briny_ear

Good job we didn't need this one to secure 4th place...

We seem to be entering one of our more clueless passages of play. As things stand, 1-0 to Blackburn looks on.

I take no pleasure in being right this time.

C'mon Villa, FFS

Just lost the latest thread and for once I'm not too unhappy.

Milner. Best. Free kick. Evarr!!

We seem to be entering one of our more clueless passages of play. As things stand, 1-0 to Blackburn looks on.

1 more goal and Chelsea get 100 league goals.

Nice to know we helped them with that...

C'mon you Villa boys!

Aston Villa's last laugh over Manchester City may be a Dunne deal

• Richard Dunne 'sensational', says Martin O'Neill

• John Carew: Gareth Barry's sale to City strengthened Villa

* Stuart James

* The Guardian, Saturday 1 May 2010

Martin O'Neill was holding court in a hotel in Marbella before a ball had been kicked this season and, as he considered Manchester City's spending power, talked about a "reinvented" Premier League with a "genuine top five". O'Neill was trying to work out where City's emergence left Aston Villa in the pecking order and nine months later he has his answer: one point and place ahead of City with eight days of the season remaining.

The two clubs meet at Eastlands today in a pivotal match full of intriguing sub-plots as both sides chase the victory needed to keep alive hopes of overhauling Tottenham Hotspur and finishing fourth. It is certainly not the scenario O'Neill envisaged in July, when he felt that City, because of their financial muscle, were "stepping over" Villa, and claimed that the world's richest club "should be favourites to win the league".

Yet by unlikely coincidence a couple of City's transfer deals last summer played a part in helping Villa to compete this season. Villa fans lamented Gareth Barry's switch to Eastlands but, ultimately, his exit allowed James Milner to move inside and excel, while City's decision to spend £24m on Joleon Lescott and allow Richard Dunne to leave for £5m must rank as the most ridiculous piece of business last summer.

Milner and Dunne have been outstanding for Villa, their contributions recognised by their peers when they were named in the Professional Footballers' Association Premier League team of the year. Barry, meanwhile, has gone from being an influential player at Villa to a peripheral one at City, raising questions about his place in the England team, and Lescott's season has been hampered by inconsistent form and injuries.

All of which explains why City have identified Milner as a transfer target and, in the case of Dunne, makes their chief executive, Garry Cook, look a little foolish. Dunne claimed he would "happily have stayed and fought for my place" at City but Cook, whom the defender accused of "trying to sell me behind my back", seemed to have made up his mind a year earlier when he said: "Richard Dunne doesn't roll off the tongue in Beijing."

O'Neill was more interested in what Dunne would bring to Villa's defence than how many shirts he might sell and his impact has been there for all to see. The manager said yesterday: "I have always said that if things had been different, and he had stayed at Manchester City, he would have eventually worked his way back into the team. But whatever turmoil he was in he recovered from that. He has been sensational for us.

"For us to replace Martin Laursen, you could search high and low and not be able to do it, not just for a player, but for everything; his leadership, the quiet way he went about things – and in many aspects Dunne is exactly the same. Laursen gave us a great desire and great will, and many an experienced player here depended on Laursen and getting that from him. Dunne has done exactly that."

Milner's form has been even more impressive, with John Carew claiming his performances have not just softened the blow of Barry leaving but actually made Villa a better side. "I think he filled the gap after Gareth, maybe even more. We haven't really noticed [Gareth's departure] and the team has got stronger," Carew said. "James can play for any team in the world with the way that he's playing."

O'Neill hopes that team will be Villa next season but much could depend on today's result and whether either club can qualify for the Champions League. "I actually think our performances this season, and what we've done in the cups, means we deserve this two-game crack at it," O'Neill said. "To give ourselves a chance we need to put maximum points on the board and that won't be easy, particularly under this sort of pressure."

By the way the Villa fan called "Danny" who started the whole horrible event is a word removed too. Im not sticking up for a fan because he supports the same team as me.

Glad someone said that.

Having just reread the report if the case, I was reminded there aren't any angels in all this to be frank.

When we finally miss out on 4th, maybe on saturday, I believe it will have been down to MON's lack of squad rotation more than any other factor.

I'm a bit confused now.

I thought it was playing a Centre Back at Right Back that did it (not that it's actually happened yet so the above comments are perhaps just a bit premature)

:confused:

Looks like Stiliyan Petrov has now given his answer to this question - not quite in the same terms as the poll, but John Terry's comments certainly seem to have been used to a positive effect.

