sting

Just want to congratulate you on an excellent Match Preview of the West Brom game. Lets hope Carson has another one of those days and we win. However, i really don't think there will be much in it, although West Brom's open passing game will suit us perfectly and we can catch them on the break! Regards, Ciaran.

Many thanks for the constructive replies to my earlier comments. First of all i think the fans own the club. We are the people who pay to stand on the terraces, in all weathers, which helps to pay for the general runing of our club and towards any signings. Also if the fans do not like what they see on the pitch, we can influence the changing of a manager and his coaching staff! Therefore we, the fans have a massive input and can certainly influence what players we think are doing the business on the football pitch and which ones we would rather stay off it! I also take on board the comments about having patience with what MON is trying to do with our squad. To put it bluntly, MON has made a lot of poor signings, with a few, and only a few good ones! Shorey, Knight, Reo-Coker, Routledge, Salifou, Harewood and even James Milner have all shown recently what list they fall into. On the plus side, the two Youngs and maybe Carew, but even Carew was never going to play a full season for us with his injury record! So i certainly agree with the comment that we must buy the right players. Defoe, Crouch, Upson and Arshavin are available and these ARE the right players to push us on, but will MON buy Heskey, or Doyle instead, who have both proved that they don't score enough goals in the Premiership? Regards, Ciaran.

I think most Villa fans have what you called perspective. We have had to over the past several seasons when the Villa faithful have been starved of success! I think sometimes that a lot of Villa fans have now got use to that lack of success and are happy just to finish in the top half of the premiership! Have a little more ambition than that please. With the addition of a few more quality players, in particular, a forward and a creative midfielder, we can, with a little luck, qualify for the CL this season! I don't think Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea fans would be at all happy to finish out of the top four! We must now develope this attitude, a winning attitude! Regards, Ciaran.

Thanks for the realism above. If we are going to play our second string against Gillingham, then they have already shown this season that Villa fans have cause for concern about a possible embarrassment awaiting! I was actually very concerned about our first team's performance against Hull as we were certainly second best in that game and we were very lucky to get away with three points. We were also lucky to get the three points against Everton, who presented us with early Christmas presents in the form of two of our goals. I also hope that irrespective of PB's comments about the transfer window, MON does purchase at least one forward (Defoe and Crouch please) and a creative midfielder for when we can't get around teams on the flanks and have to play through the middle (Arshavin please), then we will be well covered for the difficult run in ahead! Regards, Ciaran.

Hi John. Another of the many fantastic reports you have made this season and what a reaction this report, in particular, has received from Villa and Arsenal fans alike! Totally agree with everything you have said, and how we found ourselves 0-2 down was quite beyond me. It was a fantastic performance by the lads, particularly, in the first half, even though both teams were missing key players. I was really impressed with Agbonlahor's hold up play, as very few balls bounced of him and it is obvious that the coaching staff at Villa Park have been working with him on this. I have critizised this part of Agbonlahor's game many times this season, but on this occasion, i am very glad to say that he has now made me eat humble pie! Carew's injury has probably quickened Agbonlarhor's learning curve and what a player we now have on our hands, especially if MON buys the creative midfielder to supply Agbonlarhor's pace in the January transfer window? I was also impressed with Luke Young but am puzzled as to why MON is playing him at left back, when we have a fit Shorey to return? Maybe MON doesn't yet trust little Shorey for his positional sense, so why spend nearly 5million on him in the first place? Furthermore, as i have previously stated in threads, we do need at least one new striker and possibly two, but where do we get them from? I wouldn't pay over the odds for Heskey, or Doyle, but going by tabloid reports, Heskey might be off to Liverpool and would Reading sell Doyle for less than 10million? Bellamy has also been mentioned and he is scoring goals at the moment, but is he just giving 100% now to seek one last big pay day before his injury record catches up with him? Maybe MON would be better sending his scouting system towards foriegn fields to seek another Zaki, if such a player exists? Certainly Arshavin is still available, now at a reduced price, and MON would be buying two players in one with Arshavin able to play as an out and out striker, or in the Wayne Rooney role, just in behind the main striker! MON will surely know that Agbonlahor will eventually hit that brick wall and therefore will need to be rested, so as your report suggests John, we need at least one quality striker in January, or, come March, Agbonlahor will be up front for Villa in a wheel chair! Regards, Ciaran.

