Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Match Threads & Player Ratings => Topic started by: Smirker on January 11, 2026, 04:05:09 PM
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Let's 'go again' 8)
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A professional display and routine home victory please Villa.
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Draw, 1-1.
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We will break them down and win. Best not to give Grealish the freedom of the left flank like we did earlier in the season. Ollie will cause them a lot of problems.
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Isn't Grealish missing this game because of his red card in the cup game v Wolves?
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No he misses yesterday.
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Unless they extend it for his reaction after the red card like they did with Romero, he will be playing. Unfortunately Keane is missing though.
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No he misses yesterday.
Oh of course! Another senior moment to add to the list!
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4-0.
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Let's 'go again' 8)
Mate, I can't believe you have made a gross protocol error. As you should know cdbearsfan granted me the Royal Warrant to start Everton home match threads. We have won all of those matches. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?? (holds head in despair)
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Honestly, I don't know why I bother, sometimes.
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We'll win.
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6-2
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Bit early innit?
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Should be 3 points, which is always a little concerning. Win this one and I promise I’ll try and let go of my traditional Villa supporting habits.
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1-1
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Bit early innit?
No, kick-off is 4.30pm.
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Need to see what the Bouba news is really….but in the meantime I’ll go for another 3-1 (Watkins, Rogers, Cash)
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Bit early innit?
But I'm excited.
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And you just can't hide it?
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I’m about to lose control
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I’m about to lose control
You sound like Nigel Reo-Coker.
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Draw, 1-1.
Boooooooooooooo
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I’m about to lose control
I think I like it.
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I’m about to lose control
I think I like it.
OOH YEAH!!
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Another Sunday match for no reason.
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Bit early innit?
I think anytime after the full time whistle of the previous match is fair game
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3 0 Guessand Hatrick
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Bit early innit?
I think anytime after the full time whistle of the previous match is fair game
Doesn't leave enough time to bask (or brood).
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Another Sunday match for no reason.
I am afraid that's what happens when you are part of the big 3.
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Our record against Everton since returning to the Premier league is very good, that continues on Sunday. 3-1.
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Another Sunday match for no reason.
I am afraid that's what happens when you are part of the big 3.
:)
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Our record against Everton since returning to the Premier league is very good, that continues on Sunday. 3-1.
I didn't realise it was as good as it is - last time we lost to them in the league, Rudy Gestede scored for us. Nine wins, four draws since then.
Looking at their forum, they ain't confident. Keane suspended, Gueye and Ndiaye still in Morocco, Kiernan Stately-Home injured for another month.
McNeil always seems to have his one good game of the season against us though, and you'd imagine Grealish will be up for it.
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And Pickford.
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Kiernan Stately-Home ;D
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Kiernan Stately-Home ;D
He has looked good when I have seen him, Lord knows he has to
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Think Ndiaye is a good player, glad he's not available.
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Kiernan Stately-Home ;D
They bought him from the national trust
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Kiernan Stately-Home ;D
He has looked good when I have seen him, Lord knows he has to
He’s definitely one of their better players. He’s very difficult to Marquis.
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Bet barkleys gutted to be misisng this
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Really could do with Martinez back for this one. He hasn't been great at set piece time this season but Moyes will target Bizot all day if he's there. Only selection decision is at left back really. No issue if Digne is picked but Maatsen can help get around the back of Jake O'Brien. I think we are going to be too strong for them. 3-1.
Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen, Bogarde, Tielemans, McGinn, Buendia, Rogers, Watkins.
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Kiernan Stately-Home ;D
They bought him from the national trust
I need a fix cos I'm going down.
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Really could do with Martinez back for this one. He hasn't been great at set piece time this season but Moyes will target Bizot all day if he's there. Only selection decision is at left back really. No issue if Digne is picked but Maatsen can help get around the back of Jake O'Brien. I think we are going to be too strong for them. 3-1.
Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen, Bogarde, Tielemans, McGinn, Buendia, Rogers, Watkins.
