John

Ciaran we run the risk of this turning into an early transfer window thread. I don't know much about Delph but he might be the one I had read may be on his way to Chelsea. With Huntelaar having now agreed terms with Real Madrid that reduces our potential options and brings the Heskey-Doyle combo yet nearer. I think Isset, Savage & Guppy would be flattered by being compared with the likes of Sidwell, Reo and either Young or Milner. Leicester never maintained a challenge to the top 4 and we will.

ces4villa. I hope your next trip is a winning one. I agree that the option that Big John provides was badly missed against a team such as Fulham. As for the frostbite my own is in the same condition but I assume more of the same on Thursday will have me back to looking like Scott or Oates very soon.

My disappointment was not helped with Arsenal's win either Ciaran! Some well made observations on your part once again, I think we have a different view on the merits of Reo, I had also thought that Sidwell was looking more comfortable in our shirt up until Saturday and I think Petrov has now found his best position for us and usually makes us tick from there. I think we do struggle to break sides down at home and our game is better suited to away games where the home side will press forwards. On the subject of our striker signings, 2 I had been hoping for and another one that Tom Ross expects us to sign in January were linked to other clubs yesterday. Huntelaar with Real Madrid, Podolski to Manchester City and Owen to Liverpool. Our transfer options may be getting lower, which would not be good news.

We missed a chance to potentially stretch four points clear of Arsenal yesterday and move up into third due to another lack lustre home performance.

We lacked any real spark against Fulham yesterday. This was an important match as it was the acid test of whether we could perform against the sort of team we have struggled so often to dispatch in the past. We failed the test. Fulham came to Villa Park as they did to Anfield looking only to get a point from a stalemate. We never really looked like we wanted it enough to put any sustained pressure on them. Yes, things improved in the second half, but it would have been difficult for us to do any worse. Yes, we did cling onto a point which we had not against Boro. But, teams like Fulham will come to Villa Park and play deep and invite us to break them down and we must find a way to do this if we are not going to continue needing to pick up points against the likes of Arsenal to make up for points we have dropped against the likes of Boro. Now we have to win at Everton to make up for this result.

So, why did Martin not try to change things by bringing on a substitute or two? Was it that he looked at his bench and could see no viable options on it? Was it that he thought that we would make and take one chance before time ran out on us? I think it may have been a combination of the two but I consider it also shows we need to buy some options in the next window and we should start with a big named striker who will make everyone sit up and know we really mean business. No doubt we will be back to our best on Thursday and next weekend (I hope we are) but we need to string together a run of consistently good performances together and not have these regular hiccups if we are to maintain our present elevated position in the league table and even put some space between us and the chasing pack.

My player ratings from a game that amazingly the referee only played 2 extra minutes when the keeper alone wasted more than that in the second half are:

Brad Friedel - 7 – MOTM – Only had two real saves to make but what saves they were and without them we would have had another home defeat on our hands. Clint Dempsey forced Brad to make a finger tip save from his shot in the first half and then forced him to make a point blank block from a goal bound effort on 74 minutes. On a day when he took the record of 167 consecutive league appearances Brad celebrated with another clean sheet. What a good buy he has been.

Carlos Cuellar – 7 – His distribution improved during the game and he did a pretty solid job plugging the full back slot.

Curtis Davies – 7 – Another rock solid performance.

Martin Laursen – 7 – More of what we have come to expect from him it’s a pity he could not have added one of his trade mark goals from one of our many set pieces.

Luke Young - 7 – Very solid again and looked a bit of a threat when moving forward.

James Milner – 6 – Would have wanted to see more of the ball and to impress himself on the game more than he did.

Stiliyan Petrov – 7 – Not quite at his best today but nobody other than in our defence was.

Gareth Barry – 7 – So unlucky when a header (albeit one straight at Schwarzer) deflected off the keeper’s arms onto the crossbar and out on 70 minutes and was just inches wide with an earlier header that he had to stretch to meet a Young cross on 23 minutes. Great news that he has told Martin he will remain with us for the whole season and if we do get that top 4 spot why on earth would he not want to play in the Champions League with us next season?

Steve Sidwell – 5 – Oh dear! Not a good day for Steve. He struggled to do anything positive and his miss on 40 minutes cost us dear. He got into a good position inside the box found himself on the end of Young’s free kick and only needed to get his header on target to score but he connected with a woeful header that sailed harmlessly over the bar.

Ashley Young – 6 –Too often Ashley’s free kicks were misplaced or too long. Hit a shot into the side netting on 19 minutes but the keeper had it covered. Can do better than this although he played a role in our scoring opportunities that were few and far between.

