"Villa Park is an Exciting Place to be Again"

(www.gettyimages.com)

Over the years, Villa Park has become a stadium filled with frustrated, agitated fans, yet since Sherwood's arrival it's not just the team that has been rejuvenated. The fans have been too. In recent games, the atmosphere has returned and fans are enjoying having their Villa back once again.

As part of my fan interviews reviewing the 2014-15 season my second Q&A is with Daniel England, who you can find on Twitter @Dengland80.

1) What did you make of the sacking of Paul Lambert?
I was delighted. It should have happened after the Bradford City debacle. It really couldn't have got any worse.

2) Initially, what were your thoughts on Tim Sherwood's appointment?
Apprehensive. The mixed views from Spurs fans made it difficult to judge but I was hopeful we'd see some attacking football.

3) Has your opinion changed since?
I've been delighted with the impact. The improvement has been exponential, Villa Park is an exciting place to be again. He is more tactically aware than I thought he would be.

4) What do you think he's done to change things around?
The freedom given to the midfield is the most obvious, our midfielders are getting into the box and scoring. Benteke obviously, and the style of football has been great; one dimensional to a team that can change style in the blink of an eye.


Grealish, Delph and Benteke are a trio worth building the
team around.
(Kieran McManus)

5) Who has been your player of the season?
Delph has built on last year and been fantastic. Young player has to be Jack (Grealish), a brilliant impact.

6) What has impressed you about them?
Delph's energy, ability to keep the ball, drive, passion, pace and creativity. Jack's enthusiasm, ability to draw a foul, vision and attitude. Both clearly love the club and give their all. Too many over the years couldn't have cared a bit.

7) What are your thoughts on this season as a whole?
Disappointing. I spent a lot of time arguing Aston Villa were no where near as bad as our league position. It is really frustrating to see what could have been if we had a decent manager all season. Underachieved doesn't come close.

8) What are your hopes for next season?
Hold on to Benteke. If that happens there should be no reason why we can't challenge for a top 6 finish. On paper we should be as good as Southampton, Swansea or Liverpool.

9) If you could sign one player, let one player leave and extend one player's contract; who would they be?
Cleverley to sign, Weimann to go and extend Benteke.

10) Have you got tickets for the FA Cup final and what is your prediction?
Yes today! (Tuesday). Our record against Arsenal says they should win but with Sherwood you never know.

Thank you to Daniel.

If you would like to answer the ten questions, please direct message me on Twitter @m0llyfaith or email me at molly.jennens@outlook.com

"Sherwood Brought us Back into the Light"

(www.independent.co.uk)

As the 2014-15 season draws to a close, Aston Villa face Southampton and Burnley before the FA Cup final on May 30th. After a turbulent time under Paul Lambert, there is now renewed hope under Tim Sherwood, with a feel good factor flowing through fans and players alike. Who would have thought this time last year that Lambert would no longer be at the club and Villa would be at Wembley for the second time in six weeks? With that in mind I've been asking Villa fans via Twitter to do a quick Q&A reviewing this season.

My first interview was with Lewis Raybould who you can find on Twitter; @LewisRaybould.

1) What did you make of the sacking of Paul Lambert?
100% agreed. I thought he should have gone earlier than he did. We were so negative as a team and I felt that was because of him. He had to go.

2) Initially, what were your thoughts on Tim Sherwood's appointment?
I didn't think he was the right person, I thought there may have potentially been better options but I wasn't so opposed to it at the time.

3) Has your opinion changed since?
Yes, I love him. I'm amazed by what he's done to the same team.

4) What do you think he's done to change things around?
He has a positive approach and he's managed to rally the players and all the fans together and get behind him and the team. It's paying off massively.

Ciaran Clark's demanding displays at the
heart of the defence has turned him for zero
to hero during this season's campaign.
(www.zimbio.com)

5) Who has been your player of the season?
It would be between Clark and Hutton, but because of the way Clark has improved this year, I would give it to him.

6) What about young player of the season?
I think it's hard to overlook Jack (Grealish) for that one. Under Sherwood he's been brilliant and proved to be a first team player.

7) What are your thoughts on this season as a whole?
The start was great. Then it spiralled into hell before Sherwood brought us back into the light. But under Sherwood my thoughts are that we look like a team that can go into any match with a shot of winning and that's awesome.

8) What are your hopes for next season?
If we can get top 10 next season and then build upon that then that would be great.

9) If you could sign one player, let one player leave and extend one player's contract; who would they be?

During Milner's time at Villa he scored
22 goals, with many fans wishing for a
return to Villa Park
(PA Wire)

I'd love to see Milner back, Weimann can go and I'd extend Benteke's contract even further!

10) Have you got tickets for the FA Cup final and what is your prediction?
Despite working there for three years I don't have the chance to buy one. I say 4-3 Villa, Delph (2), Benteke and Westwood.

Thanks to Lewis for his time.

If you would like answer the ten questions, please direct message me on Twitter @m0llyfaith or email me at molly.jennens@outlook.com

Rejuvenated

Rejuvenate (Verb) Past tense: rejuvenated

1. to make young again; restore to youthful vigour.

2. to restore to former state; make fresh or new again.

