Archie

Shouldn't Bent be fit I'd go with: Given Back 4 Delph - Jenas Albrighton - Bannan - N'Zogbia Gabby

I don't like him, never did and never will, he's the most error prone player that I have ever seen in 30 years of football, and he has huge, absolutely undeserved, wages. He is absolutely uncapable to pass the ball, he always belts it clear instead of building the play from the back. Awful. Cjeran Clarke, please Mr ML

I'm not sure we're good enough to start with 9 men! Thought we did have 9 men at times today! Ehm, I meant: Given Herd - Collins - Clark - N'Zogbia Delph- Petrov Albrighton - Bannan - Agbonlahor Bent

We didn't play bad imo, AML is doing quite a good job. Gabby and Delph and the newbie Herd were particularly good. But Heskey behind Bent is useless and so Warnock on the left. And it's a pity to see SuperMark and BB on the bench. So, in order to gain a bit of effectiveness and creativity, I'd try this formation: Given Herd - Collins - Clark - N'Zogbia Albrighton - Bannan - Agbonlahor Bent

Sure, but what struck me is that the club is reducing paltry expensenses, that don't significantly improve its financial situation and seem made "for show".

I have been very struck by the recent decision of the club to cut paltry expenses like the free cup tickets for the staff (when the stadium is half empty in the first cup ties) and the free Match Programmes for the Lions Clubs' chairmen. Obviously I have no problems to pay the match programmes from now on, this is not the point. What leaves me perplexed is that the sums that you can save with this plan of retrechment of expenses will be about 1/1000000 of the costs that you have for some average players with top player wages like Dunne, Beyè and others. So, decisions like these, on one side don't improve the financial situation of the club and on the other side cut to the quick the most genuine part of the club, the staff and the fans, giving the strong impression that the property is preparing to sell up the club, and in order to do so must give the purchaser the impression that the books are balanced and that there are not useless expenses. Obviously I hope to be wrong but this is my impression at the moment. Thoughts?

Although Rovers are very poor I'm very satisfied with the performance of the lads today. The team showed a good spirit and I have rmained impressed with the 2 play makers Petrov and Delph and the three wingers (N'Zogbia, Gabby and Super Mark). Bannan played very well in the hole as a sub, and Clark too. I hope that Bannan, Clark and Super Mark can gain a place in the starting XI, even if the 4-2-3-1 formation leaves only a place for Gabby or Mark. On a dark note, as usual, Richard Dunne. He was unwatchable and error prone, conceded one goal to an unmarked Pedersen and a similar occasion in the 1st half.

I take Randy Lerner in high esteem, he's a pure gentleman and very keen on AVFC, so i think and hope that the club only claimed the right to have an interview with Mc Leish, in the same way that it had and will have interviews with other candidates for the Villa job. And at this regard there are a bunch of great italian managers that are undoubtly "free agent", in this moment, so that we can approach them without risking legal actions : apart from Carletto Ancelotti, l would like Delio Rossi (the former Lazio and Palermo manager, that uses to teach and play an attractive, entertaining, passive, attacking football). Good managers would be Gianfranco Zola, Claudio Ranieri and Roberto Di Matteo that have PL experience and are also very, very nice guys. Aston Villa made in Italy? Why not? :winkold: As you surely know Villa is an ancient Latin and now Italian word, this is the first reason why many Italian kids fall in love for the Villa, because it is the only team whose name they understand!

We are talking about Mc Leish and Mc Laren, probably the 2 worst managers at top level in Britain. I feel a great nostalgy for the good old times, and even for last week when we talked about Ancelotti and Moyes. . .

Error in google translation, mate . La Gazzetta says only that Fulham will participate to the next edition of the Europa League, not of the Chanpions League, and that Fulham will try to make an offer for Ancelotti, considering that he would like to stay in London.

The London Standard is a reliable source in Italy? Obviously not, sorry, wrong link. This is the one I mentioned: http://www.ansa.it/web/notizie/rubriche/calcio/2011/06/02/visualizza_new.html_841578863.html

Rumours has it in Italy about Carletto Ancelotti, coming from one of the most reliable sources, fingers crossed then: http://www.ansa.it/web/notizie/rubriche/calcio/2011/06/02/visualizza_new.html_841578863.html

I think GH was one of the the most overrated and over paid manager in the whole history of football. He's a nice and polite man, I wish all the best for his health, but as a manager he has been a disaster. 5 mln pounds for what? With the likes of A. Young, Downing, Albrighton, Bent, Delph, Walker, Clark, Bannan, very gifted players that would play in every P.L. top team, we should arrive in the top six and compete for a domestic cup, certainly not be involved in the fight to avoid relegation. Anyhow, rumours has it about Ancelotti (please note that Ancelotti has one L, don't know why many English papers tend to put two). It'd be fantastic. Top manager and top man.

