Written by Luke Sunday, 07 February 2010 15:02
Despite the fact that Liverpool now look odds on for 4th and we don't look as good as some of the other top 4 wannabies, I still think the challenge for 4th is still on. We draw level if we win our game in hand, although as we play Man Utd on Wednesday, Citeh have Bolton and Spuds have Wolves we may be a bit further off.
Liverpool have Arsenal though and even if Arsenal lost today you'd fancy them against Pool at the Emirates.
The next 6 fixtures will be crucial for all of the top 4 challengers and I summarise them below:
- Villa: Man Utd (H), Burnley (H), Sunderland (H), Stoke (A), Wigan (A), Wolves (H)
- Citeh: Bolton (H), Stoke (A), Liverpool (H), Chelsea (A), Spuds (H), Fulham (A)
- Spuds: Wolves (A), Wigan (A), Everton (H), Citeh (A), Blackburn (H), Stoke (A)
- Pool: Arsenal (A), Citeh (A), Blackburn (H), Wigan (A), Portsmouth (H), Man Utd (A)
I'd expect us to pick up 13-15 points from those 5 games - anything else and we're not good enough for the top 4. With Citeh, Pool and Spuds playing each other and some of the top 3 teams it could work in our favour. It still looks close though and I think if we picked up those points we might only be ahead of the pack by 3 points. Citeh have 2 games in hand and that could work in there favour.
After this we all have a fixture of mid/lower-table fixtures. In those remaining fixtures we go to Stamford Bridge and Eastlands, Citeh host United (and Villa) and go to the Emirates, Spuds host Arsenal and go to Chelsea and United in 3 consecutive games and Liverpool host Chelsea.
Looking at those fixtures there's a good chance we could snatch it, but I think it could still go any way. Spuds should have taken 6 points of Villa this season and we do seem unable to take our chances upfront.
Anyway, some food for though on a Sunday afternoon.
Set as favorite
Bookmark
Email this
Comments (67)
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Nigel Allen
said:
 |
... Nice to see a positive post. 15 points out of those fixtures and we would be well in the hunt for 4th |
sean jones
said:
 |
... I agree Spurs should have taken 6 points, but they diden't so they fluffed it for them selves really. Our defence is sorted 8 clean sheets fromthe last 10 games thats nothing sort of sensational. I know we haven't scored in some of those games, but we have to look at the postive that we diden't concede. As long as we dnt concede there always a goal in us somewhere, and as we have seen this season 1-0 has been good enough 4 us. So I think it not all doom and gloom, but an exciting end to the season. I kknow everyone including myself wanted 3 points against Spurs today but a point will do for me. While we usually fall off around, I have feeling it could be a flipside and we might have a strong run in. Its definetly going to be interesting. UTV |
KIDDERVILLA the real me
said:
 |
... lets hope so 4 life cuz we cant affort to draw to many games lets hope now that we start player proper football on the ground now the spurs games out the way |
Nigel Allen
said:
|
... I agree and it is far from doom and gloom. When MON & Randy took over our team was awful. MON has been building the team in phases. We now have a great defence with backup on the bench, Our midfield is really exciting with some players that are true top 4 quality (I bet Sir Alex would love Milner in his midfield) and the potential coming through for the next few seasons (Delph & Albrighton) is real quality. Our stike force isnt the worest but it does need improving which will occur this summer, well probably the last week in Aug  . So the future is bright and we will be top for in next 4 years or so. |
KIDDERVILLA the real me
said:
|
... its not that bad the wolves have scored agaist the noses long mat it continue lol, damain why does my name keep coming up as chose a nother name when i have logged in |
peter haworth
said:
 |
... With the ammount of money that is generated by the 4th spot,with Liverpool wobbling,Spurs and Man.City not striding ahead,we should have gambled in the Transfer window and bought Pavlenchenko from the Spuds. 4th spot this season is wide open and probaly will never occur again due to the wealth of Man.City. I just felt that an opportunity has passed us by which could be ours for the taking if some money had been made available for a Top striker to help us cement the 4th spot. Don"t get me wrong I am not complaining,it"s been a great season so far and still all to play for.We have a great defence and we have the trip to Wembley to look forward to. With luck we might still yet take the 4th spot |