Despite a slow start to his managerial career at Aston Villa, losing to Stoke City and Newcastle United, Tim Sherwood has since rejuvenated a club that appeared to be dead and buried. Sat in the relegation zone, 18th with just twenty two points from twenty five games, Randy Lerner needed to act fast. Out went Paul Lambert, in came Tim Sherwood and the rest is history. Yes, it hasn't been all good, there has been some bad, but 'Aston Nilla' are now rightly Aston Villa.



As the definition says, Aston Villa have been made fresh and new again.

At the heart of that is of course Tim Sherwood. As many have said "the shackles have been taken off." The team are now playing with a freedom that excites the Villa Park faithful, with attendance numbers increasing by the game. This team has flair, pace and skill along with heart and energy. Compare that with the lifeless, boring players under Paul Lambert, it is remarkable what one man can do. I for one was one of those people saying what can another manager do with this group of players? It wasn't Lambert kicking a ball, or saving a goal so what could sacking the man improve? Well, I'm now sat here writing this eating a large slice of humble pie. Sherwood has come in and been a revelation. I'll also hold my hands up and say I wasn't Sherwood's biggest fan and I wasn't particularly excited by his arrival, yet he spoke incredibly well and has proved me wrong ever since. What a man.

Thumbs Up for Tim (www.squawka.com)

The "stats don't lie" either. Lambert had a win ratio this season of 20% winning just 5 out of 25 games. His team scored only 12 goals in that time. Whereas Sherwood, who has took charge of 11 games, has already clocked up the same number of wins with a ratio of 45.5% that is "second to none", scoring 18 goals in the process.

It has been quite an unbelievable turnaround and only the man himself knows how he has done it. But until he tells us his secret equation, we can continue to hypothesise.

Christian Benteke is back on the score sheet:

The first thing that Sherwood identified when he came to the club was the lack of goals the team, in particular Christian Benteke, were scoring. Despite being injured for the early part of the season he had only scored 3 goals in all competitions, a stat which didn't reflect the striker's capability. Often we saw Benteke strolling around the half way line angered by his lack of chances. Since Sherwood has been at the club he has scored 9 goals, triple what he had previously scored. But he hasn't just been scoring, he has been restored to his former state. He looks happy to be playing again and with his confidence sky high, for the player of the month for April it seems that everything he touches turns into goals.

"I'm not going to go over the top here, but there isn't a better midfield player in the country than Fabian Delph":

Delph and Westwood celebrate his goal at Wembley
(Andy Hooper)

We all knew Fabian Delph had it, but Sherwood has made him look even better. The Yorkshire man never shies away from a tackle, is full of energy and desire and can score a goal or two. As a midfielder he seems to have it all. Demanding and strong, he leaves nothing on the pitch and has become an integral part of the starting eleven. He has been handed the armband and is the first name on the team sheet. Loyal and committed, you won't find another player like him and he has still got a lot of years left in him. Delph didn't need to be rejuvenated but he has added an extra dimension to his game, having arguably his best game in a Villa shirt at Wembley in the semi final against Liverpool. He is the epitome of Aston Villa under Tim Sherwood, and he can only get better.

Super Jack Grealish:

"The bigger the stage the better he plays" - Tim Sherwood
(Marc Atkins)

Quick feet, blistering runs, one touch passing and even an occasional Gerrard-esque pass, the nineteen year old seems to have it all. That's right, he is only nineteen. Only five games ago he was handed his first Premier League start, but you would have thought he had been playing for five years let along five weeks. He has been influential in games against Manchester City and more recently West Ham United, but his best performance came at the national stadium; a ground he may be seeing more of. It may have been labelled Liverpool and Steven Gerrard's day, but April the 19th belonged to the nineteen year old and Aston Villa. He shows maturity and intelligence beyond his years and doesn't look a shin pad out of place in this Villa team. He has claret and blue coursing through his veins, and he bleeds the colour on the pitch. It is hard to not love one of your own.

Tom Cleverley:

Cleverley scoring in the recent game against Everton

The on loan Manchester United midfielder didn't have the brightest of starts to his Aston Villa spell. There were games where he was either booed or sarcastically cheered off the field of play. He was neither here nor there, trying to fit into a team that was restricted to passing backwards and sideways.

However, the leash has been removed and Cleverley is a man that has been restored to the player that was labelled the next Paul Scholes. He may never fulfil that tag, but he has sure made his own name since the arrival of Sherwood. Scoring three goals in his last three games, he has demonstrated his abilities in front of goal but it has been more than just hitting the ball into the back of the net. Playing in the right side of the diamond, Cleverley has been given the license to make runs into the box, break up play and showcase a range of passing.

Villa now face a battle to ensure they get his signature.

With two games left to play in the Barclays Premier League and an FA Cup final to look forward to, here's to a good end to the season. Up the Villa. 

14 Cup Finals Left To Play



"We have 13 cup finals left in the league and hopefully another one at Wembley." - Tim Sherwood

End of an era (Getty Images)

It's been a rollercoaster ride at Aston Villa and it was by no means willing to slow down with this week being no exception. Last Saturday saw the team score their first goal in six games, however, it was followed by a 2-0 loss against Hull City on Tuesday night. This saw the end of Paul Lambert's Aston Villa career, a reign that spanned one hundred and one games, which only saw twenty five wins; including the heavy defeats to Chelsea and Arsenal. We all believed that Villa were establishing themselves, yet struggling to see what the club were actually trying to achieve. What is their style of play? Who can be their stand out performer? Many said we were over-reliant on counter attacking football, others said long balls were our 'speciality', whereas Lambert tried to make us into a version of Bayern Munich. However, we were the team that couldn't score goals and played boring football. A team lacking in confidence, passing balls sideways and backwards; it's all well and good having 62% possession but if you're not creating chances and players aren't making runs, there's no point in having the ball. The club was now a joke. "Aston Nilla" cried the papers. Fans starting to become agitated, angry, disgruntled, "Lambert out" ringing around the stadium after another winless run of five. It almost became inevitable even for Randy Lerner and Tom Fox to ignore.

