Written by Damian Sunday, 18 October 2009 09:24
Good result that yesterday wasn't it? If we also win our game in hand we could also go third, so all in all not so bad. There is nothing bad to report about yesterday and there is nothing bad to write, so instead, a quick look at the papers and a little bit of something else.
Before the papers, a little bit of a general link drop. We Twitter here, we've set up a Facebook group here and we have our Feedburner links here. I just wanted to get them out of the way as I have meant to mention them the last few days.
Now, to the papers and what a few select few have to say.
What The Papers Say
Andy Dunn, News of the World
The loss at the DW Stadium was startling but this Villa team looks to have top-five credentials.
Paul Wilson, guardian.co.uk
If Villa's defending was the reason for their win, Chelsea's defending was squarely to blame for their second defeat – a second successive away lapse. There were similarities with their unexpected collapse at Wigan and Carlo Ancelotti was not slow to point them out.
Patrick Collins, Mail Online
Yet O'Neill was irked by the implication that his team had somehow won on a technicality. He thought that did Villa a disservice. And again he was right. They won because they worked harder, thought more clearly and seized the chances when they arose.
I have to apologise for the short comment from the News of the World. It was pretty much all about Chelsea and that was the one bit about Villa that was worth using.
The Manager
Martin O'Neill
Chelsea came at us after the break but we saw it through in the end. They had a 15 minute period - it was tough for us. But my overall view is that we were splendid.
The Players and Some Stats
Brad Friedel, Carlos Cuellar, James Collins, Stephen Warnock, Richard Dunne, Ashley Young, Steve Sidwell, James Milner, Stiliyan Petrov, John Carew (Emile Heskey, 82) and Gabriel Agbonlahor.
39,047 at Villa Park saw Chelsea have 21 goal attempts and thirteen on target. They also saw Aston Villa have seven goal attempts and five on target. They also saw us make 242 passes of which 170 were successful. Chelsea on the other hand made 463 passes and 404 were successful.
Man of the Match
Clear as day this and it goes to James Collins who picked up 55.9% of the vote. Click here for the full results.
Analysis
I'm not going to bring it down after that result, but I will say, let's not get carried away with one result. Yes, a fantastic result and a good game and the lads worked hard but it was only one result and statistically, we were lucky and had we had any other keeper we could have lost by a few.
But, three points is the best possible result and we got it and we would have all been happy with a point. So, on that, I'm off to get some breakfast - I'm thinking baked beans, bacon, scrambled egg, fried bread and some good strong coffee.
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VillaNick
said:
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... Chelsea had 404 successful passes and only scored 1 goal! Talk about over playing.  |
VillaNick
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... Remember: Funky fresh DJ Stewy still to put on a Villa shirt! Isn't he supposed to be Barry's replacement as such? I think he will prove to be the preverbial "kick up the backside" for anyone who goes missing mid-season, as he can play in a few positions. Good times ahoy! |
Colloquick
said:
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... Realistically, the lads would need to put three or four past Wolves for us to go third, and this is assuming Man City don't get more than 3 points against Wigan and Fulham, who they should thrash red-raw. However, it is important we try and stay there and there-abouts, particularly while Liverpool are floundering, as it's pretty much a certainty that Tottenham will fall away at some point. The question is whether Man City will come good, or suffer from the same defensive frailties as last season (ironic, isn't it, that Dunne was half of that, but now half of the strongest in the league). I think sixth is a realistic finish again (after a poor start), but we really should push for progress, and fifth is up for grabs. Up the Villa. |
All Blacks
said:
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... Yes great result for our boys. Man city have a big game... come on Wigan!!! Up the VILLA |
Dubai Dave
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... Another solid performance, and all the ‘top 4; dropping points leaves it a lot more open for Villa. With the Africas cup some of these top teams are going to be missing their top players, which will probably mean more dropped points… Insofar as formation, let’s put it to bed. If you play a defensive midfielder deep is he a defender? Er no, he’s a defensive midfielder playing deep. If you put a striker on playing in front of the midfield, is he an attacking midfielder? No he’s a striker on playing in front of the midfield. 4-4-2 - obvious to me, am I alone? Insofar as Carew coming out and saying he was the hardman in midfield, I smell a striker making excuses for not scoring goals recently. If he’d bagged a goal against city I doubt he would have made such a comment. Up the Villa, Yes We Can! |
cockneyvillan
said:
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... dubai dave Totaly agree with you dave, carew a midfielder you having a laugh, cant tackle .wont tackle I agree about all the formation talk i for one am delighted we can get carew on the pitch as he has been are best goalscorer for the last few years, and its great we can have him on the field and still look solid against the best teams... martin will you marry me??  |
djongrass
said:
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... Oh jesus - Let's not start all that 'yes we can' business again!! Ever wanted to know what Keefvilla or Nan look like?? Turns out that they're normal, just like us!! ;-) Go to the villa blog facebook page and laugh in their general direction!! http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=141050721915 |
VillaNick
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...Realistically, the lads would need to put three or four past Wolves for us to go third We are due to give someone a thumping, no better chance than Wolves really. |
Mostyn
said:
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... Dubai Dave, I totally agree. We used 442 to great effect. i.e by Gabby and JC tracking back when required. We were the better team, and could and should have won by more. |
villaman
said:
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... What can I say a brilliant game, best villa game I've been to at villa park for a while.. The determination was fantastic from the lads and they never gave up.. Many a time I've seen villa go 1-0 down against a top side and then go on to lose three to four nil.. Oneil was spot on yesterday and the atmosphere in the park was again fantastic just like the city game a few weeks back. All we need now is a creative midfielder to fit where sidders is and a top goalscorer.. Up the Villa! |
Dubai Dave
said:
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...Oh jesus - Let's not start all that 'yes we can' business again!! HA HA HA ver wanted to know what Keefvilla or Nan look like?? Turns out that they're normal oh yeah, it is good to put a face to a name. Not as many kids as i first thought tho... |
Mostyn
said:
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... i disagree about the atmosphere we only started singing when we drew level. still 3000 empty seats against a top 4 side was a little disappointing. By the way who's Martin Laursen? |
Watford Pete
said:
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... I think that Dunne and Coliins were very good, and Gaby now with added muscle looks a much better player. Youngs delivery was poor in the main |
Villa_Chris
said:
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... I think we've got 2 Martin Laursen's for the price of 1 this season in Dunne and Collins. I hate to say it but I honestly think Collins is better. He's absolutely everywhere. Headering, tackling, blocking. What I think make him better is his composure. He has the ability and calmness to pass the ball around and ping balls across field. He's my new hero!!  O'Neill deserve some credit for his transfers...surely?!? |
cockneyvillan
said:
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... I like warnock aswell, looks a realy good defender and good with the ball too, has anyone noticed how many sliding blocks warnock has made for us already, alot better than shorey. The biggest positve for me now is it looks like we can play different shapes & formations and change during a game with the players we have, and that will be even more the case when downing is fit. |
qashqai
said:
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... I would much more prefer to see NRC or Delph rather than Carew in midfield. Gabby was brilliant yesterday and is now mature enough to lead the the line and with an extra midfielder we would have more posession and more creatvity in the team. Defence looks solid,hopefully Luke Young to come in soon. So pleased to see the whole team playing with such energy and commitment. Happy Days. |
RiosJocktrap
said:
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... Off topic and im suprised Damian has not picked up on this, but the Sunday People has stated that Randy has told Martin that he has to sell in January before he can buy. How they would know this is i dont know, and Randy has been true to his word so far, but its interesting non the less. |
churchill
said:
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...O'Neill deserve some credit for his transfers...surely?!? O'Neill just got lucky. Collins, Dunne, Warnock, Cuéllar - all luck. O'Neill's methods are outdated. His disciplinarian approach is inappropriate in an age when the players' opinion should command more respect. He has no idea about substitutions and his understanding of tactics and formations is pre-historic. All in all, a complete tosser. |
cockneyvillan
said:
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... Churchill Are you taking the p*ss, or just looking for attention, i hope its the former but think it could be the latter!! |
Dubai Dave
said:
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...
