John

If we can get him for anything near £7m that would be a steal. I would have expected we would have needed to find £10m minimum to sign him. One below par season does not suddenly make him a bad player and I think he could go on to be a very good player for us and England. I just worry that this had been made public before the ink is on a contract.

We have always seemed to have problems in this against clubs who fielded younger less high profile players who had quit the game more recently and so had more stamina if not anywhere near our players ability. But, its nice to see these old boys back in action whatever the result (as long as they beat Small Heath), I assume it will be on SKY again for those who are unable to get there to see it live.

A move to a club who have qualified for the Champions League would have shown he did want to move to play in that competition as he had claimed. Had he delayed signing for Manchester City for a day or two in a bid to flush out interest from the likes of Liverpool then he might have still got away with claiming that football reasons were the driving force behind his move from us. But, his hurried signing for a team that ended the season below us and out of Europe shows him for what he is a mercenary who has moved for money and for money alone.

He contributed a lot to the club during his years with us and we gave him a lot back by making him into an England regular. His actions last summer were hard to take and the reaction he got from the fans this season after that say a lot for how much we thought of him. Those feelings were clearly not reciprocated and he will not be such a hero in Manchester as he was at Villa Park. Sadly he chose money ahead of our bright future and loyalty. He now has his "dream move" and we have a decent fee for him but for me he is no longer entitled to the term "Villa great" he is a player who moved for money unlike the likes of Bruce Rioch who moved for football reasons or Kaka who turned down Manchester City's millions for the same reason. His decision to move does not say a lot about the man we once thought so much of.

sorry to be picky but Steve Cram is a Mackem......i'm sure he would wish to point that out !!!!....

Thanks for the correction villahero I had a growing feeling that he might be after I had included him in the list.

Jackie Milburn, Ant & Dec, Bobby Robson, Jimmy Nail, Bobby Moncur, Sting, Steve Cram, Freddie Shepherd, Kevin Keegan your boys took a hell of a one goal beating and embraced the prospect of going down with the Albion (and Boro) rather too readily!

I had expected Newcastle to come at us yesterday as if their lives depended on it. But, they seemed resigned to their fate before they got to Villa Park and fell through the relegation trap door without a fight. That we did not knock down the final nail in their relegation coffin earlier and put those Newcastle fans out of their misery sooner was a pity. The Geordie fans did not deserve the slow torture of thinking a late equalizer might yet come to prevent the inevitable. But, this was no Stoke or Hull who put us under pressure late on in their games to attempt to get a point that their performances up until then had not warranted this was a team who once they went behind accepted defeat a little too easily.

They look to me like a team that may find it hard to bounce straight back and getting them back is a job that Alan Shearer might see as being too great a risk to his managerial future unless he can secure the sort of backing that he would want from Mike Ashley but would be unlikely to receive. I loved the gallows humour of Alan Shearer’s wave to the Holte End following chants of “Shearer, Shearer give us a wave”, the “Sob on the Tyne” banner and the chorus of “We’ll meet again don’t know where don’t know when” But, enough of the end of Newcastle’s 16-season stay in the top flight and onto us.

Our seventh home league win of the season and another rare clean sheet took us just above last season’s points tally and secured sixth place for us for a second year. Holding onto a top 6 position may prove more difficult next season without captains Laursen and potentially Barry and inching past cup finalists Everton and then breaking into that oh so predictable top four will be harder still. But, that is the level of expectation that has now been created at Villa Park.

We had faced Chelsea at Villa Park three months ago in what was then a six pointer. We were looking to open a gap between us and them having already achieved that with Arsenal. Liverpool were also in our sights. But, since that day points have proved to be rare commodities for us and not only did Arsenal overtake us but more surprisingly so did Everton who despite having a rather important game next weekend have kept going all the way to the finishing post where we arrived at it looking more like Devon Loch in the 1956 Grand National!

Liverpool, Arsenal and Everton went on solid runs during the last three months of this season where we hit a wall winning only 2 games between then and now. That these two wins were from our last two home games, although they were against bottom 4 dwellers will leave us feeling slightly better about a season that promised so much but faded alarmingly to deliver little more than we achieved last season. But, this does represent some progress for our football club. We are now accepted as a top 6 side, every England squad has one of more Villa player in it and it has been some years since that was the case for us. It was also us who for much of the season provided a challenge to the top 4 that made us everyone else’s favourite team in the same way we were at Hull and Sunderland yesterday and we can come again next season with the right number and quality of signings in this transfer window and the time to make these signings is now upon us Martin.

My player ratings from a game that we won without needing to get out of second gear or needing to check that we still actually had a third gear are:

Brad Freidel - 6 – Unsighted until late on 9 minutes when he just managed to push a Duff effort wide of the post.

Craig Gardner – 6 – Craig did a decent enough job although his distribution could have been better he did hit a screamer from the edge of the box on 29 minutes that Harper pushed over.

