Carew waves BYE as we lose a nothing match
Got to be totally honest, at no point was I ‘up’ for the game.
In fact I have never felt so non plussed for a game since the DOL years. It seems from the funeral atmosphere at VP that everyone felt the same and the guys behind just talked about the election all game which says it all really.
On the pitch the players hardly seemed bothered and lets face it is nice to be above Liverpool but whether we finished 5th, 6th or 7th is actually inconsequential. the attitude just seemed to be to finish the season which lets face it was finished last week and you have a feeling a few players had played their last game for Villa.
Hence the title.
You know I am no fan of the con artist called Carew and despite his goals this for me was the 6th game running he had a stinker against defenders who battled against him and not fall away. Hence on about 70 minutes when he was subbed and applauded all the ground o his way out I certainly got the feeling that was goodbye.
I did not stick around for the ‘lap of honour’ but I read and was told he was waving in many people’s view goodbye. I will be one of the few who will not be unhappy at that.
9 months gone quickly, all over now, we can reflect on a season of progression in many areas but today showed the same old fault of not breaking down teams at home and that is what we must correct.
Over to you Randy and Martin.
Is this the most important home game in years
Well is it ?
It is against Blues, they know the pain of the 5-1 and will be trying their very best to make sure we get nothing from this game, 0-0 suits them down to the ground. The game against Blues no matter how some Villa fans disparage it it is always important.
However with the results today no one needs to be under any false impression, we have a great chance of fourth now. MON has took some unjustified stick this season but any Villa fan would have took the situation with three games to go we have a chance of being equal with 4th with a game against a rival (Man City not blues !!) coming up.
So when we kick off tomorrow at lunch time with the enormous potential of 4th just in front of us no one at Villa Park from the Villa point of view will not be aware of the importance of this game. The atmosphere as usual will be cracking but add the prize in front of us and you will get something special from the fans and players should leave nothing at behind and give all on the pitch.
We have had our chances before, notably the Wolves and Sunderland games we flopped and badly this is not going to be acceptable tomorrow. It is the most important home league game I can remember maybe even more than when we beat them in 2006 3-1 because the prize is just so important.
That would be applicable for any team tomorrow but it just HAD to be Blues didn’t it.
Lets look back – Aston Villa 5 Birmingham City 1
Well the big one for many of us is close, some Villa fans call us that think this is a major game small minded but for me living in Birmingham and many others, this game is the yearly chance to shut those from the other side up.
Therefore after a disaster when they returned after mistakes, cock ups and plain right disgraceful performances. So if I want to reflect on the game for me it is the one that put things right, the one we will always remember.
Bare facts
20th April 2008
5-1
goals from Carew (2), Young (2), Gabby
So almost two years to the day we can reflect on the best day at Villa Park possibly since the Tranmere game.
The whole day was perfect, from a unnamed pub (don’t want everyone to know it !!), great beer and company, good ride to the game, nice burger (seriously).
Then I stood up all game to watch a total thrashing from the first minute to the last, a game which made heroes of the 11, made sure the fiasco of 03/03/03 was put aside, a game which took the pain of 4 successive defeats all away.
It is easy to list all that went right but you felt in the ground the first derby under the new era was different we have hope, desire and a total belief in all of us.
After the game took ages to get out, did we care, heck we did, one massive party, carried on into the pubs around North Birmingham and around the club the whole season.
It means that much, always did
If you any stories from this or any other Blues games please e-mail me on ianrobo1@virginmail.com
FULL TIME – Hull City 0 – ASTON VILLA 2 – GABBY, MILNER
Crucial game for both sides and with Villa unchanged in this game it is VITAL we take our chances
FULL TIME and all very easy at the end, Blues next !
