Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: Nii Lamptey on May 11, 2026, 01:24:29 PM
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In what could potentially be my last match as a season ticket holder ever, I thought I'd break with tradition, attempt and mess up a pre-match poll/chat thread!
Growing up in Worcs in the 80s, I have an ingrained hatred for the red scouse, so I would love it, LOVE IT, if we beat them and I can sign off by sending them packing!
UTV
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Liverpool will win at a canter, we will be as arsed as we were against Tottenham.
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Szoboszlai will make us know the meaning of sadness.
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We will win this. It’s a big send off game for the final. Stadium will be full. Liverpool aren’t great. Unai won’t really rotate so expect most of the mainstay players to be in the game. So put me down for 2-1 Villa. Ollie to continue his good form and SJM.
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I think our players will have one eye on the final and we'll get humped. Which is why we should have gone all out for the win yesterday instead.
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I'd be delighted with a point
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1-1
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When was the last time we beat them in front of a crowd at VP? Stewie Downing comes to mind, did he score a winner and they then bought him for silly money?
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That Duran equaliser felt like a win.
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When was the last time we beat them in front of a crowd at VP? Stewie Downing comes to mind, did he score a winner and they then bought him for silly money?
Yeah, that was a last home game too. Feel like it didn't have a great deal of meaning but the win moved us up quite a few places to 9th. If we'd drawn or lost, we'd have been 14th!
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Three points, no excuses.
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When was the last time we beat them in front of a crowd at VP? Stewie Downing comes to mind, did he score a winner and they then bought him for silly money?
Yeah, that was a last home game too. Feel like it didn't have a great deal of meaning but the win moved us up quite a few places to 9th. If we'd drawn or lost, we'd have been 14th!
2011. Good grief.
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Draw, 1-1.
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It's a pity a draw doesn't ensure both teams qualify for CL, then the match would end up being the most boring in the history of the Premier league and we would be nice and fresh for Istanbul.
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We’ll lose.
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It's a pity a draw doesn't ensure both teams qualify for CL, then the match would end up being the most boring in the history of the Premier league and we would be nice and fresh for Istanbul.
Whilst it wouldn't secure Champions League for either side, a draw would still be a very positive result for both sides. It would make Liverpool very likely to come 4th and make us very likely to come 5th.
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When was the last time we beat them in front of a crowd at VP? Stewie Downing comes to mind, did he score a winner and they then bought him for silly money?
Yeah, that was a last home game too. Feel like it didn't have a great deal of meaning but the win moved us up quite a few places to 9th. If we'd drawn or lost, we'd have been 14th!
2011. Good grief.
We relegated WHam a week or two earlier with a Gabby winner at Upton Park, from memory.
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Think Robbie Keane scored for them and we came back to win 2-1.
My only ever trip to the Boleyn Ground (Upton Park).
West Ham were the last team to score over 40 points and be relegated from the Prem.
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Think Robbie Keane scored for them and we came back to win 2-1.
My only ever trip to the Boleyn Ground (Upton Park).
West Ham were the last team to score over 40 points and be relegated from the Prem.
They were but not that season
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A weakened team and a 0-2 loss.
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2-1
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If only Elliot could play RM so we could rest SJM.
2-2
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8-2
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I really hope Unai and the team approach this more like the Forest game than other recent games. Winning this and putting top 5 to bed I think would help with the mentality in the final.
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Play Torres, surely he can manage another game 5 days later. Freiburg play on Saturday, admittedly they've nowt to play for in the league but I can't imagine they'll rest all their team.
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Since the beginning of March, away from home in the league, they have lost to Wolves, lost to Brighton, beat Everton and lost to Manchester Utd in that order.
In the same period at home in the league, we’ve lost to Chelsea, beat West Ham and Sunderland and lost to Spurs. Not a lot in the iffy league form of both teams.
If you want to add in the various cup games, they’ve been battered by PSG and Man City away, we’ve battered Bologna and Forest at home.