Gabriel Agbonlahor – 6 – Little service and had little chance to make an impression as a lone striker against a solid and well organised Fulham defence. Perhaps went wide too often as we have wide men in Young and Milner and needed a presence in the box. On more than a couple of occasions it was left for Sidwell and Barry to provide a target inside the box during his absence.

Substitutes:

None

Up the Villa!

John Lewis

But to be thought of as part of the 'establishment' means operating towards the top end of the table over a consistent period - 3/5 years minimum, and being genuinely in the hunt for the games biggest prizes

I see your point HolteExile and agree. The first target is to be the new Everton but if we do that by ending the season in the top 4 as they did once then I think we stand a better chance of actually joining the club than they did.

Don't know about that one John. I thought Vinny was a great ball winner in his time. Remember his tackle on Gazza!

It still brings tears to Gazza's eyes as did those Walkers Crisps.

Vinny is a better actor than he ever was a footballer. Which is not saying a lot Ciaran. Reo is a far better player than he was although I think Vinny did play for Wales?

As for the holding role I think that is Barry's with Carrick and Hargreaves looking to compete for that position. I don't see Reo getting in front of them in the short term but who knows he might get a game at full back!

Reo does seem to divide opinions. Yes his distribution is not great and he holds onto the ball a touch too long for his own good sometimes but I think he will become an England player during his time with us because he does the other jobs very well, gives 110% and is a natural leader. Some of us once thought Petrov was not a good signing, I back Martin on Reo coming good in the same way that Petrov has. As for man of the match it was a difficult one as there were a few who could have easily been given it. I gave it to Reo given the job he did was not one he prefers and the quality of the player he kept in his pocket. But, its all about opinions folks.

Yes Ciaran, I think we do need a big name striker but will probably get Doyle to give us some options up front and one full back should be enough as I trust Bouma will be available in the next couple of months.

Shock - Manchester United left Villa Park winless yesterday. The points were shared and no right minded person could argue that on the balance of the play we were well worth a point. Now the trick is to stay in the top 4 for the rest of the season.

This was a little like the Liverpool game for me, with two good teams cancelling each other out and with chances being few and far between. We came at them more in the second half and I thought Big John’s introduction was a positive one as it showed we were not looking to just hang on to a point but to go for all three. But, at the end we did fall too deep and ran the risk of them getting another underserved winner at Villa Park. But, for one this did not happen and our games against Arsenal and Manchester United have got us the 4 points that we might have expected to have got in the two earlier games against Newcastle and Boro. The trick now is to not let things slip next week against Fulham.

So, what was the difference between this one and other games at Villa Park between the two clubs over the past dozen years? I think this time Fergie’s boys arrived on something less than the crest of a wave. I think they arrived for probably one of the few times for many a year not expecting just to need to turn up to grab the points. I think having won at Arsenal the week before they had lost there had the belief that we could go head to head with them. I also think that after this one our rivals will know we are in it for the long haul. Because with over a third of the season gone this is no early season fluke. We are where we deserve to be, catch us if you can Arsenal!

So was it a penalty. It would have been if it had been pretty boy Ronaldo. Gabby was being pulled back before he got into the box and we should have had a free kick then. If referee Foy was allowing advantage then fair enough, but he was not. Vidic did not learn and he continued to hinder Gabby after he had taken his run inside the box and the penalty for that should have been a spot kick and probably Vidic’s marching orders. But, Foy was too busy wondering how long it would be before he could award them another dubious free kick to make the right decision. The only question was do I blow my whistle now or when Gabby eventually goes down? He ducked the question which was one he did not have the nerve to make. I trust it will win him a Christmas card from Fergie!

My player ratings from a game that has left Arsenal trailing in our wake are:

Brad Friedel - 7 – Solid on the rare occasions he was called upon and when was the last time we could say that after a game against this lot?

Nigel Reo Coker – 8 – MOTM – I think a few of us had our doubts when it became clear it would be Reo rather than Shorey who would have the job of containing Ronaldo. But, he did the job tremendously well to the extent that Ronaldo’s main contribution to the evening was as a tumbler who hit the floor at every opportunity. No doubt Fergie will claim he lacked adequate protection. But, his contribution to the game was minimal because Reo made sure it was and he did that fairly. Did well on 18 minutes when winning the ball inside his own half and then running on to the edge of their box before hitting a firm low shot that Van der Sar gathered just inside the post. But, he remains a short term alternative here because he is no full back, he will need to be found a place somewhere in the starting line up after this performance though.

Curtis Davies – 8 – Showed why he was worth that trip to Berlin that the likes of Rooney and Ferdinand cried off from.

Martin Laursen – 8 – Another tower of strength in our defence that contained whatever Manchester United could throw out us.

