John

I would start with something like Guzan, Hutton, Clark, Richards, Richardson, Sanchez, Sinclair, Lyden, Grealish, Kozak & Gestede. That should make a game of it and I would think we would still have enough to win this one possibly by one or two goals.

I have always said up until now that we should play our strongest team in the FA Cup because it is a trophy we need to add to our collection since we last held it in 1957. But whilst there is still even a 1% chance of staying up and with a vital local derby at the weekend I would rest as many of our first team as we possibly can. Who knows by doing that we might win the cup in any case.

It is a pity it has come to this but he has not been the player he once was (and that was only for the odd game or two) for some time now. I think life has been way too easy for him at Villa Park to the extent that he thought he rather than our former chairman was Mr Aston Villa and should therefore be the first name on the team sheet no matter how he was performing. He has been well rewarded (possibly too well rewarded) for what he has done for the club and he has a lengthy contract that I am sure he will want to see out or see paid up. I would like to think he would now be busting a gut to play his part in keeping us up but it seems he has run out of chances to show that he does want to play a part. He could yet get a game in the cup because we will need to rest players for next weekend and we could learn a lot about his current attitude if he did but I suspect that our manager would be reluctant to select him and that he would not be bothered if he does not.

There was little to choose between the team that currently sit on top of the league and the one that is rooted to the bottom of it yesterday. Leicester had the confidence that comes of being high flyers but Villa had the spirit and never say die attitude that produced this well earned point. Our first half performance was below par and it was Leicester who had the better of the first half. The second half was a different story we became more direct and had the better of it by some distance although our opponents always carried a goal threat. We demonstrated new found resilience by not letting our heads drop after going a goal down and at the end of the game it was the table toppers who may well have been the happiest to hear the final whistle. We are now unbeaten in our last three games. We need to start winning games and when better than next weekend? We currently stand 9 points away from safety. Games will fast run out now but we have 16 left to pull off an unlikely great escape. Do you want to bet against us? If so, you will not get much of a price from your local bookmaker and we did ruin a lot of bets against us yesterday. My player ratings from a game that brought us our fourth point from our last two home matches are: Mark Bunn – 7 – Booked on 14 minutes when he unnecessarily brought down Vardy outside of the box who had run ahead of Okore and Bacuna to get to a long Schmeichel clearance that had been headed on for him to chase. Did very well to get a hand to Vardy’s attempt to chip the ball over him on 28 minutes but was not quite able to keep Okazaki’s tap in from the rebound out. Mark did well to wait for the kick to be taken and saved Mahrez’s 32nd minute penalty with his legs. It was unlikely we would have been able to come back had we gone two behind at that point. Helped a Drinkwater shot over the bar on 58 minutes. Leandro Bacuna – 6 –Ayew switched the ball nicely to him inside the box on 66 minutes but Schmeichel was on hand to save. Leo was again surprisingly solid at the back. Jores Okore – 6 – Okazaki dived over his leg on the edge of the box in the build up to their penalty but the referee let play continue surely that was either a penalty or not and if it was not then