'Your English core make the impact'

What's gone wrong for Villa this season?

We're reaping what we sowed. The gamble taken in 2006 might have been either calculated or stupid, but it didn't come off and the club spent far too much money to sign and pay too many below average players. By accident or design the powers that be are finally addressing the issue and, while it can certainly be argued that the wage bill is being cut too far and too fast, it needs to be done in order to improve the long-term health of the club. You're inevitably seeing the effect of that on the pitch and we're just hoping this doesn't turn out to be another gamble too far.

How's your form heading into this game?

For the first time in a while our form is on the up. The two consecutive wins might have been against two of the few clubs below Villa in the table but they were vital games in the relegation battle and dropping any points against Reading or Queens Park Rangers would have been disastrous and left Villa with too much to do. As it turns out we were able to dig our heels in and come away with six points - a big chunk of the figure many of us had decided would be required. The team have also shown that they're up for the challenge, something that had been a big fear for many of us earlier in the season. Of course, it's no secret that we lack quality, and that's been demonstrated in our recent run as well.

Who makes you tick and who is the weak link?

You know all about Christian Benteke from Anfield but you saw plenty of Andi Weimann too, and it's the Austrian who I see as the real heartbeat of this team. He works harder than anyone else, finishes naturally and has good vision. He tends to be there or thereabouts when Villa do well. Brad Guzan has been exceptional this year after being brought back on a free transfer and he's been responsible for keeping us in games where we might otherwise have been buried. Ashley Westwood is a really positive influence on our game overall.

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We don't really have one weak link so much as an overall weakness. Villa struggle to defend in almost every aspect and it's a worry that individual errors have been creeping into Ciaran Clark's game even through our recent improvement. The real problem for Villa this season is that this is a team whose overall quality isn't high enough. There's constant criticism of Joe Bennett but I don't believe he's first choice when everyone is fit and Nathan Baker can be moved to left-back.

Best way to beat Villa?

Pile on the pressure. Villa's set-piece weaknesses, inexperience and inability to hold a lead have been well documented this season but by and large they all occur more often at times of adversity. With a lack of leadership and nous Villa have a tendency to be over-awed when teams create an intense and pressured situation, and for that reason a lot of the goals we've conceded this year came with a sense of inevitability.

Villa can be beaten by teams that attack at speed and win corners regularly, especially if we find ourselves in the lead. It hasn't happened so much in recent matches but for a large part of this season our opponents have simply been able to force the issue without enough resistance.

Liverpool players you rate?

Setting aside Luis Suarez, who should be an obvious answer, Liverpool have a really fascinating core of English players and they always seem to be the ones making the biggest impact on the odd occasions this season when you've given teams a real hiding. As a big England supporter I enjoy watching Liverpool when Jordan Henderson, Steven Gerrard and Daniel Sturridge combine well and offer Suarez a source of genuine supply and support. I still think Stewart Downing has a lot to offer and Glen Johnson at his best is a huge part of Liverpool's most emphatic performances. I think one of Brendan Rodgers' best achievements, for all the talk of style and transition, has been to get some really good performances from the big money signings of previous managers.

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What can we expect from the atmosphere?

If things go Villa's way then Andi Weimann and Christian Benteke are fan favourites with particularly noisy chants when it gets going. Apart from that it will be all the Villa classics old and new, including plenty of worship for Paul McGrath and a good round or two of 'Holte Enders in the Sky'.

Best and worst thing about a trip to Villa Park?

A visit to Villa Park still feels like a proper trip to the football. Going to Old Trafford or the Emirates or Stamford Bridge is a different experience altogether, but our place doesn't feel so far removed from the way football matches were around the start of the Premier League. The worst thing is probably the sight of thousands of empty seats, a sad reflection of supporter disillusionment, economic catastrophe and the realities of the modern game. A full Villa Park would be a powerful weapon in the arsenal of the team but it seems to be a thing of the past for the time being.

Advice for away fans on where they can get a drink/food before the game?

For a beer of sorts the usual away pub is the Witton Arms, formerly The Cap & Gown, formerly the Witton Arms again. It's situated very close to Villa Park and is long established as the best place for visitors. Directly opposite is the Khanum curry house, which doesn't look much from the outside (or the inside) but the food is a hidden gem on a Villa visit. The Villa Chippy, round the corner from there, is another.

Prediction?

I can't see Liverpool being a soft touch and they'll undoubtedly be keen not only to get their own back on Villa but to bounce back after losing to Southampton. This will be a difficult game for Villa but at the same time it has to be one that we take something from, as all the matches remaining now are. Most Villa fans would be happy enough with a draw, so long as we're not leading with ten minutes left, so my prediction is a scoring draw.