Luke Young - 7 – Very solid performance particularly when you consider he was playing on his wrong side.

James Milner – 8 – Did so well on 86 minutes when his run took him to the edge of the box and his measured cross from the touchline looked likely to bring a winner until it was smothered a yard or two out by desperate defending. Another display and he is beginning to show what we knew he could in our shirt.

Stiliyan Petrov – 8 – He was immense last night. Here there and everywhere throughout the game and gave a tireless all action display. It is no coincidence that when he was missing from our team we looked less resolute in the middle.

Gareth Barry – 8 – Got better and better as the game progressed and by the close he was running the midfield, rather than the pretender to his England spot Carrick. Hit a nice effort that drifted wide on 65 minutes.

Steve Sidwell – 7 – Another very convincing performance in our midfield, Steve is settling in well.

Ashley Young – 8 – His best moment came in defence when he did so well to get back and take the ball away from Park when he was about to pull the trigger from what appeared an unchallenged position within our box. The challenge needed to be perfect for the referee to keep his whistle in his pocket and it was. But, he had his moments up front as well and was our main threat. Forced a finger tip save from Van der Sar on 50 minutes when hitting a measured effort from distance and from a wide position that had threatened to find the top corner of the net. Cut inside on 72 minutes and forced a low save from the keeper.

Gabriel Agbonlahor – 7 – Little service and was marshalled pretty well by their defenders. But, kept running in the lone striker role and deserved a penalty when only Vidic’s clumsy challenges stopped him having a one on one with the keeper, after Barry had put him through with a great pass.

Substitutes:

John Carew – Replaced Sidwell on 81 minutes and not on long enough to earn a rating or really pose the threat to their defence he might have with more time. Can we afford to leave him on the bench but can we also afford to leave out a midfield player to accommodate him?

Up the Villa!

John Lewis

Two successive league defeats have seen the gap that had developed between us and the likes of Everton shrink to almost nothing now. This is the second time in a week we have shunned the opportunity to climb back into the top 4. Will that opportunity come again this season? If it does will we grasp the opportunity at the third time of asking?

The last goal was always likely to settle a game in which (perhaps surprisingly) there was little to choose between the two teams. On another day we might have converted one of the chances we had to make it 2-1 before the 88th minute. But on another day we might also not have presented the game to them on a platter due to two defensive howlers, the second of which followed another error that Alves contrived to put wide. But sadly we did not heed that warning.

Those two embarrassing defensive lapses led to this first home league defeat of the season. Boro are a side we can beat for fun away but one that all too often we struggle to beat at Villa Park. I had hoped that this season would be different and that we could pull clear of the rest and possibly turn the big 4 into a big 5. But, the last two games were against opponents that the top 4 clubs would not have lost against or at the very least would not have lost both games against. November has been a bad month for us in the past and to stop it ruing our great start to the season we will now need points from our next two league games that we will start as underdogs having failed to get any from our last two games that we had started as clear favourites. Anyone want to bet against us?

Boro started the game with some neat work up front and proved a handful for our defence. They created the better chances and we had more than one player who was performing below par. We also sorely missed Big John up front, Young at the back and Petrov in the centre. Gabby on his own up front does not really work and Martin seems reluctant to play Marlon alongside him when John is missing. When Young is missing we have our failings of last season exposed once again. Cuellar like Gardner is not a right back (or a left back either) and they have both shown that more than once. Stiliyan has been our most influential and effective midfielder so far this season and his injury has disjointed our midfield unit. So was this result due to our European commitments? As half of the team did not play in Prague and as we are only just into November that argument does not really hold water (although there was plenty of that).

My player ratings from a game that not for the first time left me wondering why Martin prefers to take off a full back rather than to make a like for like substitution and that produced our fifth defeat on the trot with Styles in charge and Boro’s fifth win on the trot with him officiating (not that I am implying anything!) are:

Brad Friedel - 6 – Steady enough, but pushed a low shot straight at Alves who missed a golden opportunity to clinch the points from inside the 6 yard box on 82 minutes.

Carlos Cuellar – 5 – Did very well to take the ball from Tuncay’s feet on 22 minutes when he had looked likely to open the scoring before he actually did. But, he looked uncomfortable on the ball when moving forward and could not exploit the spaces that full backs need to.

Curtis Davies – 7 – A solid performance. We have three very good central defenders but that creates a problem when we can only play two at the same time.

Martin Laursen – 7 – MOTM - Near to his best at the back last night, it was a pity that their forwards kept him too busy to provide the level of threat he so often provides at the other end.