should the striker not have been booked for a dive before the penalty was awarded? Might have unluckily conceded an own goal on 79 minutes when he stuck out a leg to a Fuchs cross and the ball ended up inches past the far post. Had another solid game. Joleon Lescott – 5 – Had switched off and was therefore only a spectator when Okazaki ran past him to follow up on Vardy’s shot and score from the rebound. Otherwise he was generally solid enough. Aly Cissokho – 6 – Could consider himself harshly treated by referee East when Mahrez’s shot unintentionally hit his slightly raised arm as he attempted to block it at short range and a penalty resulted. Hit a 40th minute shot from outside the box that Schmeichel gathered and forced another save with a 52nd minute effort. Solid at the back. Jordan Veretout – 5 – Not as good a performance as he produced in his last game but he keeps us moving forward and usually does so to better affect than this. Might need a game off on Tuesday to come back fresh for the weekend as I think might most of this team. Carles Gil - 5 – Not at his best today and playing two games within a week may have taken its toll on a player who has often been substituted after around an hour in previous games. Idrissa Gana – 7 – MOTM - Became increasingly influential as the game wore on. Fed by Veretout on 44 minutes and ran inside the box only to hit his shot over. He is improving with each game. Ashley Westwood – 6 – Kept busy and looking for the ball yesterday. Got on the end of a 28th minute Bacuna cross and attempted to replicate Gil’s goal at Sunderland but he was unable to get the right connection on it hitting the ball well over. He played a nice back-heeled pass to Ayew who in turn played an inviting ball into the box which was only just in front of Ashley on 65 minutes. Jordan Ayew – 7 – Jordan was not quite as threatening as he has been of late and for me he is more effective played in a more central role but he is still our main threat to opposition defences. Was correctly flagged offside having stood a couple of feet in front of the defence when he got on the end of a well measured 35th minute free kick which he headed inches wide. Jordan ran and worked himself to a standstill. Libor Kozak – 7 – Libor fits the bill as a target man but he currently lacks the killer finishing touch. He does however; get into scoring positions so he may find his shooting boots with more game time. Huth presented the ball to him on 20 minutes when he under hit an intended back pass for Schmeichel but having run into the box his shot was saved by the keeper at his near post. Huth who found difficulty in his aerial battles with Libor was incredibly lucky to not be twice penalised for fouls on him inside the penalty area thanks to the lenience of the referee. Firstly on 61 minutes he swung an arm into Kozak’s face and then pushed him to the floor with it when struggling to be first to a Westwood cross and then on 78 minutes when he pushed his left arm into his face. Libor got under a 68th minute Veretout free kick which he headed over the bar. Had a good opportunity to win this for us on 88 minutes when a Bacuna free kick from inside his own half was nodded on by Gestede but he snatched at the chance lifting the ball harmlessly over the bar. Substitutes: Rudy Gestede – 7 - Replaced Gil on 67 minutes and made a difference. Won balls in the air and scored our well merited equalizer on 75 minutes. Bacuna played the ball to him near the edge of the box the ball hit his hand as he tried to bring it under control and his shot from just inside of the box when under pressure from Huth took a deflection off Morgan that helped it go past the keeper and into the net. Scott Sinclair - Replaced Ayew on 95 minutes and was therefore not on long enough to merit any rating. Stay up Villa! John Lewis