Curtis Davies – 7 – Handled what limited threat Newcastle’s forwards could offer well enough and showed signs that a partnership with Carlos might develop given time and a run of games together. Curtis is a player whose early season form got him to the fringes of the England squad and I am confident we can see that same player again next season on a consistent basis.

Carlos Cuellar – 7 – Looked assured yesterday and can grow into this role. Cleared a Taylor shot off the line on 10 minutes.

Nicky Shorey - 6 – Looked good coming forward and was half decent at the back. What he has shown in recent weeks is that we are a better side with full backs playing in their natural positions, whether Nicky challenges for that role next season along with a hopefully fully fit Bouma will be for Martin to decide.

James Milner – 7 – Produced his usual box to box performance and at times particularly during the first half seemed determined to be the one who would apply the coup de grâce to his former club. Hit a shot wide on 54 minutes following a good one-two with Barry.

Gareth Barry – 8 – MOTM – Showed just what we will be missing should he take the risk of moving onto pastures new. He has a great understanding with Petrov and between them they ran our midfield. It was his shot albeit one that was going wide that Duff deflected past his own keeper on 37 minutes for our winner. He might have got one for himself when he created something for himself out of nothing after a Butt error only to see his shot go just wide.

Stiliyan Petrov – 8 – Another of the sort of consistent performances that led to his securing the title player of the season at B6.

Ashley Young – 7 – A regular threat to Newcastle with his runs at them and curled an effort just wide on 51 minutes.

Gabby Agbonlahor – 6 – More involved than of late and got himself into a couple of good scoring positions on 2 minutes when he headed a Barry cross onto the roof of the net and then on 41 minutes when he touched a good Carew cross inches wide of the far post. Needs to come back next season fresh and looking to work hard on the striker’s art to show that he can rise above the level that past speedy Villa strikers such as Vassell and Joachim reached but were not able to kick on from.

John Carew – 7 – Failed to connect with a cross on 33 minutes when a second was there for the taking.

Substitutes:

Emile Heskey – 6 - Replaced Craig Gardner on 74 minutes. I was surprised by this substitution. I’m not quite sure why it so often seems it is a full back that is the first player to be dragged off by Martin and in this case I did not see how pulling Milner back rather than doing a straight swap for Nigel would be likely to help with Newcastle likely to be looking to press forward as the time ebbed away. Emile’s main contribution was to run down time and he did that effectively enough.

Nigel Reo Coker – Replaced Stiliyan on 84 minutes and was not on long enough to earn a rating.

Steve Sidwell – Replaced Big John on 88 minutes for a rare brief appearance that did not provide the time to earn a raring.

Up the Villa!

John Lewis

a win on Sunday could give us fifth place, ending the season on a positive note. This of course means we will enter the prestigious (ahem) Europa League one round later which would be nice. It will also give the fans and players something positive to take into the summer break

That is the reason I want a win on Sunday. I don't take any great pleasure in sending one of the bigger clubs down (although I might make an exception for one of the top 4) and Newcastle are a well supported club and are a big club, not as big as us but still bigger than the likes of Hull who may stay up in their place. I would also rather like to think Newcastle fans would not gloat if the boot was on the other foot and we were the ones in trouble.

On current form there is not much to choose between the two sides. On papers we look much stronger but they will come into it all guns blazing and it has been some weeks since we did the same. The problem for Newcastle may be that we often play very well in our last home game and I think the players will want to go out on a better note than a tame defeat and sixth place. If we do get the win I want, then I hope Newcastle enjoy their season back down there and they can take comfort from the fact that the likes of Small Heath & WBA have recently shown an early return is easier than it once was and if they can manage it Newcastle should walk it next season if the R word becomes a reality. My best wishes for next season to Newcastle but on Sunday I want that win.

The big point for me is made in your first para. We hadn't won for 3 months, and clean sheets were a distant memory. And yet we're fifth. Says a lot about how well we've done over the whole piece

Agreed peterms, most clubs have a poor run (Arsenal did by their own standards) its just that our own ran for too long and having by our previous earlier consistent performances put ourselves in such a strong position it was a pity and I think unexpected to see things run away from us. Although all in all I like most would have taken 5th at the start of the season and the challenge to the big 4 we made earlier is one we can be proud of.

But the other side of the coin was that it was nice to have the possibility of making late substitutions to eat up some time near the end

Yes it did eat up some time but it can upset the balance of things its a fine line which worked on this occasion.

