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Football can be unpredictable. So while they're a basket case of a club who've been going steadily backwards for years at this stage, were closer to relegation than a play-off spot last year and look, on prior performance, to be more likely to follow Bolton than Newcastle, they could indeed win the league.
But saying "they weren't a million miles off" a play-off spot is nonsense. Not sure what part of that is hard to get.
Get in the queue for the top class striker :)Quote:
Originally Posted by swinfordfc
What was that rotten patch about when they lost 7 games or so in a row? was that all about getting rid of some and bedding in the new players?
Why do you think they are regarded as favourites for promotion?
Whelan is too good for the championship!!
It is a great move by Villa!!
Villa favourite to go up!!
Yes, they improved as time went on last season. I see though the bookies have Hull, Sunderland and Leeds mid-table. The half-Irish team Preston hovering on the fringes of the relegation zone.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
They're stealing my song about Oh what a Phelan when Terry's dancin' on the ceiling for the new Whelan song.
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/spor...me-up-13377438
From someone who has given Glen Whelan his fair share of criticism over the years, glad to see that Villa fans have taken to him with aplomb. Following a 0-0 draw with Watford on Saturday fans were over the moon about his performance.
On Twitter
"Glen Whelan was like Petrov at his finest today. Very very impressive performance"
"Think Whelan's the name on most fans lips after that Alex, very impressive indeed."
"After watching Glen Whelan today I thought what a cracking singing he is."
Good luck to him with his new club.
Villa only favs to go up cause they got Terry! ... which is crap! They wont score enough goals to get up I think!
Pretty excited at the Villa board too.Quote:
Originally Posted by mark12345
https://www.villatalk.com/topic/1660...helan/?page=13
They were joint favorites for promotion long before Terry signedQuote:
Originally Posted by swinfordfc
Were they? ... don't understand that ... back line was ok and Johnstone the keeper is fine ... midfield is crap, really bad - Grealish is shocking - Whelan will make a massive differences defensively but going forward, Villa are very poor. Kojila is a good striker but likes to play by himself, not good working beside another player, Gabby and McCormack are crap and waiting to see what Hogan is like. They will struggle to score goals this year, hoping to win a lot of games 1-0! Wont win the league or get close!Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
Have to agree with Stu here, it is absolute nonsense to suggest the above.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Depends. How many miles equates to eighteen points? :)
I missed all the 'grow up' posts... hate when that happens.
You guys are stuck on a pedantic point of a "million miles away" and not looking at the main point.
It's not that difficult to understand what Toe Poke was on about, he reckons that it's achievable Villa can make up that ground and challenge for promotion, he mentioned the sticky spell losing 23 out 24 points in the first 8 games of 2017, which coincided with changing personal, that Bruce has steadied the team and now they are boosted by a rejuvenated Glen Whelan who is currently hot, smoke coming from his boots.
And from the end of last season, Villa have been joint favs for promotion.
Villa have a decent-ish squad, infected with some dross holdovers from the chaotic Lambert/Sherwood/Garde years. Last season, they lacked leadership (late goals would account for most if not all of those 18 points up the play-offs) and direction (more managerial upheaval, slew of signings in both summer and January) but there seems to be a more solid idea of how they're going to go forward.
The Championship's tough but hard to argue that they wouldn't be one of the favourites to go up. If they play as good as their first XI looks on paper, Villa should be major challengers.
That's how I read it as well. Justice for Toe Poke.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
Villa 1-0 v Hull, Whelan on a yellow already, Hull have McGregor in goal!
Hourihane on the bench.
He had a good game I thought.
Whelan won MOTM against Birmingham City earlier today: http://www.punditarena.com/football/...denmark-clash/
http://i66.tinypic.com/2vrwtc6.png
That has to be a positive, assuming he'll come in for Meyler in the first leg in Denmark on account of McCarthy's injury.