93 mins – Heskey on for Carew
90 mins – TEN MINUTES of injury time
87 mins – Milner Yellow card
84 mins – Sidwell on for Petrov who is struggling with the groin injury he got earlier
82 mins – much more comfortable now
75 mins – GOOOAALLLL – Clear penalty for foul on Milner, Milner steps up, clinical penalty
72 mins – not sure if Young meant a cross but nearly creeped in
68 mins – Gabby forces a fine save
65 mins – AT LAST, Fagan gets booked for a foul on Young
62 mins – great challenge by Warnock but Villa not started yet
60 mins – Petrov tried a shot from long range after a poor clearance, hmmm not good
57 mins – Collins header from a corner, straight at the keeper
54 mins – real long stoppage, at least Dunne back on without missing the game, hope Hesselink is ok but good news for us, he caused us problems
47 mins – Freidel tips over but awful collison in the box, Dunne off for stitches, Hesselink in a bad way
46 min – Hull corner – defended well
2nd HALF – the most important 45 mins of our season
HALF TIME – very good start and great finish by Gabby but Hull changed their formation which unsettled us for the rest of the half
45 mins – 3 minutes added time
42 mins – Petrov booked for a foul on Bullard
39 mins – yet another foul on Warnock and likely to be replaced by Young
36 mins – stupid free kick given away by Gabby free kick easily saved
33 mins – quietened down, Hull back in the game somewhat
23 mins – fantastic defending on the line by Collins
20 mins – Petrov again narrowly over
18 mins – Mike Dean is the ref and gets a Hull booking spot on
16 mins – Petrov shot is saved for a corner, we look very confident
13 mins – GOOAALLLL – Gabby with a fantastic finish after rubbish Hull defending
10 mins – Milner shoots wide, Downing playing more inside it seems
7 mins – Not much happened, both teams seem nervous to me, Villa fans in fine voice
2 min – Very positive from Villa and draw the first chance, a Cuellar header from a free kick
KICK OFF
TEAM NEWS – For a MUST WIN game – NO changes
This is your archetypical must win game isn’t it.
As expected NO CHANGES
Friedel; Cuellar, Collins, Dunne, Warnock; A Young, Petrov, Milner, Downing; Agbonlahor, Carew. Subs: Beye, Guzan, Sidwell, L Young, Delfouneso, Heskey, Reo-Coker.
JPA says the Fonz will be a star, who am I to disagree
JPA on his twtter feed I mentioned yesterday said after the game today
2-1 up Villa Delfouneso… he is going to be a great player,he can score goals too
MON also says this and anyone reading this blog will know the high regard I have for this lad. In the limited opportunities he has had he has always looked like scoring and like today has scored some proper finisher type goals. He has everything and for a local lad to come on and score the winner must be the ultimate for any player from the youth system.
Today we dominated the game from start to finish, we did take risks and looked shaky at the back but that is because we HAD to win and we did. The ref obviously missed 3 penalties for us and one for them but Gabby and Carew missed clear chances. So MON must be very happy that his subs worked, Heskey sent over a good flick on to the right area and the Fonz tucked it away.
Reading the forums I do wonder if sometimes I watch the same game with the amount of moaning I read then it seems some people to moan than praise.
Well MON got the subs spot on today, he brought on the right players, they combined and scored a late winner, what more could you want ?
FULL TIME – Pompey 1 – VILLA 2 – CAREW, The FONZ
No shocks as MON names the same team as Everton in a game that VILLA for MON’s sake simply HAS to win.
No excuses for this one
Bad News before the game started as Sky reveal Delph picked up a ‘serious knee injury’ in training
================================================
FULL TIME and a well deserved win in a dominating performance. Well done Nath for your first goal and the the league win
81 mins – GOALLLL, the Fonz pokes it in from Heskey’s flick on, first league goal
79 mins – yet another clear pen on Petrov not given, the Fonz on for Gabby
72 mins – Downing heads over
70 mins – Heskey on for Carew, who has done nothing this half
61 mins – good Miler shot saves, total and utter Villa dominance
58 mins – yet another clear pen turned down
55 mins – Gabby heads straight at James from a Young cross, glaring miss
53 mins – Milner shoots straight at James
52 mins – total Villa dominance but usual problem of lack of chances
SECOND HALF – No changes
HALF TIME – Villa dominated all the chances and possession and should really be three or even four up, Pompey look threatening on the couter but we created an awful lot in that half
40 mins – And David James of course saves it, straight at him from Carew
39 mins – AT LAST CLEAR PENALTY GIVEN
36 mins – EFFING REF, how on earth can that NOT be a pen on Gabby, clearly pulled down, clear pen
31 mins – Freidel makes a save from a free kick
28 mins – game settled down a bit now but as sky just said hardly a tackle in it, like a pre-season game, different from the next two I suspect !
