Aston Villa vs Sunderland Pre-Match Thread

[arnie66]

Just really hoping that we can put a solid 90 minute performance together at home.......I think we are better away at the moment and I'm more confident about beating Norwich.

Sunderland's bubble hopefully is due to burst, Paulo di Canio will have a training ground melt down and get in to a fight with Carlos and the black cats will slip away to championship mediocrity

oh....and the waiting till Monday is just a killer

[Concrete John]

With the exception of Fulham, where we deserved to win anyway, we've been pretty good of late at winning the games we need to/should be winning (QPR, Reading, Stoke, West Ham) and I'd put Sunderland in that category.  If Spurs beat Wigan, which you'd expect, then a draw isn't the end of the world, but I think if we play well we'll win.

[jonzy85]

Di Canio has taken Sunderland into the last 2 games from a position of zero expectation, where any result would have appeased the fans. They over achieved in both games, playing 2 tired teams who couldn't get themselves up for playing Sunderland.

This will be a different ball game for Di Canio, people will be expecting the good run to continue and it won't. They aren't down at this end of the table for nothing. I just hope that a combination of Di Canio's "magic" wearing off and Lambert being more sure of where the squad is at, will mean we get the win.

[Meanwood Villa]

We win. We wonder what all the worry was about. I hope!

[pauliewalnuts]

We will crush the slimy fascist and his team of unspectacular journeymen.

Lambert will run onto the centre circle at full time, point to the villa fans in all four stands and then point to the skies, then point at the Sunderland fans and do a wanker sign, followed by a camp Hitler salute and pushing out of lower lip with tongue at Di Klanio.

[Mortimer's Bear]

Us 2 them 1

[CJ]

Absolutely must win this game and I think we will. 2-0 up with 10 minutes to go, then Sessegnon continues his new manager form to get one back for them, we hang on nervously for all 3 points.  Hopefully a good crowd in spite of being moved from Saturday - ST holders can 'bring a buddy' anywhere in the ground for a fiver - great deal for me as my eldest son is coming home for this one.

btw - what's the situation with yellow cards and suspensions now? Card happy Mike Dean is the ref so we're bound to pick up a few

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

It's time to go into true battle mode. 2-1 Weimann-Baker ....

[peter w]

0-2

[l_mckay]

Must win!!! Going for a nervous 2-1

[supertom]

I believe if we win this, we stay up. Simple as that. We'd be left with 3 points to get from 3 games. I'd fancy us to do that. I do think we'll beat Norwich. We're marginally better away from home and they're not brilliant at the moment.

I'm just gonna hope that Sunderland fall back down to Earth again now. I'd expect Di Canio to be a manager of a wildly inconsistent side at this level. I might be wrong, but I think there'll be a club that wins two, then loses two. That said, that would mean mid-table next season for them and they'd take that.
Just as easily though he could lose a grip on things and it all fall apart.

2-1 Villa. Squeeky bum match.  Tekkers and Gabby.

[Des Little]

2-1 Villa.  I wish I wasn't going, I'm dreading it and will agonise for the full 90 but duty calls.  Come on lads, it's a must, must win.

[damon loves JT]

It's going to be the football equivalent of that scene in 'The Deer Hunter' where Robert de Niro pretends he wants to play Russian Roulette, but instead shoots everyone in the room.

Di Canio to end the evening with a neat hole in his forehead and a surprised look on his face.

[Tucson Villain]

3-1 Villa win.

[johnboy]

1-1. I normally go for us to lose as I am a pessimistic Brummie, however in this case, teams at the bottom very rarely win 3 in a row, well we don't.
Therefore I will go for an optimistic draw, together with my hidden sincere hopes for a Villa win.