Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Match Threads & Player Ratings => Topic started by: Toronto Villa on March 15, 2026, 09:44:35 PM
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Quickly moving on. Massive game at Villa Park. We need a big crowd and all the energy to see us over the line. Hoping Unai doesn’t just go with the same old players and tactics. The players need to lift Villa Park. I’ll go for a 2-1 win.
Fully expect Buendia, Bailey and Ollie to start to start but I’d go with this.
Martinez
Cash
Maatsen
Konsa
Pau
Luiz
Onana
McGinn
Elliott
Rogers
Tammy
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Win the game.
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Extra time options please, TV?
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Nervy win, can't trust Emery to pick a sensible team of late.
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0-0 nail-biter.
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1-0 home win, then on to Bologna.
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Can't believe how many tickets unsold for this..
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Don't think Barkley is in the squad for this is he? Shame, as arguably our best player against Manure.
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I'm going for us to beat them in normal time.
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I'd like to think Emery will use this game as a chance to really raise confidence. They're the worst team we've played in two months, go for it and absolutely embarrass them on our turf to set a president for Sunday.
That won't happen of course, it'll be a cagey, horrible, ill convincing 1-1, but I can dream.
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I'd vote for Lille to win after extra time but I can't.
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I'd like to think Emery will use this game as a chance to really raise confidence. They're the worst team we've played in two months, go for it and absolutely embarrass them on our turf to set a president for Sunday.
That won't happen of course, it'll be a cagey, horrible, ill convincing 1-1, but I can dream.
Don't beat around the Bush.
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An early goal to settle the nerves. Then concede to ruin the nerves. 2-1 agg win.
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Extra time options please, TV?
hmm...yeh, I don't think I can mate for some reason. Maybe a mod can correct it
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I'd be happy with a draw tbh and I think Emery would too. Our whole Europa League campaign has to be the dullest on record and I think that's by design. Barring Go Ahead Eagles where the players utterly fucked it up, we've been getting away with the bare minimum for most of the tournament.
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Honestly, this is our season to me now. Maybe that's defeatist but I can't see us getting top five.
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Win this and use it as rocket-fuel to slam WHam on Sunday.
It's my first double-header in attendance at Villa since a 0-0 and 1-1 with Charlton (Weds evening) and Bolton, (Saturday aft) April '05. I'd be impressed if anyone remembers either of those games. Mid-era Dolly Doldrums. I think even our goal against Bolton was an OG...
The dross served-up on the pitch was thankfully enlivened by a trip to the Bartons, after the Bolton game - in the Boardroom, no less.
Dave Woodhall spluttered with disapproval when he asked what I was drinking and in my callow youth, I asked for a pint of Budweiser. He got me something dark and Belgian and in a weary tone, suggested I had much to learn about life.
Drummond was an affable presence. He smiled a lot - not many H&V men did at the time. Has that changed over the years? Dear Reader, I'll leave that for you to judge.
Mark Fletcher, the forum's SJM in the mid-00s, just as ebullient in real life. Amfy, friendly and a welcome female presence. Disco Stu...his Morrisseyisms not as barbed in person as on H&V Manilla but still, hard to know who he really was. Ozzjim, a generous host but at the time still seemingly hung-up on the "Bolton semi girl".
It was formative, thank you all.
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Lovely read that. Warmed the cockles of my withered brummie heart.
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Lovely read that. Warmed the cockles of my withered brummie heart.
A mention of The Bartons warmed my ageing cockles.
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Indeed. Waiting 20 minutes to get served, then to be greeted by the withering look of disgust from the bar staff as I ask for 6 pints of genius...
Halcyon days.
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Extra time options please, TV?
This is what you get when kids starts something ::)
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Win this and use it as rocket-fuel to slam WHam on Sunday.
It's my first double-header in attendance at Villa since a 0-0 and 1-1 with Charlton (Weds evening) and Bolton, (Saturday aft) April '05. I'd be impressed if anyone remembers either of those games. Mid-era Dolly Doldrums. I think even our goal against Bolton was an OG...
The dross served-up on the pitch was thankfully enlivened by a trip to the Bartons, after the Bolton game - in the Boardroom, no less.
Dave Woodhall spluttered with disapproval when he asked what I was drinking and in my callow youth, I asked for a pint of Budweiser. He got me something dark and Belgian and in a weary tone, suggested I had much to learn about life.
Drummond was an affable presence. He smiled a lot - not many H&V men did at the time. Has that changed over the years? Dear Reader, I'll leave that for you to judge.
