[Archived] Villa Semi Final Match Preview

[Hasta]

So putting aside the attendance issue, what line up do you guys think we will be facing on Tuesday?

As you can see mate, the game is almost secondary to the Allardyce/Enterntainment/Attendance issue.

However I'd guess at:-

Robinson

Chimbonda

Nelson

Samba

Jacobsen

Emerton

Andrews

Nzonzi

Pedersen

Dunn (providing his substitution wasn't injury related on Saturday)

Di Santo.

That was roughly the team/formation when we had a decent November and I guess that's what we will revert to. Unfortunately it means 1 up front and, should we get beat or not score, you can imagine the reaction on here!!

Is the 'other Brad' definitely going to play for Villa?

[ABBEY]

Being a supporter has nothing to do with being entertained ... if I wanted to be entertained I'd be off to Vue cinema or King Georges Hall ... if I wanted to watch good football week-in week-out I'd join the massed ranks of 'plastics' at Old Trafford or the Emirates. What the hell have we become that we demand to be entertained! We sit at the top table despite paying peanuts for the privilege and yet still we get so called supporters droning on and on and on about hoof-ball, Allerdyce, Keith 'bloody' Andrews! Get a grip for gawd's sake. We are a provincial Northern team from a town the size of Rochdale, Oldham and Bury living the dream in the semi-final of cup .... managers, players and boards will come and go but we are more than the sum of the parts we are Blackburn Rovers Football Club. Get a grip!!!

COYB

so your happy with crap?

so called supporters?

so you want no fan to have opinions and just attend robot like?

[blueboy1989]

villa fan in peace (ignore the name)

Are you likely to sell on the door in the home/away end?

And is there any truth in the rumour that extra turnstiles for the away fans will be opened on the night?

Don't want to get flamed but there's hundreds of Villa fans wanting to come up for the game, most without tickets.

[Hasta]

villa fan in peace (ignore the name)

Are you likely to sell on the door in the home/away end?

And is there any truth in the rumour that extra turnstiles for the away fans will be opened on the night?

Don't want to get flamed but there's hundreds of Villa fans wanting to come up for the game, most without tickets.

There will not be a turnstile for away fans. There is no area in the ground where they could be segregated. The 11,000 or so home fans will already be spread around all the areas of the ground. it would just be too complex a procedure at this stage to have to relocate and re-ticket several hundred fans from one area to another to allow Villa more room.

Had we had 22,000 fans for this game I'd say unlucky. However if we really do only have 14,000 or 15,000 home fans on then I do have sympathy for Villa.

Edit - as far as selling on the door, home tickets will be available from the ticket office right up until kick off but unless you're on the Rovers database they'll turn you away.

[blueboy1989]

thanks for the reply.

Looks like it's not worth it then

[RevidgeBlue]

villa fan in peace (ignore the name)

Are you likely to sell on the door in the home/away end?

And is there any truth in the rumour that extra turnstiles for the away fans will be opened on the night?

Don't want to get flamed but there's hundreds of Villa fans wanting to come up for the game, most without tickets.

No, No and tough titty.

(No offence but why should you just have as many tickets as you want)

We'd be better off with empty seats than extra Villa fans in the ground.

[Hasta]

No, No and tough titty.

(No offence but why should you just have as many tickets as you want)

We'd be better off with empty seats than extra Villa fans in the ground.

Wouldn't make much difference. They may well outnumber us anyway.

[stuwilky]

Who makes up all these rumours in the Villa contingent?

Apparently now none of the pubs around the ground will be open on police instructions....... just like against Burnley then.....

Extra away turnstiles...... to pay cash.....

A coach full of Villa going in the "home end"

etc etc etc

Are they really bigger than the massiveness of Birmingham City?

[ElTwis]

Pubs shut?! This had BETTER not be true! Although, did I read somewhere that beer was discounted in the ground a couple of hours before kick off?

[dunc]

It was 11,000 in Friday's Telegraph, which is written the day before. The figure may well have been at close of play last Wednesday.

For that figure to include the away tickets then it means the home support will be similar if not less than against Peterborough (total att 8,419). Having checked the online ticketing system then I can confidently say that we have sold far more than 6,000.

The crowd will be embarassingly low but not to that extent!

[Ricky]

We've got some good villa fans on here but fair play you must have some numpties if all this tosh is being believed!!

Of course the pubs will be open, they are when we have 8k Liverpool and man u fans and when we have the slack jawed yokels from down the road!!!

You've sold your allocation, why would we then let you pay on the night. Tickets will be on sale to rovers fans who are on the database. If you're name and address is not on that database with a history of buying tickets you won't get in.. It really is that simple!!!

[Hasta]

Pubs shut?! This had BETTER not be true! Although, did I read somewhere that beer was discounted in the ground a couple of hours before kick off?

As StuWilky says, I have never known a game with as much complete tosh rumours around it.

