WBA v Aston Villa. Play Off Semi Final Second Leg Pre-Match Thread

[Sexual Ealing]

I think they will stack 11 men behind the ball for 80 minutes and then hope to nick a goal as we start to sit back. If it's nil-nil at 80 minutes were going to get a nervous.

We need to score early to make them come at us.

It'd be great to score early but we don't *need* to.

[adrenachrome]

I think they will stack 11 men behind the ball for 80 minutes and then hope to nick a goal as we start to sit back. If it's nil-nil at 80 minutes were going to get a nervous.

We need to score early to make them come at us.

Me too.

Torygraph

Dean Smith expecting attack-minded West Brom in play-off second leg


John Percy

13 May 2019 • 10:30pm



Dean Smith has ramped up the pressure on trailing West Bromwich Albion by insisting they will have to go on the attack in their crunch Championship Play-Off second leg.

Smith, the Aston Villa head coach, is predicting a drastically different encounter to Saturday’s first leg and claims West Brom will have no option but to go on the offensive.

Albion had just 31% possession at Villa Park, with only two shots on target, in an attempt to contain the home team.

Villa responded late on with two goals in four minutes to take a slender advantage into Tuesday night’s rematch at the Hawthorns.

Relegated from the Premier League last year, West Brom’s hopes of reaching the play-off final at Wembley have also suffered a huge blow with the suspensions of Dwight Gayle and Hal Robson-Kanu.

And Smith is convinced Albion’s interim manager James Shan will have to adopt an attacking approach to turn the Midlands derby around.

“I wouldn’t expect a Hawthorns crowd to be happy with them sat behind the ball and to let us have a lot of possession,” he said.

“I’ll be amazed if they’re not different.  I expect a different game, that’s for sure.

“Our mindset for the last 14 games has been to go into it and try to win.

“The players know my mindset, I think if you go and sit back you invite a lot of pressure on your goal, and I’m not comfortable with that. The quality of the players we’ve got, we can score a lot of goals, so you’ve got to utilise that.

“The players will know from me and the staff that nothing is over. We’ve got to go there and put in a really good performance. I didn't feel it was a good performance on Saturday. If we play to our normal standards we’ll be a right threat.”

Albion have beaten Villa and Leeds this season without leading scorer Gayle, however, and Jay Rodriguez has still scored 22 goals.

Mind games, if you ask me.

[SoccerHQ]

Can see WBA playing more of a Pulis game than Saturday.

Their main threat will be from set pieces. Will get more corners than they had on Saturday you'd imagine and Hegazi and Dawson (if he's back) are big old units and both used to score about 5 a season in their prem days.

Brunt can still hit a nice set piece from time to time so we really need to be switched on for them. If Mings is fit and firing he'll head most of them away.

This has a feel of 1-1 which will do very nicely. We'll score so big ask for them to get two just to force extra time.

[adrenachrome]

Can see WBA playing more of a Pulis game than Saturday.

Their main threat will be from set pieces. Will get more corners than they had on Saturday you'd imagine and Hegazi and Dawson (if he's back) are big old units and both used to score about 5 a season in their prem days.

Brunt can still hit a nice set piece from time to time so we really need to be switched on for them. If Mings is fit and firing he'll head most of them away.

This has a feel of 1-1 which will do very nicely. We'll score so big ask for them to get two just to force extra time.

I agree.

If they go for broke with 20 minutes remaining, both teams will have chances.

[Lastfootstamper]

I think they will stack 11 men behind the ball for 80 minutes and then hope to nick a goal as we start to sit back. If it's nil-nil at 80 minutes were going to get a nervous.

We need to score early to make them come at us.

They did that for close to 80 minutes on Saturday, during which time they failed to have a shot on target, and we scored twice. Bring it on, I say, if that's what they want to do, it was evidently a shit tactic for them.

[sid1964]

I think that this is going to be a tough night for us, hopefully we will get the right result and we can look forward to Wembley (might go out for a 2 hour walk as the game kicks off, do not know if my heart will stand the stress of watching!)

[OzVilla]

Im not relaxed at all about this.  I was absolutely resigned to us not getting a sniff of the play offs in February and until last year I never had any inkling how stressful the play offs are for us supporters.

Now i'm struggling to concentrate on much else, thinking about it at night etc.  Half of me is just looking forward to this being over now so I can get on with my life.

I think tomorrow will be tough but we should really have enough to sneak it against this lot.  It's really all about us and how we approach this.  That said i'm going an open 2-2 (I predicted Saturdays result correct in the pre-match thread for the first time ever)

Come on you Lions.

[Abbeyfealeavfc]

Come on Villa boys, let's do this! Keep a clean sheet and we're through, though I would like us to pop one or two in the opposite end. We need to keep our discipline and finish with 11 players on the pitch. The bitters will kick, cheat, feign injury and get up to all sorts to try and gain an advantage. We need to keep our nerve rise above it and show our undoubted class. UTV! FTA!

[Clampy]

I don't really blame them too much for how they set up on Saturday. It worked for them in the first home game and it was working again, as negative as it was. It wouldn't shock me if they started like that again tonight.

[Matt Collins]

Green and hourihane in for me

Think Kodjia all game when they play wing backs is just too risky. No need to give them a tactical advantage

I think we'll try to monopolise the ball and really frustrate them, given they're chasing

That cost us at their place when a ball over the top allowed Barnes and gayle to do us on the break. But neither of them are playing. Rodriguez looked amazing slow on saturday. So I'm hoping we can really pen them  in. A bit like the boro away performance

[walsall villain]

I don’t think Dean Smith’s comments are mind games. I expect Albion  will set up differently and take risks. Just hoping we take our chances when they come and get through. It’s going to be tough and I’m still expecting the outcome to be in the balance with 5 minutes left.

