Match Prediction: Going down Bolton at Villa Park
Wednesday, 02 April 08, 04:46 AM · Comments (27)
Both teams are calling this a 'must win' match but which team needs it more? Bolton are struggling and while I predicted they'd get relegated by appointing Sammy Lee, I honestly thought they got rid of him in enough time, seems I may have been wrong.
Gary Megson is a decent enough manager and he'll have his players up for this match. Three of them will have a point to prove while the others will all fancy they can come and get three points, based on current form and with a little luck.
We have been pretty awful as of late and the long and hopeful tactic is now well and truly not going to work again. We have to play along the floor and knowing what we do about Smiler and JLloyd we know how we should be playing.
Smiler will no doubt jump into tackles and open up their midfield while all you've really got to do with JLloyd is go past him on the outside because he's too slow to react. He'll get to one or two out of five but webcam Ashley should have fun with him and the crosses should be flowing in all afternoon.
The thing is, both players were not good enough so seeing as we know that and we know their weaknesses we should exploit them and I've got a distinct feeling we probably will. We'll miss the height of Carew if he doesn't play but Marlon should be able to get on the end of a few of the crosses that I expect to see.
Give Marlon eight or ten real chances in a match I reckon he'll score you two goals. He's never had that opportunity as he's almost been expected to carve out his own, but this weekend could be different.
I'd also like to see the trickery of Shaun Maloney behind Marlon and Gabby rested for this match, but I don't expect to see either. However, if there was ever a match where you'd want to give a player a chance to better his confidence this would be it - maybe an outing for Routledge?
Losing this match is unthinkable and the official club site have said, it's a must win. I really don't think we'll beat Bolton if it's a battle. Sure, we'll be up for it, but they need it more than us. We'll beat Bolton if we play football and I've got a feeling we can do that.
With eight games left, sorry, seven. Actually make that six, we've still got a chance but not with the long ball. Play football and as we've seen this season, we can beat some of the best teams in the league. I'm predicting three points and a return to playing football, hopefully with a little more possession and more passing along the ground.
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27 Comments · Add yours
Dear Damian,
There's something I've been meaning to ask you for a long while now, why do you keep calling Ashley Young 'Webcam Ashley'?
Astonguerilla
first. ashley young is going to be a big star for us if we keep him and match his ambitions.
the term is used because of this:
[url=LINK]click here[/url]
Actually, don't worry about it! I've just googled it..........that's ruined my day that has.
I'm going for a Villa win and an end to our slump. 2-1.
Carew lets set to play. So the above post is a little out of date ... but it was posted before i found out .. so it should be nice to see those crosses go on the head of Carew instead of Marlon
now wonder webcam ash has looked so knackered he plays with his own balls more than the actual football lol! maybe the rest of the team have been doing the same thing now wonder they all look burnt out lol......... ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
I've seen that NOTW article before, and as much as i am suspicious of the whole thing, does anyone else think that the woman pictured looks a little like Gabby in a wig? Coincidence? I think not.
jese gabby in a wig lol now thats one ugly..............THING.............pmsl.................
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
(i was gonna say woman but that would of seemed disrepectful)
im gonna go for a 0-0, how has carew gone from being out for 2 weeks to being fit for saturday?
cus he knew we was gonna lose to manure and bottled it..........
I think it'll be a tough one to call but I reckon we'll pinch it 2-1 ... got a funny feeling Cahill will get their goal too!
And as for Bolton going down, I had a tenner on them to go down this season at 50/1 from Ladbrokes and I put that on when the first story came out about Anelka possibly going ... I'd be willing to lose that bet to see the noses go down though to be fair!!
Hopefully this will be the game that turns it back round ... we can beat any of the teams we've got left just need to pick our confidence back up again!!
UTV
Well well well! What more could you ask for when you're on bad run resembling a morning after some sort of sordid all-night curry eating competition? A home match against Bolton seems just the tonic.
I had a bad feeling about the Sunderland game but even I can't see us messing up here, it would be completely unforgivable. This match is just about as easy as it gets, with the possible exception of Paul Jewell bringing his pack of whipping donkeys over Midlands way.
I don't buy into this tosh about relegation-threatened teams being a tough game because they're fighting for their lives - that's a load of rhino droppings. They're in this position because, believe it or not, they're one of the worst teams in the league. They don't have the ability to be much better than the table suggests. The fact they might be going down in a few weeks is irrelevant, they're here for a (football-related) spanking so let's bloody well give it to them.
I'll stick a virtual tenner on 1-0. Our form tells me we probably won't play to our best, but even at our half-best we should still win the game. The way we play doesn't really bother me at this stage, 3 points will do the confidence wonders so the win is all that matters. Oh, and a goal from open play please. Preferabley scored by an Aston Villa player as well ;)
Why are the comments not coming on under chris's article from yesterday?