1) Carew did not play in midfield. 2) Chelsea's biggest 'weakness' this season is set pieces, (have a look where they leak goals) to not play a target man would have been a school boy managerial error. Carew or heskey had to play, their was never any question, and MON had it right yet again. NRC could have maybe come on instead of heskey, and he perhaps would have, if we were 3-1 up. or maybe Ash could have come off as he didn't really offer too much? |
SidCowanslovechild
said:
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... Damo, utter nonsense. Brad let in one simple stop, messed up a simple punch which nearly led to another and made a few decent looking saves which were straight at him except the Deco chip which was in the corner but straightforward. If he'd let any more in it would have been an abysmal performance. Brad on his day or just about any decent premership keeper would have kept a clean sheet I really wonder about your agenda sometimes |
VillaNick
said:
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... Chelsea are still one of the best teams in Europe. We beat them in the same way they beat most teams, expoliting and exposing the oppositions weak areas. MON got it right there didn't he? So comments about outdated methods etc etc are too harsh, as we have beaten Liverpool as well and got a draw against free wheeling Man City. |
keefvilla
said:
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... "There is nothing bad to report about yesterday" That will upset a few on here. We played 4-4-2. We beat Chelsea. That will upset a few on here as well. Can someone remind me who took the corner for Dunne's goal again? Carew was a real problem for Chelsea. Their defenders were so concerned about him at corners and free kicks, that they were neglecting Dunne, Collins and Cuellar. Look what happened. Would NRC have caused the same problems? |
SCOTT2
said:
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... hi guys.didnt get chance to watch the match in full but watched the hls and defensively we looked magnifecent.where has this collins player been?he looks a dead cert for transfer deal of the season! as you all know ive long been an advocate of 451 but now thats twice mon has proved me wrong!defensively we are the best in the league at the moment and we look a threat going forward.but i thought ancelotti was a bit direspectful saying we only won because of the set pieces we worked extremely hard and created a couple of good cahnces ourselves.3 away pl matches in a row now which i prefer because we play better football away from home imo.a cheeky 9 points to cement a top 3 position UTV!! |
SCOTT1
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... damo that was my comment under SCOTT2 i just forgot to log in before posting and there was no way i was writing that out again!!lol |
SidCowanslovechild
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... Keef, for me someone who writes "there is nothing bad to report" and "it was only one result and statistically, we were lucky and had we had any other keeper we could have lost by a few" is clearly looking for something bad to write. This tells us a lot about the authors motivations as if we didn't know already |
VillaNick
said:
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...Anyone know when Downing is back He's back in light training now, expected date of return was 5th of December but could be in contention from mid-November if he has no complications. [Source Physioroom] |
churchill
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... cockneyvillan Extracting the urine, mate. There's a few out there dying to to be negative so I just thought I'd do it for them and we can now move on. I still haven't got over Celtic_Villan's comments about Collins from the previous thread. Damo's theory about Carew playing in a 4-5-1 Someone has already made the perceptive comment that Carew is only bigging himself up as a midfield player to excuse his lack of goals. I go along with that. Carew has no engine. Carew cannot tackle. Carew cannot make a pass over ten yards. Carew has nice talents but midfield hardman is not one of them. ergo: 4-4-2 it is then. |
Celtic_Villan
said:
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... i got absolutely slated yesterday for my critism of what i see as over-praising collins i am not arsed watching the game again to pick out where he went wrong on occasion, but people got a way from him, but i remember several occasions. off the top of my head, one was the goal - for those who play in defense at any level will know, you never let a player of drogba's ability that much room to shoot from range. friedel did badly ill accept, in a other wise excellent game again, anelka scuffed a glorious chance to level it up in the second half, when he stolled passed collins and, when cole had his effort in the first half, collins dived in at his allowing him room to pass him and have a shot. absolutely no need to go to ground. no its not anti-conformatism at all. for the record, i had been very impressed by him, and he was good for west ham last season. saying that i wasnt expecting him to do as well as he has done. christ, he's playing twice as good as davies ever did in the villa defense. i just feel that talk of mcgrath or laursen comparisons is a bit silly this early. theres nothing wrong with reserving judgement a little, if a few more did that perhaps not so many would come on here and whinge like children when he does have a bad patch. you'll notice other sites havnt jumped on the bandwagon just yet. its a fair observation i feel personal comments are laughable over the internet by the way. and im irish as i said before. recently i spoke about the silliness of loving a club that you have no real affiliation with. so if your a brummie and go to villa park every week, fair enough, judge me in that regard. but i cant stop obsessing over villa - iv tried. |
vivavilla
said:
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... I'm going to repeat what I said yesterday: why does a formation have to be rigid? Why do we HAVE To play 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 and not have any kind of variation? Why do these numbers have to be static? Some of you lot are looking at this in a very old fashioned way. We didn't play any kind of traditional "formation" yesterday. It wasn't "4-4-2", it wasn't "4-5-1". Prepare to have your minds blown by something a little different here, it was very much a dynamic formation. To those of you who say we won yesterday with 4-4-2, and to those adamant we won playing 4-5-1... I'm sorry, but you're both wrong. |
Badger
said:
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...Off topic and im suprised Damian has not picked up on this, but the Sunday People has stated that Randy has told Martin that he has to sell in January before he can buy. Indeed. The article mentions Luke Young as being one of those to possibly go. Whilst many of us seem to think he's going to walk straight back into the side as soon as he's fit, I have my doubts. I'm not sure what went on during the Peace cup, but there was a rumour that he was sent home after a row. But he was also injured wasn't he??? I suspect he might have shot his bolt with MON. Which would be a shame, imo, as I rate him. |
Badger
said:
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...We didn't play any kind of traditional "formation" yesterday. It wasn't "4-4-2", it wasn't "4-5-1". Prepare to have your minds blown by something a little different here, it was very much a dynamic formation. Agreed Viva. |
tubbydunne
said:
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... Brad let in one simple stop, messed up a simple punch which nearly led to another and made a few decent looking saves which were straight at him except the Deco chip which was in the corner but straightforward. If he'd let any more in it would have been an abysmal performance. Brad on his day or just about any decent premership keeper would have kept a clean sheet Spot on. I heard calls for Brad for m.o.m. and i thought I had watched a different game. If he had let in any of the shots he stopped it would have been very poor keeping |
Celtic_Villan
said:
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... na i still think we played 442! but i do agree, obviously its not that rigid, players move around as the match (and the manager)dictates. i think this is just a pet peeve of damiens, but i think its time to admit there is room for 442, much like james milner is consistantly one of the best players in a villa shirt. mon has said, much like viva suggests, that he wants fluidity to swap between the two formations. were getting there anyone else think gabby played really well yesterday. the gym work has really paid off, and could be a huge boost for him getting on the plane to south africa. oh and i think young was injured, but the main part of it was his brother died and this disrupted his preseason and recovery. i may be wrong? |
Celtic_Villan
said:
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... oh and churchill, i didnt read what you said yesterday, but you really should let me upset you so much. its only a blog, chill my comments were more about the hype and tinted vision of fans. collins did pretty well yesterday, a couple of huge blocks in the main part part. but far from perfect i feel. obviously perfection is all but impossible, but its the thing to strive for! |
Nanwasafan
said:
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... djongrass But is that really Nan? John Terry. I love John Terry. I want to kiss his big head. I want to flick his ears and ruffle his hair. John Terry. You've made my weekend. |
George Templeton
said:
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... Last season, Aston Villa played 4-4-2 twice against Chelsea, lost both games and should've been destroyed at Stamford Bridge. They played 4-4-2 at Eastlands and were stomped with barely a decent shot at goal. Now without G****h B***y, Villa have 4 points against Manchester City and Chelsea at home. A midfield that can at least hold its own and at times get their better of their much more expensive opponents. I am amazed in one sense and the only way it would be better is if B***y was stinking it up (in fact I think he's vying with Given as their best acquisition of the last 2 windows). So how did this happen without our former captain? |
Badger
said:
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...anyone else think gabby played really well yesterday. the gym work has really paid off, and could be a huge boost for him getting on the plane to south africa. He was the best player on the pitch in the first half imo. oh and i think young was injured, but the main part of it was his brother died and this disrupted his preseason and recovery. i may be wrong? No, that just happened to be convenient (the injury, not his brother dying obviously) and helped to keep the lid on it I think. I'm fairly sure there was some sort of argument about him playing out of position. |
Badger
said:
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...A midfield that can at least hold its own and at times get their better of their much more expensive opponents. Hmm, strange one this. I thought Sidwell had his best game this season, but only because I actually noticed him a couple of times, which isn't saying much. I suspect I must be missing something, much the same as Emule, when it comes to him. You can't knock the stats though and it seems that when he's in the side, we win. In that sense you have to keep playing him, I suppose. I think what made the difference yesterday was the fact that everyone seemed to up the workrate and this is why the formation argument goes out the window, imo. You could easily have said we had a 6 man midfield at times, because everyone was tracking back. It was great to watch, but the only concern is we can't expect them to do that all the time, as it surely has to take it out of you. Still very impressed with Chelsea though and the way they drove through us sometimes was frightening. I think that's why everyone is raving about the defence (and rightly so) because many other defences would have collapsed under the pressure. Including us last season. Very encouraging, imo  |