For the millionth time:-

• The police did not restrict Villa's allocation. Rovers did to allow more home fans in - this was confirmed by the club at the fans forum.

• There is no turnstile or day of the match sales for away fans.

• The pubs will not be shut around the grounds. In fact, due to the anticipated attendance you will probably be able to get served quite quickly.

[Gav]

You mean like the way we didnt fight against Chelsea? Or against Villa in our last home fixture after being a man down?

Stop talking rubbish.

So I’m talking rubbish because you saw ‘fight’ when we played Villa back in September, and in the Carling cup game against the 10 men of Chelsea with several of our senior players dropped?

THEY SHOULD FIGHT EVERY WEEK, NOT TWICE A SEASON.

[Tom]

Surely sales can't be as low as 12k including Villa fans, it just doesn't seem possible.

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

so your happy with crap?

so called supporters?

so you want no fan to have opinions and just attend robot like?

Get a grip, nobody is saying that they're happy with 'crap' or that fans cannot air their opinions, its just that for one of our biggest one off games of the season only 6/7k can be bothered to turn up - and that is pathetic which ever way you want to spin it.

If you hate Allardyce enough to not turn up to a home tie of a league cup semi final then you clearly care more about him then our Club. This is one of the few premierleague teams who genuinely need their fans. The vast majority of clubs in this division expect to see a good turn out. How would you feel as a player to walk out in a league cup semi final in front of a half empty home stadium with more away fans than home supporters.

Will it take relegation before some people realise how fortunate we are right now to be in this position of being a very small town with a very successful football team????

Forget Allardyce, forget Andrews, forget how cold or wet you might get, if you genuinely support Blackburn Rovers you will be behind the team. Proper fans dont support a club just in order to be entertained, they support them because they have a connection with that club above any other regardless of how successfull or entertaining they happen to be.

[RoverInWigan]

There's bound to be a massive late surge for tickets in the next two days so hopefully the attendance may not be as bad as some have predicted.

Remember anyone who wants to sing and create a better atmosphere on Tuesday night should get themselves in the Darwen End with a growing number of people. Visit the facebook group http://www.facebook.com/group.phpv=info&gid=234170016119

Blackburn Rovers F.C - Singing Section - Darwen End

"Supporters Not Spectators"

[stuwilky]

Yeah, you said.

[Ossydave]

In all fairness why would people have been bothering to go for tickets over xmas and new year when they are guaranteed one on either Monday or Tuesday? Doubt it's been top of anyone's agenda.

[den]

There are a lot of people who had their focus on Christmas and simply didn't know this game was so close.

[Shabani]

I fall into that category, shall 99% be there but havent got tickets yet

[ABBEY]

Get a grip, nobody is saying that they're happy with 'crap' or that fans cannot air their opinions, its just that for one of our biggest one off games of the season only 6/7k can be bothered to turn up - and that is pathetic which ever way you want to spin it.

If you hate Allardyce enough to not turn up to a home tie of a league cup semi final then you clearly care more about him then our Club. This is one of the few premierleague teams who genuinely need their fans. The vast majority of clubs in this division expect to see a good turn out. How would you feel as a player to walk out in a league cup semi final in front of a half empty home stadium with more away fans than home supporters.

Will it take relegation before some people realise how fortunate we are right now to be in this position of being a very small town with a very successful football team????

Forget Allardyce, forget Andrews, forget how cold or wet you might get, if you genuinely support Blackburn Rovers you will be behind the team. Proper fans dont support a club just in order to be entertained, they support them because they have a connection with that club above any other regardless of how successfull or entertaining they happen to be.

WERE HAVE I SAID IM NOT GOING? ARE YOU?JUST ASKING

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

WERE HAVE I SAID IM NOT GOING? ARE YOU?JUST ASKING

I never said that you personally werent going. It was just directed at the people who said they're not going simply because they dont like the style of football being played or Allardyce himself. The club is more important then both of those things.

[RovertheHill]

There are a lot of people who had their focus on Christmas and simply didn't know this game was so close.

True - I'd completely forgotten about it until last week. Got my tickets though - only thing that will keep me away now is if the weather gets horrendous and the roads are really bad. Hopefully the snow and ice will have gone by Tuesday though

[ABBEY]

are you going?

[bubblerrovers]

Surely sales can't be as low as 12k including Villa fans, it just doesn't seem possible.

Why is it so hard to believe,

We have shown nothing recently to make any fan feel we have any chance of winning.

The players haven't looked bothered recently, So why should fans bother turning up. We know they can do much better.

Our football is awful,

It's on sky.

It's guna be cold and wet (weather not football)

It's close to XMAS i'm sure most people haven't had time to get tickets yet.

Before everyone goes mad, these are the facts and the attendence will show that, fans vote with there feet. I live in London and had to choose the home or away leg so i'll be there at the 2nd leg, even if we lose 4 nil on Tuesday