Pre-match thread: Rapid Vienna v Aston Villa

[pmk1981]

Friedel

 

Warnock

Davies
Clark

Beye

 

Albrighton

Reocoker

Bannan

Downing

 

Delfouneso

Heskey

 

 

 

 

Not a bad line up I suppose….

[Concrete John]

Friedel

 

Warnock

Davies
Clark

Beye

 

Albrighton

Reocoker

Bannan

Downing

 

Delfouneso

Heskey

 

 

 

 

Not a bad line up I suppose….

For different reasons I'd have my doubts about Bannan and Heskey, but other than that it's a decent enough looking line up and capable of pinching a goal.

[Toronto Villa]

with the right coaching and system we can beat Rapid Vienna. I don't think 4-4-2 is the answer but I'm willing to be proved wrong.

[pmk1981]

yea i agree ( even though i posted it ) but this is what i think he will pick....  i would put in weimann and osbourne in the middle, heskey and bannan out and play weinmann behind delfounsesso

[Toronto Villa]

I wouldn't allow Osbourne near the plane, but that's just me. He needs to step down a level, along with Moustafa.

[Shrek]

I think the exclusion of our top players is great news.

It is saying from the start that our young lads will play in Europe and that we will rest and rotate our squad properly, hopefully resulting in a fresh competitive squad for the WHOLE season!

Just think if we had an extra 19 games last season would we have finished 6th playing our full squad in every round, swell as every league game!

[supertom]

Bring it on. The young lads get a chance to shine. I'd go along with pmk 81's lineup. Though I'd have Fonzie dropping off.

I'd also be tempted to play 4-3-3

---------------NRC------------------

----Bannan--------Downing------

Albrighton-------------Delfouneso

---------------Heskey----------------

Fonzie playing like Henry, from left channel to inside, and Downing can peel off to the wing on such occasions.

But hopefully we play with the same freedom and movement we did against West Ham. There's enough quality in that squad to beat Vienna. A big onus is on Downing and indeed the much maligned Heskey. If he plays his role right, there's goals from that midfield I'm sure.

[Concrete John]

I think the exclusion of our top players is great news.

It is saying from the start that our young lads will play in Europe and that we will rest and rotate our squad properly, hopefully resulting in a fresh competitive squad for the WHOLE season!

Just think if we had an extra 19 games last season would we have finished 6th playing our full squad in every round, swell as every league game!

I which case I hope you were arguing the case for MON when he did the same think in Moscow.

[Monty]

That's sort of my thinking, Tom. You'd hope we'd have more of the ball, so NRC can do the combative/tackling stuff on his own hopefully.

[Loxton01]

My team would be as follows

Friedel

Lichaj
Davies
Clark
Warnock

Albrighton
Downing

NRC
Sidwell
Bannan

Heskey

Subs

Weimann
Fonz
Beye
Guzan
Baker
Hogg
Lowry

[Monty]

Sidwell's not in the squad, Loxton.

[PaulMcGrathsNo5Shirt]

What is all the fuss about this squad?

Our reserves won the league and deserve to play in Europe don't they?

*winky thing*

[Jod]

At the end of the day hindsight will judge whether this is the correct decision.

If we get through to the league format and beat Newcastle then the squad decision is entirely correct.

Considering that these couple of games are K Mac's job interview I'm actually very impressed that he has taken the long view and left some of the senior players at home. Either K Mac know's what he is doing with these kids or he is nobbling his own chances of getting the biggest footballing job that he will ever get and risking some of his well earned reputation for the work he has done at the Villa to date.

Let's have some faith in him, the players who get their first opportunity to impress and the kids.

[PeterWithesShin]

1-1.

[supertom]

What's the deal with Sidwell by the by? He injured or is there still a transfer in the offing?

I'm with K Mac on this one. Keep our key men fresh for the season where ever possible. Ash is essential for us now. Big John is not gonna be able to do 3 games in a week. I can't see us taking a pounding, so if needs be get the big guns in for the 2nd leg if we need to pull round a deficit.

Could all go horribly wrong, but I guess he feels the kids can do it. I get that sense, where-as I feel O Neill in Moscow had more or less written the game off, and had run our first 11 into the ground by that point and almost forced his own hand.