20 mins – Villa hit the post after a deflected Young cross, we are all over them when we attack but they look dangerous on the counter attack
16 mins – Carew breaks the offside trap and this time no chance, this score could be anything
15 mins – Strong run by Gabby and Carew misses a sitter
13 mins – Downing forces a good save, but Villa look shell shocked
9 mins – disaster as Pompey tear us apart to go one up
6 mins – Bright start continues as both sides going for it, Pompey look weak down the wings
4 mins – Friedel makes a very good save after at he other end Carew messes up a decent chance
2 mins – Very good start to the game, end to end and Villa get two early corners, plenty of empty seats at Fratton Park
KICK OFF
Pompey vs Villa – Team News, guess what, same again
Lets be honest we have heard no news of any injuries since Wednesday so do any of us expect any changes, I don’t
EDIT: Same team as started against Everton, come on, own up who is shocked at that !
NRC on the bench is good news, Luke Young drops completely out and no Delph either
VILLA: Friedel; Cuellar, Dunne, Collins, Warnock; A Young, Milner, Petrov, Downing; Carew, Agbonlahor.
Subs: Guzan, Beye, Heskey, Reo-Coker, Clark, Delfouneso, Sidwell.
We should beat THIS Pompey team
James, Van den Borre, Wilson, Yebada, McKenna, Sowa, Diop, Brown, Utaka, Boateng, Kanu.
Meaningless Match but crucial for MON
Frankly Sky have picked a right match for tomorrow haven’t they ?
Portsmouth, a team looking forward to only one game, with barely half a proper team and already relegated.
On the other hand we are struggling a lot, no point disguising that and no point beating around the bush, whilst we are difficult to beat the draws have killed us. The failure to rest the odd player is bemusing to a lot of us and it is no point hiding behind it, MON is under pressure to show he can understand the issues we talk about.
Certain players like Delph, Albrighton, the Fonz shoudl have all started some of the recent games, Dunne and Collins should have been rested as well because we do have options at the back. why MON does not do that we would have to ask him and this season unlike last season he did have the options and never used them.
Whilst I am prepared to give MON one more season and back him 100% anything other than a win tomorrow is not acceptable and forums will quite rightly give him massive stick and he would deserve that.
After the Man City game today we still had chances for top 4 the surprise result for Tottenham has put paid to that for even the most optimistic of fans which I am one of. So in many ways it is a meaningless match, some people may want Europa League I do not therefore whether we finish 5th or 8th makes no difference to me.
Beating Portsmouth though is a must win for MON
End of season, questions to be asked, players to go
Yesterday confirmed what we feared but we simply are not good enough at killing off teams. For the record I thought we played well until their goal and if that useless lump Carew had scored when close in then maybe the game would have been different. What the game did confirm to me was we have loads of fighting spirit and as we saw at the end all the players and especially Young and Milner looked distraught.
We kept the ball on the floor very well but the lack of movement from the front two and especially the lump Carew was clear for all to see in the Holte End and this is the problem I see for MON to resolve. For me it is not about a PLAN A or a PLAN B but the personnel we have up front. With a player full of movement it allows for so many other options than we currently have. Gabby I have always rated but he was too static yesterday and yet scored a good header, Carew, was well just hopeless and maybe after the criticism after Saturday MON thought best not to bring on Heskey.
So the questions that have to be asked are
1) Do we have the cash to supplement the existing squad or do we need sell ?
2) Is there a player out there that can add movement, skill and goals and is affordable and will come to Villa
3) Who will leave the club in the summer be it the manager or a number of players ?
