Well, they keep coming thick and fast and today it’s Wet Spam at home. Both teams are going well, with our opponents in 5th position in the league. A win tonight would see us overtake them on goal difference and we’d still have two games in hand. Obviously that would be nice.
West Ham lost at home to Liverpool on Sunday and didn’t create much, but they’d won their four previous games, including a notable win at Everton.
We’ve been a lot more erratic in winning just two of our previous five games, albeit two of those were away to the Manc clubs who we always struggle against.
So the Hammers have the better form, while we’re at home. I’m not sure that’s a good thing for us, but I think us getting the better results away is probably coincidence more than anything.
Squads then and we’re in very good nick, considering it’s the middle of winter and a lot of the first team have played the vast majority of the games up to now.
Hause is still out, as is Wesley. The aim is for the latter to be back this season, but I’m not convinced that will happen. I know his was a serious injury, but Heaton suffered the same in the same game and was fully fit a while back. Something doesn’t ring right to me, but it’s pretty academic at the moment, because if Smith stays with one up front, Wesley has as much chance of starting as I have. It would be nice to have him on the bench or as a viable option just in case Olly gets injured, which he probably will at some point.
As for West Ham, they’re in good shape too. The only news is that Jesse Lingard who signed on loan from Man Utd will be available.
Prediction time then and my default position tends to be a draw because it’s nice and safe and not at all controversial.
But having looked at the table, we’ve only drawn two games this season, hence I think I’m going to have to choose.
I’m still tempted to say a draw, because it keeps nagging me that if we play like we did against Southampton I think we’ll definitely lose.
But we’re always capable of goals and if we fire on all cylinders, I think we can win comfortably.
I’m going to stick my neck out and say we’ll win, 2-1.
Here’s hoping and UTV!
Fingers crossed.
I suspect it’ll be a good game either way.
Looking forward to the game tonight. You know me and statistics and they’re pretty mixed but our recent record against West Ham is, surprise, surprise, not very good. Moyes is also on a run of nine games against Villa without defeat.
Of course, since O’Neill walked out our results in the EPL have been very poor and so it’s unsurprising that we have such a recent poor record against so many teams.
We were unlucky to lose at West Ham earlier in the season and also, I would say, not to have won there in the last game of the season.
Time to start changing the stats so I’m going with Badger.
3-1 Villa
So that’s jinxed it then 🙂
I will counter jinx your jinx and predict 2-1 to West Ham. Truth is I haven’t got a clue how the game will go. We were easily better than them in the last two games and picked up only one point. We are more than capable of winning but this season has seen more away wins than home wins. We have improved at home recently and I fancy Watkins to continue his goal scoring tonight. Key will be our defence who were great against Saints after the poor showing against Burnley. We need to improve at defending set pieces and crosses.
west ham were very poor last game, or pool were excellent and stopped them playing. its usually a draw when we play the hammers, earlier this season we should have beaten them, but we were poor at set pieces and we also got robbed with watkins disallowed goal.
prediction i do not have the foggiest, so i predict a draw 2 2 if i were putting my money on it. if we beat them we will jump into 5th place. not bad for a team who every other fan thinks we shouldn’t even be in this league
sorry if my post is dragging on but i cant leave without saying the refereeing and var is ruining the game. both yesterday games were ruined. i turned off the utd one after the first sending off.
One change Elgazi in for Traore. Strange one that still he knows what he’s doing .
Agree Bill. El Ghazi normally plays on the left wing so does it suggest a tactical change for tonight’s game?
Villa will win if we have learnt from our mistakes. We have to mark Ogbonna and the big Czech at corners and free kicks. El Gazi to do more tracking back than Traore.
It seems a good change to me. Traore’s erratic and doesn’t work hard enough in tracking back.
Plus El Ghazi was on fire before he got dropped.
I actually think this is good management this time.
EG is shown that he hasn’t just been dropped and forgotten and Traore gets a warning that he needs to up his game.
Early doors, but this ain’t looking good.
Playing us off the park at the moment
I’m worried, Mcginn not in the game neither is El- Garzi ,
What is our defence doing ffs
And we keep giving the ball away both out of defence and in the final third. Agreed El Ghazi and McGinn ineffective so far
Haven’t turned up!
Andy Townsend is the pundit on Peacock.
“I think West Ham have been the better team”.
Really?!
Bloody hell, El Ghazi has proved me wrong up to now.
I forgot he was playing.
But then, they’ve all been poor.
Someone needs to to say something half time, as you say Badger some players are not in the game .
Well that was underwhelming.
Perhaps they’re all suffering burn out 🙂
On a serious note, he has to take El Ghazi off and either put Traore or Trezeguet on. Either will provide some of the energy we’re missing.
El Ghazi at his worst I’m sorry to say.
First half stats – West Ham 10 shots / 5 on target. Villa 3 shots / 0 on target.
Can I revise my forecast?
We’re certainly not at the races.
Not sure how to improve it either. I don’t see anything tactically wrong, it’s just the players don’t look anything like.
Big change from just a week ago.
Is it confidence, I wonder?
A lethargic first half performance. West Ham are no mugs and have nullified our best player. We need to up the tempo otherwise I can see them scoring soon.
F**cking useless