Villa_Chris
said:
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... Just been reading comments from yesterday. The way I saw it was we were playing 4-4-2. But because we have such a hard working team, they play for eachother. They defend as a team and attack as a team. Simple At one point Gabby was at Left Back. Did we have 5 in defence then?Didnt think so. Gabby dropped deeper on more occassions than Carew also. He was top class yesterday. |
ak_27
said:
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... We really should have signed N'Zogbia last Jan. I think he would have really suited our way of playing. This isn't based on his goal today but his performances this season have been very impressive. |
churchill
said:
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...personal comments are laughable over the internet by the way. Nice one Pat. Respect. |
vivavilla
said:
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...So how did this happen without our former captain? I hate to sound like a broken record, but Barry really wasn't all that great for us last season. |
THE AV VILLAN
said:
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... Correct me if i'm wrong but didn't Ashley Young take the corners that lead to the goal?? And certainly put a delightfull ball in for Milner to volley across goal only for Big John to fluff his shot!! What's happend to Ashley? Ashley Young has lost his confidence and needs to be dropped for a few weeks I do agree that Ash is not at his best at the moment but you can't expect him too much from him. At one point about 2 years ago he was curling the ball in straight onto Laursens head with ease. And judging by the Dunne and Collins goal they are starting to get used to the way Ash crosses and playes dead balls. My prediction is that come the end of the season Young will have a stack of assists. Collins and Dunne are gonna score at least 6 each and this WILL cement a Top Four place for us!!!! UTV!!!!!!!! Taxi For Emule!!! |
ak_27
said:
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... He'll have loads of assits as he takes everything. If someone else were taking them then they would have many assits as well. How many assits from play will he have this season? He has been well of form for a long time now and i really hope that Downing is fit soon so that Young can either be dropped or moved elsewhere as he is not performing on the wing. He got the ball so many times in great positions with great options around yesterday and he managed to mess most of them up. If we had a left winger on form (Downing)we could have scored more goals yesterday. |
Celtic_Villan
said:
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... yeh ash isnt at his best, but hes under so much pressure now to perform i think hes getting better this season pat? is that a xenophobic swipe?! |
vivavilla
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... I was trying to remember the last time I saw Young play really well. We're getting on for 12 months now I reckon. |
SidCowanslovechild
said:
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... From memory (can't be arsed to look it up) neither Collins or Dunne hav been prolific scorers for previous clubs. Hopefully this will change for Villa but not sure we can rely on it. We need more goals from our front men and midfielders (no shit Sherlock I hear you say) |
Badger
said:
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... Ash has not been as good, I agree. But if he keeps banging in the corners to get us 2 goals, that'll do for me. Let's face it, this is why Beckham is raved about so much (MOM in the week, don't make me laugh, but that's a different subject). I thought him and Warnock linked really well at times, fwiw. And if you read a certain Chelsea bloggers opinion, Young murdered Bosingwa, which takes some doing, as every time I've seen the latter, I always think "I wish we'd got him". Link to the aforementioned Blog; http://www.O****e.com/blogs/ch...er-ratings Well worth a read, even though it's on the dreaded site, imo. |
Badger
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...We need more goals from our front men and midfielders (no shit Sherlock I hear you say) Yes, Viva and myself have mentioned it a few times. |
Panos
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...Well worth a read, even though it's on the dreaded site, imo. It's a great article Badger. It's interesting he thinks Milner was man of the match. |
Badger
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...It's a great article Badger. It's interesting he thinks Milner was man of the match. Yes, he's a big fan of Milner. As you say it's interesting, seeing as some of us Villa fans don't see it, with Milner. And no, that's not a dig at anyone. Someone on here had Milner down as MOM, yesterday and I wouldn't necessarily argue. I just thought it was too close to call. |
villaman
said:
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... stennet go to www.footytube.com Has all the match of the day games and also commentary from linekar and co.. |
DAVID VILLA
said:
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... Churchhill you are a complete cock you dont have a clue i would rather not have people like you having anything to do with AVFC your a looser go and follow the scum you silly little child |
churchill
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...pat? is that a xenophobic swipe?! No mate, it was supposed to be friendly. Never met such a touchy Irishman. Take your own advice. Chill |
afvcbob
said:
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... Don't forget we were one nil don against a team that will imo win the premiership, To get back in to the match and win was a fantastic result and a great team effort UTV |
keefvilla
said:
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... "pat? is that a xenophobic swipe?!" I work with a Scot who accused me of being xenophobic, so I kicked the skirt wearing sweaty sock in the nuts!!! |
SidCowanslovechild
said:
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... Keef you make me laugh mate Badger, yeah what a great writer that guy is even if obsessed with comics! He seems more of a Villa fan than half on this site and really raves about our attacking players I left a bit of a dig at Jason Cundy which was a waste of time I know bit the guy pisses me off more than Larwenson and welly face, FSW etc. I'm off to take me pills and have a lie down |
Badger
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... Oh, come on lads, let's not go down this road. Churchill, Celtic is not a nose, no way. Let's get back to our chances of finishing top 4 eh? |
Badger
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... DAVID VILLA, Churchhill you are a complete cock you dont have a clue i would rather not have people like you having anything to do with AVFC your a looser go and follow the scum you silly little child You're not seeing the humor mate, trust me |
Badger
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... Sid, Badger, yeah what a great writer that guy is even if obsessed with comics! Well yes, I agree. But his calling Collins Johnny Storm with the hair being the flame, made me piss. Very entertaining, imo |
keefvilla
said:
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... Sid Cheers mate. Regarding Dunne and Collins scoring record, maybe they are getting better quality free kicks and corners into the box at Villa than at their old clubs. Under MON we have an excellent record for scoring from set pieces and for defenders scoring. No praise should go to MON for this obviously |
churchill
said:
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...Churchill, Celtic is not a nose, no way. Yeah, I know that, Badge. I tried to kiss and make up but he still seems touchy. Style over substance again. It's the Irish in me. |
Nanwasafan
said:
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... Some people on here would have an argument with themselves if they thought they'd be willing to listen. We win - we're moody. We lose - we're moody. No wonder the world loves a Villa fan. |
Badger
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...Yeah, I know that, Badge. I tried to kiss and make up Fair enough We win - we're moody. We lose - we're moody. No wonder the world loves a Villa fan. Not me. I said yesterday that if we'd lost that one, I'd still have been happy because of the graft. When your players do their utmost, I don't see how you can slate them at all. My opinion is the whole team worked their arses off and that's what got us the win, simple. If we can keep that effort up (unfortunately I don't think we can) we'll walk into the top 4. I'm still elated |
ruffy
said:
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... I am beginning to think MON is a Genius. We were all worried about the lack of quality at CB. Collins and Dunne. AMAZING. What a bit of business those last minute signings are looking. The team spirit is there for the whole world to see. On paper we should get turned over by Chelsea and Liverpool yet we have deservedly beaten both of them. Hats off to the manager, the way he is getting so much out of this team is incredible, the sky is the limit. |
ruffy
said:
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... Oh yes and the highlight of my weekend was John Terry's goaline tantrum when Collins scored - unmarked. Flipping Hilarious!! |
churchill
said:
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...Churchhill you are a complete cock For once in your miserable life, David, you're right. My dick is a monster. |
Bobby Park
said:
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... Ashley should be dropped !! Who was it took the corners for both our goals ?. When DJ is fit I'd play Ashley on the right and drop Milner to the bench, far more chance of a decent cross coming in and actually getting past the left full back to the byline. |
Simeon
said:
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... Any other keeper and we'd have lost it? The 'saves' Friedel made from Chelsea's three excellent one-on-one chances (having played straight through the centre of our 'imperious' defence) were not worthy of the name. Each one was hit tamely straight at him. Perhaps if we'd had an insect in goal we might have been in trouble, although even I would doubt that O'Neill would pull such a 'masterstroke' out of the bag. Friedel was badly at fault for Drogba's goal, and consistently looked vulnerable on crosses. Up to three or four years ago, he was consistently producing a high standard of goalkeeping, but since signing for Villa he's looked like exactly what he is; an ageing goalkeeper in the December of his career (although credit where it's due,he had a better game than Cech, another ridiculously overrated goalkeeper). Guzan, whenever I've seen him, looks a much better keeper, and given the chance could prove to be an excellent signing. We obviously deserved our win yesterday, because Chelsea made horrendous errors at the back, and their finishing was woeful. We worked tremendously hard as a team, and credit has to go to O'Neill for teasing such a performance from his players. However, this doesn't mean that we look like a team who will finish in the top 6. Despite all their troubles, I would expect Liverpool to finish above us. We might well finish above Everton and Sunderland, but we could just as easily below them both. By my calculations, that places us anywhere between 7th and 9th, which, given the circumstances is actually pretty good; good old solid mediocrity. I might even be happy if there were signs of progress, but given that we're going backwards, you'd be right in thinking that I am still utterly despondent. PS Man City look like they might be worth a punt for the title. They've got a pretty special player on their books who some of you might be familiar with. |
churchill
said:
|
...I give up Badge, come on mate. It's just banter. Nan's right - we're moody when we lose and we're moody when we win. Read the Chelsea article you posted and loved it. Doesn't take itself too seriuously. and funny. Writer must be Irish. Celtic_Villan and DAVID VILLA. I apologise. I can go over the top and I'm sorry to have offended you. Will try to do better. I do have a monster dick though. |
