
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3-0
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There can be no more inferiority complex!!
Our players need to look around our changing room and realise 'God, we are good'.
Then, go the tunnel, turn and face the Man Utd players and realise 'God, they are shit'.
Be positive and it will be 3-0 to the men in C & B.
Fucking love this. Agree with every word my bald brother.
Sure but what's God got to do, got to do with it?
About as much as Tina Turner.
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We’ll beat them by 3 clear goals, trust me.
I thought the same last May!
Hopefully a repeat of Emery's first game where we hammered them. We should have far too much for them in midfield. Cunha if in the mood is dangerous but he might also lose the head.
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Doesn't matter if he does. Rashford did last year but no danger of one of their players getting sent off.
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A lifetime of dodgy decisions, cheating players, flukey results and arrogant, glory hunting fans means I actually hate these pr1cks more than I hate Blues. Please win Villa.
My first re-collection of this was 50+ years ago in the 1974-75 season - in the old Second Division - winning 1-0 deep into the second half - John Robson shoulders the ball back to Jimmy Cumbes - an optimistic "hand ball" shout from the crowd led to the referee awarding them a penalty, from which they equalised and then shortly afterwards scored a second. At the time, little did I know this was how it would always be. I seriously dislike that football team with a passion and all their glory hunting "supporters" - UTV
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Oliver was the obvious pick as ref for this game…after the abomination of giving the YTS trainee the last
Game of last season with zero recriminations for Webb (who has the most protected cushy job in football) he was always going to throw the best of a terrible bunch at this.
This Man Utd fan doesn't want Oliver:
https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=4337270796508481
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If anyone is interested in a non hagiographic analysis on whether Man Utd are actually any better now or not:
A month ago we demanded to be told whether Man United are good now, or what. Still none the wiser, frankly.
The mood at Manchester United has definitely shifted over the last couple of months, but – as with the team itself – we’d stop some way short of calling it a good mood.
Indeed, that is the very crux of the current problem for Ruben Amorim and Manchester United.
They are no longer utterly, humiliatingly mortifying. That deep sense of embarrassment at being just so profoundly sh*t that United felt throughout last season and into the start of this one has now dissipated.
The stain of finishing where they finished last season and bottling a cup final against a Tottenham – Tottenham! – side apparently being player-managed on the fly by Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven will never truly come off. And nor should it.
You don’t have to be This Is Manchester United Football Club We’re Talking About for that to be an unacceptable season. There can exist no mitigation that justifies finishing 15th and collecting fewer league wins than a Wolves team now making a historic attempt at knocking Derby County off their f*cking perch.
That shame will always be there. Grimsby will always be there.
But it’s fair to say now that those very darkest days do appear to be behind United. Things still aren’t perfect by any stretch. At almost any other period of United’s Premier League history their current effort would be a poor one, and that itself is part of the problem for anyone trying to turn this ship around.
Even after the historic lows of last season even the significant current improvement doesn’t constitute success.
And herein lies the ongoing niggle. United are now at the very least competent. That doesn’t sound like much, and it isn’t, but it’s a huge step up from last season. Competence is welcome at this stage.
But with it have already come some extremely irritating missed opportunities. Last year’s incompetence may have only slightly dampened expectations, with the club’s own stated aims for this season a nine-place leap into the top six, but it has handed United another advantage.
It’s not the advantage any club of United’s stature wants, but the absence altogether of any European football – with the Grimsby debacle almost eliminating midweek football altogether – offers United benefits that none of their theoretical rivals can enjoy.
And they just keep refusing to fully accept those chances. They have dragged themselves towards the top of the mid-table peloton but they really could have got themselves into something approaching Villa’s current situation.
United have only lost once in seven Premier League games since the start of November, but it’s a run riddled with annoyance and frustration.
The defeat was a ludicrous one, at home against a good-not-great Everton side who handed United an absurd early advantage by friendly-firing themselves down to 10 men.
And the other six games in that run have all been against distinctly beatable opponents. The league positions for the seven teams at the time United played them were 18th, 6th, 13th, 5th, 17th, 20th and 13th.
The sixth-placed team was Tottenham, who we now know to be more rubbish than that, and the fifth-placed one was Palace, who United beat. The only other win was against the team in 20th, who we don’t think we need identify by name.
In the last seven weeks United have drawn four games against opposition of bottom-half standard. And they have been in front in every single one of those games. In three of them they have led going into the final 10 minutes.
Sure, at Spurs they ended up salvaging a point in the last seconds but only after throwing away a winning position with six minutes of regular time remaining.
