Villa contribution to England’s 4-0 win
When the squad was announced, Villa had 3 players in there; Gareth Barry, Ashley Young and Emile Heskey.
And at present, Aston Villa is the only club Gareth Barry has played for, so can we claim the first 2 England goals as Villa-related?
We also have a bunch of players who were knocking on England’s door earlier in the season; James Milner, Curtis Davies, Luke Young, Gabby Agbonlahor. But a drop in Villa’s form saw them slip from the squad. Will their times come again? It will if they get their heads back up on their shoulders and play to the ability we have seen them capable of.
The thing that I liked most yesterday though, was Emile Heskey’s position for his goal. He was poaching. And, hard as it might be for many to imagine, Heskey is a good finisher. Heskey’s reason that he isn’t very popular as a striker is that he rarely scores, but that is caused by the positions he gets into (too deep), rather than his ability to put the ball in the net.
There doesn’t seem to be anything you can do to make Heskey into a goal hanger though (a role that brought Michael Owen so much success). Last night he was the lone striker, but still he was often found in our own half. The way I see it, if you are playing just one striker, up top alone, you want him to stay there and always be available as an option for you when you attack. A lone striker to me should be there to poach a goal and/or finish off what the midfielders and wingers create.
Ashley Young didn’t see any minutes, but I don’t feel aggrieved by this the way I did earlier in the season. For months, Young was out-playing Stewart Downing every week and staking a valid claim for Joe Cole’s empty position, but he couldn’t convince Capello. But with his form for the second half of the season I won’t argue with him not playing.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we will see more Villans in the England squad next season as we get our confidence back. Come on Villans.
DEBATE: Tiredness? Small squad? Inexperience? Incapability? What IS Aston Villa’s problem?
Aston Villa’s recovery from their winless streak lasted for just one match! Not the best.
You can’t take anything away from Fulham; they played well and deserved to beat us, but it served to severely deflate a huge number of Villa fans who thought we had re-found our winning form of earlier in the season and were going to go unbeaten for the last 4 games. We’d already left it late enough to start winning again, but we still had 5th in our grasp and if we won our games we would secure it. Whatever your opinion in the grand scale, 5th IS an improvement over 6th, so it would’ve been another season of climbing up the league ladder (whether that climb is quick enough is your own opinion and for another debate, not this one).
But Villa blew it after just one win and now have 2 games left which we will have to win because Everton won’t be letting us get away with it again. We have the tough task of facing 2 teams fighting for their Premier League status though (Newcastle and Boro), so they will be real dogfights.
What has caused our slide?
At earlier points in the season we occupied 4th place and even made it look pretty secure. We had a big gap over Arsenal and were flying high, winning almost every time we walked out onto the park. We looked uncatchable and destined to be in next season’s Champions League qualification games. Then it all went tits up!
We gave up our lead and let Arsenal back in (not just back in but let them fly away ahead of us) and now we find ourselves relying on Everton to draw to keep hold of 5th. What went wrong?
Was it our small squad? Are you tired of hearing that we have a small squad, especially when MON didn’t utilise January to fill it out?
Was it our January signings that knocked confidence out of the players and made them feel like the club wasn’t aiming as high as they were? All we brought in was Emile Heskey (who has never been Mr Popularity), who is not going to score 20 goals and lead us to the top of the league and Arsenio Halfuid, who is for the youth system for now.
Is it Martin O’Neill? He has many more fans than critics (maybe not right now), but there are plenty out there who believe that MON is no divine saviour and it has been his ineptitude, particularly in the transfer market that has led to our recent downturn in fortunes. (Personally, I’m not in this group; yeah he’s having a mare at the minute but look where he’s got us from and to)
Was it the ‘throwing away’ of the UEFA Cup that caused the problems? Did the way we seemed to concede knock the stuffing out of us and lead us into this awful run-in?
What’s your opinion? Who or what do you blame for Villa’s dramatic change to the season? Click comment and add your views to the debate.
FOUR. FIVE. ONE. It HAS to be!
Gabby Agbonlahor is out with a virus (which probably means a snotty nose) and Emile Heskey is out (thanks Fabio) which means that MON may well revert back to the fan favourite formation of 4-5-1. Carew (also the fan’s choice at present) should find himself alone up front today, with Milner and Young not far behind him on either side and Petrov, Reo-Coker and Barry in the midfield.
