Aston Villa v Tottingham Hotspurts - Pre Match Thread - Sunday - 19.30

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

As I remember Villa always used to beat Spurs

They were a soft touch mid table side back then. They've been better the last few years , but right now I would say they have returned to being a soft touch mid table side again.

Gary Lineker never scored a goal at VP, for anybody at any level.

https://twitter.com/GaryLineker/status/566905455315005440/photo/1

[FrankyH]

I remember a Spurs fan telling me (probably well over ten years ago, at work) that they had never finished in the top or bottom 6 of the premier league.

[Villatillidie1982]

Code: [Select]

Lets not forget Chas & Fucking Dave either, wash out yer gills and jellied eels are good for yer brain.

They made a lot of money out of Spurs and weren't even Spurs fans.

[JuanMartinez]

Gods goal and Yorkie winner always stands out for me circa 96?

[robbo1874]

As I remember Villa always used to beat Spurs

They were a soft touch mid table side back then. They've been better the last few years , but right now I would say they have returned to being a soft touch mid table side again.

Gary Lineker never scored a goal at VP, for anybody at any level.

https://twitter.com/GaryLineker/status/566905455315005440/photo/1

nice Gary stat. I saw his old man a few times in Leicester market.

[richtheholtender]

I remember a Spurs fan telling me (probably well over ten years ago, at work) that they had never finished in the top or bottom 6 of the premier league.

Didn’t it take take them until 05 or something to finish in the top six of the premier league? “The big six”

[RamboandBruno]

A few memories of games against Spurs at VP. One of my first few games as a youngster, Boxing Day or thereabouts, a 0-0 with Alan Brazil up front for them, maybe 83? My sister was friends from childhood with Brendan Ormsby and we got in the players lounge afterwards. Nigel Spink was sitting with us and I remember Peter Withe standing at the bar.  I was only about 8 or 9 and one of my regrets is that I was probably too young to appreciate it and I can’t remember it clearly now.
First game of the season 86-87, Bob Wilson had just tipped us as outsiders for the league, full of optimism and expectation as a teenager in the Holte, soon evaporated with a Clive Allen hatrick and the rest is history for that season.
Under the lights at VP when we were in the Div 2, playing them in the league cup and beating them 2-1.
First season back up the following year, seeing Gazza close up, but beating them 2-1 I think.
Collymore having one of his few great games for villa and us destroying them 4-1 on Boxing Day 97.
Hasn’t been so good in recent years, would love to beat them tonight.

[brontebilly]

Any chance of us possibly going with wing backs tonight if Jack is out? We urgently need to try something different and the wingers clearly aren't working. Cash and Targett will be comfortable pushing on.

-----------------Martinez
-------Konsa, Engels, Mings
Cash, Luiz, Nakamba, McGinn, Targett
--------Traore/Barks, Watkins

[Clampy]

Any chance of us possibly going with wing backs tonight if Jack is out? We urgently need to try something different and the wingers clearly aren't working. Cash and Targett will be comfortable pushing on.

-----------------Martinez
-------Konsa, Engels, Mings
Cash, Luiz, Nakamba, McGinn, Targett
--------Traore/Barks, Watkins

That's actually not a bad idea although I think he'll understandbly want to keep a settled back four if he can. I'd like to see maybe one or two of the kids feature.

[JuanMartinez]

With the Second highest clean sheets, massively improved on last season, why on earth would we change formation and bring in someone who hasn’t featured all season - rightly / wrongly.

[Risso]

Any chance of us possibly going with wing backs tonight if Jack is out? We urgently need to try something different and the wingers clearly aren't working. Cash and Targett will be comfortable pushing on.

-----------------Martinez
-------Konsa, Engels, Mings
Cash, Luiz, Nakamba, McGinn, Targett
--------Traore/Barks, Watkins

I suggested that a couple of weeks ago, trouble is I think you need Hause fit to even consider it. No way is Smith bringing in Engels for his first match this season in a rearranged defence and formation. Cash and Targett would make very good wing backs though, I reckon. You'd also need Jack to make it work as one of the two up front, in a free role behind Ollie. Otherwise you're having to play one of Trez/El Ghazi/Traore, and none of them can be relied on.

[JuanMartinez]

Any chance of us possibly going with wing backs tonight if Jack is out? We urgently need to try something different and the wingers clearly aren't working. Cash and Targett will be comfortable pushing on.

-----------------Martinez
-------Konsa, Engels, Mings
Cash, Luiz, Nakamba, McGinn, Targett
--------Traore/Barks, Watkins

I suggested that a couple of weeks ago, trouble is I think you need Hause fit to even consider it. No way is Smith bringing in Engels for his first match this season in a rearranged defence and formation. Cash and Targett would make very good wing backs though, I reckon. You'd also need Jack to make it work as one of the two up front, in a free role behind Ollie. Otherwise you're having to play one of Trez/El Ghazi/Traore, and none of them can be relied on.

Two half of brains don’t make a whole one.

[Drummond]

I've seen some evidence of that on here recently. Though I'm sure that was more like one whole brain doesn't equate to a half of another.

[JuanMartinez]

I've seen some evidence of that on here recently. Though I'm sure that was more like one whole brain doesn't equate to a half of another.

Post of the day.

[SoccerHQ]

If you look at the line up Spurs can put out against us it’s difficult to see how we are going to win without Jack.
We have to hope that they don’t like each other and have stopped playing for the manager.

Most of their players actually aren't that much better than what we've got. Would anyone seriously take Dier and Sanchez as CBs ahead of Konsa and Mings.

For all the stick we give El Ghazi he's scored 7 goals this season. Lucas Moura in about 15 more games has 9 goals for the season.

And likes of Sissoko and Hojiberg I find incredibly average midfield players. Certainly if we sign either of them I wouldn't be expecting us to break top 6 anytime soon.

That's over half the team of what will be playing tomorrow and it's largely been reflected in their results over last three months.

We will never be a top team again unless we shake off the feeling we can barely do anything in games Grealish dosen't play so that's something we simply have to improve on next season and winning v this sort of opposition without him would be a major boost.

Reading some of the posts above seems like we need a Paul e (how on earth can you predict us to lose to West Ham away) or John e rousing pre match pep talk (wink).

They have Moura Bale Ali Ndombole Reguilon and Kane. We could not beat Newcastle without Their 3 best players.
So hardly a surprise to think that us without Jack ( 4 wins from 24) May struggle.

Some decent names there but more for what they've done in the past, Moura for example has largely scored and assisted as much as El Ghazi has this season and we mostly see Anwar as one of our weaker starting players. Reguillon good player but Targett been excellent so far, one of best LBs in the league.

Not sure what Dele Alli has done in last two years to suggest he'll make a major impact on game tonight compared to Barkley, it's pretty much identical career paths for them.

There will be 4-5 Spurs playing starting tonight who wouldn't make us any stronger if we signed them in the summer. I'd say the Arsenal and Leicester 11s are much stronger and we beat one recently and narrowly lost to Leicester without Jack so forgive me if I don't think they'll just knock 3 or 4 past us without breaking sweat when their recent form suggests the exact opposite.