News:

Use a VPN to stream games Safely and Securely 🔒
A Virtual Private Network can also allow you to
watch games Not being broadcast in the UK For
more Information and how to Sign Up go to
https://go.nordvpn.net/SH4FE

Main Menu


Fulham v Villa

Started by Milo, May 15, 2018, 09:59:59 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Milo

Watched Boro v Villa both legs. Hardly the resident Villa expert after seeing two games.. but this was my view of it. Thoughts?

Villa's main threat is in midfield. Grealish is some player - think a cross between Johansen and Cairney. Snodgrass didn't look too special over the two legs but i know he's highly rated by their fans. Jedinak is solid. In a sense, their midfield closely mirrors the structure of ours with two creatives and a holding midfielder.

Defence is solid with Chester (highly rated) and Terry. However surely the latter means they will struggle with our pace.

Finally a lot of hard work by their strikers .. quite similar to us in shape with two wingers who look to drive on the counter. However no real potency to speak of and certainly no Mitro figure in the centre.

Their keeper should have been sent off tonight. It was the most blatant red card you'll see.

I think the key to the game will be marking Grealish out the game with McDonald. I genuinely feel Villa offer very little apart from him. I certainly think we can afford to commit players in attack provided he's kept quiet because their strikers lack any real threat compared to Derby.

Feeling positive!

ChesterTheTabby

I posted something similar to this, and I think we arrived at similar conclusions. I am glad we are playing Villa, they will try to play "real" football against us, and in doing so that will allow us to use our possession and composure to unlock them piece by piece. I think if we score first and early, could be a wonderful night for the boys in White! Wouldn't surprise me if we had to wait for the 60th minute or so break them down though.
Someone once asked me, "Why Fulham?".
My response, "Well, lad, you just haven't seen the light yet"

Milo

Quote from: WokinghamWhite on May 15, 2018, 10:09:43 PM
First odds appearing: Sky Bet currently offer Fulham 6/5, Villa 5/2.

Ouch! Sky pundits after game (that curly haired Irish bloke who seems to have become a permanent fixture on that programme without any real insightful comments) agree Villa would have to be at their very best to win.

Incidentally they had Paul Merson as a pundit tonight and analysed Boro tonight perfectly in 5 minutes. Finally someone who knows what they're talking about.

The ingame commentators by contrast close the game saying "no disrespect to Fulham.." (ie massive disrespect coming up..) "but Villa deserve to be a Premiership club".


bobbo

Not a sending off milo, yes he was out of his area but he wasn't the last man there were others behind him.
Ref got it spot on.
1975 just leaving home full of hope

EastEndWhite

Quote from: Milo on May 15, 2018, 10:16:32 PM
Quote from: WokinghamWhite on May 15, 2018, 10:09:43 PM
First odds appearing: Sky Bet currently offer Fulham 6/5, Villa 5/2.

Ouch! Sky pundits after game (that curly haired Irish bloke who seems to have become a permanent fixture on that programme without any real insightful comments) agree Villa would have to be at their very best to win.

Incidentally they had Paul Merson as a pundit tonight and analysed Boro tonight perfectly in 5 minutes. Finally someone who knows what they're talking about.

The ingame commentators by contrast close the game saying "no disrespect to Fulham.." (ie massive disrespect coming up..) "but Villa deserve to be a Premiership club".

Listened to the game on the radio and the pundits seem to have Villa back in the Premiership already! 

Woolly Mammoth

Quote from: EastEndWhite on May 15, 2018, 10:20:21 PM
Quote from: Milo on May 15, 2018, 10:16:32 PM
Quote from: WokinghamWhite on May 15, 2018, 10:09:43 PM
First odds appearing: Sky Bet currently offer Fulham 6/5, Villa 5/2.

Ouch! Sky pundits after game (that curly haired Irish bloke who seems to have become a permanent fixture on that programme without any real insightful comments) agree Villa would have to be at their very best to win.

Incidentally they had Paul Merson as a pundit tonight and analysed Boro tonight perfectly in 5 minutes. Finally someone who knows what they're talking about.

The ingame commentators by contrast close the game saying "no disrespect to Fulham.." (ie massive disrespect coming up..) "but Villa deserve to be a Premiership club".

Listened to the game on the radio and the pundits seem to have Villa back in the Premiership already! 

We will have to disappoint them then.
Its not the man in the fight, it's the fight in the man.  🐘

Never forget your Roots.


Milo

#6
Quote from: bobbo on May 15, 2018, 10:18:52 PM
Not a sending off milo, yes he was out of his area but he wasn't the last man there were others behind him.
Ref got it spot on.

Terry wasn't going to get back in my eyes. Was certainly a goal scoring "opportunity" and hence a red card for me.

Nick Bateman

It was a stonewall red card, even Talksport have stated - shockingly bad decision by Mike Dean to deliberately aid Aston Villa who would have had the goalkeeper banned for the final.  Dean knew this so gave an inexplicable yellow.
Nick Bateman "knows his footie"

Fulham Joe

These statements can always come back and bite you on the arse, but I saw absolutely nothing from Aston Villa for us to worry about.
If we get beaten, it willl be because we're Fulham and we never ever win a final.
If we're on a going day, and get even a tiny bit of luck, we'll take care of them, I'm certain of it.