Moyes might target the keeper at set pieces, but I quite like our tactic of leaving three attackers up on defensive corners now. Reduces congestion in the box (making fouls on the keeper more obvious), and makes teams more reluctant to commit all of their best defenders forward.
I'm sure it's just an evolution, and it will probably change again next game, but I like that we're coming up with solutions to things that we've all noticed were a problem!
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Really could do with Martinez back for this one. He hasn't been great at set piece time this season but Moyes will target Bizot all day if he's there. Only selection decision is at left back really. No issue if Digne is picked but Maatsen can help get around the back of Jake O'Brien. I think we are going to be too strong for them. 3-1.
Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen, Bogarde, Tielemans, McGinn, Buendia, Rogers, Watkins.
Moyes might target the keeper at set pieces, but I quite like our tactic of leaving three attackers up on defensive corners now. Reduces congestion in the box (making fouls on the keeper more obvious), and makes teams more reluctant to commit all of their best defenders forward.
I'm sure it's just an evolution, and it will probably change again next game, but I like that we're coming up with solutions to things that we've all noticed were a problem!
Agreed, it's also pragmatic really, recognising our limitations defending in the air but if we clear it at all then we have a real chance of breaking on them. That's without a real speedster in the team, Maatsen maybe, but lots of good footballers likes of Rogers, Buendia and McGinn are all very good on counters.
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This started in a CL match against Arsenal. The opposition saw that Arsenal were scoring for fun off free kicks and corners so they put three men up on the half way line. The look on the Arsenal players faces was a delight to behold!!
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Get Onana and mings back and they can all go up field !!
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This started in a CL match against Arsenal. The opposition saw that Arsenal were scoring for fun off free kicks and corners so they put three men up on the half way line. The look on the Arsenal players faces was a delight to behold!!
Good, Islington townhouse wankers.
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Chelsea did it against a few weeks back. I'm surprised people haven't done it against Arsenal already.
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We did it against the Saudis a couple of years ago if I recall - and not very successfully as I think they scored from a corner. The counter tactic is surely to play a short corner so that pulls another couple of defenders out of the box and leaves plenty of room for attacking creativity or shots on goal.
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First home game I'm missing this season but it's my least favourite KO time so I'm not too fussed. It will be interesting to see what reaction Joe receives, far less vitriolic than when he was with 115 and a lot more respectful I imagine, with a smattering of heartfelt boos, and pantomime ones.
As for the actual game, we should get the win here given our home record and the opposition barring some disaster on our part or the refs. I assume there will be no Malen and I do think that makes us weaker but maybe there will be a replacement mooted or even in the squad by Sunday?
3-0
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I wonder if Malen is on the verge of leaving (or has left), if we'll see a youth product take the 'back up striker' role on the bench. We've seen goalies, defenders and midfielders from the youth set-up, but I don't think we've yet seen a youth striker on the bench? I could be wrong.
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It's your time, Rory
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I wonder if Malen is on the verge of leaving (or has left), if we'll see a youth product take the 'back up striker' role on the bench. We've seen goalies, defenders and midfielders from the youth set-up, but I don't think we've yet seen a youth striker on the bench? I could be wrong.
Have we even got any?
He would use Guessand (gulp)
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He might think this Allyson kid we bought might make the step up quickly.
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Yeah Guessand is back in the country so he'll be basically striking back up for this.
This is a game we should get away with a weak bench as Everton will be missing half their regular outfield selection this season.
Could do with a couple of new signings early next week as dosen't seem a great idea to be down to bare bones for Fenerbache and Newcastle away with 70 hours of each other.
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Villa 3-0
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He might think this Allyson kid we bought might make the step up quickly.
That would be an insanely hopeful punt given where we currently are in the league.
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Moyes will make Everton a tough nut to crack for about an hour. Emery's superior in game tactics will be the difference. I think we will run out 3-1 winners. Has anyone mentioned that this is the most played top flight fixture? Don't mind Everton tbh similar club and fanbase to us.
We're just operating on a different level at this point.