Aaron Wilson
said:
 |
... Im telling you now... I could get 3rd with that team. MON just doesnt have a clue how to use it!! Christ almighty, its just tactics, formations and substitutes. They drive me mad. Usually im behind MON one hundred percent but yesterdays performance was just shocking. SHOCKING! Maybe Arsene as right... |
Sean
said:
 |
... ...it is going to be close! breaking the mould of the majority of blog members, I will be positive with my post. It will be interesting right up until the last couple of games I reckon, I can see 7th place only being 2 or 3 points behind 4th place, so I for one wouldnt be considering this season a failure if we finish 7th by only 2 or 3 points, it will be damn frustrating and essentially we'd drop one place from last season, but given the emergence of Man City and the reemergence of Spurs compared to last season, as well as a cup final and a good FA cup run (hopefully), I am chuffed to be a Villa fan...also, we play far more attractive football (apart from yesterday, we looked clueless other than our rock solid defence) than we have played since the beginning of the premier league, we look set to maintain a european finish year on year as opposed to the more frustrating 6th to 16th to 6th to 16th kind of form weve been used to! I can see us having a real good crack at not just top 4 next season, but top 3 with the right additions, i.e. a Drogba-esque striker and a world class full back that cost loads of money so MON has to play him otherwise it looks bad on him...were a much better team with 2 full backs! Maybe a replacement for an ageing Petrov, who is the heartbeat of the side...someone classy like De La Red or maybe even Veloso, or Defour. getting carried away, I am just trying to lift myself after Villa having an off day yesterday...but if our off-days mean a draw at White Hart Lane, then bring on the good days! |
oscars arse
said:
 |
... Oh please fourth place!!!! I'm sorry but we haven't a hope in hell and I a Villa through and through. I reckon the scum from Small Heath have got more chance than us at least they have a bit of passion. I watched Carew yesterday and his general attitude was a disgrace to the club and himself. Big mistake not adding to the squad over January and I fear we will get a drubbing on Wednesday and at Wembley. Can't see us getting more than 10 points if that from the next 6 matches, sorry guys O'Neill has bottled it yet again. |
tonky
said:
 |
... Sunday Times: For all that Tottenham talk of qualifying for the Champions League, ambition continues to stride ahead of achievement. Shunted out of fourth place by Liverpool before this late kick-off, Spurs remained a point adrift at full-time, held at home by a team who state their intent on the field rather than off it. Admirably resolute in defence and swift in attack, Aston Villa have bettered Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool this season. This scoreless draw was no better than par for their steady course toward Europe. Already in the League Cup final, Villa's game in hand should propel them beyond Tottenham, who have gathered just eight points from 24 against top-seven sides and appear increasingly to fit the description of flat-track bullies. There's still a long way to go and as we've seen up to now anything can happen! We drew to spurs and didn't play well! If we don't play well Wednesday night and get a point, or even three you won't hear me complaining.UTV |
Sean
said:
|
... we have got to a league cup final, unlucky not to beat west ham, drew with arsenal and spurs (away) and beat fulham away from home, rested lots of key players and got through two tricky fa cup ties with our better standard of squad players and MON has bottled it?! There is no way I can say MON hasnt bottled it and equally others to say he has bottled it at this stage, it is fair to say that he has if he doesnt get at least 10 points from those 6 games, but even 10 points isn't bottling it, with just as many games to go after that?! Carew just looked unfit and I cant understand MONs reluctance to play Delfouneso or Delph after the performances they have put in in the FA cup, however I will never knock MON until I think we could replace him with someone better, I dont think we can at the moment! |
Nigel Allen
said:
|
... Aero-4-Villa, This is not a video game this is real life and there is more to it than simply saying paly a different formation or with different tactics. This is why you are not a football manager and why clubs do pay huge wages for the right person. Do you honestly think that managers would get paid 6 figure salaries for just selecting a particular tactic. |