Pancho Villan
said:
 |
... No wonder the term 'Villa Fan' is a euphemism for miserable bast**d This Downing business is a bit of a lip-smacker too |
Celtic_Villan
said:
|
... yeh cool i dont really give a shit to be honest, i just havnt been online. missed that you were being friendly, cuz you hadnt been up til then! in the lyrics of a ginger irishman, its only words. |
churchill
said:
|
...in the lyrics of a ginger irishman, its only words. Yeah, got that too - ginger hair. And freckles. So, to everybody out there, stop taking the piss out of Sidwell and Collins. Red hair is a sign of breeding and genius. |
legsofbremner
said:
 |
... First visit to Villa Park this season. Live in that bloody London, next to Millwall..(you can imagine...), and get to VP 3-4 times a year. That's all I can afford. Sang me bloody heart out in the fringes of the Upper Holte. After the penalty was denied folk woke up. There was a propper, 12th man atmosphere from then on. In the second half you could see the belief of the Chelsea 'stars' sap away. Terry even. VP has to be like that even when it's ,(dare I say it) Wigan or Blackburn etc. I'm considering giving up ale, so I can sing us to victory more often... I'm going with belief and supporter passion over worries about formation and tabloid crap about who wants to leave because the big boys don't talk to them and they got a wee poorly on their leggy...??? Cheers. |
kohoutek
said:
 |
...VillaNick said: exactly. If you got points for passing, we'd be f*cked. But, you get points for scoring more than your opponent. Yeah, the passing is lovely. And yes, I'd like to see us "control" more games. But we won against one of the top4 clubs in Europe after being denied a penalty that should've seen them down to 10 men, then going behind, and didn't concede another. That's pretty damn good, stats and whatever else be damned. |
kohoutek
said:
|
... And I should say, Collins, Dunne, immense, Warnock, not half bad. MON is obviously an idiot. Collins is playing about as well as Laursen ever did, and I loved Laursen. |
legsofbremner
said:
|
... And another thing... Ha ha... We have to be positive. There really is no reason for MON or player disection/bashing now. We have to believe and be f**kin' supporters. Yes!!! SUPPORTERS!!!! Not pickers and sneerers and I told you so mongers. I know it's harder to coment from that angle, but let's get away from the red top, tabloid, frenzied, senseless bile and at the end of the day, lazy hack journalists lies. We have a history. Can we go back in time once in a while when it's a slow news day. Pick a year or summet? Have a history lesson...? Isn't that one of the many things that make Villa special to us all, and Randy's told us we can be very proud of all that again. I've had a few as you may have guessed. Still celebrating a famous win. It's to be enjoyed, not disected. That's what football's about, surely... UTV as always. |
legsofbremner
said:
|
... Hey kohoutek Thought I was ranting away to me self... sorry. Yeah... Collins is turning out to be a bit special isnt he. Composure on the ball as well as the obvious. Dunne too. Warnock was awesome on Sat. Cuellar was a liability playing it out of defence, but hey... Out of position and got away with it... |
legsofbremner
said:
|
... Love him though. Carlos is a Latin music loving, Mens Health reading Dude and I won't hear another word said against him, so there... |
kohoutek
said:
|
... legsofbremner: Yes he is. I don't know that I've been so surprised by a signing. Dunne was a great bit of business, Collins an absolute steal. Warnock is composed and intelligent...With Luke Young back, it's quite a tidy back four. And you have to feel for Carlos. He's done better at RB than Olaf did, but he's just not a RB. And I can't see anyone displacing Collins and Dunne but for injury or cup ties. |
ronrabbit
said:
 |
... Damien: I'm not going to bring it down after that result, but I will say, let's not get carried away with one result. Yes, a fantastic result and a good game and the lads worked hard but it was only one result and statistically, we were lucky and had we had any other keeper we could have lost by a few. The reason we went 1-0 down was 90% due to THE BRAD, and yes he made some decent saves but as Sky pointed out all those shots were straight at him, and would have been another keeper error if we had conceeded again. I normally like stats but this time i dont think they paint the true picture, the stats point to us being lucky, but we wernt, we were the better team, we had better chances, clear opportunities. All of the shots they had the attacker was hampered, a defender was diving in the way, blocking off the angle so the only shot they have was straight at the brad. Our defending yesturday was sublime, i would be surprised if you see a sefensive performance that good for the rest of the year, from any team. We were comfortable, We restricted Anelka, Drogba, Deco, Lampard, Essien, joe cole when he came on, to having bitty shots at goal, yes they had alot of attempts, but thats all they were attempts, mostly speculative, they played some nice football infront our defence, but when the killer pass went through some one was there in a claret and blue shirt. I would also like to acknowledge the formation, i am very much a champion of 451, on saturday we used 442 and credit has to go to gabby, carew, sidwell and petrov for making it work. Gabby and Carew especially for the intelligent drop off play, making up the numbers in the middle when we needed, intelligent hard working paly, it made the difference and made us look like a top class side |
Faccundo
said:
 |
... Lads Defence is now sorted though would prefer to see Luke Young on the right and I'm hopeful the challenge from Bouma will push Warnock on to the next level. I think we'd all agree that while there have been some fantastic results we are slightly over-reliant on set pieces and our possession game needs to improve. This will push us on to the next level. Forget VDV. I have the answer. Two words: MAREK HAMSIK Marek Hamšík Personal information Date of birth27 July 1987 (age 22) Place of birthBanská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) Playing positionAttacking midfielder Club information Current clubNapoli Number17 Youth career 2001Jupie Podlavice 2002–2004Slovan Bratislava Senior career* YearsTeamApps†(Gls)† 2004Slovan Bratislava5(1) 2004–2007Brescia65(10) 2007–Napoli76(23) National team‡ 2005–2006Slovakia U-19 2006–2007Slovakia U-21 2007–Slovakia27(7) * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17 October 2009. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14 October 2009 The goal scoring midfielder has been inspirational for the Partenopei, he is devoid of pretence and gets the job done with finess and determination. A good 14m pound bid would secure him in January and set us up for Champions League football next season his rare form has taken Slovakia to the World Cup but his sterling performances there will druve his value circa 30m and we'll miss out on a special talent. Get him NOW! Bit concerned by Lerner saying we have to sell in January to buy. |
Matty
said:
 |
... I had to laugh this morning. In the Sun they are going on about the beachball at Sunderland. They are comparing the ball with Heskey. BEACHBALL 1 HESKEY..ER 0 "England boss Fabio Capello has a new selection headache - as the Beachball is currently out-scoring World Cup hopeful Emile Heskey!" Heskey Cost - 3.5m Caps - 57 Minutes on the pitch this season - 176 Shots on goal this season - 1 Goals - 0 Beachball Cost - 10 quid plus a free towel'n bag Caps - 0 Minutes on pitch - 5 Shots on goal - 1 Goals - 1 Brilliant!!!! |
Juan Pablo Angel
said:
 |
... 1. Having to sell in january to buy is sensible as we do have players who will not get near the first team and need to be dropped off the wage bill. Salifou, Osbourne, Shorey?? (could get a tidy £5m for him i reckon) Plus we don't really need anyone else now imo barring injury. Wait till the summer and see what we need. 2. Brad played decently on saturday. Sure the goal he let in was his mistake but it was a tricky one, shot from nowhere and a difficult bounce. However I felt that the save from Deco's little chip was world class, and brave as he collided with the post. If that had gone in it would have been all over. 3. We played well, defended excellently and James Collins was unbelievable. An inspired purchase for £5m. I think Carew should be dropped after missing an absolute sitter and being generally quiet, although being away for a few games now we'll probably play 4-5-1. Ashley Young needs a kick up the backside, sure he delivers a decent corner but he was anonymous in open play and needs to start doing the basics again. He tries to hard to take players on or pull off the killer ball that 9 times in 10 he either gives it away or boots it out. He needs to be dropped to the bench for a game imo, just to let him know he needs to buck his ideas up. Cuellar had a poor game at times for me and on that performance Young needs to start the next game. He was good tucking in and bossing the 18 yard box but his passing and ball control were the worst thay've been in that game (i know it's never excellent, but come on Carlos!) 4. We beat Chelsea, excellent. Now for the next game, lets not get carried away. We have a good team that is working hard for each other and picking up points steadily. We are gradually getting better with each game and if we can get Ash playing well, Downing in the side we have a team that really could push for a top five place this season, lets just hope we have some luck with injuries and carry on getting the luck we need to win games like that. Sure we were lucky at times, but you make your own luck in this life and the reason we were lucky is because we worked our nuts off all over the pitch. Simeon, you talk such utter swill it really takes my breath away at times. Please feel free to choke to death on a peanut. |
bobvillian
said:
 |
... forget another midfielder; 2 goalscorers will get us close for 4th place.our defence is sorted get rid of heskey;harewood;should have gone for bent not great player but his premership goalscoring is impressive goals to matches ratio.my 2 would be givet and vager love easy peasy |
Deano-avfc
said:
 |
... 2.1 Didn't have time to get to the bookies on Sat morning to get it on..Typical. Collins and Dunne my lord.. UTV |
SidCowanslovechild
said:
|
... JPA, I have difference with Simeon regularly but this is a bit strong mate |
Juan Pablo Angel
said:
|
... I meant it the nicest possible way. He's so negative it's the most humane suggestion i could com up with. |
Juan Pablo Angel
said:
|
... bobvillain, harewood is as good as gone, hopefully a championship club will take him off our hands for a couple of million, Shorey, Salifou and Osbourne to go too. I don't think we need another striker tbh. We have two young pacey ones and two big older ones. We should be fine, the time to sign a striker is next summer. Bent would have been good, but I think his wages would have been quite high and he would have wanted guarantees about being first choice and MoN doesn't go for players like this. Vagner Love isn't that good, he played well against our kids...sign him up!!! |
Badger
said:
|
... churchill, Badge, come on mate. It's just banter. I know, I was actually laughing, hence the smiley |
mikey18
said:
 |
... I watched the game and thought we aquitted ourselves well. We worked hard. I just feel reo-coker should b playing. Hes not as much of a goal threat as sidwell but i think we would add more to our play. Sidwell is hardly proving to be the greatest goal threat this season. Also alot of our goals seem to be coming from set pieces. This isn't a bad thing, but im worried that we are lacking in the ability to score from open play. Goal scorer and creative midfielder please! |
ak_27
said:
|
