heid3ster

This is not a plus. This is a minus. He has been making these types of errors all season and has learned nothing from them. I have been willing to cut him some slack because he is on the young side and has been asked to step into a role that he is probably not psychologically ready for just yet (both as a starting CB and acting captain), but there is a limit. He is not improving, if anything he's gone backwards. I think he may still have some potential, but I think it's as a DM, not a central defender.

Can we add Wynalda to the clown list? I realize this isn't really leaving us much in the way of pundits who are NOT clowns... also everyone on Fox Soccer News are tremendous d-bags.

I don't think Clark is fit. I'd go: -------------Guzan --------------- Lowton - Vlaar - Baker - Lichaj ----- Westwood -- Delph -------- Andi ---- Zog/Bannan? ---- Gabby ------------- Benteke ------------- N'Zogbia's been looking lively lately, although maybe he'd be better coming off the bench. Bannan actually was quite against Pool at Anfield, maybe his best game this season. Tough choice.

Epic Blizzard. Big Brad did well. I hope he doesn't get frostbite.

Agree with this, im not his biggest fan but pl's tactics against rodgers have always been about stifling their style and holman fits that description. Agreed here too, the way to get at Liverpool is to hassle their defense and force errors out of them. Holman would be a good asset. Not sure who you sacrifice for him, though.

Rotten at corners, though. I'm impressed with Lowton, I think he's stepped up well. He's had his mistakes, but not as many as the rest of our back line, I don't think -- his mistakes are already becoming less and less frequent.

So how do you feel this season has gone for you so far? What are your feelings about the present state and direction of your club and how do you rate the boss and Randy Lerner? The season's been disappointing in that we've been flirting much too closely with the relegation zone than I had hoped. The 8-0 loss to Chelsea was extremely damaging to the team's confidence, such that we've only recently begun to pull ourselves out of the downwards spiral. That said, provided we do stay up this season (and that's not a guarantee yet, but I'm hopeful, more hopeful than I was a couple of weeks ago), I think the club is on course to start rebuilding from the bottom up, in a fiscally responsible way. I like Lambert although he hasn't quite been the miracle worker I'd hoped he would be. Lerner, well -- I know he's not crazy popular, but I think he's on the right track getting the club to live within its means. We don't want to become the next Portsmouth or Rangers. You’ve had a couple of good wins recently against Reading, West Ham and QPR. What are you hoping for the remainder of this season and going forward into next season? This season, avoid relegation, of course. Next season, get rid of some of the dead weight (Given, Bent, Ireland, etc.) and ease our wage bill, then bring in some quality to shore up the defense, and mid-table with a decent cup run or two. Players of the season awards being talked about in the press all the time, so who has been your best player of the season so far, who has been your most improved and who do you reckon is the flop of the season for you? And the same thing for our team, who do you think are our best, worst and most improved. Finally on this subject, who would you choose to have in your team given the chance, Van Persie, Bale or Suarez? Best player: Guzan and Benteke. Most improved: Weimann. I'll also put in a good word for Matt Lowton. Flop of the season: this is unfair because I think he's got potential but he's nowhere near ready for the Premier League yet: Joe Bennett. Your best: Suarez. Your most improved: probably Enrique. Flop: Joe Allen is looking like kind of a waste of 15 million. I'd take Bale, for the same reason Gareth chose Van Persie. How do you think the match at our place in December turned out in such a comprehensive victory for you? Paul Lambert got his tactics spot on that day, Benteke played like a man possessed, Villa got lucky with a smash and grab raid, we were too embarrassed to play you once we saw Lerner’s pockets bulging with his £20 million Downing money, Liverpool were poor, or somewhere in between? We got lucky that in the times you cut us open in the first half you squandered your chances, and we rode that luck. Suarez had an off-day. But our attacking was quite quite good that day. On to the game now, and firstly, who are the form players and danger men we need to look out for and which of our players are you not looking forward to playing against? Which of your players are we best targeting if we want a win, and which of our players do you think will help you out with a poor performance? Everyone's saying Benteke, but I think Agbonlahor and Weimann may do the most damage, especially if you've got Carragher at the back. He can't cope with their pace. Suarez is always a worry for your side. Our defense has made a lot of errors this year, but let's be fair, all of Carragher, Agger, Skrtel and Reina have plenty of mistakes in them too, and if we pressure them and don't let them play out of the back we will score goals. It's really just a matter of whether you will score more. In what areas of the pitch do you think the game will be won or lost for you, and what tactics do we need to employ to beat you and get our revenge for the match at Anfield? Our left side is a big worry. Likewise Clark is always liable to make some monumental error. And we're still crap at defending set pieces. ​And now for a few off the wall questions. Well I never promised I was Geoff Shreeves! There’s a new Pope in town now. If he could throw out a few miracles on request, what ones would you ask him to perform for the team and for Paul Lambert and why? 8 more consecutive wins. No inuries to our international players, particularly Guzan. Lookalikes now. Brad Guzan, hero goalie or the boss eyed bloke off Dragon’s Den? Nathan Baker, full back or bloke from Thor with shorter hair and no beard? Any other lookalikes you can think of from either yours or our team? Jay Spearing looks like Shrek, I don't know if he's still with you guys or if he's been sold to Bolton (I think he's just on loan). The game is more and more about managers and styles these days. So let’s say Brendan Rodgers v Paul Lambert were to have a Mortal Kombat style fight. Which one is most likely to throw sand in the eyes and kick his opponent in the family jewels to get the win and why? Lambert. PatrickCousens had the best possible answer here. And finally, your realistic and honest predictions for the score. I hate score predictions. I'll go with a 2-2 draw also but it really could go any way at all.