Im never confident against these at home and in fact I don’t think Ive ever seen us beat them at VP, missing the games when we have. Our form is crap there’s is nothing to be worried about.
We have to go strong, anything else is too risky
Martinez
Cash
Konsa
Pau
Digne
Lindelof
Tielemans
McGinn
Watkins
Rogers
Beundia
2-1 (Watkins 2) and hope we can avoid injuries and these boys have enough in the tank for 5 days later.
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I've gone for a Villa win...Whatever, probably doesn't make much sense, however, we are at home, that must be worth a point, providing we don't do something stupid like play a seriously weakened side we may just get it, Liverpool are vulnerable, Unai must keep the players focused on this game in my opinion, everything on this game, the final is a million miles away.
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It doesn’t matter what side Unai puts out as it is all about mentality and attitude which I expect to be sadly lacking! Unai is totally focused on the final so I expect an awful game (but who really cares) and with a 1 -1 outcome and we move on to the real game!
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Play Torres, surely he can manage another game 5 days later. Freiburg play on Saturday, admittedly they've nowt to play for in the league but I can't imagine they'll rest all their team.
Freiburg have to win to guarantee a spot in Europe next Season, albeit Conference League.
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We need our mentality right here - through our own poor attitude/standards in the league of late we haven’t left ourselves the luxury of relaxing in this game. We need a win so that we’re not risking chucking our eggs in one basket, which would add pressure to the Europa League.
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So if you were them, given they are odds-on to lose the final, you’d be going strong in that game, especially as it’s a dead rubber for Leipzig.
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For some players its not attitude its exhaustion, SJM looked tired out against Burnley, for someone like Tyrone it's age, we do not have a great squad.
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I don’t care about this match, and I’ll be highly annoyed if major changes aren’t made. The priority should be the final.
Some of you guys think players are robots. We’re blowing out of our arses, which was clear as day against Burnley.
We’ve been stuck on 50–60 points since February 11th. Since then, we’ve taken 9 points from 30. The league is a bust!
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It would be the most Villa thing possible to keep us all on tenterhooks for the last two months with shocking league form, only to beat Liverpool convincingly and secure Champions League football just when it looks like we won't get another point all season.
I don't think it will happen, but it would be nice. I imagine we'll get an undeserved point, which will take Brighton out of the equation, and then Bournemouth will lose to Man City (because if Man City don't win, the league will be Arsenal's), and we'll crawl across the Champions League line on the 19th, without kicking a ball.
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I worry we'll go strong (as we have to), get shagged out in an exhausting defeat, go to the final and lose in a puffy and underwhelming 0-1. I have an inner terror of this.
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Apart from Spurs, which was the strangest thing Ive ever seen, with a collective /shrig of the shoulders from largely our second string, I dont think there has been anything wrong with the teams attitude.
I think with our absolute full strength side and importantly this manager, we are a top 5 side that could be more (top 3). With injuries and the reliance on average players (Sancho, Bailey, Tammy so far) and players past their best (Mings, Barkley, Luiz), we are what we have seen lately, a side that is struggling to get over the line.
I thought Friday would end up being a bit pre season friendly, but now its important for both teams. Two games for the first choice team to lift themselves with Unais help and the Villa Park crowd on Friday of course.
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Liverpool will be poor but we will hand out more gifts. 1-3 defeat.
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I worry we'll go strong (as we have to), get shagged out in an exhausting defeat, go to the final and lose in a puffy and underwhelming 0-1. I have an inner terror of this.
In the run up to the Wembley and Old Trafford no shows last season, our form was very good from memory. Granted it included wins v likes of Spurs and Fulham that didn't try a leg.... Can get by with adrenaline alone in the final, if we show up.
