Villa vs Saints - Build Up

If we're to have any realistic shot at Europe, I think we're now in to 'must win' territory. Realistically though, Liverpool have Bompey, Everton, Newcastle, Swansea, Watford, West Brom and Chelsea in their run in. Meanwhile we have Spurs and City after this. It's looking improbable.

I'd be tempted to start J Rod up front, give him a bit more match practice.

this is a must win really

even without the European ambitions, they are fuking awful and anything but 3 points would be a bad result

Just win.

Nothing else.

The end.

Same line up as the last two games if possible.

I think Everton was more must win than this. Look at the table, who exactly are we going to overtake? Liverpool will come past us with their games in hand and West Ham will surely do enough in their easyish remaining games to stay ahead.

Important to win to stay ahead of Stoke and Chelsea but Europa League was gone after we didn't beat Everton IMO.

They're already relegated, let's be honest. So they're playing with 'freedom'. The fact is that none of those players want to play for them, that won't change.

 

If we don't beat them, I will agree with everything Alpine says for a week.

Let's hope we win then! ^^

Well now that there is nothing to play for pretty much- top 7 is almost as good as gone- would like to see Jay Rod start, loved his directness and shoot on sight method he had I'd wanna play him over Pelle, but we all know that won't happen :/

I'd like to see this:

Forster

Martina Fonte VVD Bertrand

Mane Wanyama JWP Tadic

JayRod Long

Bench: Stekelenburg, Yoshida, Cedric, Romeu, Clasie, Davis and Pelle.

442 attack. Let's go for it.

On a side note, good luck with the attendence competition everyone

We are well out of the European race now but this is still a must win game. If we have any glimmer left then we really need to be winning our final four games.

Anything less than a convincing victory will be unacceptable.

Who's going at £41 a pop?

Cheap holidays in someone else's misery.

One of those games you don't want, they are relegated, and suddenly all those players who couldn't play for toffee for the past 30 odd games are climbing over each other to get in the shop window.

Hopefully I can find a bar in downtown Guangzhou to watch it in.

I will be there. Going up on Friday and staying with my niece.

Love to see a front 3 of long, mane and Rodriguez

Yeah, right

Your hatred for Pelle is becoming really boring tbh mate.

Your hatred for Pelle is becoming really boring tbh mate.

I don't hate him. Just think we are a better side with more movement and pace without him in the team. I thought the period he was out of the side with injury, we looked more dangerous up top and played better football. But it seems he is a permanent fixture in the side unless injured. I don't think he is good enough to have that

I'd like to see a far more fluid attack against a woeful villa side who crumble when faced with pace and movement

He is a decent player though in certain games and situations

Like the same way I think Romeu is better in the team than clasie, who I think offers little

As it happens, today is 11 years since that 2-3 game at St Mary's. Steven Davis scored the winner.

Who's going at £41 a pop?

 

Cheap holidays in someone else's misery.

My favourite lyrics of all time. ... sensurround sound in a two inch wall...

I don't hate him. Just think we are a better side with more movement and pace without him in the team. I thought the period he was out of the side with injury, we looked more dangerous up top and played better football. But it seems he is a permanent fixture in the side unless injured. I don't think he is good enough to have that

 

I'd like to see a far more fluid attack against a woeful villa side who crumble when faced with pace and movement

 

He is a decent player though in certain games and situations

 

Like the same way I think Romeu is better in the team than clasie, who I think offers little

Fair enough mate.

I don't hate him. Just think we are a better side with more movement and pace without him in the team. I thought the period he was out of the side with injury, we looked more dangerous up top and played better football. But it seems he is a permanent fixture in the side unless injured. I don't think he is good enough to have that

 

I'd like to see a far more fluid attack against a woeful villa side who crumble when faced with pace and movement

 

He is a decent player though in certain games and situations

 

Like the same way I think Romeu is better in the team than clasie, who I think offers little

And yet long gets away with not shooting when clean through. Awful bit of play. Tadic was mom

And yet long gets away with not shooting when clean through. Awful bit of play. Tadic was mom

Agree with that. Long should have taken the shot

We better watch out they now have ' a weight off their shoulders so can give the fans the performance they deserve.

http://metro.co.uk/2016/04/16/joleon-lescott-insults-aston-villa-fans-after-premier-league-relegation-is-confirmed-5821822/

3 of us driving up first away game of the season at last!!! COYRS!!!