For me it is clear who should leave
Carew
Heskey
NRC or Sidwell
Beye or Young
Cuellar or Davies
Salifou
Harewood
Who we can get, really I have no idea on that, who I would want, I am not sure. I have always wanted someone like Robbie Keane ha has the attributes of being a goalscorer and would add movement but at 29 is the hunger and desire there anymore to succeed at the top level ?
Time will tell of course and it will be interesting to see what happens in the summer, as usual.
Is this our season defining game, maybe the ref (Atkinson) will be fair to us
It has seemed for a long time now I have previewed every game with the preface
“this is the most important game of the season”
Whilst this may be true there is no question, failure to win tomorrow or god forbid a defeat and that is season over, no question about that, no debate. OK we may have the Blues game to come but that is purely about pride and not the league as such.
However a win tomorrow and 4th place is on because of the net two away games are easily winnable and 9 points from these three will put pressure on Man City who do have Man Utd and Arsenal away to play. After these games you could see us being only a couple of points behind going into the aforementioned Blues game.
So tomorrow around 38000 will head to Villa Park to see the longest and most player rivalry in football against a team we have a very good record with since MON came to the club. It is a game we should win at home but as the home record shows that is easier to say than what may happen.
For the team news, it appears Carew may well be out, guess Heskey would start as recently we have seen no MON surprises which is actually a point most would disagree with him. I would like to see a 451 tomorrow if Carew is out with Delph brought in and would like to see Albrighton start as well. But lets be honest that will not happen but the team is more than good enough to win.
The question after Saturday is whether we believe we can and just how much that defeat did knock out of us. For morale it was a very poor defeat and I hope we can show the determination MON has spoken about !!
WE HAVE TO WIN, simple as that
Oh and Martin Atkinson is ref, I have to say I rate him, hope he does not let us down
The race for 4th is NOT over
Back in February I posted a blog on our prospects for 4th at the time the table was
4 Man City 25 45
5 Liverpool 26 44
6 Tottenham 26 43
7 Aston Villa 25 42
Now it stand as, so you can see that the differences are quite small over the past6/7 games and if we were in the hunt back then we are now
4 Man City 32 19 59
5 Tottenham 32 26 58
6 Liverpool 33 21 55
7 Aston Villa 32 12 54
So lets look at the fixtures then
Villa
33 14.04.2010 Everton home 34 18.04.2010 Portsmouth away 35 21.04.2010 Hull City away 36 25.04.2010 Birmingham City home 37 01.05.2010 Manchester City away 38 09.05.2010 Blackburn Rovers home
Liverpool
34 11.04.2010 Fulham home 35 19.04.2010 West Ham United home 36 24.04.2010 Burnley away 37 01.05.2010 Chelsea home 38 09.05.2010 Hull City away
Man City
33 11.04.2010 Birmingham City home 34 17.04.2010 Manchester United home 35 24.04.2010 Arsenal away 36 01.05.2010 Aston Villa home 37 05.05.2010 Tottenham Hotspur home 38 09.05.2010 West Ham United away
Spurs
33 14.04.2010 Arsenal home 34 17.04.2010 Chelsea home 35 24.04.2010 Manchester United away 36 01.05.2010 Bolton Wanderers home 37 05.05.2010 Manchester City away 38 09.05.2010 Burnley away
It is clear Spurs have the hardest ones left, Man City narrowly behind this then probably us with Liverpool behind us. there hope is not lost, based on the fixtures I see no way spurs can finish 4th but they could still scupper Man City, Liverpool should be very close to 4th but their form is all over the place and then there is us and who knows about that ?
However the dream scenario is that we could go to the COMS with a draw being enough or at worse knowing a win could boost us above them and presumably into 4th. what it shows is that there is no need to give up hope and that should be from the players, manager and most of all the fans !!
Fantastic win banishes the Blues
Title says it all
So what did we need an away win and a clean sheet.
