John

We already comfortably have more than enough in terms of players of the required quality to stay up. Unfortunately what we lack is a manager who can get anything like the best out of them and that would still have been the case had we made further signings today. I appreciate what you are saying about being able to get the best out of what we have. But new signings often make an early impact as has Gil. A couple of new faces today might have done the same and we presently need all the help that we can get but it seems we are not going to get any.

Talksport just suggested Lambert has done his transfer business already. So the money has dried up along with the goals. It seems our custodian is not prepared to risk a couple of million on bringing in a couple of players even on loan to try to keep us up. That is a very big risk that he seems happy to take with the future of our football club!

I doubt Cleverley would have signed for us during this window had we wanted to sign him or that he plans to sign for us in the summer in any case. I can understand Manchester United would like to do a deal for him now as they will get nothing in the summer and they may have asked us to buy him now as a result but the player would also need to want to join us. I think it was always his plan to get games with us before moving to Everton with a nice signing on fee in the next window and I doubt that plan has changed.

Kane and sterling , a cheeky 2 million should do What if we were to go for Gray from sha. I think that would upset fans from both sides of the city useless athough I do like to upset those from the dark side. I guess we only have the money for one or the other and I would go for Dele if that is the case along with 1 or 2 for the rest of this season to try to keep us from having to play against the team Gray is currently with next season.

Why are we bothering with this player, we need to concentrate on the here and now, we're facing a fricking relegation battle and we are buying for next year?? Because I think this might be a player we would regret not signing in a couple of years time supermon. Signing him would be one for the future (although our defeat and current league position will not help us to get him) and doing this really should not result in our not being able to sign someone else who might do something to keep us up this season.

Welcome Scott. I really hope you show us that you can again be the player you were before moving to Citeh. You now have the opportunity to prove those that had their doubts at Citeh and elsewhere (including me) wrong. Give us 110% and we will back you all the way in our shirt.

If we really want Dele Alli I would think we would need to pay more than Newcastle to make it happen assuming we only have £2m to give them now. Say £2m now and £3.5 in the summer or give them a player or two on loan until the end of the season with us picking up say 90% of the wages so that £2m + £3m from us is worth more than £5 from Newcastle now to the Dons.

No I don't think we do have the £4m. But he is a player I would have liked us to have had a proper look at signing in the last window when apparently we did have the money and one that I think will do well at WBA and that could do the same with us if we found any money down the back of a sofa at Villa Park this week.

I keep saying about him. He absolutely tore us apart. Strong, fast, dedicated. Seemed like the perfect Premier League player, I'm shocked no-one over here picked him up. I thought the same. He is with Lechia Gdansk now.

The last time we had home draws in Rounds 3, 4 & 5 was 1999/00 when we last made the final.

Thanks for your comments PaulC and I note your thoughts on Given and Weimann's ratings.

The next time we see Randy at a Villa game, it'll be a bronze erected by new Villa owner Mohamed Al Fayed for his loyal services to AVFC. He, he!

Does anyone else think that the next time we see Randy at a Villa game may be at Wembley for the FA Cup semi-final?

We had done the deal for Carlos before we tried to bring in Cleverley on deadline day so I don't think Valencia would have got any of the money we had available to spend on Tom later on.

Thanks for your comments both. Gil did make the MOTM decision an easy one and I trust both of the things you hope for come to pass.

Or possibly the money we would have paid for Cleverley?

Another Championship team at home given it has been Blackpool and then Bournemouth so far I guess it will be another B so Blackburn it is or possibly Bolton following their cheeky replay win or Bradford if it is to be a club from outside the Championship with the initial B. Anyone at home other than Manchester United, Liverpool or Arsenal would be acceptable really.

Source: Player Match Ratings: We’re Aston Villa we score when we want!