We better watch out they now have ' a weight off their shoulders so can give the fans the performance they deserve.

 

http://metro.co.uk/2016/04/16/joleon-lescott-insults-aston-villa-fans-after-premier-league-relegation-is-confirmed-5821822/

I don't understand how the Metro have spun that as him insulting the fans. Just typical vague footballer platitudes.

Obviously the insult is basically how terrible they've been all season, but that's a different thing.

Think we need 9 if not more points from last 4 to have any shot at Europe. A must win.

What are the rules regarding concussion?

Think we need 9 if not more points from last 4 to have any shot at Europe. A must win.

 

What are the rules regarding concussion?

We need 12 most likely because other all have games in hand and relatively easy fixtures.

We have a very slim chance, yesterday was a must win and we didn't.

Think we need 9 points to equal last season's total, but last season we just squeaked 7th and it was a tad unusual for this position to be good enough for Europe.

If you want us to qualify, you probably need Liverpool to screw up badly in the Premier League but not win the Europa League and Man Utd to win the FA Cup. If those things both happen, 9 points might well be enough. If they don't both happen, then 12 points probably isn't enough anyway.

It sometimes happens that when a team is mathematically relegated that individual players become more relaxed, and can play with greater freedom and determination. The fear of relegation is past now. They have future careers and contracts to negotiate after all. So beware, Saints, of approaching this game as easy. It won't be.

The season is over for us in terms of achieving European football but I still want us to go all out for the points. In my opinion for the last 3 games the team have not been giving 100% are showing signs of winding down for the season. We owe the 3000 travelling fans heading up there a decent performance, we were very poor against Villa back in December.

My Team. Might actually look dangerous going forward like we did in our very good run

Forster

Martina

VvD

Fonte

Bertrand

Tadic

Clasie

Vic

Mane

Jrod

Long

we all know it wont be but that is what I would like to see with some exciting forward play

The season is over for us in terms of achieving European football.

I'm not sure how you reached that conclusion. We are only 2 points below 6th, 7th last season got us European football and possibly would again if Man Utd win the FA Cup.

West Ham and Man Utd's "game in hand" over Saints is against each other. They can't both win, so points will be dropped by at least one or possibly both of them.

Our remaining games are against... a relegated Villa side, a Man City who have 2 Champions League semi finals days before and after our match with them, a Spurs team who by then may have lost the title race and a Palace team who could be thinking of the FA Cup final a week later. Be positive!

In my opinion for the last 3 games the team have not been giving 100% are showing signs of winding down for the season

Again I'm not sure why you think that. The European chase dominates players in media interviews they appear focused on trying to achieve it rather than thinking of a summer on the beach.

Our last 4 games...

- 1-1 draw away at Everton in a game we dominated

- 3-1 win over Newcastle

- 1-0 loss in a tight game away at the league leaders

- 3-2 win over Liverpool

Agree with that. Long should have taken the shot

To be fair if Long had taken the shot on and not scored everyone on here would've said he should've squared it instead. I can't blame him for trying to pass to a teamate who he thought was in a better position.

I'm not sure how you reached that conclusion. We are only 2 points below 6th, 7th last season got us European football and possibly would again if Man Utd win the FA Cup.

 

West Ham and Man Utd's "game in hand" over Saints is against each other. They can't both win, so points will be dropped by at least one or possibly both of them.

United are already 5 points ahead of us, we won't catch them.

West Ham have a much easier set of games than us, plus an additional game which is more than winnable for them.

We will need to win 4/4 games to have a chance and even then will need them to drop points.

Plus Liverpool will surely now finish above us too.

I'm not overly fussed about EL but you have to say its a lot more likely we won't qualify than we will.

tbf I was thinking about it just now, but if Spurs are still in the title race despite being (in this moment in time) 8 points behind, then why can we not achieve a top 7 finish.

4 games, 4 wins lads. Pleease

I'm not sure how you reached that conclusion. We are only 2 points below 6th, 7th last season got us European football and possibly would again if Man Utd win the FA Cup.

 

West Ham and Man Utd's "game in hand" over Saints is against each other. They can't both win, so points will be dropped by at least one or possibly both of them.

 

Our remaining games are against... a relegated Villa side, a Man City who have 2 Champions League semi finals days before and after our match with them, a Spurs team who by then may have lost the title race and a Palace team who could be thinking of the FA Cup final a week later. Be positive!