West Ham equalised on 83 minutes at Old Trafford, and Bournemouth 84 in a game United had already led twice and trailed once before getting their noses in front with 11 minutes to go.
And such is the congested nature of the league table that these spaffed points really, really hurt. They have had so many chances now to get themselves into the (likely) Champions League places and every time they seem to sabotage themselves, very often infuriatingly late on in games.
Ifs and buts are candy and nuts, but when the table is so tight it is impossible to resist thinking about what might have been. There is a compelling case to make that United could have won every single one of their last seven league games, which is good. Instead, they have won only two.
Even turning two of the five failures into the wins United really should have managed would be enough to have them in top four now. You might even, if you wanted to be entirely reckless, talk about them being on the fringes of the title race.
Instead: there they still are in the mid-table bunch, still having to worry every bit as much about what’s behind them as ahead of them, still in danger of slipping right back into mid-table should they stumble again.
So yes; it’s much better than it was. But what it was, was complete turd. At the moment they’re still doing little more than polishing it.
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I am getting more and more disturbed by the 5 in 60 stat. It is truly horrific. We need to start making amends.
-
Oliver was the obvious pick as ref for this game…after the abomination of giving the YTS trainee the last
Game of last season with zero recriminations for Webb (who has the most protected cushy job in football) he was always going to throw the best of a terrible bunch at this.
Pretty certain that little turd was laughing as he gave the penalty for their second against us.
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I am getting more and more disturbed by the 5 in 60 stat. It is truly horrific. We need to start making amends.
Aston Villa v Manchester United was a fixture that used to have a bit of magic about it when I was growing/ dragged up mid 80s early 90s.
The older Red Mancs apparently felt that way too.
Our First Division record was way more even.
Even when we've been better in recent years, this is usually a fixture I just want to get out of the way.
-
Pre-'96 what was the head to head record?
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We were pretty rubbish against them even when we were good and they were shit. Well, like the last two seasons, I suppose.
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Without referee intervention our record would have been a lot better.
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Without referee intervention our record would have been a lot better.
Indeed, much better.
I think Sunday is HUGE.
If we win, I think more people will start to talk about us seriously being in the race.
Lose, and it gives all the commentators the opportunity to say, ‘see, I knew it was unsustainable’.
I am desperate to win this game. Fecking desperate.
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And if we draw?
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I dont want to go all Big Ron, but if Cash puts a reducer on the rodent early doors and Kamara keeps him in his pocket most of the game we might do it. We need to keep our momentum going for our trips to the capital. I will love it, love it if we beat them..
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Key players for them - Maguire, Casemiro and Mbuemo - all unavailable. And we're at home. At some point we're not going to just beat them, we're going to give them a right shoeing. Come on Villa, give us all the merriest of Christmases.
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A lifetime of dodgy decisions, cheating players, flukey results and arrogant, glory hunting fans means I actually hate these pr1cks more than I hate Blues. Please win Villa.
In a nutshell
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A lifetime of dodgy decisions, cheating players, flukey results and arrogant, glory hunting fans means I actually hate these pr1cks more than I hate Blues. Please win Villa.
In a nutshell
Amen
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I hate Michael Oliver. The most over rated referee ever. And always terrible against us.
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Don’t mind him. When we stayed up in 2020 he made a point if saying well done to our players.
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Man Utd are under a lot of financial pressure. Desperate. They need Champions League money and fast. The 'wolves are at the door'.
Aston Villa are the biggest threat to them not getting in the top four (possibly 5). Clubs like Arses, Man City and Chelski are probably a gimme.
We win this and we are 10 points ahead of them in the league.
The 3 points for us would be glorious. Putting another nail in their coffin would be the cherry on top of the cake!!
COYVB
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Don’t mind him. When we stayed up in 2020 he made a point if saying well done to our players.
And he was ref in the famous Sheff utd game!
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Also referee in the FA Cup game where they spent an hour and a half or so desperately trying to find a reason to disallow our equaliser and, of course, found one.
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I’m old enough to remember us winning a few against them, for example a 4 0 home win when Denis Law was sent off for kicking Alan Deakin in the face. I hope we beat them Unai knows how ,remember his first day in charge, I’m not one of life’s natural optimists, but I feel a win coming
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I’m old enough to remember us winning a few against them, for example a 4 0 home win when Denis Law was sent off for kicking Alan Deakin in the face. I hope we beat them Unai knows how ,remember his first day in charge, I’m not one of life’s natural optimists, but I feel a win coming
Law said in some form of mitigation that Deakin was kicking lumps out of him...if anyone really remembers Alan Deakin will know absolutely untrue...totally incapable of that.In his day as one of Mercer Minors a very good player
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Just wanted to join in the pile on and vent my own hatred, disgust and complete and utter contempt for the football side that represents the red side of Manchester.