Exactly what we got, plus a very good performance and a world class goal from Ashley Young. We went into the game on the back of a confidence destroying week but MON has something about him in adversity and he proved this today setting up the team very well and bringing in Delph who had a very good game.
Defensively that was more like it, Dunne and Collins let nothing past them and the midfield looked like plenty of energy with Delph in there and up front Gabby’s pace was always a constant threat. I fact before an edgy last few minutes we were well in control and should have been 2/3 up if Heskey and Gabby had took their chances.
But all that matters is the win, a massive confidence boosting one following on from last week and when they find out Spurs lost then maybe 4th is not such a forlorn hope.
and the fans not surprising were totally behind MON and the team all game.
FULL TIME – Bolton 0 VILLA 1 – Young
So today will tell us just how much the Villa players are behind MON
Team is Friedel, Cuellar, Dunne, Collins, Warnock, Young, Petrov, Delph, Downing, Gabby, Carew
93 mins – FANTASTIC WIN
90 mins – really nervous at the reebok now
85 mins – Villa take you through it Davies misses a very good chance after we should have been comfortable
83 mins – Gabby misses a golden chance, one on one
79 mins – young put away by Petrov, squares it but Heskey denied by a good spread save
78 mins – Bolton have had a couple of chances, simple Freidel saves, but nervy now
75 mins – Sidwell on for Delph
71 mins – James Collins blasts over from a free kick and good save from Freidel after a Collins mistake
70 mins – Heskey on for Carew
67 mins – halfway through 2nd half and Villa still dominant as Cuellar heads wide from a corner
62 mins – disappointing as another Villa corner is harmless
59 mins – narrow escape as a Bolton header flashes wide
51 mins – Downing heads over from a corner
50 mins- game carries on as per the 1st half and a Downing free kick deflected wide
SECOND HALF and Kick Off
HALF TIME and a very good performance away from home, Freidel had little to do and if we had been a bit more clinical up from then the score could have been 3/4 goals more.
43 mins – yet another breakaway and Young tries for a repeat performance but goes wide
41 mins – got to say that the response to last week has been very good and very positive, just need to consolidate by taking one of the breakaway chances we have had
32 mins – Quiet period, Villa though in control, Gabby had a chance 4 mins which the goalie tipped over
23 mins – Villa have played very well for the past 15 minutes and Bolton leaving so much space at the back, more chances have to come. Delph the best player so far.
20 mins – Bolton not holding back in challenges as Ricketts gets booked for a clear foul on Warnock
18 mins – Petrov now visibly struggling
15 mins – from a Downing free kick the ball goes narrowly wide, Gabby is limping though
13 mins – Villa withstand some good Bolton pressure as they shoot wide
10 mins – FANTASTIC GOAL by Ash Young, after a brilliant build up full of proper football
8 mins – fantastic work by Delph sets up Villa’s first corner
5 mins – Bolton have another decent shot
3 min – large shouts in favour of MON
1 min – first shot from Bolton, harmlessly wide
15:00 – KICK OFF – Villa Fans in fine voice and numbers
CRUCIAL weekend for race to 4th
I hate the fact that finishing 4th is considered so crucial, but it is and we have to deal with that. After tonight’s win we are in a very good position with two games to come against teams in the bottom half.
So when you look at this weekend’s fixtures this could be the turning point for the race in our favour.
We have Wolves at home and obviously this should be a very winnable game for us and if we do, we go joint 4th with the fixtures for the other teams being
Fulham vs Man City
Stoke vs Spurs
Man Utd vs Liverpool
All of those games are very difficult (funny enough for us we got 7 points in comparative games) away games for our nearest challengers. If we get the perfect set of results then we go into the Sunderland game with a chance to forge clear.
We have been here before, we have had our chances to seal the position, most notably against Stoke last season, but this team appears different, more resilient and every plan, management and fans knows exactly what is at stake. On Saturday we should not leave anything behind in our search for a win, then pray.
Play poorly and score 5, how strange
So, what a very strange game. Frankly all but for 20 mins we were rubbish, in fact more than that, abysmal might be the better word. However like all good teams we saw a weakness and exploited it for a magical 20 minutes to win 3 points and put us amongst the top 4 teams with some ‘easy’ games to come.