Hi Pete, many thanks for your reply. I agree with your comments above with the exception about our squad. Its ok having more players, as long as they are good enough and thats my point really. Its fantastic that our first team are doing so well and i can finally hold my head up in a large family full of Man U supporters, but is our squad really good enough? MON has spent a lot of money on our squad and if MON stays, will the majority of the team that played against Hamburg, still be at Villa Park? I don't think so. Although you cannot argue with third place at the moment, MON has made a lot of poor signings which indeed played in the Hamburg match and i wouldn't feel at all confident if we were to get several injuries to our first team and then have to rely on our second string to pull us through for a few weeks! However, the only positive that came out of the Hamburg game was little Bannan, who has come through our fantastic youth academy and he is one squad member MON should incourage and play more when we are in control of games! Ciaran.

Hi Pete. Just thought i'd add my comment to your article. Lets be honest here. Although this game was viewed as a 'dead rubber' by O'Neill, if you had seen the interview with Reo-Coker just after the match had finished with Hamburg, he was obviously disappointed and embarassed. If you had also read the e-mails coming into the channel 5 studio, most Villa fans stated that our so called second string simply weren't good enough! Our second string included players worth 8million, 7million, 5million, 4.5million and 3.5million. It actually was the worst Villa performance i have seen and indeed showed which players should be pushed out of the January transfer window! The performance was totally inept, devoid of ideas and flair and we were made to look second rate by a professional Hamburg team who never got out of third gear! The reality is that our squad isn't yet good enough and thank goodness, we have again been lucky with injuries to our first team, coupled with the top four's recent inconsistencies! Ciaran.

Hi John. Many thanks for your comments. Sometimes it may seem that i critisize a little too much, but it is only due to the fact that, like you, i am passionate about 'The Villa' and we have a great opportunity to do something really great this year. I also feel MON is doing a great job with Villa, although i haven't agreed with some of his signings. However, you simply can't argue with fourth place, athough this may also be partly due to the top four not being as consistent as usual and yes, we have also improved with the additional signings! Lets hope the lads don't falter on tired legs and we can set ourselves up for a fantastic season ahead with a few quality January signings. Regards, Ciaran.

Hi John. Another fab report on what was a fantastic performance by the lads, in particular, Gabby and Messi, oh sorry, i mean Young! Thought that the way Bolton were set up on Saturday, holding a high line, was ideal for our counter attacking football and both Gabby and our Messi took full advantage. Silly boy Megson. Not going to be manager of the month, eh, next month? Agree with your comment about Sidwell. Played better and i still say we look a better team with him in our midfield, instead of Reo-Coker, although i'm still not a great fan of either! Also noted your concerns about the team for the Hamburg game and again i agree with your comments. Our second string are not going to be good enough for this game, but i believe that after the Everton and Bolton results, our first team's confidence should pull us through the next three games ok. All professional footballers want to play in a winning team and our lot should be no different. Remember the old Shanks and Paisely Liverpool teams who played many matches in the space of 14 days due to their success. If we stay free of injuries and MON is active in the January transfer window, with two forwards, a creative midfielder purchased and cover purchased for the fullback positions, then we can give Gabby, the two Youngs and Bary a well earned rest! Ciaran.

Hi Blandy. A very detailed report of the Everton Villa match. Loved to have been there, but had to settle for the old armchair in front of the tv! I actually thought the standard of our football was rubbish. We simply couldn't pass, or hold onto the ball and i had to continually shout at the tv, pleading for someone in our midfield, to put his foot on the ball and make a decent pass. However, for the vast majority of the match, no-one in our Villa team listened and we had to rely on Everton's defence to gift ASH two of our goals! Thank God, our team has loads of the old spirit and a never say die attitude, as this alone, seen us through. I hate to admit it but Everton look far more like a top four side than us and that was with no forward line to speak of! However, when Ash made it 3-2, i was eating my dinner and i'm afraid there is now, a very dark gravy stain on our carpet, as i stood up and roared 'YES, YES, YES!' We won and i don't even feel a little bit sorry for Everton, but i'm still concerned at our inability to hold onto the ball when pressed and we can't always rely on a kamikaze Everton for points, but we WON, we WON!! Ciaran.