It’s not a forgone conclusion, we know how stubborn O’Neill can be, but the other likely option he could choose would be to give Delfouneso a start, which would also go down well with the fans. I’d be surprised to see him start the lad in such a crucial and difficult game though.
Also out for Villa is Carlos Cuellar, so we are well short at the back (as we have been for large parts of the season). The back four will most likely be Young, Knight, Davies and Shorey. Hopefully he won’t go with any of his hare-brained plans of playing midfielders at full back and/or full backs on the wrong sides. We will need to be tight at the back today and a mifielder with straying tendencies could well work against us.
Or maybe we’ll get thrashed 5-0 (plus Fabio Capello’s Villans)
Yesterday was the first game of the season I haven’t watched (I took my dear old mom out for Mother’s Day) and I think I’m actually glad I missed it! Now I normally will re-arrange almost anything to make time to watch the boys (me and the wife even planned the date of our wedding around football fixtures!) but my brother booked the table and I could hardly say “Nah mom, I won’t be there cuz I wanna watch my crap-form team in a game they’ll most likely lose”. So I had my mates get on the text-case to keep me updated with the game. My battery almost died from the amount of dismal texts I got!
On top of the game sucking, the restaurant was freaking boiling and my little daughter cried almost the entire time, so all in all yesterday afternoon sucked big time! I’ve been told by my wife enough times that my mood is too heavily affected by Aston Villa, but a long face at a Mother’s Day meal was maybe a bridge too far! Oops. Sorry Mom.
I watched the highlights (make that lowlights) on MOTD and it looked like we gave a fair push in the first half but let ourselves down with poor mistakes; Nigel Reo-Coker being the main culprit. I was actually hoping he’d get a start, but not at right back. I was delighted to hear Carew got a start and it looks like he posed the most threat and will hopefully now start more. But I would’ve preferred to see him alone up top with NRC in a 5-man midfield. Surely MON knows that Liverpool are excellent in the middle and the only way we could even try to match them would be to outnumber them. Obviously not.
Heads down
We got thumped. We know. I’m sure that during the course of the day I will be reminded many times of this fact too. And now we go to Old Trafford with our heads well and truly down. The only comfort we can take there is that they are off form too. But before that…
Fabio Capello’s Villans
As would be expected, the England squad for the upcoming games is low on Villa players. With 6-7 of them having got in contention during Capello’s reign, he now overlooks almost all of them… and I can’t say I blame him. There’s no point taking players who are very low on confidence. Unfortunately it will only serve to kick them while they’re down, but Capello isn’t an Aston Villa motivational speaker, he’s an England manager.
Gareth Barry is in the squad which I fully agree with and right now he must be thinking that he can’t wait to get out of the Midlands. It will get better for Villa again Bazza, it may not be the next game but after that I expect normal service to be resumed. It won’t make any difference though, he’s as good as gone in my opinion. Only time will tell but I believe he’ll be a Liverpool player not long after the window opens.
The surprise in the England squad is Emile Heskey. Most Villa fans can’t see why he still gets in the Villa team, never mind play for his country. But I suppose, as I’ve said, it’s not that I think Heskey isn’t a good player, he just doesn’t fit into the Villa team. Maybe Capello has a plan to utilise his potential better than we do.
Heads up
But try to take defeat graciously Villa fans, this glitch won’t last forever. And even if we end up 5th it’s still a step forward from last season. Even 6th wouldn’t be a step backwards, though it will definitely feel like one after flying so high at points.
So heads up Villans, we have achieved a lot to be able to disappointed at being 5th.
Carrroooooooooooooooooooo is gonna start & Barry will be on his best behaviour
Villa travel to Merseyside on Sunday for a 4pm kick off with the Reds and we go into it with confidence on the floor. But 2 boosts come ahead of the game to give us Villa fans a little hope; John Carew looks set to be handed a start and Gareth Barry will be out to impress.