My main fear is the Lindelof in midfield tactic is something that can work the very odd time in specific circumstances, like v Forest we outnumbered them in midfield but not against a relegated Burnley team with very limited players. If that tactic isn't working Emery has little or no faith in Bogarde or Luiz. No faith in Bailey, Sancho, Tammy, Maatsen and the bench generally it increasingly looks like. Barkley and now Lindelof aside.
Back to...we have McGinn so anything is possible in the next week. If anyone needs a breather before Wednesday it's Rogers but he's probably first name on Emery's team sheet. Tielemans we can do without v Liverpool too but again very unlikely. Cash looked to be running on fumes v Burnley but Bogarde would be roasted there.
Liverpool X1 - Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Lindelof, Luiz, McGinn, Buendia, Barkley, Watkins.
No pace in that team whatsoever. I fear we are going to see one of Bailey or Sancho starting.
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I think it would help to give Rogers a rest.
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Can't see anything but a limp defeat.
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There’s 3 games left, it’s too late to rest Rogers. We need him Friday and Wednesday, and if we do our job in both those games then he can miss the last game.
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I worry we'll go strong (as we have to), get shagged out in an exhausting defeat, go to the final and lose in a puffy and underwhelming 0-1. I have an inner terror of this.
It begs the question how have Notts Forest who have played the same number of games as us, have a smaller squad, tonnes of injuries, managed to turn up and save their season? Meanwhile, Unai has been managing the minutes and we look shagged..
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I worry we'll go strong (as we have to), get shagged out in an exhausting defeat, go to the final and lose in a puffy and underwhelming 0-1. I have an inner terror of this.
It begs the question how have Notts Forest who have played the same number of games as us, have a smaller squad, tonnes of injuries, managed to turn up and save their season? Meanwhile, Unai has been managing the minutes and we look shagged..
Do they have a smaller squad? My impression was that they spent hundreds of millions of pounds building a massive, bloated squad.
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Not interested in this one. Unai will prioritise the finally and rightly so. A trophy is a must now. There is 1 more hurdle to overcome and it's not Liverpool.
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I worry we'll go strong (as we have to), get shagged out in an exhausting defeat, go to the final and lose in a puffy and underwhelming 0-1. I have an inner terror of this.
It begs the question how have Notts Forest who have played the same number of games as us, have a smaller squad, tonnes of injuries, managed to turn up and save their season? Meanwhile, Unai has been managing the minutes and we look shagged..
I dunno, I'm not sure I'd say that Forest (currently 16th and knocked out of Europe by us) have "saved their season", while the club sat in 5th and with a European final next week HASN'T gone about this the right way?
We have looked VERY leggy, slow and almost lethargic at times. But honestly, I don't know if that's playing to instruction, or not. Either way, with three matches to go, we can end the season with nothing, or with Champions League football and a trophy. We're doing SOMETHING right.
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I don’t get the tired argument for many of our players.
The only genuine tired players for me would be Cash & Rogers, the latter falling into the knackered bracket, and Konsa at a push.
Watkins should be tired but the man is a machine and keeps going.
Every one else has been rested regularly or only played partial games, with Ginny and Tielemans still trying to get to peak fitness.
Maybe there is some mental fatigue, but that should be the managers job to sort.
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I don’t get the tired argument for many of our players.
The only genuine tired players for me would be Cash & Rogers, the latter falling into the knackered bracket, and Konsa at a push.
Watkins should be tired but the man is a machine and keeps going.
Every one else has been rested regularly or only played partial games, with Ginny and Tielemans still trying to get to peak fitness.
Maybe there is some mental fatigue, but that should be the managers job to sort.
You're right but if Cash, Konsa and Rogers are all struggling from having played too many minutes and McGinn and Tielemans aren't fully fit after injury that's half the team, add in Torres clearly having his minutes managed and Emi carrying something that has caused him to miss a few at short notice and that's 7 of our best 11 not at theit prime, which makes it tough to see consistently good performances. Add Onana being in and out, Kamara missing and whatever problem Watkins has bene carrying and I think it's fair to say that injuries and fitness problems have smashed the fuck out of our season.