I totally agree with the comment about Ash Young. He needs to develope his game more, not only to supply crosses for the big forward, such as Carew, but also to be able to see a defence splitting pass through the middle as none of our midfield has the ability to do this and i include GB in this statement! I hope MON buys a creative midfielder in January and he could do a lot worse than taking a good look at Zilina's Grba who i though was excellent against us and was the best player on the pitch by a country mile! He made our second string midfield look like what they are, very poor and gave them a lesson in constructive midfield football with loads of flair! I'm also sure he wouldn't cost the earth in fees and MON surely couldn't have failed to notice him? I also note the comment above about Heskey and Ashton. I do think MON will buy Heskey in January, but for me, he will not score enough goals to keep us on the tails of the top four. You only have to look at Heskey's goal record to date! We should have signed Ashton before he was transferred from Crewe to West Ham for 3 million. To sign him now will take at least treble that and although i would be worried about his recent injury record, in my humble opinion, he would score more goals than Heskey and therefore would, over all, be a much better signing! I think Zaki from Wigan would be another alternative, but MON will go for Heskey and probably offer Reading what they want for Doyle, which, in the future, i believe, will add two more poor signings to MONs Villa transfer record! Ciaran.

Hi John. Another great report on the Villa Zilina game. I see from the above threads, feelings are running high from some very disappointed Villa supporters and like me, they are feeling humiliated by our team's efforts! However, rather than say what has already been commented on, i would rather make a statement on what i see as two positives to come out of the Zilna game. The first is obviously about Delfouneso, who i have watched for some time now and i'm very glad to say he tries to play the game the right way, with invention and is not afraid to try his tricks, which he has many. He's actually starting to remind me of Dwight and if he turns out half as good, then we Villa fans are in for a treat. I believe he well might be a real gem if his tricks are not coached out of him? In my opinion, Delfouneso should now be our third choice striker, ahead of Harewood, who is another failed MON signing and should be sold in the January transfer window! The second positive, well i think MON should pull the manager of Zilna aside and ask him how much he wants for Strba, who was the best player on the pitch by a long way. He simply ran the game and i'm sure wouldn't cost a massive fee. He is also big and strong and would stand up to the rigors of the Premiership very well. Noticed he is practically one footed when he let the ball run accross him to his right foot when he should have used his left with only Guzan to beat. However, there are benefits when you play in European football, because the manager sees players he wouldn't normally see and consequently, i think Strba would be a very astute signing by MON. I know you don't normally judge a player on one game, but he is certainly streets ahead of our second string midfield, and better than most of our first choice little generals! I'm sure someone is going to buy him and i rather it be us! Anyway, now for Everton and lets hope we can keep out Cahill. If we do this, since Everton don't have any fit strikers, we shouldn't lose the game? Ciaran.

Hi John. Many thanks for your opinion on my reference to MON's Leicester. I really don't think there is much difference in quality between the players mentioned, although, i sincerely wish there were! I was also referring to the way both teams were set up. I'm actually just frustrated, due to the fact that at the moment, none of the top four are playing with any real consistencey and there is a great oportunity for Villa to break into the top four, if we have the right players to do it. Like all Villa fans, i want to see us being sucessful, especially when we now have a fantastic chairman to back the manager with real money, but the manager has to buy the right players. I think his choice of player has been rather too much hit&miss, with few successes, other than Young and maybe Carew, when fit! I want our manager to buy quality, rather than 'value for money' so we can maintain our challenge for the top four! This season is a great oportunity for us and if MON improves his choice of player, maybe even to buy foreign, if they are good enough, then your statement about maintaining our challenge for a top 4 place will come true! Ciaran.

Hi John. I hope Reo-Coker and Sidwell prove you right and me wrong, as it will then mean Villa are doing well. I really don't see them creating much in the way of opening up defences! Would love MON to buy Delph from Leeds in January, as in the long term, he could be another Gerrard! This guy can create and score goals, which our midfield can't at the moment! We desperately need a playmaker, such as Arteta from Everton, who gives them that added class going forward! Everton have now got a lot of injuries, so we should benefit from that! Maybe my head is too much up in the clouds and i'm not being realistic, but Arshavin would also be a great signing, as he is available. Think of the buzz that signing would create around Villa Park and it would show our intent to the Sky4! I totally agree about Huntelaar in the striker department, less so about Owen, as we already have a forward in Carew, who is too injury prone! Podolski im also not sure about, as he has been critisized for not always giving 100% for his club. Unfortunately, i think MON will try and buy Heskey from Wigan, as he is coming to the end of his contract and will come cheap and maybe Doyle from Reading, even though he has just signed a new contract! I sincerely hope i'm wrong about this, as neither of these strikers, would fill me with confidence, that they would score enough goals to keep us on the tails of Arsenal. Is it just me, or is our Villa team becoming more like MON's former team Leicester? Sidwell=Isset Reo-Coker=Robbie Savage Guppy=Young or Milner? Regards, Ciaran.

