Countdown has begun.

[TrianonDave]

Countdown has begun, the 2nd City Derby but is it anymore important than any other game. For us it us about realism and not being delusional like a lot of the Noses are!
Listening to them on local radio, they really are bitter and twisted, "yer were going to do-em again" says one guy from the dark side. Just when was the last time they actually beat us?
Personally, I used to get up for these games but i see it as merely 3 pts to be had in an effort to climb the table.

How do you guys see this match and what are the best memories?

I loved the 1-0 win at the Sty, super Kev Phillips Stopped the Rot, 3000 went balistic, the league didnt matter and i was the last man out the ground escorted by 2 very nice policemen!!

Whats yours........

[bongosdad]

I enjoyed the 5-1 win at home and a couple of Gabby cameos under MON away from home.

Winning this game is more about feel good factor and keeping the momentum going. I'm not overly bothered the fact it's BCFC for some reason. Even if they do win its all about bragging rights for them and beating blues is nothing to brag about imo.

[TrianonDave]

"Beating Blues is nothing to Brag about"

Excellent point Bongo!

[westcountryvillain]

It's a funny thing rivalry, for some reason I just cannot stand BCFC - they're like an irritating younger sibling that will always be on the lookout for a chance to take the proverbial. The meaning of this game is one thing only and that is to walk into work on Monday and give it large whilst enjoying the moment.

I went to my first game vs them last season, I've rarely seen such an atmosphere at VP both pre-match in the streets and all around the ground.

It will be a much tougher encounter than last year, they have been doing quite well and we will need to be at the races to get the 3pts.

[freer]

Gabby cameos... MON

Its reassuring to see you've retuned to ‘Default Setting’ Bongo


Be interesting to see if we can emulate the performance V Derby¬ 3 points is what's required

[mondaze]

having lived away from god's own city since 1987, i do not have the immediacy of bloos fans in my proximity, so it has ceased to be that important to me. take 3 pts and move on. I hate the baggies more.

[TrianonDave]

I was going to mention the bogrolls, think thst game now bigget, blues armchair fans living in the past and grabbing at any mention of success

[Exiledvillan]

having lived away from god's own city since 1987, i do not have the immediacy of bloos fans in my proximity, so it has ceased to be that important to me. take 3 pts and move on. I hate the baggies more.

Tis a strange one Mondaze. We moved from Brum in ‘76’ ( aged 12) to Newcastle Under Lyme (only 40 mins to VP, as quick as Sutton Coldfield most weeks) and I left the UK in ’98’ for N.L. and then ‘03’ to Ireland (6 or 7 games a season).
It’s true, you don’t see many, if any, noses, so contact is extremely minimal, non existent. But as I’ve rarely missed a derby since the 70s, it doesn’t take long to get back in the swing of things, probably 4 or 5 seconds.
Outside of matchday? I still have a deep rooted dislike for them, not obsessive like they are, but nonetheless, my contempt for them remains. They make it so easy to dislike em.
As for the Baggies, even less contact with them, so I’d be more ambivalent of em, depending on the weather.

[TrianonDave]

So are all you guys who are obviously unable to go to the game, able to watch Live? At the game or not im sure the passion will be evident!
Must admit the blues fans very quiet at work. Their either confident or secretly bricking it??

[birminghamborn]

This is one game I never miss, always good to send Small Heath home with their tail between their legs.

[stateside]

Don’t know many noses. Just the few good ones that used to be on these boards. I’m still friends with Bluesince62 and his lovely family but that’s about it. I knew one family of noses in Brum when I lived there, it was all Villans and Baggies. I thought that was the real rivalry until my first Villa Blues game in 75-76. What an atmosphere!!!

But, the rivalry means little living in Florida. I once saw a Blues shirt on someone at a Rowdies game but I didn’t go up and antagonise him.

[TrianonDave]

Would have preferred this game to KO at 5:30pm but that will never happen again!
It sounds like Chester is struggling to be fit but McGinn is ok. Leaves us short at the back (cheers Bruce) they have 2 big guys up front that could do us some harm, yes so have we so, im going for goals hopefully we will score 1 more than them? Bout time we had a thrilla at the villa.....4-3 🤔

[bongosdad]

Get your boots on JT

[Exiledvillan]

I have Sky, so the neighbours will be happy, not.
They just don’t get my enthusiasm over here, particularly as I don't support a team in red & white.

A win to The Villa.

