Aston Villa v Crystal Palace Pre-Match Shenanigans

[Smirker]

No 'FTF' in the opening post?

Not a good sign.

FTF!

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Villa v Palace. Win, lose or draw, a regular fixture that just then blends in with the rest. Unlikely to stir up any great memories or controversy. None of the previous ever have.
Crystal Palace are an annoyingly and infuriatingly inoffensive football club.

[Aldridge Villa]

We dispose of the detritus and succumb to the well equipped. These are somewhere in between so turgid one apiece.

[kippaxvilla2]

Villa v Palace. Win, lose or draw, a regular fixture that just then blends in with the rest. Unlikely to stir up any great memories or controversy. None of the previous ever have.
Crystal Palace are an annoyingly and infuriatingly inoffensive football club.

Except the Lansbury disallowed goal at their place, the Doucoure handball and the Benteke sending off.

[Martyn Smith]

This one will be interesting. So far we have shown that we can turn over crap teams but get too easily turned over by good ones. How will we fare against a side sort of halfway between those two camps?

[Martyn Smith]

Saturday 16th September 3pm. 

One of the few this season. 

2-1. Diaby, Watkins.  Hilaire for them.

If by saying Hilaire, you are referring to the 2-1 win against them in the championship year, that was the day i was born 😄.

That was one of the few games I went to that season, I was 11. It was dire as I remember, a laboured 2-1 against the side who finished bottom and looked every inch it.

Strange memory I have of that game was a woman afterwards, on the walk back to the car, asking me what the score had been. She wanted to know because her son was playing. No idea why I never thought to ask her who her son was...

[kippaxvilla2]

Andrew Greaves.

[Bad English]

Shenanigans now is it? Jesus!

[kippaxvilla2]

Not me that chose it.  But then nothing I would’ve put would’ve suited your literary pallet.  Awaits would’ve usage destroy.

[Bad English]

Good work. Would've is great.

Unless you say "If we would've won we would've had three points" when everybody, except our overseas cousins who don't pay their waiting staff a living wage and whose chocolate tastes funny, knows that is "If we HAD won we would've had three points".

[kippaxvilla2]

Jeez I’m so relieved. Thank you Darren.

[ASHTONVILLA]

I think we will win this one comfortably.

The two poor performances both came away against teams that will be contenders for top 6 places. The team has looked more than good enough to routinely beat mid to lower table teams.

We are likely to lose away games to Arsenal, Liverpool, Man Utd, and Man City. The team out of those four that wins two away games against the rest of the four will likely end up Premier League champions. Villa are not going to be contesting the title this year.

To finish in the top four mix we do need to beat most of these teams at Villa park (or at least not lose to them). We also need to pick up some results home and away to the next group of teams - Chelsea, Newcastle, Spurs, Brighton and West Ham who are our rivals for a Europa league place. I do think we will beat a few of them this season.

What will determine our season though, is becoming good at routine wins against teams like Crystal Palace, Wolves, Brentford, Bournemouth etc. If we become the best 'flat track bully' in the league this season we will finish in the top 6, even if we have the odd stinker against Liverpool, Man Utd, Arsenal and Man City. I think we look well placed to do that judging by our performances against Everton and Burnely.

[RamboandBruno]

I think we will win this one comfortably.

The two poor performances both came away against teams that will be contenders for top 6 places. The team has looked more than good enough to routinely beat mid to lower table teams.

We are likely to lose away games to Arsenal, Liverpool, Man Utd, and Man City. The team out of those four that wins two away games against the rest of the four will likely end up Premier League champions. Villa are not going to be contesting the title this year.

To finish in the top four mix we do need to beat most of these teams at Villa park (or at least not lose to them). We also need to pick up some results home and away to the next group of teams - Chelsea, Newcastle, Spurs, Brighton and West Ham who are our rivals for a Europa league place. I do think we will beat a few of them this season.

What will determine our season though, is becoming good at routine wins against teams like Crystal Palace, Wolves, Brentford, Bournemouth etc. If we become the best 'flat track bully' in the league this season we will finish in the top 6, even if we have the odd stinker against Liverpool, Man Utd, Arsenal and Man City. I think we look well placed to do that judging by our performances against Everton and Burnely.

Not just those two performances but also every other home game since the 2-4 to Arsenal in Feb.

Saying that, I think our defence needs to settle down a bit, so not sure this will be that comfortable. Maybe something more like a Forest last tear, with a late second goal to put a shine on it, as opposed to a Newcastle, Bournemouth, or Everton demolition job.

[gpbarr]

Comfortable home win, something we are getting used to at VP these days.

[VillaTim]

our defence is suspect, they've lost Zaha. 1-1 written all over it