There was to be no cup giant killing yesterday much to the disappointment no doubt of those who are not of the claret & blue persuasion. Bournemouth had already beaten Small Heath and WBA this season but found the cream of the Midlands to be made of sterner stuff when they sought to make it a trio of wins against West Midland opposition yesterday. The Cherries came to Villa Park with probably more people expecting them to be in the draw for the next round than thought we would be. But the majority of people were proved wrong and they can no longer claim to have scored more goals in Birmingham than we have this season! Eddie Howe made eight changes to his team having made more and still been able to knock WBA out of the League Cup earlier this season. But promotion is their primary objective this season and we wish them well in that. We did our bit to help their cause yesterday by ensuring they are able to concentrate solely on the league for the remainder of this season without the distraction of the FA Cup. The Cherries have yet to beat us and in the league or in the cup and happily that remains the case. But they gave a good account of themselves yesterday particularly during the first half when they looked to have as good if not a better chance than we did to prevent this tie going to a replay. But two goals in twenty second half minutes gave us a two goal cushion and a place in the draw for the next round. Their consolation goal did not arrive until the 93rd minute which fortunately left them with very little time to search for an equalizer and to raise our collective blood pressure. We have now beaten the top and the bottom team in the Championship and await a home draw with a third Championship team to continue our cup run. With the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Spurs already out of the cup only Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United of the big guns now stand between us and a Wembley appearance. We can gather some confidence from scoring goals and winning games during this cup run that could help us get the points we need to secure our top flight status. We could even lift a major trophy for the first time since 1996 and win the FA Cup for the first time since 1957 thereby overtaking Chelsea and Liverpool’s 7 wins and drawing level with Spurs on 8. That would bring us European football again which we have gone too long without and it would bring an end to what will be 58 years of FA Cup hurt should we fail to lift the trophy and run around the Bull Ring with it this season. It would also put a gloss on what has up until now been an abysmal season at Villa Park. My player ratings from a game in which the only shock was that we scored two goals for the second time this season are: Shay Given – 6 – Did very well to turn an O’Kane shot from the edge of the box past the post on 32 minutes. Produced another solid cup display on those occasions he was tested yesterday. Alan Hutton – 7 – Alan produced another reliable performance and claimed an assist for our second goal. Jores Okore – 7 – Very solid again yesterday and his partnership with Ciaran looks better with each game they play alongside each other. Ciaran Clark – 7 – Led by example. Kieran Richardson – 6 – Made a rare start and was in the right place at the right time to clear an effort from MacDonald off the line with an outstretched leg on 19 minutes after their player had pushed the ball wide of Given. Kieran could yet play a part when called upon during what remains of this season but he does need to get forward more often and with some more conviction. Leandro Bacuna – 5 – Leo was another to get a rare start yesterday. A quiet game overall during which he did not do quite enough; often enough to further his claims for a regular starting place. But on the positive side he did play a part in both goals to show fleeting glimpses of what we have seen from him in the past. Carles Gil - 8 – MOTM – Provided us with a world class opening goal on 51 minutes on a very encouraging full debut. Bacuna found Carles on the right; he stepped inside leaving a defender in his wake before curling a spectacular shot into the top far corner of the net from the edge of the box. He provides us with some of the threat, trickery and forward movement that we have been lacking for too long. Tom Cleverley – 6 – Produced a decent workmanlike performance. Carlos Sánchez – 7 – Another good all round midfield display. Andreas Weimann – 7 – Headed a 9th minute cross from Hutton inches wide. Andi hit our decisive second goal having started the move himself with a ball to Bacuna who played a one-two with Gil before hitting a sweet ball through to Hutton who in turn pulled the ball back to Weimann inside of the box who hit the ball past Camp and into the bottom corner of the net. That sweet finish topped off another hard running performance and one in which he showed some good forward movement. Christian Benteke – 5 – Still looks below par and lacking in the confidence that a goal can bring but needs to get more involved to make things happen for himself. Might have opened the scoring on 22 minutes but he was unable to control a through ball or test the keeper by getting a foot on it. Collected the ball and ran across the edge of the penalty area on 49 minutes without being able to get into the position he sought to get a shot in himself before playing the ball wide to Gill whose shot hit the side netting. Substitutes: Ashley Westwood – Replaced Gill on 87 minutes. Ash was not on long enough to earn a rating but he almost claimed a third goal when Benteke found him and he ran to the edge of the box before forcing a stoppage time save from Camp who turned his on-target shot around the post for a late corner. Jack Grealish – Replaced Bacuna in the 95th minute and was not given the opportunity to claim a rating. Up for the FA Cup Villa! John Lewis

Great news and I like most of us did not see this coming. Well done to the club for making him a decent offer that he could accept and to Fab for showing the sort of loyalty that is so rare in football these days rather than just seeing out his contract and making more money by moving without us getting anything for him in the summer.

Lawro goes 1-1 with us to lose the replay. No shock there but Dion Dublin agrees with him!

No although he might get one or two of both it is because we are a better midfield with him in it than without him Ponky.

We need to weigh selling him for £4m now against the possible effect of being without him on our final league position which was worth £1.2m for every place last season. So the difference between ending the season three places higher than we might without him say 17th rather than 14th would be around the fee we now want for him. Clearly if the difference was between ending 17th rather than 18th the difference would be a lot more than £1.2m for the following season. It seems we are desperate to cash in, to gamble on our top flight status and end up having spent nothing net in this window. I doubt the player would be too happy to go along with this given he will get a better deal as a free agent in the next window but I wonder how much if any of the fee would be spent on new players in this window if we did find the player and a club willing to do a deal now.

"I still don't forgive for Cascarino". Nor do I romavillan but GT wanted Sherringham and our chairman gave him Cascarinno because he was cheaper and his club were less reluctant to sell him than they were Teddy. I think GT still has his finger on the football pulse but he calls it like it is as he did when he left the second time around so I doubt the club would risk appointing someone who might not always say "yes".

If all we were prepared to spend during this window was £3.5m and around half of what Citeh want for Sinclair and our manager now considers it unlikely we will be bringing anyone else in am I alone in wondering what happened to the £8m we were said to have available for Cleverley that is not now going to be spent? It appears our custodian is quite prepared to risk our future in the top flight rather than to spend the money we need to buy or loan a couple of players that would greatly increase our chances of staying up. What a way to run a football club into the ground!