Let's be fair though, Paul Lambert did give us some things to cheer about. There was the 6-1 win against Sunderland, wins against Chelsea and Man City at home, and Arsenal and Liverpool away, and that 4-3 victory over West Bromich Albion last season. He brought in Ron Vlaar, Carles Gil and Christian Benteke and helped Fabian Delph progress into the player he is today. He worked within tight constraints and managed to keep us in the Premier League despite having to hang on by finger

nails. And, we are still in the Premier League. He has left us with at least a chance of retaining that.

But now, there is a new beginning.

New man Time Sherwood (Neville Williams)

Tim Sherwood returns to football after being given a three and a half year contract at Villa Park. After leading Tottenham Hotspur to a total of thirteen wins in twenty two games in his six month spell at White Hart Lane, Villa can look forward to a young manager with passion, confidence and honesty. I'm sure he won't hold his tongue.

His first challenge is to keep Villa in the Premier League. He has thirteen games left, "13 cup finals" as Lambert put it. But he has enough players capable of avoiding the drop into the Championship. Yet, these players are low on confidence, lacking in self belief, so you could argue his biggest challenge is to galvanise these players into playing for him and the claret and blue shirt. One of those players is Christian Benteke - the player that single handedly kept Villa safe from relegation in his first season at the club. With a total of just twelve goals scored this season, the Belgium only adding two, he is a fundamental part to the squad that needs to start firing.

Aston Villa have a team that can stay up. We have the potential that needs to be fulfilled.



Aston Villa 2-1 Leicester City

FA Cup 5th Round

Weimann, Delph and Cleverly celebrate with Bacuna (Getty Images)





Villa secured their place in the hat for the quarter finals of the FA Cup on Sunday, when they put two past Leicester City thanks to goals from Leandro Bacuna and Scott Sinclair. New boss Tim Sherwood watched from the stands as Scott Marshall took control in the dugout, however his input was needed as Villa finished the first half 0-0 and his words made an immediate impact. They got bodies in the box, passed the ball round quicker and were more direct.

Villa's midfield will need to start chipping in with goals and they did so yesterday. Ron Vlaar, returning to first team football after being out since New Year's Day, found Bacuna on the left hand side of the pitch. The Dutch man then drove forward, taking on Danny Simpson with intent before unleashing a shot that nestled in the far right side of the net. Villa could have been in front one nil, had Benteke's not been offside when he put the ball neatly into the back of the net in the first half. But the Belgium striker made up for his straying nature when he set up Sinclair in the 89th minute for his first Villa goal. His lofted ball found Sinclair, who hit his shot towards Schwarzer's net. The goalkeeper should have done better, but he fumbled the ball into the back of his own net.

Now Villa are just one win away from Wembley. Here's to a good sixth round draw, up the Villa.



Maturing

With the first week of the new Barclays Premier League behind us and the first of the Capital One Cup ties done and dusted, we can reflect on what has been a fairly good set of results. Two wins and two losses, yet a sense of optimism flowing. A few fresh faces, but mostly familiar, Aston Villa have looked a refreshed team ready for the season that lies ahead of them.

“Don't you understand that we need to be childish in order to understand? Only a child sees things with perfect clarity, because it hasn't developed all those filters which prevent us from seeing things that we don't expect to see.” ― Douglas Adams

The 2012-13 season saw the arrival of Paul Lambert and a new philosophy. Relying on youth and inexperience saw us at our lowest points, an 8-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge and an aggregate loss to League Two Bradford City in the semis of the League Cup. However, the occasional highs which saw us finish 15th after fighting relegation for the most part of the season.

"Don't you understand that we need to be childish in order to understand?"

Compare a child, their inexperience in life, to an Aston Villa player of last year. Let's take Fabian Delph for example. Eleven yellow cards in twenty six games played in all competitions. As an inexperienced midfielder in the Premier League; having only appeared eighteen times previously in the league; you would think of this as naïve. Childish maybe. His inexperience possibly led him into making those rash challenges which got him those yellow cards.

A child's inexperience in life would possibly lead them into getting into a fight far too easily or going full flow into something without thinking twice. Compare that with Delph.

See what I'm getting at?

Aston Villa's players needed to be childish in order to understand. In order to understand that you can't make those mistakes, because they can prove costly eventually. They can see you into a relegation fight, or knock you out of the semi finals, just ninety minutes away from Wembley.

They were childish, they made mistakes, but look at Delph now. In all four games this season so far, arguably Fabian has been man of the match in all of them. An anchor-man in midfield, yet his rash challenges have been subsided with slick link up play, meaty tackles to break up play and the odd goal.



*****

The opening day of the season has been eagerly awaited by most and Villa faced the challenge of Arsenal at the Emirates. Yes, there was a positivity but I don't think anyone would have imagined what we witnessed on that day.

