Pre-match thread: Rapid Vienna v Aston Villa

[Toronto Villa]

In fairness to MON, we got plenty of squad rotation in Europe with him as well.

It wasn't in Europe that it was the problem.

You're right paulie.

This is a new era for all of us, and we have leave behind some of the fears we had about this squad. I honestly, for the life of me, having watched, like you, so many mundane home games, had no idea we could play so well and fluently as we did on Saturday with essentially the same group of players that bored the shit out of us for so long. I have a different feeling about things right now, and am willing to give the current management team every opportunity to have the team playing differently. We have some quality players at Villa, beyond what we think is our first XI. Maybe in the past those players would play one game in Europe or the Carling Cup and wouldn't be seen again for ages. It's not the case anymore.

[The Situation]

Just been to 3 Irish pubs in Vienna that are normally popular with away fans and seen NO Villa fans at all.  We have apparently only sold 183 tickets and I have been all over the city today and seen no Villa at all.  Gutted.  Absolutely gutted.

183? How many Villa fans got tickets last season?

Not many but slightly more than 183 I think.  I asked a barman in one of the main pubs and he said there were only 6 Villa in there last year.  I am staying with Vienna fans and have brought my missus to her 1st European away game and I am quite embarrassed at the number of fans.  I know about the tough economical times and all that but surely we have more than 183 people with the means and time to come and support the team.  Would Spurs, Everton or City take so few?  I seriously doubt it. Just feels rather humiliating.

Yeah, 183 is pretty bad... it'll feel even more embarrassing if Rapid take another 1000+ fans to VP again. tbh, you can't defend the such bad attendance of away fans we're bringing but I'm sure the culmination of MON leaving, Milner etc... has probably played an effect and has made fans not bothering.

Oh well, I hope all the 183 Villa fans can spur on the Villa boys tommorow.

[dave.woodhall]

There's a good few flying out tomorrow or so I hear.

[Holtenderinthesky]

Just been to 3 Irish pubs in Vienna that are normally popular with away fans and seen NO Villa fans at all.  We have apparently only sold 183 tickets and I have been all over the city today and seen no Villa at all.  Gutted.  Absolutely gutted.

183? How many Villa fans got tickets last season?

Not many but slightly more than 183 I think.  I asked a barman in one of the main pubs and he said there were only 6 Villa in there last year.  I am staying with Vienna fans and have brought my missus to her 1st European away game and I am quite embarrassed at the number of fans.  I know about the tough economical times and all that but surely we have more than 183 people with the means and time to come and support the team.  Would Spurs, Everton or City take so few?  I seriously doubt it. Just feels rather humiliating.

Yeah, 183 is pretty bad... it'll feel even more embarrassing if Rapid take another 1000+ fans to VP again. tbh, you can't defend the such bad attendance of away fans we're bringing but I'm sure the culmination of MON leaving, Milner etc... has probably played an effect and has made fans not bothering.

Oh well, I hope all the 183 Villa fans can spur on the Villa boys tommorow.

We will try but given that Rapid sold out a week ago for this game and taking into account their veciferous, noisy fans I think we'll struggle to make any impact at all on their 17,000 supporters.  It is on their website that we have sold only 183 tickets of our allocation of 400 and that no more will be sold on the day.

[cdbearsfan]

It's quite an early kick-off so would imagine a fair few might head up on the day knowing they can have a night on the town afterwards, and maybe enjoy Friday night too.

Plus the competition has become massively devalued.

[bertlambshank]

They will sell tickets for the game at the ground,they did last year.

[Holtenderinthesky]

They will sell tickets for the game at the ground,they did last year.

They are not selling tickets at the ground and that is official.  I doubt there would be anyone to sell them too anyway as the travelling fans would have this sorted by now.

[bertlambshank]

They will sell tickets for the game at the ground,they did last year.

They are not selling tickets at the ground and that is official.

They said that last year and I paid on the gate.The police from brum will make sure anybody without a ticket will get in.

[dave.woodhall]

They will sell tickets for the game at the ground,they did last year.

They are not selling tickets at the ground and that is official.  I doubt there would be anyone to sell them too anyway as the travelling fans would have this sorted by now.

Don't be so sure.

[Holtenderinthesky]

They will sell tickets for the game at the ground,they did last year.

They are not selling tickets at the ground and that is official.  I doubt there would be anyone to sell them too anyway as the travelling fans would have this sorted by now.

Don't be so sure.

Ok.  But its a moot point even if thats not the case and doesn't disguise the number of tickets we have sold.  Anyway, I hope the young lads can show what they are made of and get us back to B6 with a decent result.  It'd be nice to get through and take the missus somewhere that Villa fans may be interested in going to.

[BILL DE VALL]

from the grauniad website

Carlos Cuéllar, Steve Sidwell, Gabriel Agbonlahor, James Collins and John Carew are injured while Richard Dunne is suspended because of a red card picked up playing for Manchester City in the Uefa Cup in 2009. MacDonald has, however, taken the rather surprising decision to rest Ashley Young, Stilian Petrov and Luke Young.