Their supporters constitute the worst of humanity, vile human beings each and everyone of them.
I’d full Kevin Keegan ‘Love it’ if we smash the bastards into orbit this weekend, and despite the much catalogued years of misery and cheating we’ve endured at the hands of them, I really expect us to do it. Our home form is fantastic our current form stupendous, Unai will use the injustice of last season to fire the lads up into an unstoppable fury of fire and retribution.
Villa 4 Scum 0
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This will be our Sheffield United moment from two Christmases ago. Our long-winning streak shot to bits in a limp display against inferior opponents, saved by Evann fucking Zaniòlo Guessand. Merry Christmas!
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One interesting stat I saw. Only Wolves have kept less clean sheets than Manure this season.
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Pau out for a few weeks is a big blow.
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Just wanted to join in the pile on and vent my own hatred, disgust and complete and utter contempt for the football side that represents the red side of Manchester.
Their supporters constitute the worst of humanity, vile human beings each and everyone of them.
Bit over the top that. I would never talk like that about another club apart from Dirty Leeds.
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This will be our Sheffield United moment from two Christmases ago. Our long-winning streak shot to bits in a limp display against inferior opponents, saved by Evann fucking Zaniòlo Guessand. Merry Christmas!
You’re not one of life’s optimists are you, Eamonn. <winky thing>
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One interesting stat I saw. Only Wolves have kept less clean sheets than Manure this season.
Nice. Outside the bottom 3 only Leeds and Bournemouth have conceded more.
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Pau out for a few weeks is a big blow.
I have a nagging feel that it is going to be just like last season where we keep getting a centre-half injured every week and our season completely derails.
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Also referee in the FA Cup game where they spent an hour and a half or so desperately trying to find a reason to disallow our equaliser and, of course, found one.
Yep
How many phases did they go back
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Also referee in the FA Cup game where they spent an hour and a half or so desperately trying to find a reason to disallow our equaliser and, of course, found one.
Yep
How many phases did they go back
It was finally disallowed for a foul by Dennis Mortimer on Frank Stapleton.
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Pau out for a few weeks is a big blow.
We usually have a key player missing when we face these.
So good to see that tradition continue.
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Maybe Lindelof will play a blinder against his former club.
(clutches at straw)
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They’re missing De Ligt, Maguire, Casemiro, Mbuemo, Mazraoui and Amad. No excuses.
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Just wanted to join in the pile on and vent my own hatred, disgust and complete and utter contempt for the football side that represents the red side of Manchester.
Their supporters constitute the worst of humanity, vile human beings each and everyone of them.
I’d full Kevin Keegan ‘Love it’ if we smash the bastards into orbit this weekend, and despite the much catalogued years of misery and cheating we’ve endured at the hands of them, I really expect us to do it. Our home form is fantastic our current form stupendous, Unai will use the injustice of last season to fire the lads up into an unstoppable fury of fire and retribution.
Villa 4 Scum 0
Brilliantly said and echoed loud from here! 4-0 and FTF!!!!
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I'm going for a Villa win, payback, after that crazy game last season whereby the rule book was chucked out the window then cost Villa a fortune, a Champions League spot and put the club into some sort of malaise at the start of this season with PSR, now is the time.
Aston Villa 2 Man Utd 1
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Love
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I'm going for a Villa win, payback, after that crazy game last season whereby the rule book was chucked out the window then cost Villa a fortune, a Champions League spot and put the club into some sort of malaise at the start of this season with PSR, now is the time.
Aston Villa 2 Man Utd 1
The consequences of that terrible mistake by the ref should have prompted something akin to the Spanish Inquisition...but because it was us they swept it under the carpet with a shrug of the shoulders.
Every time we play them I get the feeling we are going to be done over in some way.
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Love
He’s a very driven man and he’s ours. He puts a lot of thought into what he’s saying even though his translation isn’t quite perfect yet. I’m sure he’ll master it in due course. I am now going to drop the ‘b’ from objective as a mark of respect to our genius manager. That will be my ojective.
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At the start of Football Focus they did a lengthy segment on Unai and our winning run. I've lost all hope, 2-0 to Yanited.
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Yep we’ll get beat, you just bloody know it.
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Yep we’ll get beat, you just bloody know it.
Yeah, the Beeb deliberately jinxing us before we play their favourite team from Salford.
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I’m 50/50.
One half of me thinks we are just too good for these and will win.
The other thinks yep we will get done over again.
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It’s definitely a huge huge game for us.
VP will be absolutely electric.
