Aston Villa v Stoke

Are we all up for this one? Lambert gone, Marshall gone, it's time to wake up the Villa Lion.

Sherwood will be injecting passion in to players who have spent the last twenty odd games sleepwalking. Goals galore against Stoke? You must be mad VB (you probably are cos you're talking to yourself).

So what's going to happen guys? I expect to see big numbers backing a Villa win.

It's a squeaky win for me.

I've voted a blistering win, but I don't mean we'll tank them. I think it'll be 2-1. Maybe 2-0 if we can keep focused and not concede.

Villa_Dan wrote:I've voted a blistering win, but I don't mean we'll tank them. I think it'll be 2-1. Maybe 2-0 if we can keep focused and not concede.

Two goals! that is a blistering win by Villa standards.

I'm going squeaky. Their lack of defenders and our new found optimism will hopefully squeeze us over the line, but I don't see it being easy at all. Wouldn't actually be surprised at a draw but that doesn't fit with current optimism and I'm happy to ride that wave right now 

I think we will win convincingly....has to be, surely?

I expect a shift to a 4-4-2 system, as Sherwood did immediately when getting the Spurs job. At that time they had scored 17 goals in 18 games, yet Sherwood amassed another 17 goals in his first 7 matches....how amazing would that be!!

We do have options going 4-4-2....but the key to it for us will be to have two runners in midfield...box-to-box type midfielders, a bit like Sherwood himself. I think he rates Cleverley quite highly from what I've read, and also Delph, and they both happen to be our two most energetic midfielders.

I would play Weimann off Benteke as he will chase back into midfield hen requried, I woud have Sinclair and Gil wide, same back four as Sunday but bring Guzan back in for Given to counter Stoke's aerial threat.

No idea about the result - Stoke will be reeling after the FAC defeat so they may be up for it.

What I do expect is a much more committed performance by the Villa lads.

Villa win, it has to be.

Blistering win for me.

I expect nothing but wave after wave of claret and blue hordes flinging themselves goalwards, attack after endless attack, the battle cry goes up:

Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage;
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;
Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide,
Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit
To his full height. On, on, you noblest Villans.

I fully expect the Tsunami of claret beshirted avengers to overpower a shattered and bemused Stoke side, driving and smashing them backwards cowering and wailing until they are crammed into their own goal and become one fearful mass of red and white, praying, begging and lamenting for the game to end so as to be spared the dreadful visitation that has destroyed them so completely.................

and perhaps a 2-0 win would be nice

Any word on if Gil is available?

kimbo wrote:Any word on if Gil is available?

I'll be honest, I forgot to find out why he didn't play in the Leicester match - what was the problem?

De Kuip wrote:

kimbo wrote:Any word on if Gil is available?

I'll be honest, I forgot to find out why he didn't play in the Leicester match - what was the problem?

Groin strain I believe.

(Day after Valentines Day? Good work Carles, good work indeed)

I reckon he'll go with the same back four, Delph, Sanchez and Cleverley in the middle and Gabby, Benteke and Weimann up front; they'll be defending like their lives depend upon it, we'll get 23% possession and try to score on the two chances we'll get.

Isn't it nice to think we won't know the formation and tactic regardless of who we're playing? Let's hope no one is played out of position, Benteke and Weimann are up front together, Delph is allowed to press forward every once in a while and to be fair to everyone they all get a goal. I'm going 0-11, Guzan to score first with a clearance.

Optimism? What optimism?

I agree Foxy: 0-11, the only reason Guzan will have scored is that he tried to clear the ball out for a corner behind his own goal, due to a head injury to one of our players and due to his usual distributional skills, powered it into their goal.

Yes, I like your thinking on this..........

kimbo wrote:

De Kuip wrote:

kimbo wrote:Any word on if Gil is available?

I'll be honest, I forgot to find out why he didn't play in the Leicester match - what was the problem?

Groin strain I believe.

(Day after Valentines Day? Good work Carles, good work indeed)

Groin strain  I tend to employ that excuse just before valentines day...................................

De Kuip wrote:

kimbo wrote:

De Kuip wrote:

kimbo wrote:Any word on if Gil is available?

I'll be honest, I forgot to find out why he didn't play in the Leicester match - what was the problem?

