Aston Villa v Sunderland Pre-Match Thread

[Pete3206]

Albrighton is better than Tonev.

Yep

[not3bad]

Albrighton is better than Tonev.

As always it's a matter of opinion. The Albrighton of recent times was not the Albrighton who looked so promising early in his career and IMO, there's not alot to choose between them overall.

Albrighton was apparently very good in the League Cup defeat to Spurs and he's done well at Wigan so I reckon it would be worth giving him a try.

[fredm]

Albrighton is better than Tonev.

As always it's a matter of opinion. The Albrighton of recent times was not the Albrighton who looked so promising early in his career and IMO, there's not alot to choose between them overall.

Personally I think that Tonev has more long term potential than Albrighton.  He needs to be able to bed in gradually whereas now he seems to me to be trying too hard to impress, if that is possible, but you get my drift.

[jeowje]

Albrighton looks well short of competitive premier league standard to me- Tonev seems to have the touch and skill to suggest that he could become useful.

[eastie]

@MatKendrick: Antonio Luna back in the #avfc squad this weekend after recovering from a hamstring problem

@22Gards: Happy to be back in training today 😀😀😀 #utv

[eastie]

By James Nursey | 28/11/13 

At half-time in Aston Villa's Midlands derby at West Brom, you could sense the anger rising in the quiet away end.

Villa were lucky to only be 2-0 down at their local rivals Albion and the home fans were having a field day.

"You should have gone down the market," the home fans gleefully sang in reference to Brum's fine festive German fayre, where they do a mean stein of ice-cold lager.

And after seeing Shane Long score twice and Stephane Sessegnon miss a sitter, many Villains were probably already drowning their sorrows.

But people behind the scenes at Villa Park, the people I speak to, have always been quietly confident about their hopes for a respectable campaign this season. And there was further evidence in the second half at The Hawthorns that boss Paul Lambert is assembling a promising young side with real guts on the cheap.

They left Albion with a draw in the end after a 2-2 thriller. Villa have now taken more points from losing positions than any other Premier League side this season.

Ashley Westwood explained to the press post-match how Lambert has given them the resilience and belief to do it after his brilliant equaliser .

But there are clearly Villa fans out there who remain unconvinced that their side are making real progress. Someone even tweeted me at half-time saying Lambert should be sacked!

I was on talkSPORT after the game and was asked I think Villa are going in the right direction or not. I did my best to answer in the 20 seconds but perhaps I can elaborate.

Because, if there are doubters out there, then what they clearly cannot appreciate is Villa's financial position now owner Randy Lerner has closed his previously open chequebook.

It meant Alex McLeish had to make big cut-backs to the club's wage bill. And now successor Lambert is also operating on a hugely reduced budget from the Martin O'Neill era and has to rely on shrewd bargain signings which are not easy to find.

The Scot is not complaining - in fact I think he quite relishes the challenge - but if Villa are ever to compete with the top six again in future and qualify for Europe, they are going to have to do it more organically, and therefore slowly.



That means buying rough, cheap diamonds from abroad or down the leagues like Westwood, Leandro Bacuna and Matt Lowton. And it means working with talented academy graduates like Nathan Baker, Andreas Weimann and Ciaran Clark.

Unlike when you buy a proven Premier League player, it takes time for these guys to peak and many will only develop from learning from their mistakes. We saw that last season when many learnt the hard way in a brutal relegation battle with some embarrassing defeats.

But Villa survived to finish 15th and improved immeasurably in the new year, losing only to Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool, Man United and Chelsea after February.

And this season, the progress has once again been clear. The defence has got a lot tighter, players like Ron Vlaar, Fabian Delph and Westwood have come on enormously, and crucially Villa are picking up more points.

Sure, many impatient fans would probably prefer quicker progress but that is just not realistic given Villa's budget.

The side are currently 12th and unbeaten in three games having already played the top four in their opening 12 games. No one is getting complacent as there is clearly room for improvement: to oick up more results at home and get Christian Benteke firing again.

But Villa have one of the youngest sides in the top flight with players who are only going to grow in stature.

Consequently, I think there is little danger of Villa going down this season and they will be a big threat in the FA Cup. They can beat anyone on their day as shown this season against Arsenal and Man City.

So if I was a Villa fan this Christmas, I would indeed go down the German market in Brum and raise a stein to Lambert, who to my mind is clearly turning the club around after flirting with relegation the previous three seasons.

[dave.woodhall]

It's quite scary when James Nursey is being optimistic. Like seeing a smiling policeman.

[Clampy]

It's quite scary when James Nursey is being optimistic. Like seeing a smiling policeman.

I don't read him now because he often sticks the knife in a few weeks afterwards.

[glasses]

Just going back, for me Albrighton showed more quality in the League cup game than Tonev has all season.

Tonev is Lambert's player though, so I don't expect Marc to push him out that easily.

[eastie]

It's quite scary when James Nursey is being optimistic. Like seeing a smiling policeman.

Being a Norwich fan , he is often complimentary towards Lambert although he can sometimes be like a wolf in sheeps clothing  and fan the flames when times are tough.

[villa `cross the mersey]

Dont think we will see a repeat of the night when everything went in - I `ll go  2-1 to the Villa

[ciggiesnbeer]

They had the Wigan/Brighton game on the telly last night. I watched Albrighton. While he is far better than the likes of McClean he is not up the quality of Tonev right now.

Marc delivered some great crosses and was superb positionally, but he was very low energy and slow.

Besides, doesnt Marc primarily play on the right and Tonev primarily on the left?

[Monty]

Just going back, for me Albrighton showed more quality in the League cup game than Tonev has all season.

Tonev is Lambert's player though, so I don't expect Marc to push him out that easily.

I say play both of them. Delph and Westwood sitting deep in midfield with Marc, Gabby and Tonev interchanging behind the Tek. Let's have a real go at these.

[PaulWinch again]

Good to see Luna back if it means Clark can go to centre half. Gardner really needs to start making an impact now.

[eastie]

Good to see Luna back if it means Clark can go to centre half. Gardner really needs to start making an impact now.

Yes , I think the next few months could make or break Gary's villa career - he cannot really afford another injury if he wants a new deal.

Luna is a welcome addition to the squad for the weekend.