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He might think this Allyson kid we bought might make the step up quickly.
That would be an insanely hopeful punt given where we currently are in the league.
Maybe, but we've had Hemmings and Jimoh-Aloba on the bench a lot recently, if he takes a similar spot on the bench for a few weeks and gets a few minutes here and there is it any real surprise for someone who turns 20 in May? Madjo doing similar would be a bigger shock.
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A lot of them over on Grand Old Team seem cautiously optimistic despite them missing half their players.
Suspect we’ll have to endure Forest-like eye bleeding anti-football tactics from Everton as they’ll just sit and try to hit us on the break. Hopefully we can break them down with no defensive/goalkeeper howlers.
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I fully expect a Villa win and a lot of high pitched whining from the away end.
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I reckon 3-1 Villa win.
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We're shit without Bouba though, aren't we?
1-1
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I wouldn't be surprised if it ends 0-0, again.
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I fully expect a Villa win and a lot of high pitched whining from the away end.
Normal for Everton?
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We're shit without Bouba though, aren't we?
1-1
We weren’t too shit when he went off on Sunday were we?
Biggest win of the season 5-1
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That's more like it!
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We're shit without Bouba though, aren't we?
1-1
We weren’t too shit when he went off on Sunday were we?
Biggest win of the season 5-1
Agreed.
It's going to be a sticky situation for the Toffees when we make them look like puddings.
Honestly wouldn't even give them the one. 5-0.
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Isn't Moyes' record against us annoyingly decent ?
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Maybe Rory Wilson will get a place on the bench.
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Isn't Moyes' record against us annoyingly decent ?
Won 13 Drawn 15 Lost 8
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Isn't Moyes' record against us annoyingly decent ?
Won 13 Drawn 15 Lost 8
Yep he’s done ok. I think last time out at Villa Park his West Ham side lost 4-1 to us, when we battering everyone in the autumn of 2023
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We have limited attacking options with malen going. Unless alysson will be on bench.
Doubt the 16 year old will feature at all this season or mext. He probably will go on loan somewhere
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Why are we choosing to go into such an important game a man down?
With Malen in the side I’d be fully confident of getting the win. Now I’m worried that if we struggle to break them down, where is the match-winner actually going to come from?
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We could play me and we'd beat these clowns.
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We have limited attacking options with malen going. Unless alysson will be on bench.
Doubt the 16 year old will feature at all this season or mext. He probably will go on loan somewhere
The 16 year old is training with the u21's. Very unlikely he'll feature this season.
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He is also 17.
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Isn't Moyes' record against us annoyingly decent ?
It was when we came back up. We didn't beat West Ham for four years so 8-9 games undefeated and they were similar games to our current issues against Palace.
Unai came in and quickly sorted it.
Worth remembering that Everton are missing half a team of starters against us and will have a very limited bench themselves so I still expect us to win reasonably comfortably.
2-0 by the hour mark and then we conserve energy for last part with one eye on the Fener/Newcastle double header and hopefully at least one new signing for those games.
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He is also 17.
Regardless us still wont play for us this season. U21s and maybe aloan next season
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Guessand, Sancho and Alysson will be the attacking options on the bench I think.
UE was on about Alysson possibly making the bench at Spurs but he picked up a knock so clearly desire to get him involved with the first team squad immediately and see if he is ready for prem or not.
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manager of the month dam it
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Why are we choosing to go into such an important game a man down?
With Malen in the side I’d be fully confident of getting the win. Now I’m worried that if we struggle to break them down, where is the match-winner actually going to come from?
Yep, Buendia, Rogers, McGinn, Tielemans, Watkins, Guessand and Sancho, with Cash and Maatsen pushing on the wings just aren't enough.
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Guessand, Sancho and Alysson will be the attacking options on the bench I think.
UE was on about Alysson possibly making the bench at Spurs but he picked up a knock so clearly desire to get him involved with the first team squad immediately and see if he is ready for prem or not.
Alysson is not available, according to Pravda, and describing Guessand as an attacking option seems very optimistic!
