markavfc40

Unbelievable. For effort alone Sunderland deserved a point especially when you see how many injuries they had. They didn't deserve all three though.

How Man City didn't score then is anyones guess. Can still them grabbing a late goal.

Thats a decent comparison actually. Pretty sure Southgate came to us known as a centre midfielder but Little played him at centre back in a back 3. I think eventually Clark will find himself as a settled centre back but the experience of playing in a number of positions won't do him any harm. Similar to Phil Jones at Man Utd who has played centre back, centre mid and full back.

Sunderland should have scored there. Still fancy Man City to win this.

There's absolutely no difference at all. :? Maybe you had to be at Anfield and the City of Manchester Stadium. I will also acknowledge that the disgusting, disgraceful, disrespectful behaviour of our then manager at full time after the gutless tripe his team served up also will make that night at Anfield live long in the memory as one of the worst experiences as a Villa fan. Thankfully that's an experience I hadn't had in my previous 30 years as a fan and I'm hopeful I won't have to have again.

No ones denying that Spurs away and Man Utd at home this season we set out with a defeatist attitude and got exactly what we deserved - **** all. It wasn't however patch on the gutless tripe we served up at Man City and Liverpool last season. It doesn't really matter in all fairness though does it. The way I see things is that its been very much a period of doom and gloom so its natural to cling on to any positives and there are a few - The last 3 performances, Petrov having an excellent season, Gabby, Warnock and Dunne having a return to form, Clark, Herd, Albrighton and Bannan all looking like they will be valuable assets, Given proving to be the excellent signing we all felt he would be and Irelands last couple of performances.

In all fairness given how shit we were last season and the gutless tripe we were serving up then using that as a benchmark is obviously setting the bar low. All it shows is that McLeish is currently doing better with a worse squad. Lets all hope, at the very least, that continues. If it does then a comfortable top half finish will be secured.

His contract runs until 2014 I think.

3 points up. 6 places better off. Conceded 10 less goals, scored two more. Could you explain how the league is significantly weaker? Blackpool, Sha and West Ham went down. Norwich, QPR and Swansea came up. There is no significant difference either way in those sides. What is significantly weaker is our squad having lost Downing, Ash and to a lesser extent Reo Coker and either not replaced them or not replaced them with anything like the same quality.

One result and three very good performances on the bounce. It doesn't mean a corner has been turned or that everything will now be rosy but its a start. Hopefully we can continue with the upturn in form and pick up more positive results. I'm sure most of us will be happy then apart from the small minority that will simply never accept him of course.

We were 15th. Two games later we were in the bottom 3. Its hardly high praise given how poor we were last season and the gutless tripe we were serving up but McLeish is doing better at the moment with a worse squad. Lets hope it continues. Its interesting to note that this time last season we'd conceded 34 goals. This season we have conceded 10 less. We have also scored 2 more.

If Liverpool come in for him he will want out just as quick as Downing did. I don't see Liverpool coming in for him though and I certainly don't see them being prepared to pay 24 mill. Having said that they did pay 35 mill for Carroll so anything is possible I guess. At the end of the day if he did want out after such a short time here then, very much like Downing, **** him. Thankfully I can't see anyone coming in for him prepared to pay what we'd likely be after.

Good post and sums him up. Your right he doesn't have an 'attitude'. In over 10 years as a professional under numerous managers for both club and country he has never been any trouble. Quite the opposite. A vicious unfounded rumour started last season which was bullshit. Kev MacDonald said his attitude when playing for the reserves at the back end of last season was first class and he set a great example to the younger lads. This season he is back to the form he showed at Blackburn for a number of seasons and the form he showed here during his first 6 months. Form that got him a place in the England World Cup 2010 squad. I'd imagine if Cole or Baines get injured he will again be a strong contender for an England squad place. Fair play to the lad. He has a cracking attitude.

Yes he was excellent again today and put in a great shift. Shame he didn't take the chance he had but he played his part in a very good win. He is up there with Petrov in terms of our best/most consistent player this season.

No surprise really. He is comfortably the most technically gifted player we have and have had for some time. Problem is getting him to perform on match day week in week out. Today and against Arsenal he was excellent. If McLeish can continue to get these kind of performances out of him we will have some player and one we will struggle to keep hold of. Unfortunately getting Ireland to perform to a high level consistently is something many managers have struggled to do.

He doesn't have a one year option. He signed a 4 year contract in 2009 and that contract still has 18 months left to run. He continues to perform as he has this season and I wouldn't be surprised if he stayed for another year on top of the 18 months remaining on his contract. One things for sure he will be hard to replace as a player and a leader.

I'd imagine Albrighton will be rested and it will be a 4-3-3 will Gabby and Zog supporting Bent. Gabby certainly won't be dropped. He has been easily our best forward this season and he worked his socks off today and was a constant menace to the Chelsea defence.

After 19 games last season we'd conceded 34 goals. This season its down to 24. Now thats not great but it shows that McLeish may slowly be getting it right. 7 goals conceded in last 6 games against Man Utd, Bolton, Liverpool, Arsenal, Stoke and Chelsea is way better than many expected.

He was very good again today. Great for him to playing alongside such a calming influence in Petrov and you'd like to think Stans never say die attitude will rub off on him and the other young lads in the team/squad.

Been really impressed with Warnock this season and he was excellent again today. Fair play to the lad after the way he was mistreated last season. He has never let his head drop though and was apparently a great role model for the young lads when banished to play with the reserves the second half of last season. Kev MacDonald can't speak highly enough of him and his professional attitude.

Been under used big time in the last 18 months. He was a big reason we had such an excellent defensive record in 2009/2010. Hopefully his return to the team hasn't come to late and his mind isn't already made up to leave. I'd imagine there will be a few clubs sniffing around him in January. One most definitely. The way things are I'd imagine a bid of around 1 mill will sadly see him depart in the next few weeks.

Biggest pat on the back I can give Guzan is to say we haven't missed Shay Given. Fair play to him.

What can you say about the guy. Continues to have an excellent season. Great composed finish for his goal. Should have had a pen as well seconds earlier. He has led by example this season and its clear all the other lads look up to him. Shame that age will inevitably catch up with him. Hopefully he has another couple of years at this level in him as he will be very difficult to replace.

He was class today. Hopefully this is the start of something. Fair play to McLeish for picking him today and Ireland certainly repaid him.

Fair play to him. Much improved over the last 3 games. 23 points halfway through the season is far from great but its 3 points up on this stage last season when we had Ash and Downing. Shows how shit we were last season I guess. We have Swansea, Everton, Wolves and QPR as our next 4 games. Three of them at home. Hopefully we can continue to play as we have in recent games and get ourselves up in to the top 7/8.