All of which leaves Villa with a weakened team made up of the past, present and future. Nigel Reo-Coker, Curtis Davies and Habib Beye, all frozen out under O'Neill, will start alongside a couple of regulars, Stephen Warnock and Stewart Downing, and a sprinkling of youngsters. Some Villa supporters will have concerns that the line-up bears a resemblance to the type of team O'Neill controversially selected in Moscow last year but MacDonald defended his decision.

"I'm not really looking at it from my point of view," he replied, when it was suggested picking a stronger team would have given him a better chance of getting the job. "I've been looking at it logically knowing that some of the players have played in internationals and been away and after tonight there's matches Sunday, Thursday, Sunday. Whether it's brave or whether it's calculated who knows? The result will dictate that.

[BILL DE VALL]

Rapid Vienna probable (4-2-3-1): Hedl; Kayhan, Sonnleitner, Patocka, Katzer; Heikkinen, Hinum; Kavlak, Hoffman, Saurer; Jelavic

Aston Villa probable (4-4-2): Guzan; Beye, Davies, Clark, Warnock; Albrighton, Reo-Coker, Bannan, Downing; Heskey, Delfouneso

Referee A Hamer (Luxembourg)

again from the gdaurian

[BILL DE VALL]

hopefully the above will put a real effort in
there maybe a chance to impress the new/next manager as it will be broadcast all over the shop(as my ma would say)

[BannedUserIAT]

At first glance, it's a disappointing squad.
But then, when they played for MON, what exactly were they playing for? Some of the names on that team-sheet would never have gotten much of a chance under O'Neill.

Now they do. They know that, should they play well, doors will open for them. K-Mac knows MoN's off-casts better than anyone, he has a top record of getting results and I'll trust him with this.

Besides, see it as one really long game with unlimited subs. Should the lads fail in Vienna, we'll put in a full-squad at home and absolutely hammer them.

If nothing else, it'll be very interesting to see what K-Mac can get out of a 2nd string side that MON couldn't.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Just read this in the Guardian and I'm feeling a bit better about the game:

Kevin MacDonald has yet to decide whether he is interested in becoming the Aston Villa manager on a permanent basis as he weighs up the effect that the job would have on his family life.

MacDonald has been installed as the favourite to replace Martin O'Neill in the wake of Saturday's impressive victory over West Ham United but the man who was in charge of the reserves before being promoted to caretaker at the start of last week is still struggling to adjust to the responsibility that comes with the post.

That he has concerns about taking over will come as no surprise to the club's owner, Randy Lerner, who, after talking up MacDonald's credentials at the weekend, questioned whether the former Liverpool midfielder "is comfortable with the idea of being Villa's manager".

He will have another opportunity to impress Lerner morrow night when an understrength Villa take on Rapid Vienna in the first leg of their Europa League play-off, but MacDonald has said he will not decide whether to throw his hat into the ring at least until after the Newcastle game on Sunday. "I still find it difficult to realise what it's about," he said, when asked whether management was growing on him. "I think I will know if it's what I want – and who is to say I am going to get the job – by the weekend or the middle of next week. But Mr Lerner might have other people in mind before then."

There is no indication that is the case at the moment, with Lerner prepared to give MacDonald a run of games because of the confidence he has in him as well as the absence of any outstanding candidates elsewhere. MacDonald said, however, that he has realised the job is all-consuming and he harbours concerns his family will end up feeling "excluded".

"I think if you are a manager of a Premier League club your life is not going to be your own," he said.

"I've got to look at that because, as much as I love football, we all have lives outside of football and that would be taken away if you became a Premier League manager. It is difficult for families and I don't know how they feel because I've not really had time to talk to them. The people on the periphery get pushed to the side very quickly and I would be careful of that because it's quite important to me."

Progress into the group stages of the Europa League would enhance MacDonald's case but Villa have arrived in Vienna, where they lost 1-0 at this stage last year before going out on away goals, with a shadow squad.

Carlos Cuéllar, Steve Sidwell, Gabriel Agbonlahor, James Collins and John Carew are injured while Richard Dunne is suspended because of a red card picked up playing for Manchester City in the Uefa Cup in 2009. MacDonald has, however, taken the rather surprising decision to rest Ashley Young, Stilian Petrov and Luke Young.

All of which leaves Villa with a weakened team made up of the past, present and future. Nigel Reo-Coker, Curtis Davies and Habib Beye, all frozen out under O'Neill, will start alongside a couple of regulars, Stephen Warnock and Stewart Downing, and a sprinkling of youngsters. Some Villa supporters will have concerns that the line-up bears a resemblance to the type of team O'Neill controversially selected in Moscow last year but MacDonald defended his decision.

"I'm not really looking at it from my point of view," he replied, when it was suggested picking a stronger team would have given him a better chance of getting the job. "I've been looking at it logically knowing that some of the players have played in internationals and been away and after tonight there's matches Sunday, Thursday, Sunday. Whether it's brave or whether it's calculated who knows? The result will dictate that.

"But the thing I would say is that when people say 'youngsters', these lads are 19, 20, 21-years-old, and they're two years older than they were in Moscow. Make no mistake, I want to stay in this competition. And I believe this group should be good enough to keep us in it."