Nicky Shorey – 5 – Badly at fault on 34 minutes when his indecision left the ball at Tuncay’s feet for their opener. He seemed to be trying to chest the ball down with a view to controlling it in a dangerous position rather than taking the easy and obvious option of heading the ball back from where it had come. The error spoilt an otherwise reasonable performance.

James Milner – 7 – Hit a perfectly weighted cross for our equaliser and on about three occasions almost threaded the ball through their defence to feed Gabby.

Nigel Reo Coker – 6 – Not at his best last night.

Gareth Barry – 6 – Had his moments but we expect him to impose himself more on a game than he did last night

Steve Sidwell – 6 – From hero to villain? Steve applied the requisite finish to Milner’s cross on 37 minutes with a well placed header from close range. Got onto the end of a good Milner cross on 52 minutes but headed over where Carew would have probably buried what looked a more than decent opportunity. Glanced a header just wide in injury time and his only blot on the copy book was that moment of madness on 88 minutes when he hit a half pass into the box to nobody in particular without looking that led to their winner. It was a big blot and it cost him MOTM!

Ashley Young – 6 – Hit a free kick from the edge of the box that got a deflection off a defender’s outstretched arm in the wall that Turnbull needed to tip over on 27 minutes and he hit a shot from the edge of the box on 65 minutes that Turnbull needed to parry. Ash also did his bit at the back when he headed a Riggott header off the line when guarding the post in the second half. But, this was a below par performance for him.

Gabriel Agbonlahor – 6 – Held the ball up a little better than he has done sometimes in the past. Was put clear by Barry on 50 minutes but his last touch was too strong and he took it wide of the keeper to make a block all too easy for him. Also headed wide on 81 minutes when he really should have been on target.

Substitutes:

Marlon Harewood – 6 – Replaced Shorey on 70 minutes and should have done better when he was put clear but took too many touches in trying to get the ball onto his preferred foot.

Up the Villa!

John Lewis

I stuggled to work out if he'd played poorly or was just defended against well

He found it difficult against their defence last year as well as I recall John, at least at Villa Park. I'm not sure if he was facing the same full back though.

I like around half of your selection, although I do not know them all. I have started my top 100 more than once in my head but it seems a task that can never be completed as new records come out each year and some great ones may slip the memory and to be accurate would need a list of every record ever made and more time than any of us have to listen to them. But, its fun to think about and it has started me thinking of my top 100 again...

Blackburn can feel unlucky to leave Villa Park without a point. They might have felt that their overall performance could have seen them take all three back to Lancashire. But, tough luck Incey the points are all ours!

For the first half and until we hit our second goal Blackburn undoubtedly had the better of us. They closed us down very well. They flooded forwards in waves when they had the ball and often looked dangerous. Each ball we aimed forward came straight back at us which placed pressure on both our midfield and our defence. On another day we could have gone in at half time not one but two or even three goals down. But, as Ajax can testify we have suddenly become a very dangerous team on the stroke of half time and on a second occasion in consecutive home games we struck a crucial blow as the referee began to reach for the half time whistle.

A goal had seemed unlikely to come during that first half but if it was to come it seemed likely to come from a defender, as we had been creating very little from open play. Who would have thought that Luke Young rather than Martin Laursen would be the one to get it? I hope someone did because at those odds it would be some pay-day from the bookies! Goals at that point change the way teams go into the dressing room and Rovers must have been devastated to go in at half time with nothing to show for their first half performance. Our second goal really turned this game. We were a different side after that and began to look threatening where previously we had not. Blackburn viewed going behind as an injustice but one they initially seemed resigned to rather than something they immediately decided they would rally against. In doing so, they surrendered the initiative and lost the game because what few chances we had we mostly put away.

This was the sort of performance that has been separating the big 4 from the rest of the league for a long time now. A win from a game that you have not performed well in is still a win at the end of the season when the league table positions are finalised. How many times have we for example performed well for long periods against Manchester United only to see them hit a purple patch and score a couple of goals to put them out of our reach by the end of the game? It’s a knack that is worth having with the number of games we are likely to face this season and one that sees Manchester United still looking up at us, Arsenal seeing us level on points with them and Hull changing places with us. Nice!

My player ratings from a game that left us sitting pretty in the top four and where some 5 and 6 markings swiftly became 6s and 7s are:

Brad Friedel - 7 – Made a splendid save when Pedersen hit the ball first time with a great volley moments after Barry had given us the lead. Had little or no chance with either of their goals.

Luke Young – 7 – Bundled the ball over the line with a second attempt at goal late in first half injury time. Not the best goal ever seen at Villa Park, but his first in our shirt and a vital one on the night. A solid all round display.

