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John

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  1. John
    Our first home win and only our second league win of this frankly embarrassing season left us all leaving the ground with smiles on our faces and trying to remember how we used to react to winning a home league game.

    If our players are to be heroes just for one day then at least we will have the memory of a minimum of one home league win to look back on as we face the drop at some point between now and mid May.

    Yesterday we showed that at Villa Park we can beat them, just for one day. Our task is now to build on that win and to make it the start of what would be the greatest and most unexpected of escapes. We are currently 8 points from safety and that sounds a lot better than 11.

    To stay up we would need to gather another 27 points for me which looks to be beyond us. It would not need us to show we can beat them, forever and ever but if we pulled off this miracle by getting one less point from our last 17 games than Watford did from their first 17 we can be heroes, forever and ever. It would also lead to a lot of planned street parties being cancelled in the dark side of Birmingham!

    We started last night’s game well and played some decent football throughout against a Palace team who appeared to think that turning up at Villa Park was all they would need to do to emerge with all 3 points from the club who were and are still sitting rock bottom of the league. We played as a team and worked exceptionally hard for the victory we deserved last night Fair play to Pardew who said after the game, “I hope they do (stay up) they’re a great club. The PL would not want to lose a club of this magnitude”.    

    This Villa team showed spirit, passion and a will to win. These have been rare commodities so far this season and for me the team that took us into double figures points-wise last night should have the opportunity to go again unchanged on Saturday and seek a second successive home win against Leicester. This win can give our team some much needed confidence and belief to take into our coming games.   

    Our defence after recovering from the shock of Zaha hitting the far post in the first minute and seeing Delaney get between Lescott and Okore to turn a 27th minute Cabaye free-kick just wide of the post secured a crucial clean sheet. Our midfield ran for fun and challenged for the ball like terriers. The final third continued to be an issue for us but we got the goal and as Arsenal have proven is the case that is always enough when you are able to keep a clean sheet.

    We may well still go down after this win but if we must then let us go down fighting in the way that we fought for every ball last night!   

    My player ratings from a game that provided us with a rare league win are:

    Mark Bunn – 6 – Had a surprisingly quiet evening but did what little he needed to without undue alarm for the defenders in front of him and with a minimum of fuss.                                                                          

    Leandro Bacuna – 8 – Looked very decent as well as composed and reliable at the back last night. He was his usual effective self when getting forward. 

    Jores Okore – 7 – Jores was very solid alongside his skipper last night.       

    Joleon Lescott – 8 – This was a solid defensive performance and he led by example organising the players around him very effectively. Joleon added our winner on 58 minutes when he towered above two defenders to head Veretout’s corner and Hennessey was unable to gather his header which crossed the line off both of his legs.                                   

    Aly Cissokho – 7 – Aly was very steady at the back and did well enough when going forward. Had a 53rd minute shot from the edge of the box deflected over. We looked a lot more solid in defence with him there and that is what matters for us just now.                            

    Jordan Veretout – 8 – MOTM - Didn’t stop running, closing down as well as trying to move us forward last night.   

    Carles Gil - 7 – Worked himself into the ground before his late substitution and has now surely shown he is worth a regular starting place.                   

    Idrissa Gana – 8 – Got stuck in and did a lot of good work in our midfield. For me this was his best game for us as he continues to get better with each game.

    Ashley Westwood – 7 – Did his bit in the middle and worked hard. Hit a 3rd minute shot just wide of the post from the edge of the box.    

    Jordan Ayew – 8 – Our main threat up front worked very hard as he always does and has the spark that worries defenders. Thundered a shot into the side netting on 26 minutes after Kozak had headed the ball onto him. Might have settled our nerves on 85 minutes when he did all of the hard work by cutting into the box and running between 2 defenders before hitting his shot over the bar.   

    Libor Kozak – 7 – Libor was back by popular demand and worked his socks off last night looking more comfortable and familiar in the role than the player he replaced has of late. Did all that we could have reasonably expected from him and did well to get a shot in from the edge of the box on 52 minutes that was deflected off a defender and that Hennessey fumbled wide of the post.                 

    Substitutes:

    Ciaran Clark - Replaced Gil on 91 minutes so was not on long enough to merit any rating.  

    Stay up Villa!

