Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa Pre-Match Thread

[sirlordbaltimore]

Covering all bases ...

We'll either take a 'welcome back the the premier league' spanking 4-0 or we'll surprise a few and get a score draw

I couldn't call it. Absolutely no idea how it's going to pan out. Pre season has taught us nothing if we're honest.

Here's hoping these players can be as good as well all hope.

[avfcpg]

Gonna be really interesting to see how we cope against an excellent prem side. It's a whole different ball game now, no matter how many they have out. 
The reality struck me when we played Leipzig where I thought we were second best for a good 60 mins and Jack and McGinn were stifled until the last 30 mins. In fact, but for Heaton we would have been a few down.
That said, we have youth, energy, talent, pace and a manager who seems tactically astute and attack minded. That's not a bad combo in this league. Stay up, give them a season in the prem and we might just surprise a few.
Taking this game as a bit of a free hit.... no expectations and our season won't be defined by our results against the top 6.

[ChicagoLion]

I think our midfield are going to get the run around.

[bjfoster]

I think our midfield are going to get the run around.

This is my worry. Especially without a defensive midfielder in there and the midfield being Spurs strong point.

[Des Little]

I'm clinging to the hope of a re-run of 1978.

[Damo70]

Morning! My first game was at villa park, semi final v leicester. Great english football stadium.

Anyway, welcome back to the first division. Our starting eleven will most likely be 4-2-3-1

Lloris
Walker-Peters Sánchez Vertonghen Rose
Winks Sissoko
Moura Eriksen Lamela
Kane

Dont expect to see Lo Celso/Sessegnon in the squad, NDombele on the bench.

Good luck!

That is still a very good side but I am happy Dele Ali and Son are both out. My first Villa game was a 0-3 defeat at home to Manchester United in 1979. My second game and the first time I saw us win was a couple of weeks later when we beat Spurs 1-0. As for your first game I seem to remember Spurs won 2-0 and it was arounfd the time of the Falklands war. I think Ricky Villa was left out of the side and Ossie Ardiles got booed and then went to France for a while.

[BoVillan esq]

Would love the draw, if we are to lose the opener then hopefully keep it a respectable 2-1, pity we couldn't get any real Premiership experience in for precisely this kind of game.   

[VillaMart58]

Win, lose or draw (hopefully win of course!) really looking forward to tomorrow. Great to be back in the Prem and this has provided the opportunity to visit Tottenham’s new stadium for the first time.

This being the case, do we have any suggestions as to where to go for a pre-match drink? Choices were limited at the old White Hart Lane and I suspect even more so now, given that their attendances have virtually doubled.

I am on the train tomorrow so thinking central London for the pre-match pint, but would welcome any suggestions that are nearer to the stadium.

[exigo]

Win, lose or draw (hopefully win of course!) really looking forward to tomorrow. Great to be back in the Prem and this has provided the opportunity to visit Tottenham’s new stadium for the first time.

This being the case, do we have any suggestions as to where to go for a pre-match drink? Choices were limited at the old White Hart Lane and I suspect even more so now, given that their attendances have virtually doubled.

I am on the train tomorrow so thinking central London for the pre-match pint, but would welcome any suggestions that are nearer to the stadium.

The Irish Centre is (I believe) still open for away fans – that's certainly where we're heading, before getting to the ground a bit earlier for a mooch around. The Elmshurst is the other designated away boozer, but a bit further away.

The other difference from the old ground is that you apparently need to approach it from Worcester Avenue, effectively the opposite direction than the old ground.

[john e]

Ive only seen us win twice at WHL before

1979 2-0 Geddis Cowans     Spurs might have got 1 i can't remember
and 1990 2-0 Ormandroyd Platt    to go top of the league (it didn't last )
on both occasions got caught up with a load of bother on leaving the stadium

hoping to make it a hat trick tomorrow ( but without the trouble )

[Steve67]

I was there the year Mark Walters got both the goals. They had only one Lineker shot on goal all afternoon. We won 2-0 and I hope for something similar tomorrow.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Really hope Wesley can get off the mark early on in his career with us.

I'll just be happy if he doesn't get sent off and ruin all our pre-season planning. It's something that's been nagging me these last few weeks. He's a bit of a hot head and needs to curb his temper. Scoring a hattrick tomorrow should help cool his nerves.

[Mister E]

I was there the year Mark Walters got both the goals. They had only one Lineker shot on goal all afternoon. We won 2-0 and I hope for something similar tomorrow.

I don't think Walters will score tomorrow.

[Spurs]

Morning! My first game was at villa park, semi final v leicester. Great english football stadium.

Anyway, welcome back to the first division. Our starting eleven will most likely be 4-2-3-1

Lloris
Walker-Peters Sánchez Vertonghen Rose
Winks Sissoko
Moura Eriksen Lamela
Kane

Dont expect to see Lo Celso/Sessegnon in the squad, NDombele on the bench.

Good luck!

That is still a very good side but I am happy Dele Ali and Son are both out. My first Villa game was a 0-3 defeat at home to Manchester United in 1979. My second game and the first time I saw us win was a couple of weeks later when we beat Spurs 1-0. As for your first game I seem to remember Spurs won 2-0 and it was arounfd the time of the Falklands war. I think Ricky Villa was left out of the side and Ossie Ardiles got booed and then went to France for a while.

Good memory. As a young boy seeing (hearing) the hatred aimed at ardiles was such a shock. My family are all leicester fans (yeap, copped it shed loads the other year lol). I went with spurs because, and I quote, 'they didn't put snow on it'.

One of the best games I've ever seen was against villa, our 125 year anniversary. What a game!

All the best!

[brontebilly]

Is it really beginning to grate on anyone else how all these so called 'experts' are predicting how much we are going to struggle and we are in a dog fight to survive?

There is so much trash in this league, I mean seriously how many Bournemouth, Brighton, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Newcastle, Norwich, Sheff Utd, Southampton and Watford players would get in our side? Yet these 'experts' have the likes of Bournemouth and Burnley riding high and us as relegation fodder.

I can really see us around 10th most the season and with a bit of luck going our way even higher.

The bookies have us sixth favourites to go down which is reasonable enough I think. Palace and Newcastle look particularly vulnerable on paper. Those two and Norwich to go for me. Keep Grealish and McGinn fit and we should be comfortably mid table.