Im not going to bore you or make it a even more despressing Monday than it already is so I wont go into yesterday’s game to much.

I’ve just got back home from Wembley, and i did enjoy myself about from the final result of course.

I could moan about the referee’s blatent cock up, and i could moan about the fact that the best English right back was sitting on the bench while a player who can’t play in that position struggles.

I will moan about the lack of respect the United fans had for this competition. Villa fans waited and applauded our players when they got there runners up medals, and we leave as obviously we don’t want to see what could of been.

Only to walk outside the ground and see loads of United fans out there instead of aplauding there fans. And on top of that, the amount of empty seats in the red side of the stadium. Perfetic.

But what we must do is become one and all get behind the lads as we try to reach the semi-final of the FA Cup and return to the new Wembley stadium.

Im heading down to Wembley in a few hours, some of you have already headed down there while some of you are travelling tomorrow morning.

Well Avillafan.com wants all your Wembley Photos, so be sure to log onto the forum after Sundays game and upload all your Wembley photos. The Avillafan.com flag will be making a appearance in Silverspoons before the game, and quite possibly inside Wembley Stadium so if you get the oppurtinity be sure to get your photo taken with our very own flag.

With not much to talk about today, I thought I would get my pre-match Cup Final post up tonight as I head to Wembley in the morning so I doubt I will be posting again now until Monday at some point.

I’m sure just like myself everyone has been counting the days till the weekend while at work this week so we can head to Wembley and hopefully pick up our first trophy since 1996.

If you are still unsure on travel, and where to drink, be sure to check out Coops Guide to Wembley.

Villa look set to have pretty much a full strength side, and we will be heading into this game after two wins on the bounce.

United beat West Ham in there last outing, but it came at a cost as Anderson was taken off early on with a injury and was later ruled out of the cup final, and the rest of the season.

So unless there are any major changes before I leave for London in the morning, let’s all raise a glass and wish Villa good luck on Sunday. Come on the Villa!

So the time is nearing for Villa to be making their first appearance at Wembley in 10 years. It’s common knowledge that since that dreadful day in May 2000, Wembley Stadium has been flattened and rebuilt, all at a massive cost. The stadium re-opened in 2007, and I’ve since attended every England game there. Here’s my review of what you can expect next Sunday.

The Stadium:

The new Wembley is everything a ‘modern’ fan would want. Comfortable seating, an exterior like an airport terminal, large concourses, etc. But in my opinion, it has lost all of its charm and character. No more twin towers, no tunnel behind the goal, no merchandise sellers on Wembley way. Just a stadium to primarily suit the businessman on a jolly-up with his company. But for all its loss of character, it is still impressive.

One of the most noticeable changes to the national stadium is the arch, situated on the north side of the ground. It is simply massive, and was constructed as a replacement for the twin towers. Although, in my opinion, the arch is not a patch on the towers, in years to come I’ve no doubt that it will be portrayed as a Wembley icon by Football fans all over the world.

Wembley Way, another landmark of the old stadium of course, still remains.  The exterior of the actual complex itself, is pretty similar to that of before. However, the immediate outside of the ground, consists of two levels. You need to use the higher level if you are sitting in the top tier, and the lower level if you are sitting below.

As you enter Wembley (PS all the turnstiles are electronic), if your seat is in the upper tier, the first thing you notice is that it contains escalators. You’ve probably figured out by now that I’m against virtually anything modern in a Football ground, but these escalators are a god send, especially after 10 pints beforehand. As I mentioned before, the concourses are massive so you’ve plenty of space to have a drink before the match and at half time. However, I’d advise against this, as the prices are ridiculous. Otherwise, facilities are plentiful.

Wembley consists of three tiers all the way around, and is pretty much a larger version of the  Emirates Stadium. Noticeable similarities include the fact that the middle tier is much smaller than the top and bottom tiers, and the side stands are slightly taller towards their centres.  The middle tier consists entirely or Club Wembley seats (prawn sandwich eaters)  and from a perspective of atmosphere, this is a huge flaw in the design. This is due to the fact that, it’s pretty much a given fact that the majority of ‘fans’ in the Club Wembley seats won’t sing, so therefore it’s hard for the top and bottom tiers to sing as one. However, I haven’t yet been to Wembley for a neutral game, where the majority of fans will be enthusiastic about the game and their team, so Sunday’s match could go some way to my opinion of Wembley changing.

Travel:

The traffic congestion problem Wembley had before, hasn’t been rectified, and so it is still a nightmare to drive away from Wembley after a game. If you are driving, by far your best bet is to park at a nearby tube station, and then catch a tube in to Wembley. I won’t go to the trouble of naming the particular stations you could park at, as there are numerous options. A quick look at a map of London and of the Underground is all you need to help you decide.  If sitting in traffic for 2 hours after a game does float your boat, then there is an official car park at the stadium, which is a rip-off by the way, and as expected there are various unofficial places to leave your car for a smaller amount of cash.

Wembley is served by two underground stations. The nearest to the ground is Wembley Park. This is located right at the end of Wembley Way, and is served by the Metropolitan and Jubilee lines. The second station, slightly further away on Wembley High Street, is Wembley Central, served by the Bakerloo line.

The ground is also served by a train station (appropriately called Wembley Stadium). Chiltern trains between Brum-London Marylebone stop here, and access from the platforms to the stadium is good.

Pubs:

For the size and profile of the ground, the number and standard of the pubs near Wembley is poor. However, with the fact that 1; Wembley is in London and 2; The stadium is served by the underground, you aren’t short of options getting a drink in a pub that suits your tastes.

For cup finals, I’ve been informed that pubs are allocated to supporters of each team, depending on which side of the ground their allocation has been located. Villa are on the West side, which means we should have a wider choice of where to drink around the ground on the day. The Green Man, on Dagmar Avenue, and The Greyhound, on Harrow Road, have both been allocated to Villa fans, so you can expect them to be heaving come midday on Sunday. I’ve never been to the Greyhound, however the Green Man has a large bar inside, as well as numerous outside bars, which will be put to maximum use. There are a few pubs on Wembley High Street (between Wembley Central and the stadium), which is also ‘our side’ of the ground, and these include a Wetherspoons. Other than that, there is a small sports bar located about 50 yards down from Wembley Central.

I don’t think there’s a lot else worth mentioning, but I just thought I’d add my penneth worth of knowledge before Sunday. Let’s hope that we do a job on the ‘Mancs’ and that we’re back in April for the semi final.

Fabien Delph and Nathan Delfouneso both got called up to Stuart Pearce’s England U-21 side to play Greece in Doncaster’s Keepmoat Stadium.

Delfouneso will get his first opportunity to represent his country at this level after being promoted from the U-19 setup.

Stuart Pearce stated: “We just felt that Nathan has got a great commodity in his pace. I’ve seen him play for the Under-19s and he can also play out wide as well as down the middle”

Nathan Delfouneso’s profile seems to be getting bigger and bigger as this season progresses.