From my Villa mate...

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ore depressed now than I have been for several weeks - if Newcastle lose on Wednesday, they should be ashamed of themselves. Villa are woeful at the moment: I don't think anyone played well on Saturday, and the squad now looks thinner than Ally McBeal - and they're all either teenagers or thirtysomethings.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

Answers

Can't say our peformance on Saturday fills me with too much hope. Remember too that young Keiron will be missing. That said, there'll probably never be a better time to play Villa. I've a sneaking feeling that despite both team's current malaise, whoever wins this tie could again reach the final, where inevitably, they'll lose.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

I hope Gregory's patience has worn with Ginola, as he can turn the game. We should play a 5.3.2 formation and play on the break. I reckon something like
Ameobi, Gallacher
Speed, Acuna, Bassadas
Griffin, Hughes, Goma, (Caldwell/Marcelino), Barton
Given.
Give Given a chance in the cup.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

Dyer and Solano may be missing, but Gallacher should be back (in place of Nobby) and we still have the option of starting with Cordone alongside Ameobi (in place of Dyer) - The likes of Griffin, Glass, Lua Lua would be starting on the bench. Run Villa ragged and then kick those three on......

It ain't no push over, but there is definite chances to be had in there.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001


Could be one of the all time great cup matches.

I thought our defensive performance on Saturday was the worst I'd seen since McFaul sprung his revolutionary 3 centre halves formation on an unsuspecting Geordie public in 1988. Coventry had half a dozen easy chances and about the same again in half chances. Coventry ?!! Without their missing internationals.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001


With Villa getting thumped by Liverpool it is all set up. Does anyone know if Villa have a full squad to call on or do they have any injuries or suspension?

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001


Spot on McBeth. Let's just be grateful old ginger bollocks didn't sign young ginger bollocks prior to the game. Still, I suppose our defence can't play that badly twice in a week. Can they?

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

Wasn't it great to see Bellamy who we tried so hard to sign turn out to be such an absolute donkey.....errr, no, actually, come to think of it, it was rather unsettling.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

It will certainly be an intersting match. Maybe. Apparently Calamity James and Alpay were at each others throats during the Liverpool drubbing, Ginola hauled off at halftime and given a bollocking. JG the morale booster at it again!

Then there's our squad which is patched up and apparently Bobby will only have 17 fit players from which to choose, so not much choice at all. Lee definitely still out through injury. Hopefully Glass finally gets a start! Just the kind of adversity that should get our players more geed up and turn in a winning performance.

Or it's gonna be a looooooong flight back to Baltimore on Thursday.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001


We haven't kept a clean sheet for 19 games now which is a pitiful record and shows where we are faltering. Couple this with the problems up front and it could be said that the lads are concentrating too much on attacking in training.

If we go one-nil up, Villa know that if they have a go at us they will score, which is not good.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001


4-5-1 anybody??

Harper

Griffin-Hughes-Goma-Barton

Gallacher-Bassedas-Acuna-Speed-Glass

Ameobi

Gallacher and Glass look to get forward at every opportunity to feed off the Shola-knockdowns. Villa's three centre backs will hopefully get pulled out and create some space for the midfield runners to do some damage. I have a feeling Bassedas will open his NUFC scoring record in this match.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001


To be honest DB, I don't think we've had too many problems up front recently since Dyer woke up from his slumbers and realised he's a true PL player. He and Amoebi have done really well together IMO.

Defensively, I have to agree with macbeth - and said so straight after the match in my "Verdict" post - we were an absolute shambles.
Our midfield didn't do the business on Saturday, and this certainly didn't help the defence. It sounds pretty damned lame, but I really think there is something in the point being made by BR, that they're all weary. Since AS & RL dropped out, I feel the midfield players and YKD have upped their committment level a good 10% and have worked their nuts off in every game. However, they simply can't keep this up week after week. We need to rotate some of these players to give them a bit of a break, or sooner or later we're going to get royally tanked by someone.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001


Probably Leeds this weekend.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

Aaron Hughes is better than Rio!

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

I think that if Ginola starts then we have to start with Griffin. He's handled him very well when he's been up against him, lets just hope it's a better game than the first.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

You're preaching to the converted, DB, but I think he's knackered. He has played more games than any other first team player plus NI internationals. PLUS, when we've got "We all agree Aaron is better than Rio" planned, plus the cover of this month's Mag, you can almost say with scientific certainty that he'll have a stinker against Leeds...

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001


Your right Dougal. In fact, I'd rest Hughes on Wednesday and play Marcelino as sweeper behind Goma and Caldwell - plus Barton and Griffin at WB.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

It's just the last couple of games that he has looked jaded - not helped frankly by Goma being so inconsistent and our midfield being weak at water in the past couple of games.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

I think we will anihalate Villa 5 or 6 nil. They are shit and they know they are. Hopefully we'll play a 2 - 5 - 1 - 2 formation that has been so sucsessfull on CM2000 this season.

Using Marthelino and Goma in the centre,

with a midfield of Glass, Speed, Acuna, Bassedas, Griffin.

Gallacher in the hole with Coppinger and Ameobi up front

Surely a winning line-up?

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001


Forgot to ask Dougal - where is this villa that you own with your mate?

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

LOL, Clarky. Incidentally, Biffa say in his excellent match report that Bobby says Hughesie was ill on Saturday (which begs the question, why not play Caldwell instead). Incidentally, I don't know whether it's all these sad away fans singing "where were you when you were shit" at us but I was on a train on Friday night and all of a sudden, now they are back to normal, the trains are packed again. There's me actually thinking "where were you when the trains were shit?" as another passenger stood on my toes. Terrifying.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

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