Match Preview: Bolton Wanderers Vs Aston Villa (by Betfair’s Gareth Freeman)
Earlier in the season the Villa smashed Bolton 4-2 at Villa Park. I doubt it will be so easy this time around but a Villa win is still very much on the cards. The Wanderers have been very poor over the last couple of weeks, they were beaten 3-1 by Fulham at the Reebok and limped to a 1-0 loss away at Fratton Park last weekend. They did manage to beat Middlesbrough 4-1 but in truth that result flattered Bolton and I very much doubt they’ll do the same against Aston Villa on Saturday.
In goal Jussi Jaaskelainen could be one of the best keepers in the league. He made a string of impressive saves against Pompey to ensure the score line was respectable but he is prone to the odd gaff as well. Jussi has been in good form this season and is a hard keeper to beat, but if Villa get enough chances this won’t matter a great deal.
In defence Gary Cahill may well be one of the best central defenders in the country. I genuinely have no idea why Villa let him go and for me Cahill is so much better than Zat Knight it’s almost criminal. It wouldn’t surprise me if the former Villa man moved on in the near future, if not this summer perhaps the one after, and he is the rock of the Bolton defence. The problem with the Bolton defence is Cahill’s partner, whoever that may be, Andy O’Brien has been making mistakes lately and I’m not sure Danny Shittu is cut out for the Premier League. The Wanderers also have Sebastien Puygrenier on loan from Zenit St Petersburg but the French centre-half hasn’t made a massive impact since he arrived at the Reebok. In Gretar Steinsson they have a quality right-back and former Villa man Jlloyd Samuel has been doing a good, if uninspiring, job at left-back.
The Bolton midfield is definitely a ‘work in progress’ for boss Gary Megson at the moment. I don’t know what the Villa fans thought of Gavin McCann when he was at Villa Park but in his time at Bolton I’ve noticed he doesn’t know which way forward is. Fabrice Muamba is very hit and miss, sometimes he looks amazing and other times clueless. Matt Taylor has been in fine form all season and is deadly when delivering free-kicks and corners, Taylor will probably be Bolton’s danger man on the day. Megson is still sweating on the fitness of Ricardo Gardner, the Jamaican has been Bolton’s bright-spark this season and about the only player who seems to be able to take people on and create things from nothing, if Gardner doesn’t play Villa will have an even greater chance of taking all three points.
No one really needs to be told about Kevin Davies, he works hard, has a better touch than most people expect and has popped up with quite a few goals this season. Record signing Johan Elmander has come under a lot of criticism for not scoring but the big Swede is another player with a fantastic work-rate and will tire out the Villa defence. Personally I’m not sure how much quality Elmander actually posseses but he does trouble defenders with his presence alone.
In truth this is a tie that could go either way. Villa and Bolton have played out a few cracking games over the years but I think this will be a cagey affair. I watched Villa against Manchester United and Everton and they were both games Villa perhaps deserved to win (especially Man U, turns out Fergie does seem to have some sort of factory producing wonder kids). Bolton haven’t looked very good for a while now but they still seem to be picking up the odd result here and there and they’ve still got relegation to worry about (sort of) so I’m expecting a low-scoring and nervous encounter between two teams fairly low on confidence.
by Gareth Freeman, a sports writer who writes about betting for Betfair.
Don’t give up the fight! – An outside perspective on whether Villa have blown their chance by Gareth Freeman
If Martin can quote the great Bob Marley then I thought I might as well join in. Villa fans have got a bit of bad press at the moment with the whole booing thing, granted it was a bit out of order but that happens everywhere. I’m a Bolton fan (I do try and watch a bit of football occasionally though..) and a section of our crowd had a similar go at a couple of our players after Fulham ran out 3-1 winners at the Reebok, though I will be the first to admit that comparing Andy O’Brien and Gabby Agbonlahor is just ridiculous – a bit like comparing Sean Paul to Bob Marley.
I’ll leave the dubious reggae references alone now, it just isn’t sunny enough for those shenanigans. It might look like Arsenal are going to come in and nick fourth spot just as it seemed Villa were going to do what only Everton have done recently and break the top four but it isn’t a done deal yet. I’ve had a look through the Gunners’ fixture list and they still have to play Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United so there is plenty of scope for them to drop points. I know Villa have also got United and Everton in their next two games but Arsenal will surely drop points between now and the end of the season.
To keep spirits high Marttin O’Neill needs to make sure his players get over the heavy defeat to Liverpool. Sometimes teams react after a heavy defeat and it inspires a bit of improved form – lets just hope this is the case with the Villa. Everton have perhaps still got a shot at nicking the fourth spot but their squad as been hit too hard by injuries to consider them serious contenders. The race is now between just Arsenal and Villa and for me both teams have just as good a chance as the other.
