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Steve Bruce will welcome Albert Adomah back to the fold to face QPR at Villa Park, but the game will come too soon for Axel Tuanzebe, Alan Hutton and Jack Grealish.

Speaking ahead of the game, Bruce gave an update on the injured quartet.

He stated: "Albert Adomah is fit and that is great news for us, he has been a big player for us this season with vital goals and assists.

"It looks too early for Jack Grealish and Axel Tuanzebe and Alan Hutton won't make it."

The manager spoke of the importance of putting on a big performance in front of an expected bumper crowd at Villa Park.

He continued: "We are expecting a huge crowd, bring it on.

"We are expecting a big crowd on an awful attitude and they will play a big part.

"The Championship is tough no matter who you play and hopefully we can get a result in front of a big crowd and move on to Sunderland."

Snow update

Aston Villa's game against Queens Park Rangers at Villa Park WILL go ahead as planned on Saturday afternoon.

Like many football matches scheduled for this weekend, Villa's clash with Ian Holloway's side had been placed in jeopardy after the Beast from the East swept across England.

High speed winds and blizzards has seen schools in Birmingham and the West Midlands close for the day while a number of businesses have given their staff the day off due to concerns over safety.

However, Villa's stance is that the game will go ahead as planned with staff working around the clock to make it safe for supporters.

The pitch has been covered this week and the under-soil heating appears to be doing the trick.

Club staff are also making sure the surrounding areas, particularly Witton train station and car parks are accessible for fans.

The match is scheduled for 3pm and Villa could close the gap on second-placed Cardiff City to one point with a victory.

Villa would obviously have to reconsider should things take a turn for the worse but, as things stand, the game goes ahead.

Richards reaction

Aston Villa supporters have a divided opinion when it comes to the situation regarding Micah Richards.

It’s been 500 days since the defender last made an appearance in the claret and blue first team, not even getting a look in when Steve Bruce has made wholesale changes in cup clashes against Peterborough, Wigan and Colchester.

With more than a year to run on the four-year contract he signed when the claret and blues were still a Premier League club in 2015, the spotlight will likely be on Richards’ future this coming summer, to see if all parties concerned can strike a deal that suits.

For now, supporters appear to have a mixed view on Richards, who is still only 29.

There is a frustration with the man himself, who is picking up a significant wage every week without contributing - at least on the field of play.

For others, though, there is a feeling bordering on sympathy - what is the centre-back supposed to do if Bruce doesn’t deem him fit enough or good enough to play on a regular basis?

Below is a flavour of the fan reaction on social media.

Kevin Balmer : Micah richards has literally won at life. He contributes absolutely nothing & picks up 35 grand a week and will double his wages if we get promoted. The mans a genius.

Howard James Clark : I can understand the fans frustration with MR, but how many of us would take £35000 a week for knocking a ball around, with no responsibility for performances.

Stephen Jones: Stolen a living off the club with nothing given in return, he should be ashamed of himself but shows no remorse or feelings of guilt.

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Lou : Micah Richards is 29 still got a good few years left in him is it a bad decision to keep him on the books?

Stevie Green : If you’re annoyed at Micah Richards you’re annoyed at the wrong person

Adz : If anything sums up the carelessness of the latter Lerner years, it’s the Micah Richards farce.

Roger W : Was generally excited by the signing of @MicahRichards at the time. Real Shame how its panned out in truth. Nice to read he’s a positive presence round the place mind. Hopefully in the Summer something can be done to suit both parties.

Matt Lynch : My word this is horrendous. Micah Richards is an absolute joke to the professional game. Pay increase if we get promoted whilst going into the final year of his contract? Get out.

"Unclassic" commentary

We all know that a spot of commentary makes a memorable footballing moment.

Be it Geoff Hurst’s World Cup winner, Barry Davies on Francis Lee or, more recently Martin Tyler when Sergio Aguero won Manchester City the league title, these audio clips married with famous footage will do down in history forever.

While we can all appreciate classic commentary when we hear it, there have been a few gaffes in the past, too.

The recent effort of Robert Snodgrass and Henri Lansbury (yes, you read that right) was somewhere in between!

