Bolton Wanderers v Aston Villa Pre-Match Thread

[JUAN PABLO]

as long as Petrov and Heskey are not in the squad.   Lets see Gardner on the bench please.    2-2   

[WikiVilla]

Spare ticket going if anyone wants it, will sell at face value

[CJ]

Tough place to go with Owen Coyle in charge and them playing football rather than FatSamball.  Think only Liverpool and Chelsea have won there in the league this season so a difficult place to get a result. Hard to say whether the team will be fired up after last night's debacle or completely disillusioned. If we lose the knives will be out for Houllier after his surrender of our FA Cup chances.

Think it'll be a draw - 2-2

[MoetVillan]

Hou has painted himself into a corner.  Even if we win this game with a 70's brazilesque performance, and dick them 17 nil with a Heskey double hattrick, the vast majority of fans will be hurting after last night.  I loved going to wembley twice last year, to seemingly just give it in hurts.  Mind you, I would take a 14-1 win.  I know we wont get a clean sheet but the remainder of goals will wipe off our goal difference.  Come on Villa.  There are teams above us that look vulnerable, each place we gain is at least something to cheer on.

[jonzy85]

Draw...Ashley Young and Stewart Downing to say they felt a little rusty due to lack of recent action.

Truth be told, I won't have cared so little about a Villa League result since the DOL's 2nd last season. Season is over, we arent going down.

[pauliewalnuts]

After last night, we may have players more rested than they otherwise would have been, but we're now under considerably more pressure.

[WikiVilla]

Bolton set up well and are a better team than us and will be fresh and looking to move into euro contention. Can't see our players giving two hoots to be honest. There is something wrong down B6, we are in a very precarious position as a club and wholly reliant on one man. Not great is it

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Dear Mr Houllier
After giving up on the greatest cup competition in the world on Wednesday evening, anything less than a fully energised performance and 3 points is totally unacceptable. Bearing in mind there is then no game for a full two weeks, then yet another two weeks until we play again I am sure many of us will be observing the proceedings with a more than usual interest.

[WikiVilla]

 The fact that we have so few games over the next month makes a mockery of last night. Worse than Moscow in a mile IMO

[andyh]

Bolton have 4 more points than us, can they be considered safe yet ?
I suspect they be treating the FA cup as their priority as its a great chance for a team to win some silverware given that they are in the quarter finals, they have a fair draw, and a lot of the big teams have or will have gone after the next round.
It must be a great position to be in eh ?

So, I think they will make a number of changes, and rotate their sqaud.

That said, I think we are still very fragile.

2 - 1 Bolton.

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

A repeat of the Stoke game that followed CSKA Moscow or a win for the Villa is my prediction.

[pablopicasso_10]

he has to win the game comfortably, otherwise the knives that are being sharpened as we speak after the fa cup farce, will be out in force...

[garyshawsknee]

Hopefully we can continue our half decent league form,and put last nights bullshit affair behind us. A close win with Bent back amongst the goals.
 If we do lose and play badly,i fear the good work GH has done since Jan will quickly be forgotten and he'll forever be on a rocky road( His own effing fault though).

[richardhubbard]

Bolton are a good team with a settled side and a good manager and strikers doing well.
2-1 to them

[JJ-AV]

This game becomes a must win now. TBH as shite as last night was, and it really was shite, if we beat Bolton we're a point behind them and will probably be in the top half.

Everton and Newcastle play each other and Stoke are away at West Ham so lets see how the league looks after the weekend. We could be looking at 6th again...