    John Lewis


     
  2. John
    We showed some much needed fight and spirit yesterday against a team who were no better than we were and were perhaps fortunate to leave Villa Park with a point. But when we concede the first goal this season it is very unlikely that we will win the game because try as we might we do not really pose a significant goal threat to our opponents.
    West Ham had their best moments at the end of each half. They went ahead in first half stoppage time and seemed the team most likely to score when it was us that really needed to have been pressing for a winner near the end but we had the best of the game overall.
    There are signs of improvement now and our players do seem to be settling into a system as well as into this league. We came back from being a goal down as we did at Newcastle and have now for the first time this season gone 2 games without defeat. These are positives we can take from a season where positives have been very few and far between for us.  
    So we have now gone 10 home league games without a win. We have not won in the league at Villa Park this season and have only won one of the 18 games we have played since the first day of the season. That form sadly has relegation written all over it.
    On the two previous occasions that we were bottom of the table at Christmas we were relegated and the odds are against us making it third time lucky. The two teams that were bottom of the table at Christmas 2013 and 2014 survived but to have any chance of doing the same we really need to be winning games like this one and we did not.
    A draw from a game like this would have been OK if we had say another 10 points to our name but we are playing catch-up and we will not catch up in time by drawing games.
    We are 9 points adrift of Norwich who currently sit just above the drop zone. We play them next and follow that up with Sunderland who are only 4 points clear of us. We need to win both of those games now to bring those clubs within our reach. They are 6-pointers and must win games. Make it so Villa!
    My player ratings from a game that has left us hanging onto our top flight status by our finger tips are:
    Brad Guzan – 6 – Got a hand to a 25th minute near post shot from Zárate which he turned wide and gathered a shot from Obiang on 79 minutes a little uncomfortably. Brad again left a lot of space at one side of his goal for a late stoppage time free kick but managed to scramble across his goal to turn Valencia’s shot out for a corner.                                                                          
    Alan Hutton – 5 – Alan worked very hard as he always can be relied to do but his crosses were generally poor and he left wide players in too much space on a couple of occasions. On one such occasion Valencia had oceans of space in the build up to the move that led to Kouyaté striking the woodwork. Former Villa target Cresswell then found himself with no-one anywhere near him before he cut inside and picked his spot on the edge of the box. Alan later had a far post header cleared near the line by Collins on 74 minutes.
    Jores Okore – 6 – Jores gave another solid enough display at the back.       
    Joleon Lescott – 6 – The captaincy appears to have had a positive impact upon Joleon who looks more assured now and organises those around him pretty well.                                   
    Leandro Bacuna – 5 – Adrián blocked his 28th minute shot from the edge of the box which bounced to Gestede who was unable to get enough on his header from the rebound to trouble the keeper. 
    Jordan Veretout – 7 – Had a 53rd minute shot pushed past the far post by Adrián after Hutton had found him on the edge of the box and he had ran into it between 2 defenders. His recent improvement in performance is being sustained.  
    Carlos Sánchez - 6 – We lost some shape when he went off through injury on 38 minutes.                   
    Idrissa Gana – 7 – An encouraging display. Put himself about yesterday and stood up to be counted.
    Ashley Westwood – 5 – Hit a shot over the bar from 30 yards after Bacuna had found him in space and did the same with a volley on 71 minutes after the ball fell into his path from a corner. Might have conceded a second half penalty when the ball struck his arm but that would have been harsh on him and on us.    
    Jordan Ayew – 7 – MOTM - Jordan was as cool as a cucumber when he stepped up to slot home his 62nd minute penalty sending Adrián the wrong way. He really looks up for the fight and looks a quality forward now.   
    Rudy Gestede – 6 – Won balls in the air and was brought down for our penalty by Kouyaté as he raced onto a ball having got in front of his man. He seems to now be settling into playing in this league but he needs to find the goal touch he produced for Blackburn in the league below if we are to avoid joining them next season. Headed a Veretout cross wide of the post on 18 minutes and headed a Hutton cross over the bar on 50 minutes that he really should have headed downward. Turned well inside the box on 59 minutes following a Veretout free kick but his shot was parried away by Adrián.    
    Substitutes:
    Carles Gil -  6 - Replaced Sánchez on 38 minutes. Took a while to find his feet but he played his part in getting us moving forward in the second half. Hit a 44th minute shot wide of the near post from the edge of the box.  
    Adama Traoré – Replaced Veretout on 83 minutes but was not on the field long enough to merit a rating.  
    A Happier New Year to all readers - Stay up Villa!
    John Lewis
     
  3. John
    No team has ever avoided relegation from the Premier League with single figure points at this stage of the season. This is being widely quoted as a reason to conclude that our fate is already sealed. That may well prove to be the case but there was football before season 1991-92!

    In season 1990-91 Sheffield United had managed only 4 points and 4 draws by mid-December after their first 17 games in Division 1. They ended the season in 13th place on 46 points and well clear of the relegation places. So history proves it has and can be done after all. A repeat of that achievement by Villa would be a very nice unexpected Christmas present for us all!      

    On 13th December 1998 we beat Arsenal at Villa Park to go top of the table. We have not beaten them in the league at Villa Park since. Yesterday precisely 17 years later to the day it was Arsenal that beat us to go top of the league themselves.

    Arsenal remain undefeated in the league at Villa Park this century and it seems the only way we will avoid their winning run at Villa Park being extended to 18 years is by our being relegated. That is something we sadly look likely to be able to achieve with some games to spare now.

    There was no festive cheer to be taken from this game for us and no Christmas gifts of much needed points from our visitors. Teams that are above us seem able to get surprisingly positive results as did Newcastle yesterday and Bournemouth on Saturday. We alone of the bottom dwellers can be relied upon to be consistent to the extent that yesterday’s defeat broke our football club’s all time record run of games without a win. I have had enough of the sort of record breaking we have been doing for far too long now!

    Our chances of extending our 29-year stay in the top flight grow less as each game passes us by. We started well enough yesterday but their early converted penalty relieved any pressure there may have been upon them given they were aware that we were likely to pose them little to no threat up front.

    Their second goal was the coup de grâce and they were able to run down the clock in the second half without shifting out of second gear. Their win was a very, very comfortable one. We did create a few half chances but we were fortunate that they were happy to come away with a 2-goal winning margin because had they had the will to have gone for victory by a wider margin our goal difference could have looked worse than it already does today.

    We now need snookers to stay up. Other teams are getting the sort of unexpectedly positive results they need which seems to be way beyond us. If we are to make some sort of a fight of this then we really need to win a couple of the three games that we have left during what remains of this sorry year.

    12 or 13 points at the half-way stage of this season could yet give us some hope of turning things around. To do that we would need to get a minimum of the same points from our next 3 games that we have managed to get from our first 16. It seems highly unlikely at the moment as we stare into the abyss that a team who have difficulty in scoring but concede goals a plenty will get anywhere near the number of points we need from these three games. 

    My player ratings from a game that has left us still without a home league win this season, with the worst goal difference in the league, with a measly 6 points from 16 games and with only 3 from our last 15 are:

    Brad Guzan – 5 –. Sent the wrong way on the 8th minute when Giroud hit their first from the penalty spot. Had little else to do during the game but played his team mates into trouble a couple of times when playing the ball out of his area such as when he gave the ball to Lescott on the edge of the box in stoppage time. Brad came out for an Ozil free kick on 20 minutes that he failed to reach but Giroud failed to take advantage and Gestede cleared his header away for a corner. He then pushed an 82nd minute Oxlade-Chamberlain shot that had taken a touch off Lescott out for a corner.                                                                          

    Alan Hutton – 4 – Started the game badly and pulled Walcott back with both arms on his shoulders after he had cut into the box in front of him for their penalty. He improved later but it would have been difficult to have got any worse. Alan also headed a 43rd minute corner harmlessly wide.                                  

