C'mon everyone. There has to be a result so whatcha reckon? My guess - 1-1 at full time, Villa (prob Merson) gets the winner in extra time.

Please let me be wrong, but I think in extra time our lack of a first team out there will tell. You can only get so far with 'spirit'.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

Answers

2-2 after extra time and for quite possibly the first time we win a penalty shoot out.......

I'm going to the game so looking forward to full quota of information.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

quite why I said information there I'm not certain, it should of course have said entertainment

80)

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

2-1 to the villa, sadly. The toon is going out until next year.

However its not down to 'spirit' I feel we could be on the end of a back lash to appease the Villa part timers.

Your wrong about spirit mate. A quality player with spirit is WORLD CLASS. Just look at Beckham, Keane, Scholes. On the other end look at the technically gifted Silvio Maric, simply no spirit, or the gifted center half Sid Marcelino, again simply no spirit - just two of many wasters who could a hell of a lot more.

Could it be that our players HAVE ability with the needed spirit, thus our good results of late?

Why not be slightly positive in what you type and build the players up. They are assets?

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

'Why not be slightly positive in what you type and build the players up. They are assets.'

hehehe, I made it seem like you were calling our player devil worshipers etc. NEW SCREEN FILTER IS NEEDED.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

I am gonna throw me hat in the ring with a win for the lads 0-2. SBR will take the sting out of villa with his defensive tactics, the longer the game goes goalless the better chance we have of winning it. Two breakaway goals taken by shola.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

Re SPIRIT Read your posting with interest. Unfortunately, without AS, Dyer, Solano et al, then we are relying on people who may have spirit but are not technically brilliant, and certainly will be playing in an 11 that will have had little or no experience together.

Spirit will NOT get you everywhere. Just look at the FA Cup. Sure you get a few surprises, but that's exactly what they are - surprises. In the vast majority of cases the lower division team gets beaten by the higher. And I bet every single one of those lower teams had GREAT spirit - that was their cup final, and for some of the players maybe the biggest match they will ever likely play in in their career. This 'spirit' did them sod all-good.

You ask me not to be so negative. I agree wholeheartedly. But a group of players who don't know each other's style that well may struggle against a team like Villa, notwithstanding Saturday's drubbing by L'pool.

I hope, let me repeat that for the hard of hearing, I HOPE that the lads play them off the pitch, score a bundle and send us home happy. I for one am making the effort and going to cheer them on, win or lose. Don't confuse thoughtful analysis (right or wrong) with lack of loyalty.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

I'm going for a repeat of Saturday's experience and let the heart rule the head - Villa 1 Newcastle United 4. Do I need to provide scorers?

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

Gibbo mate

We win 4-1, AND you can name the scorers, then get yourself down to William Hill and win yourself a million!! (You'll only have to wager a fiver too with those odds) Good on yer...

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

2 - 1 to the toon with Ameobi and Gallacher our scorers.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

I have a bad feeling about this one. It will be tough match with few goals, but Villa will get a late winner. 1-0 to Villa (Dublin) Hope i'm very wrong. I am not trying to be pessimistic, but when you have lower expectations you will be less dissapointet if things go bad. Their last result gives hope though. But cup is cup.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

Easy - Shola hatrick, late Dublin consolation, with Glass netting our fourth in the 96th minute. Anyone got a spare bluey?

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

Pete says...boring, boring and even more boring, but with yet another Gary Speed early goal, it's 1-0 Toon...Howay the Lads.

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001

>>>>>when you have lower expectations you will be less dissapointet if things go bad.

What a daft idea. (And it's a widely held view). As if you can minimise your disappointment by removing all hope. What you are actually doing is suffering the disappointment BEFORE the result which might even go your way. It's best to always assume victory and then the only unhappy times come after the matches we lose. Pessimism means you're unhappy all the time.

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001

"I'd rather be an optimist and wrong, than a pessimist and right..."

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001

Thanks Jonno. I was about to say we'll be overrun in midfield ... and we will be ... but it won't matter as some resolute defending and a couple of amazing goals from Shola and Speed will see us through comfortably.

