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.
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.
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.
Hull 0-1 Villa – Hull contest the major decisions (including highlights video)
Phil Brown was left fuming with referee Steve Bennett last night after two game changing decisions went against the Tigers and allowed Villa to walk out of the KC Stadium with all the points. On another night they could’ve both gone their way and Hull could’ve won the game 2-1, but thats football, and unless they bring in the hotly debated, controversial video replays its not going to change.
The two decisions in question are the goal in the opening minutes, when Brad Friedel spilled the ball under pressure from Nick Barmby (what a clash of old gits!) and NRC turned it into our net and the penalty that Bennett awarded Hull in the dying seconds but then overturned his own decision.
Big decisions
D’ya want the good news or the bad news?
Filed under: Ashley Young, Aston Villa, International Football, Match Previews
Ok, I’ll make it short for this one, but I’ve just read the starting line-up that Fabio Capello has chosen for the Germany game and at first delight spread across my face when I saw Gabby Agbonlahor’s name up front… but then I saw another name and I swore out loud! Don’t worry I was alone, my four month old daughter wasn’t subjected to my double four-letter display, when I saw the name Downing in the line-up. Argggggghhh!!! What has Ashley Young got to do to prove himself?!
Let me state why I feel Young should be starting tonight; he has played outstandingly all this season and most of last; he makes the rest of the team play better due to his positive attacking play; he creates goal-scoring opportunities with his selfless passing and crossing game; he keeps possession of the ball better than Downing and his passes and crosses are much more accurate and decisive; blah blah blah… because he’s the dog’s banana’s! That’s enough!
I’m sure plenty of Middlesbrough fans out there would leap to their boy’s defence (and as hardened fans, so they should), but bear these 2 points in mind:
1. Read more
Gardner plays superb for England U21s, Agbonlahor and Young now with good chance of senior England action… at last and Barry remains regular in the national side
Filed under: Ashley Young, Aston Villa, Craig Gardner, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Gareth Barry, International Football, Match Previews, Match Reports, Player Profiles
Last night saw an England international friendly take place, not quite to the same media frenzy as tonight’s senior game against Germany, but successful all the same. Stuart Pearce’s U21 side took on the Czech Republic U21 at Bramall Lane and triumphed 2-0, thanks to goals from Manchester United’s Fraizer Campbell, currently out on loan at Harry Rednkapp’s Tottenham Hotspur, and none other than Villa’s own home-grown talent; Craig Gardner.
Campbell opened the scoring ten minutes into the game with a deftly taken goal, played through by Peterborough goalie Joe Lewis, who had a great game till he went off injured. The second goal came at the same length into the second half, from a free-kick by Gardner that you couldn’t quite tell if he meant it or not. It was a low free-kick, that went under the wall and into the bottom corner of the net. Through pride for one of our own, we’ll say: Played for… and got! Well done Craig.
In addition to the goal, Gardner also played a good commanding role in the midfield for the side, showing he could have potential to get back in the Villa side, but with our current crop of players you can only see him making it if injuries help him out. A loan move would certainly benefit him, but I doubt O’Neill would sanction letting players go when we still don’t have the largest of squads.
On to the senior England team Read more
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