Aston Villa v Southampton Pre-Match Thread

[Smirker]

6-0 Villa.

FTF 

[Richard E]

9-0

[Demitri_C]

I still have bad memories  of that battering at st marys with mane. Would love to trounce them like that

[VillaTim]

Another win please and we can go to Germany riding a wave

[Bobby Boy]

Just press them high up the pitch and abracadabra the ball is returned to us. Russell Martin has his principles but it is suicide when the opposition players are better than yours.

And ours really are

3-0 us.

[Monty]

Usually you roll your eyes at the Steve Nicol 'WHIT YE DAEIN', JUS' GET RID' attitude to teams playing it around at the back, but Southampton...honestly, what are they doing? They should just get rid of it.

[VillaTim]

Bednarek trying to play out from the back is an appetising prospect

[Brazilian Villain]

A long overdue facile victory, Villa 6 Soton 1.

*If Leeg is going, Villa 0 Soton 1.

[brontebilly]

Southampton are this seasons Burnley. If Russell Martin plays his cards right with his football IQ he could end up with Dortmund and Soton will be back in the championship.
We should win comfortably but am reminded of that home game v Sheff United last season. So three points and a clean sheet please. 2-0 snooze fest would be ideal. No harm to rotate a few players ahead of RBL next week, Buendia might come in too.

Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen, Kamara, Barkley, Bailey, McGinn, Rogers, Duran.

[VillaTim]

Don't change a winning team at this stage, we've had too much tinkering this season.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I don’t agree that’s how it should be. We should play the best players for each game. There’s plenty of matches where Pau is the best option and plenty where Mings is.

Pau needs a rest, Mings needs games. If he's fit enough to play I'd go with Mings, even if it's just for his leadership on the pitch. Hopefully he'll have a very quiet afternoon but the midfield and strikers need to maintain the energy levels shown first half last night.

[Flamingo Lane]

Looks like the game will be played in winds of 60mph.

[eamonn]

We should win at a canter but I'm still scarred by memories of a game against Saints around this time of year (well, early Nov) at the turn of the millennium. 25 years!

John Gregory's descent into coaching mediocrity loomed large in an awful match on a cold Saturday winter's afternoon at VP when Southampton won the day thanks to a late header from a corner, scored by Dean Richards (sadly, since died prematurely - always thought he was too good for Wolves and hoped we'd get him, especially after Ugo and Southgate moved on).

[Nev]

Football is a simple game and tomorrow is a simple game. Follow up a good performance with another, keep the form players in the side, accentuate the positive and to hell with the negative. The throaty roar of a 5 pints in Saturday 3pm at home will help, a foul and dark December afternoon, made for a match like this, a slightly festive atmosphere in anticipation of the years climax around the corner and a Champions League tie next up.

3-0

[Witton Warrior]

Win. Just win.