Match Day Thread Aston Villa FC v Sunderland AFC – Sunday 19th April 2026 - KO 14:00

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So many positives.

Easy to lose heads at first minute goal.

Easy to fold at 3-1.

Side with about the best home record in league.

3 away goals (and plenty more chances)

Rigg and Diarra growing rapidly.

Phenomenal fans again at a loud away ground with great home fans still loud and proud even at 1-3.


We can’t overlook as well Villa, a genuine and deserving CL team played well, they didn’t have a stinker and we nearly nicked summat, they played well and we went toe to toe.

With 2/3 quality additions and the natural growth of Diarra, Rigg, Noah etc the sky is the limit.

I don’t need to say it but let’s make Friday a ****ing chaotic noise and will the lads home. Let’s get that game won and let’s back the lads who clearly in every interview want European football.

Whatever we may think about too soon/stretching squad, the lads don’t see it that way let’s be 12-15th man rest of season.

Even if we fail we haven’t failed. A club to be ****ing proud of on every level.

All we ever wanted. I mean ****ing hell lads we were proud of who we are even in League One.
 
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Nads said:
So many positives.

Easy to lose heads at first minute goal.

Easy to fold at 3-1.

Side with about the best home record in league.

3 away goals (and plenty more chances)

Rigg and Diarra growing rapidly.

Phenomenal fans again at a loud away ground with great home fans still loud and proud even at 1-3.


We can’t overlook as well Villa, a genuine and deserving CL team played well, they didn’t have a stinker and we nearly nicked summat, they played well and we went toe to toe.

With 2/3 quality additions and the natural growth of Diarra, Rigg, Noah etc the sky is the limit.

I don’t need to say it but let’s make Friday a ****ing chaotic noise and will the lads home. Let’s get that game won and let’s back the lads who clearly in every interview want European football.

Whatever we may think about too soon/stretching squad, the lads don’t see it that way let’s be 12-15th man rest of season.

Even if we fail we haven’t failed. A club to be ****ing proud of on every level.

All we ever wanted. I mean ****ing hell lads we were proud of who we are even in League One.
Click to expand...
HAWAY ME BONNY LADS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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Nads said:
So many positives.

Easy to lose heads at first minute goal.

Easy to fold at 3-1.

Side with about the best home record in league.

3 away goals (and plenty more chances)

Rigg and Diarra growing rapidly.

Phenomenal fans again at a loud away ground with great home fans still loud and proud even at 1-3.


We can’t overlook as well Villa, a genuine and deserving CL team played well, they didn’t have a stinker and we nearly nicked summat, they played well and we went toe to toe.

With 2/3 quality additions and the natural growth of Diarra, Rigg, Noah etc the sky is the limit.

I don’t need to say it but let’s make Friday a ****ing chaotic noise and will the lads home. Let’s get that game won and let’s back the lads who clearly in every interview want European football.

Whatever we may think about too soon/stretching squad, the lads don’t see it that way let’s be 12-15th man rest of season.

Even if we fail we haven’t failed. A club to be ****ing proud of on every level.

All we ever wanted. I mean ****ing hell lads we were proud of who we are even in League One.
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more.
 
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Nads said:
So many positives.

Easy to lose heads at first minute goal.

Easy to fold at 3-1.

Side with about the best home record in league.

3 away goals (and plenty more chances)

Rigg and Diarra growing rapidly.

Phenomenal fans again at a loud away ground with great home fans still loud and proud even at 1-3.


We can’t overlook as well Villa, a genuine and deserving CL team played well, they didn’t have a stinker and we nearly nicked summat, they played well and we went toe to toe.

With 2/3 quality additions and the natural growth of Diarra, Rigg, Noah etc the sky is the limit.

I don’t need to say it but let’s make Friday a ****ing chaotic noise and will the lads home. Let’s get that game won and let’s back the lads who clearly in every interview want European football.

Whatever we may think about too soon/stretching squad, the lads don’t see it that way let’s be 12-15th man rest of season.

Even if we fail we haven’t failed. A club to be ****ing proud of on every level.