Carew first
Martin O’Neill has been interviewed and if you read between the lines, it surely means that he intends to get Carew off the bench and onto the pitch, hopefully in place of Heskey, who has not yet found a way to fit in with our team and seems to have hindered us by changing or our style of play. Maybe during the summer we can find a place for Heskey, as he gets used to us, but for the remainder of the season, I’d be happy not to see him start another game. We need to get back to winning ways.
Here’s what MON said, and unless I’m just taking from it what I want to hear then it sounds like he’s suggesting Carew will start:
“The great thing about it is that John Carew now is getting really properly fit. He played nearly a full game up at Everton in the absence of Emile Heskey in the FA Cup. Now, in the little training sessions that he has been doing recently, he has been really sharp. He is really raring to go, which is great.
“The two goals he has got after coming on as a substitute will also have given him a big boost of confidence. It is great to see him back when, in actual fact, you probably thought that it might have been really hard work coming back from the injury.
“John coming back and firing and going well with confidence high is great. I think that will be a major boost to us. Now Emile Heskey has come in and started very brightly at Portsmouth. Yes, he is feeling his way a little bit but that is not a problem.
“To have the three centre forwards there and available can only boost us from now until the end of the season – if they stay fit.”
Four. Five. One.
Still on Carew, I’d like to see him start as the lone striker on Sunday. Two reasons why; firstly, that was the formation that worked for us, we got great results with it and even ground out wins when we weren’t having a good day and secondly, because it can’t do any harm against a team like Liverpool to have plenty of bodies in the middle of the park.
Whether Sidwell gets back into the team or Reo-Coker or Gardner gets the place, I don’t really mind which (probably leaning slightly towards Coker), just so long as we see the 4-5-1 again. Come on Marty, read this blog and trust the author, not your own years of experience.
Gareth Barry
The rumours are (as we expected) already rife about Rafa coming back in for Barry this summer, and with Villa very unlikely to do as well in the Champions League as ‘Pool if we qualify, Barry is very likely to have his heart set back on the move he wanted last summer. The word on the street is that Rafa will be given the funds to secure Barry this time around so I doubt he will be a Villa player in 6 months time and this game he will see as his chance to show his new fans what he’s made of.
It’ll be a very sad day (for me and a large proportion of Villa fans) when Barry goes, but I think we need to start accepting it now, otherwise we’ll have to set up helplines, like when Take That split up 
Predictions
I honestly think we can come away with a point. I won’t be so daring to suggest we’ll win, but I think we’ll up our game against the big teams in these next 3 games and I see Sunday as a 1-1. Anyone else wanna venture a prediction? Or don’t you dare tempt fate!
How do you feel about Villa relinquishing such a strong position and lead over Arsenal?
Well there we have it. We’ve relinquished our spot in the top four. We’ve fell below Arsenal after having an 8 point lead and now we have to get points out of trips to Anfield and Old Trafford and a home game against on-fire Everton, or face the possibility of going into the last 6 games with a 9 point gap to make up (which really would be a 10 point gap as they have better goal difference). Talk about making life hard for ourselves.
So how do we feel today? (feel free to answer this question from your viewpoint in the comments box)
Today is a VERY difficult day to be a Villa fan/blogger. One part of me wants to swear and lament the team for the breakdown of everything they worked so hard to acheive and one part of me wants to be positive and refuse that the fight is over. For today I’m going to give way to my critical side and have a rant. Maybe once it’s off my chest or as the Liverpool game draws closer I’ll pick my chin up and believe again. But now for now, I’m hacked off with them!
Who is to blame? (feel free to answer this question from your viewpoint in the comments box too)
Martin O’Neill:
First on the list HAS to be the gaffer. Now I’m not one of these hot-headed types who wants managers sacked every ten minutes, but confidence is the main issue with Villa’s slide and surely confidence and player morale is part of MON’s job description. Going to the UEFA Cup game and surrendering in the manner in which he did was foolish. I see his point and I don’t necessarily disagree with prioritising the league, but he needed to at least take some of the ‘big names’ to be able to bring on as subs if things went south (which they did). In doing that he not only submitted us to a lot of criticism, which knocked confidence, but he also put HUGE pressure on the players to do well in the league games, which it seems they are not comfortable with.
He also needs knocking for his stubbornness of team selection. Now, none of us really know whats going on between him and Carew but it seems they have a bit of a barney on. Heskey is not fitting in with the team yet and should be dropped for Carew. The big man is the only one hitting the net for us recently and maybe with more match minutes he could do even better.
