Match Thread Aston Villa 0-1 Everton. Sunday 18th January 2026 @ 16:30

[knowing your history]

I think we could make it close if we defend properly early on. Concede a goal in the first half and we're properly up against it.

Watkins had a poor season but he has been scoring regularly in last month. Usually scores at least once a season against this club as does Bunedia.

Last season at Goodison was a tight game and was decided by Rogers getting the ball with no player within five yards of him and he just stops Watkins making a run across Tarks.

He scored and the game was decided as there really won't be much coming off the bench to change things bar the Beto/Barry change.

 

[Toffeelover]

Don't fancy this one bit.

 

[peterw]

From a Villa perspective...we're waiting on tenterhooks for the results of Kamara's knee scan which was done yesterday apparently. Him and Onana out will be huge losses would mean either bogarde/Tielemans in the 6/8 or McGinn/tielemans with barkley also being out. First half we will try to score in the first 10-15 minutes and if we don't we'll kill the game with possession trying to move you around and ture you out. it can be dull viewing for us never mind the neutral but its what we do at home. Second half we'll look at open up more to get one or two ahead, and again we'll look to kill the game. Teams we tend to find it more difficult to beat are those that play 3 at the back (can be a 4 with one of them pushing into midfield) and teams looking to flood the centre of midfield with Tottenham failed to do on Saturday.

We are beatable, but its amazing the amount of teams that sucked into allowing us to play our way, and getting out thought by Emery. We will make changes then in the second half to push home our advantage/chase the game when the opposition tend to have tired due to the first half and having to keep running around after the ball as we manoeuvre it from one side to the other. Its amazing that after 3 years none of the ex-player so called top pundits have cottoned on to what we do. We've done it for 3 years now.

High line? That's kind of back but we hardly used it last season. Pace? We don't have bags of it but enough. Tough nut top crack? We concede most games. We just keep going in the second half and that's where we tend to win. This Sunday? Could be anything but I think Moyes has been around the block enough times to know how we set up and how to try and counter it - 3 or 4 in centre midfield.

 

[knowing your history]

Great read that was Gilbert especially the part about why he chose us over Arsenal. As I said Harvey was brilliant on the training pitch and was a massive reason for our success under Kendall but a bit like Roy Evans he wasn't suited to management for whatever reason. I think with the recruitment we brought in talented players but not ones with champions mentality as the likes of Cottee, Nevin and Beagrie were fair-weather types you couldn't rely on when times got tough not to mention they were wildly inconsistent too

Cottee was here six seasons. O.k as you say the expectations back then was to challenge and win the league (2.2m was also obviously huge fee in late 80s) but he still hit double figures in 5 of his 6 seasons.

1989/90 he scored 13 in 27 games. Second prem season was 16 in 39. Near 1 in 2 scoring rates in league seasons don't really equal flops to me.

Just shows how times have changed and Beto or Barry scoring 7-8 goals is deemed an o.k season from either.

 

[Gilbert..]

From a Villa perspective...we're waiting on tenterhooks for the results of Kamara's knee scan which was done yesterday apparently. Him and Onana out will be huge losses would mean either bogarde/Tielemans in the 6/8 or McGinn/tielemans with barkley also being out. First half we will try to score in the first 10-15 minutes and if we don't we'll kill the game with possession trying to move you around and ture you out. it can be dull viewing for us never mind the neutral but its what we do at home. Second half we'll look at open up more to get one or two ahead, and again we'll look to kill the game. Teams we tend to find it more difficult to beat are those that play 3 at the back (can be a 4 with one of them pushing into midfield) and teams looking to flood the centre of midfield with Tottenham failed to do on Saturday.

We are beatable, but its amazing the amount of teams that sucked into allowing us to play our way, and getting out thought by Emery. We will make changes then in the second half to push home our advantage/chase the game when the opposition tend to have tired due to the first half and having to keep running around after the ball as we manoeuvre it from one side to the other. Its amazing that after 3 years none of the ex-player so called top pundits have cottoned on to what we do. We've done it for 3 years now.

High line? That's kind of back but we hardly used it last season. Pace? We don't have bags of it but enough. Tough nut top crack? We concede most games. We just keep going in the second half and that's where we tend to win. This Sunday? Could be anything but I think Moyes has been around the block enough times to know how we set up and how to try and counter it - 3 or 4 in centre midfield.

Nice post. But you could play Gordon Cowans and win this one.

 

[RobYoung]

Cottee was here six seasons. O.k as you say the expectations back then was to challenge and win the league (2.2m was also obviously huge fee in late 80s) but he still hit double figures in 5 of his 6 seasons.

1989/90 he scored 13 in 27 games. Second prem season was 16 in 39. Near 1 in 2 scoring rates in league seasons don't really equal flops to me.

Just shows how times have changed and Beto or Barry scoring 7-8 goals is deemed an o.k season from either.

He once got 25 in a season including a bucket load in either the Zenith Data cup or Simod Cup, whatever it was called that season.
He scored all 4 against Sunderland in that competition. Also got 2 (?) at Wembley v Forest in the Simod Cup Final, I believe.

Scored a huge goal away at West Ham in a 1 - 0 win when we fought against relegation ('93/94?).
FIrst half hattrick against Spurs and the 2nd goal in a 2 - 0 derby win, the day McManaman and Grobbelaar slapped each other.

