Arsenal v Aston Villa Pre Match

[ChicagoLion]

The team selection will be fascinating. He must know that he needs to pull something out the bag. Who will he look in the eye and hand the shirt to?

[UK Redsox]

Sort of glad that I won't be able to watch this one due to being at a recording of Radio 4's "Mark Steel's In Town" in Newport.

It could be bad....and Saturday will probably be worse

Mark Steel is great, that looks about a million times more appealing than watching us.

I met him at a wedding the other week. He's cool, as is his other half, the resplendent Shappi Khorsandi.

I didn't realise they were couple, but I've got a bit of a thing for her too. I saw him years ago doing a warm up gig for his tour, it lasted about three hours and was great the whole way through. It was more like going for a few pints with a funny mate, he properly engaged the whole crowd.

I only found out about Mark and Shaparak when I spoke to them outside the Hammersmith Apollo before the Jeremy Hardy tribute night back in January.

Took me a few seconds to realise that it was Shappi who Mark had his arm draped around.

This week will be the eighth time I've seen him live.

How about if, instead of a likely depressing match thread for the Arsenal game, we have a match thread for Mark's gig ?

[LeeB]

Sort of glad that I won't be able to watch this one due to being at a recording of Radio 4's "Mark Steel's In Town" in Newport.

It could be bad....and Saturday will probably be worse

Mark Steel is great, that looks about a million times more appealing than watching us.

I met him at a wedding the other week. He's cool, as is his other half, the resplendent Shappi Khorsandi.

I didn't realise they were couple, but I've got a bit of a thing for her too. I saw him years ago doing a warm up gig for his tour, it lasted about three hours and was great the whole way through. It was more like going for a few pints with a funny mate, he properly engaged the whole crowd.

I only found out about Mark and Shaparak when I spoke to them outside the Hammersmith Apollo before the Jeremy Hardy tribute night back in January.

Took me a few seconds to realise that it was Shappi who Mark had his arm draped around.

This week will be the eighth time I've seen him live.

How about if, instead of a likely depressing match thread for the Arsenal game, we have a match thread for Mark's gig ?

Set it up mate, I'll be up for it.

"I can't believe he's gone with that joke again"

"The set up was all wrong"

etc.

[Drummond]

I'd like to see this.

            Martinez
Cash  Chambers  Mings  Digne
       Kamara    Iroegbunam
                Luiz/Ramsey
Buendia  Watkins   Coutinho/Bailey

But it won't happen

[VILLA MOLE]

I'd like to see this.

            Martinez
Cash  Chambers  Mings  Digne
       Kamara    Iroegbunam
                Luiz/Ramsey
Buendia  Watkins   Coutinho/Bailey

But it won't happen

yep , desperately need some more physicality in the midfield , i would give Tim
 a run

[mrfuse]

Gregg Evans just tweeted:

Steven Gerrard not focusing on the outside noise for now. Knows that pressure is building. Understands the fans' frustrations. Believes in his players. Is preparing for a different approach against #AFC

Ill believe it when I see it.

[Smithy]

The way things have gone the last couple of weeks, this could well be an absolute hiding.  I'm hoping for a reaction, but realistically, the best we can hope for is Martinez being MoM and somehow scraping a draw.

But who knows, it's football after all.  It could also be a big result for us and a turning point in a our season.

(no, I haven't been drinking).

[Russ aka Big Nose]

Injury update from Pravda is that Coutinho is available for selection, Mings should be as well, though after his injury-time appearance, Cameron Archer is injured.

A more interesting team selection than normal. Will Gerrard be pragmatic/sensible and drop Coutinho whilst putting Mings back in alongside Chambers or will he be stubborn and stick with what we saw on Sunday?

If he picks the same XI, unless there is a shock result, he has to be near the exit.

[dicedlam]

 Go for the draw, or at least not to get thumped. Maybe even nick it with a counter attack.

                 Martinez

Cash   Chambers   Mings   Digne

            Luiz    Kamara
     
      Bailey Buendia  Ramsey

                Watkins

[cdbearsfan]

They're hopeful Mings will be back but Archer is doubtful. Not that he would have brought him on before 88 minutes, anyway.

[villadelph]

Gregg Evans just tweeted:

Steven Gerrard not focusing on the outside noise for now. Knows that pressure is building. Understands the fans' frustrations. Believes in his players. Is preparing for a different approach against #AFC

Ill believe it when I see it.

He's got to scrap the bombing-forward wing backs.. we will get carved apart on the counters because our "wide" options (aside from Bailey) further up the pitch are naturally central players.

If he can manage to make a game out of this one I will be surprised. I'm expecting a thumping.

[Ian.]

I hope we do have a different approach, it’s not been working for ages. We also need to witness some desire and athleticism when we haven’t got the ball and when do have the ball we need to be far more positive with it. Testing their goalkeeper would help.

Before the weekend I really thought we’d turn it around and we was going to beat West Ham comfortably so I’m not expecting us to do so away to an in-form Arsenal side.

[supertom]

Villa law has been in full effect for most of this season. The West Ham game was prime example. A side struggling comes to villa park. A tight game. A game if anything, we're dominating in the first half, relatively comfortable without making any chances. So of course we're nailed on to concede in the second half and have absolutely no kind of answer to pull it back around. Villa law.

However, based on Arsenal law, they couldn't possibly win 5 in a row in the league could they? At some stage it comes unstuck just to ensure the doubters have some ammunition and the optimist gooner fans can drop the crazy idea they might win the league.

Aston Villa law also dictates that occasionally when we're in a dreadful run or we're a side that looks devoid of any organisation or gameplan, that we'll pull off a shock result to give us hope that we're on a turnaround (and we'll quickly revert back to shit).

So here we go:

Arsenal law x Villa Law = Arsenal 1 - Aston Villa 2. Followed by Aston Villa 0 - Man City 5.

I spent hours on a blackboard working out this equation. Get down the bookies now. 

[Deano's Mullet]

2-1 Whittingham and Townsend

[Rory]

Before the weekend I really thought we’d turn it around and we was going to beat West Ham comfortably so I’m not expecting us to do so away to an in-form Arsenal side.

It wasn't just you, Ian. Some handsome idiot on the pre-match thread predicted a 4-1 win.