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Feels like a pivotal game. If we win we’ll have put the Man Utd hoodoo well and truly behind us.
If we lose it will be clear we’ve been struck by an evil gipsy’s curse. Unai will need to go on the pitch and have a slash in all 4 corners, Barry Fry style.
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Not that I imagine the players need any extra motivation, but from a personal and professional level, the result on the last day must really stick in the craw.
Surely any team talk will have a version of, "This team stopped us getting Champions League football last season. Do not let it happen again"
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Feels like a pivotal game. If we win we’ll have put the Man Utd hoodoo well and truly behind us.
Feels like a pivotal 11 days. I'd take W, D, D.
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I cant express how much hate i have for this club. I just do not understand why we can never turn it on against them.
Please for the lover of god villa gove them the hiding they deserve tomorrow evening.
Us and fans have a vital role to play
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they will of course get a dodgy freekick like they did against bournemth and we will get a blantant pen turned down but will still come out winners. 3 0 with VAR looking at every goal for two minutes
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There is no hoodoo, there is no bad luck or purely ref decisions going against us. Reason for a very poor record against them is simple. They have been mostly much better than us over the last 30 years. However our team is now much better and unless we suddenly turn in to current Wolves tomorrow we will win. Better teams mostly win.
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What we simply cannot afford to do is score the first two goals.
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What we simply cannot afford to do is score the first two goals.
Lol
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Bit worried about our bench tomorrow although I would think we could still bring on Digne, Bogarde, Buendia and Malen which is useful.
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My loathing of this lot is beyond description
From being a schooboy in the 60s where every twat supported them
Highlight LCup Semi
A couple of [every time we went there] times having to be ingognito
The jammy bastards doing /getting every flucky result and call that we can all recall
Let tomorrow be the start of redemption
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Please for the lover of god villa gove them the hiding they deserve tomorrow evening.
(https://i.ibb.co/w5PcVPK/Michael-Gove-credit-Richard-Townshend.jpg) (https://ibb.co/w5PcVPK)
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Definitely 7 points clear of fourth with a win and with Palace 2-0 down, in all likelihood 10 points above sixth.
Be some buffer if we can do it.
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There is no hoodoo, there is no bad luck or purely ref decisions going against us. Reason for a very poor record against them is simple. They have been mostly much better than us over the last 30 years. However our team is now much better and unless we suddenly turn in to current Wolves tomorrow we will win. Better teams mostly win.
I would argue that we have been better than united since unai arrived yet we have only won once in his first game.
Its very odd how poor we tend to play against them. The two most infuriating performances were the bottle job at OT when we were 2 up and somehow lost 3-2. And the obvious one last game of season where we were absolutely dreadful.
Definitely think its some sort of mentality issue
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My loathing of this lot is beyond description
From being a schooboy in the 60s where every twat supported them
Highlight LCup Semi
A couple of [every time we went there] times having to be ingognito
The jammy bastards doing /getting every flucky result and call that we can all recall
Let tomorrow be the start of redemption
Never ever liked them even when they were a decent also rans the media love-in especially when BFR and Captain Marvel on Crutches went there was sickening.
Fast forward a few ears to the late 80s or so, one of my nose mates rang me up on a Sunday afternoon to tell me there was a change of time to our football training. He asked if I was watching the then (ITV Big) Match - I said yep. He said I hope Chelesa win because I hate ManUtd. Had to agree at the time. Just a horrible entitled entity
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Points-wise this is huge. 3-1 Villa putting us 7 points ahead of 4th with our 2 toughest games of the season to follow.
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From The VmGuardian - a pretty fair assessment?
Emery's aspiring Aston Villa must shrug off United hoodoo to become contenders
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/dec/20/unai-emery-aston-villa-premier-league-contenders-manchester-united?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
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From The VmGuardian - a pretty fair assessment?
Emery's aspiring Aston Villa must shrug off United hoodoo to become contenders
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/dec/20/unai-emery-aston-villa-premier-league-contenders-manchester-united?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
Nothing controversial there. A win tomorrow and we have the top 2 to play. In 3 games time we could be top with the bill of our most difficult fixtures behind us.
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At the start of Football Focus they did a lengthy segment on Unai and our winning run. I've lost all hope, 2-0 to Yanited.
Absolute bastards. I mean, we were going to lose anyway because it's these twats, but that's made the outcome a foregone conclusion.
I might just stay in bed and drink all day.
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At the start of Football Focus they did a lengthy segment on Unai and our winning run. I've lost all hope, 2-0 to Yanited.
Absolute bastards. I mean, we were going to lose anyway because it's these twats, but that's made the outcome a foregone conclusion.