Fatkevs
said:
 |
... If the Scums season continues we may have an interesting battle for 6th it will mke it interesting around the midlands |
Sean
said:
|
... I have to agree Vital_Loans...it is real life...NRC wanted to have a punch up with MON and yet everytime he has played since then (not much I know) he has been brilliant...I suggest that most managers would have shown him the door, let alone get a performance out of him...its not just tactics and formations, its man management and motivation, whilst working to a longer term plan and budget |
Sean
said:
|
... ...whilst doing so under having the added stress of an intense media (most intense in the world bar none), petty rival managers and thousands of 'back seat drivers'! |
oldvillan
said:
 |
... 4th place is deffo a dream we are not good enough.why when the mule went off did mon not give delfenesou a run out instead of a clearly unfit and unmotivated carew.young is not the same player on the right hand side and why cant mon see this,as for picking up 15 points from the next few games dont we have to score goals to win games? |
Aaron Wilson
said:
|
... Vital Loans, I was purposely exaggerating, being sarcastic! I know its real life, and i know its not Football Manager. Im just trying to point out how clear it is, what the faults in the team are. They could be fixed easily. MON is just too stubborn and arrogant to change things from HIS PLAN. He has to do it HIS WAY and nobody is gonna change is mind. Everything he does is so old fashioned and easy to counter-act. And at this stage... completely predictable to other managers as he fails to ever change things. They can read everything we do, and everything we're going to do because its all the same. Just the same old-fashioned rubbish every week. To be completely honest, i cant see us getting anywhere with it. UTV! |
oscars arse
said:
|
... Ok we beat Chelsea, Liverpool and Utd ONCE. Bottled it against Liverpool at home, got took apart by Arsenal away oh and failed to beat Wigan, Wolves Sunderland, Burnley and West Ham. Games in my opinion if we're going to aspire to be top 4 we should be winning easily |
Aaron Wilson
said:
|
... Ohh and something positive. The future! .... if MON would play him. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XryprluNsvs |
Steve Badger
said:
 |
... Good blog. It's the one we should have had last night, imo, but there you go. Games in my opinion if we're going to aspire to be top 4 we should be winning easily Indeed and this is my big complaint. But, to balance things a little, I'd guess Citeh would be one of your favourites for top 4, yes? Explain yesterdays result then, if so. It does happen. It's a funny league this year and anyone can lose to anyone on the day. I agree with Luke, anything can happen yet. As for MON bottling it, well you have to laugh. We've just qualified for our first final in 10 years! |
Josh
said:
 |
... Great video of the fonz. He seems to have something that none of our other forwards have and thats the ability to find space with good movement. Not sure if thats just because of the level hes been playing at but i would love to see if he can cut up front with Gabby. Anyone know how bad Heskey's injury is and whether he will be fit for Wednesday? If not i dont think Carew should start. |
fastbackace
said:
 |
... i truly believe if mon had really asked randy for money, randy would have given it. with that said. mon has bottled it. we still dont have that striker we have needed all year, the one that would have finished off liverpool and west ham without a sweat. |
Greg Hill
said:
 |
... Badger Good blog. Happy clappy blog. Yesterday’s excellent. We've just qualified for our first final in 10 years! Increasingly no one is interested in it. Tickets in the Man Utd end are cheaper than any game at Old Trafford. Maybe we can take over the ground. It’ll be a nice day out for us though but no measure of our progress. It’s a reserve competition. |
John Clark
said:
 |
