Aston Villa v Bradford City Pre-Match Thread

[oldham_villa]

Haha I love your posts Maz.

How many minutes until the immortal line, "shit refs! We only get shit refs!" ?

[Toronto Villa]

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is time...


...for Mazrim's orange dot. When first I called upon it, we marvelled at its power. Now I call upon it again to aid us.
Behold!



Star into the dot, visualize Villa reaching Wembley. Don't hope for it, don't wish for it. SEE IT! It will happen.
Like the sun rising, it will happen. It is inevitable. But you must concentrate your mind on this eventuality and touch the orange dot.

If you don't mind, I'll stare into it. And I do see the promised land.

Give it everything tonight Villa, Everything. This is the chance at redemption, but also a new platform to launch from and rescue the entire season. It can provide so much strength and confidence. Play like you played in the first half up there and just be clinical. Let's send this lot packing back to where they belong.

[Lambert and Payne]

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you'd like to win but think you can't,
It's almost certain you won't.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But sooner or later, the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.

Beautiful, COME ON!

[boozey182]

I'm much more of lurker than a poster but today feels like it could be special. And please forgive me if the following feels like a patronising lecture on 'how to be a better fan', that is not how its intended. And I know that most of you will already be up for the match; I guess i'm just trying to do whatever I can to try and help the Villa win.

It seems that Bradford's game plan will be to keep the fans quiet tonight, and let their 6,000 (imagine!) drown us out. It's an understandable premise given our team's fragile confidence, but it has a flaw; as fans, we have the power to nullify their main tactic and have a larger-than-usual influence on a very important football match.

I remember a while ago someone on here, after yet another act by the club that made our collective bosom swell with pride, said "one day this club will get the luck it deserves". Few of us would argue with that. Today though, thinking of that brings to mind a quote from Thomas Edison: "I find that the harder I work, the luckier I get". Tonight, we (the fans) need to put a shift in.

One of my favourite moments of the season so far (this acts as an indicator of how shit our season has been I guess) was the last 10 minutes of the Spurs home game. 4-0 down, half the stadium empty and all you could here (even on the TV I'm told) was a never ending chorus of Paul Lambert's Claret and Blue Army. Walking out the stadium I compared it to the standard bearers of old; no matter how many bodies lay battered and bloody on the ground, if the flag is still raised the battle isn't over. If we're still singing, the battle isn't over.

We need that sort of spirit (preferably with a full stadium) tonight. If we go a goal down (which, let's be honest, could easily happen), we get louder. If we miss a sitter, we get louder. If there's 5 minutes to go and we still need two goals, we get louder. Tonight could be the night that a lot of our boys become men, but we may need to give them a leg up.

So I'm appealing to everybody; even if you normally wince every time the ball goes near Clark in the air, or shout "for fuck sake Bannan" every time one of his cross field passes trickles out for a throw 20 yards behind the intended target, or you think Nigel Reo-Coker could do a job for us for the rest of the season, or you think Randy is a know-nothing yank who's lost the love for the club, or you have to turn away every time Delph flings himself into another tackle from 16 yards away, or you think Curtis Davies could do a job for us for the rest of the season, or you think Lambert is a know-nothing jock who is taking us down, or you're still wondering why Barry didn't take the penalty, or you think Joe Bennett is the worst left back to ever play for the club: none of that matters. Not tonight. Tonight we need to provide the support that the club (no matter who the owners, manager or players are) deserves. We need to shout, cheer, sing, clap, stamp and jump. And if it doesn't seem to be working, we have to do it more.

Sound trumpets!
Let our bloody colours wave!
And either victory,
or else a grave

(Oh Jesus, now he's quoting Shakespeare)

Let's make tonight a night to remember. And let's be proud of ourselves no matter what the outcome.

If we're still singing, the battle isn't over.


And if you can pick holes in the above (I'm sure there are plenty if you want to look for them) then how about this; the louder we are, the more chance that Stan can lead us out at Wembley.

[Marlon From Bearwood]

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you'd like to win but think you can't,
It's almost certain you won't.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But sooner or later, the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.

Yoda?

[Marlon From Bearwood]

3-0 to Villa, we're due a clean sheet, hopefully tonight's the night. We'll be 2-0 up early on and think we're cruising, 2-0 at H/T, a nervy 2nd half where they create a few chances, then we finally kill the game off with a 3rd in the 85th minute. Don't care who scores.

