FA Cup Semi-Final: Aston Villa vs Liverpool Pre-Match Thread

[Villa in Denmark]

Top rant Nev.

[badluckeric(gates)]

I'm going for a win too. Anything can happen and I know we will give it a good go now. I (like a lot of others my age 50+) need this for 'the set'. How cool would it be to say I have seen them win everything!
I'm guessing theres a few on her 58+ who can already claim that eh.

[Jon Crofts]

2-1 Villa.  Benteke & Clark for us someone else for them.

[Dave]

2-1 Villa.  Benteke & Clark for us someone else for them.

Is Clark not likely to be sitting this one out?

[TopDeck113]

After this morning's news I've a terrible foreboding that Monday's headlines will be: STERLING HAS THE LAST LAUGH

[Villa in Denmark]

I'm going for a win too. Anything can happen and I know we will give it a good go now. I (like a lot of others my age 50+) need this for 'the set'. How cool would it be to say I have seen them win everything!
I'm guessing theres a few on her 58+ who can already claim that eh.

For all we moan about the state of the club, football in general anyone in their mid 40s will probably only be missing the holy grail to complete the set, and have seen us win more than most top flight clubs in our lifetimes.

Even someone who started in the 90s has seen us win 2 league cups which is more than most clubs have achieved in their entire history.

[Damo70]

the national media are having a thing for Gerrard, mainly ex football pundits
and obviously all the red scousers will want their team to win

but don't get thinking that all the whole nation is behind Liverpool,
 everyone I meet wants us to win, we will be the nations favourites come sunday most nuetrals will be behind us in the semi,

I don't buy into this Gerrard thing as being as popular as people think, around here where I am no one can stand him and are desperate for him to be crying again

That's the thing with the national media, they seem to be incapable of realising that the rest of us, non Liverpool fans, don't see Gerrard as some sort of departing hero to be waved off with a white hankie.

Same when "English" teams play in the CL. They always seem to assume the nation is behind these teams because they play in our league, whereas actually, the default setting of fans of other PL clubs should be to want them to fail, as the better they do, the more money they rake in, and the bigger the financial gap gets.

Try explaining that to the media, though, when you have morons like Tydlesley creaming his pants at Liverpool playing some Bulgarian side and buying into that "the whole nation is behind you" bullshit.

Danny Baker has been going on about this lately. It's because the media, advertisers and those running the game are so sheilded from the real world in their corporate style universe. No interaction with supporters whatsoever, a seperate, steralised existance away from the £56 seat in front of a roof support, away from the bile and abuse batted back and forth between rival fans, with no memory at all of aberrations by the players that they laud, of the twisted hypocrisy of so many managers and turning a blind eye towards the direction in which the game travels, gerrymandered by the adminstrators to reflect the fantasy world created in the name of money. Where we all love the game above our clubs, where the EPL is king, where half and half scarves become the norm and where everyone wants Stevie G to lift the FA Cup.

Fuck them.

When I was on a YTS college training scheme after leaving school there was always a copy of The Sun and The Star knocking around at lunchtime. This was 1987/1988. They both turned into Liverpool fanzines for a while around that time. Two page specials everyday talking about 'Aldo' and 'Beardo' and 'Barnesy'. I think Liverpool must have also changed their name for a year or two back then because all the headlines said things like 'Houghton signs for The Kop' or 'The Kop made it four wins in a row'. For all the talk about the London press the media don't seem to expect us all to be chuffed when Chelsea or Arsenal win something but if United or Liverpool do we are all supposed to be part of the celebrations for some reason.

[Hookeysmith]

If ever there are a bunch of supporters / people who conform to their stereotype its this lot. In my time they have more "out of town" tourist fans that Man United and the London clubs combined. A bigger sense of entitlement you will not find amongst even the most obnoxious of United and Chelsea fans than 'The Mighty Reds YNWA' fans and the cheeky scouser with the GSOH is in itself a parody of what they are actually like.
For every tragedy like Hillsborough they can claims was someone else's fault they seem very mute about the deaths they did cause in Hysel not to mention the endless muggings and slashings of fans around the country

Only Manchester United bring out a larger loathing for a football club as this lot

Hope we knock the bollocks out of them

[pauliewalnuts]

Those of us who grew up in the 70s and 80s and thus had year after year of Liverpool winning almost everything, whilst also being the single JAMMIEST club on earth, to the sound of a loving media will always harbour a hate for Liverpool.

I've also always loathed Man United, but even the Sky-driven two decade long Man United love-in paled in comparison to Liverpool back then.

[LeeB]

Those of us who grew up in the 70s and 80s and thus had year after year of Liverpool winning almost everything, whilst also being the single JAMMIEST club on earth, to the sound of a loving media will always harbour a hate for Liverpool.

I've also always loathed Man United, but even the Sky-driven two decade long Man United love-in paled in comparison to Liverpool back then.

True dat.

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

I'm going for a win too. Anything can happen and I know we will give it a good go now. I (like a lot of others my age 50+) need this for 'the set'. How cool would it be to say I have seen them win everything!
I'm guessing theres a few on her 58+ who can already claim that eh.

For all we moan about the state of the club, football in general anyone in their mid 40s will probably only be missing the holy grail to complete the set, and have seen us win more than most top flight clubs in our lifetimes.

Even someone who started in the 90s has seen us win 2 league cups which is more than most clubs have achieved in their entire history.

The problem is those 2 League cup wins were 19-21 years ago; so to remember Villa's last proper trophy, you'd have to be in your mid-late 20s.

I think I'm right in saying that this is the longest trophy-less streak in our history.

[Richard E]

I'm going for a win too. Anything can happen and I know we will give it a good go now. I (like a lot of others my age 50+) need this for 'the set'. How cool would it be to say I have seen them win everything!
I'm guessing theres a few on her 58+ who can already claim that eh.

For all we moan about the state of the club, football in general anyone in their mid 40s will probably only be missing the holy grail to complete the set, and have seen us win more than most top flight clubs in our lifetimes.

Even someone who started in the 90s has seen us win 2 league cups which is more than most clubs have achieved in their entire history.

The problem is those 2 League cup wins were 19-21 years ago; so to remember Villa's last proper trophy, you'd have to be in your mid-late 20s.

I think I'm right in saying that this is the longest trophy-less streak in our history.

In fairness to Lerner, we did go from the Big Bang to 1874 without winning anything either, and that was an even longer period.

[PeterWithesShin]

37 years between cup wins in 1920 and 1957. Less the war years.

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

Ok, our post-war history!

[DeKuip]

The FA Cup final is the day after the 30th anniversary of Heysel.
Should the unthinkable happen on Sunday it will be interesting to see if a player's birthday gets more attention.