... FFS with the moaning again. Yesterday was a very good point. If you watched Chelsea and Arsenal today, you saw that MON is very much building Villa in the Chelsea mold. And in fact, if indeed MON set out for a draw, went and got one at WHL with a clean sheet, then well done. That's not naivete, that's pragmatism, that's tactical and calculating. We're just a couple of players away, a Drogba, etc., And for all Arsenal's pretty football, simple, direct, long-ball Chelsea got the goals, and play just like we do. the only difference is that when Chelsea do it, it's "Italian," when we do it, it's "unimaginative long-ball English football." Either way, sitting back, inviting the opponent in, then slicing upfield quickly on the counter is not some naive throwback stupidity. I don't think anyone would call the Italians naive when it comes to football. They've won a f*ck of a lot more than England have. Chelsea and Villa play the same game. And Chelsea's route is more effective than Arsenal's. If MON were continental there wouldn't be this talk that he's tactically naive, etc. It really does my head in. He's not naive, he's not stupid, and he's three points off fourth place, same goal difference as MCity. |
Sean
said:
|
... kohoutek - spot on mate! having just watched the chelsea game, I thought exactly the same thing, MON has repeatedly admitted his admiration for chelsea and how they play. Chelsea were 2-0 up through having a midfield who moved the ball quickly and directly as they are all full of running and very comfortable on the ball...difference with villa is the lack of a strong clinical target of a Drogba...what people dont realise is that we are not going to find a striker in January who is that good or certainly not without investing £20m plus and paying massive wages that would upset the rest of the team who have got us in this position to challenge the top 4 in the first place, and what the f**k is the point in buying a striker if you dont build the base on which he can be supplied?! Villa have got a defence (which all these negative bloggers over look) that IS the best in the league (whichever combination of four out of 6 play) and a young mobile fast attacking midfield who are all willing to receive the ball under pressure...we just need the striker to finish it off, but ffs be patient, its not a bottomless pit of money! |
john doyle
said:
 |
... would you get martin to look at the link from hero for villa and see how good this kid the fonze is i have said meny times before when seeing him in the second team this kid is the best forward at the club by a long way his control and passink and touch and he knows where the net he is worth more than sicknote lazey john and 1 out of 20 chances gabby put together this kid is sheer class and should be in the team now i wonder what he thinks looking at the clowns up front when watching from the bench he and delph must play now come on boring martin get to spscsavers quick |
Steve Badger
said:
|
... Kohoutek and sdtw84, You're wasting your breath. Unless we play swashbuckling football week in, week out, winning every single game we play, we'll always be shit to some of our fans, imo. Increasingly no one is interested in it. Tickets in the Man Utd end are cheaper than any game at Old Trafford. Maybe we can take over the ground. It’ll be a nice day out for us though but no measure of our progress. It’s a reserve competition. And this just proves it. |
Sean
said:
|
... badger (which is incidentally my nickname) I know, this just serves as a welcome distraction from writing my PhD thesis... |
John Clark
said:
|
... John Dolye- I don't think MON is unaware of what he has in Delph and Fonz. He's obviously choosing to bring them along slowly, and showing great resolve in the steadfastness of his approach. He won't be rushed, he's not going to panic. If anything, he may indeed be thinking, "The team are learning to play the way I want them to, and with what I've got on hand, I've no need to bring in anyone else, and right now, we're getting results, staying in touch, and I don't need to rush them into action. Their time will come, and the team will be much more solid behind/around them when I'm ready to introduce them." Carew has become a waste of space, I agree, and as much as I slated Heskey, I'd much rather see him in the lineup these days than JC. sdtw84: Indeed. If Gabby (and I think MON sees him growing into this, or is at least giving him every chance) could finish and operate like Drogba, we'd be winning just like Chelsea, all the time. But there are only 2-3 strikers in the world as good as Drogba on his day. All very well for the naysayers to say, "Go get one..." when those players are invaluable to their current, much richer and more successful clubs. £20m? It would cost Villa £30-40m, plus wages for that kind of proven player. Look at Arsenal without Adebayor. As good as Fabregas and Arshavin are (and I'd have both at Villa), they're missing that big, powerful, pacey forward with the killer instinct. |
John Clark
said:
|