... JPA i agree with most of what you have said there. I would however like to see us to bring in a couple of players again in jan so as not to let what happen last year happen again this year. We need a playmaker and i really don't think Downing is it. He will however be a good upgrade on Young on the left. I honestly believe had Downing recieved so many balls in great positions like Young did on Sat we would have scored a few more goals. Once we get Luke Young in that back 4 it will be as good as a back 4 i can remember for a long time at VP. Collins and Dunne are so solid and Warnock has also been terrific. We have the back 4 sorted now all we need to do is start improving from the midfield onwards. we will be a constant threat from dead balls this season so if we can start creating from open play that would be a huge benefit to us. |
Juan Pablo Angel
said:
|
... ak, I agree with you for once, but we'll see what Downing can do over xmas and decide if we need anyone else in Jan. Playing Downing on the l;eft and Young as a second striker could be an option, they havem't got much height and presence but with Gabby's ability to hold the ball up improving Young and Agbonlahor could be an interesting pairing up front. |
SidCowanslovechild
said:
|
... JPA, I think that could be an interesting option. I don't think I am alone in thinking Ash is becoming less effective as a winger, probably because defenders pretty much know he will cut in side rather than going on outside. He wouldn't have this problem as a 2nd striker, Paul Merson kind of role. Needs to work on his shooting though if he is going to play this role |
ak_27
said:
|
... Sid/JPA the more i see Young the more i really think he is not a winger. He really isn't great at going past people (even though many think he is). People will say he is being marked out but the fact is he is letting players get back into position before taking them in his own predicatable way. He needs to be more direct with his dribbling the way Lennon,Petrov, Robben and Giggs all are or were in their day if he is to be a top winger and stop letting the full back and defenders get time to get back into position. His stand out game for Villa was Everton away. But he won't be remembered for his wing wizardry that day but it was his 2 top class finishes when put through on goal. Now when was the last time he was through on goal like that? We need him to getting the ball in more dangerous central positions. He could be a far better striker then winger. He would still be there to supply the dead balls and if he was given a free role behind a stiker we could really seee the best of him. |
GGGG
said:
 |
...I'm not going to bring it down after that result, but I will say, let's not get carried away with one result. Yes, a fantastic result and a good game and the lads worked hard but it was only one result and statistically, we were lucky and had we had any other keeper we could have lost by a few. Can't agree that it's only one result, it's our second victory over a so-called top four side and the third decent result against a multi-million spending side. The only statistic that counts is the final score, especially when we appear to be happy to cede control of the midfield. Brad's doing his job in goal - how many times did Schmeichal save Utd, Seaman save Arsenal, Shilton save Forest, Clemence save Liverpool? You can't expect your goalie to never be tested. If someone had told me 2 months ago that we'd win 5 of our opening 8, beating Liverpool & Chelsea in the process, I wouldn't have believed them. It's a f*cking brilliant turnaround after day one, and I think everyone involved deserves alot of credit. |
JohnnyMcleod
said:
|
... Apparently the goal at Sunderland shouldn't have stood as there is a rule about the ball deflecting off an unwanted stray object and then finding the net. Better make sure one doesn't go in off Heskey the next time he falls over. |
Juan Pablo Angel
said:
|
... Ash I believe played a large amount of his young career as a striker and when we signed him it was always 'villa snap up watford striker Ashley young'. I think he has to switch down the middle at some stage because he would be so dangerous there. Many top strikers start out on the wing like Henry. It would give us another option and I really believe that with Downing, Milner and Young all switching around at the top of a midfield five away and Ash playing just off Gabby in a 4-4-2 at home it could be very very intersting indeed. We still have the two big lumps for more physical challenges so imo we are well equipped to handle this season. I can't wait until Delph is ready to go. |
Deano-avfc
said:
|
... GGGG Well said.. In the boozer on sat watching the game with my mate who's a liverpool fan, what a day.. He said we could finish top 4 this season now our defence looks sorted, I was winding him up saying f... the top 4, were going for the league! UTV |
frosty
said:
 |
... What a great weekend, just one little thing that keeps bugging me.. TOP 5? Why is it all top 5 talk now, surely only the top 4 get the chance to enter the champions league? It annoys me a little, Man City haven't earnt to right to make it into a top 5 yet, and lets face it, they are the reason we all refer to the top 5 slot. Everton have been there for a while but it wasn't classed as the top 5 then. We need to aim for top 4 or get ready for another Europa experience - simple as that and I think we have a great chance, better than we did last year with Laursen & Barry in the team which I never thought I'd hear myself saying. |
neil57
said:
 |
... Hi Guys Off on long term leave after stroke. Read the blog avidly, great entertainment. Watched the last 2 games on Sky as live in N Ireland. I must say, the defensive performances have been superb. MON's signings were unbelievable. My 18 yr old son is an avid fan. He is championship manager mad. I asked him who James Collins was, they didn't rate him. I think MON has given his confidence a huge boost, hence the displays. Dunne has something to prove and is ! Warnock also very good. Cuellar was very good on sat. MOTD was very complimentary of Villa. It was Chelsea's best performance of the season, so how good were we ? Give them credit for a superlative performance. We are the makings of a very good side. COYL |
leawaylittleman
said:
 |
... Let's not get carried away. It was a fantastic win against Chelsea and John Terry's tantrum [see link] was the funniest thing we'll see down the Villa this season, but it will be a long season! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrmoZnOyEi8 UTV |
Juan Pablo Angel
said:
|
... Frosty, I can't speak for anyone else, but the reason I say top five is because this would be the minimum mark for improvement on last season. If we finished fifth I think the general consensu would be disappointed to have missed out on the Champions League but optimism because we have improved for the fourth season running and can use it to kick on next season. As much as CL football is the holy grail we all clamour for I would definitely settle for top five, Europa league and maybe a domestic cup run (Carling Cup would be a nice little trophy to win this year). Top four would be magic, but let's not get ahead of ourselves, it's a long season and we don't know what might happen. At the moment we have a tight knit squad which seems to total more than the sum of its parts and with a couple of key additions could be the team we're hoping for next summer. We also need Delph to improve, Downing fit and Ash to start playing like we know he can. If things click it could be our season this season, but there's a lot of ifs. I'm just enjoying the excitement at the moment and looking forward to the next game. I'm as optimistic as anyone, but know the pitfalls of unreasonably high expectations, look at the initial reaction to the signings we made this year and the reaction after the Wigan game. Some people on her get carried away with the progress we make and I prefer to keep my feet on the ground. |
Deano-avfc
said:
|
... Neil57 get well soon mate. Sunderland away will be tough, I think we'll beat them and progress in the cup and then a couple more wins we could be at wembley for the 1st time since 96. A great chance for a cup and the top 4 this season. Glad were out of the Eurovision league now. UTV |
Simeon
said:
|
... I had forgotten Friedel's save from Deco's chip, and to be fair it was a good, proper save - although he would have looked very silly if it had gone in. Let's not be foolish here. Every Premiership goalkeeper - and every professional gooalkeeper also - is capable of making excellent saves. What makes a goalkeeper top class is his consistency, and most importantly his decision making. Friedel makes too many bad decisions to be considered a good keeper. Having said that, most goalkeepers in the premiership cannot be considered to be good, so it's not like Friedel is, in that sense, 'sub-standard'. For instance, Cech regularly makes very bad decisions, and he may well pick up his third league title at the end of the season. From what I've seen, Reina, and particularly Given, are the best of a bad bunch. |
churchill
said:
|
...Simeon, you talk such utter swill it really takes my breath away at times. JPA, he doesn’t really believe the stuff he writes. It’s for effect. He’s quite punctilious about the detail and presentation of his comments. The grammar’s good and the punctuation’s proper. So how can he be so hilariously over the top with the content? Witness this: I might even be happy if there were signs of progress, but given that we're going backwards, you'd be right in thinking that I am still utterly despondent. After Saturday’s performance a fan could only say something like that if he was looking for a row. My advice, Juan Pablo, is ignore him. Simeon prefers style over substance. Can't understand why people would do that. |
churchill
said:
|
...I know, I was actually laughing, hence the smile I keep missin' 'em. I'm well into double figures now. |
churchill
said:
|
...Once we get Luke Young in that back 4 it will be as good as a back 4 i can remember for a long time at VP. ak This is a common sentiment. Gentlemen, don't hold your breath. Everything in O'Neill's track record tells us he won't break up a winning side. IMHO he will stick with Cuéllar until he plays badly or gets injured. Ain't saying it's right - just how it is. |
Badger
said:
|
... Simeon, I missed this line; I might even be happy if there were signs of progress, but given that we're going backwards, you'd be right in thinking that I am still utterly despondent. Just think, if we win the league, you might feel slightly encouraged. I genuinely feel sorry for you if that's how you really think. I don't see how we're going backwards, our defence is miles better than last year. Compare this seasons results with the corresponding last year and I think we've progressed massively. We're still inconsistent though, but this will hopefully improve. Anyway, if we're going backwards, what about all of the sky 4? I've said before that I'm not keen on Friedel. He seems to slap the ball down/ push it away too much for me. Not that he's desperate though. |
Juan Pablo Angel
said:
|
... churchill, I would say that Carlos made enough silly unforced errors while in posession on sat to warrant dropping him for a game, it may force him to work on his ball control. I'll ignore simeon in future then too. I think it's fair to say that Friedel has played better than he did on sat, but he is still one of the better PL keepers considering his age and it looks increaingly likely this may be his last season as number one. Guzan has obviously benefited from training with him and looks almost ready to take over. |
Badger
said:
|
...Everything in O'Neill's track record tells us he won't break up a winning side. IMHO he will stick with Cuéllar until he plays badly or gets injured. I disagree. I remember saying I thought he should have stuck with Shorey, when he was doing ok. But then, that's more likely to do with Shorey's attitude, as it seems obvious MON doesn't like him. I definitely think you should stick with a winning side, if you can. |
SidCowanslovechild
said:
|
... Simeon, I said something similar about Friedal's performance on Saturday, he let in one more goal than he should have for a decent performance but otherwise he has been mainly good this season, better than last easily imo. Probably helps having a very decent looking defence in front of him now We are progressing but still plenty of romm for more |
frosty
said:
|
