Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Match Threads & Player Ratings => Topic started by: PeterWithesShin on April 03, 2025, 11:46:25 AM
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Sat 5th April 17.30.
Other games in the European chase
Thurs
Chelsea v Spurs
Sat
Palace v Brighton
West Ham v Bournemouth
Sun
Brentford v Chelsea
Fulham v Liverpool
ManU v ManC
Mon
Leicester v Newcastle
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2-1 Villa. Last nights done wonders for my belief in our league season again.
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I think Mings back instead of Torres, other then that we have so many choices it is tough to call.
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Agreed with Mings back for this. We could really get at them down their left, they値l likely be playing their 3rd-choice left back.
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Grand National day 2023 - Champions League chasing Newcastle come to VP in good form having beat us earlier in the season and get a hiding 3-0.
Grand National day 2025 - Champions League chasing Forest come to VP in good form having beat us earlier in the season and they'll get a hiding 3-0.
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Could do with favours from spurs, manu and brentford - no way are lesta winning.
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0-2
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0-0 HT. 2-1 FT.
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0-0 HT. 2-1 FT.
That sounds about right. Hopefully we're 2-0 up before a late consolation goal for Forest in the 94th minute.
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Yep - would bring back Mings because Forest are such a physical side.
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I think Mings back instead of Torres, other then that we have so many choices it is tough to call.
Agree with that. I'd also start with Onana who was very good last night and maybe bring Garcia in for Cash.
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Grand National day 2023 - Champions League chasing Newcastle come to VP in good form having beat us earlier in the season and get a hiding 3-0.
Grand National day 2025 - Champions League chasing Forest come to VP in good form having beat us earlier in the season and they'll get a hiding 3-0.
We beat them the day after the 'Grand National that never was' in 1993, at their place, McGrath's soaring header.
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Emi
Disasi
Konsa
Mings
Digne
Onana
Kamara
McGinn
Rogers
Rashford
Watkins
Stay solid, get to 60 minutes at 0-0, bring Asensio, Malen and Tielemans on. Win 4-0.
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Hope we have a strong ref who will keep an eye on all the off the ball stuff. Horrid team are Forest
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Think I'd go with:-
GK Martinez
CB Konsa
CB Mings
RB Disasi
LB Maatsen
DM Kamara
CM Tielemans
CM Ramsey
AM Rogers
RM McGinn
CF Rashford
Leave players like Onana and Asencio as impact players off the bench. Picked Maatsen to combat Elanga's pace.
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Hopefully one of the big lads will mark that massive Serbian CB when they have a corner, and not SJM or Cash/Digne.
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Horrible team to have one of them horrible ones as they are funeraled good and proper.
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Yep - would bring back Mings because Forest are such a physical side.
Agree, they simply over-powered us in the reverse fixture. We didn't have Kamara or Mings then, it should be different this time.
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I'd play Onana and Kamara in midfield for this.
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Sat 5th April 17.30.
Other games in the European chase
Thurs
Chelsea v Spurs
Sat
Palace v Brighton
West Ham v Bournemouth
Sun
Brentford v Chelsea
Fulham v Liverpool
ManU v ManC
Mon
Leicester v Newcastle
BIG fan of 'the other games' breakdown in the first post PWS. Saves me going hunting for them....
Consider the 'bar raised' for future pre-match threads. 😁
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Forest forum seems to think that Aina is screwed for Saturday and obviously Moreno can't play. Hudson-Odoi missed their game the other day with a "personal matter" but should be back. Wood seems to be improving, but they don't seem confident that he's going to be back.
A few of them are seeing Saturday as a bit of a free hit, and if they need to lose a game in their run-in then this one wouldn't be a bad one.
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Hopefully their players feel the same.
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Forest forum seems to think that Aina is screwed for Saturday and obviously Moreno can't play. Hudson-Odoi missed their game the other day with a "personal matter" but should be back. Wood seems to be improving, but they don't seem confident that he's going to be back.
Yeah, Nuno just confirmed Aina is out and Woods is getting back but I doubt he'll risk him for Saturday.
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For as good as they have been this season we were 10 mins and a couple of awful ref decisions away from beating them.