At 1-1 with 10 minutes of the 2nd half gone I was calling for Carew instead of Heskey, that is how bad it was. We could barely get our game together and the first half was as bad a first half as we have seen at Villa under MON. We could barely string passes together and looked like a relegation side, yet once Downing gave us the lead we looked a completely different side, one that finally had believed in itself.
Then we saw the real Villa, one where down the wings we totally exposed Burnley and for once were very clinical in front of goal. You would hope that this result now gives us the impetus to move forward and actually believe in ourselves as an attacking force.
With the other results today it means the whole battle for top 4 has become a 4 horse race and with the fixtures to come we have to be very confident that unlike last season we can push on for the rest of the season and grab the spot. when we get the belief we can be a very potent force it seems sometimes we lack the belief to do that and if this gives us the boost then today may be the start of a very successful last few months.
No defeat in 2010 is unlike the other MON seasons at the same stage and maybe being slightly defensive but with attacking poential will prove to be pivotal, we hope so.
UPDATED, Match ON – Snow warning for Burnley game
If anyone just saw the BBC Weather forecast they have a severe weather warning out for heavy snow in the West Midlands for early tomorrow morning.
The forecaster has just said a possibility of up to 10CM for our area, it is the last thing we want for the game to be cancelled tomorrow and lets just hope it will not be as bad as that.
Official warning from the Met Office
Sleet and snow will spread eastwards across parts of the West Midlands and northwest England during Sunday morning, giving widespread accumulations of 2 to 6 cm, and locally up to 10 cm. This will also lead to widespread ice on roads and pavements.
The public are advised to take extra care and refer to the Highways Agency for further advice on traffic disruption on motorways and trunk roads.
Issued at: 1749 Sat 20 Feb
UPDATED – 08:45 – Snow has fallen, I live 3 miles from Villa Park and around 4-5 cm of the stuff has fallen. However already it is starting to melt away, think we will be all OK
UPDATED – 09:45 – Official Site has confirmed match definitely on
The ancient battle of the Claret and Blues resume
Back in 1888 two teams played each other in the first ever football league season. One team was vastly more successful but given the size of Burnley they did not do to bad as well.
So for the first time in my supporting history Burnley play a league game at Villa Park with an abysmal away record. On Sunday this resumption of an ancient rivalry resumes and it is obviously a game we must win to ensure that the race for fourth stays a 4 horse race. In fact with Liverpool and Man City playing after our game it is clear a win will put us right up amongst the positions for 4th.
Therefore I expect nothing less than a full strength team for this game. If everyone is fit the only real debate is exactly who will play at RB, Luke Young or Carlos Cuellar. I like Cuellar, no emphaise that further I really rate him and he has played really well, However at this stage we need a proper right back, we have to win the game and Luke simply HAS to play.
The only other area is who would play alongside Gabby. With Heskey breaking down every game, Carew playing like he has already left then is it time for Nathan Delfouneso ? MON said today
Delph and for that matter, Nathan Delfouneso, have got wonderful ability. I expect those two boys to be really, big big players for us next season.
I totally agree and the only reason I would not play Delph tomorrow is that he is needed for Wednesday. However Delfouneso can start against Burnley’s slow centre backs and I believe he would be excellent against them and provide a real threat and more importantly goals.
whatever team is picked we must win and hopefully get a few goals, the next month is vital for our league ambitions and anything less against a team with only one point away from Turf Moor is just unacceptable.
The race for 4th, Villa, Liverpool, Spurs or Man City
Before we go into the ancient Claret and Blue battle against Burnley it is a good time to remind of us of where we are and what we have to play for.
4 Man City 25 45
5 Liverpool 26 44
6 Tottenham 26 43
7 Aston Villa 25 42
We have 13 games left and just 3 points behind 4th spot our next run of games are
Burnley H
Sunderland H (may be postponed if we beat Palace)
Stoke A
Wigan A
Wolves H
Hull A to be re arranged
After Wolves we are due to play Chelsea. In theory, and that is all well and good to say, these games are easily winnable, it is the kind of run you would want in our position. However these games are in March, the month I believe MON has only won one game in and these are the games we have slipped up in this season.