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team picks itself Sunday by the looks of it 🤔
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Martinez
Cash
Maatsen
Konsa
Torres
Bogarde
McGinn
Tielemans
Watkins
Rogers
Beundia
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Alysson seems to fitting right in.
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Alysson seems to fitting right in.
we must have a very attractive Physio.
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Martinez
Cash
Maatsen
Konsa
Torres
Bogarde
McGinn
Tielemans
Watkins
Rogers
Beundia
Easily good enough to beat Everton. The issue is the bench strength and the games following which come thick and fast. Can't play the same XI every time.
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I think this will be a draw.
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He is also 17.
My lads 17 I can’t even trust him to load the dishwasher
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I genuinely think we’ll absolutely funeral them
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My lads 17 I can’t even trust him to load the dishwasher
Is he more raccoon than Roman? https://x.com/MikeBales/status/2011392261687562684
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Alysson needs to be given some game time, see what he can do, Everton ideal opportunity, don't care about his age if he's good enough he's old enough.
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Alysson needs to be given some game time, see what he can do, Everton ideal opportunity, don't care about his age if he's good enough he's old enough.
But unfortunately, if he’s injured enough, he’s injured enough.
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Alysson needs to be given some game time, see what he can do, Everton ideal opportunity, don't care about his age if he's good enough he's old enough.
But unfortunately, if he’s injured enough, he’s injured enough.
Really? he's only just got of the plane, so he's out of it.
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What did he do, sprain his wrist at the contract signing?
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Some pain, according to Unai
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This is going to be one of those half-fat home performances where we look good in parts, do enough but sail close to the wind at times.
3-1 to us, Everton to score first. Just watched that Rogers reel (thanks Percy), so confidently predict that Rogers gets fouled for a peno and scores (though the crystal ball being a bit cloudy on that side, can’t quite see if he scores the peno).
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He is also 17.
My lads 17 I can’t even trust him to load the dishwasher
Seriously, how annoying is this!!
Mines 20years of age but grasping the basics of filling 2 sections of a substantial area correctly with various items seems a challenge too far.
"Have you never played Tetris!?! " or "How is that possible?" or "Do you know how many people you can get in a mini?"
If im gteeted with another extraordinary effort.
Love him lots though.
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For the Toffees who lurk:
Villa Park is a cashless stadium. A range of refreshment kiosks are open inside the stadium on matchdays, offering a wide selection of food and beverages, including vegan options. Prices include:
Pies £5.25
Hot Dog £7.00
Chips £4.00
Chips & curry sauce £4.65
Carlsberg £5.75 pint
Poretti £6.30 pint
Somersby Apple £5.75 pint
Somersby Blackcurrant £6.30 pint
Villa Park is licensed to sell alcohol in the Doug Ellis Lower (Block Q) only. Alcohol is not available in Doug Ellis Upper (Block P), and drinks cannot be transferred between stands.
Aston Villa are happy to assist with the display of flags and banners in the away section where possible.
Supporters should email a photograph of any flag or banner to lee.preece@avfc.co.uk at least three days prior to the fixture. Flags and banners are permitted provided they do not exceed 2m x 1m, do not obstruct the view of others, cover advertising boards or create a safety hazard. They must not display abusive or threatening words, images or political statements, or anything deemed unacceptable. Flag poles are not permitted. All banners and flags must be accompanied by a fire safety certificate, which must be provided to Aston Villa in advance of matchday.
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City result has upped the pressure on us tomorrow.
We can really set a marker, I hope we turn up.
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Some pain, according to Unai
Frostbite, apparently.
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City result has upped the pressure on us tomorrow.
We can really set a marker, I hope we turn up.
There is no pressure on us. We go and win Tomorrow because we have the better team and the best manager in the League.
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Please win Villa. That is all.
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City’s result good looking up, Liverpool result good looking down - but the latter is a real warning for tomorrow.