 

 

 

Again I'm not sure why you think that. The European chase dominates players in media interviews they appear focused on trying to achieve it rather than thinking of a summer on the beach.

 

Our last 4 games...

 

- 1-1 draw away at Everton in a game we dominated

- 3-1 win over Newcastle

- 1-0 loss in a tight game away at the league leaders

- 3-2 win over Liverpool

I am one of the most optimistic fans going, but I am also a match going fan of 30 years and am well versed on a few facts;

Liverpool will finish above us (just take my word for it, they will)

Look at the run ins, we will not get more points than West Ham (or at least enough to overhaul their lead)

Regarding the 100% again you'll have to take my word for it based on watching the games, off the ball last 10 mins at Leicester there was no one rallying the troops to give it one last go, we made it easy for them holding the ball in the corners. Newcastle we won without even trying and the same as at Everton we never really looked like we had the appetite to really go for it to be honest. We're starting to look like an end of season side winding down, hope we show more hunger in the last few games.

Who's going at £41 a pop?

 

Cheap holidays in someone else's misery.

Loads only around 50 tickets left out of 3,000

One thing we do know is despite offering the sum total of zero again this weekend Pelle's name is the first one on the team sheet..

I will start the build up thread for the following game too .... See my previous sentence...

According to Lescott they are going to start playing now.... Whatever.

Should be 3points in the bag.

Should be......

To be fair if Long had taken the shot on and not scored everyone on here would've said he should've squared it instead. I can't blame him for trying to pass to a teamate who he thought was in a better position.

No we wouldn't. The shot was a no brainier. J rod was in a worse position.

No we wouldn't. The shot was a no brainier. J rod was in a worse position.

Jrod was right in front of goal, Long was out to the side. Stop being so blinkered, and i'm not just talking to you.

One thing we do know is despite offering the sum total of zero again this weekend Pelle's name is the first one on the team sheet..

I will start the build up thread for the following game too .... See my previous sentence...

You post this carp despite him being involved in e ither scoring of assisting in 7 of the eight previous goals prior to the Everton game.....Smacks of another one with a agenda

Jrod was right in front of goal, Long was out to the side. Stop being so blinkered, and i'm not just talking to you.

Indeed, he was in a far better position than Shane

Long should have shot well before the opportunity to pass to Rodriguez presented itself (and was then taken away by Funes Mori).

I can confirm that Pelle completed a backheel btw. He's 1 for 1 in his last 1.

I don't understand how the Metro have spun that as him insulting the fans. Just typical vague footballer platitudes.

 

Obviously the insult is basically how terrible they've been all season, but that's a different thing.

The insult I heard was that Lescott is supposed to have said the "fan negativity didn't help". Though I've also heard that there's a fake quote going around.

The insult I heard was that Lescott is supposed to have said the "fan negativity didn't help". Though I've also heard that there's a fake quote going around.

Smacks of that joke one that Nigel supposedly said about Colin, that was quite amusing.

Does anyone have a lower tier ticket they'd swap for one in the upper? Got a mate who's up there on his own.

Does anyone have a lower tier ticket they'd swap for one in the upper? Got a mate who's up there on his own.

Someone is offering an adult ticket for £25 on the 'Away Supporters' forum, doesn't say whether upper or lower http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?56352-Spare-Villa-ticket#.VxUnORLTVJ8 but may be worth a look as it's cheap. If it is lower your mate would probably be able to sell on his other ticket with little effort.

Someone is offering an adult ticket for £25 on the 'Away Supporters' forum, doesn't say whether upper or lower http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?56352-Spare-Villa-ticket#.VxUnORLTVJ8 but may be worth a look as it's cheap. If it is lower your mate would probably be able to sell on his other ticket with little effort.

Nice one just replied, cheers.

I was working in Brum today, not far from Villa Park. It's a gloomy old sh*thole at the best of times, but the atmosphere today was so bad you could feel it. I witnessed two workmates have a blazing argument over who was having a filing cabinet FFS!

We really, really should win this game. But I'm mindful of when we went away to Derby after they had already been relegated (1991 perhaps?) and lost 6-2! So I'm taking nothing for granted.

What chance Moyes is in position on Saturday, new manager syndrome and all that ?

What chance Moyes is in position on Saturday, new manager syndrome and all that ?

Probably zero. Why bother taking over now. Can't see anyone wanting to be associated with them until next season.

Still looking for a lower tier ticket if anyone has one for sale, or a lower that anyone wants to swap with a ticket in the upper.