... JPA - A fair assessment. A good plan to remain grounded, I also think seem to play better as the underdog so too much hype probably won't help the players. The top 5 thing wasn't in reference to your post, it's because my Sundays are so boring I tend to read every newspaper column going and yesterday it was all top 5 talk. |
churchill
said:
|
...and I think we have a great chance, better than we did last year with Laursen & Barry in the team which I never thought I'd hear myself saying. I agree but it's really weird - it's almost like blasphemy. More than any player since McGrath, I loved Laursen. This defence does what it says on the label. And they'll get better. |
frosty
said:
|
... I think you've got to remember a good save can be as good as a goal at the other end. If a striker scores a couple you soon forget what he's missed. Very harsh to criticise the Brad, there will be a day sooner or later when it is time for him to step down and thats probably when he consistently makes errors like that one but for me thats still a couple of years away yet. |
RockSteady
said:
 |
... Hey guys, I missed MOTD on saturday night. what was the reaction from Hansen and Shearer? Good, bad or indifferent? They always seem to rant and rave about MC and Spurs, it pisses me off  |
vivavilla
said:
|
... RockSteady Predictabley they concentrated more on Chelsea's negatives than Villa's positives. Spent most of the time analysing their marking for the corners. I can sum that up in 3 words: it were crap. |
Juan Pablo Angel
said:
|
... Rocksteady, Shearer and Hansen were complimentary, although most of the emphasis was on Chelsea's defending from set pieces. They said it was a clear tactic from O'Neill to exploit this and despite our lack of clear cut chances the reason we won is because we worked harder for each other. They said neither side deserved to lose, that it was possibly Chelsea's best performance under Ancelotti which means credit to Villa who were excellent and picked out Collins, Warnock, Petrov and Dunne as particularly good. Overall I was quite pleased with their comments. They also p**sed themselves laughing when O'Neill got taken out by Anelka. hahahaha!! |
RockSteady
said:
|
... vivavilla - Thanks. I think its fairly harse that after taking 7 points from Liverpool, Chelsea and City this season they still don't seem to rate us. Anyway, they'll start to take notice after we take 3 points home from the Emirates on the 27th of December to go third in the league |
vivavilla
said:
|
... I don't know if any of you guys read TeamTalk at all - personally I think their writing staff are attrocious but they seem to select the best news of most comparitive sites. Anyway, one of their staff recently responded to a comment about the changing top 4, saying they now believe it to be a "Super Six". The incomtetent tosser has had the wool firmly pulled over his eyes by Man City and Tottenham and now believes they've joined the elite and shut the door on everyone else. How small minded can you get? |
Juan Pablo Angel
said:
|
... Viva, Thats the same with most of the pundits, no one notices that we spent £12m on one player or that we won a pre-season competition against the likes of Juve, or that we've only lost once in the last nine games. We just have to get used to it mate. Wigan almost beat Man City yesterday and Tottenham should have been smashed by pompey, unfortunately Dindane can't hit a barn door, and this obviously makes them CL material. We beat the league leaders and probably the 3rd best team in europe and no one gives a t**s. It's been said already today that maybe it's a benefit to be dark horses. Remember the way our season fell apart as soon as we were touted as real contenders last season. |
Panos
said:
|
... O'Neill comments on the Anelka collision. I thought he should have been sent off! It was really sore, but I took it like a man and I didn’t cry. |
ronrabbit
said:
|
... the main reason we dont get the publicity is because we dont have the marque name, we dont spend big on a single player, which means we dont grab the headlines. For me we need one top class player, to A: push us on to the next level and B: get the media to sit up and take notice. Normally i wouldnt mind 'going under the radar' but attendance at Villa park is down this year, we didnt even fill it against chelsea, and i think we need the media coverage to drum up the interest and get villa park full. The player i woudl like to see come in is Vagner love, i think we need a forward who can link with the midfield, and for me love would be a fantastic edition. him and gabby would be awsome, love moving back to help the midfield, picking up the ball, running at a player, sliding a ball through for gabby, he looked awsome against us. Hopefully what learner is saying is we need to seel to buy because o'neill has targeted a 20million pound forward called vagner love and learner has only made 18 million available. |
Juan Pablo Angel
said:
|
... Ron, i agree with your reasoning on why things are the way they are and agree that if we signed someone massive attendances would rise. I personally would like Milner, Young, Downing and Gabby to develop into huge players for us, propel us into the top four and become huge players on the international stage. This would mean we didn't need to sign anyone. Would you agree that if we'd spent £12m on a spaniard or Brazilian it would have received so much more attention than Downing or Milners transfers have. It's all just rubbish to me, the media will take notice when we are still 3 points off third with a game in hand after xmas and we've added Arsenal to our list of scalps this season. I don't rate Love, sure he played well against us, but we struggled in the first game and then sent the kids away from home. I haven't seen him do much against superior opposition and think a homegrown player may prove a better option. Keane would be a decent buy, but I think Delfouneso is the one to watch in that role. I can see him being groomed for it and his performances in europe last season were excellent. |
kohoutek
said:
|
... I agree that at times Friedel has looked a bit shaky. And while I would've like to have seen him make the save on Drogba's shot, that was a tough one more out of luck than design. Hit with lots of topspin, it dived right in front of him, popped up high, and the spin meant that even though he had it covered, when it hit his hands it simply looped up, got more topspin, and went in. I would imagine this is his last year as a starter, but we all know how unpredictable MON is with selections, so maybe not. The other saves, yes, straight at him, but he had himself in the right place each time, gave a narrow angle, and the shooters were all under pressure amid lots of traffic and didn't have that extra half-second to craft better finishes. You would expect Chelsea to create the chances they did, but just like us, they mean SFA unless they go in. The play that saw Milner lay the ball off to Carew was as pretty as anything Chelsea produced. Unfortunately, Carew is no Drogba. |
Villa_Chris
said:
|
... O'Neill: 'James' preferred position is on the right hand side, either there or coming in-field, which is something I thought at the start of the season I would look at. Looks like we weren't the only ones to think this was a possibility during pre-season... |
Geoff
said:
 |
... I was just thrilled that ESPN2 showed the game here in the US at like 745AM. I think Villa can make a serious run at 4th place if Lerner gives them enough of a boost to sign two players, perhaps a depth forward to replace Heskey (who I still think will leave), that elusive dynamic central midfield player (though Petrov and Sidwell are good players, and Sidwell would likely sit the bench more), and maybe then a depth defender in case someone else gets injured. Though I REALLY like the interior duo of Dunne and Collins. They have worked well together. I was VERY impressed with Milner, hes that dynamic winger that every team needs to be successful. I was very UNDERimpressed with Ashley Young, he didnt do much for me that day. I was of course impressed with Agbonlahor as well. Outstanding player, future superstar for England and hopefully for Villa for many many years. |
frosty
said:
|
...MARTIN O’Neill believes he may finally have found the players to replace ‘Captain Lionheart’, Martin Laursen Interesting how he says 'players' as in it takes more than 1 to replace Laursen. Full credit though the Dunne / Collins mix has made up for what we had. In terms of problem solving most would of spent the summers transfer kitty on 1 bloke like Lescott. Excuse this child like logic but in terms of ratings.. Laursen 10 Davis 6.5 ( or Knight 6 ) __________ Total 16.5 Dunne 8 Collins 9 ___________ Total 17 You get the idea. Sure we all have different ratings but it's always going to be quite even and we have better cover now. |
ronrabbit
said:
|
... yeah those players may become massive for us but they wont solve that link striker problem. I can only see all four working in a 451 and i think its pretty clear that o'neill prefers 442. so i think we need the link striker, the fonz may come good, but it will be 4 years till he is real top class, im not sure we can wait that long. On Love he is not everyone's cup of tea, i think he has alot of the qualities berbatov has, and not everyone likes him, i personally think he is brilliant. I think love is maybe not as clinical in his movement and finishing but would add more to the midfield. Keane is a player that would do the same job in a diffrent waym, in fairness a more o'neill way, with hard work and industry, i personally would like to see some arrogant class up the front, we saw it a bot from young, but that seems to have gone. small point kohoutek top spin causes the ball to dip and stay low on the bounce, backspin causes the ball to stay in the air and then bounce up high. unless the ball hit a bobble it was backspin on the ball. I love being petty |
kohoutek
said:
|
... ronrabbit: Since we've not much else to talk about, topspin can make it stay low, yes, or cause it to pop up, as you see in tennis, and accelerate. Depends on how it's hit, the trajectory it's on, ie, how much arc. It was just unfortunate for Friedel that it hit the ground close in front of him. A few inches or so further out, he probably gets much more of the ball. And with it having pop up, he's a bit under the ball, and only succeeds in sustaining or enhancing the spin. Like I say, one you'd like to see him save, but those short hops can cross up the best of them in any sport. You just don't have much time to react. |
kohoutek
said:
|
... I guess I should be clearer...in tennis, for example, when the player is striking down on the ball from above and imparting topspin, it will usually stay low. But you also see much the same stroke hit near the baseline when the player comes from more even with or underneath the ball and it pops up dramatically, often handcuffing the player who's watched it all the way, and isn't expecting that much bounce. This is what I was clumsily talking about with "arc". Backspin kills the ball's forward momentum on impact, ie, most dropshots, and you'll often see the ball literally move backward not forward. It can pop up, yes, but doesn't accelerate forward like a ball with topspin does. |
andy5759
said:
 |
... You beat me to it Kohoutek. Do you have any tips on getting backspin into my backhand? The only variation I get in my backhand is slice and that's nearly always accidental. I watched the game in The Beehive in St. Albans, I think I got very drunk. Does anyone know how I got home? Thank you AVFC - you made my weekend. |
kohoutek
said:
|
... andy5759: If I could hit a good backhand with backspin and no slice, I'd happily share the trick. Unfortunately, I'm just happy when my backhand makes it across the net. I tend to always hit down, and weakly at that. |
Nanwasafan
said:
|
... You mean Simeon doesn't really mean what he writes? He does it to annoy people? What an innovative concept! I miss taglor. He was good at it. |
kohoutek
said:
|
... ...which is to say, those who can't do it tell other people about how it should work in theory. Actually, I can hit a pretty good topspin forehand. But I'm lousy at service and the backhand. Which means I've now revealed the fact I'm a lousy tennis player and will not be accepting any wagers. |