Despite going behind to an Oliver Giroud strike in the sixth minute, Christian Benteke bagged his first double of the season; one from the penalty spot and the other from an unsuccessful penalty.

New boy Antonio Luna then added a third on a swift counter attack from an Arsenal counter attack, with the left back finishing like a composed out and out striker.

It was a very mature display against an immature Arsenal side that complained every decision that the referee made.

 

*****

“Scars fade with time. And the ones that never go away, well, they build character, maturity, caution.”   ― Erin McCarthy.

Cast your mind back to the 23rd December 2012. Chelsea 8, Aston Villa 0.

With the scar of that crushing defeat at the hands of Chelsea, Villa returned to Stamford Bridge on the back off the victory against Arsenal. That scar from last season never went away, but it built character, maturity and caution.

Character to once again come from behind to draw level at half time, with an unstoppable Benteke finish - which took his total up to three in two games. Maturity to stay calm throughout despite being hard done by, by bad refereeing decisions. Caution; by Gabby and Weimann to help and protect their full backs.

 

*****

Despite the dull first half from the claret and blues in the first half against Liverpool, they had to maturity to pull themselves together and make a go off it in the second half, yet their efforts weren't enough to at least salvage a point out of proceedings.

And a dazzling, mature, professional performance last night against Rotherham rounded off an excellent ten days. With goals from the Benteke, Weimann and Delph; the 3-0 win put the icing on the cake.

*****

"Maturity begins when one lives for others.”  
Finally, the future is bright.

Looking Forward

"We are excited. We are looking forward." Ron Vlaar

Aston Villa's season ended with a 2-2 draw against relegated side Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium. Skipper Ron Vlaar with the touch and shot of a lethal centre forward sealed the final point of the campaign for the claret and blues. Eight weeks later, we're now looking forward to the new season just thirty days away. After a week in Germany, we've had the chance to see the six new players in action and some of the youths getting a run out.

In between this time there has been a lot happening behind the scenes. With Westwood, Guzan, Weimann and Baker all tied up with new deals, we were just waiting on one; Christian Benteke. Yet that wasn't and isn't to be the case, with the Belgium handing in his transfer request, pushing for a move to Tottenham Hostspur. But, let's just leave that to discuss later, let's focus on the positives to have come from the closed season.

Ashley Westwood; a star of the 2012-13 season signed a new contract to stay with Aston Villa until 2017. We all know contracts mean nothing nowadays but it always gives me a sense of relief when a player is willing to sign another contract in order to stay with us. Especially as Westwood provided us with a stability in midfield last season. After Stiliyan Petrov had to sadly step down from football to focus on beating his illness, we needed a midfielder to step up to the mark to try to fill the gap left in the middle of the park. With his maturity, composure and strength on the ball and in tackles, Ashley Westwood was one of the signings of the summer. Making the step up from League One, many supporters had doubts on his ability to perform on the main stage of English football, yet he proved his critics wrong with ease. He has continued to impress throughout the season and the stats go all in his favour.

Ashley Westwood (v Norwich City) (source: avfc.co.uk)

Andreas Weimann; one of my personal favourites, not just for his looks. The Austrian crept into the limelight with his match winning goal against Fulham under the management of Alex McLeish, but since then he has re-payed every penny of the faith both McLeish and Paul Lambert have given him. He performed consistently last season, scoring twelve goals in all competitions. His natural goal scoring ability has made him a hero in some fans eyes, yet he doesn't just score goals, he can also do the assisting. He not only produces the goods on the pitch, he produces loyalty of the pitch with him also signing a new contract just a few weeks ago.

Andi Weimann

Brad Guzan; the best goalkeeper last season hands down. Despite what everyone else says Brad Guzan failed to disappoint with him impressing in every game he played. After playing understudy for who knows how long, he finally received his chance after Lambert resigned him; and what a signing he turned out to be. Save after save, Guzan just continued to shine.

After the first three games of preseason we have seen the six new players in action in a competitive situation, and after the mischief caused by Benteke we were all hoping that one man would shine. And Helenius did just that.

Scoring two goals in three games, the giant from Denmark, showed us what he's made of. It's not everyday that you can potentially lose a player and have a ready made replacement already scoring goals left, right and centre. At twenty two years of age, he fits in the with direction of football Lambert is developing. Young, hungry and ambitious. Not only can he score with his head, his ability with his feet looks effortless. Teeing up teammates as well as scoring is also another attribute of the Dane. If he can settle into the Premier League like he has with the team, I don't have any reason to think that he won't be a big hit at Aston Villa.

Leandro Bacuna (Getty Images)

So who do I look forward to seeing next season?

Leandro Bacuna; pacey, quick and a crosser of the ball, he looks the part of an up and coming winger that we have been lacking at the club since Ashley Young departed to Old Trafford. I'm not saying he is going to be like Young, far from it, but he will add an extra dimension to the way we could paly under Lambert this term. Alongside Tonev and Albrighton who seems to be willing, we have enough options to try and exploit the wide areas next year and threaten some shaky left and right backs.

Matthew Lowton, Ashley Westwood and Andi Weimann are all ones to watch this season. Are they going to be able to continue their outstanding form from last season into this one?

Also, just look out for Sylla, he might surprise you.

There are plenty of players that are now buying into Lambert's philosophy which have the potential to become unique players, with an intelligent style. However, we're not to know until the 17th August.

