Well, here we are.
A one-off game that decides if we get back into the Premier league or not.
And maybe equally importantly, it decides if we get our hands on the minimum £170 million that the winner receives.
I’m seeing figures as high as £280 million, if we were to be promoted and stay up next season.
Either way, the figures are mind-boggling and it’s the richest football game in the world; even bigger than the game that follows shortly after.
Not that any of you need me to tell you that.
Or the fact that if we lose, we’re probably financially in trouble because of FFP.
I’m just seeing on the Beeb, that we’re guaranteed £35 million next season, if we fail to win this game.
That’s what’s at stake.
Which makes things all quite scary.
Team news first and our only doubt is Ahmed Elmohamady. The good news is that there’s a decent possibility that he might make it.
I hope so, as I feel he’ll be a much better option than Bree for this particular game.
Otherwise we’re all good and Steve Bruce has all his options to choose from.
Fulham are in an even better position, where they have no injuries worth worrying about.
Can we do it then?
Well, we have the right sort of manager and we have the right sort of experience in the side for getting promoted.
Whereas Fulham have a very poor record of getting promoted and their players have little, if any, experience of it.
Not that I’m convinced experience counts for much, although it certainly doesn’t hurt.
The single most important factor is which team turns up on the day (on both sides).
If either have an off day, they’ll probably lose. We just have to hope that it isn’t us.
I could rattle on about form and previous meetings, but I really don’t think it means much.
It seems the bookies have Fulham as clear favourites and if I was a neutral, I could see why.
But we all know that we were massive underdogs on that glorious day we won “Big ears”, so again, that means nothing, to my mind.
That said, Fulham are a good side that have goals in them and they do worry me.
Yet they’re nowhere unbeatable, as was demonstrated by Blues.
Certainly Fulham bottled it for that game and that would seem a massive plus in our favour.
Then again, we bottled it against Bolton and QPR, didn’t we?
We all know the team Steve Bruce will put out. There’s no chance he will change anything up.
So it all depends on how he decides to play the game.
I’m of the opinion that we need to take it to them from the off and try to get the first goal.
And then keep the pressure on, which I believe is our weakness.
We still seem prone to going too deep when we have the advantage, as I complained about against Middlesboro.
If we let them come at us, I just can’t see us not conceding.
If we sit back and they score first, well, while I might see us getting two, I’d probably see them also getting two or more.
And that’s the worry, in that if we have to chase the game, they have the quality and pace to pick us off.
If we keep at them and neither side gets a goal, so then, the game will become more and more interesting.
And no doubt even more nail-biting.
Hence I think the first goal will prove vital and we need to get it if we’re to win the game.
One big advantage we might have is that you know all the Villa fans who attend will be just that; Villa fans.
Whereas many of those in the Fulham end won’t be. They’ll be plastics or neutrals.
Whatever, I’m not going to predict the result as I really don’t know how it’s going to go.
The truth is though, that I hope the players are more confident than me, which I suspect they are.
There is something that I’ll be able to console myself with, should we lose, even though I’ll probably be heart-broken.
This game should not be being played and the team that finished third in the Championship should be promoted.
It’s as simple as that, even though it wouldn’t have suited us.
But seeing as we are playing it, I of course want us to win.
COYL!
Bloody computer crashed in the middle of writing that 🙁
And the site is still slow as toast, which I think is a WordPress issue.
I think I have to say that I’m not very confident here, but have tried to keep my thoughts outside the main post.
I just don’t have the “feeling”, I’m afraid.
We just cannot afford to not turn up on the day.
I was finally offered a ticket but I had to find my own way there, I decided not to go. To be honest I cannot call this my heart says Villa but I really feel we just don’t have enough in us to do it, I’m scared if we loose this chance after all the times we might have gone up by beating them lower teams, even now I’ve butterflies thinking about it I hope we do win lads, all them on here that’s going have a safe day and bring that trophy back to good old Birmingham .Utv.