Football has and always will be a matter of opinions. Phil Brown felt his side deserved to win, I rest my case

So, do I. :winkold:

I never thought we were safe until the ref blew his whistle at the end

Nor did I and the relief was there for all to see at Villa Park when that whistle blew after another 4 minutes of injury time.

giving Knight a 5 is actually pathetically biased and I am actually glad that I am unable to understand your logic

I have no bias against Knight or anyone else in a Villa shirt Lexicon. I just call it as I see it and in this case our opinions are clearly quite different. I have no problem with that and as I have so often said in the past the views of everyone at a game are unlikely to be the same and each one has equal merit. I don't really see reason to resort to the use of words such as "pathetic" and "bias" or to a claim to be "glad" that the logic behind my ratings is beyond comprehension. But, I suggest we can agree to differ on that also.

Who would have thought when we beat WBA on 10th January that we would have to wait nearly four months for our next and sixth home league win of the season? But, win we did to move back into fifth and we did it on the back of our first clean sheet in almost three months!

Everton must have thought that we would just continue dropping points and make it easy for them to finish above us as we had felt Arsenal would do for use a few weeks ago. Our job now that a victory has at long last been secured is to string a run of results together that will secure fifth place in the way that Arsenal secured fourth. Everton will have their eyes increasingly on a looming Cup Final appearance. Our job will be to stretch our current 4 game unbeaten run to 7 and to finish this season with a flourish rather than a whimper.

So we won the game between two teams that had up until last night not been able to buy a win for many a long month. We started brightly enough and dominated possession up until the last 20 minutes of the game, when our nerves began to jangle, we surrendered the initiative and our confidence began to ebb, until as the game drew towards its conclusion a win looked increasingly more in doubt as we found ourselves hanging on grimly by our finger tips to the points. A better side than Hull would have made us pay for our inability to convert possession into goals and on the increasing panic that sets into claret & blue shirts as games hurry towards their conclusion. Fortunately today we were not playing such a team and our fragility did not cost us on this occasion, as it has against the likes of West Ham and Stoke of late.

We were playing a team who are in free fall and who look likely to have to rely on the teams below them failing to catch them because of their own ineptitude rather than one who will be able pull away from the bottom dwellers through what they do themselves. That we made such hard work of winning shows how important a win was and what a good keeper we let go in Myhill as had it not been for his solid display the game would have been beyond Hull before their late pressure was applied. So, we now belatedly have the win we so needed some weeks ago and we need others to get the fifth place that our season deserves. Seven games unbeaten and winning our last four games would be a nice way to put the barren run that of games that preceded it behind us and to restore a bit of belief both on and off the field. Make it so Villa!

My player ratings from a game that we actually won rather than had stolen from us at the finishing line are:

Brad Freidel - 7 – Rarely tested but was a steadying influence when needed and stopped goal bound efforts during our late moments of alarm on 82 and 90 minutes.

Luke Young – 6 – Solid but not quite at his very best last night.

Curtis Davies – 7 – A much better display and did much to hold things together at the back last night.

Zat Knight – 5 – Can do better than this.

Nicky Shorey - 6 – Once again looked good going forward and was steady enough at the back although there does seem to be one occasion during most games where he takes what seems an unnecessary risk in a deep position which might be punished and cost us in a close game.

James Milner – 7 – Had a free kick tipped over the bar by Myhill on 24 minutes and another 40 minutes later that had Myhill stretching to keep out.

Gareth Barry – 7 – Hit a great shot from outside of the box that Myhill did so well to get to as it had looked destined for the top corner of the net. Another good performance and I hope to see more than another three of the same in our shirt.

Stiliyan Petrov – 7 – Once again a good display his consistency has been impressive this season.

Ashley Young – 7 – Back to something approaching the sort of form that secured him his well deserved Young Player of the Year award.

Gabby Agbonlahor – 6 – Broke clear on 45 minutes and forced a decent stop from Myhill with an on target shot but might have found it easier had he taken a touch rather than hit it early. Another point blank save from Myhill denied him a goal that could have made the game safe on 77 minutes had his effort from within the 6 yard box gone anywhere other than straight at their keeper.

John Carew– 8 – MOTM – Glanced a header from a Petrov cross just wide of the far post on 10 minutes and then stole past a defender on 35 minutes to get on the end of a nice Young cross and applied a delicate finish to give us our winner. His goals from league starts ratio makes him our most lethal striker and one we need to hold onto.

Substitutes:

Emile Heskey - Replaced Big John on 86 minutes. Not on long enough to rate (nor were the two below).

Craig Gardner – Replaced Young who had a knock on 91 minutes.

Nigel Reo Coker – Replaced Petrov on 92 minutes and came on to a warm welcome.

Up the Villa!

John Lewis

The more North west teams in the prem, the better, for me

Looks like Small Heath feel this way too Pete as Preston or Burnley could now be joining us next season rather than them.

Ashley's dead ball delivery seemed poor again yesterday I just don't see how he can be so wayward now having been so accurate so often earlier this season. But, he did find the back of the net yesterday and there is always the hope that a ball hit like that towards the back post may creep in particularly with Big John causing such a distraction to the keeper as he tried to get on the end of it.

