The Villa Appetiser: Sam Allardyce Emphasises with Lambert & West Ham vs Aston Villa Match Preview

West Ham vs Aston Villa Match Preview & Honest Big Sam

Sam Allardyce on Villa:

“I think they’ve had a very difficult start so I think the points they’ve gained was a bonus for them, particularly winning at Arsenal away. I think Paul will probably be a bit disappointed recently with the points that he’s gained from the teams they’ve played and he has our problem of failing to secure enough points at home… Away teams are picking up results that way and it’s a difficult scenario for us to contend with and make sure it doesn’t happen to us anymore.”

Lambert on West Ham:

“We go (again) on Saturday against West Ham, we’ll go down there and it’ll be a tough game but we’re certainly tough enough to go and win. I’ve only been there once, last year, and it’s a good atmosphere so I’m looking forward to it.”

Form is Temporary:

Memory match:

16^th April 2009 West Ham 1 Aston Villa 2

Goals from Darren Bent and Gabriel Agbonlahor ensured a good away win for Villa, after future Villa loan signing Robbie Keane opened the scoring in the 2^nd minute for the home side.

West Ham: Last five League matches at home: W 2, L 3

Aston Villa: Last five League matches away: W 2, D 2, L 1

In the last five visits to Upton Park, Villa have won twice, drawn once and lost twice.

Facts to Sweep Under the Carpet

After a couple of disappointing performances at home, the chance will be there for Villa to improve on the road. The problem is, Gabriel Agbonlahor is an injury doubt, and while he hasn’t contributed with goals recently his presence is a key factor in Villa’s attacking threat. More worrying is that for a team trying to play attacking football, Villa have struggled to find the back of the net – we haven’t scored in our last three games. In comparison, West Ham have scored in each of their last three home games (in all competitions). With players such as Ravel Morrison shining for West Ham, it could be another season without a win at Upton Park.

What We Pray the Football Gods Will Provide

Fans frustrations may have been somewhat justified over the last couple of matches but it’s worth remembering that Lambert’s plan for Villa is only a season old. We have seen that without the pressure of a large home crowd Villa can thrive at away grounds, so let’s hope we see the stylish counter-attacking that has largely been absent from Villa Park. Most importantly though a positive result is needed.

Why Villa have got this game in the bag

It might be West Ham’s turn to feel the home pressure on Saturday. Since beating Cardiff 2-0 on the opening day of the season, West Ham have lost all of the other three fixtures (against Stoke, Everton and Man City). Paul Lambert has spoken of the importance of the fringe players as Villa face injuries so it could be a great opportunity for the likes of Kozák and Helenius to shine. After the international breaks have broken the flow to the season, it’s time Villa settled into the season and began to show some consistency in their performances. This will be a perfect time to start as the fixtures begin to get noticeably easier in the next month or so. UTV.

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