barry'sboots

Toyota would be a fantastic choice for a sponsor. Surely, there'd be no stopping us with them involved!

I really hope your first team is selected. Carew of the bench with a switch to 4-4-2 late on if needed. Like you I expect MON to go with the 4-4-2 and Frank Lampard to have a field day!

3 quick points in response to yours. I said that NRC should have got a longer run in the side after the last Bolton game. I know he is injured and cannot play at the minute so am confused as to what point you think you are making? In response to your second point, I didn't see that much style in Bolton today? And to your third point, JT might not be a master on football tactics and may be a complete tosser but, IMO, he was spot on with his assessment of Villa. Your response didn't really address my main point ... that Stan tires and becomes less effective after 60 minutes. Do you think this is incorrect?

Would love to see this. This, IMO, is the only way we can play against Chelski when they play 4-3-3. Unfortunately, can't see MON doing it as he will want to accommodate Heskey or Carew!

He played well today against a very mundane Bolton team, but one swallow doesn't make the summer. He's be consistently solid for two years now, so I'm pretty sure it's not one swallow. Remember he was palyers player and fans player of the year last year. He is still a scapegoat for many on here, but he is very consistent, very experienced and a good captain. This is against the same Bolton side that we murdered at VP with NRC playing the DCM role where we played and were on top for the full 90 minutes. When that game was used to support NRC getting a longer run in that position many posted that it was only against a poor Bolton. We scrape a 1-0 today against the same supposedly poor Bolton (who are in a similar league position now to when we played them at VP) with a squeaky bum ending and Petrov deserves the credit. I just don't get it! For me, he is at the heart of why we drop deeper in the last 30 minutes and JT's observations. I am not saying he shouldn't play but, IMO, he either needs supplementing with a third CM'er or subbing for the last 30.

Mate what is your problem? 3 points and well deserved. Not a classic game but we were clearly better side and restricted them to half chances. I haven't got a problem mate, I know my football and I know that second half was poor. We were great in the first half but Bolton pretty much dominated play after that. We need to learn how to keep the ball if we ever hope to finish higher than 5th. If you knew your football you'd know that away from home 1-0 up is a fragile position and you expect pressure in the second half from a home team. You may have noticed certain Barcelona - who know a bit about keeping the ball - succumb to this effect last week I know some people view results as the be all and end all, and that's fair enough, but I look at performances to decide if we are improving as a side. I was so excited in the first half as it looked like O'Neill had actually drummed it in to the players to pass and move in triangles. Then, second half, we completely reverted back to sloppy long balls down the channels. Don't forget, goal difference could count for a lot come the end of the season. Result = Decent. Performance (2nd half) = Bad. That's really harsh mate. We've just beaten Bolton 1-0 away from home, surely that deserves comparison to Barca at Arsenal ...... NOT!!!! I agree with you Spacemanscott. We held on but never looked comfortable. MON just doesn't know how to close games out and just has to bring on the big lump that is Heskey to run the midfield show .... again NOT!

Petrov had a good first half, didn't see much of him second half! Ash and Gabby played well IMO with Collins and Dunne.

Why not bring Milner on instead of pushing Gab out right. Gives us much more energy in CM than pushing DJ or Ash inside?

Heskey. FFS. Chronic lack of imagination from MON again!!

Why can't MON see we are getting pushed back and tiring? Time to freshen things up?? I'd either replace Stan with Jimmy or go 4-5-1 now and make Bolton really work to get hold of the ball.

Delph controlling the middle, Stan distributing well. Would like to see MON switch Stan for Jimmy after 60 - as Stan will tire and Jimmy's energy for 30 minutes could be really interesting + keeps them both relatively fresh for next Saturday - unless he wants to go to 4-5-1?

Definitely back in for fourth if we can get a win and Spuds lose. That Citeh away game looks bigger and bigger.

Petrov and Delph in CM. Fantastic. Did MON not watch the Wigan game. Would have liked to have seen sidwell (or better Milner if fit) in there as well and Gabby up front on his own. We need to get hold of the ball!

I wouldn't mind seeing that line up. Might even go one further and rest Warnock with Luke over to LB and Beye in at RB. I think that side could be quite exciting. Obviously, if fit, I would bring Milner in for Sidwell and Gabby for Nathan but equally may just put the two on the bench if need a rest!

