I have a sneaky feeling Adam won’t be doing a preview for the game today, as (as some of you may know) he went to Australia on Saturday, which means a) he probably won’t be feeling up to it and b) I suspect the time difference may prove a problem. If he even has internet, that is.
So you’re stuck with my ramblings, which will be more general thoughts.
I couldn’t dare try to compete with Adam on this sort of article as I don’t have a clue who Lambert will line up with or what his formation will be.
Adam just does that way better than me, so I’m not even going to try.
So just look at this article as somewhere to sound off and add your predictions to.
Is this what we’d call a big game?
Well, normally, it wouldn’t be. No disrespect to Cardiff, but it’s not exactly the sort of game that attracts major interest is it?
But yes, it is for me this time, as if we win, we open up a bit more of a gap on the bottom three.
As opposed to the opposite case, where obviously, if we lose, we’re going to start getting sucked in.
Something that, regardless of your stance in the serious and somewhat heated debate in the last article (good stuff by the way), I’m sure none of us want to see.
Cardiff have a pretty poor record of late. They’ve won two, drawn one and lost the rest in their last 10 games.
Whereas we’ve won two, drawn two and lost six. Also pretty poor.
While Villa have a just below average record in conceding goals this season, Cardiff have a decidedly poorer record and only Fulham have conceded more.
Cardiff don’t score many either. Their goalscoring record is equal second worst in the league whereas ours is again very average, as you’d expect for a mid-table team.
So what does that little lot tell us?
Not a lot, except that we should have the edge, given that we’re generally better when playing away.
I can see goals here. Not many, but some.
Hence I’ll predict Cardiff 1 – Villa 2.
But for some very strange reason, I can also see a very good win just niggling in the corner of my mind.
Wouldn’t that be nice?
Just to add a bit of spice to it, if anyone can predict the correct score AND name the last (or only) scorer on either side, I’ll give a prize of a score (£20). A score for a score, get it? Please yourselves (that was my Frankie Howard impression, fwiw).
If there’s more than one correct answer, it’ll be split.
I’m not made of money, you know!
And no, I won’t accept 0-0, with no scorer. Far too negative, that. And also far too easy to predict.
Get your predictions in then lads, you’ve nowt to lose.
And Up the Villa!
I reckon 2-1 Cardiff unfortunately, Villa will be 2-0 down before they wake up and get a consolation via the shin of Grant (the whole of the) Holt(e end).
I’m going 3-0 Cardiff. Noone to get a hat trick knowing our luck
I may be down with what’s gone on but I’m banking that they will wake up tonight.going for a 2-1 Villa, if they loose god help us we are gone.
I’m going 3-1 Villa. That’s unusually positive for me but it’s still early. By the time the game comes round I will bricking it and expecting to lose.
Got a niggling feeling 1-0 Villa but that,s after we have been played off the park.But on the other hand lose and it will be the writings on the wall sad bleak days will be back at VP.
Sounds like wishful thinking.
I have been negative about us all season so ont feel the need to stop now, i think there is a inevitablity that we are going to go down this season as we will stick with Lambert no matter what he does. Cardiff will be desperate to put the local derby defeat behind us and when you look at squads there is nothing between us so it has to be a Cardiff win probably 2-0 we are doomed.
If we do lose tonight, it’s a solid indication that we will probably make up 1 of the bottom 3 come May. Crunch time tonight lads
I reckon our standard 4-3-3 would be ideal here, although as it’s Lambert he’ll try to put everyone in defence, let them score one or two and then go on the attack in the last ten minutes. So failing that, as he likes to mess things around – either to outwit the opposition or to confuse his own players – I reckon a 4-5-1, with Albrighton on the right, Gabby on the left, Wiemann ahead of Delph and Westwood and Benteke up front.
You know, maybe there should be a prize for picking the correct formation every week!
3-4 to us. Our defence is toast without Vlaar and Bertrand, but I reckon Gabby will be well up for it and will spur on Wiemann and Benteke. Albrighton to score the final goal.
I hope you’re right Foxy, I said yesterday if we do win tonight it’ll be a Gabby special show, we need him to have a big game tonight
Gabby, Andi and Benteke get each other going, we need Albrighton in the mix so we have a second tactic other than hoof upfield. If we can stretch them out with Gabby and Albrighton wide and Benteke and Andi down the middle I reckon we’ll get somewhere. Please please please please no Holt. He doesn’t have the pace and is emphatically not the answer. Albrighton needs to start, we need to go on the attack and take the game to them. Our defence is not strong enough to try to absorb their attacks and hope to hit on the counter attack. We can both take the game to them and try to hit on the counter attack. Watching all those balls out to Albrighton in the last match and him taking on defenders was like watching a new team play, we need that positivity and extra line of attack. If only Tonev could do that instead of only trying for the glory shot.
Tonev is a sunday league footballer mate, I really don’t know what we did buying him. All off the back Petrov’s “word”. It doesn’t look like much scouting was done there.