All we ever wanted. I mean ****ing hell lads we were proud of who we are even in League One.
Click to expand...
Ready to ride into battle here
 
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Montysoptician said:
I wonder who suffered the wrath of Xhaka? I did see Isidor asking for Watkins shirt and at the end and thought it a bit off

kickscores.com.ng

Tensions boiled over at full-time following Sunderland’s dramatic 4–3 defeat to Aston Villa, as captain Granit Xhaka launched a furious dressing-room outburst - Kick football

XHAKA ERUPTS: Sunderland Captain Blasts Teammate Over Aston Villa Shirt Swap After 4–3 Thriller Tens
kickscores.com.ng
Click to expand...
Good to here. Well done Xhaka lad. I'd never walk back into our dressing room wearing the opposition badge. Shameful, or immature. Not on.
 
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polyphemus said:
Not particularly upset at that result.

An enthraling Game that had it all.
A CREDIT TO BOTH TEAMS.

At the end of the game, Kevin Keegans quote , I'D RATHER LOSE 4-3 than win 1-0 came to mind.
Click to expand...
Having watched pretty much every televised game over the weekend, it was by far the best watch. Even without the rosey specs
 
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Montysoptician said:
I wonder who suffered the wrath of Xhaka? I did see Isidor asking for Watkins shirt and at the end and thought it a bit off

kickscores.com.ng

Tensions boiled over at full-time following Sunderland’s dramatic 4–3 defeat to Aston Villa, as captain Granit Xhaka launched a furious dressing-room outburst - Kick football

XHAKA ERUPTS: Sunderland Captain Blasts Teammate Over Aston Villa Shirt Swap After 4–3 Thriller Tens
kickscores.com.ng
Click to expand...

That article jumps at the chance to say realionships are frayed and there is questions about unity!

This is the exact thing captains like Roy Keane would have done and I think Utd were alright when he was captain?
 
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Montysoptician said:
I wonder who suffered the wrath of Xhaka? I did see Isidor asking for Watkins shirt and at the end and thought it a bit off

kickscores.com.ng

Tensions boiled over at full-time following Sunderland’s dramatic 4–3 defeat to Aston Villa, as captain Granit Xhaka launched a furious dressing-room outburst - Kick football

XHAKA ERUPTS: Sunderland Captain Blasts Teammate Over Aston Villa Shirt Swap After 4–3 Thriller Tens
kickscores.com.ng
Click to expand...
Probably no one! When you read the article, it says “Xhaka publicly disgraces teammate” then says “According to reports from inside the camp, Xhaka was left incensed after a Sunderland player was seen wearing an Aston Villa shirt shortly after the final whistle.”

It is either publicly, or in the dressing room. It can’t be both.

I smell made up bullshit personally.
 
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Montysoptician said:
I wonder who suffered the wrath of Xhaka? I did see Isidor asking for Watkins shirt and at the end and thought it a bit off

kickscores.com.ng

Tensions boiled over at full-time following Sunderland’s dramatic 4–3 defeat to Aston Villa, as captain Granit Xhaka launched a furious dressing-room outburst - Kick football

XHAKA ERUPTS: Sunderland Captain Blasts Teammate Over Aston Villa Shirt Swap After 4–3 Thriller Tens
kickscores.com.ng
Click to expand...
That sounds like a load of nonesense tbh
 
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Xhaka calling standards is elite. That’s not a negative and Wilson will learn from that.

We aren’t here to collect souvenirs we are here to compete. That’s the exact mentality we want and need.

That’s not a fracture or squad discontent, that’s a leader guiding people the right path.

Capitano. He’s just ****ing superb Granit.
 
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Blond Bombshell said:
Good to here. Well done Xhaka lad. I'd never walk back into our dressing room wearing the opposition badge. Shameful, or immature. Not on.
Click to expand...
I bet Keano has something to say about it. He was always on about players showing their medals, not their shirt collection. Xhaka was spot on imo, as long as it was done in the dressing room. I don't know if all is right with Wilson atm. He looked a little angry after he'd scored, I thought. Don't know who he was glaring at.
 
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Non-executive Director Leo Pearlman’s post on LinkedIn…

“Something happened in early February that has stayed with me, but only feels relevant to now share.

We were playing Liverpool Football Club, at the Stadium of Light. At that point, we were the only team in The Premier League yet to lose at home. A remarkable position for a newly promoted club to be in, one that, not so long ago, would have felt unimaginable.

It was a huge test, playing the reigning Premier League champions with a stretched squad. We were a goal down at half time, perhaps hadn't reached the lofty heights of previous home performances, but the game was still very much in the balance.