[freer]

http://notie.gotdns.com/starwordz/starwordz.php?intro=Optimism+continues+Bongo&episode=1&title=Return+of+the+Jedi&crawl=Concern+grows++as+Small+Heath+will+soon+infe st+our+great+stadium.+&crawl2=Expectations+rise+following+our+victory+on+ the+neighbouring+planet+Alpha+Derby.++Decimated+by +injuries+sustained+in+futile+internationals+the+p rospect+of+Jedinak+returning+looms+large+%2C+Comma nder+Smith+may+be+forced+to+activate+the+Tonic+Imm obility+of+Bruce%E2%80%99s+Smoke+screen+%26+deploy +the+Australian+in+order+to+seize+control+of+the+B ragging+Rights+&crawl3=As+the+unwashed+speed+toward+our+base%2C+co ncern+mounts++if+they+go+1+up+then+they%27ll+park+ the+space+vehicle+like+never+before++It+is+after+a ll%2C+their+intergalactic+cup+final%E2%80%A6%E2%80 %A6%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6%E2%80%A6.++

[westcountryvillain]

EPIC Freer XD

[TrianonDave]

So it begins......love it.

[bongosdad]

We best win now or we might have egg on our faces.

[TrianonDave]

A win now could give us that real boost to push on, i dont want to think of anything else but i do feel more confident with Smith in Charge instead of Bruce!

[freer]

We have watched a more enjoyable approach, & entertaining style of football in 5 games under Dean Smith than Steve Bruce offered us in over 2 years

[bongosdad]

Oh come on freer get off Bruce's back. Ok thinks didn't work out but he left us with a very decent squad and got us out of the poo after RDM struggled. He got us JT snodgrass and a host of other good players.
He conducted himself admirably and stuck with the club after a summer of financial uncertainty.
Stop being so blinkered and give credit where it's due.

That's all folks

[TrianonDave]

He Failed!!!! I will not get over that 'no show' in the play off Final... sorry but when it mattered, he was left wanting. We had a lot of luck on the way but now he is History.
I was looking through some old Derby Day clips on Youtube and still cannot believe the way he celebrated as blues manager when beating us!!
Lets look forward and thank god we have Smith in Charge.

With the way results went yesterday, more than ever, we need 3 points today.

[freer]

Bong

I acknowledge Bruce steadied the ship & deserves credit in that respect

Bruce assembled the Championships most expensive squad, top heavy on full backs, cluttered with some implausibly hapless purchases

JT snodgrass & your aforementioned host of other good (loaned) players….that was a financially unsustainable solution/short term fix !

Bruce lost his job due to his antiquated tactic-less football we frequently failed to win games due to his uber cautious team selections, par exemple Jedinak & Whelan BOTH in midfield

He should have been humanly destroyed at half time in his self induced Wembley debacle

So lets talk about the future under Smith who unlike Bruce, doesn't big the opposition up, & doesn't play to avoid defeat, unlike Bruce he will set us up to win

No doubt you'll be wearing your black arm band following ‘the wee fella’s’ departure as Irish team gaffa

http://i68.tinypic.com/vfghkz.gif

Just saying loike

[bongosdad]

The point is the thread isn't about Bruce but you keep harping on about him. You got your wish and he's gone.

[Exiledvillan]

The point is the thread isn't about Bruce but you keep harping on about him. You got your wish and he's gone.

XD XD XD XD Crikey Bongo mate, you got some neck, giving out to someone for harping on about a previous manager.

That’s taking hypocrisy to a MONumental new level.

Annoying, aint it?

[freer]

The point is the thread isn't about Bruce but you keep harping on about him.

http://i67.tinypic.com/6okh28.gif

Erm…..your being somewhat hypercritical ‘Ol lad

All 4 of your Fear or relish comments unerringly veer off in an unrelated direction to include/introduce Mr Steve Bruce

As our new self appointed site moderator can we all adhere to your rules eh Bongo?

[bongosdad]

Haha very true Excile. I just wanted a decent manager and we haven't had many if any since he left. Bruce was the best of the bunch.

[TrianonDave]

The City is ours....

[bongosdad]

Always was Dave 💪🏽

[TrianonDave]

Been off work today recovering! But also been on YT watching every clip and blog from the game. You can easily see why they, the SHA are hated sooo much. Just love the sobbing after the game, oh we should have won, it was not a penalty, grealish jeeps falling over etc etc.
They will be quiet for a while now!!

[westcountryvillain]

I want Jack to get the ball off Gardner and smash it into the top corner at the sty for a 93rd minute winner after being 1-0 down with 15 left! Hutton to score equaliser off his bum XD

[TrianonDave]

Just hate these Noses they are so bitter and twisted. They just need to stop the obsession which, is Aston Villa and get on with their own team. They have a hard working team but their defence is shocking!
We need to keep up now and beat Forest on Wednesday, settle for a point at Boro and hope Santa brings us a decent left back. Hopefully now blues will go on a slide and by the time we go to the sty they will be back in trouble.

Ps what happened to that Gap.....