All our forwards have to be on the ball tonight, no question. We have to be up for it and try not concede in the forst 10-15 minutes as I belive Cardiff will start extremely strong. We really could do with Vlaar back in so fingers crossed. As you say Wlbrighton but more broadly wing play will be key with Weiman and Benteke following play into the box.
The problem I’m having is all of us can see this as fans but Lambert it seems sees something completely different.
If Holt and Benteke are in the starting line up, it’s done, we’ll try to absorb all their pressure, play long balls up to Holt/Benteke to hold up while Weimann/Gabby/Albrighton DON’T overlap. We’ll get killed that way.
Foxy what Lambert went and done shows people he’s useless, Holt as you say fat, slow,past his sell-by-date and he asked for him? Where and what was Lambert thinking, send him home ffs.
Bill, I don’t think Holt was a bad idea as a stand in if Benteke was injured. It’s playing him ahead of Albrighton or Helenius that’s the problem. He should be sat on the bench in reserve. Kozak proved he was good enough to come on to take over from Benteke if necessary or even start up front instead of him. Holt isn’t that player but he could serve a purpose. If only we had as many spare defenders.
Im going 1-4 villa fuck knows why with weimann getting the final goal,cardiff are pretty dire if we get nowt tonite then we know how shite we actually are.UTV adam goodaye mate. 🙂
As an aside, this interview with Solskjaer is on the Walesonline.co.uk website:
How close were you to becoming Aston Villa manager before Paul Lambert was appointed during 2012?
I did have a chat with the owner (Randy Lerner). My family didn’t fancy travelling, they weren’t keen on moving at that time and it didn’t go any further.
When Cardiff City enquired I had spent three years at home in Norway and I could see the potential this club has. It’s a great club, a great place.
The key factor was the timing of Cardiff’s approach. I wasn’t ready before and could not have come over having won two Norwegian League titles with FK Molde. Last season Molde had only one win from their first 11 matches and it was important to experience difficult times.
It was just a first chat when Aston Villa asked for a meeting two years ago. I felt I wanted to stay at home at that time and said no to allow Aston Villa to look elsewhere rather than go for another chart before saying no.”
1-2 to the Villa with Gabby scoring the last goal…… Lambert always seems to squirm his way out of the shit with these type of results !
Vlaar could be playing if he does i see a win if he does not then i see us losing. The inadequacy in our squad is there for all to see. You dont spend the money you dont win matches in the most competitive league in the world
IM saying 2 – 0 to the villa and gabby to get the last goal!
3-1 Villa win, Benteke.
Just need to get at them straight away.
no idea what to expect tonight, I would not be surprised to see us loose 2-0 especially if vlarr and now Bertrand may not be fit. talk about bad luck with defensive injuries all season.
like many id like to see albrighton start and id like to see us take the game to them, as has been said our defence cannot be relied upon to keep Cardiff out for 90 mins and they are not good enough to warrant us parking the proverbial bus.
yet again we are in ‘must win’ / ‘6 pointers’ situation something I was really hoping not be dealing with this season and I think most of us were in agreement at the start of the season that another relegation battle would not be acceptable this season, we are not in one yet but loose tonight and we will be.
all we as fans can do now is give our support during the matches until the end of the season, no point in shouting for the manager to be sacked, what ever you opinion of lambert the timing for that this season has passed.
id like to see and nice positive approach and a comfortable win tonight which we are well capable of doing.
my actual prediction for the game is 2-3, we will obviously give them a good head start before we start playing, all jolly sporting of us but this has to stop, its getting just ridiculous now. benteke to get a hatrick scoring the winner in injury time and me to have a heart attack 😛
I’m not convinced it’s bad luck our defenders are getting injured. If Lambert sets up the team to counter attack and have possession in the 20s% then that means for most of the rest of the match it’s the defence doing all the work.
Its amazing how many of our players get injuries Ryan fine at Chelsea fucked at villa its cause of our stupid coaching and having to defend most of the game fucking lambert how can any one defend him he fucks players up and if he doesn’t play Albrighton from the off and go for it gonna be pissed
A measure ball won’t a amiss all I’ve seen balls good enough for a rugby league, he’s got to start playing width and attacking football and not expose our midfield defending all the time. Come lads give us something to cheer.
3 – 1 Villa………….last goal, Cieran Clark from a corner.
Fuck off Lerner, the Villa is OURS
2 0 Cardiff delph own goal lol
2 1 Cardiff ,noone last goal .
i’ am surprised so many went for villa win, Cardiff 8 villa ZERO goalscorer peter Whittingham
now for my real forecast ~ mushrooms wore off
i like the forward line foxy says he quotes ~ I reckon a 4-5-1, with Albrighton on the right, Gabby on the left, Wiemann ahead of Delph and Westwood and Benteke up front.
i av been crying out for width, thou this would suit home more, i think he will go 433 tonite with gabby weimann and benteke, against hammers they were to narrow, two of the three needs 2 go wide.
it would also be scandalous if albrighton doesn’t start but 433 were would he ??
i predict 3 (three) 0(nil to Aston villa weimann (goalscorer)