On the same theme, but slightly more ambitious, what about Harry Ramsdens now its got a Brummy owner.

Right then.... Arron Hughes-At Fulham not better than Luke Young or Cuellar at RB Craig Gardner-shame he didn't get more of a chance really Kevin Phillips-aged 138..good goalscorer but way past his best Gary Cahill-IMO should never have gone..especially after his goal against the scum :winkold: Steven Davis-playing SCOTTISH football JLloyd Samuel-at Bolton..not better than Shorey/Bouma or Warnock Gavin McCann-Bolton and struggles to play Thomas Sorensen-We have Friedel and Guzan..maybe could have stayed but fell out with MON Zat Knight-We have Davies/Cuellar/Dunne/Clark/Collins Villa fan but too prone to a mistake Liam Ridgewell-seems to be doin quite well at LB for the scum Shaun Maloney-Again, shame he didn't get more of a chance The point is not should they have gone but their improvements have cost c £100 mill ..... just saying do you think we got value for money on the improvements.... the answer maybe yes... just asking. Hughes is playing CB for Fulham and doing a very good job. Not that we need another CB as we are well blessed in this department. Ditto Cahill. I always liked Steve Davis and would, personally, rather see him in our side than Sidwell. I do think though that you would have to play 4-5-1 with Davis in the side due to his lack of physicallity. He could certainly be a good squad player in our current set up. I think you have to question the sale of Gardner in January without a replacement. Whilst I think he had not progressed as we would have all wanted I also think this was potentially down to the way that MON used him and never gave him a chance. An injury to NRC has left us very exposed IMO with no real back up/cover for Stan, a player who struggles (in matches against top sides when we are 4-4-2) to play past 60 minutes. I also think Maloney should have been utilised more as an impact sub and could still be doing a good job in this role? I would rather see him on the payroll than Salifou??

I know we are all a bit shell shocked after a 7-1 mauling, but it may be just what we needed in the long term. I think such a result will have hurt MON personally and may just be what is required to get him to see the deficiencies in his squad and his inability to rest people. The JT comments on top may also get MON to react - even if he can't see it himself the raising of the tiredness after 60 minutes by an opponent must provoke him to look harder/discuss this with his management team. We might see some more progressive selections and MON using his bench a bit more. I don't know whether he can change things for this season but certainly could be a big help with an impending transfer window and a new season?

If we're getting personal, I find your posts a bit shallow. I don't recall you ever posting anything constructive in a debate - just criticising what others say when they are trying to express their opinions. The football was not always the best under Taylor and O'Leary and this could be, at times, frustrating but I felt that they were trying to do something just didn't have the right players/resources and, in DOL's case, like many of us, I didn't like his personality. I have said several times that I think MON has done a fantastic job building a good squad on a relatively small budget BUT that I think he just doesn't use it properly and make changes when required. I don't mind our style of play in a lot of games. What I do not like is that, if we aren't playing well or are starting to become second best in a game MON cannot seem to change things.