... Oh Badger, I know... I just really can't believe that people can watch Chelsea play and see any real difference (apart from personnel) between what they do and what we're trying to do. Moreover, to think MON is some silly, naive twit when such an effective example is staring them in the face...It really defies belief. |
john doyle
said:
|
... you two are blind chelsea can put mor than 3 passes together we cannot they have class players only dunne would get into there team at the moment they are diffrent class and the manager aint afraid like mon he will give the kids and subs a run out unlike mon chelsea dont plat there pets week in week out un like us plus how much did they cost probley not a lot more than or lot for 150 mill |
Andy Young
said:
 |
... What f*cks me off is the Spurs fans who say we turned up and just 'parked the bus in front of goal.' I accept that they have better options in attack than we do, but we're miles ahead of them in terms of defending. Sorry if I'm being naive but I'd say that defending is just as important as attacking. The boy Richard has Dunne good for us. |
John Clark
said:
|
... odysseynumberfive: Defense wins championships. In every sport. The Spuds fans can go f*ck themselves, imo. There seems to be some prevailing attitude that being able to pass it around means you're entitled to have teams play into your hands, let you do it, then just spread their legs and let you score. If you can't break a team down, then whatever you're doing isn't working. That's what Arsene is failing to accept. He thinks his pretty football should inspire awe and fear, that there's no defense, and everyone should just roll over. Sorry, but there is, and his side keep getting embarrassed in every big game. I didn't hear anyone complaining about Chelsea today, no one oohing and ahing over Arsenals' irrelevant possession and flair. Chelsea are just grabbing the goals that Villa often don't. But that's the only difference. I'm not saying Villa are getting everything they could be out of every game, or that we're the finished article. But it's clear that pretty football is not the only successful football. And the football I want at Villa is whatever is the most effective football. The style points only matter in figure skating. |
Car Frost
said:
 |
...What f*cks me off is the Spurs fans who say we turned up and just 'parked the bus in front of goal Didn't enjoy the switch of webcam, downing, milner and gabby for that bus we parked, if we set out with a draw in mind thinking we may nick one then it was a decent display, if we tried to win that hmmmmmmmm My only enjoyment came from a Spurs fan next to me constantly trying to remind me that Defoe is better than both Torres & Drogba.. cockneys the poor bastards. ( Apart from that one trying to sell knock off Jade Goody perfume to my nan before christmas, you c*nt!!! ) |
John Clark
said:
|
... Not blind at all, John Doyle. We can string 5-6 passes together as well. Chelsea were routinely hoofing it, losing possession, under the cosh, every bit like Villa. They scored off a set piece and a counter. As I said, the personnel are better at Chelsea, but it's the same game, the same tactics. We didn't play very well yesterday, but if we had Drogba and Anelka up front? We'd be challenging for the league title same as Chelsea. If there were no names on the shirts, and Chelsea were wearing Claret and Blue, the story line would've read, "Villa with smash-and-grab win over stylish Arsenal. Wenger laments the physical, long-ball tactics of Villa, praises his pass-happy but scoreless side." |
oscars arse
said:
|
... Have to agree about Richard Dunne signing of the season as far as I'm concerned, dread to think what would have happened if we hadn't got a player like him in defence, MoN's best signing so far. Don't agree with the league cup being a reserve competition it's just being sort of down graded by the top 4 ass licking media obssesed with the disgracefully named champions league. To all of you going enjoy your day it's great to be in a wembley final and I've been lucky to go to several including 2 replays in 77 |
Adrian Kilgallon
said:
 |
...We didn't play very well yesterday, but if we had Drogba and Anelka up front? We'd be challenging for the league title same as Chelsea They have a far better midfield as well. They only sat back today as they went 2 nil up. They would not have been pinned in like we were by a team like Spurs. Saying that it was great defensive perfomance but from there forward it was poor. |
Steve Badger
said:
|
... Good bit of debate going on here; http://tottenhamhotspur.blogsp...#idc-cover Seems quite a few Villa fans have piled in already. Guess who got in first and totally ruined the blogger's argument |