    Jores Okore – 6 – MOTM – Looked solid enough on a day when the team did not.      

    Joleon Lescott – 5 – Joleon was left with 3 players to mark for their second goal after both Sánchez and Veretout failed to cover runs from Ozil and Giroud. Ozil unselfishly played the ball to Ramsey who was the first of two unmarked players inside the area and the game was over as a contest if in reality it ever was one.                                    

    Leandro Bacuna – 5 – Cech parried a Sánchez cross to him on 21 minutes but he sent the ball well over. Unlucky on 62 minutes when Ayew found him wide and in a lot of space to see his measured shot go inches over the bar.                          

    Jordan Veretout – 5 – Hit a shot from the edge of the box well over the bar on 48 minutes.

    Carlos Sánchez - 4 – His 50th minute shot was gathered easily enough by Cech.                   

    Idrissa Gana – 5 – Hit a shot from the edge of the box wide of the post on 31 minutes. He appeared to have been fouled to everyone other than the referee when he lost possession of the ball near the edge of their box and they went on to add their second.

    Scott Sinclair – 5 – Gana found him with a good ball in the 6th minute but his low shot from the edge of the box went straight into the arms of Cech. Scott headed a cross onto the roof of the net on 58 minutes.   

    Jordan Ayew – 5 – Aimed a nice looking ball into the box for Sinclair which he was not quite able to bring under control on 53 minutes.  

    Rudy Gestede – 4 – Won some balls in the air but offered little to no threat of scoring himself and was much too static when we had the ball. Failed to get enough on a header from a 49th minute Hutton cross.           

    Substitutes:

    Carles Gil   6 - Replaced Gestede on 59 minutes and made a decent impact. Hit a shot just wide of the post on 82 minutes that Cech appeared to have covered.   

    Jack Grealish – Replaced Gana on 78 minutes. Did not make any impression on the game so did not merit a rating.     

    Adama Traore – Replaced Sinclair on 87 minutes. Not on long enough to gather a rating but he did make a powerful run from inside his own half in the first minute of stoppage time before hitting a shot from inside the area into the side netting. He offers the chance to make something from nothing as this demonstrated. Given we have nothing at the moment we have very little to lose by starting him in our next four games because we really need to get some serious points from them.

    Happy Christmas to all readers & stay up Villa!

    John Lewis


     
  4. John
    They think its all over it seems it is now and it is still only November!

    It is hard to see us coming back from this sad, sad situation to retain our top flight status this time. Our absentee landlord has failed in his role as custodian of our football club and that will cost him financially and us in ways he does not or chooses not to appreciate. It looks like we are down before the Christmas decorations have gone up!  

    This was a must not lose game that we lost. Watford beat us at Villa Park in the league for the first time since 1969. We have not won a game since the first day of the season in the league and have only managed two draws since then. Will we win one in what remains of this season let alone win enough games to keep us up?   

    We are fast running out of games now let alone winnable ones. Watford was one of the games we really needed to win if we were to retain any realistic hope of adding another 27 or so points to the 5 we currently have. We are now faced with a need to gather points from games that we will start as heavy underdogs in as we did against Manchester City. Our next two games fit that description.    

    We started this game well pressing our opponents from the start and looking like the home side for once. Watford took the lead totally against the run of play but we deservedly pegged them back before half time having shown a good response to going a goal down. We clearly had the better of the first half but we did not put away enough of the chances that we made and our defence showed the usual signs of frailty when they tried to hit us on the break.

    The 8 minutes injury delay came when we were well on top. We were caught napping shortly after the re-start and the visitors took the lead again. We needed to kick on again in the second half but not for the first time this season we demonstrated the difficulty we find in performing at the same level for more than 45 minutes unless that level is an embarrassingly below par one. On the positive side we scored two goals at home. That should have produced a point at the very least but our defence conceded three to add to the four they leaked last week and you really cannot expect to win games when you are conceding goals to that extent.

    We hit a late goal which did give us some hope of a grandstand finish during the ten minutes of injury time. We deserved to get something from this game but we failed to lay a glove on our opponents in stoppage time and they spent more time in our half than we did in theirs.                   

    My player ratings from a game that has left us cast adrift from the rest of the league are:

    Brad Guzan – 7 – Did well to block a 17th minute Ighalo with his body but the same player turned the ball past him later in the same move after the ball ran to him off Clark. Brad did well to stop a Capoue shot with his legs on 24 minutes and he twice saved us from further embarrassment in stoppage time by turning Guédioura shots off target.                                                                         

    Alan Hutton – 5 – Did well going forward and was brought down for the free kick that led to our equalizer. Put the visitors back in front on 69 minutes when he turned the ball past Guzan and inside the post in the process of taking the ball off Ighalo after Deeney had threaded a ball between Clark and himself. His heavy touch on 85 minutes also led to us losing the ball in the build up to their third and ultimately decisive goal.                                 

    Kieran Richardson – 4 – Failed to get forward effectively enough and was again a cause for concern at the back.      

    Michah Richards – 7 – MOTM – Led by example and scored a tremendous goal on 41 minutes heading a well weighted Veretout free-kick into the corner of the net. His goal celebrations showed how much this game meant to him and he gives an example other players need to follow.                                  

    Ciaran Clark – 5 – Ayew touched a 39th minute Veretout corner across the face of the goal which Ciaran hesitated to move towards and could only stab wide with an outstretched foot. He really needed to go for the ball that Deeney headed in on 85 minutes to seal our defeat which had unluckily bounced off Richards into his path.                         

    Carles Gil – 7 – If only he could see out a full game. Worked hard, has a lovely touch and his creativity was much needed in Jack’s absence.