Would you have made Zat your MOTM or Brad?

Thanks for taking the time to do this. Some very good and well reasoned points. I think we play better as a middle 5 particularly away from home and I would like to see Reo providing some cover for Barry & Petrov. But at home I can see why Martin would be reluctant to play just one up front as teams tend to sit back more, although neither system has worked consistently for us at home this season. Some good points about the team of the early 80s and the way Ron played players out of what had been their previous positions although I think the difference now is that players like Cuellar, Young and Reo were filling in on a temporary basis rather than told to adapt to what would be their role now and in the future.

I don't think you realise how vital a player is until he is not there. You are quite right we have missed Martin greatly vanvilla.

Hopefully we can still secure European qualification, with the likes of West Ham, Spurs, and Fulham still dreaming of finishing in the top seven

I can't see us not getting into the top 7 at the very worst Ciaran and I think those clubs will be looking at 7th rather than in getting above us. I think with Everton now in the final we will pip them to 5th. A few weeks ago all this would not have been in question but after this run who knows really?

It's actually 3 months since our last home win, not two

Quite right, how the months without a home win have flown rjw63. :winkold:

The problem wasn't so much that players had to come off, but that the replacements are not at the same level, decent prospect though Delf is, and as committed as CG is.

Yes I agree with that and thanks for confirming the reason for Milner's exit.

It disrupted or play, and gave the initiative back to West ham. The players that came on did not really contribute all that well, and we were weaker as a result

I agree 100 %, I think Martin might have gone for fresh legs for Heskey as he had not been a certain starter earlier in the week but I think Milner must have had a knock. Making changes is not something that Martin does as a rule in such positions, so I suspect the changes may have been forced on him rather than through choice.

We had more than enough chances to have won this one but our defensive frailties and inability to keep a clean sheet had left us clinging onto a point before Styles who had earlier taken the shirts off our backs then denied Gareth Barry the opportunity to get us the win we deserved from the penalty spot!

Five home league wins from 17 is relegation form rather than what would be expected from a team with hopes of Champions League qualification, as is 3 points from the last 24 that were available to us. Its also two months since our last home win in early January, sadly we do not play the likes of WBA more often at Villa Park and we have not seen the steadying influence of Martin Laursen in our central defence since then.

At half time the main surprise was that there had only been one goal scored when on another day there could have been six goals shared between these two teams by then. But, with missed opportunities comes the nagging worry that we might pay for our wastefulness in front of goal and that a single goal could deny us the win we had for so long looked like getting. It has happened to us before against Stoke to quote just one such example and we are a team that are very prone to conceding late goals as we did against Manchester United as well as Stoke in recent weeks. Is it now worth considering whether zonal marking works for our current defence which has been failing to pick up runners particularly at corners, because after all spaces do not score goals players do.

But, what we really needed yesterday was a clean sheet and one of them is as rare for us as is a cup in a Small Heath trophy cabinet. We have to go back 2 months and 11 matches to find one and so the odds were always against us securing a much needed win, reducing the gap between us and beaten semi-finalists Arsenal from 8 to 5 points and putting an end to our recent slump unless we extended our lead to two goals. Our second goal never came but sadly their equalizer did and Tristan stole the show and milked the applause from an adoring East rather than West End audience.

This like our two previous performances was a good overall performance in what would have been an exciting game for the neutral. The reason we did not take all three points on this occasion was not solely due to missed chances, no there was another dark force at large at Villa Park yesterday. If football fans were asked to name the most controversial and consistently worst performing current referee, I think the name Rob Styles would come up more than once. In insisting we changed our shirts to accommodate West Ham although clubs have to agree their kits with the Premier League 10 days before a game Styles left us running out for the first half in third choice white shirts that had no player name on the back and no Acorns logo on the front.

Not content with this he then demonstrated his inconsistency. On 63 minutes Mark Noble reacted to Petrov’s late challenge. When Ashley Young had done the same thing earlier he was given a yellow card but Noble already had one yellow and would have been off had a second yellow been produced and with that West Ham’s hopes of a point would have surely disappeared down the tunnel as well. But, he did not want to settle for that did he? As the game ebbed away Tomkins and Carew ran into the box and Tomkins clearly handled to deny Carew a goal scoring opportunity. But, Styles as he did when Noble should have seen red earlier bottled it. He will no doubt claim a “Wenger” in that he did not see it. But, the television cameras and thousands in the crowd that were further away from the incident than he and his linesmen were did and so another club pay the price of another sub standard refereeing display.

