Aston Villa vs Swansea Pre-Match Thread

[Ozzjim]

I can see us being 2 down in 15 minutes if Swansea are up for it.

[silhillvilla]

Guzan
Hutton
Clark
Baker
Lowton
Herd
Sylla
Delph
Gardner
Agbonlahor
Benteke
Not in any particular order.

who's playing left back ?

Hanks

[adrenachrome]

Independent

Last Christmas Aston Villa shipped 15 goals without reply. Manager Paul Lambert did not panic and neither did his employer, Randy Lerner.

Villa clambered to safety, Lerner invested in seven signings at a net £10m deficit, and they won at Arsenal on the opening day. Optimism returned for the first time since Martin O’Neill left.

That heady win at the Emirates is now seen for what it was: a mirage. Villa have lost four on the trot leaving them three points clear of the drop after Thursday’s home defeat by Crystal Palace.

Today they are back at Villa Park, facing Swansea City, but that is of little solace to a team with the worst home goalscoring record in the country – six in 18 games. A counter-attacking approach beat Arsenal and Manchester City but fails against teams who sit back.

On Boxing Day the crowd finally turned on their side and there were reports that Andreas Weimann reacted to abuse. Barry Bannan, the former Villa player who excelled for Palace, said: “I played here and it’s hard to play your normal game when the fans get on your back. It takes big characters.”

Lambert hopes his team  has the courage to block out the jeers. “This is a big club, pressure goes with that,” he said. “I know what it’s like. I lost my first three games at Celtic, people were saying ‘go back to Dortmund’. That was 60,000 saying I was not good enough until I got a grip of it.

“So I know criticism, but this team are young, they need support. People talk about the bravery of going in for a tackle and blood, guts and thunder. Bravery is also taking a ball in front of 40,000 in an area where people just shy away from it. We are a million miles from where I want to be and the lads are edgy, but as long as they don’t hide I’ll never criticise them.”

[Isa]

At least Westwood is back so we can drop the hapless KEA.

Is Westwood much better than El Ahmadi? Not in my eyes.

He isn't and against Swansea if we are to stand any chance, we will need an intense pressing game. Something KEA can offer whilst Westwood is the most pathetic off-the-ball player you'll likely to see.

KEA wasn't even that against Palace, certainly no worse then Delph. Yet he still got the usual scapegoating he always gets on here.

[Monty]

Westwood was really good on and off the ball last season, I really can't believe what's happened to him.

[David_Nab]

At least Westwood is back so we can drop the hapless KEA.

Is Westwood much better than El Ahmadi? Not in my eyes.

He isn't and against Swansea if we are to stand any chance, we will need an intense pressing game. Something KEA can offer whilst Westwood is the most pathetic off-the-ball player you'll likely to see.

KEA wasn't even that against Palace, certainly no worse then Delph. Yet he still got the usual scapegoating he always gets on here.

Delph was being slated where I was sitting all match harshly in my view.KEA he is tidy enough and he chases around well enough.But his tackling is pretty poor and his passing is tidy but unspectacular.Work's best in a 3 man midfield for me.Westwood off the ball I agree is poor
especially when defending.

[Isa]

Delph was being slated where I was sitting all match harshly in my view.KEA he is tidy enough and he chases around well enough.But his tackling is pretty poor and his passing is tidy but unspectacular.Work's best in a 3 man midfield for me.Westwood off the ball I agree is poor
especially when defending.

This is factually untrue though as KEA is the 4th best tackler in the league so far this season.

Westwood was really good on and off the ball last season, I really can't believe what's happened to him.

I'm sorry, he was never good off the ball last season bar his first few starts. The ease at which opposition players could just play up to our area was embarrassing, he never got stuck  in and bothered to tackle nor did he track any opposition runs from midfield. People though chose to ignore this and put all the blame on Bannan instead.

[pbavfckuwait]

Calmed down after Boxing day, want a Villa win however it comes, because we need some stability at the club, changing managers every 12 to 18 months is not working mainly down to the people picking them, so a 1-0 to the Villa, mind you Mumbles lose and I will want your head, I am not fickle I just love the Villa and hate losing .

[ciggiesnbeer]

Sure could use a win.

[rob_bridge]

Sure could use a win.

Any type would do - can't see it mind.

[Merv]

Bloody hell - our scoring record at home is poor enough without the Indy making it six in 18! Away games don't count as home matches...

[brontebilly]

if ever there was a side set up to expose our limitations, its Swansea. This is likely to be very painful.

very difficult to see what kind of side we can put out to get a result. at least put in players that are capable of pressing Swansea high up the park.

Id go with

--------------Guzan
Lowton, Clark, Baker, Hutton
----------Herd, Delph---------
Bacuna, Gardner, Albrighton
-------------Gabby------------

wouldnt be against Delph moving to left back.

the players we have available will crumble when the crowd turns against them and the management. this is going to be a horrible day I fear. If they score early on we will be hammered.

[rob_bridge]

70% think we will lose at home to Swansea.

Have the rest of you gone mad?

[Tayls_7]

70% think we will lose at home to Swansea.

Have the rest of you gone mad?

Sorry have you just been released by the Taliban this morning?

[UK Redsox]

Can Hutton play? I didn't think that he was in the squad