But with self belief, Gabby scoring, some luck and maybe improving our play, is it really that impossible to believe we can not be 4th before we play Chelsea on the 27th March ?
This season, every time a team has had a chance to grab 4th by the scruff of the neck we have all failed to do so. However now is the time to grasp the nettle.
It is the time for every one of us to stand up and not be afraid to want the place. If players are tired or weary then they should step down, the fans are not, we have a cup final BUT we need 4th place and CL football to step up the level of the footballers we need at VP.
So yes take one game at a time but surely we will never have a better chance of 4th this season, it is up for grabs, look at those fixtures and seriously tell me they are not the perfect springboard to get 4th ?
14 years of waiting, can we win a game at home
19th August 1995
Remeber that game ?
We played three new signings, Savo, Draper & Southgate at the start of Brian little’s first year in charge. They cost £9m and were young, hungry and rated. After a stunning 3-1 win against Man Utd. it looked like the future would be claret & blue and yet not beaten them at home since in the Premier league and domination by the team in red.
3 months ago we finally broke the stranglehold at Old Trafford and I can see no reason why we can not do it tomorrow. Man U are storming it at the moment let by Rooney in the form of his career but this time he is up against the might of Dunne who snuffed him out at Old Trafford. Villa fans because we have failed to score seem to be a little negative about the game but we have plenty of reasons to be positive. Not least the best defence in the league which will have to be on form and if we can get some attacking zest I can see a win.
It is confusing why we have failed to score or even create chances in a number of games, have we been too negative, maybe but we have more than the quality to win. I always say we have to believe on games and none more so tomorrow. Heskey being out, unlike what some fans think is a blow, he is the link man between the forwards and midfield a role Carew or Gabby simply can not do.
However Man U’s defence is nothing special, it is beatable and if only Carew can motivate himself then maybe a win, the first for 14 years, is not an impossibility.
Fantastic defence keeps Spurs at bay, but what is the point of Carew
No-one will pretend today’s performance was a classic, in fact quite the opposite it was at times quite desperate. However with the clear MOTM Richard Dunne at the heart of defence and Friedel rock solid we came away from White Hart Lane with yet another clean sheet and a valuable away point at a close rival.
The turning point of the game came when Heskey was forced off, until then we were playing well and Heskey was doing well holing up the ball, then Carew came on.
OK, lets give him some leeway, he has been ‘injured’ but that was abysmal from him, time and time again he failed to hold up the ball like Heskey did and this forced us deeper and deeper back. I have no qualms that if Heskey is out for Man United and other games Nathan Delfouneso, because he would easily be an improvement on Carew any time.
However Spurs came up against a man made brick wall called Collins and Dunne and with Friedel ably supporting them with a few scares they never looked like scoring.
So with just 18 goals conceded in 24 games we are 3 points behind fourth and after Man U on Wednesday a much easier run of fixtures to come. Yes against the very top opposition we lack the top creativity to break them down but our record against the rest of the top 7 with just 3 games to come is very good, if not excellent.
Unlike some on the forums it is not a time to panic but to be hopeful and to admire the resilience and determination of our team nad that goes a long long way to success.
A trip down memory (White Hart) Lane
I have been on many trips down to Whte Hart Lane over the years and rarely do you see boring games. This season however will be watching it on ESPN somewhere and yet against we have another game we need to win to have serious ambitions for top 4, a draw obviously is not the worst result in the world.
Similarities to 21st February 1990 are appropriate now. Back then it was one of my first away trips we were challenging for the title and went to WHL to face a Terry Venables led Spurs with Gazza and Lineker. We were expected to lose but instead turned in a majestic performance to win 2-0 with goals from Ormodroyd and Platt. Now obviously tomorrow is not about the league but top 4 is vital to both team future, the press as usual love Tottenham and barely mention us, can it happen again ?
