[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Derek Statham scores a late winner at Villa Park, 20th January 1982.

I recently found myself casting an eye over the highlights of our 2011-12 season on a quiet evening; our second year back in the Premier League, with Roy Hodgson at the helm, and a time which gave us plenty of results to remember.  I've always felt that many supporters have a selective memory when it comes to that season; they're happy to remember the great wins at St James's Park and the Britannia, the Molineux Massacre and our first Premier League triumph against Chelsea, but aren't quite so keen to relive the joys of, say, drawing 0-0 against Fulham at home without a single shot on target.  And I wouldn't blame them for wanting to skip over some of those dourer memories: the fact is that we had a poor start to that season, and an awful winter on home soil, which left us playing catch-up for a good two-thirds of the campaign.  Hodgson stamped a rigid, negative style on us, and he had his reasons for doing it - we conceded goals for fun the previous year, and he wanted to concentrate on plugging the leaks before sailing full steam ahead - but it's easy to forget just how disgruntled a lot of fans got by around mid-October, when results were average at best, and performances were depressingly bad.

And then, in the space of a fortnight, we beat Wolves at home and Villa away.  And how much better did everything feel?  The problems weren't over, but they were a lot more bearable.  Because for all the talk of win percentages, clean sheets and points-per-game - the cold hard facts which chairmen make their decisions on - for most supporters, football remains a game of emotion.  There are few emotions in the sport better than getting that all-important win over the neighbours, and few worse than getting found out by them.  Hodgson understood that.

Unfortunately, I think that Tim Sherwood understands it too.

It won't be the end of the world if we fail to gain a point or more at Villa Park on Saturday, and nor will it be the end for Pulis at Albion, but it would be a missed opportunity for him to win a bit more patience and goodwill from fans having their doubts.  I'm still hoping that in the long-term, we can get back to playing the style we caught glimpses of back in February against the likes of Swansea and West Ham, but right now it does feel like a long hard slog with little chance of anything better.  (Fun fact: those last ten words were actually the original Albion club motto).

The win that Hodgson delivered at Villa Park in 2011 remains our last victory on their turf - indeed, our only one in the last thirty years - and I have to admit I'm not particularly confident of a repeat performance; not just because of current circumstances, but also what generally tends to happen to us when we go there.  But if Pulis can get the players into gear for this one, and they can accomplish what (arguably) better Albion teams have failed to do at Villa Park in recent years, what a difference it could make in the weeks and months to come...

Paul Scharner celebrates his second-half winner at Villa Park, 22nd October 2011

[talkSAFT]

How many tickets have they granted us?
I heard Blues were only getting 2,800 for next week, though I thought there were rules in place that Visitors had to get 25% for Cup games (?) Have the Police stepped in with some ruling?

If you are going, try not to set fire to the place on the way out.

[betterthanbaird]

At least one of Agbonlahor, Sinclair, Lescott and Berahino will score in this game. Guaranteed. Hopefully none of the first three.

Very nervous about this after the horror week last season, and I hope people don't get too frustrated if we lose, and both sets of fans behave better (I know ours was only a minority).

Hopefully we'll start McManaman on one wing, no Gardner, Berahino and Morrison left and central (either way around), I'm not as opposed to McLean as most. He offers natural pace and width, he wouldn't be a starter if we'd had a better window but at the moment I think he may deserve a start, I'm not sure Gnabry has fully readjusted to playing again yet after his long injury so I wouldn't start him yet. Cameo off the bench and a start in the cup game. Rondon up front, Yacob and Fletcher centre midfield. The defence and keeper should/will be the same for me. I don't know which keeper is better frankly.

Obviously I'd love a win here and the villa team isn't great, combined with Sherwood's questionable tactical knowledge and we should have a decent chance. I'd take a draw.

[Tibby Baggie]

How many tickets have they granted us?
I heard Blues were only getting 2,800 for next week, though I thought there were rules in place that Visitors had to get 25% for Cup games (?) Have the Police stepped in with some ruling?

If you are going, try not to set fire to the place on the way out.  

Sounds like the same allocation that we've been given mate. Also to any that might be going, try not to set fire to the Witton Arms on your way out of there either. Not that the Seals will be using it again according to this 

Mixture of nervousness and excitement for this one. 

Really hoping we see a front 3 of Rondon, Berahino & McManaman. After seeing the full 90 I'd recorded of the game against Leicester, we really need to take the game to em and use the width and pace that we know we have in those 3 lads above. 

COYB!

[wba_1996]

Very confident we will lose this one. Hope I'm wrong.

[aries22]

I'm sorry, but TP won't play our better flair players, he will not set the team up to get much further than the halfway line, and we will give away possession so often that it's going to seem like 11 against 9 in Villa's favour. In post-match interviews, TP appeared not to know why we didn't make our superior numbers count at Stoke, nor why we didn't take the game more to Southampton, or why our midfield was so impotent. And if he doesn't know, how can he set the team up properly? Right now, I can't see where our next win is coming from, and it won't be against Villa, not the way we play. I just don't understand it. Just give attacking football a go and see where it gets us. But we won't play attacking football. We'll play for a tight draw and lose. Nailed on.

[Tibby Baggie]

Just noticed that the BBC Football "expert" Mark Lawrenson has us down for a 1-2 win. Never a good omen!

[Squirrel Regis]

Bite your hand off for a draw.
Really fear the worst if we sit back and invite them to attack us...which we will.

[Beefy 1965]

Chill Geezer's

It's written in the Stars don't you know ................

Amazing stats these,
This is why we WILL win on saturday,.......

For the third successive season, Albion have five points from the first five games. If you’re in to omens, in the last two seasons, our sixth game has produced a victory, 4-0 against Burnley last year and 2-1 at Old Trafford the season before, which bodes well with a trip to Villa Park up next.

In fact, Albion have never lost their sixth game of a Premier League season, winning five and drawing four, including not only the win at Old Trafford but also the win at the Emirates in 2010. Albion have also faced a trip to Villa Park for game 6, a match which finished 1-1 in 2012 when Darren Bent’s last equaliser cancelled out Shane Long’s opener.

So there you have it ...................
We are nailed on to loose

[Dingle-Dingle]

Interesting stat here.

Tony Pulis wears a tracksuit and cap.

DD