Petrov: Fighting Fit

By Dan Harrison

Stiliyan Petrov reckons Villa's recent victories have answered questions over their fitness.

After last month's 7-1 defeat at Chelsea, John Terry claimed his team knew Villa would tire in the latter stages of the contest.

But late goals in games against Everton, Portsmouth, Hull City and Birmingham City have disproved the former England skipper's theory.

The Villa captain insists the criticism has made Villa stronger, as they've embarked on an impressive run of four wins and a draw since the loss at Stamford Bridge.

"People were wondering if we were going to get tired but in the last couple of games we have shown we are getting even fitter", said the Bulgarian.

"John Terry's comments have made us even stronger, made us work even harder and made us concentrate more. That's what will drive us in the next two games.

"We need one big push now. The fans have been great to us all season and I hope we will give them something to cheer."

Petrov admits Villa would have taken the current scenario - fifth place with a realistic chance of finishing in the top four - at the start of the campaign.

And he believes there is plenty of character in the dressing room to boost the team in their crucial final two games against Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers.

"We have never been closer, and we shouldn't let it slip away," Petrov added.

"If someone had said at the start of the season that with two games to go we would still have a chance of fourth spot, we would have taken that. We're there now and we have to make sure we take it.

"We have players who want to win things and move this club forward. We have a lot of characters in the team."

Just not Gareth Barry.

The club have been charged with failing to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion

Maybe they'll be relegated as a punishment?

I will go back to my argument 2 weeks ago, he touched the ball, didn't win the ball, its a penalty, ive always said so and stand by it. Its my big bug bare in football the smallest contact on the ball is winning it, ITS NOT.

That was what I was just thinking, having seen And Gray saying dogmatically it WASN'T a penalty. He diverted the ball, but it was still Gabby's to run for and he brought him down. He didn't win the tackle.

Tell you what, Big Brad has has a monster of a game today.

James Milner, my babies are all yours...

:oops: :oops:

If it stays like this & Liverpool win this afternoon, we are back down to 7th.

Advantage to SHA at the moment. Need something big to get back the momentum.

I've always fancied this myself - even more so over the past 4 seasons

Shows that the manager does tend to know best!

It really, really doesn't.

He signed Dunne becasue Distin chose Everton.

Don't forget he only signed Milner becuase Bentley chose to go to spurs.

Great signings granted, but lets not get ahead of oursleves.

People really do think he is a genius don't they? :shock:

Yeh, a mate of mine who is a groundsman told me that Dunne just wandered into Villa Park one day in a daze and said "gisajob". MON actually tried to throw him out but was physically restrained by General K, while Randy signed Dunne on the spot.

At least that's how my mate tells it...

I thought it was quite funny when we started chanting "Why did you sack Phil Brown?" and they just clapped us.

I'm pretty sure I heard a Hull fan on the Radio 5Live phone-in demanding Brown should be brought back for the last 3 games!.

Can't even remember who I voted for now.

I wonder if there is any way of tracing this?

Only if they've changed their strip.

Love the way Sol Campbell got Nil Points.

And look where he ended up..

I can't imagine why people get so furious with this, I really can't.

becuase "the majority" of us believe we have a better right back sitting on the bench week in, week out, without the chance of getting a game, for no discernable reason.

Spot on. He should have bought Luke Young when he first moved to Boro and we were playing Olof out there. That cost Randy £3-4m and the chance to see a Melberg Laursen CB pairing!

He should certainly be playing him now.

And Beye must wonder what he has done. As must Randy - we have a third choice RB who hasn't played since I don't know on £40k p.w. whilst MON continues with a CB out there.

It is not Carlos' defending that is the problem, it is not even necessarily the loss of Luke's crosses to set up goals, it is the lack of balance in the team, the lack of threat to the opposition - they will funnel the ball over to Carlos at RB as they know his distribution is poor from there and they do not have to track his runs in the same way that they would with Luke thus it does not create space for the RW.

C'mon, own up!

It's really because it's seen as another chance by some to beat MON around the head for another perceived "failure"/"stubbornness", etc.

If he was playing Young or Beye instead of Cuellar, we would then have a CB on £40k a week who wasn't playing regularly, so it would make no difference to randy Lerner whatsoever.

The serious point here is that MON clearly believes the first job of a defence is to defend, and selects players who are strong at doing that over and above fancy runs up the wing, etc. (for which he probably thinks he's got A. Young and Downing)