Aston Villa v Blackburn Rovers Pre-Match Thread

[Des Little]

Bloody hell, this is going to be awful isn't it?  Us to win it 1-0 in the worst game played out at VP since Saturday.

[eastie]

I take your point monty but 2 wingers is a luxury and our central midfield gets overrun too easily,also 2wingers and just gabby up front doesn't pose enough of a goal threat for me,agreed if delph
was fit and we sign a top midfielder and quality striker it would work better!

We need to be able to play various systems not just one way.

[villajk]

Time for a bit of optimism.

We're going to win this 3-1.

[pedro25]

Sorry yes I see East 19.  I think that could work as Gabby can pull away to the opposite side to Ash so we still have options each way.  I can't make my mind up though whether Gabby needs to work off a big man or is better on his own, the Bolton match made me think the latter but he has played very well alone especially away (eg 2 nil v Arsenal).  The other problem is Ireland having to fill the opposite side to Ash, whereas ideally i'd want him in front of NRC and Petrov and behind Gabby.  But you're right we must be flexible.  A game like Bolton should have seen Carew slug it out with Knight and Gabby spring up from wider/ deeper areas whereas away to e.g. Man Utd Ireland off Gabby and 2 widemen may be best.

[Monty]

I take your point monty but 2 wingers is a luxury and our central midfield gets overrun too easily,also 2wingers and just gabby up front doesn't pose enough of a goal threat for me,agreed if delph
was fit and we sign a top midfielder and quality striker it would work better!

We need to be able to play various systems not just one way.

Of course, but there are two issues there: first of all, I don't see two wingers as a luxury but as a necessity if you're going to have wide men at all because, as I mentioned it happening to Ash, it's all two easy to neutralise a winger if he's the sole threat on goal; secondly, it wouldn't just be the wingers and Ash posing the goal threat, but Ireland and even Petrov, not to mention centre-backs at set-pieces. NRC, sure, I'd keep well away from the opposition goal, but Delph, when fit, poses a genuine goal threat in his own right. In this 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 sort of system, we'd ideally have Delph fit, but in the mean time NRC has to play. And do we pose more of a goal threat with two forwards? Only ourselves and Spurs in the top 7 played 4-4-2, and we scored the fewest goals (Tottenham having the virtue of not only Jermaine Defoe, but amazing creative talents like Modric we just can't match).

Yes, we do need to able to play different systems and styles, but at the same time we shouldn't be using systems that almost certainly won't work for the sake of variety. We have to have actual plans about how something might work, and for me, with the players we have as much as anything, we can't really play two up front unless we play 3-5-2 against a side playing 4-4-2 - even then we'd be taking an enormous risk.

[TimTheVillain]

2-1 win

Won't be easy, it never is.

[eastie]

Yes monty its true but I think we do need a decent striker and midfelder to improve things.carew on his day is good but its all too rarely and gabby needs to improve his finishing.

For 2 wingers to work they must both be productive and downing seems to be improving this season.

[olaftab]

For the first time ever I have gone for an away win  for a match at VP. The reason being we beat them 3 times in the cup last season so it must be  their turn!

However the bastards  were the only team to do the double over us last season in the League so here is to REVENGE.

[villa `cross the mersey]

My optimism peaked on Monday when I decided to buy tickets for this game - Since then Monsieur Houllier has given an interview stating he had prepared one team for this game and another for Wolves - rotation has started early it  would seem . I am therefore curious as to the side he will put out tonight - hopefully a strong one going for a win.
Despite losing to ManUre last year both VCTM jnr and I enjoyed a "lads weekend" in North London and would love to do so again - Win on penalties (Big Fat Sam to be sent from the Dug Out to the stands)

[Monty]

Yes monty its true but I think we do need a decent striker and midfelder to improve things.carew on his day is good but its all too rarely and gabby needs to improve his finishing.

For 2 wingers to work they must both be productive and downing seems to be improving this season.

Gabby's finishing is improving all the time but I agree with you about Carew, his good performances are just too rare these days to be counted on.

What we do lack in the striking department is someone to come on as a substitute when we're chasing the game and put away a half-chance, like Defoe does for England or Solskjaer did so well for United. These players aren't really suited to starting games (so that rules out the likes of Owen whose wages would be too high to start most games on the bench), but would be a very useful plan B. Maybe Weimann when fit, or the Fonz, could do this, but I'm not so sure. In the midfield, we need an all-rounder with a bit of energy to let Ireland and Petrov do what they do best. It really is such a shame that Delph is injured because that's completely what his game is, but I think NRC's done well so far. Definitely need to improve on Sidwell, though.

[pedro25]

With Ireland potentially being an even bigger goal threat than Milner/ Barry were Heskey may get more game time than Carew as he tends to link the play better.  I almost can't believe i'm saying this but I actually don't mind the idea of Heskey as the spearhead, playing largely with his back to goal and Young, Gabby and Ireland running off him.  The other alternative would for me would be Downing/ Albrighton in for Heskey for the 4-5-1, I just don't see Carew as a starter really anymore.

[TonyD]

2-1 Villa!

Is it on the telly?

[JUAN PABLO]

6-4   Villa   


As If there will be 10 goals between these teams, sillly me...

3-1

[pauliewalnuts]

Bad feeling on this one, I think they're going to beat us.

We fall apart far too easily, and I think a bit of the physical stuff from Blackburn will have us crumbling.

Hopefully GH will not make the mistake of playing a midfield full of lightweights, but even so, I worry.

[TheTimVilla]

2-1 Villa!

Is it on the telly?

No mention on villastreams either.