Daholteend

3 wins on the bounce? I'll take them! Let's not obscure reality, since MON left we have been a very sad sight. The idea that we would be promotion contenders immediately was hopeful at best. Have we lost sight of how poor we were for the last 6 years under Lerner? We actually will benefit from another year in the Championship. It will take that long to build a solid footballing base to enable us to return to the Premiership and be competitive. These 3 wins will go a long way to take the pressure of relegation off our backs and perhaps we might end the season with a promising finish. We might also discover that what Steve Bruce envisions for Aston Villa is close to what we fans have always dreamed and never really thought could happen. That said, this was a solid win over a team headed to League 2. However a win is a win and still worth celebrating. Too bad that we had to suffer more injuries along the way though. Hudders will be more challenging and our result there might be more indicative of where we are at this stage of the season. Pleased with the 3 points !

Michael118 wrote: What we are missing and have been for a long time is skilful hard nosed player in a central midfield sweeping role that can use his influence on the team to encourage them to turn defence into attack through a passing game. Our midfield has been lightweight for so long and are easily hustled off the ball like feathers. MON sorted this problem out with players like Petrov, Milner, Downing linking up with the likes of Young and Carew. Brian Clough got Derby County out of the second division and to the top of the first by signing Dave Mackay and that is exactly the kind of player we are missing too. Bruce may well be right about the fitness of some players like Jedinak who played after a long air-flight. But that is only part of it. Even a fit Jedinak doesn't have the skills or football brain that the Petrov's and Mackay's had. Until that sweeper/leader is found I think we are stuck in groundhog day. We have also suffered for having players on the team that just don't care about Aston Villa. Players who have skills but are either selfish , lazy or both who don't play a team game. We know who they are and hopefully Steve Bruce will soon work them out of the system or re-train them to be team players. (Not going to hold my breath on that issue) Bruce has a massive challenge on his hands. I am not going to try to predict how he will do. Also I will not pretend to judge him until he has at least 15 games as manager. If we can get to January without too much damage and we are able to fix the midfield/sweeper issues in the transfer window we "might" have an outside chance of getting somewhere near the play off places.

Steve Bruce should be pleased with this result gaining a point after such a dire performance. For that he has to thank Alan Hutton whose block of Carvaleiro's attempt saved Villa from our usual ploy of giving away a significant goal in the final ten minutes. Now it is back to Bodymoorr Heath to sort out a team for Reading. Good luck on that Steve, you are going to need it. Luckily it's only October. There is still time to salvage something and sorting out the midfield must be a priority.

Villa have had a fair few Mc's in their days. McParland and McGrath being legends but the likes of McEwan, McLeod, McMahon, McNaught & McCann weren't bad...it's time for another Big Mac!

I would have thought that the old slow boat to China would be the best exit route for Lescott & Gabby

The referee's failure to give penalties for Huth's arm-swinging fouls on Kozak in the Penalty area was disgraceful. On the bright side though the fact that Huth was paying so much attention to Kozak arguably gave Gestede just enough space to create something and score that all important point winning goal. So Kudos for Kozak for being in position and taking not one but several for the team. Concerning Kozak, we have to remember that the lad has barely played 2 games in a couple of seasons and in the absence of any other strikers he needs to be given a run in the team. As I said above, if Kozaks running of the channels gives other opportunities for Gestede and Ayew then he should be played and today I am glad he was on the pitch. I hope that the rumours of his being loaned or sold this transfer window are rubbish. If Gestede or Ayew gets injured who are you going to play? Gabby ? My vote is Kozak .

If I recall correctly Garde banned the speaking of French from the dressing room. That would suggest that half the team will be quiet and the other half have nothing to say until they can speak good English and that alone might take a while ;-) Joking aside, your point is well taken. Villa lack having a number of English speaking, Premier League experienced veterans that can leave their mark on a game with their leadership skills in play calling and strategy on the pitch especially defencively. Players like Laursen and McGrath come to mind. Today though I thought Jores Okore put in a decent game and undoubtedly kept us in the game with his timely coverage and clearances. Could Okore be heard from where you were sitting Ferguson1 ?

In the space of 5 days we have gained 4 points, a third of our season's total. We have to take this and keep pressing for more. Good to see Kozak and Gestede on together. This combination has potential for more goals than we have seen so far.. Still lack a cutting edge from midfield needed to provide strikers service and unlock defences like Leicester's. Garde has been trying a few things and the team will only play better as their confidence builds. Physical players like Huth show us that we are lightweight in our midfield and wherever we are playing next season we need some physical aggression because there is no doubt that to survive teams need a measure of skill backed up with some beef to avoid being hustled off the ball. Okore and Bunn were solid at the back. Okazaki's goal highlighted the kind of errors that we have to eliminate to avoid gifting goals to fast predatory teams. Bunn's penalty save was a just reward for a doubtful PK in the first place. All is not lost. We managed 4 points from teams in the Top 8 of the table all in one week. A long way to go but not an impossibility on this week's performance.