Need to score early as they like to make it a game of attrition so we will need to open them up. They concede a lot of possession to counter on transition so we need our passing to be crisp and fast
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Forest forum seems to think that Aina is screwed for Saturday and obviously Moreno can't play. Hudson-Odoi missed their game the other day with a "personal matter" but should be back. Wood seems to be improving, but they don't seem confident that he's going to be back.
Yeah, Nuno just confirmed Aina is out and Woods is getting back but I doubt he'll risk him for Saturday.
They've been incredibly lucky with injuries this season so it's good they have a couple now. They've also massively benefitted from the refs 'letting things go' more. This is kind of fixture that I'd advocate the Villa players and staff making it obvious to the officials where that's happening during the game.
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Hope we have a strong ref who will keep an eye on all the off the ball stuff. Horrid team are Forest
Ref is Simon Hooper who isn't on my blacklist, in fact he has a good record at Villa Park. Let's keep it that way. Ironically, he was the ref in the 5-5 game against Forest. Let's just hope nothing goes to VAR as it's Michael Fooking Oliver.
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I suspect they will make Top 4, just like we did last season, i.e. despite falling off a cliff form-wise at the end.
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Grand National day 2023 - Champions League chasing Newcastle come to VP in good form having beat us earlier in the season and get a hiding 3-0.
Grand National day 2025 - Champions League chasing Forest come to VP in good form having beat us earlier in the season and they'll get a hiding 3-0.
We beat them the day after the 'Grand National that never was' in 1993, at their place, McGrath's soaring header.
Were we dressed in yellow?
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Agreed with Mings back for this. We could really get at them down their left, they値l likely be playing their 3rd-choice left back.
Isn't that our very own Alex M and isn't he club-tied?
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Agreed with Mings back for this. We could really get at them down their left, they値l likely be playing their 3rd-choice left back.
Isn't that our very own Alex M and isn't he club-tied?
No, he's their second-choice. And his ineligibility is the reason they are down to their third choice.
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I'll be surprised if they don't comfortably make the CL. They've lost 3 games in 4 months and their run in is decent after they play us.
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I think Mings back instead of Torres, other then that we have so many choices it is tough to call.
Agree with that. I'd also start with Onana who was very good last night and maybe bring Garcia in for Cash.
Or use the BP coupons.
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Don't play the high-line, Elanga will leave our lads for dead. But do press their meatheads at the back.
We need to keep boosting the goal difference.
Villa to win 8-0.
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Just play as we have last few weeks and the result will sort itself out. We are playing very well , confidence is high and the depth off the bench along with the starting XI is exceptional. We need a strong ref though as i can see them being very physical and some nasty challenges flying in.
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I like to get a flavour so asking here also to when will the PSG pre match thread be up? Any thoughts?
If we are to wait for this match to finish I think Saturday evening Sunday morning has to be up latest
that's if it's not ok to have an early pre match given it's our biggest game since 82.
And where exactly can this timing of thread be discussed ?
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Grand National day 2023 - Champions League chasing Newcastle come to VP in good form having beat us earlier in the season and get a hiding 3-0.
Grand National day 2025 - Champions League chasing Forest come to VP in good form having beat us earlier in the season and they'll get a hiding 3-0.
We beat them the day after the 'Grand National that never was' in 1993, at their place, McGrath's soaring header.
Grand National day 1981, we won 4-2 at Leicester.
Half time they announced Aldanati had won ( I had ｣20 on at 10/1)
Full time looked at the other scores and Ipswich had lost at Albion.
Best day of the year, apart from going and seeing us lose at Arsenal a few weeks later. :)
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I like to get a flavour so asking here also to when will the PSG pre match thread be up? Any thoughts?
If we are to wait for this match to finish I think Saturday evening Sunday morning has to be up latest
that's if it's not ok to have an early pre match given it's our biggest game since 82.
And where exactly can this timing of thread be discussed ?
It値l be launched after the Forest game, probably by PWS, as he said in the CL thread.
This was the discussion, so was that.
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I like to get a flavour so asking here also to when will the PSG pre match thread be up? Any thoughts?
If we are to wait for this match to finish I think Saturday evening Sunday morning has to be up latest
that's if it's not ok to have an early pre match given it's our biggest game since 82.