    Jordan Veretout – 5 – Hit a sweet free kick for our equalizer and had a couple of other nice touches but he needs to try to impose himself on games more.

    Carlos Sánchez - 4 – Lost the ball on the edge of his own box which led to their opening goal and was also dispossessed by Deeney on the edge of the box shortly afterwards. Not a good day overall for Carlos.                   

    Idrissa Gana – 5 – Hit a nice shot just wide of the post on 27 minutes but needs to make a bigger impact on games than this.

    Scott Sinclair – 6 – Forced a good save from Gomes on 31 minutes who turned his goal bound effort past the post. Made some decent runs yesterday and produced a better overall display than those of late.   

    Jordan Ayew – 6 – Had a decent shot saved at his near post by Gomes in the 10th minute and hit the bar with a header 3 minutes later from a Gil corner that was re-taken due to a coming together inside the box prior to the corner being taken. Really should have been on target when a 20th minute Veretout shot fell to him but he somehow managed to screw the ball wide of the post. Had a 31st minute punched away by Gomes who was grateful to see Sinclair’s header from the rebound go safely into his arms. Jordan curled a sweet shot into the corner of the net from the edge of the box on 89 minutes to give us a late second goal.            

    Substitutes:

    Adama Traore – 6 - Replaced Gil on 68 minutes. Gave us pace, urgency and a couple of decent crosses but he needs to look for a pass occasionally rather than to go it alone.      

    Rudy Gestede - Replaced Gana on 82 minutes but was not on long enough to gather a rating.

    Stay up Villa!

    John Lewis

  5. John
    An unwelcome snake slithered into Villa Park yesterday and spent most of the game sitting upon the bench which has now become its usual habitat. That greedy snake came onto the playing field on 78 minutes and received the welcome it so merited but was happily denied a victory.

    Manchester City arrived as table toppers whilst we were embarrassingly propping up the rest of the division. There could only have been one result couldn’t there?

    Many of us arrived expecting the worse as we have grown accustomed to seeing it at Villa Park this season. But we left the ground with smiles on our faces rather than frowns and for once not having tasted defeat.

    We were encouraged that the first team to be selected by the new boss contained none of the usual shocks. It was in fact unusually near to that which most of us would have selected for the game so we had little cause to question it.

    Our new manager was described as a “Wenger clone” by both Henry and Keown yesterday. That will be good enough for me on yesterday’s showing.

    We looked organised and our players seemed aware of what was expected of them. We played some very nice one and two touch football. Our defence showed a steely determination not to be breeched and achieved a very rare clean sheet. We continue to lack a cutting edge up front but did suggest that we might have it in us to play our way out of the mess we are now in.

    Manchester City were below their best in the first half and our players will have been encouraged that they went in level at the interval. Our opponents did improve in the second half and had opportunities to win it. They may claim that we rode our luck and clung onto our point. But we earned our valuable fifth point of the season yesterday along with any luck that may have been with us.

    This result will not keep us up in isolation. But it stops our run of defeats and does provide us with hope that we can turn things around in what is left of this season to finish it with three clubs below us. The new boss now has the international break to work with those players who are not away on international duty. All we ask for is a second new manager “bounce” in two seasons to rescue us from the unthinkable.                    

    My player ratings from a game that provided grounds for optimism that were missing before it are:

    Brad Guzan – 7 – Kept out a low Kolarov shot at his near post on 17 minutes which bounced off him for a corner. Brad needed to have a third player in his wall for Kolarov’s 52nd minute free-kick from the edge of the area. His shot was hit past the 2-man wall and was fumbled rather than caught by Brad keeper but fortunately Clark was on hand to clear the loose ball. Spread himself well 5 minutes later when Sterling ran between Hutton and Richards to connect with a Navas cross only to see his unchallenged close range header bounce clear off Brad’s head. Oh and I just have to mention that free-kick that he put straight out! 

    Alan Hutton – 8 – Alan worked tirelessly as he always does. He was very solid at the back.                                

    Jordan Amavi – 8 – How could he possibly not have been selected in recent games?      

    Michah Richards – 8 – He was so determined to not be on the losing side yesterday.                                 

    Ciaran Clark – 8 – Gave everything he had to keep their forwards at bay and produced a very committed performance                           

    Carles Gil – 8 – MOTM – Carles fitted into the way we played yesterday so easily. Was held back on 35 minutes when in the process of running on to a superb ball played from inside his own half by Gueye for him.

    Jordan Veretout – 8 – Looked increasingly confident during this game and can build upon this encouraging performance with a run of games.

    Carlos Sánchez - 8 – Carlos seemed much more comfortable in our midfield yesterday. He along with his colleagues seemed aware of what was expected from them and produced it.                  

    Idrissa Gana – 8 – He was a touch hesitant to begin with but soon found his feet and played a crucial role in what was a solid midfield display. Hit a 14th minute shot wide of the post from outside of the box.

    Scott Sinclair – 7 – An encouraging performance from Scott after some recent ones that had been below par. Returning to his goal-scoring early season performances would be timely.  

    Jordan Ayew – 7 – Ran himself into the ground yesterday. Given service he will get goals and he merits a run in the team for me.          

    Substitutes:

    Charles N’Zogbia – 7 - Replaced Gil on 65 minutes for his first outing since the FA Cup Final. When he is up for it he can provide the sort of measured crosses Gestede could feed on. Brought out of the cold by the new boss and needs to reward him for that with his performances for us during the rest of this season. Hit a sweet cross on 70 minutes that Sagna just got to and turned out for a corner before Sinclair was able to reach it.     

    Leandro Bacuna – 7 - Replaced Sinclair on 72 minutes. Played a nice one-two with Ayew that started in our own half and touched the ball into space past Kolarov only for Hart to come off his line and beat him to it.