Groin strain I believe.

(Day after Valentines Day? Good work Carles, good work indeed)

Groin strain  I tend to employ that excuse just before valentines day...................................

Maybe he was a bit 'car les'?

See what I did there?

Every one positive so far! When did that last happen?

Boring defeat for me after going 1-0 down to a Peter Crouch effort , booing us off at half time , calling for the managers head ......... shit, soz, that was two weeks ago,

2-1 Villa , this IMO is a MUST win !

Looks like Shawcross will be fit in time for the Stoke game.

villabromsgrove wrote:Looks like Shawcross will be fit in time for the Stoke game.

They're probably rushing him back, he may end up going off injured after about 10 minutes

The Stoke chairman is so unconcerned about the new manager effect on this weekends game, that he just had to tell everyone he's not worried about it. That means he's worried!

Interesting couple of comments from the Stoke forum which seems to reflect the consensus of their fans (well the ones on Oatcake anyway):

Seemed a different team after half time yesterday, definitely more attacking can see this being a bloody hard game to be honest. If Sherwood can bring Benteke back to his best like he did to Adebayor at the end of last season then we could be in for a shit time if the defence shows it's vulnerabilities like it did on Saturday!

Consider me worried to be honest. I think my side would be:
Bego;
Bardsley, Shawcross, Muniesa, Pieters;
Moses, Sidwell, Nzonzi, Arnie;
Diouf
Walters

Also another poster said:

We can expect a fired up team with all its players giving it everything they have to impress the new manager.
This game is suddenly a much more daunting one than its been for a few years now,and throw in the fact that we have more players out injured than I've ever known and I can't see us winning to be honest.
I'd take a point right now if offered.

So they are definitely thinking about a revitalised Villa added to their injury & performance woes - let's hope this thought is in the Stoke players' minds as well - nothing like a bit of psychology to give us an advantage eh

De Kuip wrote:Interesting couple of comments from the Stoke forum which seems to reflect the consensus of their fans (well the ones on Oatcake anyway):

Seemed a different team after half time yesterday, definitely more attacking can see this being a bloody hard game to be honest. If Sherwood can bring Benteke back to his best like he did to Adebayor at the end of last season then we could be in for a shit time if the defence shows it's vulnerabilities like it did on Saturday!

Consider me worried to be honest. I think my side would be:
Bego;
Bardsley, Shawcross, Muniesa, Pieters;
Moses, Sidwell, Nzonzi, Arnie;
Diouf
Walters

Also another poster said:

We can expect a fired up team with all its players giving it everything they have to impress the new manager.
This game is suddenly a much more daunting one than its been for a few years now,and throw in the fact that we have more players out injured than I've ever known and I can't see us winning to be honest.
I'd take a point right now if offered.

So they are definitely thinking about a revitalised Villa added to their injury & performance woes - let's hope this thought is in the Stoke players' minds as well - nothing like a bit of psychology to give us an advantage eh

Not only that, but on the other side of the coin, hopefully the new found optimism of the Villa fans is also in our players minds. A good start by us and this could all be cemented amongst all concerned  :)

If we can score in the first 10 minutes I'd like to think that confidence will flow through the side and we'll get three or four.

I'm genuinely excited at the thought of a villa game for the first time in ages and if Gil is fit I'm even more excited!

Guzan
Hutton, Clarke, Vlaar, Cissokho
Gil, Cleverley, Delph, Bacuna
Benteke, Weimann

Is how I expect us to line up but Sinclair could easily be there in place of Gil, Bacuna or Weimann and his confidence must be sky high after signing for a dull manager and within weeks playing for a manager who loves wingers and width and suits him down to the ground. Let alone with his first goal in 3 years at the weekend.

I have a feeling that bad habits wil be hard to shake and our lot of players have been stuck in their bad ways for some time now.

I don't expect a quantum leap in our movement off the ball, I don't expect that we'll keep the ball more than half the time from throw ins, I don't expect Benteke to be back to his scintillating best.

That'll come in time, I've no doubt. But not just yet. So let's not set Sherwood up to fail by expecting too much, too soon.

A close win against Stoke then but with plenty of signs of the changes to come.