On a slightly damper tone, Christian Benteke. Benteke was always destined for great things and you would never want to deprive him of that. But to attempt to force a move away from Villa Park just over 10 months into a four-year contract is hugely disheartening for all involve at the club. Despite the speculation, many thought that he would still be here in September. The only way he would leave is if he demanded a move away, like he did at Genk. Surely that wouldn't happen, we all thought. Not after everything the club has done for him, the confidence Paul Lambert has shown in him and the emotion the fans have given to him. One more season with the club is all we hoped for, as a show of gratitude if anything else. In the system we played, he was always going to be the focal point. As a lone striker given the task of scoring goals, he was never not going to be the hero. He was always going to be the player we were "dependent" on, as the stats showed. Aston Villa is here now and it's here to stay, which is more than can be said for Benteke. Aston Villa is still standing and will strive to further itself under Lambert's bright leadership. No player is bigger than the club after all and naturally, as one door closes, another opens; be it for Nicklas Helenius, Gabby Agbonlahor, Andi Weimann or whoever else may be brought it. So whilst thanking him for the memories and goals last season and wishing him the best of luck at his new club, whoever they may be, it is done with both eyes firmly on the future. His transfer request to leave the club might indeed be sad, although not because we're losing such an influential cog in the wheel. No player is irreplaceable.

Loyalty in football is fiction, yet the club will forever live on.

Gabby V Andi Part II; Stan; and May Poster Player of the Month

Gabby V Andi Part II

 

 

At the start of last month I asked the question 'Gabby or Andi.' There wasn't a clear winner. Local boy V Austrian wonder, sprinter V finisher, finisher V sprinter. On twitter I asked the same question and these are some of the replies I got; @amorse1980 said how Andi is the better finisher and can build up play, creating something whereas Gabby was just a sprinter. @PEASLEY7 said that Andi has been more consistent over the course of this season, and also if Andi was in a one on one with the keeper he's trust the Austrian more so than Gabby. @_munch replied with it depending on which aspect you were to look at, and if he could take the best aspects from each player, he would to morph into one. @Jessyka1990 would prefer Gabby as she knows that he's loyal despite being inconsistent.

 

But have these views change since the last two games against Norwich and Sunderland?

 

******

 

Stiliyan Petrov

 

A leader, a fighter, a man with a heart of gold.

 

Our captain Stan retired from the game he loved yesterday after a year long battle with acute leukaemia, and as he continues to fight this horrible disease he has decided to focus on his foundation to help others.

 

He'll be a character in the dressing room we'll miss and a player on the pitch we could never go without.

 

Coming from Celtic, Martin O'Neill brought Stan in to anchor our midfield, to steel it up a bit; so to speak. He played just in front of the defence offering them support, producing next level tackles and breaking up attacks.

 

The 2007/08 season for the Bulgarian was his best were he gave us a goal to remember. "Petrov, from the half way line," his goal against Derby was just that. After a miss kick from the keeper fell perfecting for Stan he hit it like a peach, watching it fly into the back of the net.

 

In that same season he then went on to win Player and Supporter's Player of the Year.

 

Shooting from long range was his speciality and he once again proved that last season, in the same year that he received the worst possible news. His goals against Sunderland, Everton and Bolton will be three others one to add to the collection of 'screamers.'

 

Powerful and influential in the middle of the park, Petrov drove the claret and blue's on week in, week out and he's definitely been a hard act to follow.

 

Seven years in a claret and blue shirt, playing two hundred and nineteen games, scoring twelve goals, Stan is someone who you won't forget easily. He wore his heart on his sleeve and gave everything for the club and fans that loved him with everything they had.

 

There has been no better way than the nineteenth minute to reminisce the memories that Stan has given us, and to give something back to him to help him in his battle.

 

Let's give him the send off he deserves when he leads out the team tomorrow for the player's lap of honour. He deserves it.

 

******

 

May Poster Player of the Month

Poster player of the month is the player that will appear each month at the top of my blog.

 

 

Christian Benteke

Powerful, skilled and an eye for goal. Our own Belgian beast is out to get ya.

 

When Benteke came into our ranks, most of us wondered who the hell he was, but now everyone does and wants a piece of this young in form striker.

 

Scoring important goals in important games, we can't thank him enough.

 

His first goal on his debut against Swansea typified what the Belgium was all about; the ability to read the game as he followed in a sloppy header from Ashley Williams; the composure of a thirty seven year old as he clipped the ball over a helpless Vorm; and the touch of a predator as he touched the ball into the back of the net.

 

He has all the qualities you'd want from a striker at Aston Villa.

 

An all rounder.

 

Ever since John Carew we've been begging out for a big goal scorer who could slow play down, bring the ball under control and score vital goals. Yet we never expected this.

 

Well done Paul Lambert; you unearthed a gem.

 

Talk to me about his back heel against Liverpool, his eighty mile per hour goal against West Brom, his header which saw him jump as high as the crossbar against Sunderland.

 

And he's only twenty-two.

 

To top his fantastic debut Premier League season, the Belgium has collected the Player's Young Player of the Year Award and came second to Gareth Bale in the PFA YPOTY.  

 



January Poster Player of the Month; Andreas Weimann

Poster player of the month is the player that will appear each month of the year at the top of my blog.

