Here we are then, the eve of our biggest game since our last Cup final.
What’s to say that hasn’t been said on loads of other websites in the last week?
To be honest, not a lot, as it’s all been said. Many times over.
Cut through the analysis, opinion and some might say the undermining of our position by the London-based press though and the basic fact is we are about to partake in the ultimate game in the biggest domestic cup in the world.
And let’s not forget that.
The FA cup might have been scandalously debased by certain clubs over the last few years and the Copa del Rey (probably the nearest competitor) has had a lot of promotion over a similar period.
But the FA cup is the big one, by miles, if the world audience is anything to go by.
While the pull of the cup may have been reduced slightly by the top clubs placing more emphasis on the Champions League recently, I actually think it bounced back somewhat this year.
Who can forget Bradford turning over the mighty Chelsea on their own turf, after going two goals down, for example?
And this is the beauty of the FA cup, in my opinion.
While the money is in the Champions League, there is no chance that a one-off lesser club can ever win it. Which means there’s no romance in it at all.
Those of us old enough will remember Sunderland beating Leeds, Southampton beating Man United, Wimbledon beating Liverpool and of course, more recently, Wigan beating Manchester City in previous finals, I’m sure.
They’re unforgettable results that prove that the underdog can win.
Which leads us to where we are now.
We face an extremely good Arsenal side, who on their day can beat anyone. In spades.
There’s no getting away from it; they play great football and are massive favourites.
Indeed, they’re bound to win it, by all accounts.
But this is the FA cup, where form can totally go out of the window.
Hence I’m not even going to comment about previous form or even who’s available to play.
I believe that the game is in the lap of the gods.
I’ve been suffering mood swings this week whenever I think about the game, for what it’s worth.
My dark moments see us getting thrashed, which is my worst nightmare.
But my better moments see us winning by the odd goal.
That’s the truth of it.
But the difference between tomorrow’s game and the Champions League?
I truly believe we can win this.
Why? because we’re the Villa.
We’ve won this cup seven times and are well overdue an eighth win.
Ok, it’ll mess the old song of “seven times we’ve won it now” right up, but it’s already out of date and we need to add to our collection.
Surely us fans deserve it after what we’ve had to suffer over the last four years or so?
While of course we have no divine right to win, Arsenal have had their share of glory over the last couple of decades.
It’s our turn, I say.
And under Sherwood, we have a fighting chance.
Whatever happens, I can guarantee you, it’s going to be emotional on my part.
As Tony Butler used to say;
Get yer prayer mats out.
COYL! and UTV
Comments
219 responses to “Fa Cup final. Villa VS Arsenal; Get yer prayer mats out”
FFS enoughs enough zero shots on target,yes Langford it will be interesting hearing the post match excuses
Ps I even think the bin dippers would of put on a better show they must feel robbed
They would tbf. Though think arse would of beaten them but not as easily. Like I said ages ago we were never going to beat Liverpool and arsenal
If we turned up like we did against the scousers win or lose at least we could say we gave it a go today we should of sent out the reserves
There’s no excuse complete shower of shit. It’s not the result I knew we would lose but expected us to have a decent go
absolutely speechless lads
Thank fuck the season is over….have great summer!
Why the fuck is Lerner smiling?…..probably thinking about the Benteke money coming his way.
That was a disgraceful performance…..only the fans can hold their heads up high tonight. Massive clearout needed……..fucking so pathetic. The result doesnt hurt as much as the ‘non effort, fight or commitment’ I am hurting bad and feeling ashamed of my club in front of a worldwide audience.
Langford, I didn’t see the ‘no effort’ – plenty of that, just no quality, no imagination.
That team looked lime a true bottom-6 team, and Arsenal showed how a midefield is suuposed to work.
Gald this season’s now over, can enjoy the cricket for a few months now…!
Even hull did better last year
Means nothing, we done better in 1957!
Well done lads. Don’t think there will be many of those players in the starting line up next season. We pick ourselves up and go again. Outclassed by a great team. Look forward to the summer to see what changes we make to rebuilt this once great club.
Today was a bonus for someone to become a hero but it wasn’t to be.
Devalued compitition anyway. Better off not winning it and keeps us out of Europe.
I’m clutching at straws with the positives ! Lol.