If we stay up, the experience of surviving a relegation battle will do a world of good for our young players' confidence levels and stand them in good stead in the future. That said, Baker, Clark and Bennett are still a good few years off being ready for the big time. In 3-5 years' time, a back four comprising of Bennett, Baker, Clark and Lowton could be excellent. They're just not there yet (Lowton excepted, I think he's made the step up to the Prem well -- a few mistakes, yes, not near as many as the others and I think he improves with each game). For next season, if we stay up, I'd like one good solid centerback, a left back, and some steel in defensive midfield. Has Lambert considered loaning players? Buttner at Man United is a good little left-back, scored on his debut, but can't get a game ahead of Evra. He would have been great for us this season.

United ALWAYS have something to play for. They would love to win the league (or the double) with 100 points. Remember how they demolished Blackpool on the final day of the 2010-11 season, when United already had the title in the bag and a draw would have kept Blackpool up? I don't see us getting anything off of them, or Chelsea.

American pundits on Fox Soccer are saying Guzan shouldn't be brought into the national team. They are advocating pulling Friedel out of retirement instead. They say this with straight faces WHILE SHOWING REPLAYS of his amazing saves v. QPR. Eric Wynalda is a tool. (For what it's worth, Friedel has stated unequivocally that he will only consider coming out of retirement if Guzan were to turn it down.)

Because we're scoring more now.

Surely Baker plays there? He's better defensively and going forward than Lichaj. We'll likely need Eric at RB if Lowton gets booked against Liverpool, but otherwise I can't see him getting any games. Yeah you're right, I was thinking of Baker as both injured and also knackered & in need of a rest, but I forgot we've got the international break coming up -- he should be ready to go for the Liverpool match, and at this stage of the season, the less tinkering the better probably. I'd like Lichaj to at least make the bench ahead of Bennett, though.

I might be partial to Lichaj as a fellow American (although don't get me wrong -- he's not good enough for our national team), but I think he's a lot more solid defensively than Bennett and should be getting some games during the final run-in. I understand Lambert wants his full-backs to push on, but that's the reason our defense is so flimsy this season, frankly. Defense needs to be shored up. I think Bennett has a lot more potential than Lichaj in the long run, but he's not there yet and won't be any time soon.

I don't think Wigan can be written off. Of the three teams below us, they are the most likely to pull themselves out of it. They have a good history of successful Great Escapes and though their luck is bound to run out eventually, I don't think it will happen with Martinez at the helm. Our best hope is that Sunderland get dragged into it, and with their woeful performance today (can't beat 10-man Norwich at home, even with all the ref decisions going your way?), combined with their difficult run of fixtures, that seems very likely. I'm in complete agreement with Fazilla above, safety is in our hands and we can't count on other teams to help us out. That means we need as many points as possible, especially against the teams around us, and we need all three points against Sunderland in particular. Of the matches we have left: - Liverpool (h) - a real crapshoot. You never know what Liverpool team is going to turn up. A draw is my best guess, but any point here is a bonus really. They're a much stronger team than the one we cut open back in November. I would be delighted at a win but I won't be expecting it. - Stoke (a) - Winnable. - Fulham (h) - Winnable - Man Utd (a) - zero points. - Sunderland (h) - Must win - Norwich (a) - Winnable - Chelsea (h) - zero points. - Wigan (a) - ?????? It's going to depend on what's at stake for both teams on the day, really. If we pick up 3 points against Sunderland and win any two of the other games up there we should be more than secure, especially if we get a draw here and there. Maybe even mid-table depending on how West Ham, Newcastle, Stoke, Norwich etc do. Definitely do-able, but the job's not done yet.

Greetings fellow Villans, from a "Villanesse" fan in the Pacific Northwest, USA. I'm comparatively new to both the Premier League and Villa, having only started watching about three seasons ago. It's not easy to find kindred spirits in this area so I have been suffering in silence through the relegation scrap. Today's massive win over QPR finally convinced me to join VillaTalk so I'd have other fans to celebrate with. :-) I'm sure I'm more of what would be considered a "casual fan," having only discovered the team a few years ago and never having had the opportunity to visit Villa Park, and I won't insult the Holte Enders by pretending I'm anywhere near as hard core as those who have been following them since birth. But believe me, I suffer through the losses right with you, and run through my apartment like a looney any time we score. I also support my local team, the Seattle Sounders ("local" meaning 90 miles away), but I find the Premier League more exciting to follow on the whole than MLS. As a US native I am of course also massively proud of Big Brad Guzan (and wish Lichaj would get a look in ahead of Bennett, frankly). Hope Guzan carries that form into his upcoming appearances for the USMNT. Hoping today's win can boost the lads to a Great Escape!