My player ratings from a game that finally crushed our Champions League aspirations and in which late substitutions did not help our continuity are:

Brad Freidel - 7 – Did well in a one on one situation in the first minute to deflect a shot wide of the post, made a good block on 79 minutes at the end of what had been a goalmouth scramble and got his finger tips to a late deflection on 88 minutes that could have otherwise left us pointless. Seemed a little jittery towards the end particularly when juggling the ball inside his area late on. But given the pressure that the defence in front of him puts him under that is perhaps understandable even for a keeper of his experience and undoubted quality.

Luke Young – 7 – Solid enough and did some important covering work at the back.

Curtis Davies – 5 – Continues to disappoint, he is a much better player than his recent performances suggest that he is.

Carlos Cuellar – 6 – Carlos was slightly the more assured of our two central defenders who both struggled to inspire confidence and to handle runs at our defence.

Nicky Shorey - 6 – Looked good going forward and steady at the back up until the last fifteen minutes when his levels of confidence and performance dropped dramatically.

James Milner – 8 – (MOTM) - Produced a great saving tackle on 6 minutes when Stanislas was about to pull the trigger, forced a near post save from Green from a good shot that appeared to be going just wide and was not quite able to keep a first half header down much to his annoyance. Given more space than of late and his solid running all action display was much missed when he left the field on 81 minutes.

Gareth Barry – 8 – Gareth was inches wide with a header from a good Shorey cross on 9 minutes. Gave his usual exemplary performance and showed with the time he seems to have on the ball and with his intelligent use of it how important it is for us and I would suggest his England career that he stays with us next season.

Stiliyan Petrov – 8 – Hit a good shot from the edge of the box just wide on 40 minutes and was another who showed once again with this level of performance that his signing a new contract before the start of next season will be as important as will be the need to bring in new faces.

Ashley Young – 7 – Often double teamed again when he had the ball at his feet. His second effort after a free kick from the edge of the box had rebounded back to him on 21 minutes flew inches wide of the far post. Showed some nice touches when the opportunity presented itself.

John Carew– 7 – John and Emile looked surprisingly effective together yesterday and suggested that they may be able to produce effective performances when they need to played alongside each other which most of us had doubted up until yesterday. Hit a Young cross into the side netting on 66 minutes, could not get a header down when he got onto the end of a cross when unchallenged on 77 minutes and was unlucky that his strong run into the box did not produce the late penalty it should have.

Emile Heskey – 7 – The goal machine clicked into gear when he got on the end of a good cross from Milner and applied the appropriate finish on 11 minutes to give us a rare lead at Villa Park. He was also very unlucky 15 minutes later when he slid in to reach the ball before Green only to see his strike hit the post. Might have got the vital second on 46 minutes when he hit the ball into Green’s chest from close range after good work between him and Carew had produced an early second half opportunity.

Substitutes:

Nathan Delfounesco - 6 – Replaced Heskey on 71 minutes and made little impact.

Craig Gardner – Surprisingly chosen ahead of Reo to replace Milner on 81 minutes when I think a late appearance of the Hammers former captain might have provided some distraction and led to some West Ham players putting their efforts into kicking him rather than finding a way back into the game. Craig was not on long enough to earn a rating or to make a positive difference.

Up the Villa!

John Lewis

Yes, that Stoke comeback took the wind out of our sails big time maqroll and stopped us having an 8 point cushion on Arsenal.

Pete, I see your point on the amount of media time now available and I'm sure George would have kept the press and everyone else busy had he still been playing and so taken the limelight off the likes of Rooney, Ronaldo and the rest.

terrytini, I agree a midfield 5 seemed to suit us better at the time although that was forced on us by Big John's absence rather than by Martin's choice.

Sting, you have some very valid points to add to my own suggestions for our we trust temporary failings and I think we both may know the answer to your last question.

Peterms, yes the decision was not the wrong one just because it did not work but the worst case scenario did open Martin up to critics. I'm not quite so sold on the point that players had it that much easier in the past though and I think George Best's media attention was more than a match for what Becks had as I recall it, but I think that Becks may just have dealt with it better.

Hippo, I think Martin signed Heskey because he had no acceptable cover for Big John and was worried that Gabby may burn himself out if he was asked to continue playing as the lone striker. He was available, he knew what to expect from him and in my opinion although that does not include a glut of goals (although his one at Portsmouth came in handy) it does include acting as a target man who can hold the ball up and present an ariel threat.

Drew'sMilitia, I think we had a sports psychologist in the days of GT or was it DOL? I'm not sure if we have one in place now but it may be worth looking at.

Jon, I agree we were knackered and that the squad lacked depth.

Johnny M, those were a tough bunch of games and I'm sure Martin would have liked to try to take CSKA on with a full strength side had he thought it would not further hamper our top 4 hopes. I also haven't quite given up on 4th either.

During the late Seventies, a room-service waiter entered George Best's bedroom with breakfast. George was in bed with a well-known beauty queen, toting a bottle of champagne, and the waiter noticed lots of cash strewn around, spoils of a night's gambling. The waiter asked: "George, where did it all go wrong?" I think a lot of us have been pondering the same question with regards to our football club as well as wondering why.

