Prague Preview: What the papers say, a little banter and if I find one, a rumour or two
Thursday, 06 November 08, 02:42 AM · Comments (73)
Right lads, big night tonight. Slavia Prague are a big team in the Czech Republic that play in the biggest stadium in the Czech Republic and have the best current record in the Czech Republic.
They're currently top of the table by a good few points and of the six games they've played at home they've scored 18 goals, conceded one and taken maximum points. Maybe it would have been advisable to have rested a few players for the Newcastle game instead - I think these lads will be more of a threat.
Anyway, what are the papers saying? Not much actually as you get far more reaction after matches, but a few still offer up something.
Sandy Macaskill, Daily Telegraph: "Although the club are in a strong position at the top of Group F, having beaten Ajax in their first group game at Villa Park last month, Villa have been far from their vibrant best in recent league performances against Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle.
The have looked drained, in large part thanks to a hectic schedule which has seen them play four times in 12 days.
Martin O'Neill, the Villa manager, has spoken repeatedly of the increased options open to him this season, arguing that their packed calendar will be offset by the healthy competition for first-team places, which he believes is the best he has seen since his arrival at the club."
Eleanor Crooks, The Guardian: "Slavia are unbeaten in 14 games, including eight at home, since the opening of Stadion Eden in May and sit atop the Gambrinus Liga but they host Villa tonight knowing they are underdogs in both the match and in terms of progressing to the tournament's later stages.
The Slavia midfielder Vladimir Smicer conceded Villa, Ajax and Hamburg were favourites to progress from Group F but the team would not bow out meekly.
"It's a really good chance for us," said the former Liverpool player. "We know they are a good team but we are playing at home and would like to make a good game and have a good result. At the moment I think they play really good football. They've got really fast players like [Gabriel] Agbonlahor and [Ashley] Young."
Martin O'Neill: “We have had them watched the last couple of games. They played at home just a few days ago and they were excellent.
It is their first game in the group stages. People talk of a ‘surprise’ if they win but they have Champions League experience.
They were in the Champions League last year. They know how to play.
‘This will not be easy for us. The crowd will be hostile and up for the game. There was 13,500 at the weekend and they made a lot of noise.”
That's about it from the press this morning. I'm sure I could find more if I digged and digged but I'm not spending all day on it and I did look at a few sites, if you've got more,add links below please.
The bottom line is, it's not going to be easy and with the likes of Petrov, Milner and Harewood not making the trip, the manager will have to make changes, but like I said above, maybe this isn't the match we really want to be making changes.
Moving on, congratulations to Marlon Harewood and I hope someone passes on the best wishes from all here at the AVFC Blog - having children is almost as good, I'd imagine, as scoring in front of a full Holte End.
Also, for those looking for a rumour, I couldn't find one. The club made a statement yesterday about not taking the Joey Barton incident further and the referee that awarded the penalty to Gerrard the other day has also admitted to making a mistake.
Nothing from the FA or Premier League on the Gerrard dive though - which isn't surprising, but surely someone has got to as the question one day as it turns out, cheats actually do prosper. Nice lesson to be broadcasting week in week out, isn't it?
Right - it's football tonight and I've also been invited to an American football evening and by coincidence it's the Cleveland Browns playing. I wouldn't normally say yes to watching a bunch of men try to play rugby but have to wear padding, but figure I can take tomorrow off work and see what all the fuss is about.
Anyway, I've predicted a victory for tonight but I'd take a draw and based on our current form, wouldn't be surprised if it was worse, but for some reason, I just can't see it. The match centre will begin as normal and I may even open it up a little earlier tonight.
Media watch post coming tomorrow and if anyone leaves a player rating table in the forum later, it may very well be used as I feel as if doing it myself could result in some players getting poor scores.
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73 Comments · Add yours
Win tonight we're as good as home & dry into the next round. Won't be easy, but its what we need to do. A draw would be acceptable, but would put us under some pressure to perform against MK.