We have drawn 5 & lost 1 in the last six meetings with BOLTON, so my prediction will be 1-1 with Shaun Maloney getting the goal, as he is the only one to look like scoring of late.
I'm going for 3-0 to the Villa... simply because I don't beleive this run of bad form can, or should, go on any longer. And because Aston Villa are a far better team than Bolton Wonderers!
Anything less than a good shoe-ing isn't good enough. Young will rape Jlloyd and NRC will eat McCann. Goals: Gabby x1 Carew x2.
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Now, back to the real world, get your voice boxes loubed up for a booing borefest!
A dire first half involving 1 shot missed from Maloney will be capped by a goal for Bolton just before the break, probably by an ex Villain. Boos will ring around the ground at half time and the players confidence will eb even lower.
2nd half will open up with some long ball tactics up to Carew, he'll win all of them but nobody will make a run or even anticipate a flick on. 2nd goal for Bolton, they hit us on the break, NRC gives the ball away on one of his spastic runs where he dosen't pass till the last minute, but by then it's too late!
Scott Carson will then begin to cry and plead to be dropped so he can hide on the bench from the big nasty strikers who keep lashing (...well tapping!) shots at him that he cant stop!
Then, Gabby will be one on one with the keeper but at the crucial moment will trip over his tongue gifting a back pass-esk shot to the keeper!
Full Time, BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (Told you so!)
Now before everyone starts giving me shit just think about it. As stupid and obscure as the above sounds it could all happen! Maybe minus the tongue trip and Carson crying bit but we really could lose this game and as much as I want us to get back on track I dont see any reason why we would... It's not like we saw any kind of inclination to improve last week or against Sunderland so why is this game any different??? Our players are fucked, and the sooner the season ends the better, forget Europe now for gods sake! It's as if everyone forgets that our players simply arn't good enough for it, I personally cant be arsed forking out more money next season just to see our small/ill-equiped squad get hammered by some Turkish nob ends! What I'm saying is (in a round about way) the reason we wont make europe is because we are not ready, equiped or good enough, however we do have the potential, and if this potential is handled correctly then we might just see some good times at Villa park again!
Over to you MON! For gods sake don't let us down!
think well get well beat,,bolton must be licking there lips on this one..i think 1 v 4,,petrov to get ours...
Woodhino, I like your imagination. Just hope it's gonna stay a fantasy. Your point that we haven't shown much in the last 2 games; I thought we looked very good for the first 25 mins against Manure, ok so their first goal knocked the stuffing out of us, tiredness showed then. If we repeat that 25 mins against Bolt On we'll be 3 up!
Villa to win an ugly, boring, skill-less encounter which MOTD would prefer to not show. But 3 points is 3 points.
wood, the imagery of webcam ashley raping jloyd and NRC eating old Gav befuddles me.
I think we'll beat Bolton, because we're better than Bolton.
Holtearmynick please tell me when u put a tenner on them to go down this season at 50/1. it didnt happen. i work in the betting industry and i can assure u through pre season and all the way through this season at every point the odds on Bolton going down have never been anywhere near 50/1. that is ludicrous!!!
Honestly I can see us losing this one. I have been far from impressed with the team for about a month now. I know almost everyone else feels the same. This season and last it is these lapses that have cost us. Last season we started well had a slump in the middle and picked up again at the end. This season we have been good up until the end.
We definatly need more depth to the squad but thats obvious to everyone.We have a fairly easy run in but Im not hopeful given the way we have been playing. I think 3 points against Bolton will set us up nicely to go on a nice little run but a loss will just knock us for six and I dont see us climbing the table at all and most probably falling down it dramatically.
I think we will lose this match and it will be effectively the end of our season. We wont get UEFA or Intertoto, which is a shame since in any other season we would have had some form of European football in the bag.
Still we will come back stronger next season and this blip will be a little stain and our mostly spotless season.
Marginal win here, decent win against Derby, point at Everton, beat Blues and Wigan and a point against West Ham.
Intertoto cup here we come.
God, could you imagine us getting beat 3-0...JLloyd,Cahill and McCann scoring...how bad would that be!
Ok, that isn't going to happen, I can see a 3 or 4 hammering of Bolton. Lets hope so, i'm still mentally scarred from when they kicked our ass 5-2 or something like that in the Carling Cup semis a few years back, i hold a massive grudge against these bunch of mugs
Bazza, the bet was put on, on 31st of March at the end of last season, Bolton still had Allardyce, were high in the table and Anelka was their top scorer. There were rumours he was off to Arsenal in the previous transfer window but didn't happen in the end. They went on to finish 7th and the odds flew down as soon as Fat Sam left.
I wouldn't have put a bet on unless the odds were that good, i'm a uni student so have to risk some funding somehow, both for living and my season ticket down VP!!
a while ago id hav confidently predicted victory. not so much now, i reckon it wil be a scrappy win at best. prove me wrong ppl!
We will get beat
I envisage nearly 90 minutes of televised sky.