The replies to the tweet disagree with his award: https://twitter.com/SkySportsStatto/...39458959462402
Heh, they're all pretty damning too.Quote:
Originally Posted by tetsujin1979
Maybe not so good, after all!
If people on twitter disagree then he must have been good. Wonder how many of them were Irish Premier League fans who didn't watch the match.
He was the 3rd best villa man here https://www.whoscored.com/Matches/11...am-Aston-Villa
6 Birmingham players had higher ratings.
Simply MUST start the away leg.
Brady, Hendrick, Arter, Hoolahan, Hourihane, O'Dowda, O'Kane, Meyler are all ahead of himQuote:
Originally Posted by Colbert Report
Meyler is out of the first leg. So will we put O'Dowda at the base of the midfield to keep an eye on Eriksen?Quote:
Originally Posted by mark12345
Whelan and Arter starts the first leg in front of the midfield .... Hendrick, Brady and McClean in front of them with Long as striker?
Yep, that's almost definite to be the line upQuote:
Originally Posted by swinfordfc
Agree with all that but Murphy potentially ahead of Long?
am I correct in thinking that murphy hasn't been in the last few forrest squads? checked the last few games at the time and dint see his name mentionedQuote:
Originally Posted by Olé Olé
Missed the last couple of weeks with a hamstring problem: http://www.nottinghampost.com/sport/...le-play-716081Quote:
Originally Posted by jbyrne
Not at all. Put O'Dowda out on left or right wing, with McClean on opposite wing and Shane Long in the middle. We will be defending for most of the night anyway so we're going to need an out ball for the defence. McClean and O'Dowda can run down the channels and put them under pressure, and one of them tires, bring on McGeady. Whelan will only get in the way (I know Meyler is out for the first leg).Quote:
Originally Posted by Olé Olé
No way. Long first (even though he's not pulling up any trees at the moment), Maguire second and then a toss up between Hogan and Murphy. Murphy is an open book to any defence. Hit it long, he'll win one or two in the air and the ball will fall kindly for the defenders all night long.Quote:
Originally Posted by Olé Olé
But who do you think will replace Meyler? Whelan is the most obvious candidate in the absence of McCarthy.Quote:
Originally Posted by mark12345
Harry ArterQuote:
Originally Posted by DannyInvincible
I did say to put Long in at center forward, but the more I look at it he doesn't reall deserve to start (on current form).
Randolph
Christie Duffy Clark Ward
Arter
Hendrick Brady
Hoolahan
McClean O'Dowda
So you'd just play with no striker or target-man at all? We're hardly Spain.Quote:
Originally Posted by mark12345
Arter and Whelan will both play in front of the defence, just as Arter and Meyler did in Cardiff. We'll be set up as we were in Cardiff. I don't see Hoolahan or O'Dowda starting and we'll obviously have a striker; either Murphy or Long, most likely, although I'd love to see O'Neill take a punt on Maguire based on the lad's current form.
My guess is that our line-up in Copenhagen will be similar to one of these:
http://i65.tinypic.com/2uelnoo.png http://i67.tinypic.com/s5kz2f.png
Maybe Brady will be a bit more advanced and central, although Hendrick seemed to occupy that central advanced position in Cardiff with Brady spending the majority of the game on the right.
Option A) with LongQuote:
Originally Posted by DannyInvincible
http://i65.tinypic.com/2uelnoo.png
So Whelan is retired, sort of, and will captain the side in his potentially last game against Northern Ireland - https://www.irishexaminer.com/breaki...th-864951.html
Interesting comments on Matt Doherty too. He'll be waiting a while if ousting Coleman is best chance of getting a game.
I hope Glenn gets the standing ovation he deserves. A great servant of Ireland. Interesting that when Stoke sold him, they promptly got relegated.
I thought he was a poor player, but he had the heart of a lion, was all available and did his best for Ireland every time. Fair play to him
Can you imagine what he thinks of Michael Obafemi !