Carlos Cuellar – 7 – A solid performance in the centre that may have Curtis wondering how he is going to break back into the first team action in the same way Carlos was until he took over the shirt at Chelsea. With so little time between our next two games, I suspect Curtis’ opportunity will come in one of those when Martin decides one of the current first choice central defenders could use a break. Carlos is beginning to show the form he showed in Glasgow.

Martin Laursen – 7 – In the first half he seemed our most lethal player in their box and our most reliable player in our own, although Carlos ran him close on the latter. A header from a Young free-kick on 35 minutes forced a save from Robinson, where a firmer one might have produced a goal.

Nicky Shorey – 7 – Effective when getting forward and solid enough at the back. It was the dangerous ball he hit back into their box at the end of the second half that produced our scrambled equalizer.

Nigel Reo Coker – 6 – Worked hard enough but not quite at his influential and most effective best.

Stiliyan Petrov – 6 – Was doing no worse than any other midfield player at half time but unusually of late was doing no better either. A change needed to be made and as Stiliyan has played in most of our games Martin may have felt he was the one that was most due a rest.

Gareth Barry – 7 – Left unmarked in the six yard box for our second on 65 minutes and he does not miss from there. In the right place at the right time, as he so often is. By the way Gareth that right place is and always will be at Villa Park in our shirt!

Ashley Young – 7 – Found Milner for our second and hit a really great pass to find Gabby for our third. In between this he hit a shot just wide of the post on 80 minutes after a mazy run had took him just inside the box and that would have been some solo effort! Ashley’s dead ball accuracy was however below his usual exemplary level.

James Milner – 7 – MOTM – Much nearer to what we expect from him and have seen him do in the past. James did so well in setting up our crucial second goal when after he was found on the edge of the box by Young, his tenacity and no little skill got him to the line and he then pulled the ball back to Barry who scored our second.

Gabriel Agbonlahor – 7 – He used his speed well to leave Samba in his wake and slotted the ball past Robinson for our decisive third on 87 minutes. He is lethal when given the ball and the opportunity to beat a defender with his pace. His finish was top class. Found the first half a struggle up on his own against a big Blackburn defence and playing high balls to him in the absence of Big John, as we did more than once made little sense.

Substitutes:

John Carew – 7 - Replaced Stiliyan from the start of the second half and his introduction gave Blackburn defenders so much more to cope with than they had in the second half. I think his indiscretion should be put to one side now as we are a much better side with him starting than with him on the bench. Oh and on such a cold night that song from the Holte End was never going to bare fruit for John!

Steve Sidwell – Replaced Reo on 83 minutes not on long enough to earn a rating.

Marlon Harewood – Replaced Gabby on 90 minutes and another who did not get enough playing time to earn a rating.

Up the Villa!

John Lewis

For me TV replays showed it was outside

As Wenger used to say "I did not see it" . (later on the box that is) But, from where I was sitting I would have given it Richard. :winkold:

This was what European nights at Villa Park are all about, illustrious opponents, exciting football, an animated crowd and a Villa victory!

This was a very important win against one of the very biggest European names. They might not be quite the Ajax of old at the moment but they would still prove difficult opposition for any club in Europe. Our victory against them leaves us able to hold our heads high today. That we were up for the challenge, even without John Carew says a lot for the potential impact that we could have on this competition. It also shows how big European nights at Villa Park can still raise the players who turn out in Villa shirts in the way they have done so often in the past.

What Ajax fans there were (and I had expected more) made a lot of good early sustained noise. Their team also looked bright particularly when moving forward. They were as we would have anticipated technically adept. They kept the ball well, made incisive runs (both with and without the ball), passed smoothly and looked dangerous as they moved towards our box and particularly from well delivered whipped in corners that their players ran into the box to meet and that our defenders found some difficulty in dealing with.

But, their defence proved to be their Achilles heel and in particular their keeper Vermeer struggled to master the art of dealing with crosses in the first half. This led to our early opener and we might just have run riot had Big John been available for selection and to get on the end of inviting balls that were played into their box in the first 45 minutes that caused great uncertainty to their defence. But, in the same way that our captain hit home a solid header from a corner when scarcely challenged on 8 minutes, Vermaelen did the same 14 minutes later from one of their many impressive corners. The next goal then looked crucial in deciding the game and so it proved when our former captain scored our winner on the stroke of half time to deflate Ajax as they entered their dressing room. The perfect time to score!

Martin changed things around at half time. He made sure we did not allow them the same space we had given them in the first half by pushing our defensive line further up the field when they were in possession and by getting our team to pressure Ajax more when they had the ball at their feet. He also changed the team formation back to what it had been up until last weekend before the game. These changes played a big part in our win, as did that late goal at the end of the first half and so the second half ended up a smoother less nervous affair than we may have feared. Those Ajax fans grew quieter as the Villa fans turned up the volume and as our visitors realised that the game was slowly drifting away from them.

