Aston Villa vs Birmingham City Pre-Match Thread

[Percy McCarthy]

Not many tickets been sold in the first week? Holte looks very sparse on the online ticketing.

It's not open to gen sale yet

It never will be open to general sale. The game will not be a sell out because of this. You HAVE to have a booking history.

Is the correct answer... my lad has been given a few rare days off that coincide with the game so I enquired at the TO today and was told that if he doesn't have a ref number he will not get a ticket as they are not going on general sale.

Thank goodness those two thousand Zulus have such a varied booking history from last season, or there'd be hardly anybody there, like at B-lose.

[cheltenhamlion]

In fairness, I hope they do the "all come in the same blue seat fancy dress" thing at ours like they do at home matches. It is quite the spectacle. Like New Zealand with their Haka or the Olbiyun complaining "tay fair".

[Villa in Denmark]

Calling Blues Small Heath is not detrimental i believe that within the cauldron of St Andrews Blues sing it themselves in fact.

As for the ticket situation I'm sure it will improve and the away contingent shall enjoy singing their anthems towards their fellows in the away end.

Cauldron would about right.

Small tiny pot full of unmentionable shit as some bat shit crazy sado tries to conjure up a magic potion to give powers beyond their normal capability. (In your case that would appear to the ability to communicate in English properly.)

I'd stick to the Carlsberg Special Brew if I were you. More chance of convincing yourself all the usual rhetoric and bollocks is true.

See you on the coach car park shall I?

[philly]

Perhaps as an interlude to this chest thumping and bravado, you’d welcome a view from a Bluenose on the other side of the Atlantic.

I’ve supported The Blues since I was 6, which is more decades than I’d like to admit.  As Birmingham fans we’re used to disappointment, as it’s frequently piled on top of us.  As a balance, watching Villa’s remarkable lack of achievement over the past 30 years can deliver an exquisite level of schadenfreude.  Has anyone every calculated the income you’ve received and wasted from Sky over the decades? Has it reached a billion pounds yet?   In comparison, our own financial tightrope walk is almost what we’ve come to expect.  From essential bankruptcy, through the porn baron years, via a imprisoned Hong Kong hairdresser, to the appointment of Ernest and Young who will hopefully oversee a sale which would put us on a more stable platform.  Whatever you think about The Blues, it’s rarely boring.  Can the same be said about following Villa over recent years?

However, about the upcoming game:
Birmingham’s primary focus this season has to be on the league.   The financial chasm between the Premier League and everyone else is widening, and at some point may become too wide for any club to bridge.  Despite the off field chaos, GR has taken a collection of generally average players who, under Lee Clark’s tutelage looked like they’d never played the game before, and forged a strong team spirit where each player knows what’s expected of them.  The club has a happy vibe at the moment and we can only hope to keep hold of GR to continue his work.

The results so far this season are far better than I expected, and though there’s a very long way to go, there is some sliver of optimism that we might stand a chance of at least making the play-offs.  We have 3 league games before the trip across the city, and then another 2 before the end of the month.  A hectic schedule, which will require GR to prioritise.  Our squad is not deep and a few injuries will weaken us severely.

Expect to see a lot of the ball.  Our average possession under GR must be hovering at about the 35% mark.  We rely on counter-attacking, assuming we can stay solid at the back.  Having watched a couple of your games this season on NBC, I’m not yet impressed by your attacking threat.  You’ve several new players who may still be bedding in, but the loss of Benteke is huge.  As an aside, though Gabby A always seems to score against us, I think he’s looked very poor this season (and put on quite a bit of weight?).

Being realistic, and assuming that both managers can, and do play full strength teams, I would expect you to win in 90 minutes about 6/10 times.  We’d head to extra time 3/10 and you’d win 2 of those.  The last 10% of the time we’d win in 90 minutes.  We have nothing to lose and have some extremely fond memories of evening matches against you.  In reality, the 5 league matches in September may have a greater bearing on the future trajectory of the club.

Lastly, I hope the knuckle-draggers on both sides of the aisle stay at home, don’t drag the city’s reputation into disrepute and don’t threaten the majority of supporters who just want to enjoy a match with an intense atmosphere.  I think they happen too rarely nowadays.

KRO!

[Pete3206]

I'll be glad when this nonsense is done and we're waiting for the 4th round draw.

[Risso]

Perhaps as an interlude to this chest thumping and bravado, you’d welcome a view from a Bluenose on the other side of the Atlantic.