And where exactly can this timing of thread be discussed ?
It値l be launched after the Forest game, probably by PWS, as he said in the CL thread.
This was the discussion, so was that.
I think there should be a thread each week to discuss when the match thread goes up. I知 sure the folk of H&V would welcome such a development.
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I like to get a flavour so asking here also to when will the PSG pre match thread be up? Any thoughts?
If we are to wait for this match to finish I think Saturday evening Sunday morning has to be up latest
that's if it's not ok to have an early pre match given it's our biggest game since 82.
And where exactly can this timing of thread be discussed ?
It値l be launched after the Forest game, probably by PWS, as he said in the CL thread.
This was the discussion, so was that.
I think there should be a thread each week to discuss when the match thread goes up. I知 sure the folk of H&V would welcome such a development.
I for one would love it.
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Win please. We should have beaten them at their place.
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We are going to win the next 4 in all comps.
Newcastle home will be the next dont
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I'll be surprised if they don't comfortably make the CL. They've lost 3 games in 4 months and their run in is decent after they play us.
Yea not a chance their not making the top 4 unless they have a total collapse, which has not been forthcoming all season, great season for them to be fair.
Stating the obvious, but given how strong defensively they are, I think we need to score first here, they get the first goal, it will be low block from them then hit us on the counter.
I know with a massive game against PSG coming up it will be tempting to rest some, but I think we need both some physicality and guile to open this lot up. Given that Id start Mings and McGinn alongside Kamara and bring Asensio in from the start.
Martinez
Cash
Konsa
Mings
Digne
Kamara
Tielemans
Asensio
Rashford
Rogers
Mcginn
2-0 us Rashford, Asensio
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We're playing well
We'll win this game
CL again
That is our aim
Just 8 games left
To reach our goal
Can't stop us now
We're on a roll
3-0 Villa FTF
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Villa 3 Trees 0
Chelsea 1 Spurs useless
Palace 3 Brighton 1
West Ham 2 Bournemouth 1
Brentford 2 Chelsea 1
Fulham 1 Liverpool 2
ManU 1 ManC 1
Leicester 0 Newcastle 7
Emi
Disasi
KOnsa
King TY
Luca
Kamara
Tielmans
JJ
Morg
Rashford
SJM
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5-0
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Forest are definitely making top 4. They would have to absolutely drop off a cliff and they致e shown no signs of that happening.
We need to beat them for our chances to stay possible, but it doesn稚 really matter either way for them.
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To describe this game as a bit of a bruiser would probably undersell it somewhat, although most of the physicality will come from the opposition. Allied to that they have the spirit of Savage in Ryan Yates, a limited footballer but world class shithouse, or "a bit of a ******" to use the old fashioned term. I will be howling at him from the first whistle from the UH, only pausing to give some to the ref.
It's up to us to overcome this sort of approach, and be careful that we don't panic the opposition into playing football, amongst all the muck and bullets they can play now and again.
We owe them for December and spoiling Nodge's birthday celebrations. I hope we get the winner via an obvious foul by Cash that is overlooked by the officials.
1-0 and 14 mins added on.
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Hopefully one of the big lads will mark that massive Serbian CB when they have a corner, and not SJM or Cash/Digne.
Was he the one having a right shouting match with Gibbs-White after a Manure chance? I thought it was going to be this decades Bowyer/Dyer but unfortunately it didn't get that far.
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Mings in there will sort him out.
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I'm also going for a 2-1 Villa win.
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If we score first we win.
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If we score first we win.
Didn't help last time we played the bastards.
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If we score first we win.
Didn't help last time we played the bastards.
I think we are a bit more resilient now, also hope the ref is not as biased this time.
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we are a different animal now to back then.
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Ben Fisher has done his hopes of a Pulitzer no harm at all in today's Guardian preview of the game. A beautifully crafted vignette that interrogates, teases and provokes shafts of light into the transgressive, liminal promise of the January transfer window. Read it, then read it again. You won't find a better, more urgent, more visceral piece of writing this year. A tour de force.
