Aston Villa v Newcastle United Pre-Match Thread

[Villanation]

I'm looking forward to this, more so than any other fixture thus far, I think we have the players to do a job on a team like Newcastle, good game (fingers crossed) coming up.....

[JJ-AV]

Heskey's confirmed as out. A change of system now surely?

Bannan - Stan - Delph
N'Zogbia
Gabby - Bent

[Villanation]

Heskey's confirmed as out. A change of system now surely?

Bannan - Stan - Delph
N'Zogbia
Gabby - Bent

Looks to be the way JJ, this will be interesting, are we going for creativity or are we going down the road of holding a high line with a like minded player to Heskey and then contain,

Surely at home we are going to go for the result

[Villanation]

Dare we risk Stephen Ireland.

He obviously has ability locked up there somewhere, logic tells you at some point that will burst to the top and flatten someone with a magical performance, he can't be that half hearted.

[Ryu]

Do you think they system will change or will it just be bannan in for emile in the same formation?

I fancy us for this.  I haven't watched Newcastle this season having got rid of nolan and barton I'd have thought that they've lost a bit of toughness in midfield, which will hopefully give our midfield more time to play the ball about. I don't see them being as good as wolves defensively either.
This game is a chance for AM to start to appease some fans fears about negative football, if you ask me, and I hope he gets the boys playing some good attacking football.

[JJ-AV]

Ireland's an awkward one 'cos he needs starts.

But I suppose he's gotta apply himself in training first. I think this is the game to play him in though, as Bolton midweek follows. We could give him those 2 and reassess it before QPR.

[TimTheVillain]

Talked to a few fans who were watching the last game in a pub in Wylde Green, SC.  Their unanimous verdict on Ireland was, 'what's the point of playing him, he's useless.'

I'm still hoping he can contribute.  Come on Stephen, let's do the 'player of the year' schtick again! 

Villa to win 5 - 1 and Ireland to score and figure in at least three of the other goals!

Well said, he is a very good player, I'm fed up with Villa fans slating him.

It's not like we've got a vast array of talent at the club is it ?

[Villanation]

Ryu:

Think its likely that AM will give Bannan the starting place, as you say Newcastle are nowhere as strong as they where this time last season, that said there start has been pretty good and they hold 4th spot as we speak.

They took a Point of Arsenal, bt Sunderland and Fulham and drew with QPR, so on the face of it losing these players seems to have had little effect, everything is in place for both these sides to go for this, AM & Villa won't want to lose at home and Newcastle will fancy this one.

Can't see anyway it will play out as a bore draw, could be wrong but I think this will be the best game of this season thus far, big game.

[TheSandman]

The thing is that surely if Ireland was impressing and looking like he'd got his shit back together then he would be pushing for starts. But he isn't and Bannan is ahead of him in the pecking order and you have to ask why that is.

[Big Dick Edwards]

I'm baffled at Newcastle's good start to the season. How they kept a clean sheet on monday night I'll never know. Heskey's injury may result in N'Zogbia being pushed further forward so I'll go for a 2-0 victory.

[brontebilly]

The thing is that surely if Ireland was impressing and looking like he'd got his shit back together then he would be pushing for starts. But he isn't and Bannan is ahead of him in the pecking order and you have to ask why that is.

He did pretty well in the 10 mins or so, he came on against Everton I thought. Putting in more effort than was seen last season. Still nearly as lightweight as Bannan though, Albrighton too is powder puff. So Jenas will definitely get chances aswell.

Heskey out gives us a chance to experiment, i.e. a convenient excuse to put the team right.

I think no matter what we do, if we play Gabby and Bent down the middle we will be light in midfield. Id go with Ireland, think to be fair to the lad he needs to be given starts to impress. Hopefully Hutton wont be as bad again. Definite argument for playing Herd ahead of him based on last week's form. If Newcastle play with one up top then might be worth brining Clark in ahead of Collins for us keeping the ball but McLeish definitely wont consider that.

Given
Hutton, Collins, Dunne, Warnock
--Ireland, Petrov, Delph
-------Bannan---------
--Gabby, Bent----------

Lets hold Albrighton is reserve. He does give us width though which the strikers love. Argument if Jenas was fit to play one of Ireland or Bannan in the hole and Jenas deeper. But I think Jenas needs to earn his place in the side and not be dropped in like Hutton was last week.

[Greg N'Ash]

Id probably give nutjob a start and hope he finds his form. Another season like last and he'll be virtually unsellable if he's not already

[TimTheVillain]

Id probably give nutjob a start and hope he finds his form. Another season like last and he'll be virtually unsellable if he's not already

What will you think of him if he does find his form - will you continue to call him 'nutjob' ?

[Greg N'Ash]

Id probably give nutjob a start and hope he finds his form. Another season like last and he'll be virtually unsellable if he's not already

What will you think of him if he does find his form - will you continue to call him 'nutjob' ?

he'll still be mental whether he finds his form or not- thats the problem. On his day he's a very good player but you don't know when his personality will rear its head again. Makes him a huge liability and obviously would make any club (apart from us apparently) shy off signing him. We had it before with SVC. On paper a very good player but likely to self-destruct at any time.

[Ryu]

Thanks for that villanation. I guess their start has been pretty good, even if like us they maybe haven't had the hardest of games. An in form dunne and collins should be able to cope with their forward line and we have enough going forward to score in this game. I'm predicting this to be more Blackburn than Wolves.