    Rudy Gestede -  Replaced Ayew on 88 minutes and flicked a Veretout corner just over the bar that he had himself won in controversial circumstances. Not on long enough to claim a rating.

    Stay up Villa!

    John Lewis

  6. John
    I actually thought we might win this one when we went a goal ahead with 28 minutes of this game left to be played. All we then needed was to do was to keep a clean sheet but we seldom do that do we?

    Up until then it had been our visitors that had looked the team most likely to break the deadlock and within 6 short minutes they were level. Inevitably our heads then dropped and we fell behind to a cruel late winner that spelt the end for our beleaguered former manager.

    This was another unusual team selection and the team selected did not really do enough to keep their manager in a job or to keep us off the bottom.

    A win or even a draw might have given Tim a chance to try to get another win at Spurs which might possibly have turned things around. But there was no guarantee of this given the poor run of results we have had this season. The parting of the ways and our relegation has looked increasingly more likely of late. Tim was not to be given as many chances to turn things around as was Lambert. Players brought in during the transfer window have yet to gel as a team so something had to change. If that change was not to be the owner it clearly had to be the manager once again.

    Another sad defeat was always going to be an ominous one for both manager and football club. So it has proved and we are back to square one and looking for someone to come in and rescue our season in the same way that Tim did 8 short months ago.

    Replacing managers is proving a costly business at Villa Park and it is certainly costing our absentee custodian more than his net outlay on players these days. In fact had we spent the money on players we have spent on paying off managers I doubt we would have been in our current sad, sad situation.

    Thanks for keeping the club up with the players you inherited last season Tim, for giving us our pride back albeit only fleetingly and for getting us to that Cup Final which is when it all began to fall apart. Good luck in the future at another club it is a pity it did not work out at this one for you and for us.

    Let us hope whoever is prepared to take over our football club given the position it currently finds itself in and the way it is being so under funded on the playing side that it faces an annual relegation battle can turn things around. Defeats like this one against a team that were themselves on a poor run before yesterday will not make the task any easier. The R word looms large at Villa Park again but is written even larger this season. We have given everyone else a head start and a point a game is unlikely to be enough to keep us up. We need clean sheets and to win games again. These are habits we have lost this season and need to regain quickly.
    My player ratings from a game that has left us with only 4 points from 10 league games and with one foot in the relegation trap door are:

    Brad Guzan – 4 – Made a splendid point blank save to deny Ayew on 62 minutes but then undid that with his poor positioning for a free kick from the edge of the box which cost us our lead. Sigurdsson lined up a free kick just outside the box and hit the ball over the wall and past Guzan who not for the first time had left too much space on the right hand side of his goal to be able to protect adequately. This cost us very dear and is a lesson he should have learned by now.                    
    Alan Hutton – 5 – Worked hard enough and was good enough up until it came to putting the ball into the box when his crosses were frankly woeful.
    Joleon Lescott – 4 – He continues to give more concern than would have been expected given his experience during games.     

    Michah Richards – 6 – Stood out again as the best of our defenders and has a will to win that others do not demonstrate as often. Michah was head-butted on 33 minutes by Fernandez which it seems all the officials missed so our opponents were not brought down to 10 men as a result.     
    Kieran Richardson – 4 – Again preferred to Amavi for a reason best known to the former manager. Wanted too much time on the ball at times and his lack of pace was exposed by the introduction of the speedy Barrow on 76 minutes.                          

    Leandro Bacuna – 5 – Battled very well to hold onto the ball and hit a cross on 48 minutes that just needed a touch on it that neither Gabby nor Gestede were able to get.

    Jack Grealish – 4 – The performance he gave yesterday and the one he produced in last season’s FA Cup semi final were as different as chalk and cheese. He can be a much bigger influence on and be much more involved in games than this.

    Gabriel Agbonlahor - 4 – Inexplicably given an opportunity to walk straight back into the side following injury that his recent performances did not merit by our now departed manager. Played a nice one-two with Gestede on 46 minutes before he picked his spot but this was unfortunately a couple of yards wide of the far post.     
    Idrissa Gana – 5 – A reasonably solid performance.

    Jordan Ayew – 7 – MOTM – Got what could have proved a crucial goal on the day and one that will give him confidence for the games to come. Grealish picked the ball up inside his own half and ran forward before finding Bacuna who in turn found Gabby inside the box. His cross was met at the far post by a diving header from the unmarked Ayew that found the corner of the net on 62 minutes. Hit a shot from the edge of the box on 82 minutes that was gathered by Fabianski. Jordan looked the player most up for it during this game.          

    Rudy Gestede – 5 – Won a challenge on the edge of the box on 22 minutes but his shot was wide and posed no threat for the keeper. Climbed well to a Bacuna corner but headed over. He is a threat in the air but on the floor he is comfortably handled more often than not. He gives what it says on the tin but is not a like for like replacement for the striker we so miss.                   

    Substitutes:

    Carles Gil – Replaced Jack on 74 minutes. Should have started or come on sooner than this but was not given enough time to either turn things around or to earn a rating.     

    Adama Traore – Replaced Gabby on 85 minutes so was not on the field long enough to gather a rating or to show what we know he can do.  

    Stay up Villa!

    John Lewis

  7. John
    This game had offered us an opportunity to climb out of the bottom three. But we do not beat Stoke at home do we?

    A third successive defeat at Villa Park against yesterday’s visitors has seen us go into the international break with just the two hapless North Eastern clubs keeping us off the bottom. We cannot rely on those two teams losing each week and at one point yesterday it seemed they might not.

    A worrying four point gap has also now opened between Villa and the three teams who are now directly above us. Our much changed team needs to gel together quickly to stop it growing any wider.      

    We chose to start the game with the creativity of both Grealish and Gil sitting on the bench. No doubt that decision was made to try to avoid defeat by attempting to match our visitor’s rugged midfield. But this was a game that we needed to be trying to win and it was Stoke we were playing not Barcelona!