Cast your minds back to mid February. At that point we had played 39 league and cup matches. We had accumulated 51 league points. We were about to face Everton in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup and CSKA Moscow over 2 legs for a place in the last sixteen of the UEFA Cup. Within a fortnight we had crashed out of both cup competitions and we have since added only 2 league points from a possible 21. Why?

As far as the FA Cup is concerned the draw had been unkind to us (not for the first time). We faced Everton at their ground for a place in the quarter finals and although we approached the game with more than a little confidence this was always likely to be a tough game for both sides and defeat was therefore always a distinct possibility for either club. So, it proved for us.

We then faced CSKA at Villa Park. This again was never going to be easy and our prospects of further progression in Europe would have been brighter had we been able to add to the maximum six points we had gathered from the first two group matches against Ajax and Slavia Prague. But in losing our last two group games when fielding below strength teams we ended up facing a team who had won their group by winning all 4 of their group games. This was because Martin had chosen to prioritise the league games that followed the mid-week defeats against MSK Zilna and SV Hamburg. This decision was vindicated by league wins at Everton and then at West Ham but it made continuing our European campaign more difficult. Had he not made that decision we might have progressed in Europe but would we have been able to win both of those league games just days afterwards?

That home draw against CSKA left us facing a long arduous journey to Moscow for the second leg which was to be sandwiched between home league games against Chelsea and Stoke. Had it not been for the late two goal comeback by Stoke that decision could also have looked the right one with hindsight albeit not one that all of us may have wanted to seen made. Martin chose to leave the majority of our normal starting line up behind and our European exit was therefore I would suggest then an inevitable one. Had he played the first team in Moscow the result may have still been the same and I think most of us back then would have seen our chances of finishing in the top 4 as being more likely than winning the UEFA Cup. So if it was necessary to prioritise one competition above the other then with the chances of Champions League qualification seemingly the more likely to be rewarded and the more glittering potential prize then surely that was the target to take aim for?

Would we have won in Moscow had we played our best available team? Maybe we would have but there was no guarantee as the away goal CSKA took from Villa Park had left us with a mountain to climb against quality opponents. But, in selecting the team he did he prioritised a top 4 finish and all but surrendered the European place we had done so much to secure. That was his decision to make and it is one that a lot agreed with back then but it was never certain to achieve the top 4 placing that the decision had been made to protect. The fact that we imploded so soon and that fans paid a lot of good money to see a battling shadow team crash out in Moscow placed pressure on Martin for the first time during his stay at our football club. Was he wrong to make that decision? I don’t think anyone would be asking the question if we were still 6 points clear of Arsenal.

So, why did it all go pear shaped and why was our squad unable to maintain their level of performance up until the end of the season? Some will point to our lack of transfer activity in January and that certainly did not help. But, with transfer funds not unlimited would it have been the right thing in January to bulk up the squad with numbers rather than to wait until the right player who could add quality to the squad in the long term became available? We need to weigh the signings of players such as Ashley Young and James Milner against quick-fix signings who may do a passable job short term but who would then need to be replaced in the long run. Martin made that decision and came down on the side of quality. That decision left him bringing in only Emile Heskey to offer the cover and competition for John Carew that Marlon Harewood had been unable to provide this season. It also left us with a wafer thin squad that Martin would need to keep trying to protect. Would we really have wanted to bring in signings of the sort that were no better than those we already had on our books when doing so might impact on our ability to pay the money we need for the right players when they become available in the next transfer window?

Thinking of Big John we also were hit by his absence through injury and this put pressure on Gabby to perform in the role of a lone striker which he did effectively for a lengthy period. The lengthy injury to our club captain also dealt and continues to deal a body blow to our hopes as he is the rock on which our defence is built and his absence has placed a lot of pressure on both Curtis Davies and Zat Knight to perform day in and day out. Our first choice starting eleven is a match for most teams but injury and suspension is something we find harder to manage with than do the current top 4 teams. For us to face these problems was unlucky but it was not unpredictable.

There is also the weight that effectively placing all our eggs in one basket placed on our players. They had been carrying all before them when fighting on three fronts. But, the two exits from both cup competitions and Martin’s implicit acceptance that we were in the race for a top 4 spot which he had been reluctant to say previously did stoke up the pressure on our team. It could be said that this pressure ultimately proved too much as Arsenal clicked into gear, narrowed the gap and produced a lengthy run of good results at a time when we had gone on a dismal run and were easily passed to prove Wenger’s annoying prediction true.

We have given a passable impression of a marathon runner who has hit the wall a few miles from the finish of his race since mid February. The feeling of invincibility we had built up has ebbed away with each defeat. This has affected the confidence of our own players and has made opponents see a game against us as something other than the mission impossible it had appeared earlier.