There was little to choose between the team that currently sit on top of the league and the one that is rooted to the bottom of it yesterday. Leicester had the confidence that comes of being high flyers but Villa had the spirit and never say die attitude that produced this well earned point. Our first half performance was below par and it was Leicester who had the better of the first half. The second half was a different story we became more direct and had the better of it by some distance although our opponents always carried a goal threat. We demonstrated new found resilience by not letting our heads drop after going a goal down and at the end of the game it was the table toppers who may well have been the happiest to hear the final whistle. We are now unbeaten in our last three games. We need to start winning games and when better than next weekend? We currently stand 9 points away from safety. Games will fast run out now but we have 16 left to pull off an unlikely great escape. Do you want to bet against us? If so, you will not get much of a price from your local bookmaker and we did ruin a lot of bets against us yesterday. My player ratings from a game that brought us our fourth point from our last two home matches are: Mark Bunn – 7 – Booked on 14 minutes when he unnecessarily brought down Vardy outside of the box who had run ahead of Okore and Bacuna to get to a long Schmeichel clearance that had been headed on for him to chase. Did very well to get a hand to Vardy’s attempt to chip the ball over him on 28 minutes but was not quite able to keep Okazaki’s tap in from the rebound out. Mark did well to wait for the kick to be taken and saved Mahrez’s 32nd minute penalty with his legs. It was unlikely we would have been able to come back had we gone two behind at that point. Helped a Drinkwater shot over the bar on 58 minutes. Leandro Bacuna – 6 –Ayew switched the ball nicely to him inside the box on 66 minutes but Schmeichel was on hand to save. Leo was again surprisingly solid at the back. Jores Okore – 6 – Okazaki dived over his leg on the edge of the box in the build up to their penalty but the referee let play continue surely that was either a penalty or not and if it was not then should the striker not have been booked for a dive before the penalty was awarded? Might have unluckily conceded an own goal on 79 minutes when he stuck out a leg to a Fuchs cross and the ball ended up inches past the far post. Had another solid game. Joleon Lescott – 5 – Had switched off and was therefore only a spectator when Okazaki ran past him to follow up on Vardy’s shot and score from the rebound. Otherwise he was generally solid enough. Aly Cissokho – 6 – Could consider himself harshly treated by referee East when Mahrez’s shot unintentionally hit his slightly raised arm as he attempted to block it at short range and a penalty resulted. Hit a 40th minute shot from outside the box that Schmeichel gathered and forced another save with a 52nd minute effort. Solid at the back. Jordan Veretout – 5 – Not as good a performance as he produced in his last game but he keeps us moving forward and usually does so to better affect than this. Might need a game off on Tuesday to come back fresh for the weekend as I think might most of this team. Carles Gil - 5 – Not at his best today and playing two games within a week may have taken its toll on a player who has often been substituted after around an hour in previous games. Idrissa Gana – 7 – MOTM - Became increasingly influential as the game wore on. Fed by Veretout on 44 minutes and ran inside the box only to hit his shot over. He is improving with each game. Ashley Westwood – 6 – Kept busy and looking for the ball yesterday. Got on the end of a 28th minute Bacuna cross and attempted to replicate Gil’s goal at Sunderland but he was unable to get the right connection on it hitting the ball well over. He played a nice back-heeled pass to Ayew who in turn played an inviting ball into the box which was only just in front of Ashley on 65 minutes. Jordan Ayew – 7 – Jordan was not quite as threatening as he has been of late and for me he is more effective played in a more central role but he is still our main threat to opposition defences. Was correctly flagged offside having stood a couple of feet in front of the defence when he got on the end of a well measured 35th minute free kick which he headed inches wide. Jordan ran and worked himself to a standstill. Libor Kozak – 7 – Libor fits the bill as a target man but he currently lacks the killer finishing touch. He does however; get into scoring positions so he may find his shooting boots with more game time. Huth presented the ball to him on 20 minutes when he under hit an intended back pass for Schmeichel but having run into the box his shot was saved by the keeper at his near post. Huth who found difficulty in his aerial battles with Libor was incredibly lucky to not be twice penalised for fouls on him inside the penalty area thanks to the lenience of the referee. Firstly on 61 minutes he swung an arm into Kozak’s face and then pushed him to the floor with it when struggling to be first to a Westwood cross and then on 78 minutes when he pushed his left arm into his face. Libor got under a 68th minute Veretout free kick which he headed over the bar. Had a good opportunity to win this for us on 88 minutes when a Bacuna free kick from inside his own half was nodded on by Gestede but he snatched at the chance lifting the ball harmlessly over the bar. Substitutes: Rudy Gestede – 7 - Replaced Gil on 67 minutes and made a difference. Won balls in the air and scored our well merited equalizer on 75 minutes. Bacuna played the ball to him near the edge of the box the ball hit his hand as he tried to bring it under control and his shot from just inside of the box when under pressure from Huth took a deflection off Morgan that helped it go past the keeper and into the net. Scott Sinclair - Replaced Ayew on 95 minutes and was therefore not on long enough to merit any rating. Stay up Villa! John Lewis