villarobin
said:
 |
... Spurs fans / Damian's view takers - you can come on here all you want and say that we only played for a draw / we are 1 trick ponies etc. Its all rubbish. There is a great article in the Times today on the Villa / Spurs game, which for once is written from a pro villa perspective. It basically states that we are most likely to break the top 4 because of the way that we play and our fantastic record against the bigger teams. It says that the reason people moan about Villas style is because its so effective. We defend well and we play fast effective counter attack football, and people dont like it. We had plenty of chances in the first half yesterday and could have won the game. Spurs were at home and went hell for leather to win, and we held them. This does not mean that we went there and parked the bus, as some have suggested, thats garbage, we matched Spurs for 45mins and held on and cancelled them out as they got more desperate to score at home. A good point gained for villa. |
villarobin
said:
|
... As for this post, HOW ON EARTH ARE LIVERPOOL NOW 'ODDS ON FOR 4th' ????? People are so fickle, Liverpool were finished afew games ago. Nothing is 'Odds On' about 4th place this year. I do agree though about the run in , and its in our hands to put a run together against the lower teams. |
Brian Kavanagh
said:
 |
... The only reason I was frustrated yesterday was because we didnt support up front, however, great teams are built on a solid back line first and foremost. I would rather have a solid back four than a great attacking team that conceded bucket loads. I would never say MON has bottled it until the day he makes excuses Like FSW. Year on year we have progressed and unfortunatley that progresses expectations, mine included. This comes with the territory, however I would hope in the future we added a little more conviction to games like yesterday. |
proxopera
said:
 |
... Damian , your spot on with this one . I felt fron the beginning that this run could be the crux of villa's season . I dont feel any team is strong enough to absolutely seal 4th place at this point and its in villa hands....do they have the minerals though ? that is the question . They have the least firepower and it will take a major leap of faith for MON to change it upfront. Heres a thing though , what would our perspective be on thursday morning if we turned over utd? |
AVFC 4 LIFE UTV
said:
 |
... villarobin i totally agree with you mate if we loose a couple of games everones going to say matrin o neill out but why? this is our most importnant month which is capped off with a final. FFS if someone at the start of the season told me where we would be i would have taken it. At the end of the day it is a HUGE ask to beat united but we have done it before, then we put pressure on everone else. Can nobody say that we are going backwards by finishing 7th because we finished 6th last year and man city have came into the mix aswell as tottenham. Listen got a feeling tottenham will bottle it defoe hasnt been in great league form- i agree neither has gabbs but gabby has scored more league goals than jermain this calender year, correct me if im wrong please |
Dan Clinton
said:
 |
...Aero-4-Villa Well done, way to sum up everything needed to be a football manager apart from finance and a team to manage. I wonder, why aren't you a Premier League manager and a multi-millionaire?? |
Luke Marson
said:
 |
...Damian , your spot on with this one Actually, it's me... couldn't you tell by the positivity that it's not Damian?  |
Luke Marson
said:
|
...As for this post, HOW ON EARTH ARE LIVERPOOL NOW 'ODDS ON FOR 4th' ????? Because they are hitting form while the rest of us are losing it. Check this out - it's the Premier League form table and Liverpool are 3rd. http://www.premierleague.com/page/FormGuide |
Aaron Wilson
said:
|
... Fenian Villain, Well, idiot, if you had put that into context you would see that i was saying MON has a brilliant team and just doesnt have a clue how to use it. ie. Hes shit at tactics, formations and substitutes. I wasnt just saying what he needs to be good at, i was simply saying what hes S**T at. Which happens to be, if you insist, everything! Doesnt seem you will be a millionaire either considering you cant even read something correctly. ... fool. |
Steve Badger
said:
|
...Hes shit at tactics, formations and substitutes. Of course he is Aero. That's why we're in with a shout i was simply saying what hes S**T at. Which happens to be, if you insist, everything! Please stop embarassing yourself |
Dan Clinton
said:
|