    This might well prove to have been a 6-pointer at the end of the season and you really have to beat the teams that are around you to stay up. I guess we also started with three central defenders to try to strengthen what has been a leaky back four. But playing five at the back left our midfield under pressure against a team that are strong in that area. Changing to a four at the back half way through the game also created the hole in the centre of our defence that led to their winner ten minutes after the re-start.  

    Our first half performance yesterday was a passable interpretation of those grim ones that we had given against WBA and Small Heath recently. We again improved in the second half (it would have been difficult to have not done so) but we did not improve enough to ever really look like winning or drawing or scoring in this one.

    Since winning on the first day of the season at newly promoted Bournemouth we have only beaten teams from the lower leagues in the cup. We could only manage a draw against Sunderland who are one of the two teams that have gathered fewer points than we have to date. We really need to start winning the odd game before 40 points begins to look a very big end of season point target if it does not already.

    My player ratings from a game that has left us still on just four points and on a run of four successive defeats are:

    Brad Guzan – 6 – So nearly became another keeper to be embarrassingly caught off his line by Adam whose 18th minute effort from inside his own area was pushed away with one hand as Brad scrambled back from the edge of the box. Amautovic was nicely found by wing-back Johnson and ran into the gaping hole between Crespo and Richards before putting his shot into the net off the post and past Brad’s left hand for their 55th minute winner. Other than that a quiet afternoon against visitors that I think would have happily settled for a point at 3pm.                                                                      

    Alan Hutton – 5 – Surely Bacuna would have been the choice here had we been looking to play wing backs to get forward? Alan worked hard as he always does but he looked uncomfortable in this more forward role that exposed his difficulty in getting enough good crosses over. Alan was left for dead by Amautovic in the build up to their goal.                              

    Jose Angel Crespo – 5 – Made his debut following injury and looked solid enough given this was his first full game. Jose was given the benefit of the doubt when it appeared he was at best an inch or two behind Amautovic when his 33rd minute effort was ruled offside. 

    Joleon Lescott – 4 – Joleon was substituted at half time as he was against Small Heath. He gave some cause for concern before he made way for Jack and did not seem particularly at-ease playing as part of a back three. He has not had the sort of solid start he would have hoped to have made with the club he supports and needs our support to try to get over what has been a surprisingly shaky start.     

    Michah Richards – 7 – MOTM - Micah gave another solid defensive performance and must surely soon come into England consideration again given the strong start he has had with us. Got a vital block in on Diouf as he was about to pull the trigger inside the box on 4 minutes. Really should have done better when he was free at the far post on 56 minutes but headed Vertout’s cross wide. Gana played the ball back to Micah on 77 minutes who twice played one-twos with Ayew before going down inside the box the ball ran to Ayew and then to Veretout both of whom had their efforts blocked.                                

    Jordan Amavi – 6 – Jordan’s pace got him out of trouble a couple of times. He posed a threat when getting forward and was solid enough in defence.                    

    Jordan Veretout – 5 – Picked up the ball near the centre circle on 39 minutes ran between two opponents on his way and nearly did the same on the edge of the box before going down inside the box when possibly unfairly challenged by Cameron.  

    Ashley Westwood - 6 – The best of our midfield performers for me yesterday.                  

    Idrissa Gana – 5 – Became more effective as the game wore on after a slow start. Hit a shot from the edge of the box on 40 minutes which went harmlessly wide. He does get into some decent shooting positions but his shots are too often inaccurate.

    Scott Sinclair – 4 – Has lost his earlier goal touch and can be much more effective than this.      

    Rudy Gestede – 5 – Did not get the sort of service that he needs to get us goals. Made a good run to the edge of the box from just inside his own half but his shot was routinely gathered by Butland.                 

    Substitutes:

    Jack Grealish – 6 – His belated introduction at half time did not quite spark an upturn in performance of the magnitude that we needed to claim the points yesterday. He has had better games for us and has been more influential in games for us but we are without doubt a better team with him than without him.  

    Carles Gil – 6 - Replaced Sinclair on 58 minutes. Ran at players and is a player that can create chances given the opportunity to do so. Made a difference when he came on giving Stoke some causes for concern as did Jack that were few and far between prior to their introduction.   

    Jordan Ayew – Replaced Westwood on 75 minutes and was not on the field long enough to gather a rating but was on long enough to show he should have been. Gil found him nicely inside the box but his shot hit the side netting rather than the back of the net. No doubt had Gabby been fit a place would have been found for him. I think we need to start doing the same for Jordan because he offers us something we are lacking up front and threatens to make things happen.  