Woolly Mammoth

If there is any Justice in this world when it comes to footballing teams, then we will conquer, if there is a God, after all they are the Villians.
Its not the man in the fight, it's the fight in the man.  🐘

Never forget your Roots.

Andy S

For the one and only time this season Win and we are promoted lose and we are not. It is in our hands. We will win

Milo

Incidentally Bruce argued they beat us at home and we beat them at home so it's equals equals.

However their victory was in October with no Mitro, Sess LB, Fonte upfront for 80 mins, and Cairney on as a sub still recovering from injury. Completely different team.


ChesterTheTabby

Quote from: Milo on May 16, 2018, 01:13:18 AM
Incidentally Bruce argued they beat us at home and we beat them at home so it's equals equals.

However their victory was in October with no Mitro, Sess LB, Fonte upfront for 80 mins, and Cairney on as a sub still recovering from injury. Completely different team.

And they'll say no Grealish or Adomah, but I would also argue that whereas they were missing players when we beat them, we were not only missing influential players, but we still hadn't found our confidence or style. I think so long as we are not overconfident that we will win in the POF.
Someone once asked me, "Why Fulham?".
My response, "Well, lad, you just haven't seen the light yet"

Sherlock

I think it's clear, if we play our best, we are a better side than Villa. But they have more experience on and off the field and after all it's football - the best team doesn't always win.

peter w

Quote from: maoconnor on May 16, 2018, 04:39:45 AM
Quote from: Milo on May 16, 2018, 01:13:18 AM
Incidentally Bruce argued they beat us at home and we beat them at home so it's equals equals.

However their victory was in October with no Mitro, Sess LB, Fonte upfront for 80 mins, and Cairney on as a sub still recovering from injury. Completely different team.

And they'll say no Grealish or Adomah, but I would also argue that whereas they were missing players when we beat them, we were not only missing influential players, but we still hadn't found our confidence or style. I think so long as we are not overconfident that we will win in the POF.

You also have to add Kodjia to that; and Elmohamady went off injured at half-time. So, we did have big players out for us.

As for the game of course it'll be tough - even more than Wolves you are probably or have been the best footballing team we have come up against, but we can also point to several performances where we have out-footballed, outplayed, and out gunned teams. Wolves 4-1 being the obvious starting point, but we were excellent 2nd half v Cardiff; brilliant at Ipswich and Sheff Wed, stuffed Derby at home but drew 1-1 - in one of those games where it looked like we could play all day and not score - hit the bar; post etc and then scored late on.

bruce set us up a certain way to negate the one thing Boro had - pace from traore - and we did that easily enough. boro's stats last night showed that - 9 shots and 0 on target and the majority of those shots were as they were pressing int he last 20 minutes. We comfortably kept them at arms length - as we have done to many teams this season after going a goal up.

I've no idea how we'll set ourselves up and in the admittedly very few times I've seen you your threat is pace down both flanks. You keep the ball in midfield well but I'm not too concerned about that - the 2nd ball coming into midfield maybe where you gain an advantage but i think it'll be similarly tight. In all honesty at this point I have no idea what to expect but of course I'm hopeful. I'm not 'worried' by Fulham but am more than aware that you could win it comfortably. I'm looking forward to it - but easy to say 2 weeks in advance. Bring it on.

We haven't performed in our last 3 Wembley visits though; but in saying that we tend to win our big finals that our staged on May 26th...

Up The Villa


BestOfBrede

I wish they had to wear their second colours for the final - reminds me of what happened last time at Wembley against claret & blue! Not a good memory at all!

toshes mate

I am hoping for a game full of all the good things about football on 26th and not chock full of the tediousness of most of that match last night - team one-nil down from first leg with no shots on target says it all.  I did feel the Villa 'keeper should have been red carded but that is referees for you these days. 

Twig

Quote from: BestOfBrede on May 16, 2018, 08:52:06 AM
I wish they had to wear their second colours for the final - reminds me of what happened last time at Wembley against claret & blue! Not a good memory at all!

That was a very disappointing day wasn't it. A complete anticlimax.


toshes mate

Quote from: BestOfBrede on May 16, 2018, 08:52:06 AM
I wish they had to wear their second colours for the final - reminds me of what happened last time at Wembley against claret & blue! Not a good memory at all!
Unless, of course, it is redemption day....

Carborundum

The Wembley pitch is five yards longer than Craven Cottage and a staggering ten yards longer than Villa Park according to Wikipedia.  Aston Villa have a defensive leader whose inclination will be to play deep and oblige his fellow defenders to play to his line.  There will be acres of space.  We will outplay them.  They can press hard in the first half and blow up in the second or we can do them slowly over 90 minutes.  We just have to be positive and not let the occasion get to us.  Then trust that the dominant side usually ends up with more goals.

If they had Mitrovic or Sessegnon my worry levels might increase.  But they haven't.  We have them.

If we had John Terry I'd be very worried indeed.