Martin nursed his squad through the season from mid July to mid February by fielding weakened teams whenever he had been able. On occasions he was able to do so without undue detriment to our progress on the field. But, on other occasions his gambles did not pay off such as when we exited from the Carling Cup at home to QPR and were defeated in our last two UEFA Cup group games leaving us facing in CSKA a team like Everton that we had started a cup tie no better than even money to progress from.

But, why could we not play our strongest team more often? Think back to the teams of the 60s & 70s who played 50, 60 or more games in a season on surfaces such as the bog like Baseball Ground without compromising on the quality of their output. Think of our championship winning side in 1980-81 who won the league using only 14 players before the days of squad rotation, did they look tired in the run-in? Think of the likes of the top 4 of today who although they do rotate their squad to some extent will have players who will play as many games this season as will our own but with less devastating results. Why can the likes of Gabby not produce the same level of performance in March as they did earlier in the season? Or is this something that comes with experience and being tested in this way in the past?

During this week’s Sky Sports “Time of our lives” programme Frank McLintock addressed the issue of why players now appear to have difficulty in maintaining their level of performance through a season. He used as an example his own 76 games in Arsenal’s double winning 1970 – 71 season, which were followed by 3 internationals after the FA Cup Final. The double winning skipper said, “Now I sometimes wonder why; I know the games supposed to be a bit faster but the pitches are perfect now but we did that with only 16 players and so did Liverpool and Leeds United before us we played with 13 & 16 players and now players play about 35 games and they say they are tired and I can’t quite get my head around that yet you know”.

George Graham responded, “But, I think that Frank that we were very, very, strong mentally and that was it I mean nowadays when I see some of the young players, you know let’s say some of the Villa young really talented, I don’t think its anything to do with the physical condition, I think mentally they’re not up for it, just how its actually drained them because physically now the players are really fit Jeff, really fit nowadays, we were mentally strong so we just went out there and played our normal game”.

Is George Graham right? Were our players not mentally up for it? Does this apply to us in isolation or to other clubs and players as well? How many games can a professional footballer now be expected to play in a season whilst still performing at his optimum level and why if it is that less than players such as Frank McLintock were able to manage 38 years ago is that so? Is this something that Martin can teach our young players so that they can become strong mentally, up for it and go out there and play there normal game throughout a season?

It is also worth mentioning that this is not the first time that our football club has fallen away at the business end of the season. Back in 1989-90 we finished runners-up having lost 4 of our 7 league games between 24/2/90 and 1/4/90 and in 1992-93 we lost our last 3 games of the season when finishing second and 10 points behind Manchester United. Of course other teams have also faded at the end of a season; Ipswich for example won only 2 of their last 6 games in 1981 and we all remember Newcastle’s 12 point lead at the top evaporating 13 years ago.

There are clearly more questions than answers at the moment. The first is whether we may yet produce a strong finish to the season by winning our last six league games and threatening Arsenal’s Champions League place. The second is will we keep the likes of Barry & Petrov at our football club in the event of a fifth or worse league placing this season? The third is whether Martin will be able to add the quality and numbers he will need in the next season so that we can maintain a challenge on one or more fronts throughout next season by being able to rest players without compromising results?

But, for me there is no question concerning whether or not we are making progress and have the right manager and owner in place. In Randy & Martin I still trust 110%. Rome was not built in a day and the faults that Martin & Randy inherited were never all going to be put right by the end of this season. Our expectations have been raised and perhaps they are a little to high just now. The team may have been performing above themselves and having been brought back down to earth they will come good again sooner or later. But one thing that is certain is that this football club has a proud past and a bright future. A few bad results can’t change that!

Up the Villa!

John Lewis

I'm shocked that some do not. We are lucky to have Martin and he is a manager that all but one or two clubs would prefer to the one they now have in place.

Nail, its not looking good for Martin but he has been written off before due to injury and came back to be our best defender and skipper so I'm hoping he can do the same again with the right medical treatment. But, I agree we need to sign a defender to challenge Curtis & Carlos for the central defensive roles and in view of the fact we cannot rely on Martin's fitness week in and week out. As far as the middle is concerned I back them to get it right again although they seemed to play better as a 5 and it may be worth giving Reo a game there against his old club next week if Gabby is not fully fit. Up front I don't think the Hare fits into Martin's plans and I think we do need to sign a real threat up front for next season to complement Gabby, Emile and Big John, as well as to provide suitable cover and a threat to their starting place.

The point from this game will not guarantee fourth or fifth place but it allows us to still dream of an increasingly unlikely fourth spot and makes Everton’s job of pipping us for fifth less likely and unlike the rest of the top 6 we have all of our eggs in one Easter basket and so can give our undivided attention to our season defining 6 game run-in!