I might just stay in bed and drink all day.
Nah, we're going to batter these bar stewards. Today's the day.
*I've started drinking already. It helps that Tanqueray Ten is 47.3%
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Here we go……back up and running.
C’MON ME VILLA BABBIES
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Been refreshing this place periodically all morning. Like a crackhead gagging for their next hit.
LET'S GO VILLA
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Me too!!! Can we please win as stressfully free as possible 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻!
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We now have expectation instead of just hope.
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We now have expectation instead of just hope.
Yep, I’m expecting to win today. And bollocks to hoodoo’s and curse’s, leave that nonsense to the ‘noses.
Bring it on, to those lucky enough to be going today, roar the boys home!
VTID
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I feel sick
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What is it.... 2 league game wins since Brian Little's first game in charge/Beckham's league debut/The 'You can't win anything with kids' line?
My soul is broken when it comes to playing this lot, but I would absolutely LOVE IT if today is the day we finally break that curse (*and the curse of needing a win to keep up with the leading pack). No matter how we play, they either spawn a goal or two, or the referee helps them out - It's been the way of the world for decades!
Come on Villa - Give us a gift-wrapped three points against these fuckers PLEASE!
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Train into Town is rammed, plenty of Villa amongst those risking their lives to have a festive afternoon out in the best City in the Country.
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I feel sick
Why? They're shit.
3 goals for us at least.
I even have a feeling Watkins could score 8)
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2:1 Villa, with Utd scoring first. Tielemans is the man to unlock them. Do not under any circumstances invite them onto us Villa, keep em at arms length. A win would be the best Christmas present since I had a Spacehopper in 1973...🙏
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Here we go……back up and running.
C’MON ME VILLA BABBIES
I got a message saying there was an outrage with the server. Always some sort of outrage when we play this lot.
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I feel sick
Why? They're shit.
3 goals for us at least.
I even have a feeling Watkins could score 8)
You ok there Smirker?
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Just win Villa, FFS. 3-0 would make this shit year slightly more memorable.
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I think both our players and fans will be right up for this today. Let's send these plastics back down the M40, they can film the whole journey on their phones.
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I think both our players and fans will be right up for this today. Let's send these plastics back down the M40, they can film the whole journey on their phones.
That's unfair. Some of them live in the south west and use the M5.
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Weird really. Treat this like any other game over the last few years and we probably win. But it does have extra needle due to the painful history and, that used in a motivational way, maybe makes the difference between us mercilessly taking this very mid table version of them completely apart and a routine home win. On the other hand, play the occasion and not the game too much, and we might shoot ourselves in the foot like we do last season at their place.
I’m pretty confident aside from Torres being missing.
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Santa Baby, never mind the sable or the 54 convertible, send me a Villa win! Pretty please!
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I’m pretty confident aside from Torres being missing.
I'll be a lot more confident if Emi's in goal.
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I’m pretty confident aside from Torres being missing.
I'll be a lot more confident if Emi's in goal.
Yep me too.
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I’m pretty confident aside from Torres being missing.
I'll be a lot more confident if Emi's in goal.
praying he is 🙏, I'd go
Emi
Cash. Konsa. Lindelof. Digne
...bring Maatsen on late on
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Santa Baby, never mind the sable or the 54 convertible, send me a Villa win! Pretty please!
you've got more chance of the '54 convertible - we traditionally don't play well against 12 men.
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Not long now, here we go, come on the lads, lets do this, no slow start ups, let's get them from the start, watching a Man U fan on YouTube podcast saying how they always get the better of us and its as though Villa are in some sort of trance when we play them, in other words we can't beat them, of course he forgot to mention such things as endless time in games and 'Fergie time' and of course referees not qualified to ref at Premiership level and not knowing what VAR is and how it operates, nothing to do with trances or not turning up.
Come on Villa
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Santa Baby, never mind the sable or the 54 convertible, send me a Villa win! Pretty please!
you've got more chance of the '54 convertible - we traditionally don't play well against 12 men.
:D
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It makes no odds who's in our team. Today's the day.
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It makes no odds who's in our team. Today's the day.
First time I can ever remember so many Villa fans being confident in this one.
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It makes no odds who's in our team. Today's the day.
First time I can ever remember so many Villa fans being confident in this one.
Since the last one.
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We will do it today.
3-1 like the “can’t win anything with kids game”.
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never confident against these lot.
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We all know what's going to happen. Please can we just make sure we have a 6 goal head start?
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We've finished comfortably above these in the past couple of seasons and are above them again so far in this one. Weve git a better team and I hope we can put in a performance and get a result which reflects that.
Would love a repeat of Boxing Day 1989.