Mark Fletcher, the forum's SJM in the mid-00s, just as ebullient in real life. Amfy, friendly and a welcome female presence. Disco Stu...his Morrisseyisms not as barbed in person as on H&V Manilla but still, hard to know who he really was. Ozzjim, a generous host but at the time still seemingly hung-up on the "Bolton semi girl".
It was formative, thank you all.
I've been divorced, remarried, had three children, a dog, 4 jobs (but back at the one I was in at that time) and am a miserable sleep-deprived git these days. But yes, get me in a pub and I'll smile.
I thought it was the 2-2 where I'd missed the first 3 goals in the opening few minutes (through selling H&V) before arriving just before the 4th went in on 9 minutes and that was the game done. But that was August, and the sun was probably shining.
There are highlights of your game on the Premier League website for anyone that cares.
I'd try and recreate it for you eamonn but I'll be in Liverpool supporting my lad's school team on Thursday in the Schools Cup Northern area final (they were champions of Sheffield, then South Yorkshire) and win this round and they are at the National finals...... And then coaching his team on Sunday without enough time to get to Villa Park. And the Bartons is shut.....
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Be disappointed to concede against these. They're awful and looked massively ineffective. Tie should already be over.
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Be disappointed to concede against these. They're awful and looked massively ineffective. Tie should already be over.
Definitely. We should have a comfortable 2-0 lead from that away game but I said the same after Fenerbache. Need to be much more clinical.
Pau, Maatsen, Dougie, Sancho and hopefully Cash back in for this please.
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Be disappointed to concede against these. They're awful and looked massively ineffective. Tie should already be over.
Definitely. We should have a comfortable 2-0 lead from that away game but I said the same after Fenerbache. Need to be much more clinical.
Pau, Maatsen, Dougie, Sancho and hopefully Cash back in for this please.
Shows how bad things have become, Sancho's return is bring considered a positive thing.
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Quickly moving on. Massive game at Villa Park. We need a big crowd and all the energy to see us over the line. Hoping Unai doesn’t just go with the same old players and tactics. The players need to lift Villa Park. I’ll go for a 2-1 win.
Fully expect Buendia, Bailey and Ollie to start to start but I’d go with this.
Martinez
Cash
Maatsen
Konsa
Pau
Luiz
Onana
McGinn
Elliott
Rogers
Tammy
I think you've picked a good side there, but I agree with your reservation that Emery will go back to the tried-and-tested. Getting our rightback back would be a great bonus.
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Lille are 6-1 to go through. Nice little hedge there.
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Indeed. Waiting 20 minutes to get served, then to be greeted by the withering look of disgust from the bar staff as I ask for 6 pints of genius...
Halcyon days.
Absolutely.
Waiting to be served at peak time may well have resulted in full beard growth, but where else could you go where pints slide off the tables themselves?
Beautiful times.
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Indeed. Waiting 20 minutes to get served, then to be greeted by the withering look of disgust from the bar staff as I ask for 6 pints of genius...
Halcyon days.
Absolutely.
Waiting to be served at peak time may well have resulted in full beard growth, but where else could you go where pints slide off the tables themselves?
Beautiful times.
That happened so many times to us. The bar staff replaced all lost drinks to be fair. They could have saved a few bob by putting more beer mats out or building up the table legs of the offending table to allow for the slope in the floor.
I hope that some day I can witness it again.
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Was hoping this tie would be already over so we could rest players and bring back Bailey , Buendia and Watkins .
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The Barton’s a huge loss, I never knowingly met anyone from here.
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A win, and a comfortable one. Think it might actually kick start the next two months. Wouldn't surprise me if Elliott starts either.
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Seats seem to be selling pretty poorly from what i can see - availability in all areas
Maybe the novelty has worn off by having high expectancy and measured against the actual dross we are watching lately?
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Giroud to score early. Villa finally get a penalty... five minutes after substituting Luiz... and miss it. Villa do score eventually, but it is disallowed after a seven minute VAR delay. Lille score the aggregate winner on 116 minutes from a breakaway from our twenty-third shit corner of the evening.
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Seats seem to be selling pretty poorly from what i can see - availability in all areas
Maybe the novelty has worn off by having high expectancy and measured against the actual dross we are watching lately?
Could just be a case of people watching the pennies in anticipation of the price rises across the board resulting from the antics of Trump & Co.
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The Bolton 2-2 had debut goals for Kevin Phillips and Aaron Hughes I think.