It could be that the selling club might not want to do that.

Rory Smith writes in "The Times" today quoting Marc as follows, "All through the second half of the season, I had been having meetings with Paul Lambert. He was telling me not to worry, to concentrate on my football and let my contract take care of itself. When the season finished he was flying to New York to see Randy Lerner and Paul Faulkner. He said my situation would be discussed. Two days later, he flew home. My agent got a call and said there would not be an offer. He passed the message on to me. There was no explanation. It was just, your deal has run out, good luck with what you do next."

The Saints must have offered Austin the wages and the signing on fee that he would have been looking for in the summer to get him in now. It could have been us if we were prepared to match what the player had wanted and were in a similar position to them in the table. Great news if we have brought Debuchy in. Now one player has apparently shown he is willing to join us others may be tempted to do the same lets go for a keeper and a forward now.

I thought he was more likely to move to Roma but he would be a very good signing for us. Could it be that our boss got his friend Wenger to twist his arm for us?

He is one of us. A Villa fan and player who did not leave through choice but because the club chose not to renew his contract. He well deserves our applause for me and might even be tempted to put one in at a corner for us.

For me this season represents only a temporary glitch in the PL business model (or the league table which is what most of us mere football fans would call it).The "skills gap" has not narrowed every year and I do not share our new chairman's confidence that there is a trend or that it will continue. Money brings cups, championships and places in the CL. Leicester and Watford are having a season that is beyond even their wildest expectations whilst Chelsea are having one that is way below their worst possible expectations. Normal order will be restored next season if not by the end of this and I doubt that any "so called small clubs" will win anything or qualify for the CL this season or next. I expect the "so called big clubs" will end up winning the trophies and qualifying for the CL as has pretty much been the case for some time now and they will spend enough money to make sure they do. Those clubs who don't spend enough money to at least stand still in the PL will pay for that in time as we seem likely to do this season. By the way I would add that we are one of those "so called big clubs" or were until our custodian stopped spending enough money to keep us in this division. He once referred to this club's "proud history" I wonder does he now agree that "a proud heritage has no respect in a very competitive market"?

I wonder if the new chairman's first official decision was to pull the plug on this one? Possibly not but I guess if his club now want a permanent deal which the player and we probably do not then unless they change their minds later and agree to a loan this may be another potential deal that does not go through.

That one was and I think quite a few more have a chip (or is it a crisp?) on their shoulders. Agreed but we are something to them. I have had no real problem with them having had a brief time in the spotlight but this has gone on too long now. We need to burst their bubble now before they forget where they were this time last season.

Heard a Leicester fan on Talk Sport's H & J Show this afternoon describe us as one of the "lesser teams" and said we are "living in the past". He then went on to forecast a 3-1 win for them! At least we have a past and if any team was a lesser one up to this season then it is them. I did not think it was possible to want to beat them more than I already did - after his comments I admit I was wrong!

Agreed but a move to them has more appeal than one to us for players at the moment. If we were to get a player like this we would have needed to get in with a bid before anyone else did but I guess if we had the player would have waited for a few days to see if someone else came in for him. We could offer above £3m which would tempt his club but you have to have a decent transfer budget to do that and I doubt we have one.

Our new chairman said on BBC Midlands Today tonight, "I'm with the fans but don't think you know there's a quick fix, you can go out and just spend money and it will fix it, its not that easy. The one thing that I'm very clear on after the various work I've done looking at this business model is that actually throwing money at it is not the issue". Looks to me that our "custodian" has appointed someone to take the flak and to say the things that we do not want to hear from him. I would rather in our present desperate position have put the money that our "custodian" was willing to spend on appointing a chairman towards the cost of signing say a goalkeeper or a forward in what remains of this window.

I would have thought that our "custodian" would still set the budget and that his staff will then manage it unless there will be no money put into the club by our "custodian" from now on/after this window and the club will then only be able to use income received from profitable player trading/SKY (possibly after this season)/ticket sales/other club income if that income results in a a profit on the balance sheet. If so, money may well be too tight to mention for some time at Villa Park!

I think this is most likely all we will get. Quite why we had to send staff out to the USA to talk to our "custodian" if this was all that was to come from that escapes me.

Anyone seen him at a local hotel this morning? If so breakfast-wise I wonder what Lamine ate?

A "must win" game for them (I hope that works as well for them as it has for us during most of this season). Same team for me and the same sort of whole hearted performance that they gave on Tuesday night is all I look for on Saturday other than another 3 points....

I think Sunderland really are a bad team but Defoe might keep them up on his own and Newcastle are not much better although they have shown a will to get out of trouble by spending. Swansea were a decent team but they have become a dodgy one and they will find it difficult to turn their results around in much the same way as we have. For me it will be any 3 from the current bottom 6 to take the drop and obviously we all hope we are not one of them.

So where is this statement? No doubt the spin doctors are still working on it (I would have thought they should have been instructed to have it ready within 24 hours of their meeting). I accept that it may not be easy to say nothing positive but to say it in such a way that readers might think that our "custodian" still cares about the club enough to try to keep us up by spending a few million without us being too upset when nothing happens and we end up with a net spend that is lower than Fabian the snake's belly at the end of the month. As Big Ron often said, Don't tell us, show us!