    Stay up Villa!
    John Lewis


  8. John
    Scott Sinclair scored a brace of goals yesterday to make it five goals in two games for him but his goals did not bring us the win we needed.
    We have conceded five goals in our last two home games and you cannot expect to win games too often when the defence is leaking goals like that.
    We conceded an early goal but equalized within two minutes and were ahead at the break. Another goal looked likely and it would have settled the game for us. We were not short of opportunities to add a third but our visitors left Villa Park with what may prove to be a rare away point for them this season.
    We now have four points from four games and this sort of point accumulation is on a par with another bottom six finish. We are now treading water whilst we wait and hope for our new signings to gel together to provide a winning side. There continue to be some signs of encouragement and we played some nice football at times yesterday but we do need to start picking up more points now to keep clear of the relegation zone that we have spent too many seasons in of late. I think we will not be looking over our shoulders towards the end of this season but I wonder just how good a team we would be now if we still had Benteke up front. I guess if we did we would not have most of our new signings though.
    This was not a must win game or a six pointer yet but it was the sort of game we really need to be winning.Sunderland’s half time substitutions and their strong start to the second half gave them an equalizer 7 minutes after the re-start. We were the better team overall yesterday but we were unable to claim an elusive home league win and our bottom of the table visitors left happy to have doubled their points tally. We will just have to beat them up there again!
    My player ratings from a game that we started missing the creativity of Grealish and Traore through injury and Gil through choice are:
    Brad Guzan – 5 – Positioned himself too far to the right of his goal for me and was unable to get anywhere near to Villa’s well placed 9th minute free-kick. Brad tipped a Fletcher header over the bar on 49 minutes.
    Alan Hutton – 6 – Did his best work when getting forward which he did on a regular basis. Alan was solid at the back when tested.
    Michah Richards – 7 – Unlucky to get a touch on Lens’ 52nd minute equalizer that helped the ball over Guzan. Looked certain to give us the lead again on 59 minutes but Sinclair’s cross hit him near the goal line rather than he hit it and the ball surprisingly ended up in Pantilimon’s hands. Our captain was both dominant and committed at the centre of our defence.
    Ciaran Clark – 6 – Too easily lost a challenge with Lens on the edge of the box which led to his equalizer.
    Jordan Amavi – 7 – Conceded the free-kick that produced their opener when he brought down Graham but was very dangerous when getting forward and getting the ball over as he did for our second. The ball was deflected into the side netting by a defender on 63 minutes after he had made a good run into the area.
    Leandro Bacuna – 5 – Playing him in the middle failed to pay anything near the dividends that Tim was looking for. We missed his crosses. Leo screwed a shot wide on 38 minutes having been fed by Hutton.
    Ashley Westwood - 7 – Early miscued passes but improved after the first quarter of an hour. Made a decent run and was fed by Hutton on 17 minutes but his shot finished just wide of the near post.
    Idrissa Gueye – 7 –Looked good yesterday and seems a big improvement on the slithery snake he has replaced. Screwed a 25th minute shot wide of the post from the edge of the box.
    Carlos Sánchez – 7 – Looked assured and comfortable in our midfield particularly in the first half. He should have done better on 36 minutes when a free-kick fell to him inside the box and he hit his shot well over the bar. Carlos lost a midfield challenge with Toivonen who then found Lens for their equalizer.
    Scott Sinclair – 8 – MOTM - He is a goal machine at the moment. Brought down by Cattermole in the 11th minute and converted the spot kick himself sending Pantilimon the wrong way for our timely equalizer. Was again in the right place at the right time to put us ahead on 41 minutes when he turned in a cross from Amarvi who had been found by Gueye to give us a well worked goal.
    Rudy Gestede – 6 – Did well to turn and get a shot on target from the edge of the box on 39 minutes. Turned a header from an Amavi cross wide of the post on 77 minutes and hit the ball wide 8 minutes later from just inside of the box. Found it difficult to make an impression against their central defenders and took a while to get into this one but this is early following a big step upwards for him.
    Substitutes:
    Carles Gil – 7 - Replaced Bacuna on 68 minutes. Provided a creative spark we had been missing whilst he sat on the bench. Needed to start today and showed that following his introduction. Carles got a yellow card rather than a penalty on 79 minutes after a poor touch took the ball away from him when he had got into a very threatening position.
    Up the Villa!
    John Lewis
  9. John
    This was a game of two halves in which we were the better team in both. We gave a passable impersonation of how we had played against WBA in the first half although as we were playing a more limited team we still shaded that half. The substitutions made at half time and the decision to play football in the second half left Small Heath with much more than they could handle and perhaps fortunate to escape with just the one goal defeat.
    As Rowett said prior to the game Small Heath had nothing to lose last night. But lose the game they did and they have been rather good at doing that over the years. I was almost surprised how poor Bloose were last night and their manager must have been wearing blue glasses if he really thought they “more than matched” us last night. They seem to be in a false league position to me or is it that there really is such a gulf between the two divisions?          
    My player ratings from a game that has left us just two wins from a semi-final appearance are:
    Brad Guzan – 6 – Gathered a weak Maghoma shot at the second attempt on 74 minutes after Gray had put him clear inside the box. Otherwise this was a quiet day at the office for Brad.
    Leandro Bacuna – 6 – Got forward well.                             
    Michah Richards – 8 – Won everything in the air and was also very dominant on the floor.    
    Joleon Lescott – 5 – Joleon was substituted at half time. Was starting two games in four days asking a touch too much of him?                                 
    Jordan Amavi – 7 – Jordan was solid at the back and so dangerous when running at them.                          
    Ciaran Clark – 6 – He is no midfield player but he looked much more comfortable when he was pushed back to play alongside Michah in the centre of our defence for the second half.
    Ashley Westwood - 6 – Had a decent game in the middle.                                        
    Jordan Veretout – 7 – Stood up to be counted last night and this was an encouraging display particularly in the second half. He needs more games now.                 
    Scott Sinclair – 7 – Much more involved in the game than he had been on Saturday, got into good forward positions but he appears to have lost his goal touch. Veretout played the ball to Scott on 9 minutes but Scott’s effort was blocked by Caddis before running on to Gestede who was unable to get a shot in before a combination of Kuszczak and a defender scrambled the ball clear. Kuszczak made a save at his near post to keep out Scott’s 39th minute shot and he hit one over the bar on 52 minutes after the ball had run to him after Gestede had been unable to get a cross from Grealish under control. He headed a cross from Bacuna that was slightly behind him wide of the post on 54 minutes. Had a free kick turned around the post by Kuszczak on 79 minutes after Grealish had been pulled back by Morrison to bring his latest dangerous run to an end.      
    Gabriel Agbonlahor – 5 – Put himself about more in 45 minutes than he did in 90 on Saturday before his half time substitution due to injury. Could not quite stretch to get on the end of Bacuna’s 11th minute cross to the near post after Westwood had found Leo with a nice ball. Gabby screwed a shot well wide of the far post on 29 minutes after Westwood had found him on the edge of the box.       
    Rudy Gestede – 6 – Better in the second half, lacking control on the ground but give him the crosses and he will head them home! Rudy controlled a ball from Veretout with his chest on 3 minutes before snatching at his shot from the edge of the box and sending it harmlessly wide of the post. Got on the end of a splendid cross from Amavi to power a header into the corner of the net and give us our winner on 62 minutes.                
    Substitutes:
    Jack Grealish – 8 – MOTM - Replaced Joleon at half time. His introduction and that of Ayew sparked our upturn in performance. At times he seems to have the ball glued to his feet doesn’t he? Teased defenders at will and really enjoyed this win. Gestede found him just inside their half on 68 minutes, he then took the ball forward and made a great run into their box that was halted by a deflection off Kuszczak’s leg at the near post.
    Jordan Ayew – 7 - Replaced Gabby at half time. Jordan made a great run into the box on 82 minutes before playing the ball back to Veretout whose ball towards Sinclair just needed a slight touch that he was unable to provide. He then played a one-two with Grealish on the edge of the box 5 minutes later but his shot was kept out at the near post by a one handed save from Kuszczak. This was his liveliest and most effective performance for us to date. Jordan looked very good on the right and should start the next game for me. This performance will do his confidence a lot of good and will see Gabby face a big challenge for his usual starting place.   
    Up for the Cup Villa!
    John Lewis
     
