deaceydeaceyaggro

it's an embarassing situation for a supposed top 6 club to be in

There is no supposed about it.

would any other top 10 side let their CM situation get this bad?

we might have to rely on Osbourne at this rate

Relax, it's July. The season doesn't start for another 6 weeks.

11 arrests in the West Midlands area today following Birmingham's FA Cup match with Portsmouth last month. Apparently 2 Pompey fans were seriously injured in violent clashes after the match.

Honestly, has that club brought anything but shame onto this city of ours?

Good attendance today, by the way. Live on TV, etc. I hope there's a big crowd for the Palace game. Anyone have any ideas how many tickets we've sold?

Not the best performance, but we still smashed them 5-2.

Young was MOTM. He was excellent.

None of them. He's got a habit of giving the ball away in dangerous areas, and when he hasn't got the ball he can give away free kicks in those same areas.

I think he's gonna become a fine player, but at the moment he seems a touch too raw for me.

Actually your wrong. Injury had nothing to do with it.

Carew started 9 games out of 10 in the Premiership and played very poor and scored 1 goal in these 9 games before Heskey played in the League Cup 4-2 win over Portsmouth, leaving Carew on the bench. Heskey played well and scored. He also since then has been infront of him. So yes Carew was dropped because of poor form but not because of injury.

Yes an inform Carew would be good but it won't happen. He's been woeful this season and doesn't look bothered. If that was Carew back at "old Carew" against Palace then Jesus christ, he's worse than I remember.

Carew was certainly injured earlier this season and suffered from loss of form since. And I'll also stick by my claim that he was more of a goal threat in that 34 mins than Heskey has been all season. Not that I'm claiming Heskey has been poor this season. At times he's played very well, but as a goal threat he's been practically non existent. Play Carew and we'll get more goals than we would if we play Heskey, and goals is what we've been missing since Christmas.

Carew looked sharp when he came on against Palace, the best he's played for a while. Lets not forget that the reason he was originally out of the team was because of injury. Since regaining fitness he's struggled for form, but hopefully he'll come good again. He was more of a goal threat in that 45 mins against Palace the other day than Heskey has been all season. So I know who I'd prefer to have up front for Villa between now and the end of the season.

Some Villa fans are too quick to write off players on the back of a few poor performances. Thank God it's O'Neill who's the manager of our team and not them.

Yep thank God O'Neill is manager because he certainly doesn't prefer him to Heskey and it also seems, prefers Delph infront of him too! (5 in midfield)

As I said before, Carew was in poor form after his return from injury, so that's perhaps why Heskey was picked over him for the last couple of months. Pre Christmas (pre Carew's injury) Carew was the favoured striker (with Heskey wanting away). Things change, form changes, and an in form Carew will be picked by O'Neill over Heskey everytime in my opinion. Hopefully Carew will be back to his best soon. he certainly played more like the old Carew at Palace.

Carew looked sharp when he came on against Palace, the best he's played for a while. Lets not forget that the reason he was originally out of the team was because of injury. Since regaining fitness he's struggled for form, but hopefully he'll come good again. He was more of a goal threat in that 45 mins against Palace the other day than Heskey has been all season. So I know who I'd prefer to have up front for Villa between now and the end of the season.

Some Villa fans are too quick to write off players on the back of a few poor performances. Thank God it's O'Neill who's the manager of our team and not them.

Friedel, first cup start of the season. Interesting that. I'm pretty sure he'll play in the League Cup final now, and rightly so.

Because I just clicked on it and read it? Duuurrrr.

How strange on a night that is so good for Villa you are keen to look at a sha site

What's wrong with a bit of banter with our most bitter of rivals? We share the city with them, so it's only natural we wind each other up a bit, especially when we've reached a major final, and they, erm, haven't. 8)

Players like Guzan, NRC and Beye should be starting this game, MON has used the cups as a chance to give Brad sr and Petrov a break and just because we are in a semi i dont think he should stop using his cup team

Imagine the outrage on here if we play our second string 11 then get beat in a cup semi final and our best chance of a Wembley appearance in years goes up in smoke.

We must play our first team against Blackburn. No excuses.

General, we need as many fans as we can to go to Blackburn, so get onto them and get as many extra tickets as humanly possible!

General is it true that Villa Park will be increased to a 47,500 capacity in time for the World Cup? I think most Villa fans were expecting capacity to increase to 50k.

If you build it they will come, and all that. ;-)

Change the bloody record.

Sorry. Yeah everything is perfect, every decision is right and it's impossible to do any better than we have been doing. Petrov is basically brilliant while Reo-Coker despite facts is actually just a non league player.

Sitting pretty in 4th place.

Yep, life's pretty good at the Villa so far this season!

I think it's a disgrace NRC didn't start, let alone come on.

He's hardly been that good in a Villa shirt to warrant such adulation.

He's just capatained a side that won 5-1, their biggest win in over a year.

He's started 4 games this season, we've won all 4.

