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ChrisVillan

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Blog Entries posted by ChrisVillan

  1. ChrisVillan
    You can tell Tim Sherwood is the Aston Villa manager, can't you? The ordinarily quiet international break has been taken over by gossip and apparent leaks from the club, all pointing towards some kind of behind-the-scene endgame and Sherwood's possible departure. In this week's show Chris and Steve examine the current state of play and ask why, if he's going, the Villa suits don't just make him go now.

    We also preview this weekend's Premier League fixture against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, where two under-fire managers might well be battling it out for only one available stay of execution. Jose Mourinho's side are only four points ahead of Villa's dire start and the rumblings of discontent can be heard loud and clear as far away as B6. Could Villa be the end of Mourinho once more?

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  2. ChrisVillan
    Aston Villa losing to Chelsea is no surprise. In fact, Aston Villa losing to anyone is no surprise. Tim Sherwood's bumbling, incompetent performance has dragged the team right back to where it was when he replaced Paul Lambert but he won't enjoy the same longevity as his predecessor. Villa's 2-0 loss at Stamford Bridge, reviewed in this week's show, might very well have been the penultimate straw.

    Chris and Steve also discuss the possibility of David Moyes replacing him, compare Moyes to Brendan Rodgers, and preview the next game. Villa host Swansea City on Saturday needing to arrest an astounding slide towards the bottom of the table, where they will find themselves sooner rather than later if next weekend's fixture list shakes out as expected. Still, at least Stan Collymore and Chris Sutton like Sherwood.

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  3. ChrisVillan
    After eight months, 28 matches and a three-week propaganda war, Aston Villa's decision makers have defenestrated "manager" Tim Sherwood with the team sitting at the foot of the Premier League table. The weekend's defeat to Swansea City appears to have been the final straw but the likelihood is that Sherwood has been a dead man walking for weeks.

    In this week's Aston Villa Review we touch on the latest match briefly before discussing Sherwood's tenure, sacking and potential replacement. Sunday afternoon brought with it some very credible sources making some bold claims about former Lyon coach Remi Garde, who seems to be the favoured candidate as the search begins/continues (delete as appropriate). We also look ahead to this week's League Cup tie at Southampton.

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  4. ChrisVillan
    With apologies for the mix at the top of the show - an oversight, sorry about that - here's a special one-off show in which Steve investigates a few of the perceived problems at Aston Villa. We've all become accustomed to the blame game in recent years, and with Villa now bottom of the Premier League we believe it's time to really start attaching the right names.

    Steve talks to @Flav_Bateman of The Fighting Cock podcast (Tottenham Hotspur, obviously) about former Villa manager Tim Sherwood, whose time at Spurs went somewhat under the radar for Villa supporters, and to Arsenal Supporters' Trust member @TimPayton about two of the most important men at Villa: ex-Arsenal suits Tom Fox and Hendrik Almstadt. Are we barking up the wrong tree?

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  5. ChrisVillan
    Life as an Aston Villa supporter is currently dominated by the appointment of the club's new manager, expected to be confirmed as Remi Garde this morning, but there's football to attend to as well. In this week's Aston Villa Review we briefly preview tonight's match against Tottenham Hotspur and even more briefly preview Sunday's visit from Manchester City.

    There's a very short chat about last week's League Cup loss to Southampton before we address a handful of listener questions, ranging from the new manager's use or otherwise of Libor Kozak, possible transfer requirements and the overall attractiveness of the Villa job. (Not very.) Welcome to the club, Remi.

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  6. ChrisVillan
    It's only been eight days since the last episode of Aston Villa Review but things have moved on apace at Villa Park since then. Remi Garde was officially appointed in time to be in the stands as Villa were beaten by Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane and took charge for the first time in Sunday's home draw against Manchester City.

    It was a solid start for the new boss and Chris and Steve look back over his debut, the result, the line-up and the performance in this week's show. We also skim over a few details from the Spurs game, briefly welcome the new man officially and ask whether the international break has come at a good or bad time for the club.