Andreas Weimann

 

The Austrian we know as Andi made his rise to fame in a Villa shirt when he produced two of the most memorable moments of the 2011-12 season.

 

His recognition came in the dramatic last gasp winner against Fulham, after coming on as a substitute. However abrupt his entrance to becoming a senior star was, it wasn't inevitable.

 

What I mean by that is after the Villa fan's first few glimpses of the young striker, we got to see his frightening potential and natural ability in front of goal. Scoring in the Peterborough friendly; pre-season 2009-10; he then went onto lift the Peace Cup as a result of being handed a late call up to the squad for the tournament.

 

His nine goals in Villa's Premier League reserve title-winning side earned him an improved contract and also some of the Villa faithful's backing.

 

His long-term mentor Kevin McDonald introduced Weimann into his first taste of Premier League action, as a late substitute in the victory over West Ham on the first day of the season, in McDonald's first game as caretaker manager at the club.

 

In the same week, he then went on to come on against his boyhood club Rapid Vienna, only to be stretchered off in only a matter of minutes.

 

After his injury lay-off he announced his comeback in style, scoring twice in a 10-1 thrashing of Arsenal in the reserve league at Hinckley.

 

The striker then spent the rest of the season on loan at Watford where he scored four in nineteen matches for the Championship club.

 

The Vienna born talent began last season on the fringes of the first team, producing an impressive cameo against Hereford United in the League Cup in August 2011. Following his performance against Hereford, Andi was then loaned back out to Watford for the second time in his career.

 

With Villa's shortage of strikers and numerous injuries, his time at Watford was cut short as he returned back to the claret and blues.

 

In the games against QPR and Bolton Wanderers, in the Premier League and League Cup respectively, he came on as a sub. Despite this he continued his rich vein of form for the reserves in January and February; including hat tricks in matches against neighbours West Brom and Wolves; which earnt him a place in the first team.

Andi celebrating his goal against Manchester United earlier this season.

 

 The turning point in the Austrians career came on March 10th last year.

 

Let's rewind: Aston Villa had not won in front of the crowds at Villa Park for four, yes four months. Fulham were the visitors at the ground, where they were holding out for no score draw. Alex McLeish turned to Andreas Weimann, sat patiently on the bench. He had his call, he was about to come on. He entered the field of play. In the dying minutes, seconds in fact, Gary Gardner's shot was parred by Mark Schwarzer. And who other than Weimann was there to pounce and bundle it in to the back of the net. Villa fans rejoiced as a release of relief filled the surrounding airs.

 

The rest is history really.

 

Or not, there were plenty more moments of Weimann that cannot be forgotten. After all, that goal possibly saved us from relegation.

 

"Did I really?" His goal against Fulham earnt Aston
Villa their first home win in four months and possibly
saved us from relegation that season, gaining us three
valuable points.

(AP Photo)

The long range rocket against Stoke City later on that season earnt him his plaudits, winning the Goal of the Season award and also Young Player of the Year.

 

This season has been one to remember so far for Andi; scoring two goals against Manchester United, one against Liverpool, two against Norwich City to take us through to the semi finals of the League Cup and some other vital goals. There's so much more for the Austrian to offer, and with his budding relationship with Belgian Christian Benteke could they be the saving grace for Aston Villa this season? Could they be the bright future that we've be advertising for years now? One things for sure, both Benteke and Weimann are giving us some hope for the next few years to come.

It's not just Andi's goals that have earnt him his fans, but his link up play and ability to keep himself grounded at a time where his career is just starting to blossom.

 

Memory Match: Villa Thriller



With the League Cup semi final second leg just 24 hours away let's reminisce that night just three years ago.

James Milner produced a man of the match performance
to help take Aston Villa through to the Carling Cup; as it was
called then; final.

 

Aston Villa 6-4 Blackburn Rovers

The final whistle went after ninety minutes of thrilling football on a cold January night at Villa Park. After an unbelievable 6-4 victory on the night; 7-4 on aggregate; I remember walking out of the Trinity Road, smile ear to ear still hearing the fans singing "Birmingham are you listening."

It was an evening of extraordinary drama which ended in Aston Villa bagging themselves a place at Wembley for the first time under Martin O'Neill, as the second leg of the semi final turned into a shoot-out.

Villa's manager ended the club's decade long wait for a trip to English football's home after ninety minutes in which both defences took leave of their senses.

Five goals by the hosts in a thirty two minute period either side of half time proved decisive as Villa overcame an early hiccup to put themselves within sight of their League Cup triumph. But that only told half the story.

Blackburn, trailing to James Milner's goal from the first leg, had threatened a surprise as they raced into a two-goal lead.

Ashley finished off the night in typical 'Young' style. 

It took a controversial Stephen Warnock goal on the half-hour to level the tie.
Then Christopher Samba hauled over Gabriel Agbonlahor 10 minutes later, conceding a penalty and earning himself a red card to turn the tide claret and blue.
Three goals early in the second-half were followed by two from the visitors, who simply would not allow their own final dreams to die.
But when Ashley Young strode half the length of the Villa Park pitch to finish inside the far post in added time, O'Neill and every fan waving a flag could finally relax.

A memorable night's entertainment.

******

Looking to tomorrow night's semi final against League Two side Bradford City, the prospect of another night like this is exciting yet nerve racking.