If Elmo is fit we would assume that the team picked for Middlesbrough games will be the team that starts against Fulham. My concern is that Fulham play on the ground and this will bypass Jedinak. I would prefer Bjarnasson although I realise that would be a risk without him not playing much recently. I have belief that experience could count, plus 26th May is the date of our greatest win, so fate maybe. UTV
spot on from badger, who turns up with their best form will win the game and take the prize. i think experience should be the vital factor in the match. villa players know how to ignore outside factors like the long build up, media hype and pressures from fans and owners etc.
they are as vulnerable to crosses as villa are to pace, they have their weakness. if you want examples, their are none better than blue noses victory. many will say they had their off day. but thats not true. they lost because birmingham, pressured them from the start. they didn’t allow them to settle or to get their passing pretty game going.
we have to expose their defending not be exposed by their attacking play. we have to keep the ball well and not allow them to dictate the pace of game to us. freekicks and corners will be very important. wouldn’t surprise me if terry or chester scored first goal.
oh finally you don’t want to be going 1 nil down to these shandy drinking cockneys. as that will be extremely hard uphill task. they are brilliant at killing the game off time, wasting art is first class
Badger, remove the thumbs up plug in and see if that helps.
Getting a bit excited about tonight!!!!!
My gut feeling is Fulham will play the occasion and not the game which will play right into our hands. This is where experience is going to be massive.
3-1 VIlla.
Hourihane, Grabban, Terry.
Premier League here we come.
Safe journey to everyone else who is travelling to Wembley. See you there.
UTV
Just purchase the booze and Now tv and waiting for the off, nervous as hell ,Bum Bum yes that might explain it , I’m still not finding mine till way afterwards, it’s going to be awkward to give a commentary to the likes of Adam and co that live abroad .Fulham are fast atacking football and its up to us to stamp our name on the game, if we allow them to dominate we will most likely collapse in confidence and lose the will.it’s going to be a classic game to watch.utv
Hope it’s a fantastic day for all Villa fans. I’m watching with a few mates 5 mins walk from my house, while the owners bluenose son watches in another room with his mates. Followed by Champs League final. Wives are away – should be a great one.
I think we need to be brave and take the initiative. If we sit back and let Fulham dictate the pace we will get turned over. If we go for it we win the match – simples!
UTV
Really can’t call this one. In a one-off game like this anything can happen and it usually does.
I do feel that having players like Terry, Jedinak, Whelan and Snodgrass, who have been there and bought the T shirt, must help us. Fulham’s team are very young and they could go either way by showing no fear or too much. Hope it’s the latter.
Anyway at the end of last season I’d have bit your hand off for this chance to go back to the Prem. If we lose we’re still in a much better position than we were (FFP apart).
I’ve got Sky but I’m honestly thinking about going out for a long walk or something and getting the result at the end of the game. I’m not sure my nerves could stand watching it live.
UTV and best of luck to all our travelling fans
I’m the same Pat 57, tv on watching England getting thumped by the Pakistan team, with a sick feeling about the game coming up, next door they’ve invited me to a birthday bbq if I see it going tits up I’m off round to the party. I’ll be a happy man if we pull it off.
Right, hopefully i’ve found the problem, which is the Really simple SSL plugin.
I’ve noticed Jetpack is making the site really slow, so I’m going to turn it off for a while.
Deleting my test comments shortly.
I’d appreciate if someone can let me know if we’re good or not.
Final test, where hopefully things are ok.
I’ll post a few of my thoughts during the game, either way.
For some reason I’m not affected when I’m logged in as Admin.
Oh well.
Nice and quick now, hopefully.
Right, back to the important stuff.
I’m bricking it!
Oh, I never did get a ticket, btw.
Never mind, I’m quite comfortable with a can of Stella in one hand and a ciggy in the other 🙂
Villa fans doing the singing, just as we expected.
Come on lads!
Blimey, I forgot to look at the team.
Elmo in and all as expected.
Grabban ran his bolloks off chasing back then.
Adomah tight on Fredericks.
Ref quite lenient up to now.
Villa fans totally drowning out the Fulham fans.
Grealish backheels for Snodgrass, who shoots, when he could have passed to adomah.
It goes wide.