Hi John. I must congratulate you on a very realistic report of the Fulham match! Your disappointment is obvious and i think most other Villa fans would certainly feel the same way. I have been banging on for some time now about the lack of creativity in our midfield to break down teams like the much improved Fulham. I think the problem is when we play someone from the top seven, they are not afraid to attack us and consequently, leave space for us to exploit. However, when we play third tier teams in the Premiership, they are happy to play for a point and have ten players behind the ball, so we need that extra creativity to break them down! Unfortunately, we don't have that at the moment and i still think the signings of Reo-Coker and Sidwell have been poor. I though the signing of Petrov would help, but MON has him playing in front of the back four, where he can't create! I also though MON had the team set up wrongly, with just one forward. I mean, we were playing Fulham for God's sake! Yes i totally agree with you that we need at least one striker. I think we need two. Zaki from Wigan would be a great signing and little Arshavin would excite all of us. Arshavin would also create the through balls for Agbonlahor to run on to! Since we are obviously short of creativity, just wondered why MON sent little Routledge on loan to Cardiff, when he was showing signs of improvement? At least he would have been someone on the bench that MON could have turned to for the last fifteen minutes of the match, to at least run at Fulham! Lets hope MON makes the right signings in January? Ciaran.

Don't know about that one John. I thought Vinny was a great ball winner in his time. Remember his tackle on Gazza! Ciaran.

Yeah John. I was one of the people to whom you referred to about Petrov. However, Petrov could always pass, while Reo Coker has shown many times this season and last, that he simply can't! A very interesting opinion on Reo-Coker playing for England. I remember hearing a rumour a few years ago that Vinny Jones was close to an international call up. At least Vinny put the fear of God into the oposition. Reo may well play for England, but do you think he would be better in the holding midfield role for England, than say, Vinny, Gareth Barry, Carrick, Lampard, or Gerrard? Nevertheless, Reo-Coker might be looked at for a friendly, or if England had a lot of injuries, but i don't think Capello would have our Reo-Coker playing in his team due to being a great leader! Maybe a spoiler. Will be very interested to see if your comment about Reo comes true? O.K, now Fulham and i'm a little worried about this one. Fulham are no pushovers and pass the ball well. We are expected to win, so lets do it! Ciaran.

Hi John. I hope your wrong about us signing Doyle in January. He is doing well in the 1st division with Reading, but i don't think he has the quality to keep us in the top four!I think Zaki from Wigan would be a much better signing if Wigan can't afford his transfer fee. However, knowing MON, you may well be right, as he may indeed sign Doyle, or Heskey, both of which, wouldn't give me a lot of confidence that they would score enough goals to keep us in the top four! I think Elano would also be a good loan signing from Man City. He would add a little more flair if MON were to play him behind Agbonlahor, if Carew had one of his injuries. Also glad to see the above comment about Reo-Coker. According to the press, MON paid 8 million for him. I still can't see why. Would really like to see his stats for misplaced passes. A really poor MON signing and although i really didn't approve of the Sidwell signing either, at least Sidwell can pass the ball four yards and we look far stronger with Sidwell in midfield, than can't pass Coker! Ciaran.

Hi John. Again, a great report! Disagree with your comment about Liverpool, as they were missing their two best players when they played us and if we had been more pro-active in that game, we could and should have beaten them! However, it's really great that our team is now in the top four and on our present form, we deserve to be there. I just hope MON buys the two strikers we need to give Carew and Agbonlarhor a well earned rest, cover in the fullback positions and a out and out creative midfielder! If he does this, then we could very well stay in the top five, so signing more quality is essential! Ciaran.

Great report and congrats to all the Villa players! Now, can we please end the Man U hoodo. I'm sick and tired of hiding from my 22 strong family, who are all Man U supporters! Up the Villa! Ciaran.