Really looking forward to an exciting game tonoght. Will be hard no doubt. Really hope the fringe player that make the team do step up to the plate and show they are good enough to be involved more in the league.
Good luck to the lads!
UTV!
i would like to see 4 - 5 - 1
with two holding midfield players and thre bombing on.
friedel
davies - carlos - laursen - barry
young - reo - gardner - sidwell - gabby
carew
reo and gardner hold the rest do the attacking.
Slightly concerned about tonight, I would gladly take the draw now, this is going to be a tough game.
These sort of away trips in Europe cause problems for all sides, look how poorly we played in the away leg against Litex, although we did get the result.
MoN has been ranting and raving recently about the strength of the squad and how his fringe players need to step up. I would still almost guarantee that he will start the exact same team as normal - rest no-one and give no-one a run for the last 20 minutes even if we are 5 up. The only 'bonus' is that two players have slight knocks so presumaby Sid will get a run out.
I think we will struggle tonight as the Prague team are much stronger than everyone seems to give them credit for. A draw would be a very good result.
Chris,
I've always wondered, does 'step up to the plate' mean the same thing as 'push the envelope'? If so, I hope the boys put in a performance tonight and really push the jiffy bag so it's out of reach.
Would it be Ok Damain if I said having kids IS better than scoring a goal in front of the Holte End....Does that make me less of a fan ..lol
I'm going for a Villa loss tonight, so anything else is a bonus. This is the game of this group I actually think will be the hardest..!
Ahh _AA_, Always the optimist!
Erm. . . I'd rather not say how i think we'll do! Although this is a really tough game!!
UTV
Salifou in goal,
Salifou in defence,
Salifou in midfield,
and Salifou up front!
There my friends, is ze winning formula!
Damian
Since you’re still talking about it, I think you’ve got this Gerrard penalty wrong mate. As you say, the ref has admitted his error and that is where it stays. Two players came together at speed and bundled each other over. But it wasn’t a dive. Coming in at that speed it was impossible to stay on his feet. Or is that what you’re saying: he knew, at that speed, he would never be able stay upright and made it look like a penalty? I don’t think so – he was just chasing the game in injury time.
No foul, no dive. Just the controversy that slo-mo replay constantly throws up.
As for tonight, several fringe players may get the chance to shine. Hope they pull it off
Chris. ‘Step up to the plate’ is a baseball term. It’s what batters do when they face the pitcher. They stand on the plate.
Reply to philbob88:
I think this could work. It's important to maintain the element of surprise and this would be the last thing they will be expecting.
Reply to docpace:
Hmmm. . . Surprise eh???
So maybe he should whip out some custard pies if anybody goes near him!!
Also, if we use that tactic, it will keep a lot of players frsh for the game on Sunday!
I certainly can't remember anthing in the rules of the game that say that custard pies can't be used - I also think he should wear a large hat, maybe a sombrero, as this would cause a distraction for the opposition.
i think we could win tonight but would be happy with a draw.... i said at the start of the group stage that we need to win both our games to qualify.... i cant see getting much in hamburg... so at least a point tonight is essential...
i too would like to see barry play left back cos he looks a little of the pace at the moment and not to forget the fact that shorey is well dodgy...
2-1 villa is my bet.... and i got a fiver on it at 8/1 with betfred....
I'll take a draw from this game.
.
Europe is always a tough competition, whether UEFA or Champions League especially away from home.
I think this is one of those games that yu could almost flip a coin to decide who will win.
As I've said quite a bit now, if Aston Villa come out and play close to our best, well win. We have far too much skill and are the better team on paper.
This Villa team I keep mentioning tho seems to be non-existent atm and its a little worrying considering its still well before christams
GARDNER HAS TO PLAY!! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!
The boys in the forum probably think I have some sort of attraction to our Gardner!!