[cheltenhamlion]

I might as well stick this in here.

As mentioned previously I rather stupidly booked a holiday at the start of the year for this week up in North Wales as we clearly weren't going to be involved in any football post the beginning of May...

Anyhow, so far I have had to contend with:

The Welsh nationalist Liverpool fans in Criccieth on Saturday lunchtime, who were rude to the wife as well because I was a Villa fan and they can't get past us ruining Gerrard's birthday. The look on the one chaps face was a picture when Abraham knocked in the penalty. My massive grin and winking at him on the way for a piss before we departed after the game nearly caused a riot. How can you be a Welsh nationalist and support an English team you tosser? I probably shouldn't have said it and just thought it mind.

On Sunday I went into the shop on our holiday park to pick up some red sauce and milk. My only identifying football feature is the Villa on Tour pin badge I have attached to every top this week. And whilst musing over what Bradley Bear stuff to get for my youngest I was accosted by a stripy twat (full kit wanker bar the socks). First words? "That Grealish is a diving ******. It ain't right". Then marvelously, "you woe catch us cheating like that". Pointing out that their front two have more offences of cheating than any others in the world was lost on him (as was calling someone a ****** in front of their 4 year old). We parted on less than amicable terms as he meandered up the road after the paying was done calling me a "fucking seal".

Yesterday we went to Pwhelli on the way back from Caernarfon Castle and I encountered a family of Blues fans at Asda. I still had my badge on but was somewhat surprised to be called a dirty Villa bastard by a kid I would estimate as about six years old whilst contemplating what ice lollies to buy. Blues white away shirt, bollock chain and all. "You must be so proud" was met by what was presumably one of his 9 possible fathers (they were all kitted out in nose clothes, girls/ladies too) with "fuck you, you Villa prick".

Fast forward to last night and we had a quick beer after the Seaside Squad show whilst the boys charged round the soft play area. We got them settled in but I went through my beer quite quickly so reckoned on time for another before putting the tea together back at the caravan. I hadn't reckoned on the stripy twat from a few days before being in front in the queue. Whilst gobbing off about us to his wife he also discussed their plans for the entire day, including where he was watching the game tonight.

I therefore intend to be the same kind of weird stalker I have long argued they are and turn up everywhere the wanker is today. Then sit next to him for the match tonight. The wife doesn't know why that is our days itinerary by the way!

It is very petty and juvenile admittedly and might sound like it is adding to an awful week. Lots here know me personally though and, if you read the fanzine, I am the bloke who does the "I dont like" series of articles.

Rather like Grealish after the Blues game though, this is the best week of my life. The fun you can have winding these fuckers up with just a pin badge is astonishing!

[alanclare]

D: 1-1

[West Derby Villan]

I might as well stick this in here.

As mentioned previously I rather stupidly booked a holiday at the start of the year for this week up in North Wales as we clearly weren't going to be involved in any football post the beginning of May...

Anyhow, so far I have had to contend with:

The Welsh nationalist Liverpool fans in Criccieth on Saturday lunchtime, who were rude to the wife as well because I was a Villa fan and they can't get past us ruining Gerrard's birthday. The look on the one chaps face was a picture when Abraham knocked in the penalty. My massive grin and winking at him on the way for a piss before we departed after the game nearly caused a riot. How can you be a Welsh nationalist and support an English team you tosser? I probably shouldn't have said it and just thought it mind.

On Sunday I went into the shop on our holiday park to pick up some red sauce and milk. My only identifying football feature is the Villa on Tour pin badge I have attached to every top this week. And whilst musing over what Bradley Bear stuff to get for my youngest I was accosted by a stripy twat (full kit wanker bar the socks). First words? "That Grealish is a diving c***. It ain't right". Then marvelously, "you woe catch us cheating like that". Pointing out that their front two have more offences of cheating than any others in the world was lost on him (as was calling someone a c*** in front of their 4 year old). We parted on less than amicable terms as he meandered up the road after the paying was done calling me a "fucking seal".

Yesterday we went to Pwhelli on the way back from Caernarfon Castle and I encountered a family of Blues fans at Asda. I still had my badge on but was somewhat surprised to be called a dirty Villa bastard by a kid I would estimate as about six years old whilst contemplating what ice lollies to buy. Blues white away shirt, bollock chain and all. "You must be so proud" was met by what was presumably one of his 9 possible fathers (they were all kitted out in nose clothes, girls/ladies too) with "fuck you, you Villa prick".

Fast forward to last night and we had a quick beer after the Seaside Squad show whilst the boys charged round the soft play area. We got them settled in but I went through my beer quite quickly so reckoned on time for another before putting the tea together back at the caravan. I hadn't reckoned on the stripy twat from a few days before being in front in the queue. Whilst gobbing off about us to his wife he also discussed their plans for the entire day, including where he was watching the game tonight.

I therefore intend to be the same kind of weird stalker I have long argued they are and turn up everywhere the wanker is today. Then sit next to him for the match tonight. The wife doesn't know why that is our days itinerary by the way!

It is very petty and juvenile admittedly and might sound like it is adding to an awful week. Lots here know me personally though and, if you read the fanzine, I am the bloke who does the "I dont like" series of articles.

Rather like Grealish after the Blues game though, this is the best week of my life. The fun you can have winding these fuckers up with just a pin badge is astonishing!

Keep up the good work mate! UTV

[OzVilla]

No doubt that'll be up on SHA within hours as proof of the whole world hating us when in reality it just proves what a bunch of weird, obsessive stalkers they are.