Aston Villa v Wigan Athletic Pre-Match Thread

[Matt Collins]

I also think this is the best team available.

[TheTimVilla]

I'm going Villa 1 (Maloney, pen, og) Wigan 0

[Pete3206]

I'd be tempted to tell Ireland not to bother coming, for all the fucking use he is.

Yes

[andyh]

I'd be tempted to tell Ireland not to bother coming, for all the fucking use he is.

Yes

but, he's our player of the season ! ;-)

[Damo70]

I have read or heard injury updates on Dunne, Bent and Baker but does anyone know the score with Vlaar, N'Zogbia, Gabby and Weimann?

[eastie]

I have read or heard injury updates on Dunne, Bent and Baker but does anyone know the score with Vlaar, N'Zogbia, Gabby and Weimann?

Lambert said yesterday he doesn't expect them to be available tomorrow.

Today's update-

Paul Lambert admits his considerable injury list is frustrating heading into the Wigan clash.

Lambert could be without nine senior players on Saturday, with the treatment rooms filling up these past few weeks.

Ron Vlaar [calf], Gabby Agbonlahor [hip], Darren Bent [hamstring], Charles N'Zogbia [knee], Richard Dunne [groin], Andreas Weimann [calf] and Nathan Baker [hamstring] are all set to miss the Latics game.

Fabian Delph will be absent through suspension, after he picked up his fifth booking of the season against Tottenham on Boxing Day.

Asked if any were likely to be fit for Wigan, Lambert said: "I am not so sure. That's a major issue.

"We have a lot of lads out at the moment so we have to bring in even younger ones that what we've got.

"But that's what you have to run with.

"The disappointing thing is that we have too many injuries.

"There a load of them out there at the moment.

"But whoever comes in, I'm pretty sure they will do everything they can to try to help us win the game, but we will see today what we've got."

[PeterWithesShin]

Paul Lambert insists Villa can now either sink or swim after the two heavy festive defeats - and he has no plans to drown in despair.

Lambert accepts that it's been a frustrating time, with twelve goals conceded in the clashes with Chelsea and Tottenham.

But he says he's far from despondent about the rest of the campaign as he eyes victories to push Villa into the mid-table region.

He is confident the fans are with him and can appreciate the long-term future of the club, which he insists is bright.

Asked if fans should keep their eyes on the project, he said: "Yes I would say so. It's easy for to say that after we've been smacked but prior to these two games everyone could see the big picture.

"I understand the frustrations. But I can see the bigger picture. I know what we want to achieve.

"I know we're not a million miles from mid-table. If you hit a little run.

"We have played two tough games there with a lot of injuries. I think we will be fine.

"You have to put those barriers up. You take that criticism on the chin. It makes you stronger. There's no hiding from it. It makes you stronger - you think okay, no problem. You go again.

"There are two ways of looking at it. You pick yourself up or you sink. We're certainly not going to go sinking.

"I think the fans can see that we're trying to lift it and do the right things for the football club. We're doing everything we can.

"But listen, we're not sitting bottom. We are not in the bottom three and we're only a few points from mid-table!

"We want to make a success of this place. A more experienced teamthan we have right now has flirted with relegation the last few years. So it just shows you, you have to earn the right.

"But I think the future for the club is really good.

"It wasn't too long ago that we beat Liverpool and everyone was 'Aston Villa this and Aston Villa that.' You are going to take these hits along the way. If you ask most managers, they have been through what we're going through now.

"If someone said to us that we'd take three points from the games against Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham and drew the three, people would think differently about it.

"There are ways to look at it. It's whether you want to be positive or negative about it. I try to be positive.

"And we will get the team up and running. They will go again on Saturday."

Lambert is also confident his starlets will become "better players" in the long-term as a result of the two heavy defeats.

He added: "They will become better players for it, no doubt. When they look back in their late 20s, they will think 'jeez, I remember getting smashed there.' You do your utmost to try and make sure you don't have that feeling again."

[Clampy]

Lambert's spot on. There's no point in dwelling on the last two results, we've got to try and get them out of our system.

[eastie]

I think it will be a scrappy edgy game very similar to reading , lets hope for the same result- a huge game in our season which could see us go 6 points clear or be pegged  back.

[PaulWinch again]

Bloody hell is Vlaar ever going to get fit.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Bloody hell is Vlaar ever going to get fit.

When is Blancmange Ron due to return?

[Boz]

Albrighton just needs to get back to the flat crossing he was doing when he got into the side, he's started floating them across a lot more and it's not as effective.

Crossing is about hitting a space more than hitting a player, if you can consistently cross to the right areas you'll create chances, when you start to try to pick out a man there's a tendency to take some of the pace off the ball, which is what's happened to him and made him a lot less effective.

Watch highlights of him under mcdonald and houllier and you'll see what I mean.

I agree, he's become less effective

[TonyD]

Very dark edgy first 65 mins like a Scando crime thriller,  but Villa to endure and win the day like Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) -  3.0

[Boz]

              Guzan
Lichaj Lowton Clark Bennett
      Westwood Bannan
Albrighton Ireland Holman
              Benteke

Looks a balanced team to me.  If Westwood and Bannan can control possession then we could do well.
If not then the team could be a tad fragile mentally after the results recently.

Its balanced but lacking midfield strength so could not control the midfield and unless there's a decent service to Benteke, can't see us scoring. Perhaps we should try Bowery playing off Benteke in place of Albrighton

[Nirog72]

Villa 3 - 1 Wigan
Clark 2 Benteke 1
Clark (og)