Howay!!

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001

No, It'll take a Cup miracle. Can you really see Villa losing two games on the bounce at home without some heavenly intervention on our behalf?

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001

Oh dear - The Angel of Doom has spoken, snuffing out the chink of light I was trying to shine. :-)

One day, we'll win the Premier, and I confidently predict that Dougal's first words will be something like "Oh no - it couldn't happen at a worse time - we'll be humiliated in the Champions League".

:-)))

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001

We'll lose in extra-time/pens. Ever the optimist. But then, I did predict we'd get beaten 4-0 by Arsenal...and that turned out to be optimistic.

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001

3 - 0 to them. Hope I'm wrong. Griff or Ginola will be Red-Carded. Hendrey will be the ugliest man on the pitch.

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001

carry on.

I was feeling mildly pessimisic but all this cynicism is just giving me a greater sense that we can do this....;))

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001

It all reminds me of another cup game when we had a lot of injuries and were away to a good but inconsistent team. Step forward Steve Watson who lofts the ball into Liverpools net.

I fancy one - nil to us and the scorer, another full back Griffin

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001

Result 1-0 Toon.

Speed to score. I have to be optimistic, I couldn't stand it if all we have to look forward to is a "decent" league position. When I arrive in Sept I want the SJP tour sightseeing to include the sight of the Cup draped in b & w ribbons.

HOWAY THE LADS

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001

1's each after normal time then Lua Lua with an xtra time winner to send the hoardes into delirium , and a canny drive home :-))

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001

Tight game, difficult to call, 1-0 to us, in extra-time. Just as long as it doesn't go to penalties.

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001

They'll go 1-0 up in 2 minutes through Daveeeeeeeeed, who will run over to the Villa bench to puff his chest out and generally prance about. Unfortunately Gregory will be in the stand (all alone judging by Villa's usual crowds) so the protest will be a bit lost on him.

We will look utterly incompetent throughout as each side packs midfield and hoofs it aimlessly back and forth. The occasional chants of "England's number 1" will so inspire David James that he somehow conspires to score an own goal in the 4th minute of injury time although the 4th official only allowed 3.

We calmly score through Gary Speed almost from the kickoff and the rest of extra time is a serious of yellow cards, feigned injuries and hacking.

Toon win and YBR hails it a typical Cup game while John Gregory refuses to speak to the press. ITK loses his carkeys during the celebration and has to spend a night in the cells and Dougal confidently predicts we will be beaten by Leicester anyway.

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001

Nice idea Softie, but just how serious do the yellow cards, feigned injuries and hacking have to be?

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001

Bassedas to seal a 2-1 victory in extra time, after Ameobi had cancelled out Merson's opener for Villa

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001

Villa friend's latest: "why oh why oh why does bobby robson think that you need 3 central defenders to cope with the aston villa attack, which will should consist of dublin and ginola - and even if vassell starts, he's hardly such a strong player that you would need to have 2 central defenders to pick him up. Also, the place to hit villa at the moment is the midfield - although we do have boateng and hendrie back from suspension. maybe bobby robson is trying to find a combination that will work in the absence of dyer and solano. villa are likely to play: james southgate - staunton - barry stone - boateng - merson - hendrie - wright dublin - ginola/vassell. i can see this one going all the way to penalties".

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001

LOL, Softie.

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001

I'm putting my fiver on Villa to win 4-1......it ain't gonna be our year....

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001

Lessee....while walking around Tynemouth priory this afternoon, I was greeted by 2 magpies who twittered at me then flew off in the direction of Newcastle, still twittering away.

Then saw 3 black and white cats sunning themselves on various house awnings during my Metro ride back into Toon.

0-5 to us! Or at least a win...according to the Magpies. ;-)

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001

>>>>I'm putting my fiver on Villa to win

Last of the big spenders - come on Gav - put your money where your mouth is and put 5 grand on Villa. That should provide reasonable compensation for the predicted disappointment. And at least there'll be one Geordie in the crowd leaping in the air after every home goal.

:-)

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001