After Phil Parkinson's side produced a famous 3-1 win at Valley Parade in the first leg, they face an improving Premier League outfit for a place in the Capital One Cup showpiece.

Paul Lambert and the claret and blue faithful will be calling for a different Aston Vila side to turn up at Villa Park from the one that suffered a Capital One cup shock against Bradford.

We have a massive challenge on our hands, with a two goal deficit to turn over, but after a promising first half performance against West Bromich Albion on Staurday evening, we can take the positives into this cup game. The partnership forming between Charles N'Zogbia, Gabby Agbonlahor and Christian Benteke is shaping up nicely; could this be the front three that can fire Paul Lambert's team into the final?

With the return of Ron Vlaar, the leader and experience that we've been so heavily missing, should boost and tighten up our leaky defence.

Reaching Wembley would be a high for the season, after the ups and downs of the Premier League. Let's get Villa Park rocking and fire the boys to victory. After all we only need two goals.

(Aplogies for the lack of pictures, my computer has been playing up today)

2012; A Year Of Mixed Emotions

After Stan Collymore tweeted earlier asking fans for their moments of the year, I decided that this would be my next post for all you to have a look at.

Captain Fantasic; Stan Petrov scoring in the 3-1 victory
over Chelsea on New Year's Eve

The year 2012 was set up nicely after a 3-1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Stephen Ireland, Darren Bent and Stiliyan Petrov scoring the goals on a night which saw Alex McLeish record just his fourth win in charge of Aston Villa.

Despite this result we then went on to lose 2-0 at home to Brendan Rogers' Swansea side.

This year has seen the loss of our captain to illness, the sacking of Alex McLeish and the employment of former Norwich City manager Paul Lambert, the summer signing of Christian Benteke and the mixed bag of results.

This year hasn't been one for the faint-hearted, that's for sure.

Goal of the Year:

Andi Weimann celebrating his goal against
Liverpool on Saturday. (Getty Images)

This was a hard one as there has been quite a few stand out goals. Andi Weimann's scored a few crackers, his one against Stoke last season and first against Manchester United this season have both stuck in my head. However, I'm going to have to go with Andi's goal from Saturday. Just the build up play is worth the plaudits. It might not have been the most outstanding bicycle kick that everyone will remember for years to come; but the way the Austrian and Benteke found each other with so much ease is something that you don't see on a daily basis. For that reason, my goal of the year award goes to Andreas Weimann's goal against Liverpool. However, half of that can go to the Belgium beast for his back heel from heaven.

Game of the Year:
There was an option of about three games that contested for this title. Wolves away in January was a game that I won't forget for a long time coming. Not only was it because of the comeback we produced with the help of an Irishman, it was the support from the Villa fans that made it a memorable afternoon. The second game that springs to mind from this year is the Manchester City away game in the Capital One Cup. I didn't travel to the game, but I remember it well, not only because of the score. It was my school's open evening and I was helping out in the science department. My science teacher, who is a Blues fan let me point out, wasn't too keen on the idea when I asked if I could listen to the game on the radio, but he reluctantly decided that I could. So, there was me in my lab coat, cup of tea in one hand, biscuit in the other listening to the game; whilst in between showing the kids my 'magic trick.' Although the score was contender for game of the year, the story behind it pushed it towards that award. However, I went with the Norwich game from midweek. What a game that was.

Support:
For me, our away support beats our home support every time. I love away days and its because of the support that makes me love them so much. My trip to Old Trafford, despite the result was one of the best. We were right at the top and you could hardly see anything but the roof, yet we still managed to out sing the boring home support. The chants of "we support our local team" put the icing on the cake.

Player:
It's difficult to pick just one player.
Christian Benteke is fas tbecoming the most talked about striker this season. His power is immense.
Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger are rated as one of the best central defensive double acts in the Barclays Premier League but from early in the game on Saturday, it was apparent Benteke’s hulking presence and work-rate was unsettling. Of the pair, Skrtel had the most trouble. The Slovakian usually gives as good as he gets when it comes to a physical battle but, on this occasion, he had no answer. His day was summed up by Villa’s third goal, when he didn’t have the strength to halt Benteke’s charge to the area and was tied up in knots. His potency is a different level. Before heading to Anfield, Benteke had only scored four times in the league following his £7million switch from Genk but moved his tally on impressively with two differing strikes. After going close with a sixth-minute header, Benteke had the air of a striker who knew he would score. His potential is frightening. It was, without doubt, his best display on these shores and doing it at stadium as fabled as Anfield will have attracted plenty of attention. Listening to Lambert, though, any admirers considering scouting him would be wasting their time. "Christian can be anything he wants," said Lambert. "He might not hit his peak until he is about 28, you never know. But he has been incredible for us, absolutely fantastic. He is playing in a fantastic Belgian side which is bringing him on as well.
You can never stop people looking but if you want to buy these players, you’ll have to have a few quid. There is absolutely no chance we would be looking to sell. We are trying to build something here and progress."
Then there's Matthew Lowton, Ashley Westwood, Brett Holman.
But I've got it down to one man; Bradley Guzan. There's not much else you can say about this man. Coming in for the dropped Shay Given he has impressed week in, week out with his solid performances between the sticks.

Biggest Flop:
I don't like to say it but Marc Albrighton has got to be the biggest flop of 2012 for Villa this year. He shone in his season under Gerard Houllier, but suffered major second season syndrome. He hasn't performed at his best this year, yet he has a lot of potential, which I'm hoping he can recapture during 2013.