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  7. ChrisVillan
    You've heard this episode of Aston Villa Review before. Villa have been terrible for ages. In the last game they offered us a glimmer of hope, picking up an unexpected point before being cut off by an international break. This week, they've brought us back down to earth with a crash by bending weakly to the will of a superior side. This time out that was Everton, the score was 4-0 and the culprits were many.

    In this week's show Chris and Steve briefly discuss Jordan Amavi's injury before serving up a sober assessment of that limp defeat at Goodison Park and ask whether manager Remi Garde missed a trick or two in his tactics and team selection. Do Jack Grealish and Carles Gil warrant two starting places and should Garde switch it up against Watford? It's a cheerful one, naturally.

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  8. ChrisVillan
    Aston Villa took the lead in their Premier League match at Southampton on Saturday but were pegged back, not without a degree of inevitability. Taking a point from difficult away games like this one should be satisfactory but Villa's predicament means that the draw has left some supporters feeling nothing other than empty.

    In this week's show Chris and Steve discuss Villa's latest performance as well as looking ahead to Sunday's visit from injury-hit Arsenal. We also take a look at the first examples of Remi Garde's man management. Have Gabriel Agbonlahor, Libor Kozak and Jack Grealish been handled the right way since the new manager took over?

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  9. ChrisVillan
    Aston Villa are in 20th place in the Premier League. Sunderland, the team immediately above them, have twice as many points. Twice. As. Many. Points. The debacle of this season, in which Randy Lerner is finally getting his deserved comeuppance, just drags on and on and Villa wins are beginning to feel like a thing of the past.

    Villa haven't won at home yet this season and Sunday's visit from Arsenal was never likely to buck the trend. But other teams in the bottom six have upset the odds already this season and did so again this weekend. Villa simply don't look capable of matching that. This week Chris and Steve review the Arsenal game and cry a bit.

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  10. ChrisVillan
    It's Christmas! Well, nearly. Aston Villa kicked off the festive period with an improved performance in difficult circumstances at Newcastle United, where torrential rain threatened the match itself but Villa's players worked through the conditions and a first half Newcastle goal to push for a win in the sodden second half, eventually taking a point.

    In this week's show Chris and Steve assess Villa's performance on Tyneside and discuss whether draws picked up here and there are of any use to Villa whatsoever. We also look ahead to the first couple of Christmas fixtures with previews of West Ham United's Boxing Day visit to Villa Park and Villa's bank holiday trip to Norwich City.

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  11. ChrisVillan
    The season goes from worse to worser to worsest for Aston Villa and the Christmas period hasn't been much different. There was a glimmer of hope in the performance against West Ham United, just enough to make supporters wonder whether a miraculous escape might be possible after all. Sadly, two days later, any remaining hope was dashed.

    In this week's Aston Villa Review we use the phrase "by our standards" a lot in order to try and squeeze some positives out of the West Ham match. There's a cursory nod to the Bank Holiday defeat at Norwich City, some choice words about a former player and brief previews of the upcoming games against Sunderland and Wycombe Wanderers. Warning: negativity.

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  12. ChrisVillan
    As easy as it is to criticise Aston Villa supporters who cross a line in terms of their expressions of anger - and we certainly criticise them in this week's show - Villa's season is going from bad to worse and the very fabric of the club seems to be falling down around us. It's not, but it's been a minging winter for us all and it's going to get worse before it gets better.

    Villa followed up a defeat at Norwich City with another against Sunderland, the team directly above them in the table and now comfortably clear in 19th. If that put paid to any faint hopes of Premier League survival, the FA Cup Third Round draw at Wycombe Wanderers proved to last straw for many supporters. The club, as we head into the middle of January, is utterly toxic.

