Everton v Aston Villa Pre-Match Thread

[WikiVilla]

I can't make this game but a mate who is going has asked if there's any safe boozers near the ground ?

[Bad English]

I just want the game to start. Two weeks is too long when we're in 'crisis'. It makes for endless days of hand-wringing, whingeing, squabbling, back-biting, sniping, bad jokes, punnery, fantasy formations, uniformed, ill-thought through bollocks  and bad typing.

No, hang on, it's just my imagination, it's like that all of the time.

[Newquay_AVFC]

I think he will go 4-4-2. Ash and Downing on the flanks and Gabby and Bent up top. If he does we will win by a couple of goals, if he don't we will lose by a couple. Please GH 4-4 fucking 2!

[Simon Ward]

Keep the faith

[Dr Butler]

minimum of a point from this match I'm afraid,  3 points would be fantastic.

UTV
The Doc

[Pete3206]

I can't make this game but a mate who is going has asked if there's any safe boozers near the ground ?

They're all safe as long as you don't mouth off.

Oh and narrow defeat. We'll get the points we need from the home games.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

If we can just show some pride and passion for this game

And that's where it all falls down.

Oh ye of little faith !

Trouble is VCTM, they've done nothing to give me any faith.
Whilst the defence stays sieve like, we're in deep, deep trouble.

[MoetVillan]

Everton starting to play well, looking up the league rather than down, scoring goals more easily, and solid defence.  We are short on confidence, cant score enough and concede too easily.  Therefore its a two nil win for Villa, and Q a baffled MOTD studio, and Mrs Moyes hiding all the rolling pins in her house

[PeterWithesShin]

It will be 1-1 with 5 mins to go and before the end of the game someone will get a winner. No idea who though.

[Merv]

What's the roll call for defenders looking like? I've been away a few days, might have missed something, but this seems to be the situation at present:

Walker (injured for England)
Cuellar (fit)
Collins (fit - played for Wales at least)
Dunne (fit/injured/banned from the club/who knows)
Clark (suspended)
Baker (fit)

I'd be surprised if we get anything out of this, to be honest. 1-1 with my optimistic hat on, but I'm going for 0-2. Bent and Young to leave their England form behind.

[Archbishop Herbert Cockthrottle]

The Everton view from grandoldteam.com:

Everton v Aston Villa. Saturday 2nd April @ 15.00.
Another free weekend in a weird season. How are we eighth? If that bad David Blaine wannabe hadn’t scored for Fulham then we’d have been seventh. The league is a closed shop for European places but were glad of a little breathing space away from a massive battle royale to stay in the Premiership this season.

The win against Fulham was a welcome one meaning we’ve took ten points from twelve. You do sense it’s a fragile run of form as we just haven’t got going this season have we?

Onto (the) Villa then, who are having an absolute dog of a season and have plenty of fans pretending that they didn't want O’Neill out. His replacement is Gerard “Ged” Houllier; one time of the LFC persuasion and who earlier this season had me tickled when he returned to Anfield, it was like seeing the ex wife you still yearn for. The current wife was not impressed and rightfully so. I can’t help but look at Houllier and think of the scene in Total Recall where they are out in the Martian atmosphere without protective gear and their eyes pop out and stuff.

They’ll be backed well by their travelling fans singing some really crap songs. What’s that My Lord one all about? Teds. It also seems around those parts that an alpha male wears Naf Naf trackie bottoms and a jarg Ellesse top. Crap profiling apart, they’re a grand traditional club so it must be a real worry to be battling it out with the Wigans and Blackpools of the world.
They sit one point above relegation and are in the middle of a bad run with three damaging defeats on the bounce. It’s weird as they do have a talented squad with some good young players and recently spunked 25m on to take Darren Bent. They certainly have a team capable of beating us with our current injuries.

The footballing pixie of luck smites us again with an injury to Saha, leaving Cahill, Beckford and Anichebe fighting over two places up front. Or in Victor’s case; punching the turf in anger and trying to gulp three tonnes of oxygen. It doesn’t bode well for the rest of the season on the goal front, which not much change from the first half of the season really.
It will be too early for Arteta so Neville and Rodwell will probably start in the middle. We need more offensive nous from Rodwell rather than trying to imitate Neville. Coleman looked a little bit more raw last time out which is a good thing, Osman should retain his place as he’s in a decent run of form and lets be honest; the Russian sadly isn’t going to make it here. The defence should remain the same.

Three points in a tight game would be most welcome and have us contemplating an unlikely finish above what we achieved last season. Mad.

[j66acd]

Everton are playing well and although we have had a decent record at Goodison over the past few seasons I can't see you getting anything from this. They also should have beaten us at home.

2-0 Everton

[TonyD]

Would take a point.   So 1.1.

UTV

[Chris Jameson]

3-1 to Everton

Goals from Beckford, one of the blokes from Black Eyed Peas and the drummer from U2

Last minute pisstake own goal by Bono for Villa

[1780liam]

3-0 Everton..... The end is near