Does this still rate as probably the best weekend of the football season, the last weekend of the season apart?
It certainly does for me, as there are always plenty of shocks and surprises.
It’s what makes the FA cup, isn’t it?
It has lost a bit of it’s gloss because of the bigger clubs not caring about it too much and playing sides more with resting their best players in mind, as opposed to trying to actually win it and I can only say I despise them for it.
But it still makes for a great spectacle overall, I feel.
Will Unai Emery be looking to throw our chance of some silverware then?
I’d already guessed there would be no chance of that and indeed, he’s come out and said he’ll be playing the game with a view to winning the cup.
Good man.
So shocks aside, another reason I like the cup is because it proves a good payday for any small club that meets a Prem side and Stevenage have practically hit the jackpot having drawn us at home as much as they might have preferred to face us on their turf.
Gate takings are split 45%-45% and when you add in broadcast fees and prize money, there’s a good chance they might get more than £750k out of the game.
If they were to beat us, that money increases quite rapidly, but of course, that isn’t going to happen.
Suffice to say if Stevenage are having financial problems, it’ll help them out massively. If not, it’s a nice few quid in the pot so they can improve their facilities.
Whatever, I’m all for it.
So Emery has inferred that he’ll be going all out, but the reality is that you’d expect some players will be rested with a view to some of the squad who are not first choices getting a chance to show what they can do.
There’s talk that Martinez may be rested and Olsen will come in for the game. What the thinking behind that would be, I’m not sure. Maybe just so Olsen can keep his hand in?
Regardless, I’ve no problem with it. He looked okay against Spurs and while noone ever thinks about the number 2 goalie because he usually plays so rarely, it does make sense that he plays in these sort of games.
Jacob Ramsey should be available and if so, you can bet he’ll definitely feature, even if he doesn’t start. The one thing I do like about Ramsey is his driving runs and they’re something we’ve missed during his absence. They’re exciting, if not always productive.
John McGinn is unlikely to even feature.
I’d expect there to be other players rested, but the team should include enough to beat Stevenage.
The league 2 side had centre half Terence Vancooten taken off in their last game, so he might be unavailable. Michael Bostwick would probably replace him.
January signings Daryl Horgan and Jake Forster-Caskey are both cup-tied.
I know one of my big complaints recently has been about how Villa always manage to let us down when we least expect it. So much so, that it’s become almost the default position where we expect to lose to any side that is inferior to us on paper. Well, “expect” is probably a bit strong, but certainly I don’t get surprised anymore. It’s all part of being a Villa fan, it seems.
Because we’ve been predominantly a top league side for decades, you’d expect us to win the FA cup every, say, 25 years by the law of averages alone, but we’re at nearly double that.
I don’t believe we’ll win it this season, purely because as a club we’re not winners, but if we did, it would surely be about time.
That said, I don’t see us going out tomorrow either and am going for a 2-1 win.
Stevenage are currently 2nd in their league, so they’ll be confident.
But I think we should have too much for them, whatever team we put out.
Then again, I’m sure I’ve used that line before and it’s bitten me on the behind more than once.
Nah, we’ll win, no worries.
I hope.
UTV!
Perhaps some will agree now that we need a clearout?
This club is like a football managers elephants graveyard.
Utter crap 😡
We are truly useless
What did I say about Watkins he just watches the game and he’s done it again.
The only way we’re going to get past the third round is if we’re given a bye.
Absolutely shite, years and years of shite football, shite teams and shite managers sick to the back teeth of supporting a shite football team never got over the Bradford debacle years ago but this is worse
Gerrards downfall…always picking Phil…now this one picks Bailey…..96mins every match…..
Play a weakened team like Newcastle and you get what you deserve. I’m starting to think that Emery doesn’t care about the cups. Well done to Stevenage who were the better team. As for Bailey, if he’s a professional footballer then so am I.
Utter rubbish. What a missed opportunity to progress. Always thought at one nill they would get an opportunity. But what went before confirms to me that this squad needs a total overhaul.
Of the stating eleven, only Danny Ings and Douglas Luis are worthy of a SQUAD place. The rest are not even premier league standard.
Given our recent history in the cup, the players should have played it as a cup game. It was more like a pre season friendly feel to it and its come back to bite us in the ass as per usual for the third round .
Like the Wolves game but worse.
They should give all the Villa fans their money back and charge the Villa players with fraud.
And Dendonker should never be allowed to put on a Villa shirt again. Another of Gerrard’s rubbish buys.
This one as to go down to the manager, we looked proper big time Charlie’s today – showboating, flicks and tricks, over elaborate with no end product.
Unai, this is England, this is the FA cup.
Teams battle for 90 minutes over here, not roll over.
And hats off to Stevenage for hanging in there and earning the win 👏
I’m putting on my tin hat! Missed out on a game at Stoke next…Crazy, crazy times…
Hope you have learned the lesson Emery. If you leave out players because you think any team can win the idiots you put on instead think they can’t lose, and contrive to prove everyone wrong with a clown’s performance.
Our owners have got to be thinking this is the worst investment of our lives
Emery must shoulder the blame for that debacle. It’s not like he hasn’t managed in the English league before. The honeymoon period is officially over and it’s time to get some of the deadwood out of our club. I would start with Bailey who for some reason never gets substituted. Dendoncker, Digne, Olsen, Coutinho and probably many more. It might be easier to mention ones to keep.
So thank you again Villa for ruining our weekend yet again. Too many times we have to suffer the embarrassment of supporting a shite team. Will things ever change?
Get a grip, that team should have had no problem putting Stevenage to bed, that was the players fault, if he had put out the same side that drew with Wolves everyone would be moaning that some of the fringe players should have been given a chance.
Shit happens and we move on, we’ve no chance of winning the cup and it’s at least highlighted the need to trim the deadwood and invest in key areas.
But it is embarrassing, up there with the Noses defeat at the hands of the mighty Altrincham 😞
It’s time that managers understand if you put players into a game like cup matches and you don’t play them in league games they are earmarked for the chop, Would you play your heart out.? would I f×+k you end up with sub standard games and disgruntled players who say to themselves sod it.
Bill, that wasn’t far off our starting 11…