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  13. ChrisVillan
    In the context of this abysmal Premier League season the last week has been something of a triumph for Aston Villa. Last Tuesday Remi Garde's team finally logged their first league win since the opening day of the season, benefiting from a Wayne Hennessey error to defeat Crystal Palace by a single goal at Villa Park.

    On Saturday they took their twelfth point of the campaign with a 1-1 draw against Leicester City in the most woefully officiated game for years. Roger East, have a word with yourself. In this week's show Chris and Steve review those games, preview the next two and welcome French Football Weekly's Jonathan Johnson to talk about Villa's French connection.

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  14. ChrisVillan
    Aston Villa remain unbeaten since their devastating loss to Sunderland and appear to gradually putting together some kind of solid footing. The FA Cup Third Round replay against Wycombe Wanderers meant they had another two-game week to negotiate, and they did so in satisfactory fashion.

    On Tuesday two late goals saw off the League Two side to set up a Fourth Round visit from Manchester City, and Villa faced West Bromwich Albion on Saturday in a Premier League clash that ended, somewhat predictably, in a goalless draw. In this week's show we focus on that game and look ahead to next weekend's FA Cup showdown.

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  15. ChrisVillan
    Aston Villa's brief and slight resurgence ended with a bump on Saturday afternoon. A 4-0 home defeat by Manchester City ended Villa's FA Cup involvement until next January and the nature of the loss was difficult to stomach. Chris and Steve discuss the game in this week's Aston Villa Review, but not before a quick chat about one Charles N'Zogbia.

    But there are more important matters at hand. This week sees Villa travel to East London to play West Ham United on Tuesday before welcoming Norwich City to Villa Park on Saturday. We preview both matches in this week's show.

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  16. ChrisVillan
    It's been a busy week for Aston Villa. The transfer window ended on Monday with no business done and the board under fire, but it was right back to Premier League action on Tuesday evening. Villa's last game at West Ham United's Boleyn Ground resulted in a 2-0 loss, a defeat made all the more painful by the fact that Jordan Ayew's sending off gifted it to the Hammers before the match really got going.

    But the weekend was brighter and even brought with it three precious points. Joleon Lescott and Gabriel Agbonlahor scored the goals as Villa won 2-0 at home against Norwich City, their third win of the campaign. In this week's show Chris and Steve assess both matches before previewing Sunday's visit from Liverpool.

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  17. ChrisVillan
    Mercifully, Chris and Steve were unable to record last week because of work commitments. But we were at the Aston Villa v Liverpool match and we haven't avoided it altogether because we discuss it very briefly in this week's episode of Aston Villa Review. There's also a short preview of the Stoke City game, but we kind of get distracted.

    But the main focus this week is the #OutTheDoorOn74 demonstration. The shape this football club is in is a disgrace and a group of supporters is leading the way on the protest front by organising a walk-out against Everton. We talk about the demonstration and whether we're entitled to be angry. Warning: if you don't want to hear two blokes reach the end of their patience, this ain't for you.

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  18. ChrisVillan
    On the pitch, Aston Villa defeats now seem to fly by in the blink of an eye, surprising nobody and deepening the sense of inevitability about the club's Premier League demise. Off it, supporter protests and general unrest is taking hold as boardroom inaction and incompetence raises the fans' anger levels to boiling point.

    So, if you're expecting us to talk about Stoke City beating Villa in this week's show, think again. We can't face it. We've been there before. Over. And over. And over. Instead of going over the same old ground Chris and Steve decided to ask for your input and we've allowed listener questions to take over this week's Aston Villa Review.

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  19. ChrisVillan
    Chris is out of action once more because of work commitments but Steve is on hand to take over hosting duties and check in on all things Aston Villa. Except the football. And the table. And the future. He's joined by an old friend of the show, Kirsten Schlewitz, who makes her AVR debut at almost the worst possible moment.