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I feel Forest have seriously rode their luck big time this season. They don't want the ball, bully and use pace and a big target man to hit on the break or on a set piece. They need bringing back down to earth with a shellacking and I hope we are the team to do it, especially as we are in form at last! 3-0 at least...please Villa and keep the late climb into the CL
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I think Mings back instead of Torres, other then that we have so many choices it is tough to call.
Agree with that. I'd also start with Onana who was very good last night and maybe bring Garcia in for Cash.
Or use the BP coupons.
I'd have said Green Shield Stamps but you're probably too young to remember them.
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If anyone fancies a bit of culture pre-match. https://x.com/PunjabiVillans/status/1908042812735570277
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Gnq5qRQWQAA3Qdy?format=jpg&name=medium)
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I feel Forest have seriously rode their luck big time this season. They don't want the ball, bully and use pace and a big target man to hit on the break or on a set piece. They need bringing back down to earth with a shellacking and I hope we are the team to do it, especially as we are in form at last! 3-0 at least...please Villa and keep the late climb into the CL
Feels very much like the Newcastle home game (3-0) a couple of seasons ago. We need a performance like that again.
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Forest are definitely making top 4. They would have to absolutely drop off a cliff and they致e shown no signs of that happening.
We need to beat them for our chances to stay possible, but it doesn稚 really matter either way for them.
I disagree with regards to Forest being a shoe-in for Top 4. If we beat them, and the three other teams (Chelsea, Man City, Newcastle) behind them also win, they will be 2,3,4 and 6 points ahead of the four teams behind them with Champions League ambitions, with 7 games to go. It's entirely possible two of those teams could overtake them. Two of them could overtake them in a single round of matches.
It's a bit different to last year with us, when with 7 games to go, we were 2 points ahead of Spurs, but then it was a further EIGHT points back to the next side, Man Utd. And ELEVEN points back to Chelsea in 7th. We were essentially in a two-horse race for the top 4, with some form of European football pretty much guaranteed even if we missed out.
Forest are in a five-horse race for the top 4 (being generous to us if we beat them, you could call it a four-horse race if not), and they're all pretty close to them. We needed one team, Spurs, to have a stuttering finish, and they delivered. Forest need AT LEAST two of us, Man City, Chelsea and Newcastle to have a stuttering end to the season. I think that's less likely, given they have to play three of them (us, Man City and Chelsea on the last day).
They're definitely in pole position, obviously, but if we beat them, then I think it totally opens the race up to 3rd.
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Forest basically need to win three of their last eight games, which given they've got matches to come against Leicester, Everton, Palace, Spurs, Brentford and West Ham in that lot, feels like they probably will manage it. Away to us tomorrow and home to Chelsea on the last day being the other two.
If they do that, it means that three of the four teams behind them need to win six or seven of their last eight games. And while one or even two could do that, it feels unlikely that three or four will on current form. If Forest win four of those eight games then they'll be on 69 points, which means that three of the four teams chasing them need to win pretty much every game between now and the end of the season.
Beating them on Saturday will definitely shit them up a little bit though.
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Maybe I've done my maths wrong, but if we beat Forest (entirely possible) and Chelsea and Man City both win at the weekend (also entirely possible), Forest would be 2 and 3 points ahead of them with 7 games to go, and both chasing teams have a better goal difference than Forest. AND Forest have to play both of them.
I'm also ignoring Newcastle in that, who are a point further back, but would actually be nearer to Forest than both Chelsea and Man City if they win their game in hand.
It feels like the race for Champions League is a lot closer than you've made out (not dismissing the possibility I've got my maths wrong of course!)
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Forest basically need to win three of their last eight games, which given they've got matches to come against Leicester, Everton, Palace, Spurs, Brentford and West Ham in that lot, feels like they probably will manage it. Away to us tomorrow and home to Chelsea on the last day being the other two.
If they do that, it means that three of the four teams behind them need to win six or seven of their last eight games. And while one or even two could do that, it feels unlikely that three or four will on current form. If Forest win four of those eight games then they'll be on 69 points, which means that three of the four teams chasing them need all win pretty much every game between now and the end of the season.
Beating them on Saturday will definitely shit them up a little bit though.
It will, and a subsequent defeat could set of all sorts of alarms in an inexperienced team. It's also that time of the season when results you'd never have seen coming happen and deadwood like Leicester pull out a big performance from nowhere.
