philgetaway

My two objectives for the summer would be: To make sure we can deal with Vlarr missing matches. In my opinion this involves buying another CB. We can break lower-league teams down at home. If we deal with these we're an upper mid table side. Away from home we already have the set-up (with Vlarr in the team). And if we could just win our fair share of home matches we would be safe. By keeping clean sheets we have already proved we can score goals, and on Sundays for we have a midfield three who can work against top opposition. We do need an attacking MF though

For me we still need a CB for sure. Its clear that when Vlarr is out we struggle big time. I hope Okore comes good but realistically he is an uproven premier league player with potential coming back from a long injury. I would sell Clarke as I dont think he is good enough to be a prem CB. Baker has won be over the past few games, he is strong in the air, with experience he will cut out lunging in to tackle, and hopefully with a decent full back next to him, the onus wont be down to him to distribute the ball. I would sign: Caulker from Cardiff once they get relegated. Naughton fromn Tottenham Bertrand from Chelsea Defence would then be sorted: Guzan / Steer Naughton Vlarr Caulker Bertrand Lowton Okore Baker Bennett/Luna THis would then free up Bacuna to challenge for a right wing spot.

I work for Sony and cant see it to be honest. We sponsor the Champs League. The French territory did sponsor Lyon though a few years back. It would be cool if it happened.

Game will be played Wednesday May 7th - Live on Sky. That means our last two games of the season are City and Spurs away!! We will obviously be safe by then though (gulp)

Finally a decent topic, and some well thought out responses. I agree with a lot of whats been said above, especially from StefanAVFC and KHV. However what is the role of the fans? I just dont think us Villa fans will ever allow a change of style to the first team. The patience just isnt there. Ive been supporting since the 90s and ive seen quality midfield players such as Ray Houghton, Mark Draper, Petrov (guys around me at VP called him 'the crab') and now even Westwood all getting stick for passing it side 'sideways' (i.e keeping the ball). I saw it on a match thread or somewhere one VT poster was saying at Sundays match it was a viscious circle of the crowd shouting 'get it forward, get it forward', before the same crowd moaning 'its hoof ball' when the players panicked and moved the ball forward. Looking at other clubs who have changed their style over the years have their fans actually been patient? Or has this involved a tough transition? Arsenal are the club that has changed so much since the 90s - Offside calls, 1 nil to the Arsenal and all that; I cant believe that there fans are different to ours and have been patient. I suppose it helps when you are winning. My point is that it is hard for a manager to change a style for sure, as at Villa you are expected to get results. Plus Villas traditional style has always been fast wingers, big guy up front, moving the ball from back to front very quickly - and modern football has now changed. Or has it? Pellegrini seems to be going back to this with City (again it helps having Aguero)

Throw ins are the least of our concerns at the moment. It's one of the basics of football. If you can't get the basics right you have no chance in the game. Man U scored from one of our throw ins. I agree it's a minor detail. But throwing the ball to a players feet or quickly to a player in space is the least I expect..... Along with a list of other basics such as passing to someone in the same shirt.

Along with many things wrong.... But what's going on with our throw ins?? They are so bad... We just give them the ball back. It's Sunday league football.... Throw. Flick. Hope....

Its not too bad, one change, but the tube after game is crowded. When you leave the ground you will be guided to Fulham Broadway tube (District Line). Stay on there to Victoria and change for Victoria line to Euston. Sometimes if Fulham Broadway is too packed you can walk to Earls Court. I've always left 5 mins early and its fine. The score of the match in recent times hasnt caused an issue in doing this. I'm going to the game.

Im happy with our fixtures .... could be worse: (all to be played in August) Barnsley V Wigan Bournemouth V Wigan Wigan V Doncaster Wigan V Middlesbrough Wigan V Nottm Forest Leicester V Wigan Sheff Wed V Wigan Wigan V Ipswich Watford V Wigan

We would have all snapped the hand off of anyone who offered us the current scenario this calendar year. Arsenal have 9 days rest and have to win. Wigan have a cup final in a few hours before Tuesdays game with no defenders. It will be fine. Also it is unlikely that all of Norwich, Newcastle and Sunderland will win tomorrow. And maybe .... just maybe....on our current form we will get a result at Wigan who have won 1 in their last 6.

As mentioned above take it game by game. We are 3 ahead of Wigan now, on the same games, on a very similar goal difference. Lets just not get hammered by Utd. Below are the games in schedule order. Presuming us and Wigan lose our next game, if we beat Sunderland we then go 6 ahead of Wigan as they enter a schedule of 4 fixtures in 15 games. Their squad just isnt that big and 6 points is a massive gap. Utd V Villa Wigan V Spurs Villa V Sunderland NC V Villa / WBA V Wigan Wigan V Swansea (4 days before cup Final) Villa V CFC (Wigan in Cup Final) Arsenal V Wigan (3 days after cup final) Wigan V Villa Personally I see us getting a a draw v Sunderland, a win at Norwich and a draw home to Chelsea (last home game of the season, Chelsea have Spurs and Utd leading to this game).

If we beat Sunderland we will be okay. From their perspective they have to beat us so it will be an open game for sure, 1 point wont be enough for sunderland. Hope Chelsea win today as our game with them will have to be rearranged and shoe-horned in somewhere. They still have to find a date for their spurs home game, they have 2 europa league games as well - could work in our favour. Or maybe i'm just hoping!

