Southampton v Aston Villa Pre-Match Thread

[Risso]

Battling away draw to restore pride? Check.
Stylish and comfortable home win for the first time in ages? Check.
Good old fashioned shoeing of a poor team like Southampton? Please, 4-1.

[bertlambshank]

Battling away draw to restore pride? Check.
Stylish and comfortable home win for the first time in ages? Check.
Good old fashioned shoeing of a poor team like Southampton? Please, 4-1.

What you said.

[Nirog72]

Swap Adkins for Redknapp? After the teams they have had to play in the first 4 games? Football has completely gone to f*ck if that happens and I'm not sure the Southampton owner wants his club bankrupted by the fella who can barely read either.

Anyway, back to the game, I repeat my 2-0 win prediction only this time I can add to the poll!

[pauliewalnuts]

Battling away draw to restore pride? Check.
Stylish and comfortable home win for the first time in ages? Check.
Poor team like Southampton

This is Villa.

We all know what really comes next, but we're too shy to admit it.

[ozzjim]

Battling away draw to restore pride? Check.
Stylish and comfortable home win for the first time in ages? Check.
Poor team like Southampton

This is Villa.

We all know what really comes next, but we're too shy to admit it.

We are all basking in enjoying the club again, we can hit the ground with the inevitable bump at 5 on Sat!

[tomd2103]

2-0 Villa win.

I'd put Benteke in for Bent and Westwood in for Ireland, everyone else deserves and IMO should keep their place.

----------Guzan

Lowton-Vlaar-Clark-Lichaj

------Westwood-KEA

Bannan-Weimann-Holman

---------Benteke

Wouldn't mess with too much and the only changes I would consider are Westwood for Ireland and Benteke for Weimann.  Thought Lichaj did well enough to make Bennett wait for his debut.  If both changes were made I think it would look something like:

                  Guzan

Lowton   Vlaar   Clark   Lichaj

               Westwood

     El Ahmadi         Bannan

                  Holman

           Bent           Benteke

[eamonn]

Let's blitz the fuckers. Not sure we can top the day of 1-4: an all-English team, 12 games unbeaten, 5 in his first 3 games for Dion and we're top...but now we've got Lowton at right-back and not Steve Watson, so at least that's one up on the class of '98.

[KRS]

Lets not get carried away with a couple of decent results...that being said, it seems the squad is pretty well grounded and PL will no doubt know all the permutations of Southamptons run of results, have the backroom staff preparing game plans and have the lads fired up to put in another hard working performance.

Regardless of their opposition so far, Southampton are relegation candidates this season and these are the type of away games that we need to win and take 3pts back to Villa Park.

I'll take a 1-0 win...but could be quite an open game with more goals especially if we unsettle them with an early goal.

[The Man With A Stick]

Wigan beat them, don't see any reason why we can't either.  3-1 away win (Bent, Holman, Vlaar).

[Hookeysmith]

Wigan beat them, don't see any reason why we can't either.  3-1 away win (Bent, Holman, Vlaar).

And that is the correct answer right there

[robbo1874]

I've gone for a draw in the poll. If we maintain the level of performance from the 2nd hf v Swansea we have a great chance. Vital to get in ahead or on level terms at half time. I think with our second half subs we'll have more options and could finish stronger. Only thing is we always seem to fuck up down there, which is why I think there may be a gutting late equaliser.

[Le Lapin]

Tricky game, and if my decades of being a Villa fan has told me one thing, it's that when things start to look good we are generally brought down to earth with a bump. 1-1

Hopefully we can sneak a 1-2.

[Marlon From Bearwood]

Really can't decide of its a good time, or a bad time, to play them. On one hand, 0 points from 4 games suggests a team out of form. On the other hand, the law of averages suggests they can't keep on getting nothing, and surely very few teams lose their opening 5 games.

[Mazrim]

The way I see it is that although we have some momentum playing the kind of football we expected from a Paul Lambert team, with new players adding to that and the promise of more to come with a bench full of players eager to prove themselves and though Southampton's goal seems to be seeing more trade than Katie Price's ladycave, we're still new enough into the project that we have to expect more hiccups sooner rather than later.

That said, you can't help but think we'll feel disappointed if we don't win this one.
We have plenty of weaponry of the kind that can hurt them and though they're (perhaps) better than their position would suggest and have had a horrendous schedule so far, I think if we play anything like how we have in the last three games we'll come away with points.

They'll see us as a difficult game but comparitive relief. It's important to get after them early on and shake their confidence even more. If we score first we could give them a bollocking.
I really long for that just to ruin LeTissier's day. The big nosed twat.

[Jarpie]

Arsenal was very effective against Southampton with their quick players so I wouldn't be surprised if we see Gabby and maybe N'Zogbia starting.