Stoke City v Aston Villa Match Thread

[TheTimVilla]

If if if if if, I know. However. If the score stays like that, we'll be third with a negative goal difference!

[Hammer]

Who is this guy who wears number 6 for us? He's pretty good

[hilts_coolerking]

Took us a while to get going and Stoke had some half chances in the first 20 minutes or so but towards the end of that half we were absolutely all over them.  Half time rescued them there.

Need to keep that going in the second half. 

[richard moore]

Pass and move. Balls played through the middle. One twos. Is this the Villa I see before me?

Didn't want half time to come

Great celebration by Downing and Ash

It must be truly awful to watch the sort of football Stoke dish up every week. They make us look like Barcelona

However, you just know what will happen second half. We will lose our nerve, get deeper and deeper, concede on about 65 minutes and then they'll win it with a last minute melee in the box!

[KevinGage]

We've missed a trick there.

Great last 15 minutes, but if we'd nicked a second I reckon that would have been it - no more bets.

As it is, they'll probably make a few changes half time and claw it back.

[TheTimVilla]

Agree about half time getting in the way.

[gti2win]

 

got to say i dont agree with posters who complain of lack of passing and movement and hoofing, tonight ive seen more movement and passing than i ever did under O'Neill, this game could/should of been won by half time, some fantastic stuff played last 20 mins imo

The passing and movement was shit up until we scored the goal. I don't think anybody complained since the goal went in, because they had no need to.

I think in patches in the first 20 mins we looked to pass it, some of it came off some didnt, but I felt u could see the desire to try and pass it was there while under MON it would of been constant HOOF! imo

[berneboy]

I really enjoyed that, especially the last 15 minutes or so.

I think Albrighton helps us flow with his energy and direct approach.

[Reality]

Very impressed with what I've seen towards the end of the first half. Downing looks a completely different player. Why can't he play like that all the time? That really frustrates me.

[Small Rodent]

Some great delivery.

I may be blind but one of the first relevant pieces of action I saw from Gabby was his cross for A Young.

We should be at least 2 up.

Why do a short corner in the dying seconds of injury time? Lob the bugger in to the box.

Some good defending. And hopefully SToke will create space for us in the second half.

[KevinGage]

And Albrighton should be looking at England contention if he carries on.

Though judging by the legacy of our ex players who have made that transition and then gone on to see themselves as Billy Big Bollocks, lets hope he stays under the radar for a while yet.

[RonBurgundy]

I saw movement off the ball by Villa players - lovely stuff

[mj]

As it is, they'll probably make a few changes half time and claw it back.

Looks like they have the wind behind them for the 2nd half, which may just help them long throws.  Pessimism aside we have looked so much more threatening since the goal, hopefully we can bag an early chance 2nd half to kill them off.

[JJ-AV]

Stoke have been shite though. They won't be that bad first 15 of second half and they've got options on the bench that'll cause us problems.

We must continue our dominance first 15 of second half and get a second, otherwise we'll regret it.

[greenwichvilla]

Sometimes it looks like Ash couldn't deliver a fucking pizza.

Can I have that as my sig?