... Aaah Badger i am glad of the sane people on this website. I don't get the slagging of MON, I really don't. Seriously, its like so many Villa fans can't be happy unless they're utterly miserable!! Aero Doesnt seem you will be a millionaire either considering you cant even read something correctly. Well, I won't be a millionaire from being a football manager because I am truly terrible at football. But, I can read correctly, what you have written is utter crap: i was simply saying what hes S**T at. Which happens to be, if you insist, everything! Even his critics say he is a superb motivator who makes average players work really hard and play above themselves. Now, as Badger said, "Stop embarrassing yourself"  |
Rattus NorVillicus
said:
 |
... You have to speculate to accumulate That means taking a risk and bringing on subs in an effort to win the game. And it means buying that player in January who you think might turn losses into draws, and more importantly, draws into wins. It is this apparent lack of ambition that Damo is wont to criticise, and despite all the great improvements under MON & Lerner, it does get my goat too. |
robb david
said:
 |
... We are not good enough for a top 4 place. we do play to much long ball football and we dont have the firepower. On the flip side, spurs, man city and liverpool are all also not good enough to get forth. one team is going to stumble their through more luck than judgement, and we can only hope its us. Ive said this before, im sure ill say it again: We have league winning defence A top 6 midfield. A mid table front line. |
Adrian Kilgallon
said:
|
...That's why we're in with a shout Yes you are right we are in with a great shout. But we have a lot of games coming up where the teams will come and sit back and our plan A will not be working and we will have to look to MON to do something about it. What will he do? Bring on the ineffective Carew, bring on ineffective Sidwill and jump and shout on the sidelines and thats about it really. We have to beat every single weaker team that comes to Villa park for the over the next few months and while on paper it should be achievable i just don't see it happen unless MON opens his f**king eyes and starts using his bench properly and using other players then the 2 wasters i have named above. Aero is right. MON is not using his sqaud to the maximum. |
Adrian Kilgallon
said:
|
... I meant to add that anything is achievable with our current defensive set up. They were world class the last night. If we can just sort it out from there forward then we really do have a good shout at 4th. |
Greg Hill
said:
|
... Badger Unless we play swashbuckling football week in, week out, winning every single game we play, we'll always be shit to some of our fans, imo. No rational argument again there eh. I don’t think were shit. But if it wasn’t for a late goal against Blues we would be level with them. We simply have a long way to go. A lot of you don’t go down the games. I do. I was at White Hart Lane on Saturday (we were simply awful), against Arsenal (second best all over the park) and will be there against Man Utd (hoping for a win as usual) on Wed. There are too many armchair fans that prefer bragging rights over genuine improvement. You need to up your game too. You’re better than that. And you have to accept that some people expect more from our team. I'm hoping Mon plays Delph in the middle and plays just Gabs up front. It screams out. |
Adrian Kilgallon
said:
|
...I'm hoping Mon plays Delph in the middle and plays just Gabs up front. It screams out That's exactly what we need to do and its what he should have done afer 50 mins aginest Spurs. He should have taken Carew off once again and put a CM that would actually get stuck into the spurs midfield and would also help with ball retention which was something we just couldn't do the last night. |
BobbyPark
said:
 |
... Liked the look of that kid who came on for Blues yesterday, he was really lively and made the equaliser for Phillips with a great header back across the 6 yard box. Talking of Phillips, good job MON got shot of him 4 years ago, far to slow for The Premiership unlike the greyhound we bought from Wigan. |
BobbyPark
said:
|
... So Big John is lazy, what the hell he'll still averages a goal every 3 games if he's played, doubt that playing second fiddle to Ivanhoe is doing a lot for his confidence though. If we want 4th or a cup final win it won't be through starting with Heskey. |
Adrian Kilgallon
said:
|