Gabby Agbonlahor:
Next up must be Gabby. Now it breaks my heart to say this as I idolise him sometimes; but he needs dropping or a HUGE kick up the backside. Gabby is living the dream of half the Villa fans; he grew up a Villan and now he is in the first team, starting every game up front and, until recently, was knocking the goals in. I know for a fact it was my ambition and it’s most likely many of yours too. BUT… he has really let his head drop this last few months. Even before we started losing and drawing games, Gabby was ineffective. MON needs criticising again here for not buying better in the window, even if he’d bought in a Championship striker who was eager to step up, just someone who knows where the net is because our boys don’t anymore. Our goal per attack ratio is appalling.
Emile Heskey:
When we were first linked with him I didn’t think it was a good idea. I am one of Heskey’s few fans, but he has nothing to offer the Villa. He doesn’t fit with our style and I feared that he would hinder us. He proved me wrong on his debut with a superb goal and a lot of promise, but since then he has proved me right. And… for such a big bloke, he’s a wimp! He goes down easy and he rarely heads a cross. Yesterday, little Aaron Lennon was twice as strong as Heskey.
Ashley Young:
I won’t say anything against Young as he did do what I’ve been wanting a lot more yesterday; learnt that no-one is getting on the end of his crosses and cut inside more and played more balls along the ground. Against teams like Spurs Young is at is best, but he had very little danger after him, no-one did much with what he created.
OK, so I’ll draw it to a close there or I’ll be here all day and no-one will be bothered to read it all. Maybe tomorrow I’ll take a look at the midfield and defence or maybe I’ll try to pick my head up and get come positive vibes out there. We’ll see.
Now it’s your turn, what did you think of yesterday and our situation in general (I can see there being some comments as long as the post here!).
[NB: Arsenal and Spurs fans who wish to come on here and slag us off or whatever, go to the other post for today 'Arsenal fans have never been so happy to see Spurs win' and say what you please, I probably won't delete or edit the comments on there. But any mindless comments on this post will be unapproved. This is for constructive criticism of how you feel about Villa's recent form and yesterday's game]
Injuries mount up ahead of the visit of the Ruskies
With the UEFA Cup knockout round against CSKA Moscow now upon us, Villa are feeling the pinch of our small squad as the number of injuries stack up in our physio room. In the Premier League, Villa have so far only fielded 19 different players, 10 less than the league leaders, a sign of the slimness of our numbers.
The injury concerns on MON’s plate for tonight are as follows Read more
How did the Villans get on in Spain?
Filed under: Aston Villa, International Football, Match Reports
Down in Seville on Wesnesday night, England lost 2-0 to the European Champions; Spain. The scoreline tells a story, but it was the game that really spoke loudest. Spain proved themselves to be leagues ahead of England, with slick passing and the ability to sit back and let England play and then carve them open when they saw a chance.
England started strongly and dominated the first half hour of the game, but for all their possession they showed little danger. They had 2 chances on the Spain goal, both by Villans, but Gabby didn’t connect too well with his volley, putting it narrowly wide and Barry’s header was also off target.
Villa player to miss big chance
After performing excellently for the Mighty Villans this season, Luke Young has forced his way back into the England squad for the first time since 2007.
Young was brought in by O’Neill to solve the long term trouble spot of right back at Villa, but he has not seen many starts in that role, despite being the only natural right back at the club. Instead he has played on the left flank, filling in for the injured Bouma and the out-of-form Shorey. His quality performances have led us Villans to question whether Young is misguided about his preferred position, or to be hopeful that when he returns to the right he will be even better.
Soon they will have to change the name to England Villa!
What can I say? Villa kick a$s!
Fabio Capello has named his squad this weekend for the upcoming international game on Wednesday. England will be facing European champions, Spain, in a friendly (or as some prefer to call them; pointless game) in Sevilla.
Capello has spent a number of weekends sat in our stands watching some exciting football from our whippersnappers and he obviously likes what he sees because his 23 man squad contains no less than 6 Villans.
James Milner has received his first ever senior call up, alongside Gareth Barry, Emile Heskey, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ashley Young and Luke Young.
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