[The Laughing Policeman]

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you'd like to win but think you can't,
It's almost certain you won't.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But sooner or later, the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.

Yoda?

Not quite, It's Walter D. Wintle.

[MonsXI]

Is it true we've won the last 8 cup games at VP by 2 goals or more?

[dave.woodhall]

Is it true we've won the last 8 cup games at VP by 2 goals or more?

We've come from two down in our last four League Cup semis, either on the night or on aggregate.

[Malandro]

our most important game since our last important game

[Billy Walker]

I'm much more of lurker than a poster but today feels like it could be special. And please forgive me if the following feels like a patronising lecture on 'how to be a better fan', that is not how its intended. And I know that most of you will already be up for the match; I guess i'm just trying to do whatever I can to try and help the Villa win.

It seems that Bradford's game plan will be to keep the fans quiet tonight, and let their 6,000 (imagine!) drown us out. It's an understandable premise given our team's fragile confidence, but it has a flaw; as fans, we have the power to nullify their main tactic and have a larger-than-usual influence on a very important football match.

I remember a while ago someone on here, after yet another act by the club that made our collective bosom swell with pride, said "one day this club will get the luck it deserves". Few of us would argue with that. Today though, thinking of that brings to mind a quote from Thomas Edison: "I find that the harder I work, the luckier I get". Tonight, we (the fans) need to put a shift in.

One of my favourite moments of the season so far (this acts as an indicator of how shit our season has been I guess) was the last 10 minutes of the Spurs home game. 4-0 down, half the stadium empty and all you could here (even on the TV I'm told) was a never ending chorus of Paul Lambert's Claret and Blue Army. Walking out the stadium I compared it to the standard bearers of old; no matter how many bodies lay battered and bloody on the ground, if the flag is still raised the battle isn't over. If we're still singing, the battle isn't over.

We need that sort of spirit (preferably with a full stadium) tonight. If we go a goal down (which, let's be honest, could easily happen), we get louder. If we miss a sitter, we get louder. If there's 5 minutes to go and we still need two goals, we get louder. Tonight could be the night that a lot of our boys become men, but we may need to give them a leg up.

So I'm appealing to everybody; even if you normally wince every time the ball goes near Clark in the air, or shout "for fuck sake Bannan" every time one of his cross field passes trickles out for a throw 20 yards behind the intended target, or you think Nigel Reo-Coker could do a job for us for the rest of the season, or you think Randy is a know-nothing yank who's lost the love for the club, or you have to turn away every time Delph flings himself into another tackle from 16 yards away, or you think Curtis Davies could do a job for us for the rest of the season, or you think Lambert is a know-nothing jock who is taking us down, or you're still wondering why Barry didn't take the penalty, or you think Joe Bennett is the worst left back to ever play for the club: none of that matters. Not tonight. Tonight we need to provide the support that the club (no matter who the owners, manager or players are) deserves. We need to shout, cheer, sing, clap, stamp and jump. And if it doesn't seem to be working, we have to do it more.

Sound trumpets!
Let our bloody colours wave!
And either victory,
or else a grave

(Oh Jesus, now he's quoting Shakespeare)

Let's make tonight a night to remember. And let's be proud of ourselves no matter what the outcome.

If we're still singing, the battle isn't over.


And if you can pick holes in the above (I'm sure there are plenty if you want to look for them) then how about this; the louder we are, the more chance that Stan can lead us out at Wembley.

Magnificent.

That's exactly how we can do it.   We might be two, three, four down at half time but don't give in, keep backing the lads and they will do it.  Everyone has to put a shift in because tonight won't be easy.  Let's spin it another way, if we are one, two, three, four up at half time the game is still not over: it has to be 110% positivity, understanding and backing all the way through regardless of circumstances until the final whistle is blown. 

I think Bradford sense that we are their secret weapon.  Looking at their forums some of them reckon we will be putting pressure on our players, moaning and tutting and whinging as soon as things go wrong.  Regardless of the outcome of tonight, they're in for a huge shock on that score.

[Concrete John]

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you'd like to win but think you can't,
It's almost certain you won't.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But sooner or later, the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.

Yoda?

Not quite, It's Walter D. Wintle.

Shouldn't that read "Walter D. Wintle, it is."

[The Laughing Policeman]

As some bloke in the dim past once asked..........Do you want to bet against us?

[PaulWinch again]

Joe Bennett if he plays like he did for the majority of Saturday could be a good player.

[Dan England]

Different sport but I always like this Al Pacino motivational number.