Uno
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A round up of Aston Villa news, views and social media coverage, via the uno fish ial one… Multiple article authors … you can see who wrote each one at the top of articles.
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It’s fair to say that Ritchie de Laet’s loan spell from Aston Villa to Royal Antwerp hasn’t been the greatest of successes this season.
The 29-year-old former Leicester City right-back made the switch out to Belgium back at the end of January as he sought far greater game time having overcome his long-term injury that in many ways ended his Aston Villa career before it began.
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The youth of today, they don’t know how lucky they are (props to The Four Yorkshiremen – Monty Python)
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The owner wades in denying any rift with Steve Bruce. I do sometimes wonder what we are all doing with our lives!
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Tony Xia has denied a report in the Mirror that he is at loggerheads with Steve Bruce over giving Alan Hutton a new contract.
The chairman dismissed the speculation as misleading and feels the report was designed to unsettle the club before the playoff final:
‘Well Said’ ‘Please Keep Him’ – Fans React As Villa Owner Speaks Out On Star’s Contract Situation
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The Scottish Cafu ⛔️👊🦁#PartOfThePride #AVFC pic.twitter.com/2cyPa8V0QP
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) May 17, 2018
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Doing a bit of spying on the other semi-final in anticipation of a meeting in the final, it left me thinking there are a couple of ways we could set up against Fulham at Wembley.
In the first leg at Pride Park, Derby suffocated the Cottagers. They pressed high, restricted their opponent’s chances in front of goal, and took a lead into the second leg.
Villa Could Use Two Very Contrasting Tactical Approaches Against Fulham
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Not convinced by any transfer news usually and even less so while we don’t know what division we will be playing in next season!
Villa ‘Monitoring’ Championship Full Back As They Line Up Free Transfer
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🎥🦁🏆 #HKSoccer7s: Coach Mark Delaney previews our involvement in this year’s @HKSoccer7s, which begins on Saturday #PartOfThePride #AVFC pic.twitter.com/jpKmJ4l1Ao
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) May 18, 2018
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Villa make the case for the defence.
Battling Villa saw off Middlesbrough in a double marathon of defensive intensity and Zen-like concentration, as London called to two faraway towns, who were both desperately willing to battle to their last drop of sweat, for the chance to contest the right to rub shoulders with the Premier League’s plutocrats and enjoy a transfusion of hypertrophic mega-bucks and prestige. This particular half of the Championship semi-final play-off double-headers didn’t amount to a thing of beauty and mostly was the predictable outcome when two pragmatic managers meet, who are known to prefer the opposition to attempt the fancy stuff and then punish them for it. As both managers were defenders in their playing days, this came as no surprise. Villa prevailed by the narrowest of margins after Mile Jedinak scored a fine headed goal on fifteen minutes in the first leg and then made himself a human buttress for the rest of the 180 minutes to nullify Middlesbrough’s creative intents.
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Steve Bruce is keen on recruiting Hull City right-back Moses Odubajo on a free transfer
Villa ‘Monitoring’ Championship Full Back As They Line Up Free Transfer
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Big Play-Off Final at Wembley Stadium to look forward to next weekend 🙌🦁🏟
You've just got to have that #FridayFeeling 👍#PartOfThePride #AVFC pic.twitter.com/E9hODGEP5n
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) May 18, 2018
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https://twitter.com/avfcgoals/status/997244642851807235
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https://twitter.com/Froggy123Steve/status/997411678705848321
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While everyone is backing the team to gain promotion on Saturday week, some have been debating whether the club would retain Steve Bruce’s services if we do remain in the Championship.
With the club’s fate this season hanging on one match, things could go either way for us.
‘He Deserves Another Year’ ‘We should have walked that league’ – Fans Debate Villa Boss’s Future
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holtelower says: “I am going to be totally philosophical here.”
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Thought for the day: “I’ve just been on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday. I’ll tell you what … Never again…”
The previous Villa Times: The Villa Times – 17/05/2018
The Villa Times – 16/05/2018
The Villa Times – 15/05/2018
The Villa Times – 14/05/2018
The Villa Times – 12/05/2018