I’ve supported The Blues since I was 6, which is more decades than I’d like to admit.  As Birmingham fans we’re used to disappointment, as it’s frequently piled on top of us.  As a balance, watching Villa’s remarkable lack of achievement over the past 30 years can deliver an exquisite level of schadenfreude.  Has anyone every calculated the income you’ve received and wasted from Sky over the decades? Has it reached a billion pounds yet?   In comparison, our own financial tightrope walk is almost what we’ve come to expect.  From essential bankruptcy, through the porn baron years, via a imprisoned Hong Kong hairdresser, to the appointment of Ernest and Young who will hopefully oversee a sale which would put us on a more stable platform.  Whatever you think about The Blues, it’s rarely boring.  Can the same be said about following Villa over recent years?

However, about the upcoming game:
Birmingham’s primary focus this season has to be on the league.   The financial chasm between the Premier League and everyone else is widening, and at some point may become too wide for any club to bridge.  Despite the off field chaos, GR has taken a collection of generally average players who, under Lee Clark’s tutelage looked like they’d never played the game before, and forged a strong team spirit where each player knows what’s expected of them.  The club has a happy vibe at the moment and we can only hope to keep hold of GR to continue his work.

The results so far this season are far better than I expected, and though there’s a very long way to go, there is some sliver of optimism that we might stand a chance of at least making the play-offs.  We have 3 league games before the trip across the city, and then another 2 before the end of the month.  A hectic schedule, which will require GR to prioritise.  Our squad is not deep and a few injuries will weaken us severely.

Expect to see a lot of the ball.  Our average possession under GR must be hovering at about the 35% mark.  We rely on counter-attacking, assuming we can stay solid at the back.  Having watched a couple of your games this season on NBC, I’m not yet impressed by your attacking threat.  You’ve several new players who may still be bedding in, but the loss of Benteke is huge.  As an aside, though Gabby A always seems to score against us, I think he’s looked very poor this season (and put on quite a bit of weight?).

Being realistic, and assuming that both managers can, and do play full strength teams, I would expect you to win in 90 minutes about 6/10 times.  We’d head to extra time 3/10 and you’d win 2 of those.  The last 10% of the time we’d win in 90 minutes.  We have nothing to lose and have some extremely fond memories of evening matches against you.  In reality, the 5 league matches in September may have a greater bearing on the future trajectory of the club.

Lastly, I hope the knuckle-draggers on both sides of the aisle stay at home, don’t drag the city’s reputation into disrepute and don’t threaten the majority of supporters who just want to enjoy a match with an intense atmosphere.  I think they happen too rarely nowadays.

KRO!

I'm always disappointed when a Bloser with half a brain cell and opposable thumbs arrives, it ruins all the prejudices I have.  Less of it please.

[PeterWithesShin]

And yet it still contains digs about us.

[Percy McCarthy]

If it's rarely boring, how come hardly anybody bothers going?

[dave.woodhall]

And yet it still contains digs about us.

Opinion - it's a bit different from "you is all from Wusta and wee is gonna sit in de Olt"

[Walmley_Villa]

My youngest is at school in Solihull although we are from and live in Sutton. As such I am spending quite a bit of time on the 'wrong side' of town. Tbh I have seen as many Villa as Bloos fans and don't feel the slightest bit intimidated over there. Sutton is in my opinion a lot more anti Bloos than Solihull is anti Villa. The fuckers are surrounded and outnumbered just as they have always been, that's what they hate the most.

[PeterWithesShin]

It's different, and better hidden than the childish guff from Chris and Jason, but it's still there. They just can't help themselves.

[dave.woodhall]

It's different, and better hidden than the childish guff from Chris and Jason, but it's still there. They just can't help themselves.

He's talking about us playing them so it's hardly surprising, and he's not saying anything we don't say ourselves.

[philly]

And yet it still contains digs about us.

Opinion - it's a bit different from "you is all from Wusta and wee is gonna sit in de Olt"

Yes, there is opinion for which I don't apologise.  I've tried to be honest and balanced, perhaps even given a relatively unbiased view (I'm allowed to be slightly delusional).

You should all be apoplectic about the amount of money that's been wasted by your club for at best mediocre, relegation avoiding results.
You have been in the Premier League since it's inception, but are only achieving at a level similar to the clubs that bounce  between divisions.
"Where's the money gone Tom?"

[PeterWithesShin]

It's different, and better hidden than the childish guff from Chris and Jason, but it's still there. They just can't help themselves.

He's talking about us playing them so it's hardly surprising, and he's not saying anything we don't say ourselves.

It's hardly surprising he registers on a Villa site and then has a few digs at us.

[pauliewalnuts]

You have been in the Premier League since it's inception, but are only achieving at a level similar to the clubs that bounce  between divisions.

Currently, or for the last four years. You make it sound like we've been like that since the PL inception.