Rather arrogant to state that we are wrong and you are right. I can accept you have a different opinion but I didn't know you were the arbiter of right and wrong? I'll share my logic for my opinions with you. - As for Carlos at RB, I believe even he has said words to the effect that he is not a RB but I could be wrong. If he hasn't he should have as I think most Villa fans, obviously excluding you, MON and a few others would recognise this. Be interested to see the figures, information, whatever, that you talk of. I wouldn't have said that Luke Young was bad at tracking back or defending but you are welcome to your view. I accept your RW point, although I don't think DJ is as good out there as he doesn't have the two footed capability of Ash and Jimmy and I prefer Ash on the left. - Thought Nathan looked better than Heskey has for the last few games. If MON doesn't have the options up front when one striker gets injured then surely by now its his fault. Heskey was his signing as was Harewood. We'll come on to 4-5-1/4-3-3 because I think you are off the mark there. - As for his faith in his squad, it is, by now, his squad. How come Davie Moyes can get Landon Donovan in over a busy period to provide cover/rotate but we couldn't? How come Redknob can pick up Gudjohnson for a £1m or so to give him short term options? There must be things we could do? And I am not asking for wholesale rotation just, for example, DJ to the bench Albrighton start against Wolves, knowing that DJ can come on for the last 30 minutes. NRC, when fit, could replace Stan for the last 30 minutes when Stan is so tired he is next too useless. - Subs I'll refer back to the above. - 451: we've all seen how limited it is when Barca, Arsenal, Man U, Chelski, Plop and Everton have used it!!! Just look at our results over the last two years when we have used it. Please give me some evidence/support as to why this does not work!? - Cuellar is the obvious player out of position and we have done that above. I also believe that Heskey is being played out of position. When he has done well for England he has been the battering ram - the player that shifts the opposition CBs around and lays the ball of for the second striker oncoming attacking midfielders. When he plays for MON he is almost a third CM'er/a link striker. I don't think he could have played that role when he was 21 let alone his current age where he just doesn't have the energy to get forward and join the other striker. I would much rather see Delph play this role as he did so effectively in the first half hour against Man U at VP. I feel sorry for Carlos and Emile because I think MON's misuse of them could cost them both a World Cup opportunity. - Plan A etc.: Birmingham City away. Worked well me thinks??? Not many teams been there and got a win. Maloney, at a cost of £1m, used to give us an option. Harewood used to give us an option to change things/rev things up a bit. - MON's interviews: I'm not asking him to say he got it wrong, but he could occasionally say that we didn't play that well. He could stop slating the crowd for booing the team when he knows that they are booing him for not making subs. He could stop saying that we are tired when he hasn't used his subs/rested anybody. - As for the Delfouneso cheering, I think you are probably right. He did not react to the chanting/change the sub. But, back to the sub point, how he let Heskey stay on for the whole 90 minutes and, even worse, start the next game, is beyond me.

You are so right. I thought I'd posted this myself under a pseudonym!

I have bought two season tickets for the last 15 years or so (converting my wife to a Villa fan in the process) and hate to miss a home game. I typically go away two or three games a year but have been to 6 this year - wife would divorce me if I went to more. I spend much of my waking day thinking about the Villa and posting on this site. And I will renew my ST's next year. So please don't come on here telling me my support for Villa is lukewarm. It is down to my passion for the club that I don't want to go to Wembley for the semi - because I just don't see it as a day out. It upsets me when we lose BUT it really upsets me when we lose and we haven't tried to do anything to stop that loss. I drove back from the CC Final in a really frustrated state thinking that we had been the better side in the first half but that they had taken control in the second and MON had done jack shit to try and counter this. He left an invisible Heskey and a knackered Petrov on for the whole game and only substituted Cuellar for Carew with 10 minutes left, losing shape as usual with this sub. I don't want to experience that again - at least not yet.

I didn't say that I wasn't going because I thought we'd lose. I went to the CC Final knowing that it was going to be a very tough game and probably anticipating a loss. I went to the FA Cup Final against Chelski years ago knowing that we were big underdogs. I said I'm not going because I am frustrated with MON's selection and tactics and I don't think we are giving ourselves a chance to compete as a consequence. I don't fancy a four hour journey back thinking "if only ......." again. I don't mind losing if we give it a go, or else I probably wouldn't have been a ST holder for nearly 20 years!

I have surprised myself, and my wife, but I have decided not to exercise my right, as a ST holder, to tickets for this match - passed it to my mate who is taking his lad before I get loads of pms. Economics are a consideration, but not a major one. I just couldn't bear the thought of a long journey to Wembley to see us play Chelski, maybe start brightly but do little to counteract Chelski when they start to get on top, as the top teams invariably do against us. If we do happen to beat them, which I am sure we can, it will probably be a backs to the wall victory with us hanging on at the end as it was against them at our place or against ManU up at OT and I will probably be just as overjoyed watching this on TV as I will be if I had gone to Wembley. The recent performances against Man U (home and CC final), Stoke & Wolves have just left me frustrated. Not because we lost or drew BUT because I don't think we went for it and gave ourselves the best chance of getting a result. Could argue that this should be in the match thread I suppose but I saw it as more of a bellweather as how excited people were to be following the Villa into a big game?

Why do people keep saying that? When did he turn into Wayne Rooney? God knows mate it is becoming a joke now. He doesn't need to turn into Wayne Rooney, he just needs to be better than Emile!!

I used to enjoy MON's post match interviews but I am getting a bit tired with the same old rhetoric. Nearly as predictable as O'Dreary's old drivel.