Stoke City v Aston Villa Pre-Match Thread

[supertom]

Stoke are bottom of the form table. If we don't expect to win here we may as well start planning for rainy days in Ipswich.
We absolutely must win this. If we want to stay up then the games which look winnable on paper, are games we have to win. Are we gonna pick up points against Chelsea or Utd? Very unlikely indeed.

Stoke, Sunderland, Norwich, Fulham all have to be targeted. 3 wins from those games isn't unrealistic, or shouldn't be. We'd get a point or two elsewhere and that's job done.

[eastie]

Stoke are bottom of the form table. If we don't expect to win here we may as well start planning for rainy days in Ipswich.
We absolutely must win this. If we want to stay up then the games which look winnable on paper, are games we have to win. Are we gonna pick up points against Chelsea or Utd? Very unlikely indeed.

Stoke, Sunderland, Norwich, Fulham all have to be targeted. 3 wins from those games isn't unrealistic, or shouldn't be. We'd get a point or two elsewhere and that's job done.

Agreed. Should be looking to win this game.

[Lastfootstamper]

Anybody else have that feeling that Stoke will do their best to injure Benteke? If he gets a serious injury, our season is as good as over.

You've spent a bit too long in that Daily Mail thread! The sun's trying to poke his head out, it's a Friday, and Aston Villa are gonna win tomorrow.

And if they do try, I know where I'd put my money!

[neo_Villan]

Stoke City chief scout Lindsay Parsons says he advised manager Tony Pulis to sign Cheick Tiote, Hatem Ben Arfa and Demba Ba, and suggests that he disagrees with the club's long-ball style.

"We have loads of disagreements because I don't like the way they play and I will never change on that," he is quoted as saying in the Daily Mail.


All is clearly not well at Stoke, seems like there's lots of in fighting.

I read in one of their forums that Pulis also turned down the chance to sign Pastore...Doh!

[Matt Collins]

I also feel bullish. It could go wrong - this villa side could concede against a team of traffic cones.

But stoke are in awful form. They've got one goal and one point in 5 games. And that from a penalty. Crouch has one goal in 25 games.

We've got three wins in six games. We've scored at least two goals in every league away game since Xmas, barring arsenal (when we should have scored at least two).

I really do fancy us for this one.

[Matt Collins]

I Do have some nerves that one of our players will be sent or stretchered off.

[N'ZMAV]

Pulis is bad for the Premier League, he is ten times worse than McLeish. The sooner the Premier League are rid of Stoke, or Pulis the better.

[Des Little]

Wet Spam won at Stoke and they are fucking useless.  And they kept a clean sheet.  Come on Villa, its time to step up.

[neo_Villan]

Stoke fans seem to want Jones to start but feel Pulis will play Crouch. I would rather Crouch TBH. I fear Jones is the type who would bully our defence.

[Matt Collins]

Agreed. Crouch 1 goal in 25. Benteke 9 in 10 is it?

[Clampy]

Stoke fans seem to want Jones to start but feel Pulis will play Crouch. I would rather Crouch TBH. I fear Jones is the type who would bully our defence.

I think Jones is awful personally. He's tended to start on his own up front when they come to Villa Park. I don't think that'll be the case tomorrow.

[neo_Villan]

Agreed. Crouch 1 goal in 25. Benteke 9 in 10 is it?

I believe so. Has anyone scored more then Benteke since the turn of the year?

[neo_Villan]

Stoke fans seem to want Jones to start but feel Pulis will play Crouch. I would rather Crouch TBH. I fear Jones is the type who would bully our defence.

I think Jones is awful personally. He's tended to start on his own up front when they come to Villa Park. I don't think that'll be the case tomorrow.

Agree. They won't be playing for the draw tomorrow. I'm curious to see where Walters plays. Does he usually play wide (as he did at VP)?

[davisa]

Don't suppose anyone has a spare ticket for my mate have they? His prior arrangement has been cancelled meaning he can make the game

[Clampy]

Stoke fans seem to want Jones to start but feel Pulis will play Crouch. I would rather Crouch TBH. I fear Jones is the type who would bully our defence.

I think Jones is awful personally. He's tended to start on his own up front when they come to Villa Park. I don't think that'll be the case tomorrow.

Agree. They won't be playing for the draw tomorrow. I'm curious to see where Walters plays. Does he usually play wide (as he did at VP)?

I'm not sure. I always thought he floated just behind the main striker but i might be wrong.