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I completely agree.
But the awful performances against Fulham, Spurs and Burnley cannot be attributed to the whole starting 11 in each of those games being tired.
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I completely agree.
But the awful performances against Fulham, Spurs and Burnley cannot be attributed to the whole starting 11 in each of those games being tired.
No, but they can be attributed to weakening the team to allow some players to be rested and to a general acceptance of us playing at a pretty low tempo in the all of them, both to conserve energy and also, more importantly, to try to avoid injuries.
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If we beat Freiburg, then we achieve - in one game - both of our most important objectives for the season. It's a single game. Win it, and we're done - we have a European trophy and a CL spot.
If we put out a strong side against Liverpool, then we might get closer to locking in a CL place for next season, but it might also get harder to win the cup.
No idea what Emery will do, but I wouldn't blame him at all if he decided to put out a second string line-up for the Liverpool game.
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Anything could happen. But the main focus needs to be on next Wednesday.
Whatever, this group of players and the management team deserve a huge send off on Friday night.
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Chris Kavanagh will be ref. I’d like to change my prediction to a defeat.
*rolls eyes*
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Chris Kavanagh will be ref. I’d like to change my prediction to a defeat.
*rolls eyes*
Every single one of them gives me cause for concern.
I think they are all corrupt , not meaning they are benefiting financially directly, but the whole PGMOL set up stinks.
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They’re not corrupt, more likely there’s a competence issue.
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I completely agree.
But the awful performances against Fulham, Spurs and Burnley cannot be attributed to the whole starting 11 in each of those games being tired.
No, but they can be attributed to weakening the team to allow some players to be rested and to a general acceptance of us playing at a pretty low tempo in the all of them, both to conserve energy and also, more importantly, to try to avoid injuries.
Very true, especially in our case where league success this season has been built on fine lines. What is it, two teams all season we've beaten by more than one goal? I'd just like us to finish as high as we can and above Liverpool with that twat Arsey Slob, before we head off to Istambul. That's what big teams do. I'll trust in Unai whatever he decides to do (providing we win next Wednesday, obviously).
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It would be the most Villa thing possible to keep us all on tenterhooks for the last two months with shocking league form, only to beat Liverpool convincingly and secure Champions League football just when it looks like we won't get another point all season.
I don't think it will happen, but it would be nice. I imagine we'll get an undeserved point, which will take Brighton out of the equation, and then Bournemouth will lose to Man City (because if Man City don't win, the league will be Arsenal's), and we'll crawl across the Champions League line on the 19th, without kicking a ball.
Alternatively, Bournemouth beat City and the title is Arsenal's by the time we pitch up at the Etihad, with Citeh having achieved a Cup double and on the beach...
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They’re not corrupt, more likely there’s a competence issue.
I think their job has become insanely hard and they get the kind of scrutiny that would reduce most people to gibbering wrecks.
Which is not to say they don't make some frankly bizarre decisions, but let's be honest, we fans are incredibly harsh on them. It's part of the fun.
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VAR provides a second layer of unconscious bias than the previous one with just a ref.
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They’re not corrupt, more likely there’s a competence issue.
I think their job has become insanely hard and they get the kind of scrutiny that would reduce most people to gibbering wrecks.
Which is not to say they don't make some frankly bizarre decisions, but let's be honest, we fans are incredibly harsh on them. It's part of the fun.
Maybe but, if it's so difficult, use the resources you have better.
Don't use VAR to cover up errors by the on-filed official to only have to backtrack and issue an apology the next day. Or don't spend a season arguing that you're letting more go for corners and then give a foul in favour of the team that's spent the entire season benefitting from it.
Most of the complaints about refs come down to "in this game the decision was x but in the previous match something very similar happened and it was y", that's in their control to be better with and if the pressure on the on-field ref is in any way the reason for it then the solution should be for VAR to take the emotion and pressure away.