Our first home win and only our second league win of this frankly embarrassing season left us all leaving the ground with smiles on our faces and trying to remember how we used to react to winning a home league game. If our players are to be heroes just for one day then at least we will have the memory of a minimum of one home league win to look back on as we face the drop at some point between now and mid May. Yesterday we showed that at Villa Park we can beat them, just for one day. Our task is now to build on that win and to make it the start of what would be the greatest and most unexpected of escapes. We are currently 8 points from safety and that sounds a lot better than 11. To stay up we would need to gather another 27 points for me which looks to be beyond us. It would not need us to show we can beat them, forever and ever but if we pulled off this miracle by getting one less point from our last 17 games than Watford did from their first 17 we can be heroes, forever and ever. It would also lead to a lot of planned street parties being cancelled in the dark side of Birmingham! We started last night’s game well and played some decent football throughout against a Palace team who appeared to think that turning up at Villa Park was all they would need to do to emerge with all 3 points from the club who were and are still sitting rock bottom of the league. We played as a team and worked exceptionally hard for the victory we deserved last night Fair play to Pardew who said after the game, “I hope they do (stay up) they’re a great club. The PL would not want to lose a club of this magnitude”. This Villa team showed spirit, passion and a will to win. These have been rare commodities so far this season and for me the team that took us into double figures points-wise last night should have the opportunity to go again unchanged on Saturday and seek a second successive home win against Leicester. This win can give our team some much needed confidence and belief to take into our coming games. Our defence after recovering from the shock of Zaha hitting the far post in the first minute and seeing Delaney get between Lescott and Okore to turn a 27th minute Cabaye free-kick just wide of the post secured a crucial clean sheet. Our midfield ran for fun and challenged for the ball like terriers. The final third continued to be an issue for us but we got the goal and as Arsenal have proven is the case that is always enough when you are able to keep a clean sheet. We may well still go down after this win but if we must then let us go down fighting in the way that we fought for every ball last night! My player ratings from a game that provided us with a rare league win are: Mark Bunn – 6 – Had a surprisingly quiet evening but did what little he needed to without undue alarm for the defenders in front of him and with a minimum of fuss. Leandro Bacuna – 8 – Looked very decent as well as composed and reliable at the back last night. He was his usual effective self when getting forward. Jores Okore – 7 – Jores was very solid alongside his skipper last night. Joleon Lescott – 8 – This was a solid defensive performance and he led by example organising the players around him very effectively. Joleon added our winner on 58 minutes when he towered above two defenders to head Veretout’s corner and Hennessey was unable to gather his header which crossed the line off both of his legs. Aly Cissokho – 7 – Aly was very steady at the back and did well enough when going forward. Had a 53rd minute shot from the edge of the box deflected over. We looked a lot more solid in defence with him there and that is what matters for us just now. Jordan Veretout – 8 – MOTM - Didn’t stop running, closing down as well as trying to move us forward last night. Carles Gil - 7 – Worked himself into the ground before his late substitution and has now surely shown he is worth a regular starting place. Idrissa Gana – 8 – Got stuck in and did a lot of good work in our midfield. For me this was his best game for us as he continues to get better with each game. Ashley Westwood – 7 – Did his bit in the middle and worked hard. Hit a 3rd minute shot just wide of the post from the edge of the box. Jordan Ayew – 8 – Our main threat up front worked very hard as he always does and has the spark that worries defenders. Thundered a shot into the side netting on 26 minutes after Kozak had headed the ball onto him. Might have settled our nerves on 85 minutes when he did all of the hard work by cutting into the box and running between 2 defenders before hitting his shot over the bar. Libor Kozak – 7 – Libor was back by popular demand and worked his socks off last night looking more comfortable and familiar in the role than the player he replaced has of late. Did all that we could have reasonably expected from him and did well to get a shot in from the edge of the box on 52 minutes that was deflected off a defender and that Hennessey fumbled wide of the post. Substitutes: Ciaran Clark - Replaced Gil on 91 minutes so was not on long enough to merit any rating. Stay up Villa! John Lewis