Villa have to play one of the top three, Arsenal have to face all three so that perhaps even swings the advantage in Villa’s favour. Wenger’s side might be in a richer vein of form at the moment but they’ve been inconsistent all season and there is no reason why that should change now. I rate Arshavin, he looks pure quality, but one player won’t make a massive difference and I’m not sure how much better he is than what they already had (Walcott and Van Persie).
Apart from Man Utd and Everton you would expect Villa to win the rest of their remaining fixtures. With just the visits to Fulham (great at home) and Middlesbrough (fighting relegation) looking like potential banana skins. Arsenal also have to play a couple of teams fighting relegation so for me both sides face a fairly similar task in finishing fourth at the end of the season.
Arshavin may have given everyone at the Emirates a boost but the return of Carew should do the same at Villa Park. I’ve always rated Carew and he’s got a lot of skill for a big striker, his return could not have come at a better time. Basically the point of this article was to give an outside perspective, inspire a bit of confidence and demonstrate the last Champions League place is still very much up for grabs. I think pretty much the whole country, bar Arsenal fans of course, are willing Villa on at the moment just to prove it is possible for another team to get into the Champions League. I know the ‘boo boys’ are in the minority but the fans need to get behind the team for this final push, I said I’d leave the reggae alone but I’ll quote sir Bob one last time, Don’t give up the fight!
Written by Gareth Freeman, a sports writer who writes about online football betting for Betfair.
A little look at Stoke…
D'ya reckon this year they have banners saying 'Championship Here We Come'? Oops... that's gonna cause some bitter comments from Stoke fans!
One of my mates supports Stoke and he bangs on at me about them all the time so I feel like I know them pretty (maybe even too) well. I’m sure no one needs reminding the Potters beat Villa last time out but I doubt they’ll do the same again.
Lets get through the cliches first. They’re a strong physical side and I imagine you know when you’ve played Stoke. Abdoulaye Faye has been knocking around the Premier League for a couple of years now and I think he’s a decent player. He works hard and gets involved in the attack as well as the defence, probably Stoke’s star man for me.
I was surprised when James Beattie moved to the Championship to play for Sheffield United because I always thought he was Premiership class. He has been in fine form lately to be fair but I doubt he’ll get many chances at Villa Park. Bizarrely he has a decent free-kick on him and will always be a danger in dead ball situations. Ricardo Fuller got arrested on Wednesday, I don’t know if he’ll be able to play at the weekend but if he is out Stoke’s chances of getting a goal will be pretty slim.
The main danger for Villa could be that Stoke would be happy with a 0-0 and just play with 10 men behind the ball. No one likes to watch that but to be fair if they turned up and tried to play football or take the game to Villa they’d get smashed off the park. An early goal could be the key to this one and in Heskey Villa have a forward who won’t be too put off by players trying to push him around. One thing is for certain, it won’t be a classic but it should be a pretty easy three points.
Written by Gareth Freeman, a sports writer who writes about betting for betfair.
Mixed results for Villa’s rivals
After the Wigan game Martin O’Neill said ‘we just couldn’t force the ball over the line’ and never has that been so true! On another occasion the boys in Claret and Blue would have hammered the Latics but on the day it just wasn’t too be.
Luke Young may have said earlier in the week that he feels Villa have a chance at winning the title, in terms of current league standings that is true but a more realistic ambition is Champions League qualification and the draw at Wigan didn’t hurt as much as it could. I’m going to review the games involving the teams around the Villa and see how the competition is performing.
I’ll start Read more
Match Preview: Portsmouth Vs Aston Villa
A full midweek fixture list is always something to salivate over, it makes it all the sweeter when you fancy your chances in the match and I can’t see anything other than a Villa victory in this one.
Portsmouth have been in quite frankly shocking form of late. They beat Bristol City in the third round of the FA Cup but then went down 2-0 against Swansea at the weekend – and at Fratton Park. Tony Adams has definitely not made Fratton Park the fortress it was under Harry’s leadership and his South-coast side are slipping ever closer to the relegation places. I watched them against Bolton just before Christmas and they were truely woeful that day, Bolton absolutely battered them and if the Wanderers can do it the Villa can probably do it with a lot more style.
A look at the teams around Villa
Villa’s victory over West Brom might not have been the most convincing display I’ve seen in my life but three points is three points and an important step closer to Champions League qualification.
Another team who just about managed to take the spoils were Arsenal in their 1-0 win over Bolton. I’m sure most people would agree that Arsenal represent the biggest threat to Villa taking fourth spot, but their lackluster display at the weekend will not have filled the Gunners faithful with much confidence. Granted they managed to see off Bolton, eventually, but the Bolton side in question was decimated by injuries and suspension.
The Trotters Read more
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