  10. John
    This performance or should I say lack of it was simply not good enough. We were as bad yesterday as we had been good twice at Villa Park against the same opponents last season. This game meant something to us but it seemed to pass our players by unnoticed. We carried too many passengers yesterday and you really cannot afford to not have everyone up for it in games like these.    

    Albion got their revenge all too easily yesterday. They clearly wanted it much more than we did and bossed the game from start to finish playing the sort of football that we expect from a Tony Pulis team. They were uncompromising but effective and could not be described as being pretty to watch. Their winner which could not have been described as having come against the run of play came from a striker who wanted away from the club but that did not stop the Baggies celebrating it.

    We did not impose ourselves early. In the continued absence of Gueye we lost the midfield almost without a fight. We also posed no sort of threat up front without the pace of Traore and with Gabby unsurprisingly looking like a fish out of water in attempting to lead the line. We did get a little better in the second half but it would have been hard to have become any worse and we did not improve enough to ever really look like pulling this one out of the fire. The referee made two decisions that went against us on 64 and 71 minutes that might have given us something from this lack lustre performance but that was never going to happen was it?

     The team have the opportunity to make some sort of amends on Tuesday night. But a performance that is anything like the one that they produced yesterday could even against such limited opponents produce the unthinkable and unpalatable that evening. Make sure it does not happen!    

     My player ratings from a sorry game that has left us still without a league win at Villa Park and occupying the same lowly league position that we finished last season in are:
    Brad Guzan – 7 – A much better display and Brad did much to keep our deficit down to a single goal. Made a good reaction save to keep out a Rondon header in the second minute and was grateful Berahino was unable to get a firmer touch when gathering his 19th minute effort. Did well to push a Fletcher shot past the post on 31 minutes but was left on his knees when Berahino deflected a Morrison shot past him 8 minutes later for their winner. Brad made a save at the second attempt from Rondon on the hour mark and held a far post Rondon header on 83 minutes.                           
    Alan Hutton – 6 – Solid enough at the back but although he got plenty of the ball when moving forward he was not able to do as much with it as he would have wanted. Alan was possibly unlucky not to have gained a penalty when Berahino appeared to handle his 64th minute cross just inside rather than outside the area.                             

    Michah Richards – 6 – Found the back of the net with a header from a Lescott ball into the box but with the ball on its way to him the referee blew his whistle rather than played the advantage on 71 minutes.    

    Joleon Lescott – 6 – Looks like he can form a solid partnership with our captain when they have had the time to work on it as did Clark and Okore last season.                                 

    Jordan Amavi – 6 – Needed to produce a stronger challenge on Dawson in the build up to their winner. Made a nice run into the box on 52 minutes prior to a Sánchez shot from the edge of the box being easily held by Myhill.                          

    Carles Gil – 6 – Looked decent enough when he had the ball at his feet. Had an effort on goal deflected after Gabby had had pulled the ball back to him inside of the box on 26 minutes.            

    Ashley Westwood - 4 – Flashed a shot wide of the post on 24 minutes but made little positive impression yesterday. He can and needs to do so much better than this.                                        

    Jack Grealish – 5 – He was not at his best yesterday and came up against a side who allowed him little to no room to play in. He will learn from games like this. Jack did not make the sort of impact we and I am sure he has become accustomed to making which was disappointing given he is a local lad and so was fully aware of the importance of this game to us. He will have much better days such as on Tuesday night I trust.                  

    Carlos Sánchez – 7 – MOTM – Carlos is a rare player who can hold his head high after this game. He was very solid and tidied up very well when in defensive positions. Sadly he did not have enough support alongside him to turn the tide in midfield but this was a very encouraging display from him.      

    Scott Sinclair – 4 – We could have done with one of his goals yesterday but his contribution had been minimal before his half time substitution.      

    Gabriel Agbonlahor – 4 – Gabby was never going to win balls in the air against Albion’s towering defenders but that did not stop us putting ball after ball to him in the air particularly in the first half. He surprisingly did win one or two, occasionally looked interested by chasing after the ball and did produce a 69th minute cross that Myhill gathered at the second attempt. But this was not a derby day for him to remember and he caused very little concern to the defenders he came up against. If selected on Tuesday he will need to show a lot more if he is to retain a starting place albeit the queue to replace him is a short one.                

    Substitutes:

    Rudy Gestede – 4 - Replaced Sinclair at half time but failed to provide the spark we were looking for up front. Was unchallenged when he connected with a Bacuna cross on 91 minutes but his header sailed harmlessly over the bar.    

    Leandro Bacuna – Replaced Gil on 76 minutes and was not on long enough to merit a rating.   

    Jordan Veretout - Replaced Sánchez on 82 minutes. Jordan was not given long enough on the field to earn a rating. 

    Up the Villa!

    John Lewis

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