Aston Villa took on the ‘unclassic commentary’ this week, and pair Snodgrass and Lansbury were the men behind the microphones.

The match in question was the trip to Leeds United at the beginning December at Elland Road - a game which finished 1-1 thanks to Lansbury’s second half equaliser.

It’s fair to say that winger Snodgrass, who has been a pivotal figure since his loan move from West Ham was confirmed, got into the act with a little more gusto.

On the agenda as the duo took a break from training to try their hand at punditry were Lansbury’s hair-style, “Scottish Cafu” Alan Hutton and a buzzing Steve Bruce.

Check out the video via Villa’s YouTube channel below.

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Stan on Jack

Aston Villa's Jack Grealish has been tipped to be a "huge asset for the next five or six years".

Former Villa striker Stan Collymore reckons Grealish has the ability to shine in claret and blue in the Premier League.

But Collymore believes the 22-year-old playmaker still needs to perform more consistently.

"Now is his time to come good," said Collymore.

"I remember watching Jack Grealish in an FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool.

"I was there as a Villa fan, my two former clubs going head to head, and he was sensational.

"Then as always, as British based players are, he was pitched as the next great thing.

"What Jack needs to do now is make sure Aston Villa get back to the Premier League and then start to put in Premier League performances week in week out.

"Does he have the ability? Absolutely.

"Does he have the consistency? Not yet no, but if he finds it then Villa have a huge asset for the next five or six years."

Stan Collymore was speaking on behalf of online betting site BetStars. #Callit at BetStars. You can read the full interview here and follow BetStars here .

Play it again Sam

Sam Johnstone has given an update about his future at Aston Villa with the goalkeeper's loan from Manchester United set to expire at the end of the season.

Johnstone, 24, has been an ever-present between the sticks for Villa this season, playing every minute of the club's 34 Championship matches so far.

Johnstone has kept 14 clean sheets in what is his second stint with the club having initially joined on loan in January 2017.

Owner Dr Tony Xia has constantly relayed his desire to strike a deal with United to make the transfer permanent in the summer but Johnstone says he is yet to have those conversations personally.

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"I enjoy it here. I love playing football here and training every day," he told the club's website.

"But the truth is I've not spoken to anyone about it as of yet. My plan is to finish off this season and then see what Manchester United and Aston Villa's position is on the matter.

"I want to keep playing football. I'm enjoying the number of games I'm playing.

"The Premier League is where you want to be week in, week out. I'd love it for this club to be a part of that next season and for many years to come. Hopefully we can all keep performing at a good level for the rest of the season and make that happen.

"At the moment, though, it's very much a case of I've not spoken to anyone at United and we'll see in the summer. But I do want to carry on playing as much football as possible.

"I want that continuity. I had it from the end of last season into this season and I don't want it to stop now. I want it to continue into the next campaign. That's where I stand on it."

Can they be caught?

Stan Collymore reckons Aston Villa will struggle to catch Wolverhampton Wanderers - but he is confident Steve Bruce's men can go up.

Collymore feels Villa have left themselves too much to do to overhaul Wolves at the top of the Championship table.

With 12 games remaining, Nuno Espirito Santo's team are leading the way with 73 points. Villa are third with 63 points.

"Aston Villa have been very disappointing for a lot of this season, spending a lot on wages on a lot of talent, including the likes of Jonathan Kodja, Albert Adomah and John Terry," said Collymore.

"But they are now starting to get it right and players like Scott Hogan and Conor Hourihane are putting in performances.

"I don't think there has ever been any doubt about their ability to go up, they're probably the most expensively-assembled squad in the Championship, but I think the points Wolves were getting [earlier in the season] have made it more difficult for Aston Villa and other clubs in the chasing pack.

"Seeing Villa put seven straight wins together was impressive, they're now third in the table and they have got something to aim at, an old rival about seven or eight miles down the road in Wolverhampton.

"Can they catch Wolves? Doubtful, but absolutely they can go up in second place."

Stan Collymore was speaking on behalf of online betting site BetStars. #Callit at BetStars. You can read the full interview here and follow BetStars here .