My player ratings from a game that left us joint top of our group with Hamburg and I would suggest possibly just one more home win from qualifying from this group are:

Brad Friedel - 6 – A good low save from a goal bound effort as the game drew near to its close, otherwise he was less tested than he may have anticipated he would have been.

Luke Young – 7 – I was much relieved to see Luke starting as one of two specialist full backs for this stern test. He had a solid game at the back and also looked useful when moving forward.

Carlos Cuellar – 7 – Deserved an opportunity in the centre after his last appearance left him deputising in an unaccustomed full back berth. Looked confident at the back and handled Ajax’s forward threat well. Curtis will have been naturally upset not to start but I assume Martin was looking for Carlos’ greater European experience to help hold the defence together for this one.

Martin Laursen – 8 – Solid at the back a big threat in the air up front and he showed Ajax’s defence that you cannot give him a free header from a corner and not expect to pay the price.

Nicky Shorey – 7 – Solid in defence and did some good stuff as he moved forward, including testing their keeper with a second half effort from the edge of the box.

Nigel Reo Coker – 7 – Worked very hard as he always does.

Stiliyan Petrov – 9 – MOTM – Ran the show in the middle and looks a steal this season for the fee we paid for him. Never put a foot wrong and worked very, very, hard throughout.

Gareth Barry – 7 – Looked off the pace early on but he got better and better as the game progressed and he applied a nice finish on 45 minutes to a deflected Young cross which evaded a couple of their defenders before reaching his left foot with which he secured our win by hitting the ball into the corner of the net. He also hit a firm shot on 88 minutes when Milner fed him following a good run that the keeper needed to be alert to stop.

Ashley Young – 7 – His pace was a constant threat but his end product was not always up to its usual high standard and he needs to remember that the obvious ball may sometimes be the right one. Snatched at a good opportunity on 35 minutes from a good Milner cross, but it was his balls into the box that led to both of our goals.

James Milner – 6 – Another performance that was a little below par. James can do better and will but he is finding it harder to settle into our side than might have been expected given his previous spell with the club. But, he was unlucky to have not been given a penalty near the end when he was brought down inside the box only to be given a free-kick outside of it that led to nothing.

Gabriel Agbonlahor – 7 – Worked very hard and ran tirelessly as our lone striker until a challenge from their keeper outside the box led to his being carried off with a minute of injury time remaining.

Substitutes:

Craig Gardner – Replaced Reo on 82 minutes not on long enough to earn a rating although was able to receive a booking.

Curtis Davies – Replaced Gabby for the last minute or so following his injury but that was not long enough to earn a rating.

Up the Villa!

John Lewis

General;

As Julie has said, the parents of the family of six who died in a motorway pile-up on the M6 had moved to Llandudno five years ago from Erdington in Birmingham and they along with their children Reece aged 13, Jay aged 9, Mason aged 20 months and Ellouise, aged 10 weeks died in the accident. The press has now reported that David and son Reece were big Aston Villa supporters. I also wonder if the club could do something tonight such as wear black armbands or dedicate the game to their memory or anything else that might be considered appropriate. I can appreciate that the notice is short but like Julie I thought the club might want to know about this, if it does not already.

The amount of money on the bench was one, as just because a player costs a certain amount does not guarentee a starting place, and nor should it.

Agree 100% and that was what I was trying to get over when I mentioned this Overdubber as this might be used as a reason for making the changes. What we now need to do is get back to how we were playing and to the formation that got us where we were up to that Chelsea game. We might have looked tighter at the back but that was at the expense of losing our own threat up front.

Harry got the point that his team deserved but it will be something that the linesman got that was no doubt intended for Harry that will have everyone talking!

We bought two full backs in the transfer window. To see them both sitting on the bench yesterday was as surprising to most of us as it was to them. Yes we have had two players sitting on the bench so far this season who cost the club £20m in the same transfer window and I’m sure they were itching to get a start. But, do you really change a winning side and a winning formation on the back of one defeat at Stamford Bridge? I think the tinkering in cup competitions at Villa Park so far this season has shown that any critical changes to our normal starting line up upsets the rhythm of our performance and often leads to a poor result. Yesterday we changed our formation, played Cuellar out of position and by pushing Barry back lost the important contribution he offers us further up field. I think we got things wrong this time. I‘m not sure why Martin didn’t change things when things were clearly going wrong. I suppose putting these two on the bench made a change from substituting them during the game as often seems to happen and as a consolation any Ajax scout will have learned very little from their trip to B6 yesterday. But, we needed all 3 points to maintain our momentum and you have to wonder whether we had one eye on our next game yesterday.