Was years later when I met most of those people for the first time. They were the biggest band of cut-throats, villains and murderers you could ever hope to see.
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Barely a Hero in sight?
Forgot to mention, meeting Paul "The Weatherman" as he was known on here, to ask him whether it was really true that he had sold a piano to Hassan Kachloul as he had once claimed on H&V, was a highlight. He doubled-down and said he had.
Dunno if he was pulling my leg, he had kind eyes (Paul, not Hassan).
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A win, and a comfortable one. Think it might actually kick start the next two months. Wouldn't surprise me if Elliott starts either.
Score early and it will be a cruise. Lille are very average. Emery and the team are incredibly brittle at the moment so expect an early Lille goal.
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Going tomorrow night, first time in a few weeks. Think it will be a tight game, Lille managed to turn it around at Red Star away in the previous round. Hope the atmosphere is better than the Salzburg game which was as flat as a fart.
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Gonna head for the Warehouse, not had food in there, anyone know if any good?
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Gonna head for the Warehouse, not had food in there, anyone know if any good?
Yeah it's alright. Had curry and chips in there the day it opened, didn't have to sell a kidney for the privilege either.
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No presser or team news yet?
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Unai Emery, Aston Villa coach: "We won the first match, which is very important. It is not enough, I know it isn't.[This game] is very important for us in this competition."
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Training photos had Cash in them. Looked like Lindelof was wearing a face mask as well.
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The Bolton 2-2 had debut goals for Kevin Phillips and Aaron Hughes I think.
Was years later when I met most of those people for the first time. They were the biggest band of cut-throats, villains and murderers you could ever hope to see.
And that was just your brother.
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Gonna head for the Warehouse, not had food in there, anyone know if any good?
Went there before the Newcastle cup game and for an hour after the Leeds game. Didn’t eat in there, but two or three choices for about a tenner each. Easy to get served for beers. Its not like a great pub, e.g. Bartons talk, but its ok, other football on the screens, ex players being interviewed live etc
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Gonna head for the Warehouse, not had food in there, anyone know if any good?
Went there before the Newcastle cup game and for an hour after the Leeds game. Didn’t eat in there, but two or three choices for about a tenner each. Easy to get served for beers. Its not like a great pub, e.g. Bartons talk, but its ok, other football on the screens, ex players being interviewed live etc
I went a couple of times when it was just the foyer bit, service for beer was good. Hoping same tomorrow.
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I'd go with Martinez, Cash (Bogarde), Konsa, Torres, Maatsen, Onana, Luiz, McGinn, Rogers, Barkley, Tammy.
I fear Emery will go with Bailey and Watkins again.
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Barkley still can't play
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Barkley still can't play
Does that leave Sancho or Bailey? Buendia limped off at weekend.
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Or Elliott
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Barkley still can't play
I dont know the rules but why did we put Baileys name in the squad and not Barkleys?
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Manager decided it. Barkley was coming back from injury but was on the bench for the match where we would have had final decision. I suspect he didn't think Barkley would last or realised he didn't really have a right side player with letting Guessand and Malen go. (Bad jokes about we still don't with Bailey playing inbound).
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We could add three new players to the original squad to replace Malen, Guessand and Kamara. Abraham, DL, Bailey and Barkley were the options.
Presumably at the time we thought we had enough in the midfield, and Bailey was needed in place of Malen and Guessand over both DL and Barkley being needed in place of Kamara.
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2.1 to us
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Still plenty of tickets left for this one.
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Still plenty of tickets left for this one.
I’ve got no evidence that this is due to the seemingly growing discontent which has been turbo charged as a result of cheating clubs getting away with it, but if it were linked, I’d struggle to be surprised.
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Sub 35k expected. 900 from lille only
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Given players available id go with
Martinez
Cash
Konsa
Torres
Maatsen
Luiz
Onana
McGinn
Watkins
Rogers
Sancho
No score prediction, just win
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It's a minimum of £55 for a non ST holder adult and the classic 2 parents and 2 kids is a minimum of £160 for non ST, i'm not surprised it isn't selling out.
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Especially with our current form and it being played against a team we have already played.
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Their fans were being escorted by the fuzz outside the Crowne Plaza earlier, noisy with some big flags. The fans, not the police
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Especially with our current form and it being played against a team we have already played.
Knock out european tie all the same, we were long enough waiting for games like these.
Hope we get the job done in 90 mins tonight, no injuries and on we go.
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Their fans were being escorted by the fuzz outside the Crowne Plaza earlier, noisy with some big flags. The fans, not the police
No drum I hope?