Agreed . Defending against AVFC is very easy. Double team or Triple team their threats and Benteke and grealish were both eliminated as a factor that way. Nobody else raised their game enough to pick up the slack. Delphie and Cleverly tried but couldnt match the Arse defence & N'Zogbia had nothing to offer today. Grealish actually didn't play badly he just didn't get the same support from the other role players that he had versus Liverpool . Of course it didnt help that we played pool at their worst and Arsenal at their best. Yes , Arsenal are superior and I can't see that chaging in a long time can you ?

I am sure that TS's revelations that if the buy out clause on Benteke's contract is triggered he will be gone didn't do Big Ben's or the teams confidence much good. This was one game where his presence was needed. Mind you the tactic of serving up the ball to Mertsacker;s head all the time didn't help either. In the dejected state that all of AVFC are in after that game it is difficult to read between the lines of any statements. Reality is that until Lerner clearly announces his real plans & intentions for the future of AVFC everyone at B6 is in limbo particularly TS .

I would compare Lerner's promises to sell to Chamberlain's Pre WW2 "Peace in our time" statements - Optimistic to say the least. Todays lesson to be taken from Arsenal is relatively straight forward. If you have a club that continues to invest in quality players and has a solid business plan and management to accomplish that you will succeed. If you don't have a club that embraces those ideals you will look a lot like we do . One would hope that there may be some very real prospective purchasers about to step up and make a good offer to Randy Lerner for our beloved Aston Villa but until I see the headlines blazing across the media that Aston Villa has been sold I feel it will be business as usual at B6 and since I carried the delusion at this time last year I have no reason to believe that anything is going to change in a hurry. I will be pleasantly delighted if I am proven wrong :-)

Problem for the Villa is simple. We are a one trick pony when it comes to our strikers. It is made worse for Benteke if your only tactic is to serve up crosses that are out of Big Ben's range but perfect for Mertsacker and co who had him in their pocket for the 93 minutes of the game. It didn't help that our lads seemed tired and listless and even moreso as the game dragged on. With hindsight perhaps starting with Bacuna and Gabby might have worked better. Who knows? To survive next season we HAVE to bring in at least 2 potent strikers plus midfielders who are capable of scoring goals . Until those changes are made, we can expect more of the same and the eventual trip to the Championship. I thought that the only player who played very well was Richardson. Given made a couple of good saves but then also was caught out on a couple more. Grealish kept at it and with some quicker and better movement from the players with him might have accomplished something. Reality was though that our creative spark was on a low ebb and they played a solid compact game whose high line and through ball tactics for us were spot on. All credit to the Arse, they are the better team and their quality is undeniable. As a long time Villa fan it will always annoy me that our old foe still haunts us and these days we simply are not in the same league as they are . I would love that to change. I am however massively proud that we got to the FA Cup Final and that the lads did not bow their heads. There is no shame being beaten by a better team and today we were. Up the Villa ! Oh by the way for any that doubt this, today was a good example of what Aston Villa will look like without Benteke because in reality today we were. It is going to be an interesting summer transfer season. Let us see what Randy Lerner plans to do to solve our immediate problems.

I am starting to be a little bit more hopeful that we will be playing in the Prem next season. A loss by Hull or a win by us in our last two games should secure that. Who among us would have predicted such a thing while Lambert was still here? Tim Sherwood and the Villa lads deserve what they are accomplishing and lately Cleverley has put in solid performances as he did today. An extra goal for insurance purposes and improving our GD would have been better on the nerves during a nervous last 20 minutes but a win is a win and these were a valuable 3 points. Well done Aston Villa !

With more injuries and Sanchez getting a red card at Spuds, it will be interesting to see if Sherwood finds a spot for Gil next Sunday.

Beating Spurs at White Hart Lane is always a massive pleasure. This year it is even moreso because Tim Sherwood has been able to turn the morale of the players particularly Benteke. Sometimes a 0-1 victory is even more stinging than a thrashing. There will be lot's of moaning in the pubs of Tottenham tonight! Meanwhile we Aston Villa fans are ecstatically making our way home (possibly) with 3 points courtesy of Daniel Levy's "issues" with previous managers. Those 8 minutes of added time seemed to be an eternity and for once we survived. It Doesn't get any better than this.

From Ciggies & AVFC website : " The manager told me the way that he'd like me to play and it all sat perfectly for me. I'm very happy to be coming down to play for Villa." The awkward way that Cleverly describes the loan hints that he thinks it is a "come down" to be at B6 . Truth is that it is when you look at the way things have been for us over the last 4 years compared with Old Trafford. That said, we do present a golden opportunity for him to get his career back where he wants it to be and at the same time it may well be that our tide of mediocrity has turned. Overall I think Cleverly is a tidy piece of the puzzle that will more than likely fit. Lambert and Keane have done a good job so far bearing in mind the limited funds and what they had to work with before the window started. Welcome to Aston Villa Tom Cleverly . I look forward to see you help us win games in the famous claret & blue .

If Joe does get a kick you can bet that he'll be back on the injury bench for treatment!

Yes from Blanco to Brown and several shades in between.