This was a battle between two closely matched sides that have this season delighted television audiences with their high scoring close encounters. We are the two closest challengers to the top 4 and are that step above the rest of the division. This season we may finish fifth and they may wind up sixth, which would be a reversal of last season’s placings and would represent progress for us. We have now proved ourselves over the course of two seasons, the best of the rest and the two teams most likely to take advantage of any slips from the usual suspects who now again fill the top 4 places.

Everton may see the penalty that cost them the game to be debatable but I think by then and given the weight of reasonable penalty appeals referee Webb had turned down before then he had little choice but to give one. I would also suggest that Everton should not feel hard done by as many a challenge on Ashley Young went unpunished by the referee as did the latest of Fellaini’s elbow to head incidents.

So this was the perfect result for Arsenal, who now hold the 8 point gap that a win rather than a draw from our home game against Stoke just six weeks ago would have given us over them. Our draw keeps the slender one point gap between us and Everton in place and should see us favourites to finish fifth. It did not add to the mere handful of home wins we have achieved at Villa Park this season. But I consider that our comeback performance yesterday and our unlucky late defeat at Old Trafford does suggest that we can put the recent miserable run of results behind us and produce a strong run-in.

Whether that can now give us Champions League football rather than Europa Cup football next season is I would suggest dependant on Arsenal at the very least losing the 3 games they face against the teams that occupy the first three places in the league and on us winning all of our remaining games. But, if Arsenal do not slip up in these and other games and our finish is good but not quite good enough to compensate for the ground we have lost in recent weeks it will see us qualifying for Europe through the front door and with the experience gained from the many rounds we played to qualify and then reach the last 32 in the UEFA Cup behind us. It will also see us starting next season in August rather than in July and possibly with a stronger bigger squad that can face the prospect of doing battle on more than one front.

My player ratings from a game that has left us needing a strong finish to the season to end it in the top 5 are:

Brad Freidel - 7 – Tipped over a rasping shot on 16 minutes and did well to block a dangerous cross on 41 minutes that could have put us 2 goals down at half time.

Luke Young – 7 – Solid and again made some crucial challenges.

Curtis Davies – 6 – Continues to struggle to produce the level of performances that he gave us earlier this season but his performance improved as the game wore on albeit from a low starting point. How he and we miss the confidence that Martin Laursen brings to the centre of our defence and I just can’t help but feeling that Fellaini might not have been left unmarked for their opener and Cahill would not have got to his own header when it cannoned off the bar so easily had Martin have been marshalling and steadying our defence.

Zat Knight – 5 – Did not look comfortable on his return to the starting line up in Carlos’ absence but he did get a vital touch to the ball on 84 minutes that denied Everton what looked like a great opportunity for a fourth.

Nicky Shorey - 7 – Nicky is now providing the balance that we have lacked for much of the season at the back.

James Milner – 8 – Hit a terrific free kick past Howard to produce the early response to their third goal that we so needed on 55 minutes and gave his usual hard running display.

Gareth Barry – 7 – Hit the penalty that secured us a point with conviction, confidence and “straight down the middle” as Bing Crosby once crooned.

Stiliyan Petrov – 7 – A quiet start but he alongside our captain and James then stood solid and stopped Everton running through us as had been happening during the first quarter of the game. Earned our penalty on 67 minutes when Lescott’s foot connected with his head inside the box and hit a splendid cross which Milner was unable to head down in the last moments of injury time.

Ashley Young – 7 – Moyes saw to it that Ashley faced two defenders on most occasions he made a forward run but he still proved more than a handful for Hibbert who might have conceded a penalty or have left the field earlier than on 65 minutes upon the production of a red card rather than through the choice of his manager following a succession of fouls on our fleet footed winger. But, what has happened to his free kicks? The once deady dead ball crosses are too often over hit and from the edge of the box goal scoring opportunities too often do not trouble the keeper as was demonstrated when his free kick on 51 minutes sailed over the wall but also well over the bar with Howard nothing but a spectator. These are vital aspects of his game that he needs to work on in or after training.

John Carew– 8 – MOTM - Scoring goals for fun on his return to the first team isn’t he? John’s fourth in six appearances came on 33 minutes and brought us back into a game that we had up until then looked odds on losing having gone two goals down on the 23rd minute. Milner’s cross was pushed back into the danger area by Barry and John did well to apply the necessary finish. Demonstrated the physical presence, eye for goal and skill on the ball that may yet produce a strong finish to this season.

Gabby Agbonlahor – 5 – Took a step back from the level of display he had produced at Old Trafford and once again struggled to make an impression on the game but I think his being below par fitness wise may well explain this outcome.

Substitutes:

Nathan Delfounesco - 6 – Replaced the injured Gabby on 53 minutes. Worked himself into a good position to pull the trigger in injury time but his strike lacked the clinical precision of a Macheda and was pushed away by Howard.

Up the Villa!

John Lewis