...doubt that playing second fiddle to Ivanhoe is doing a lot for his confidence I don't think his performances have anything at all to do with a lack of confidence. Its a lack of application and work rate. The guy is just so lazy and the loss of Heskey was actually a big blow in that we failed to really hold the ball up front from there on which lead to us getting pinned in for long stages. We have been crying out for a link up striker for ever now and its games like this one where you see the need for such a player in the squad. Right now Carew can have no complaints at being behind Heskey in team selection and in all honestly he should also be behind Delfouneso at this stage also. |
BobbyPark
said:
|
... to ak_27 I think you need to get real about Heskey. Hold up play is all very well but Heskey does most of his in the centre circle (a defenders dream) and rarely puts in an appearance in the opponents box, he just doesn't have the pace to get there. One headed goal from our centre forward since arriving at Villa, an average of 5 goals a season since leaving Liverpool, if that's good enough for you then fine, but don't expect us to win anything. I've seen Hateley, Gray, Leonard, Atkinson,& Withe, all great centre forwards so I know what one looks like. Buying seconds in the January sales is not the answer. Fonzie ? Yeah, good lad deserves a run, why not play him next to Gabby with Big John as sub. |
villarobin
said:
|
... I must admit, despite how much i will defend Villa and the position we are in, the ONE thing that REALLY GETS ME about Oneil is his substitutions. He should use Delph More and Fonz. I cant for the life of me see what bringing Sidwell on with 15 mins to go does, or why he pays so much for certain players , like Delph , and then doesnt use them. Im hoping that Oneil is waiting until Delph is really really ready for the prem, and then he can swith tactics to a 5 man midfield. Lets see. |
villarobin
said:
|
... 4 4 2 is good also , as we proved in wins at Old Trafford , Fulham etc. But it would be good to have a plan B, like 4 5 1. Oneil's weak spot is definitely his inability to use subs / switch styles during games, having said that though do any / many managers change things that much during games any more ?? |
Adrian Kilgallon
said:
|
...having said that though do any / many managers change things that much during games any more They do. The perfect example is that West ham game again. We had them pinned in for the first 60 mins. Zola then used his brain and brought on 2 more attacking players to play a more advanced role as they had nobody up top to hold the ball all game. And from that moment on the game changed. We lost all the attacking emhasis that we had up to that point and in the end we were lucky not to conceed. And MON made no attempt to counter this move from Zola other then shout and jump around on the sideline. |
Adrian Kilgallon
said:
|
...Hold up play is all very well but Heskey does most of his in the centre circle Its a vital part of the game though. Without any other player to do this we end up knocking more long balls and end up giving the ball away far more. And right now we don't have any other striker in the sqaud that can do this role. I would like to see Gabby and Delfouneso paired together. Especially when we are chasing a game. |
norman cooper
said:
 |
... as many fans can see what m oneil cant see we have needed a frontman for 2 seasons top four is a pipedream martain as taken us as far as he 6 or seventh again this yr |
Write comment
Latest Aston Villa Wallpaper
The VILLA BLOG FEATURED ON FHM.COM
FHM have chosen their favourite football blogs and chosen thevillablog.co.uk as the number one blog for Aston Villa! Click the badge to read the article or head to FHM.com for the kama sutra and the UK's finest girls. Login
Follow Us
Submit your own view on The Villa
Have something you feel strongly about? We are now accepting submissions for inclusion in the blog. Click here to contact us and we will send you instructions on how you can submit your articles that might get published on the number one Aston Villa Blog.
Lucozade Sport on Facebook
Lucozade Sport loves Football as much as we do. They’ve been fuelling Aston Villa players for over 15 years and using this expertise to support amateur Footballers across the country. Visit their Facebook page for expert advice, video clips and Football chat. Latest AVFC Blog Tweets
Basic authentication is not supported
Featured on Aston Villa Central
Leaving Comments
Only registered users can post comments without the need for it to be approved. Registration is free and takes two minutes so if you want your comments to show up straight away click here to register.
The Internet is Changing