__AA__
having a son myself and can categorically say it was the best day of my life .. but i have a feeling scoring in front of a full hotle might come close ..
churchil
yes, they came together at speed but was that reason for gerrard to throw his arms up and out like he'd been fouled. he did dive, he did go looking for the penalty before any contact was made. it's the gerrard way.
i should also say that he's getting away with it, so good on him and you cant knock him for taking advantage of it. in fact our ashley does it also ...
my point about gerrard diving however, is that it has to be stamped out. when did it become acceptable to cheat to win?
clubs should be punished by having the players banned for 3 games every time they cheat and they shouldn't be allowed to do it - there is no point fining the players any more - it has to hurt the club for allowing it to happen - but he did dive for it
I would like to see Davies getting another go as Cuellar was cat against the toon. We should buy Huntelaar for £15mn in January, every other team interested n making a bid are tip-toeing around making a bid, we should get in and steal him. He has played in Villa Park, he knows its a big club, we beat his current club etc etc etc.....
Ramonicus
You are not alone in your desire to see Gardner play or get a proper run .. but your attraction, I guess is quite unique
We realy need to start fast and push the tempo, hopefully with the fresh leggs in midfield-sidwell-salifou,we should be too strong and get the win,we need to keep tabs on the young striker tomas necid,he's very much like are big jon a target man thats good at holding up the ball and linking play,i think we would be best off man marking him with davies score-2-1 to the villa
Reply to AVFCBlog:
Yes, I'd ignore any ''unique'' - thats a good word - comments made by me regarding Gardner.
On a serious note tho, I think this would be a great game to test him in the heart of the midfield. Last year, most of his gametime came when he was covering Olof at RB and so we never saw his true potential. I personally think hes probably as good, if not technically better then NRC - Can't question NRC's engine tho. He has good vision, a good pass and can control the game when its needed. We just need to see if he can do it consistently and at the top level. This is a tough game and would be a good test.
I'd just hate to see Gardner do a Cahill leave for a (relatively) small fee and prove MON wrong.
Anyway heres hoping he plays, scores, gets kept in the side and keeps doing the same until Christmas and beyond.
A lil too optimistic ? ignore then.
Reply to docpace:
UEFA have definatley got this football malarchy all wrong! We should start an unofficial UEFA thinktank for people with good ideas!
Maybe not a sombrero, one of those tall hats those dudes outside buckingham palace wear would be good! Give him extra heading ability from set-pieces!
Reply to Ramonicus:
Totally agree with you about Gardner. He should be given a few games in the middle to see what he can do. He has an eye for goal as well which NRC or Petrov don't have.
All this pessimism is because of the performance and more importantly result against Newcastle. Slavia are the biggest club and best team in a piss poor league. Villa will hopefully have had a kick up the arse and a few players desperate to prove their worth - notably Sidwell. I know this hasn't always resulted in a good win (Leicester last season, QPR this) but I anticipate a good victory tonight.
It feels good being this positive!
DONT ANY OF YOU HAVE JOBS
VILLA TO LOSE 3-0 CAREW FIRST GOAL SCORER
Reply to BUTLER:
unfortunately yes
Salifou once knocked his own shadow out with a punch.
zaki is on his way to villa park in jan, 36million+ barry and young!
Reply to BUTLER:
I'm gonna get you Butler !!!!
Found a rumour
Despite spending £30million in the summer Martin O'Neill has been told he will have further finances in the New Year, and he is desperate to land a new striker to add to his squad.
And reports suggest his top target for January is Tottenham Hotspur ace Bent, who cost the Londoners £16.5million when he signed from Charlton Athletic last summer.
O'Neill is hoping to land the England international for around £10million, but much will depend on where Harry Redknapp's side lie in the Premier League table at the time of the window opening.
bent wouldnt lace zaki's boots. would he keefvilla?
Reply to BUTLER:
He probably would if Bent asked him nicely
Butler, just cus you lost against Coventry MUHAHAHAH!
i heard a rumour that the number 10 for spurs is bent!
Reply to Villa_Chris:
arent you number 10 for villa chris???
arent u number 10 villa chris
Reply to ZAKI4VILLA:
Confuzzled...