andy5759
said:
|
... Nan, I am the last person you should be asking that. Kohoutek, thanks. It's always good to know that I am not the only one. |
Simeon
said:
|
... As I have said many times, under O'Neill, we are going nowhere. We will remain at the same level we have been for the last two seasons. Other teams will improve their levels (eg. Spurs and Man City this season), whilst others' levels will drop (eg. Liverpool this season, Arsenal last season), and this will suggest that we are either going forwards or backwards, depending on whom we are compared to. But the truth is that we are a team who can be confident of finishing in the top half, but won't ever challenge at the top of the league - as last season proved. You'll remember that we finished 10 points behind Arsenal, who had a terrible season. For the long-term good of the club, I'd happily see us have a disastrous season, with the result that O'Neill left - sacked or resigned, I care not. Having okay seasons (if you can call offering no title challenge, no prospect of silverware, and qualifying for the Europa League 'okay') is not good enough. There is no long-term plan in place for Martin O'Neill. His neglect of our homegrown players and the average age of his signings proves that. A simple analogy: Aston Villa are like a naughty child. We need to be disciplined for our own benefit, so that we stop being naughty and start being good. A little pain and discomfort in the short-term would do us the world of good in the long-term. In football, this translates as us doing badly enough for O'Neill to leave - whether he's sacked or resigns doesn't matter. That sounds like I'd be happy for us to lose games, and in fact that's exactly what I'm saying. I love Aston Villa, and I want the best for Villa, and that means O'Neill leaving because he's not up to the job of taking us beyond being a mediocre team. And if the only way for O'Neill to leave is for us to do badly, then I want us to do badly, so that we will do better in the future. The thought actually occurs to me that, in the crazy world of football, us doing very well might also achieve the desired effect. And given that our owner seems to be completely in love O'Neill, maybe this is the best way of us getting rid of O'Neill. If we finished in the top four, won the Europa League, and Alex Ferguson retired because he won the treble, as much as I hate Man Utd, I'd take that all day long so long as it meant O'Neill leaving for Old Trafford. We could then get in a manager who actually knew what they were doing, and could build a club that was capable of sustained success over a prolonged period of time. And for anyone who was thinking about making the point that, should O'Neill achieve a top four place and a Europa League, he would have proved that he is a great manager, don't. O'Neill has already proved that he is NOT a great manager, and only suggested that he is a good manager in the right circumstances - and even then only for as long as he is there. Why is it that Shankly and not Paisley is remembered as the greatest Liverpool manager, when it was Paisley who won far more? Because Shankly built the club. O'Neill is not and never will be a club builder. Anyone who points to his success at Celtic is mad, because he achieved nothing more than normal levels of success at one of the two clubs in Scotland. His success at Leicester was more impressive, although winning League Cups at a time when the big clubs weren't quite strong enough not to prioritise is hardly something to shout from the rooftops about - unless you're a small, provincial club like Leicester. Villa are a much bigger club, with much bigger expectations (although you wouldn't think it given some of the posters on this blog), and O'Neill simply doesn't have either the capability, the vision or the gumption to achieve what is possible, and in this league, with our fanbase and tradition, and with an owner who, though he may not be a multi-billionaire, is still capable of making sufficient funds available for squad-building, everything is possible. With O'Neill, nothing of any worth whatever is possible. Forgive me if I'm looking at the bigger picture. |
Nanwasafan
said:
|
... Good speech Simeon. Just explain to me again, how tradition, our 'fanbase' and Lerner's 'sufficient funds' mean we should finish above all other teams. |
mon 4-5-1
said:
 |
... Simeon Fair enough your entitled to your opnion and some of the points you have made may have some value. But are you really saying if MON produces the goods you would still want him out ? Who would you replace him with ? and what would your expectations be of the new person coming in ? My take on this is if MON produces the goods the keep him on. As I said he will be judged on results and where we are at christmas & may |
steve-avfc
said:
 |
... just listened to interview with mon on talksport with collymore , quite interesing . |
Badger
said:
|
... So MON goes, Randy walks too. We get a new owner who's going to pump in £300 mill(because that's the way it's going) and we get, I don't know, Mourinho in and win the treble in 2 years. Easy eh? And then when we haven't won another treble in year 3 you still won't be happy and you want the owner and manager out again. You do talk some tripe Simeon, honestly. |
Badger
said:
|
...Forgive me if I'm looking at the bigger picture. The bigger picture is we're not the biggest/best club in the country, imo. Over recent years, Man utd, Liverpool, Arsenal and grudgingly Chelsea are bigger clubs than us. Then you have the second group, which is probably us, Everton, Man city and Spurs, all very much on and even footing. That tells me if we finish 5th - 8th we're punching our weight. If we finish 4th or better, we're doing very well, I'd say. Why can you not see that? And anyway finishing 6th these days, regardless of what you say, is not mediocre when you consider the top 4 are in the top 10 clubs in Europe |
Nanwasafan
said:
|
... Would Simeon say.... Sack Rafa? (They are going nowhere, wasted best years of Gerrard) Sack Fergie? (Sold their best player, not built on last season, playing poor football) Sack Ancelloti? (No idea of formation, poor results) Sack Wenger? (Crap last year, went backwards) Sack Hughes? (Cannot even identify his best team) All these teams need to get proper managers. Managers who will enable them to win the league. Managers who will enable their teams to play magnificent football. |
Nanwasafan
said:
|
... Oh, and what you deliver in an essay, taglor could achieve in 3 sentences. Bring back taglor. |
Badger
said:
|
...Now, could somebody help me get this bloody hook out of my mouth. I know what you mean. I'm glad I don't think like Simeon though. The thought of constant disappointment in at least the short term would really depress me. Much better to keep building steadily and see improvements where they have happened, imo. No doubt I'll be classed as thinking small time though. It's just realism to me. |
neil57
said:
|
... Thanks, Deano. Taglor, an Infarct in R Cerebellum. Simeon, very eloquent,but utter tosh. MON is every Man U fan's tip to be SAF's replacement. MON has now the team playing together, lots of backtracking ala James Milner. MOTD pundits were very complimentary. The defence did not allow Chelsea easy chances. Night Night |
Forest Hill Villan
said:
 |
... I enjoy reading both the serious comments and the banter on this blog. With respect to comments made about Cuellar, I understand completely the criticism made of his delivery. However I was in the North Stand on Saturday, and as you all know it started to get very hot down there in the second half. Carlos made several tackles that were not merely goal-saving, they were game-saving tackles. The defence was outstanding, but so was every man in the team. I think its wrong to have a MoTM for a game like this. Every man had to play to his utmost for the team to win - and in my view that is what they did. It was a fantastic match, made immeasurably more enjoyable by John Terry's outburst. I was just so proud on Saturday of what the team (my team)had achieved. And as a student of Military History, I could not help but think of Haig's Order of the Day in May 1918 as the German Army's final and overwhelming assault crashed down on the British position: "With our backs to the wall and believing in the justice of our cause, each one of us must fight on to the end". That was MON's Order of the Day and how courageously the team responded. |
frosty
said:
|
...O'Neill is not and never will be a club builder What do you see him as, a groundsman? painter? chief pie tester? If your right he's probably the luckiest odd job man around. I do think he will be at Old Traford one day though  Then we can put your theorie to the test with a backroom of McClaren & Eriksson, Sol Campbell as our ambassador, Dennis Wise selling programmes outside and Mike Ashley sponsoring our shirts. God we're like Eldorado waiting to happen.  |
Simeon
said:
|
... It's a good point. Where is Taglor? Presumably he'll re-emerge when we next lose. Nanwasafan, every single one of the manager's you mention has been questioned, or is being questioned as we speak. Ferguson is massively overrated, and should have achieved much more than he has given the advantages Man Ure have had over the past 15 years. Benitez, as much as I admire the work he did with Valencia, and his tactical ability, can't complain about insufficient funds when he spends £18m on Glen Johnson. Ancelotti has been at Chelsea five minutes, hasn't spent any money, and yet anyone who bets against Chelsea winning the league this season is a brave man. Wenger has come in for alot of criticism, and understandably so because some of the players Arsenal have aren't good enough, and Arsenal might well finish outside the top four this season. However, Wenger can point to massive success over a sustained period and an entertaining brand of football. Any criticism of Hughes is borne out of resentment at Man City's wealth. As far as I can tell, he's done a very good job so far, and though one might be brave to back them to win the title this season, one wouldn't be stupid. As for them not having found their best formation yet, that might be true, although the extent to which they've switched their side around has more to do with injuries than anything else. As for tradition, fanbase and Lerner, I didn't say this means that we SHOULD finish above other teams, but it does mean that it is possible. But we will not finish above Chelsea, Man Ure, Man City, Arsenal or Spurs this season. Liverpool are looking incredibly ropey (and you don't need to look any further than their performance against us for the evidence), so maybe they'll drop like a stone this season. But we can't finish any higher than sixth this season under O'Neill, and for my money, Everton and Sunderland are still better bets to finish higher than us. There is nothing I have witnessed in trhee years of O'Neill that suggests to me that we're going to achieve anything, unless it's by default because other teams implode. Finally, I can't believe this question of who we'd bring in to replace O'Neill has reared it's head again. To be perfectly frank, asking this question isn't showing off a healthy dose of realism. Instead, it's indicative of horizons that don't stretch far beyond the tip of the nose, which in itself is entirely consistent with support of a similarly minded manager. |
andy5759
said:
|
... I want it and I want it now. I refuse to wait, I have no patience. I do not see the bigger picture, in fact I see no picture at all. The man to lead me to the promised land has not yet been born. The ultimate trophy for Aston Villa has not left the foundry. Nothing short of Masters Of The Universe will be acceptable. I am petulant like a Violet Elizabeth on the goal line, stamping my feet and screaming in frustration because something I don't like has happened. Every victory is a set back, every step forward is merely the run-up for a giant leap backwards. Woe is me, there is no promised land, all is an illusion. It is but smoke and mirrors. Fata morgana on the horizon? No, it's Birmingham City hoisting the Champions league Trophy. Get real. |
cockneyvillan
said:
|