Micah latest

Aston Villa are counting the cost of rejecting a Premier League offer for forgotten man Micah Richards, it has emerged.

Richards has become a spare part at Villa with his last appearance for the club coming against Wolves in October 2016.

Since limping off in that 1-1 Championship draw, in Steve Bruce's first match in charge, Richards has fallen out of favour with the manager.

Now it has emerged that Villa rejected an enquiry from West Ham United to take the defender on a season-long loan in the summer of 2016.

Bruce's predecessor Roberto Di Matteo was the Villa boss back then and decided to rebuff interest from the Hammers.

This information is revealed in a Daily Mail article looking at the 29-year-old's 500 day first team exile at Villa.

Their piece also claims Orlando City wanted Richards in January 2017 but a move failed to materialise and there have been no genuine suitors since.

Richards continues to train with Villa's first team squad and is fit enough to be considered for selection despite having to carefully manage a meniscus problem with his right knee.

He picks up a reported £35,000 per week, reduced following Villa's relegation, but could double his salary with a return to top flight wages in the final year of his contract (2018-19) if Villa achieve promotion.

Ticket news

Aston Villa have announced that they will open the Trinity Road Upper stand for the Wolves game as they look for another sell out against local opposition.

Villa face the Championship leaders on Saturday 10th March in a 5.30pm kick-off.

The current attendance for the game is 33,000 - and the club are looking for another sell-out for one the biggest games they have left to play.

The club have five home games remaining after this Saturday's fixture with QPR.

Villa’s brilliant recent form has been rewarded with supporters snapping up their Early Bird season ticket offer.

Villa announced a freeze on early bird season ticket sales earlier this month which could see the club’s loyal supporters watch Premier League football next season at Championship prices.

The club are in the midst of a tense battle for promotion which means chiefs aren’t aware which league they’ll be plying their trade in next season. But that hasn’t stopped them from offering fans affordable prices.

An adult can grab a season ticket for as little as £322 at Villa Park next season while the club has also taken steps to help youngsters by lifting their junior season ticket from under-16s to under-18s.

And supporters have been purchasing season tickets in their droves with the club revealing a 176 per cent increase in first day Early Bird sales compared to last year.

Chief executive Keith Wyness, said: “We really wanted to reward the fans’ loyal support by offering them the most affordable options we could for 2018/19 seasons.

“With Villa Park in full voice, we have seen the results on the pitch and keeping the fans at the heart of the club is a vital part of our vision for the future of AVFC.

“That’s why we are so happy that the Early Bird price freeze has been so well received, recording day one sales that we haven’t seen since 2009.

“We will continue our commitment to the fans, with plenty more planned to recognise their dedication to the club over the coming months.”

The Early Bird freeze ends on April 6 at 5:15pm. You can grab your tickets here.

Tim on Traore

Former Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood believes Adama Traore could play for Man City tomorrow and 'set the world alight.'

Sherwood was manager at Villa when the club signed the Spanish winger in 2015.

At the time Sherwood said that Traore was a "mixture of Messi and Ronaldo", tongue in cheek, perhaps, but a comment that only served to pile the pressure on the winger who, at the time, had barely played any senior football.

After struggling to establish himself at Villa and a hit-and-miss first season and a half at Boro, Traore is now thriving under Tony Pulis and has undoubtedly been the side's star performer since the Welshman took charge on Teesside.

It hasn't come as any suprise to Sherwood, he still insists the 22-year-old is up there with the best.

He told Sky Sports: "He could go and play for Manchester City tomorrow.

"When he first came in, he was obviously new to the level.

"To be honest, he had been playing in Segunda B in Spain, which is a very poor league. That was his first experience of men's football. To come over and go straight into the Premier League was a big ask. Some of the best players in the world take time to settle.

"It was very difficult in the position we were in to give him a run in the team because he wasn't that well respected. The biggest compliment I can pay him, if it is a compliment, is that the players didn't want to play with him, but nobody wanted to play against him either.

"He wants the ball to himself but he dribbles in the wrong areas at times. He's got to learn because he was turning the ball over where it was easier to pass it. You never knew what you were going to get from him. He was full of power and pace but lacked end product."