A fan near me stood up & began berating the players as they walked off. Lack of quality, lack of effort, questioning the team's commitment on the day.

A few rows back, another voice cut through, three times, loud & clear:

“Remember where we’ve come from. Stay humble.”

It wasn’t just any voice, it was Granit Xhaka, our captain, watching from the stands & in that moment, he said everything that needed to be said.

Yesterday, we lost away at Aston Villa & I’ve thought about that moment of disappointment a lot since the final whistle, because context matters.

Villa are an outstanding side, top four, European semi-finalists, a club operating at a level we can only dream of at this stage. Yet we went there, first season back in the top flight in over a decade & were a stoppage-time save away from winning the game. Not hanging on, not hoping to avoid defeat, but winning.

I’ve written a lot this season about how good this team is, but this feels different. This is the first time I’ve come away from a defeat thinking, this might actually be the high point.

Because what this team has, beyond the quality, beyond the results, is something far more valuable. Belief, togetherness, a sense that they’re building something that’s only just getting started & a connection with our City & fans that doesn't come along very often.

We’ll miss chances, we’ll lose games we think we should win, players we love will move on, others will come in. That’s football.

But this, what we’re watching right now at Sunderland AFC, is the best I’ve seen in my lifetime. So next time frustration creeps in & it will, I’ll go back to that voice from the stands.

“Remember where we’ve come from. Stay humble.”

Because this isn’t the end of the story, it's another step on the journey.

Remember where we’ve come from & dream big about where we're going.”

#SunderlandTilIDie
#TilTheEnd
#LetsGetCarriedAway
 
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Essayyeffcee said:
Non-executive Director Leo Pearlman’s post on LinkedIn…

“Something happened in early February that has stayed with me, but only feels relevant to now share.

We were playing Liverpool Football Club, at the Stadium of Light. At that point, we were the only team in The Premier League yet to lose at home. A remarkable position for a newly promoted club to be in, one that, not so long ago, would have felt unimaginable.

It was a huge test, playing the reigning Premier League champions with a stretched squad. We were a goal down at half time, perhaps hadn't reached the lofty heights of previous home performances, but the game was still very much in the balance.

A fan near me stood up & began berating the players as they walked off. Lack of quality, lack of effort, questioning the team's commitment on the day.

A few rows back, another voice cut through, three times, loud & clear:

“Remember where we’ve come from. Stay humble.”

It wasn’t just any voice, it was Granit Xhaka, our captain, watching from the stands & in that moment, he said everything that needed to be said.

Yesterday, we lost away at Aston Villa & I’ve thought about that moment of disappointment a lot since the final whistle, because context matters.

Villa are an outstanding side, top four, European semi-finalists, a club operating at a level we can only dream of at this stage. Yet we went there, first season back in the top flight in over a decade & were a stoppage-time save away from winning the game. Not hanging on, not hoping to avoid defeat, but winning.

I’ve written a lot this season about how good this team is, but this feels different. This is the first time I’ve come away from a defeat thinking, this might actually be the high point.

Because what this team has, beyond the quality, beyond the results, is something far more valuable. Belief, togetherness, a sense that they’re building something that’s only just getting started & a connection with our City & fans that doesn't come along very often.

We’ll miss chances, we’ll lose games we think we should win, players we love will move on, others will come in. That’s football.

But this, what we’re watching right now at Sunderland AFC, is the best I’ve seen in my lifetime. So next time frustration creeps in & it will, I’ll go back to that voice from the stands.

“Remember where we’ve come from. Stay humble.”

Because this isn’t the end of the story, it's another step on the journey.

Remember where we’ve come from & dream big about where we're going.”

#SunderlandTilIDie
#TilTheEnd
#LetsGetCarriedAway
Click to expand...

Excellent article from someone within the inner sanctum of the club.

I love the last bit "dream big about where we're going." This just feels like the start of the journey. What a great time to be a Sunderland supporter!
 
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I think i wouldnt be alone in saying we all want to see what a Quinn and Phillips situation would be like again with Isidor and Brobbey holding it up and then laying it off for Isidor to run on too. Thats me with my Football manager head on but it seems like a match made in heaven but in reality it could be shyte but hey ho im no professional coach.

Isidor in for Diarra and a tweak of the formation abit would be a good time now to try it.

We've got nowt to lose now, abit of experimentation would be good for preparation for the future.
 
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