He can't get a game while no other midfielders in our team are excelling, It's not as if are midfielders are brilliant but we're not getting the results, none of our midfielders are putting in consistantly good performances, so surely he at least deserves a go to make a position his own, well I suppose he did last week but I suppose winning 5-1 and being captain just isn't enough

What else is he meant to do.

Stats can be manipulated to suit any argument. For instance, in the Blues game it wasn't till NRC was substituted that we scored the only goal of the game, so his contribution to that win is debatable. And that's just from the top of my head.

NRC isn't a bad player, but this adulation and hysterical calls for him to be picked is just baffling. He's done nothing in a Villa shirt to justify it.

I think that some Villa fans with an agenda are using it as a convenient stick to beat O'Neill with.

I think it's a disgrace NRC didn't start, let alone come on.

He's hardly been that good in a Villa shirt to warrant such adulation.

The problem is that the central midfield is super critical to any football team. We are strong everywhere else but because Petrov/Sidwell are so weak as a pair the negative impact on the rest of the team is immense. We can't get a foot in, get the ball down and play. These 2 run around like headless chickens, contribute little and the result is the defense comes under pressure and the attacking players can't get the ball.

Selecting Petrov ahead of Reo-Coker in CM after a 5-1 win is a bizzare to say the least and I am baffled that it is so clear to everyone that the team functions better with Reo-Coker in the team but O'Neil does not see it. Baffled.

We're always going to be weaker than most in centre midfield because we play with 2 wingers. It puts too much pressure on the two centre midfield players because they're doing the work of three players. One solution would be to drop one winger and play another centre midfielder. The easier solution would be to drop the terminally ineffective Sidwell, and bring in Downing to play in Gareth Barry's old role.

I think we'd be much stronger with that change.

Totally agree. I would love to see Coker and Downing in CM. Coker as the defensive midfielder, breaking up the play and putting his foot in. Downing as the playmaker.

I just cannot see what Petrov and Sidwell are giving to this team at the moment and am amazed at how untouchable they are (Petrov in particular).

I think Petrov is better in that midfield role than Reo Coker. He's just too clumsy on the ball, and gives away too many free kicks.

The problem is that the central midfield is super critical to any football team. We are strong everywhere else but because Petrov/Sidwell are so weak as a pair the negative impact on the rest of the team is immense. We can't get a foot in, get the ball down and play. These 2 run around like headless chickens, contribute little and the result is the defense comes under pressure and the attacking players can't get the ball.

Selecting Petrov ahead of Reo-Coker in CM after a 5-1 win is a bizzare to say the least and I am baffled that it is so clear to everyone that the team functions better with Reo-Coker in the team but O'Neil does not see it. Baffled.

We're always going to be weaker than most in centre midfield because we play with 2 wingers. It puts too much pressure on the two centre midfield players because they're doing the work of three players. One solution would be to drop one winger and play another centre midfielder. The easier solution would be to drop the terminally ineffective Sidwell, and bring in Downing to play in Gareth Barry's old role.

I think we'd be much stronger with that change.

People may think I'm overreacting - but I knew the performance from 14;00 - come on people wake up 451 with NRC in the centre and 2 decent players alongside him - Petrov and one of Sidwell, Downing/ Milner, then Gabbys up top with Young and Milner on the flank (or Downing if Milner plays centrally) and we'll protect the defense, dominate the midfield and generally force ourdselves on the opposition , take control of the game and get the deserved result. Which succesful team plays with 2 strikers (one of whom is totally imobile) and 2 wingewrs? Then DOESN'T play a defensive blocker in the centre?

Come onm lads this is basic stuff.

O'Neill won't chnage - either he does chnage or he goes and lets someone who will solve the basics.

Get a grip man. We're sitting in 4th place in the Premier League. Please stop this over the top hysterical nonsense.

so, anyone interested in giving a few match reactions and ratings then, or shall we bicker like schoolgirls all evening?

warnock mom for us again today - i think he is class and probably the best signing mon has made in his time at villa.

Well you would say that now seeing how you sneered at the substitution (that earned us a point). :winkold:

edit - apologies. I mistook you for Rantin.

:winkold:

Heskey on, Luke Young off hahahahaaaa.

Here we go, Heskey for Luke Young.

heskey on for luke young...

**** retard...

Lol.

Heskey on for Luke Young.

Never ceases to amaze me ol' Martin.

Heskey on for Luke. MONs really going for it.

quality.

Why don't people wait before reacting so badly?

yea, its awesome... 3 goals in, what is it, 24 games? (i stopped counting after 2 in 20)...

cant wait for his next goal in 10 games...

You almost sound disappointed he scored.

In the latest episode from the pantomime that is the Sty, Karren Brady has been accused by the new regime of destroying a club computer.

Something to hide, Miss Brady? :-)

Is their another football club in the world as poorly run as the Blues? What an ongoing farce they are!

A new dawn at the Sty with new hope and of course reduced priced tickets. Surely today will be a sell out then??

You must be joking. There's thousands of empty seats there today. They've ran out of excuses now.

I think Petrov's been poor so far this season.

Merson and Taylor played their best football for Villa in the 90's. It has to be Barry. No one else comes close.