Aston Villa vs Manchester United Pre-Match Thread

[simon ward 50]

Do we have to play them?

[silhillvilla]

Shutting Carrick down is the key. If we allow him to conduct the game it will be a very long 90 mins

[Clampy]

Shutting Carrick down is the key. If we allow him to conduct the game it will be a very long 90 mins

He's not that good and besides, he'll probably be playing in defence.

[silhillvilla]

Shutting Carrick down is the key. If we allow him to conduct the game it will be a very long 90 mins

He's not that good and besides, he'll probably be playing in defence.

I disagree, he IS that good. And even playing CB he can orchestrate a game.
Yaniteds impressive run has coincided with one thing - the return of Michael Carrick. Coincidence ? Personally I think not.

[Ads]

Their good run coicides with their goalkeeper making save after save after save.

[PeterWithesShin]

Their decent run started before Carrick was back. They had lost only 1 only in 5 before that and that defeat was at Citeh when they had 10 men for nearly an hour. Although Carrick did come on in that game.

[silhillvilla]

Each to their own opinions but since he's been back they've won straight 6. I'm not Yanited fan and I don't look forward to seeing them win at villa but the £27 admission on Saturday will be largely worth it even if we lose to see some quality play , carrick is brilliant at what he does, very much a footballers footballer.

[supertom]

I don't care who they're going to put out on the pitch. In form, off form. We're an absolute joy for Utd to play. In need of goal? We'll gift it to you. In need of a comfortable win with nary a bead of sweat broken? Merry Christmas.

[Walmley_Villa]

I work with a Utd ST holder (from Salford) and he tells me Carrick makes them tick. Maybe get Weimann to do a closing job like he does on Gerrard at Anfield?

[silhillvilla]

Get gabby to do his bloody job for once and chase the ball when it's with their defence not just trot about looking uninterested and cold.

[tomd2103]

I work with a Utd ST holder (from Salford) and he tells me Carrick makes them tick. Maybe get Weimann to do a closing job like he does on Gerrard at Anfield?

If the weekend was anything to go by, Carrick will playing in the middle of a back three.  I would personally put Benteke on his toes with the instruction to make things very awkward for him. 

[tomd2103]

Slight tangent, and not aimed at anyone on this thread at the moment, just a general point, but I'll never understand why Villa fans who pick and choose their games so often pick this one.

When I pick and choose, my first instinct is to pick one we're likely to get something out of, rather than one where year after year we get either fuck all, or exceptionally close to it.

Same here. As finances dictate I have to pick and choose, it's why i'm doing Leicester and Sunderland and skipping this one. Plus Leicester and Sunderland will cost me the same as this one game would. No brainer for me.

That Hogg/Bannan game was the last time I was at VP for a game against them and i've had a ST nearly every year since then. The time before that was the game where Scholes scored that screamer.

I think those were my two last Man United matches, too.

That Scholes goal was one of the best I've ever seen at Villa Park. What a player he was.

He was also a cheating bastard and would've been sent off for the multitude of yellow card offences he committed prior to that goal had he played for any other club.

It has become an accepted truth in the SKY era that Paul Scholes was one of the genuine greats.  He was obviously a very good player, but was he really up there with the likes of Zidane?  Thinking back, did he really produce on the international stage like players of that stature did?  I seem to remember him being shifted around to accommodate other players in central midfield. 

I accept that my intense dislike of 'Man Yoo' might cloud my judgement on him!!

[PeterWithesShin]

I'm not sure I like our new kit for this game!

[Dave]

I seem to remember him being shifted around to accommodate other players in central midfield. 

That's really more of an indictment on the talents of two or three England managers though rather than Scholes ability.

[tom jennings III]

I hated Scholes as a Man Utd player but in the cold light of day I think he was as close as England have got to producing a world-class midfielder in the last 20 years. Probably not up there with Zidane but then who is?! Xavi said he was the best player he's ever played against and he must know a thing or two about a thing or two.

Anyway back on topic, I fear the absolute worst for this game but there is a the tiniest glimmer of hope that we'll chose this game to buck the trend of the entire season and actually go after a game. Utd are frail at the back and if we set up in the correct way and play to win I think we can do so.