Reply to BUTLER:
No thats Philbob
Reply to philbob88:
you're not wrong, football needs some radical changes. Do you have any ideas that could make the offside more complicated?
e.g the player in an 'offside' position would have to be wearing a certain style of underpants for the offence to be penalised.
Reply to Villa_Chris:
I think you need to read Butlers last 2 comments together to get what he is implying Chris.
Its official...everyone's gone nuts on this cold Thursday afternonn....
Reply to ak_27:
DUURRRR! Oh yeah.....
Keef loved that one then!!
Hey keef, Ramonicus has feelings for Gardner..... is he going to become a new victim of your 'GAY' abuse??
Reply to Villa_Chris:
You will be ok Chris. Just put that picture of you and your bird back as your profile and that will throw them off your scent.
If he wants. Seems that you got enough people questioning your sexuality.
Ramonicus you big faggot!
hahaha I love it!!.........Sorry Ramonicus mate
Reply to ak_27:
Thanks for the advice....
Reply to keefvilla:
I'm preparing for tonite fella's! Don't worry, Philbob has it covered!
Carew can go watch some more tits if he likes, we need him for sunday! I'll cover for him 2nite!
are we avin live text damian?
leave off the gay banter you lot. poor chris. he has even had to take a picutre of him and his sister to prove his sexuality.
Reply to rob_h:
ha ha it gets better!...
Hey its a good job I'm not homophobic ay?!?
Reply to rob_h:
Ha ha ha ha ha, fucking hell! It does get better and better!
Dont worry chrissy, ur real secrets safe with me!!! Although i'm still not sure why you were wearing pink in ur other picture!
Reply to philbob88:
ha ha it was a clarety redy pink..
rob_h.... thats an old trout you pulled there mate.
chris.... thats an - no it's too easy
(apologies to the mrs, only joking)
Reply to Villa_Chris:
Ohhhh so it was a villa top you washed with your whites?
Wink wink, pink pink!!!
Anyway Rob_h, on your pic you look like Scott Mills so you've got no room to talk...
Reply to docpace:
Good valid point there docpace!
But i think you should only be offside if the player is wearing a hairband, more specifically, a maroon one!
Then that way no villa player will ever be offside, because no player has long hair at AVFC!
Also, instead of bookings and red cards, all fouls should be punished with ASBO's, and willy cups should be made mandatory instead of girly shin-pads!
I really think we're getting somewhere with this!
Reply to Villa_Chris:
Checking out the lads again chris? God you never learn!!
Reply to philbob88:
No no, I was checkin out the 'Old Trout' that rob_h has apparantly pulled...
Yeah yeah!! I believe you!!! But there is strong whiff of something in the air!!
So, would you like to join mine and Docpaces unofficial UEFA thinktank with any ingenius ideas of how we can make football better?
And maybe extra-time and penalties should be replaced with a 'pistols at dawn' duel! And first one to draw blood from the opponent wins?
Reply to philbob88:
Peanut butter?
You've gotta say why! Cheerleaders smothered in peanut butter could a way to go!
Oh sorry, I meant I smell peanut butter in the air. Peanut butter wouldn't improve football, that's just weird.
Phil put down what ever it is you are smoking and have a lie down.
Reply to Villa_Chris:
thats not the only time i get fishy fingers but you wouldn't know about that you with your tendancies.
I met this really kinky girl last night. I asked her to humiliate me ...
So she bought me a Tottenham shirt
Birmingham council has blocked Birmingham city's plans to build a new ground on cannon hill Park. A town hall source said: We don't mind having a funfair there once a year, but a circus every fortnight is a bit much.
Reply to Arrlui:
Peanut butter wouldn't improve football would it? It's exactly that kind of attitude that is holding football back. You'll be saying sombreros and willy cups wouldn't improve the game next.
Reply to docpace:
Sombreros would be a vital addition to the game. Why not give the players clogs and canes too?
Reply to Arrlui:
refs could wear Ponchos as well
i wont tell you who will win but by 10pm taglor will leave a message slaging off the villa again!!