Our first home win and only our second league win of this frankly embarrassing season left us all leaving the ground with smiles on our faces and trying to remember how we used to react to winning a home league game. If our players are to be heroes just for one day then at least we will have the memory of a minimum of one home league win to look back on as we face the drop at some point between now and mid May. Yesterday we showed that at Villa Park we can beat them, just for one day. Our task is now to build on that win and to make it the start of what would be the greatest and most unexpected of escapes. We are currently 8 points from safety and that sounds a lot better than 11. To stay up we would need to gather another 27 points for me which looks to be beyond us. It would not need us to show we can beat them, forever and ever but if we pulled off this miracle by getting one less point from our last 17 games than Watford did from their first 17 we can be heroes, forever and ever. It would also lead to a lot of planned street parties being cancelled in the dark side of Birmingham! We started last night’s game well and played some decent football throughout against a Palace team who appeared to think that turning up at Villa Park was all they would need to do to emerge with all 3 points from the club who were and are still sitting rock bottom of the league. We played as a team and worked exceptionally hard for the victory we deserved last night Fair play to Pardew who said after the game, “I hope they do (stay up) they’re a great club. The PL would not want to lose a club of this magnitude”. This Villa team showed spirit, passion and a will to win. These have been rare commodities so far this season and for me the team that took us into double figures points-wise last night should have the opportunity to go again unchanged on Saturday and seek a second successive home win against Leicester. This win can give our team some much needed confidence and belief to take into our coming games. Our defence after recovering from the shock of Zaha hitting the far post in the first minute and seeing Delaney get between Lescott and Okore to turn a 27th minute Cabaye free-kick just wide of the post secured a crucial clean sheet. Our midfield ran for fun and challenged for the ball like terriers. The final third continued to be an issue for us but we got the goal and as Arsenal have proven is the case that is always enough when you are able to keep a clean sheet. We may well still go down after this win but if we must then let us go down fighting in the way that we fought for every ball last night! My player ratings from a game that provided us with a rare league win are: Mark Bunn – 6 – Had a surprisingly quiet evening but did what little he needed to without undue alarm for the defenders in front of him and with a minimum of fuss. Leandro Bacuna – 8 – Looked very decent as well as composed and reliable at the back last night. He was his usual effective self when getting forward. Jores Okore – 7 – Jores was very solid alongside his skipper last night. Joleon Lescott – 8 – This was a solid defensive performance and he led by example organising the players around him very effectively. Joleon added our winner on 58 minutes when he towered above two defenders to head Veretout’s corner and Hennessey was unable to gather his header which crossed the line off both of his legs. Aly Cissokho – 7 – Aly was very steady at the back and did well enough when going forward. Had a 53rd minute shot from the edge of the box deflected over. We looked a lot more solid in defence with him there and that is what matters for us just now. Jordan Veretout – 8 – MOTM - Didn’t stop running, closing down as well as trying to move us forward last night. Carles Gil - 7 – Worked himself into the ground before his late substitution and has now surely shown he is worth a regular starting place. Idrissa Gana – 8 – Got stuck in and did a lot of good work in our midfield. For me this was his best game for us as he continues to get better with each game. Ashley Westwood – 7 – Did his bit in the middle and worked hard. Hit a 3rd minute shot just wide of the post from the edge of the box. Jordan Ayew – 8 – Our main threat up front worked very hard as he always does and has the spark that worries defenders. Thundered a shot into the side netting on 26 minutes after Kozak had headed the ball onto him. Might have settled our nerves on 85 minutes when he did all of the hard work by cutting into the box and running between 2 defenders before hitting his shot over the bar. Libor Kozak – 7 – Libor was back by popular demand and worked his socks off last night looking more comfortable and familiar in the role than the player he replaced has of late. Did all that we could have reasonably expected from him and did well to get a shot in from the edge of the box on 52 minutes that was deflected off a defender and that Hennessey fumbled wide of the post. Substitutes: Ciaran Clark - Replaced Gil on 91 minutes so was not on long enough to merit any rating. Stay up Villa! John Lewis

This transfer window is fast passing us by. The "custodian" has yet to decide whether he will finance the moves his manager wants to make and I anticipate he will make his decision on the day after the transfer window closes. Clubs that are around us are getting players in whilst we who have the greater need do nothing at all. Is it just that players do not want to come to us or is it that we are unwilling to pay the wages they would want to join us or we are unwilling to give them a get out clause should we as seems likely take the drop? Or is it that the club have given up already and are just looking to let players go without replacing them? Was there any transfer budget at all? These are desperate days at Villa Park!