At least Portsmouth did not take all three points this time. They are a big side and we nullified most of their threat through the middle although in so doing we killed the game for us as well. By my reckoning we went 75 minutes before we got a shot on target. We had the possession to create things. We had 11 corners to their 2. But, while we are usually a big threat from dead balls this time our corners were easily handled by Portsmouth and the loose balls always gobbled up by players in blue shirts. This was a bad day at the office as was games against the likes of Sunderland, Wigan and yesterday’s opponents last season. To come out of such games with wins will happen nine times out of ten to the big 4 clubs we are aiming for. But, to come out of such games with a point rather than a defeat is an improvement.

Oh and I can‘t close without mentioning that incident that left a linesman bloodied pitch side yesterday. Incidents like this would get the club thrown out of Europe or playing games on neutral grounds or playing behind closed doors if they were repeated on Thursday night. Whoever decided to throw a 50 pence in the direction of Harry must have a screw loose and he fully deserves what is coming to him. He cannot have anything personal against Harry can he? For me, Harry is a real football man, likeable and if we did not have Martin the sort of manager I would like us to have at Villa Park. I’m sure he would have found the funny side of things if it had just been those few chants that he had come up against yesterday. But, someone had to take it further and the inaccuracy of his throw led to the official going down as if he had been hit by a bus and our good name being besmirched, The blame for this rests with just one person but there does seem to have been a few problems with a couple of people who have seats near the benches. I would suggest that anyone who chooses to sit there to vent their anger out on our own bench or towards the visitors with no good reason game in and game out may need to be relocated inside or outside of the ground for match days.

My player ratings from a game that has left us clinging to a top 6 spot by our finger tips are:

Brad Freidel - 6 – Kicking went awry at times but was solid when threatened which was more often than James was. Lucky that Davies was on hand to prevent his one two off the woodwork giving Portsmouth a lead on 28 minutes.

Carlos Cuellar – 6 – Playing out of position and it showed.

Martin Laursen – 6 – Not at his dominant best of this time last season, seemed to struggle for pace on occasion and to handle Crouch which were both equally suprising. Is the captaincy having an impact?

Curtis Davies – 6 – A decent display but must have been relieved when his part clearance off the line was ballooned over on 28 minutes, in much the way he had done when he hit an effort well over on 16 minutes following a dangerous header into the area by Laursen.

Gareth Barry – 6 – Solid enough but is wasted in this position and needs to be free to influence our entire performance where he sees fit.

Nigel Reo Coker – 7 – Hard working, becoming stronger with every game and an excellent ball winner, if only he did not dwell with the ball which sees him lose it more often than he would like. Pushed an effort across the goal from a tight angle on 57 minutes

James Milner – 5 – Did not look the player he has when coming off our bench so far this season.

Stiliyan Petrov – 8 – MOTM - Stood out as our best performer by a country mile. Another fine display on a day that they were rare and it would have been easy to have disappeared.

Ashley Young – 6 – I thought that towards the end of the game he might be about to take the game by the scruff of the neck and win it for us. Had a good run on 73 minutes that brushed the top of the goal netting after James got a finger to it and was denied by the outstretched James 2 minutes later when he hit a free kick from a position he so often scores from.

John Carew – 6 – Worked hard and might just have stolen the game at the death when his header hit the top of the bar in stoppage time.

Gabriel Agbonlahor – 5 – No real threat today. May have not been fully ready for 90 minutes but needs to do more in our shirt to claim an England jersey.

Substitutes:

Luke Young – Replaced our captain after he had picked up a knock on 88 minutes, not on long enough to rate.

Up the Villa & bring on Amsterdam‘s finest!

John Lewis

Zanev (23) suffered a blow to his pride from a driven Wayne Routledge ball, which went out for a corner. He fell like a stone right in front of the Holte and duly got the expected sympathy from the thousands above him. The physio duly did the leg bends and extensions to pump the little chaps down from their new location just behind his ears and when this didn’t work Zanev performed some amusing little jumps to try to make ‘em drop. Most males in the crowd were probably like me, laughing whilst feeling sorry for the chap and very glad it wasn’t us trying to restore the crown jewels in front of an unsympathetic Holte End and Trinity Road. My toes eventually uncurled and Wayne Routledge looked totally unconcerned by the discomfort he’d bestowed upon the poor Zanev. Hope the lads are OK Zanev

Yes it was a priceless moment for all but one at the game last night. I love the detail in the description.

I thought Delfouneso was away with the England U19's, rather than on the bench?

No he was on the bench MJ.

My pre-season European goal was achieved last night when we qualified for the group stages. Anything else would be a bonus but we like bonuses do we not? Bring on Feyenoord (I fancy a return to the scene of our last European conquest)!