@DotsandCrosses - I remain of my idea about the formation mate, but thank you for sharing your blog and your beautiful diagrams, many congrats for them, I'll make a bit of advertising that is well deserved for the accuracy that you put in the job.

Excellent job, mate. It's only a detail, but I think that your scheme confirms just that our formation was 4-2-3-1 because Reo and Petrov were behind Delph, and Delph was almost on the same line of the wingers. Can't understand how you can consider immense the pair Dunne & Collins, though. They concede one or two goals every game. I was acclimatized with the likes of Paul mc Grath and Alessandro Nesta (the former captain of my Italian team) who conceded one or two every season! Try to see again the RvP's goal, their blunder is evident: http://rutube.ru/tracks/4433971

Are you joking, aren't you? Did you see the goal the he conceded to an unmarked RvP? And the penalty that was going to concede? It's mathematically impossible to keep a clean sheet with Dunne in the team.

Or was it 4-5-1? It was 4-2-3-1 imo.

We needed a satisfaction, one of the few of the season. Well done Villa, UTV. But we must not deceive ourselves, it's too easy with the "ramshackle" Arsenal that we saw today, the impression is that their players were playing against their own manager. On a hilarious note, with Richard Dunne in action it's quite sure that you can't keep a clean sheet. The way he marked van Persie is simply ridiculous.

I'm quite happy with the draw against Wigan. We have played an awful game, as we did for all the season apart three or four games (whose the best agianst WHUFC with KMC on the bench), and so it's quite clear that we have in the team many crap and overpaid players and a big, big managerial problem. If we would have won the last useless three games, on one hand our table wouldn't be improved, and on the other hand there was the possibility that GH and his managerial staff were confirmed, whereas now I think that this can not happen. There will be a bit of fresh air with a new possibly young manager (Paul Lambert has always been my fav.) and new players.

If this umpteenth defeat (and humiliation: you can't lose 11 against ten with such an average team) can have a sense, it is that there was the risk that, after three positive results against poor and not motivated teams, many forgot the awful season that we had and were going to concede credit to the manager, wheras his failure is now well clear. Thanks God we are 90% safe (and beating Wigan we shall definitely). And thanks God we have a great club and a great President. Now we need to turn the corner. A bit of fresh air, please. Lambert. Moyes, Hughes, Zola, Ancelotti or Coyle would be more than welcome.

I'd like Paul Lambert. Having a soft spot for the Canaries, I follow them close; Lambert was appointed last season soon after beating Norwich 7-1 with his then team Colchester, then conquered the direct promotion and he's doing the same this season for what would be an incredible double jump. Norwich play an entertaining, passing, attacking football, and PL he is in line with the great old tradition of Scottish managers.

I'd like immediately Gianfranco Zola, not because he is a fellow countryman of mine (I'm not nationalist at all) but because I consider him either a great man and a great player with an amazing charisma, and I think that with his experience and tactical knowledges he would perfect for the job, a spark of light after the dark HullaKoop period.

I didn't understand who would be the holding midfielder in your 4-2-3-1, or 4-4-1-1.

Yesterday's game must be divided into two parts imo, before Delfouneso (BD) and after Delfouneso (AD) BD we were asphalting Manu and deserved to win 3-0. AD we have been overwhelmed, Nathan wasn't able either to hold the squad high, either to defend (poor opposition on Nani's cross) and to engage Vidic (who scored the goal). Awful. But apart from Dunne all the lads had a great game yesterday. My ratings: Friedel 7 Young 6 Dunne 4,5 Collins 6,5 Warnock 7 Albrighton 7,5 Bannan 7 Hogg 6 Downing 7,5 A. Young 6,5 Agbonlahor 7 (Delfouneso) 3

I think that Gabby was outstanding today, particularly for how he took the squad up fighting with Vidic. When he was substituted we went down, Delfouneso wasn't able neither to take the ball nor to defend, as he demonstrated with his poor opposition to Nani in occasion of their equalizer. And Vidic was the man who scored not by chance but just because Delfouneso didn't engage him at all.