... The simple fact is this is the best team/squad villa has had in a long long time. Ok oneil has had money to spend and although we all moan about him in the windows, can anyone honestly say that with the budget he had he didnt do fantastically well. Its all about development and evolving, some signings have been made that people call mistakes ie zat knight, but if you look at the bigger picture they have been a means to an end . zat did a job for us, but now the squad has moved on again and it will continue to do so.. if you look at the signings they have gone up a notch year after year, and i honestly believe that the next stage will be a vander vart or a love because that is the next step in our evolution |
r0bb0
said:
 |
... I've always felt that Simeon's comments were intelligently constructed and generally had a cogent idea woven through them. I disagreed with them but found it hard to see the chinks in the logic and consequently his postings used to irritate or even annoy me. Imagine my joy when tonight as I read his latest and longest missive I actually found myself....not annoyed....but laughing out loud! Hurrah!!! I've seen the light! |
Simeon
said:
|
... Badger, I will happily acknowledge that Man Ure, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea are all in stronger positions than we are, given the benefit of CL money and expanded fan bases over the past 15 years or so. And by the way, you can throw Man City into that group as well now. But since Lerner has arrived, Villa have spent a huge amount of money. Others might have spent more, but most - including some of the 'big' clubs, have spent noticeably less. And sure, you can argue that we needed to spend money just to catch up, and I'd agree with that. But I would point out first, that we haven't actually caught up, and second, that the majority of the money O'Neill has spent has been wasted, because he can't assess the qualities of a player properly before buying them, and because he apparently has no awareness of football beyond these shores, and so limits himself to buying from the overpriced domestic market. Now, apparently in January we were in for some guy playing in the French league, but we didn't sign him in the end, and nor did we sign Bosingwa or any other Portuguese right back. But aside from these guys, we have only Salifou and Carew who were actually signed from abroad. Aston Villa, just like any other club, doesn't have a divine right to be challenging for the title every season. But Aston Villa, unlike all but a few clubs, has the ingredients to be that kind of club under the right management. If you compared us to Arsenal at the time Wenger arrived there, you would find that the two clubs were virtually identical in terms of historic success, tradition and fanbase. Wenger showed what can happen if you get the right man in to do the job. I'm not suggesting that Arsene Wenger's grow on trees, but I think it would be equally crazy to suggest that Arsene Wenger was a one off. The Premier League is certainly the richest league in the world, and it's probably the best in terms of quality. You can look at that and say, top 10 in the best league in the world is pretty good really. Or you can look at it in another way and say, we're one of the biggest clubs in the richest league in the world. We should be taking advantage of this moment in history, expanding our horizons and looking to bring in the best talent from Europe, in terms of management and coaching as well as players. Instead, we've got the epitome of provinciality in charge, who apparently has no clue how to take advantage of Aston Villa's current preeminent position in the wider context of world football. By all means settle for moderate 'success' in English football, and congratulate the club on being best of the rest behind the unsurpassable titans of world football. But I am telling you that a manager with true vision and ambition could achieve so much more. It will be fascinating to see how Sunderland develop over the next few seasons. They have an American owner who is even wealthier than our own, and they have a manager in Steve Bruce who is capable of finding quality players from abroad. Yes he has a ridiculous nose, and yes he comes out with ridiculous comments, and yes he managed Small Heath. But he gives a very strong impression of knowing what he's doing. Sunderland finished 16th last season with 36 points (6 less than O'Leary managed). Bruce has also just taken over from an egomaniacal Irishman. I think what he achieves with Sunderland this season might put into some context what O'Neill managed in his first season. |
astonvilla83
said:
 |
... well done villa felt they did great against one of the best teams in the league, dunne, collins, warnock are doing great, our defence does seem very solid, and i noticed warnock is starting to get forward more as well as well as geting stuck in! utv! |
Badger
said:
|
...just listened to interview with mon on talksport with collymore , quite interesing . What was said, anything new? |
Nanwasafan
said:
|
... So we see, what is the function of Simeon? He, like the the great man himself, lifts those around him to heights of wit and eloquence. |
Badger
said:
|
...So we see, what is the function of Simeon? I think it's to have us all in the net. At least we don't all think the same, which has to be good, I suppose. |
Badger
said:
|
... It seems any doubts I had about the dressing room spirit are dispelled; http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1221576/Defender-Richard-Dunne-praises-priceless-Aston-Villa-team-spirit.html?ITO=1490 I'm very happy to be wrong on that one |
MartinOneillatemyhamster
said:
 |
...Beachball for South Africa! I loved how after scoring it went off the pitch to taunt the liverpool fans |
astonmartininjapan
said:
Mostyn
said:
|
... Simeon, Your logic is bizarre and completely unfounded. To rubbish MON as a manager is quite astounding. He started his managerial career the hard and proper way by taking Wycombe through the divisions. He won the league cup with Leicester twice - they also reached the final in 1999. With his cheaply assembled squad, he also managed successive top 10 finishes between 97 and 2000. He took Celtic in to the CL for the first time and were runners up in the UEFA in 2003. He is revered by his peers and head hunted by top clubs. His pedigree as an academic, professional footballer for Notts Forest - x2 European cups, managed by one of the most enigmatic, charismatic and knowledgeable coaches on the planet, not to mention becoming captain of club and country. In my book, he shapes up nicely in the leadership qualities along with his unparalleled success as a player and a manager. Man.U and Chelsea will have a strangle hold on the Premiership for years to come. You're deluding yourself if you think Spuds are EVER going to challenge. Our fans can't even fill a 43,000 stadium against the likes of Chelsea, with tickets half the price of the big boys - where you'd be lucky to get one anyway. Please tell me who'd do a better job at Villa than MON? Please don't make me laugh and say the likes of Mourinho. There's more chance of John and Edward coming in to my local and not being punched repeatedly. |
Simeon
said:
|
... Mostyn, you are well versed in the teachings of the gospel of St. Martin, and undoubtedly a credit to your seminary. However, you blot your copybook by asking the classic numbskull question. You know the one I'm referring to. The one to which Steve Bruce is one of any number of possible correct answers. Despite the fact that ol' Potato Head named a has-been who never really was MOM in a recent international fixture. Bruce might well be a bit of a plonker, and he may not have almost nearly got a degree from university don't you know, but he'd still do a better job than O'Neill. |
Nanwasafan
said:
|
... Fair play to Beach Ball, at least he was willing to give CB a go. It may not be his natural position but at least he got in the way. |
tommy_villa
said:
 |
... So pleased with the results against Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool. But that only makes me more frustrated about the Wigan and Blackburn fixtures! We should, and could, be undefeated. I think that we'll finish higher than we did last year but, if we are going to, we need to stgop losing concentration. Hopefully this will come with experience. |
Chiefy
said:
 |
... Morning all, So great weekend isn't Terry a baby hahahaha atmosphere was great shame that some villa fans cant be bothered to get out of bed though. As Dunne has been quoted MON losing the dressing room I think not, EMULE well .......... , so has anybody still been able to find anything to moan about other than EMULE ? ? |
ronrabbit
said:
|
... kohoutek: i know this is belated but oh well. I dont know about tennis, but if we look at a cricket ball, and a spin player in particular. a ducera (dont know how you spell it) is bowled with topspin and keeps low, trying to decieve the batsman and get under the bat. A Karam ball is bowled with backspin so it hops up infornt of the batsman looking to hit the gloves. In tennis you will see nadal and to an extent murray play alot of slice backhands, hiting down on the back of the ball creating backspin. Drogbas shot was a weird one. it seemed to dip late, indicating topspin, but then popped up high indicating backspin. This could be air pressure causing the dip, or a bobble causing the pop. They do talk about the new balls acting funny in the air and on the bounce especialy if you can catch it on the valve. |
Villa_Chris
said:
|
...There's more chance of John and Edward coming in to my local and not being punched repeatedly. Brilliant! ha ha |
ronrabbit
said:
|
... Things seem to be getting a little bit silly on here. How are we having an moan at o'neill after that result, and what has been a real good start to the season. i have said it before im not a massive o'neill fan, i think he is unproven at the highest level, he has never won a trophy of any note, he managed celtic, and leicster before us. Having said that at one point all managers were unproven, and o'neill has done enough to have the support of the fans. He has not done anything wrong as manager yet, we havent gone backwards at any point, if we do then i will slate him, if he makes ridiculous decisions like persisting with a lame donkey then i will slate him, but while we keep winning he begrudgingly has my support. Oh and to the chief i would like to submit the complaint that we only beat chelsea by one clear goal, and that im afraid is simply not good enough for the great aston villa. chelsea, along with man u, barcelona, we should be steam rolling these teams 4 or 5 nil. These would be results on a par with how great aston villa are. |
Villa_Chris
said:
|
... Chiefy, I think its time you moved on from the 'Emule' battering! To be fair he did well when he came on, to see the game out. You have to give him credit for that. |
Chiefy
said:
|
... Villa_Chris- I was acutally going to say that i was kind of happy with the way he played and how he held the ball in the corner when he came on so for once i thought he did a job |
Villa_Chris
said:
|
... Nice to see you're not blinded by hatred for the bloke, and can see when he actually does do a good job! |
Chiefy
said:
|
... Villa_Chris -- I dont hate him far from, just dispointted, i like him as a person and when he does a good job i will praise him. He scores the winner against man utd i will have his name on my shirt |
Villa_Chris
said:
|
...He scores the winner against man utd i will have his name on my shirt I want a photo! |
GGGG
said:
|
...Ferguson is massively overrated, and should have achieved much more than he has given the advantages Man Utd have had over the past 15 years. Simeon, you're not quite in touch with reality are you? |
Nanwasafan
said:
|
... MON out and Steve Bruce in. That's gonna make a happy blog. Medication required urgently. |
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- Aston Villa at Reading, Lerner cash cow and the FA Cup
- Aston Villa travel to Reading in the FA Cup and seventh isn't the new fourth
- Aston Villa player threatens to quit and others will be leaving too
- Krulak talks, the club say thanks and Vidic isn't wrong
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