True and it’s the emirate cup next year dont want us associated with that
Fuck it. Misplaced optimism.
said before massive clearout needed you can t buy in pound shop for 3 years and have decent team ,sherwood would need to look at himself aswell zog playing with 10 men.
another point last 10 mins 1 maybe 2 clear pens definitly a free giroudtrips vlar gets free and last goal to rub our noses in it off side
fuck off lerner and quick you smirkiing c**t
Gutted.
Simply outclassed.
Our midfield shredded from the 1st minute…
N’Zog can go tomorrow – for free; Vlaar on Monday.
Oh, and Benteke’s shown he is useless at defending set-pieces; can’t see many big offers coming in for him until his all-round game improves.
Whoever’s supposed to be funding the club now knows how short of real quality we are for anything other than another relegation fight next season.
Thought Richardson had a good game, but was subbed. Okore was ok. The rest, well…
Devastated i said last monday it would be 4-0 on this site and was i wrong.A fuckin embarrasment in front of millions .
I expected us to lose but not 4 .0. Keown saying we haven’t improved since saints games
ardent villain
hutton gabby westwood as well
delph needs to take head out of his ass gave ball away needless
At least Hutton was prepared to fight for everything!
Gabby’s well-past the stage where he can make any real difference: after nearly ten years in the 1st team the rest of the world can see he doesn’t have anything else to offer than his ‘pace’ – and even that’s not so impressive any more.
Delph still tries too hard to do everything – needs better support around him.
Westwood looked like a non-entity today – decent Championship player but not more that that?
I’m trying my best not to go OTT, but you’re right Little8.
That was incredibly poor today and we created nothing.
Definitely a mental thing for me.
I can see the Jack Daniels coming out big time tonight.
And that’s not a good thing 🙁
Sherwood locked players in dressing room hope he kicks them and fucks them out the club
Badger – already well numbed on the Irish whiskey since half-time!
Basically we just showed what we are: the league table never lies after a whole season, and we’re the worst team left in the premiership; Sherwood has done a job keeping us in the money, but unless we want it to be Groundhog Day all of next term, there’s got to be some serious changes at VP between now and mid-August.
It should be said that in the 4 games Given has played this past month Villa have conceded 12 goals.
ardent
hutton fight for everything he is a hot 11 bookings in 30 something matches utter joke not good 2 years ago shocking now first goal where was he second goal ran away from sanchez 3and4 goal caame down his side when richardson went off
JV – maybe you’re right, but I think some of that was because he was one of our few players who actualy tried running past Arse defenders at the other end.
Grealish looked like a schoolboy against pro’s today, Cleverley simply vanished, N’Zog – simply shit.
I honestly can’t think of one player I want to stay next season. Vlaar, cleverly, zog and Westwood need to go first. Hutton tries hard but not good enough, Richardson half decent, gabby is finished at this level, benteke still dosnt get the offside rule and his defending is a joke. IV a feeling we will sell him for less than £32m as can’t see anyone offering more than £25m. Cissoko is ok and worth another season so of course is grealish. Sinclair not had a decent chance so can’t judge, Delph just keeps getting caught in possession and gives ball away. As for Sherwood sidelining Gil that’s a serious oversight and just don’t get it. Even Lamberk saw the potential there ffs
Look on the bright side – Sherwood may just have given some of those ‘senior’ players thair last chance at glory, and they blew it.
Expect major changes by August – and those who’ve been sidelined may still get their chances…
Do you really think that Lerner will fund ‘major changes’?…..Lerner is the root cause of all our problems over the last 4 years. I would have loved it if the fans had turned on him today as we probably wont see him again for months……hopefully never!
Amazing how the glory hunting twat actually found time to turn up today pathetic in fact when he always has an excuse not to come to vp
Tim’s locked him & the players in by the sounds of things & rightly so imo fucking shambles
oohah
should locked some of them at villa park
where is sissko gil
sherwood has questions to answer as well his team out there today
Agreed- did Sherwood really believe that his midifield ‘diamond’ was going to give their 5 a game?
It went wrong from kick-off and he didn’t have a Plan-B [or tbf, maybe just didn’t have the players for a sensible ‘Plan-B’?]
ardent
how do you comment under other comments
grealish yes he looked lost but that always happens young players but at least never gave up and as clear a penalty you will ever see not given plus one shot on target
JV – just click on the ‘hand/pen’ button directly within the comment to which you want to add…
We got what we expected from the opponents and the ref. The Chokers must have been locked in a cupboard at the Emirates and the A team cruised past us.