Neither Oscar Arce or his brother actually played for Aston Villa when it was discovered that Oscar was possibly no better than a circus performer capable of dribbling and prodigiously controlling the ball like a hacky sack but in fact was an awful footballer . Over the years there has been an urban myth about Oscar Arce because at the time Aston Villa also had a good Welsh International player, Barry Hole on the team and the pub rumours always questioned what it would look like if Aston Villa signed Tony Brown from the Baggies and played them all in the Midfield. It would have read Brown Arce Hole . Gustavo Bartelt was a loanee from Roma who lasted a whole 3 months and was named for the bench once and never played. So if Sebastian Blanco were to sign for us and actually was ITSOTP he would be our first Argentinian to wear a first team shirt. Well that's a piece of Villa's history rewritten. We did have a midfielder named Brown, Jimmy Brown, although Barrie Hole and Oscar Arce never played with him. The Jimmy Brown you are referring to was a Scottish Schoolboy and IIRC he joined Villa in May 1969 whereas Oscar Arce left Aston Villa in January 1969 and thus there was no overlap or possibiltiy that they would play with each other which is why the Pub Rumour went around suggesting that we get the Baggies player in to complete the Brown Arce Hole team sheet listing. Its all a moot point anyway since Arce was not at a standard that would have him playing in the Villa First Team .

Neither Oscar Arce or his brother actually played for Aston Villa when it was discovered that Oscar was possibly no better than a circus performer capable of dribbling and prodigiously controlling the ball like a hacky sack but in fact was an awful footballer . Over the years there has been an urban myth about Oscar Arce because at the time Aston Villa also had a good Welsh International player, Barry Hole on the team and the pub rumours always questioned what it would look like if Aston Villa signed Tony Brown from the Baggies and played them all in the Midfield. It would have read Brown Arce Hole . Gustavo Bartelt was a loanee from Roma who lasted a whole 3 months and was named for the bench once and never played. So if Sebastian Blanco were to sign for us and actually was ITSOTP he would be our first Argentinian to wear a first team shirt.

Rank him along with Agathe !

Smiling Z_Z It seems to be a tradition to expect so much of our youngsters and if and when they eventually get their chance with the first team and they don't immediately perform like superstars, some "fans" are quick to condemn them. Remember when Luke Moore and Gabby were coming through the ranks? It still amazes me in a positive way that Gabby is still with us. Luke Moore in the early days showed so much promise. Same could be said for Delfouneso who has now signed for Blackpool. Similarly Albrighton..but that is a whole other thread

Thing is another club wanted Luna and quite rightly. As far as I am aware no one is in for Bennett and probably won't be until Lambert has sorted out what he is going to do for both right back and left back.

It's best to take this game for what it was.... a friendly in an overly hot humid climate against a team that itself is trying to define itself having only won 6 games this season and one of those against a non MLS side Laredo. (Yes you may well ask where the F is Laredo apart from featuring in an oft sung Cowboy song ?) The thing I have noticed so far this pre season is that Hutton is fitter than most and playing decently as a right wing back. If only his crosses were as effective as Albrightons. Richardson has also shown some bright touches and when he was subbed for Delph suddenly we noticed that N'Zogbia was on the park. Senderos is steady and should be with his experience and when paired with Ron Vlaar we may hope that the back four are solid. Gardner and Grealish are both showing promise and I hope that they get a chance to stay with the first team this season. We have to remember that Houston Dynamo's CB's have not set the world on fire this season and even though it's early in the pre season I would have liked to have seen a more cohesive attacking midfield. Bent didnt get any service of any note and hardly got a touch the time he was on the pitch. The one opportunity he got late in the second half so surprised him that it went begging. I hope that from another angle that ball was unplayable because those are the kinds of balls that bent used to trade on. Our forwards were a lot like Uruguay after Suarez got sent home...toothless. The winning goal it should be noted was scored by our often criticised RB Joe Bennett from a cross from Weimann on the left side. What ????? Yes it is hard to get one's head around that but a goal is a goal is a goal and when it is the only goal of the game...we will take it! Let's pray that Benteke and Kozak recover 110% from their respective injuries because as of yet I haven't seen much from our forwards that give me any degree of comfort. WE still need an attacking midfielder that has some ability to unlock Premier League Defences. On tonights showing we weren't able to apply sustained pressure on the Dynamo defence and that ought to be worrisome for Lambert & Keane . (Sounds like a brand of cigarettes doesn't it ? Lambert & Keane Did anyone enjoy the Houston Cheerleaders pulling down the hoardings with advertising on them before each corner. Some one in their media department should have a chat with the referees so that the referees allow enough time for the commercial to run. A bit like American Footballs TV time outs. A couple of times I was annoyed because we could easily have missed critical goals..but then I was a little optimistic wasn';t I !! Goals ??? What a concept !!

We can breathe a massive sigh of relief with this result. Well played Weimann, Albrighton and Bowery, not forgetting the edge that Gabby created before being substituted for injury. Hull looked as though they were staying out of trouble to stay fit for the FA Cup Final on May 17th rather than a team also needing survival points. Our chances of getting something from the remaining games improved today. If we had lost this game our chances would have been seriously reduced. Can we get to 40 points this season ?