Tottenham’s form has been rather patchy recently but ours is an unbeaten January, progression to Wembley
and in the FA Cup. Whilst the West Ham result was disappointing the form was good and last week against Fulham we were great with a defence that at the moment looks impregnable. It is disappointing to lose Warnock at the moment but Carew’s return is welcome (his time of the year to score) and Gabby maybe is over his slump earlier than normal ?
This game and Manchester United represent the last two games back to back that anyone would call tough, we get anywhere between 3 & 6 points would leave us in a very good position for 4th place and in turn damage Tottenham’s push for fourth.
We never lack determination and faith as a team but sometimes we lack that quality in the final third against Fulham we showed more signs of this and more of that we will have a very good run in to the season.
Fulham vs Villa – FT – 0-2 – Gabby (2) – bogey broken
FULL TIME – Very good performance from Villa as we secured a comfortable win after controlling most of the game. Dunne and Collins very very good, Gabby back on form and the midfield solid
Back in the race for 4th after agent Ridgewell’s goal
80 mins – pressure from Fulham a couple of shots including a save and one wide.
76 mins – Heskey booked for dissent
73 mins – Fulham goal ruled out for offside
67 mins – still in control, less adventrous than the first half
62 mins – my internet speed is too slow to watch stream, grrrrrr
59 mins – Zamora shoots wide
56 mins – Gera sneaked in, straight at Friedel, from resulting corner hangeland heads over
solid start to the half
2nd HALF
HALF TIME – Got to say Gabby as I posted yesterday is vital to us, he offers pace and now power, scores, and we are doing very well, playing very well
44 mins, GOOOOOAAAALLL, wait 4 games and two in 5 mins, brilliant turn and finish by Gabby
42 mins, Murphy fires wide from a free kick
39 mins, well deserverd Villa GOAAALLLL, Gabby flicked header from Petrov cross
37 mins, mistake by Collins lets in Zamora and a last gas block by Cuellar stopped a certain goal
36 mins, PHEWWW, Friedel fumbles a simple shot, nearly let in Zamora
34 mins, yet another Villa chance and Petrov fired over from close in
32 mins, great move again, Young cross and Young (Luke) forced a great save
28 mins, no real chances but possession all Villa and all the half chances, with a bit of a Fulham attack
23 Mins, Gabby wins a great header to Milner who sets up young who forces a save at the near corner
Another period of good play and once again Heskey with a half chance
15 mins and Villa, well on top, playing some very good stuff, using the wings very well
Some very good play and Downing looking very dangerous, Heskey missed a half chance
Trademark Villa counter attack and Dowing cross evaded everyone a minute later
Some Fulham pressure and a shot straight at Friedel after 7 mins.
Villa after 4 minutes a good ‘long ball’ from Collins to Milner and Heskey headed over from a decent cross, should have been on target.
Same team that started against Arsenal.
What would you give for a goal – Gabby please deliver
Since the Arsenal game on Wednesday the talk of Villa fans is the 4 goals without a goal.
It has been well publicised that we have not gone four games without a win for a few years now a few managers ago ! Yet the shocking thing about this Villa team is that we hardly lack players for creativity in Downing, Young & Milner.
So has we head into the Fulham game on Saturday at a very difficult venue and one we have failed at many times the big question is whether we can actually score ? Because if we do score with a very good defence then the chances are we can certainly win games and therefore progress and keep up the battle for the top 4, which we have slipped behind a bit.
The problem is at Villa MO has a past record for this, every season has seen a slump at this time even when we are actually playing quite well as I believe we are. The slump usually coincides with Gabby’s winter slump and we are well and truly within that. Gabby is vital to how we play we need his pace but if he can not score it appears it affects the whole team. We need somehow to get him to play in the winter but no one can deny the effort so what is it ?
Anyway for tomorrow, guess same starting team as against Arsenal, where we did actually play well and really a draw is a decent result but Fulham are missing players through injuries and games like this are a watershed for us.
Recent Comments