The FA might consider a rethink of the graveyard appointment – the last game before retirement – and save it for the Charity Shield, giving the Cup Final to the ref with the highest marks in the competition. Today’s ref has been awful this year. 25 yards behind the play he missed two penalties, the replays were conclusive.
Nzog sadly confirmed he only ever shows up for a home game and Gabby that he is no longer a Prem player. You have to have attacking options to stretch defences, and the ball hoofed up to Benteke was all we had – so he was double marked. There were no wingers showing for the ball. Nzog was on the pitch but did not move, if Cleverley was supposed to be on the right wing, that got missed in the team talk.
You know you are in trouble if Richardson is your best player – and he was by a distance. Tim picked the hard workers, but hard work does not beat flair if the gap in class is big enough.
Have a good Summer everyone and before you put the prayer mats away- pray you never have to see most of that lot in a Villa shirt again.
Interesting article from the bin dippers Re bentekes non performance today very telling http://www.thisisanfield.com/2015/05/christian-bentekes-fa-cup-final-performance-proves-hes-not-striker-liverpool-need/?
Yep and the one good flair player we have in Gil Sherwood won’t pick him. The guy is a clown
OLL, watch the game again.
They were superior in numbers all over the pitch, which takes some doing.
It was miles harder work on Arsenal’s part.
And while quality does play a part in that, there’s no excuse.
We were miles off the pace all through the game, imo.
Fair play to Arse, they pissed this game and fully deserved the result, but christ, we made it easy for them.
I’m totally gutted, because we didn’t even give them a game.
And there’s no excuse for that in a cup final.
For once I agree with you badger if we have them a game then fair enough but if you can’t motivate players for cup final something is seriously wrong
And still not a hint in any of your comments that you’re upset?
Villa fan, my arse.
Went to the game, the fans sang their heart out, couldn’t hear Arsenal at all! Poop performance by our team!!
Win or lose we shall booze!!
All I wanted from today at least was a contest. Bitterly disappointed by that performance. Too many today didn’t turn up and that to me (bar Grealish given his youth) proves they don’t have it in them and are mentally scared by the previous regime. We got lucky with the new manager syndrome and it saved us in the league Sherwood has to shift 4 years worth of shite players that are mentally scarred and that is going to cost money we won’t spend.
I honestly feel that Tim Sherwood will be found out to be not much better than our previous three managers come January. I hope I’m wrong on that one. But it’s been a bitter sweet end to the season.
We stayed up which was all we hoped for back in February.
The beauty of this game is there is always hope. It’s what keeps us coming back for more !
Tekkers spot on in almost everything you say! I tend to agree about Sherwood, but, to be fair will give him until xmas to see what he’s got!
The root of the problem needs to move on…..Randolph Lerner. He has got away with murder these last 4 years, but if he stays I still dont see him investing enough for us to move significantly up the table! I cant believe how much slack that the fans have given Lerner. FFS…Ellis would have been given relentess stick if he was still at the helm. It does not really matter who our manager is if he doesnt get the necessary investment…..and it needs alot at this moment in time. Look forward to 14-17 position at best again next season if the investment is not forthcoming!
Fuck off Lerner, the Villa is OURS!
Somehow, we will NOT get relegated next season!
On the BBC feed Sherwood saying some players have already been told to find a new club.
I’ll bet Gil is one of those.
God knows why.
Gil is potentially one of the most exiting players IV seen at vp in many a year. What’s Sherwood playing at ffs
At least 8 of them, hopefully! I’m having trouble coming to terms with players who cant turn up for a Cup Final….that says everything about their character. It pains me to say it but both Hull and Reading gave them much harder games.
FFS….the best cup competition in the world and they embarrass themselves. Richardson, so often ridiculed was the only one to come out of that with any credit.
We all know Arsenal are class, nevertheless we should still have competed much, much better. I am not sure what my emotions are this evening…..gutted, sad, angry, disappointed, ejected, confused take your pick!……possibly all of them!
marvin
hope its long list
The exact quote…
Tim Sherwood has just said:” Some of the boys have been told they will not be here next year and they can go and find other clubs.”
Hope Lerner goes with them. I think we will see swift movement on that front also.
Hope so
Best thing Sherwood has said. Hope he dosnt include Gil in that
And altogether now …. “Fuck”
I can’t bring myself to write a review, as I just know I’ll go OTT 🙁
Maybe oohah will write one? ha ha ha ha ha
Just written post a positive one to