In an ideal world they'll give eveything in an epic semi against Man City and blow up completely, then get funeralled by us in the final.
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A must win match.
Should have beaten Forest at their ground having outplayed them for majority of match.
14 games unbeaten at home now a nice 2-0 victory
Martinez
Konsa Mings Pau Maatsen
Kamara Tielemans
Ramsey McGinn
Rashford Watkins
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Forest basically need to win three of their last eight games, which given they've got matches to come against Leicester, Everton, Palace, Spurs, Brentford and West Ham in that lot, feels like they probably will manage it. Away to us tomorrow and home to Chelsea on the last day being the other two.
If they do that, it means that three of the four teams behind them need to win six or seven of their last eight games. And while one or even two could do that, it feels unlikely that three or four will on current form. If Forest win four of those eight games then they'll be on 69 points, which means that three of the four teams chasing them need all win pretty much every game between now and the end of the season.
Beating them on Saturday will definitely shit them up a little bit though.
It will, and a subsequent defeat could set of all sorts of alarms in an inexperienced team. It's also that time of the season when results you'd never have seen coming happen and deadwood like Leicester pull out a big performance from nowhere.
In an ideal world they'll give eveything in an epic semi against Man City and blow up completely, then get funeralled by us in the final.
Watching them scrape over the line against a poor ManU gives me hope. They're grinding out wins which is fine but it's not sustainable.
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A must win match.
Should have beaten Forest at their ground having outplayed them for majority of match.
14 games unbeaten at home now a nice 2-0 victory
Martinez
Konsa Mings Pau Maatsen
Kamara Tielemans
Ramsey McGinn
Rashford Watkins
That backline would be a concern vs these lot
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Forest basically need to win three of their last eight games, which given they've got matches to come against Leicester, Everton, Palace, Spurs, Brentford and West Ham in that lot, feels like they probably will manage it. Away to us tomorrow and home to Chelsea on the last day being the other two.
If they do that, it means that three of the four teams behind them need to win six or seven of their last eight games. And while one or even two could do that, it feels unlikely that three or four will on current form. If Forest win four of those eight games then they'll be on 69 points, which means that three of the four teams chasing them need all win pretty much every game between now and the end of the season.
Beating them on Saturday will definitely shit them up a little bit though.
It will, and a subsequent defeat could set of all sorts of alarms in an inexperienced team. It's also that time of the season when results you'd never have seen coming happen and deadwood like Leicester pull out a big performance from nowhere.
In an ideal world they'll give eveything in an epic semi against Man City and blow up completely, then get funeralled by us in the final.
Watching them scrape over the line against a poor ManU gives me hope. They're grinding out wins which is fine but it's not sustainable.
They've been doing it all season. And in most games they've had low ball retention. They're well organised and are a threat on the counter, something we have to be careful with as we usually struggle against this set-up.
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They've been doing it all season. And in most games they've had ball retention. They're well organised and are a threat on the counter, something we have to be careful with as we usually struggle against this set-up.
Yup. I remember saying earlier in the season that they're basically a better version of O'Neill's Villa. Sit back, play on the break, get it wide to the fast, tricky wingers and use a big (but good) striker to balance it all around.
But let them have the ball and they don't really know what to do with it, and just get frustrated.
I reckon going straight at them is the very worst thing we could do, and our current strategy of boring teams to death in the first half then coming out harder in the second is exactly what we should be doing here.
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Is Wood out for them?
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Their fans seem to think that he won't be risked.
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Is Wood out for them?
50/50, can see him being on the bench and coming on if things aren't working for them , they can then start launching some aerial bombardment
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Their fans seem to think that he won't be risked.
They'll be wary of Pau roughing him up when Wood's just back from injury.
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I feel certain that Mings and Onana will start tomorrow. Their stature and strength is exactly what's needed against this lot.
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Their fans seem to think that he won't be risked.
We all know he's going to be playing and playing well at that, right
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If it's muck and bullets coming our way, I'd rather Disasi take the ammunition than delicate Matty.