This was a solid and a professional display in which we drew a second consecutive home game in European competition having already all but settled the tie away from home with a team that was much changed from our usual starting line up. The difference between these games and the QPR game was that we had a 3 and 2 goal lead in these two games so the pressure was off and an odd goal would not send us crashing out of the competition. That luxury will not be with us in the group stages where our home games will be vital to our potential progress and resting players against the likes of Ajax or Milan will not be an option.

This was a better display than that we produced against Hafnarfjordur or QPR. It seemed to me that the players who came in last night were more match ready than in those previous two games and I’m sure Martin had made it clear that a repeat of our defeat against Rangers was not an option. It also looked like players such as Zat Knight and Marlon who had now got a few first team games under their belts had used those first team outings to good affect.

My player ratings from a game that will see us going head to head with some really good sides in the coming weeks, with a couple of potential full houses at Villa Park and with a couple of tempting away days on the continent are:

Brad Friedel - 6 – Rarely tested and sent the wrong way from the spot but he is so re-assuring to have between the sticks and shouts a good game as we all heard last night.

Luke Young – 6 – Good to see us with two proper full backs for this game, solid enough when tested down his flank.

Zat Knight – 7 – Looked solid and untroubled last night.

Carlos Cuellar – 6 – Unlucky to concede a penalty against a player who was going away from goal and took the opportunity that his challenge presented to go down in the box. Carlos has yet to look the assured player we know he will become. He needs a run in the side and that will not happen yet with the way both Curtis and Martin are performing. He will take time to settle into a new league and the strength we have at the back gives Martin the luxury of being able to give him all of the time he needs to get up to the level we and he expect from him.

Nicky Shorey – 6 – Steady at the back and his fine delivery from free-kicks that he was responsible for at his former club gives us an option to Ashley when we want dead balls played into the box.

Wayne Routledge – 7 – MOTM – Looked very much better last night. Wayne enjoyed this rare start and looked a real threat as he has when appearing for England U21s in the past. He might just prove to be a bargain after all. A sharp turn on 67 minutes and his decent effort was pushed out for a corner, also cut inside well on 83 minutes before being stopped in the only way the defender could see how by fouling him first outside and then inside of the box.

Stiliyan Petrov – 7 – Given the captaincy against a club from his homeland and this was well deserved on his displays so far this season and in Martin and Reo’s absence. Always showed a cool head last night and he has the very good habit of finding another Villa shirt with the ball. Beginning to look a bargain at the price we got him from Celtic.

Moustapha Salifou – 6 – Worked hard and did some decent work in the middle but I’m yet to be convinced or to see what Martin clearly does in him.

James Milner – 7 – I would have liked to see how he performed on the other side last night and I’m sure he would have liked to have seen more of the ball than he did. He looked a threat when he did have the ball at his feet.

Ashley Young – 7 – Not quite at his very best and played in a more forward role, a couple of rare disappointing free kicks from decent positions but he was still very hard to handle. Almost turned Marlon’s shot into the net on 4 minutes, had a dizzy run into the box on 40 minutes and hit a cross that only needed a touch applied to it that it did not get. He was then unlucky to hit the woodwork on 78 minutes.

Marlon Harewood – 7 – Took his goal really well and held the line pretty well as well. Got on the end of a great ball into the box on 10 minutes but his effort was deflected wide, then on 27 minutes he finished off a strong run with a fine shot into the far corner for the goal that effectively ended any realistic or otherwise hopes that Litex may have entertained.

Substitutes:

Isaiah Osbourne – A late replacement for Ashley on 86 minutes who was not on long enough to earn a rating. I’m sure that but for their equaliser Martin would have looked to give Delfouneso half an hour or so.

Up the Villa!

John Lewis

I'm not sure Arshavin would have come in the summer Ciaran but it would seem Manchester City have shown that money is a great motivator in the transfer market and if we are in or around the league postion we hold now come January we might just be able to attract a big name that will make a big difference to our season then. The one I would like plays up front for Ajax and it seems looks like Steve Stride's son.

it's not as if we havent been close to the top of the table since 1935 or some such

Yes, we have been in this position before HolteExile but this time for the first time since the late 70s, I see signs of a gradual development of what could become a very good team and a top 4 place may then become the norm rather than the exception in the coming years.

I like yourself and bromsgove-avfc think we will push on with a couple more signings come the next window. A fox in the box type striker and a back up for Young would do for me.

Good to see you still working at it, but as the excitement builds at VP I bet you find it hard to put your pen down!

Nice to hear from you John. I think we may be on the verge of something big. :winkold:

I'll see what I can do..........