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Win tomorrow and it becomes a statement of intent. We just keep on going. 3 wins and a draw would be an excellent way to bounce back from defeat to Arsenal. That's the sort of run top teams go on when they lose a game.
Also, with the Geordies away up next in the league, we wouldn't want to go there with only one win in four league games.
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I feel less confident since Unai picked up December MotM award.
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Indeed and pressure of opportunity is tough.
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Bit I worry about with Malen there’s nothing really to bring off the bench against a side who will dig in.
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Well our job is simple we need to get behind our team 110% and maintain our fortress.
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Is it Bogarde and Tielemans at DM tomorrow? 2:0 VIlla in one of footballs oldest rivalries.
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Indeed and pressure of opportunity is tough.
I don’t think so, it’s not really how we roll.
It will be one of those stodgy ones. We’ll roll it out along the back. It will look painfully studious at times.
But we will prevail.
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It will be one of those stodgy ones. We’ll roll it out along the back. It will look painfully studious at times.
But we will prevail.
Thought I was in the Shithouse thread for a moment.
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Look on the bright side. Results went our way today so, 3 points tomorrow and just keep grafting out results. Let the other teams worry about us for a change!!
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Bit I worry about with Malen there’s nothing really to bring off the bench against a side who will dig in.
Agree, we don’t have many options off the bench now.
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Evann
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Tomorrows a day for an early goal not to conserve energy!
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I think the crowd is going to be massively up for it tomorrow.
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You think Liverpool would do something on Elliots loan. He could get game time that would be good for everyone if we could negotate different terms
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We've got the manager and the players. What we need now is the self-belief; none of this nonsense about how one team will really be up for it and the next will be fighting hard. We're where we are for a reason and it's time we started to realise it.
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applause
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Tomorrows a day for an early goal not to conserve energy!
Goal against you must mean?
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I hope the crowd is up for this. The players deserve it. Worried it mignt just be a game we struggle with….draw
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Let's have one of those win things today please, Villa.
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Unsurprisingly we didn’t taken full advantage the last time teams around us dropped points - because it was Palace. Need to win today.
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Their record away this season, W 4 L 4 D 2. They are better away than home. Other than beating Man Utd in a backs to the wall dogs of war 1-0, they have beaten Wolves, Forest and a still struggling Bournemouth. They have lost to who they would be expected to lose to, Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea and then Leeds in the first home game.
Moyes will have them ready to scrap and rely then on Grealish to create.
But we should be beating them. With Onana and Kamara out, how Bogarde, Tielemans and McGinn handle their probable physicality is key.
I still think 3-1 with some uncomfortable moments, hoping and expecting the Holte to roar them on
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Bit disappointed we couldn't stall the Malen deal until nearer the end of this transfer window but pretty sure there was a good reason. He must of known he was leaving before the Spuds game but still put in a great performance.
Tough game against the Toffees but should have just about enough to win by a goal.
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I hope the crowd is up for this. The players deserve it. Worried it mignt just be a game we struggle with….draw
The Holte and Lower North will no doubt create atmosphere. It's time for the other parts of the ground to step up. Wave your scarves, stamp your feet, clap your hands...do something if you don't want to join in with the singing!
Do/start something that becomes your thing.
UTV!
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Bit more pressure on us today given the results yesterday. Still think there are enough players close to the top of their form to be too strong for Everton. Clean sheet would make things a bit easier. Motm, Buendia, 3-1.
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There'd be pressure on us whatever other results there were. Either to take advantage of bad results or keep pace with good ones. We're a top side now, pressure is every game.
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I dislike Everton almost as much as any other team so to stuff these 5-0 or better would make my weekend. However I’m thinking 2-0 which would suit me nicely
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Can we get El.Ghazi back for this one, just in case? Always good for a goal against this lot, he'd do a job with Donny gone.
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The pressure comes from Unai Emery — he demands everything from us in every single match. That intensity has transformed our mentality. We are where we are because we’ve earned it, through hard work, belief, and togetherness. Now we’re not looking over our shoulders. It’s the other teams who have to worry about us — we go out there and win.