Hugely inconsistent was Tony Cottee.
Shame, when on fire he was a proper striker.
I liked him.

 

[RobYoung]

And.... he missed a penalty at Stamford Bridge in a televised FA Cup 3rd round.
We lost 1 - 0 and at that ime it was still a huge shock that a season could be over in January.

 

[Lapeno77]

A hard fought 2 0 defeat which is seen in some quarters as 'morale boosting' after the cup.

1 win in 7 although the results aren't as bad if you you add some wins to it.

 

[maccavennie]

From a Villa perspective...we're waiting on tenterhooks for the results of Kamara's knee scan which was done yesterday apparently. Him and Onana out will be huge losses would mean either bogarde/Tielemans in the 6/8 or McGinn/tielemans with barkley also being out. First half we will try to score in the first 10-15 minutes and if we don't we'll kill the game with possession trying to move you around and ture you out. it can be dull viewing for us never mind the neutral but its what we do at home. Second half we'll look at open up more to get one or two ahead, and again we'll look to kill the game. Teams we tend to find it more difficult to beat are those that play 3 at the back (can be a 4 with one of them pushing into midfield) and teams looking to flood the centre of midfield with Tottenham failed to do on Saturday.

We are beatable, but its amazing the amount of teams that sucked into allowing us to play our way, and getting out thought by Emery. We will make changes then in the second half to push home our advantage/chase the game when the opposition tend to have tired due to the first half and having to keep running around after the ball as we manoeuvre it from one side to the other. Its amazing that after 3 years none of the ex-player so called top pundits have cottoned on to what we do. We've done it for 3 years now.

High line? That's kind of back but we hardly used it last season. Pace? We don't have bags of it but enough. Tough nut top crack? We concede most games. We just keep going in the second half and that's where we tend to win. This Sunday? Could be anything but I think Moyes has been around the block enough times to know how we set up and how to try and counter it - 3 or 4 in centre midfield.

You will go 1 up inside the 1st minute and that'll be that.

 

[Gilbert..]

Cottee was here six seasons. O.k as you say the expectations back then was to challenge and win the league (2.2m was also obviously huge fee in late 80s) but he still hit double figures in 5 of his 6 seasons.

1989/90 he scored 13 in 27 games. Second prem season was 16 in 39. Near 1 in 2 scoring rates in league seasons don't really equal flops to me.

Just shows how times have changed and Beto or Barry scoring 7-8 goals is deemed an o.k season from either.

Only thing i'd say is the game has changed completely for forwards. Most if not all teams now play with the lone striker. Cottee played with Sharp/Newell here. And McAvennie at West Ham. Cottee up top on his own these days i doubt he'd get a kick.

 

[RobYoung]

Only thing i'd say is the game has changed completely for forwards. Most if not all teams now play with the lone striker. Cottee played with Sharp/Newell here. And McAvennie at West Ham. Cottee up top on his own these days i doubt he'd get a kick.

Very true.
I was happy seeing us go with two up top v Brentford. Never can get used to playing a lone striker. Howard Kendall shockingly did it once for the FA cup tie at Anfield (0 - 0), that would lead to the 4 - 4 and 1 - 0 replays.

Being my age, 51, and coaching my daughter's U15 I still have them play 4-4-2.
Different times.

 

[Igrok]

When is the calendar for 26/27 out?

 

[Yarrgh]

I'm with James Garner on this one.


James Garner:

“The season definitely isn’t over".

“The season is over for the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, but we still have half a season left. You see how tight the league is; if you win one game, you are right up there again, so the season is definitely not over".

​

Shame he was speaking to Villa Radio on their prospects and you missed out their interviews question after his first sentence.

 

[Yarrgh]

From a Villa perspective...we're waiting on tenterhooks for the results of Kamara's knee scan which was done yesterday apparently. Him and Onana out will be huge losses would mean either bogarde/Tielemans in the 6/8 or McGinn/tielemans with barkley also being out. First half we will try to score in the first 10-15 minutes and if we don't we'll kill the game with possession trying to move you around and ture you out. it can be dull viewing for us never mind the neutral but its what we do at home. Second half we'll look at open up more to get one or two ahead, and again we'll look to kill the game. Teams we tend to find it more difficult to beat are those that play 3 at the back (can be a 4 with one of them pushing into midfield) and teams looking to flood the centre of midfield with Tottenham failed to do on Saturday.

We are beatable, but its amazing the amount of teams that sucked into allowing us to play our way, and getting out thought by Emery. We will make changes then in the second half to push home our advantage/chase the game when the opposition tend to have tired due to the first half and having to keep running around after the ball as we manoeuvre it from one side to the other. Its amazing that after 3 years none of the ex-player so called top pundits have cottoned on to what we do. We've done it for 3 years now.

High line? That's kind of back but we hardly used it last season. Pace? We don't have bags of it but enough. Tough nut top crack? We concede most games. We just keep going in the second half and that's where we tend to win. This Sunday? Could be anything but I think Moyes has been around the block enough times to know how we set up and how to try and counter it - 3 or 4 in centre midfield.

That's very unfair using tactics against us. Can someone make up something about our supposed tactics please to make @peterw nervous?

 

[Miked1e]

Nope... not bothering.

Comfortable 3-0 win for the Villa.