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Ben Fisher has done his hopes of a Pulitzer no harm at all in today's Guardian preview of the game. A beautifully crafted vignette that interrogates, teases and provokes shafts of light into the transgressive, liminal promise of the January transfer window. Read it, then read it again. You won't find a better, more urgent, more visceral piece of writing this year. A tour de force.
Is it a patch on Jonathan Liew's puff-pastry Preston piece?
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Yep - would bring back Mings because Forest are such a physical side.
Agree, they simply over-powered us in the reverse fixture. We didn't have Kamara or Mings then, it should be different this time.
Maybe they did but only late on - it was an awful game in truth. From memory the only moment of quality came from Duran with his goal. To be honest we just collapsed defensively that night when in a great position.
Mings was picked to start that night so I'd say it's a cert he will come back in for Torres. Disasi and Onana for Cash and Tielemans possibly. Maybe Watkins back in for Rashford again. That's if Emery sees the need to match them physically all over the pitch. But we know they will drop off and try to get us on the counter. Might be a mistake to drop Tielemans in the circumstances.
Very difficult team selection for Emery. No to Rogers on the right though, that's just a fudge. Put McGinn there.
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we had some bad VAR calls that night too. the Rogers pen springs to mind
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we had some bad VAR calls that night too. the Rogers pen springs to mind
Penalty not given decision was atrocious.
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we had some bad VAR calls that night too. the Rogers pen springs to mind
Penalty not given decision was atrocious.
Ah yes the one where their player grabbed Rogers arm and just kept pulling him back until Rogers finally went to ground to highlight it. No pen given and the explanation given by PGMOL was "not enough contact over a sustained period" More absolute bollocks from the plonkers at Stockley Park.
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Yep - would bring back Mings because Forest are such a physical side.
And Amadou Onana for his height and strength.
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Forest forum seems to think that Aina is screwed for Saturday and obviously Moreno can't play. Hudson-Odoi missed their game the other day with a "personal matter" but should be back. Wood seems to be improving, but they don't seem confident that he's going to be back.
Yeah, Nuno just confirmed Aina is out and Woods is getting back but I doubt he'll risk him for Saturday.
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Remember opposition "doubtful" = will play and probably score.
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We have an array of options now on and off the bench along with the best manager in Europe . Great time to be a fan .
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On the Rowley Regus express to Town. Full of Sangwell fans, the yam-o-meter is off the scale.
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Played for Villa and Forest I値l go first : Peter Withe right ?!
Surely he should be a guest today .
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Lives the other side of the world.
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Steve Stone
Carl Tiler
Garry Parker
Franz Carr
Stan Collymore
Matty Cash
Eric Lichaj
Dean Saunders
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Trevor Hockey
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Marlon Harewood
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Albert Adomah
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John Terry
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Alan Hutton
ALAN HUTTON!
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Did Andy Gray play for Forest ?
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David Platt
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Lives the other side of the world.
He came for Bayern Match I believe .
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Lives the other side of the world.
He came for Bayern Match I believe .
You're a legend. Never stop posting.
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Did Andy Gray play for Forest ?
Close. Four games on loan across the river at County.
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Riccardo Scimeca.
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Snake 1.0
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Angela.
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Lewis Grabban
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Alan Hutton
ALAN HUTTON!
Lewis Grabban
Hutton played right back and Grabban and Cash played for Forest in the epic 5-5! Cash even scored !
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Gary Parker
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Robin Hood.
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That 5-5 was a wild game . 7 years ago under Deano!
2-2 after 15 minutes!
Team that day:
Nyland
Alan Hutton
James Chester
Axel Tuanzebe
Neil Taylor
Conor Hourihane
Jack Grealish
John McGinn
Tammy Abraham
Jonathan Kodjia
Yannick Bolasie
Likes of El Ghazi, Whelan and Elmo came on.
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Kenny Swain.
3-1 Villa
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I of the view it will be a Villa Forest FA Cup final .
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Think we might batter these today.
Performance of the season incoming 4-0.
COYL
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I of the view it will be a Villa Forest FA Cup final .
That would be epic!
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Would it? Forest don't let teams play epic games sadly, boring cvnts.
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Digne, Konsa, Kamara, Cash, Ramsey, Rashford rested. Still a strong line-up.