Hi John. A more than fair report on the Boro match. I however am going to be less diplomatic about the Boro and indeed Newcastle game. I have been frustrated watching our Villa team win and lose during the season. Although we have beaten the mighty, but now very average Ajax and and a very good, but unlucky Slavia Prague in Europe, our performances in the Premiership have been troubling me. I have watched the majority of our Premiership games and have waited on our team playing the kind of flowing football that would make 'Big Ron's' tan light up Villa Park! What i have seen is Martin O'Neill's Leicester playing in Villa's colours. Against Newcastle and Boro, we were full of spirit and endeavour, but without the one thing that all of the top four have, class! We struggle to keep hold of the ball and our midfield reminds me of Leicester's Robbie Savage and Muzzy Izzet, tenacious, but not having the class to trouble the top four. GB is probably an exception to this, but even he was totally outclassed against Chelsea's Lampard. Reo-Coker has been a really poor signing and the signing of Sidwell hasn't been much better. We also lack guile up front, with Agbonlahor unable to hold the ball up and we are too reliant on Carew, who is injury prone! I also want to know why MON bought Young and Shorey as our new fullbacks, and then doesn't seem to have the confidence to play both players together, now preferring to play one of our new centre backs (Cuellar) at right back. I thought i'd seen the last of that from MON. We now go to Arsenal on Sat Nov 15 and host Man U on Sat Nov29, which will tell us where we are after spending 50million in the summer. I certainly hope our last two Premiership defeats were just a nervous stumble, rather than a sign of things to come? Come on Villa, show us that against Arsenal and Man U that we are not the new Leicester, but Martin O'Neill's new Villa, full of, not only spirit and endeavour, but the one thing that has been missing this season, class! Ciaran Doherty.

Great result for the Villa and with a little luck, we should now qualify from the group. However, i'm still a little concerned about our lack of strikers, which may catch up with us before the next transfer window in January! I do hope though that talk of us buying Doyle from Reading is a long way off the mark? To push for a top six place again in the premiership, we need quality up front and Doyle, although doing well at Reading, is not of the same quality, as say Cruz at Blackburn, or a little Russian called Arshavin! I'm also more than a little concerned that Heskey from Wigan has been mentioned. He simply doesn't score enough goals and it worries me greatly, that MON likes him. Why? Lets hope that all this is just paper talk and Gabby recovers quickly from his knee injury. I also hope that Carew's illness will stop him from going to any more Strip Clubs the night before an important match? Ciaran

Hi John. As usual a very nice report on the match. LV: Thanks for the input Ciaran,please see your PM I just sent, am happy do discuss but this is not the place for such discussion Also like to say that i have been very impressed with our start to campaigns on all fronts, apart from the loss to QPR! We still need to buy quality for cover in the full back and striker departments and please MON, a little russian called Arshavin would be a great late Christmas present in January! Ciaran Doherty.

Yeah, i know who you mean and yes he would be a fantastic signing, eh, i mean, Huntelaar and not Steve Stride's son. However, would MON buy foriegn? I believe Heskey may well be on his way to us in January, which MON would feel more comfortable with. A striker that certainly gives all to the team, but doesn't score a lot! I think Arshavin would have come to us if the money was there. First of all Arshavin heard that Barca was interested and he told everyone that it was his dream move, then the same thing with Spurs! I think if Randy and Woody Allen, eh, i mean MON, had spoken to Arshavin at the European Championships, when he was for sale and before he played in the final game of the group stages, then we would have gotten a great player for £11m which was his price at that time! Is it just me, or do we really have Woody Allen as our current manager. I mean there is more than a likeness to Woody! Ciaran Doherty.

Totally agree with several of the above comments. I keep banging on about this, but when Spurs failed to sign Arshavin, why did MON not go and sign him? He most certainly would have added the creativity we needed! MON was told that he could have spent 30m on one player. Arshavin would have cost 10m less to buy, but then again, Arshavin is foriegn and MON likes to buy british. I think this is a rather narrow minded attitude. If your good enough, it doesn't matter what nationallity you are! I also agree that we need a 'fox in the box' and a decent replacement for Carew when he picks up one of his monthly injuries! I would just love to see us pick up an unknown gem which Wigan have done with Zaki. Maybe our scouting system needs to be looked at! Do we have a scouting system abroad? I just hope our key players stay free of injury untill January, when MON must sign full back cover, a creative midfielder (please MON, Arshavin) and certainly two forwards who are better than Harewood, which shouldn't be hard to find! Anyway, well done to the lads for the great start and lets hope MON signs the players we need in January to give our boys a well needed rest! Ciaran Doherty.