    Kirsten is a Villa-biased football journalists with many strings to her bow, from creating the Villa blog 7500 to Holte to the newly inaugurated crowd-funded project Unusual Efforts by way of several European countries most of us know little about. This week's show is a fairly wide-ranging affair; work permitting, we'll be back to something approaching normality next week.

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  20. ChrisVillan
    Aston Villa's defeat to Swansea City in the Premier League on Saturday took a familiar form but there's plenty going on at our listless club away from the weekly abomination on the field of play. Since Chris and Steve last sat down to talk about the overall direction of the club there have been several changes to get our teeth into.

    The club's board now includes Mervyn King, David Bernstein and one General Charles C. Krulak, and a recent announcement introduced the Football board. Bernstein and King's involvement there will be bolstered by former Villa player and manager Brian Little as well as a new Head of Football Operations. Deckchairs on the Titanic, or a new dawn? Take your pick.

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  21. ChrisVillan
    Aston Villa's heavy home defeat by Chelsea on Saturday leaves them, presumably, one week away from relegation. Like, actual real confirmed 'R' relegation. And yet the nature of the loss was so familiar that it leaves us with very little new to say. Alan Hutton was sent off. Villa can't defend or attack, and they're going down. World keeps turning.

    Still, there's plenty going on elsewhere. Alleged striker Gabriel Agbonlahor is under investigation by the club and out of action in the meantime, and there's yet another managerial change underway. As expected, Villa and Remi Garde parted ways last week and Villa's drop will be confirmed while managerless. Who's next?

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  22. ChrisVillan
    It might not be official but it's really really real for the first time. By losing to AFC Bournemouth on Saturday - their eighth consecutive defeat - Aston Villa condemned themselves to relegation from the Premier League into the Football League Championship. With sloppy goals conceded by a badly selected, incapable and gutless Villa line-up, the Bournemouth game was a fine summary of the season as a whole.

    Norwich City's failure to take anything away from Crystal Palace means that Villa are, technically, not yet relegated. Nevertheless, in this week's show Chris and Steve follow up a brief chat about the Bournemouth game and its various curios with a discussion about the realities of the drop. It's over, folks. The game is up.

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  23. ChrisVillan
    It hasn't been an easy week to be an Aston Villa supporter. Since last we spoke, Villa have had their relegation from the Premier League mathematically confirmed, lost two matches and put supporters through one of the worst weeks of recent decades. From Randy Lerner's latest bout of nonsense to the double-resignation from the board that presumably triggered it, it's been a trying few days.

    The players are doing their level best to compound the misery. Gabriel Agbonlahor is suspended - again - and now Jores Okore has apparently refused to play for the first time after a spat with caretaker manager Eric Black. We discuss all that in this week's show, which was recorded before Okore took to Twitter with the old "more to it" rubbish that clarifies nothing.

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  24. ChrisVillan
    After what feels like an eternity it's almost over. Aston Villa's drawn-out relegation is one match away from being in the past. It's been a difficult season for everyone concerned except, apparently, for some of the players responsible in large part for making it happen, but it'll soon be behind us all. Next week's visit to Arsenal will end the misery and who knows what the future will bring?

    In this week's show Chris and Steve have a quick chat about the weekend's goalless draw against Newcastle United, who look increasingly likely to be joining Villa and probably Norwich City in the Football League. We also cover a few other topics from around the Villasphere over the past couple of weeks, and there's a good word or two for Rudy Gestede.

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  25. ChrisVillan
    And with that, it was all over. 38 games done, the last of them a limp 4-0 loss at the hands of Arsenal, and Aston Villa are essentially now a Championship club. In the last show of the season Chris and Steve revisit the supporter questions asked in The Independent over the weekend, which Chris provided answers for; now it's Steve's turn.

    There's also our annual review of Villa's players. Over the years we've tended to give each one a grade but this year we haven't bothered because, well...F. Nevertheless we rasp our way through the full squad, single out the bad 'uns, try to find some good 'uns and generally just have a good old whinge about the season just gone.

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