Aston Villa v Blackburn Rovers F.A. Cup 4th Round Match Thread

[Toronto Villa]

Apparently Bradley on loan is confirmed

Really?! That's a top signing if it's true! Really good player! Any sauce with that?

ESPN

really?? Michael Bradley's a really hard working, excellent player. Do you have a link to the story?

edit:

Michael Bradley loaned to Aston Villa

By Luke Cyphers
ESPN The Magazine

U.S. midfielder Michael Bradley is heading to the English Premier League.

The 24-year-old will play the rest of the European season with Aston Villa on loan from his current club, struggling German side Borussia Moenchengladbach.

The move ends weeks of speculation that Bradley, who has a year and a half left on his Gladbach contract, might transfer to the EPL's Sunderland. But Sunderland's sale of forward Darren Bent to Aston Villa put them in need of a striker, apparently cooling their interest in Bradley.

The loan to Aston Villa will end in the summer, leaving Bradley with a year on his current Gladbach contract at the start of the summer's more active transfer market.

The loan also gives Bradley -- who had a breakout performance with the U.S. team at the 2010 World Cup -- a new lease on his club season.

Gladbach is mired in the Bundesliga relegation zone, and though Bradley has played solidly all year, with three goals and three assists through 19 games, he was benched recently as coach Michael Frontzeck looked in vain for a lineup that could produce results. At Villa, the American midfielder joins a team that's showed a renewed vigor since Bent's appearance.

Aston Villa marks the fourth club stop in Bradley's professional career. Drafted as a 16-year-old in 2004 by the MetroStars of MLS and coached by his father, current U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley, the younger Bradley spent two years in New Jersey before being sold to Heerenveen of the Dutch league.

Bradley scored 21 goals for the squad in 2007-08 competitions, a record for an American at a first-division European club. That led to a transfer to Moenchengladbach in the summer of 2008, where he's held down a starting position for the better part of his stay.

At Aston Villa, Bradley joins fellow Americans Brad Friedel and Eric Lichaj.

[citizenDJ]

Get in there, Delfouneso!! Top stuff so far!

[eamonn]

Andy Blair theorising that Robbie Williams wrote ''Let Me Entertain You'' with this game in mind.

[supertom]

Bobby! I knew he'd come good (seriously, I did! Don't believe me? Oh well). As long as we allow him the luxury of not having to run much and just use his technique, then he'll offer us something. We can do that with a midfield 3.

[ian c.]

This game sounds like a corker.

[Villa'Zawg]

Gabby shot from the edge of the area goes wide.

[Villa'Zawg]

1 min added time

[citizenDJ]

Ah, here we are! Although not confirmed as such....

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/872481/usa-midfielder-michael-bradley-loaned-to-villa?cc=5739

[PaulWinch again]

Anyone know what Pires' goal was like?

Aston Villa goal: A peach of a goal from Robert Pires, who has FA cup pedigree having won it three times with Arsenal in 2002, 2003 and 2005. Nathan Delfouneso gets on the end of Barry Bannan's ball into the box and Pires meets his knockdown by stroking home a gorgeous half-volley.

Cheers mate.

[sali,salifou]

Apparently Bradley on loan is confirmed

Really?! That's a top signing if it's true! Really good player! Any sauce with that?

ESPN

really?? Michael Bradley's a really hard working, excellent player. Do you have a link to the story?

http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/news/_/id/6071000/american-michael-bradley-joins-english-premier-league-aston-villa-loan

[TheSandman]

Barry Bannan the next Charlie Adam??

He will be a considerably better player if he answers his vast potential.

By all accounts Uncle Bob scored a cracker. I don't know why but I actually want him to do well for us.

Why wouldn't you want a player to do well for us ?

Probably not the best choice of words. It's more to do with how I feel sorry for him with all the stick he gets. It's not his fault he's not as good and young as he used to be. I don't like how he was used as a stick to beat Hotlips with. So I want him to do more well than he has. Goals and goal line clearances might do that.

I did feel very sorry for him ambling around against Arsenal not the player he was.

[thebigragu]

GET IN SUNSHIIIINE

[VancouverLion]

I make that 14 goals so far in the last 2 cup ties against this lot!! Mental!!

[ez]

Sounds like a good game. Whats the betting Everton - Chelsea is a dull draw.

[eamonn]

HT.

Sounds like a corker, Rovers a tad unlucky, they've had a couple of great chances. Great to see Pires, Bannan and the Fonz at the forefront of our good stuff.