This years kit is a joke - both home an away. The fact that we are the only club to have their shirt widely discounted to just £10 in March shows what a success they have been. There will be plenty of those greens things around for a long time - they're dropping to £4 by late May for sure. But as was mentioned before, its good being the big fish in Macrons small pond or whatever the bullshit quote was. Expect next seasons to be very similar to West Hams. Maybe with a yellow dash on it, and very shiny. The NTL one was a lot worse though!

its our own fault where we are but its just slightly annoying that Southampton beat City .... then City turn up and beat us Southampton beat Liverpool...... then Liverpool beat us. Southampton beat Chelsea ..... I bet they turn up against us .... As I said its our fault .... but this annoys me

ALL of our games seem to involve at least 4 mins as the standard now. First half yesterday, we had two goals, one sub, a big injury, stopping the game twice - 3 mins added. Second half we had 3 goals 4 subs and 5/6 mins added. There wasn't any clear time wasting, the game was end to end. I don't even think there was an offside call in the match! Overall we had 9 mins added! Recent games I have watched on TV: Everton V City - There was a sending off, 2 goals scored, 5 subs, Everton trying to run the clock down - 3 mins added on. Bayern V Arsenal - I think the ref booked every player on that pitch, plus Bayern wasting time - 3 mins added Man U V Real Madrid - A sending off, huge time delay with Nani on the ground plus arguments etc. 2 or 3 goals? Lots of subs - 4 mins added. Also agree that his 'advantages' were a joke yesterday, as well as the yellow card distribution.

I've read some rubbish about Bennett in this thread but this one tops the lot. We spent 65% of the game in our half, there were no outlets for the back four meaning they all gave it away at some time in the game. Yep, but, as always, Villa fans get it in their head whether or not a player is good and then cannot help but view him through those glasses from then on. Bennett had a good game yesterday against a good to very good winger. That is the long and short of it. There were outlets for the back four at times, I described two opportunities in my post, as viewed in person by myself, sitting on the half way line at the game. We saw a lot of the ball in the first half, his distribution was poor. Im not the sort of supporter who just 'hates' someone for the sake of it. I described what I saw at the game. I agreed it was probably his best game for us defensively (with Gabby doubling up on Walcott as Jenkinson was not too interested in the overlap), but when he had the opportunity to distribute he was poor - which according to my boro supporting mate is his key strength. Again as I mentioned I hope this is due to having no confidence. UTV

Disappointing game from Benteke yesterday, just didn't get going, which I am surprised at as all the talk of him and Arsenal, I expected a big game. To be fair though, Wenger did play Diaby for the first time in ages for the sole reason to track him on all our attacks. Diaby and Arteta doubled up on him throughout the game. This worked in our favour though as Diaby on the ball was shite and gave us the ball back a lot on the first hour, and killed a lot of momentum from a lot of Arsenal attacks. It was no coincidence that when Diaby went off and Corzola moved back into the middle with Wilshere they started peppering the goal. Benteke still played shit though.

Those saying we were 'chasing' the game at the Emirates with 5 minutes to go clearly didn't see the game. Arsenal were on the front foot getting corner after corner. We just had no one to hold onto the ball. Delph was guilty of just pumping it forward to no one (even though I thought he had another good game). Gabby was working hard but Benteke just didn't turn up and should have been subbed. I was also bemused at the Westwood sub, he keeps us the ball. We should have bought KEA on for Benteke to see the game out, put gabby up top for counter attacks and to work the channels, I remember the days when Young and Carew could kill the last 5 minutes of games by taking the ball into the corners. We just dont have that anymore. From 80 mins onwards we just hoofed the ball back to Arsenal and waited for the next onslaught. Its the same old story, inexperienced players shitting themselves towards the end of games. An experienced striker or mdfielder would have won us to free kicks and helped kill the game/time.

I suppose this was his 'best' game for us but was still very poor. First half he was much deeper than the rest of the back 4 (fair play he was giving himself a yard against Walcott), but due to this Corzola and Wilshere were able to get in behind Lowton as Bennett was playing them onside. His distribution was awful. Twice in the first half Gabby laid it off to him, spun away from Jenkinson and just needed Bennett to ping the ball into the open space, and twice he sliced it out for a throw. He just lacks any sort of confidence on the ball, he passed it two or three times back to Clarke/Baker when they clearly didn't want the ball, I think the only notable thing he did was a dribble into the centre of the park where he bought a free kick with some very good quick feet. I also think Gabby deserves a lot of praise yesterday for a disciplined performance against Walcott. He helped Bennett a lot. Basically Bennett just needs to man up, get some confidence and start having a go when he gets the ball. If he starts believing he's good enough than he might come good, I can understand why he lacks confidence though after some of the performances he's put in.

Where is everyone drinking before this game? The Denmark Arms??

If anyone has a spare ticket pleae PM. Live in London so can meet you at ground Cheers

Im a big Villa fan living in London. I think its awful that I haven't actually seen any of these kits 'in the flesh' - and its not through the lack of trying. Ive been to all sport shops on Ox Street - our home kit was launched a month ago. Im glad we have sold 2k plus away shirts on the opening day, and to be fair I quite like the tops Macron have put out, but driving all sales through either driving to Brum or via avfc.co.uk is ridiculous and lacks scope.

Still waiting to actually see the new kit in the flesh as having checked all stores on Oxford Street London and no one has it in. Ive been there most lunch breaks since launch. Why bother trying to get more sales globally when you have guaranteed 30k in Birmingham, thats surely enough? Its fine though, Macron spent AGES designing our top (they even released a 20 minute video to prove it!).

Jack Grealish ..."Best manager i've played under" lol Surely its his only manager, along with McDonut

Chelsea. Excluding Chelsea ... just trying to be realistic,... Lambert/artinez/Rodgers arent gonna be the new Chelsea managers.... Liverpool is the best they could hope for .... and I doubt they'll get that However the current scenario will prove this to them if they were thinking if/maybe. Martinez and Lamberts stock will not be any higher than now at their current clubs