"Wow"
I'd like to once again mentioned Christian Benteke's back heel at the weekend. I can't tell you how many times I've reminded that moment. But for me the "wow" of the year is every time we get up on the 19th minute for Stan Petrov. After being struck down by leukaemia we have applauded our captain on the 19th minute of each game since. Every time it takes my breath away and sends shivers down my spine. It's one special moment, emotional to the point were it leaves me with a tear in my eye.

Rookie:
As I said in my last post, it has to be Ashley Westwood. Coming from a League Two team into the Premier League and making the step over with such composure is something. A big hand has to go to Paul Lambert and his backroom staff for spotting this beauty.

Manager:
It's out of two men, Alex McLeish and Paul Lambert and I know who I'd pick every day of the week. The man from Norwich is a guy that's taking Aston Villa in the right direction; forward. He has a long term plan that he's put in place. He's a tactical genius and I believe that he is the right man for the job and I hope he continues to prove the doubters wrong.

Quote:
"It's a long project. It's never going to happen overnight. I thought today we were well worth something. They are a young side but they are growing every time they play." Paul Lambert

It's All About The Name On The Front Of The Shirt, Not The Back; Part 2

Aston Villa fielded the youngest ever Premier League team yesterday at Anfield, with an average age of just 23 years and 308 days.

 

Brad Guzan, Chris Herd, Nathan Baker, Ciaran Clark, Eric Lichaj, Matthew Lowton, Ashley Westwood, Barry Bannan, Brett Holman, Christian Benteke, Andreas Weimann; names that just six months ago wouldn't have been recognised by football fans produced a stunning 3-1 win over Liverpool.

 

Paul Lambert has brought together a group of young players to play the football that Villa Park has been missing for a long time.

Paul Lambert at the end of the thrashing of former club
Norwich City (Kevin Quigley)

At the start of the season, some of the Villa faithful asked for people to stop using the excuse of the club being in transition for a third consecutive season. However for the first ten or so games this season, we have been in a period of transition. The team that played yesterday had never played together before the start of the 2012-13 season. They needed the first half of the season to knit together, to see how each other play and to start playing the football that Lambert was asking of them.

 

In his interview last night, the Villa manager said of how he's been criticised by some over his team selection, of how they're so young. But he followed this comment by saying that he's seen them day in, day out.

 

To stick with what you believe is the right thing to do, dropping Darren Bent and Stephen Ireland, is a brave thing to do. So I'm taking this opportunity to commend Paul Lambert on this.

 

Finding themselves on the bench; Darren Bent and
Stephen Ireland

He brought in the unheard, like Ashley Westwood and Christian Benteke, and my word have they paid off.



Christian Benteke has firmly placed himself in Villa folklore with his brace against Liverpool and abilities in front of goal, but it is Ashley Westwood who is our unsung hero.



Ashley Westwood, the former Crewe midfielder, has made the step up from League Two into the Premier League with such ease that you wouldn't have thought he's only played 10 games in the top tier of English football.  It is no surprise, in my opinion, that our upward turn in form has coincided with Ashley Westwood getting into the first team. Brought from Crewe for a snip at £2 million, a price luckily that Swansea baulked at, he can often go unnoticed in a game, but he is vital to the team because he keeps play ticking over. Our midfield has never performed since Petrov was taken seriously ill, he very rarely gave the ball away and did not treat it like a hand grenade. But Westwood has got our midfield working again – he, like Petrov, always wants the ball and does the simple things well.

 

He is what football should be about, top tier clubs taking chances on lower league players instead of buying from abroad. I reckon Westwood will be a mainstay of our team for years to come; he’s only 22 but plays like a 30-year-old. The last great midfielder we bought from Crewe was David Platt, I just hope Westwood has the same impact but stays around a bit longer.

 

After a season of pulling our hair out watching Warnock and Hutton hack around on the pitch it is a joy to see Lowton bedding into the defence, he has played every game so far this season in the league, and is settling in nicely after playing in the Championship, hopefully Bennett will have the same impact too.

 

I'm also impressed by Brett Holman. An acquisition of Alex McLeish's. Despite that fact, the Scot unearthed a gem in the Australian. I like Holman and for me he optimises the direction in which Aston Villa are taking. He plays, just as the title of the post suggests; for the name on the front of the shirt, not the back. He never stops running and as said previously, he'll need a third lung at the end of the season, never mind at the end of the game. He's also a role model. Yesterday we saw him closing down players, right, left and centre. Yet we also saw Andi Weimann follow in his footsteps. Holman led by example and rightly so.

 

Let's not forget about the partnership between Benteke and Weimann. With six goal between them in two games, this is fast becoming a blossoming relationship. Andi's pass to find Benteke's movement into the box, and his returning back heel which led to the goal was almost Barcelona like as they found each other with perfect accuracy. It's hard to believe they're both only in their early twenties.

From the first game of the season away to West Ham United we lacked creativity and that trend has continued for the most part of the season; until things started to click. That was most certainly evident against Norwich City in the Capital One Cup. How things have changed is incredible, but I'm sure if we'd have seen things from the inside we wouldn't have been saying that there'd been a change.

 

All in all Lambert is doing what we all wanted him to do, transforming the squad and the way we play. Safety is pretty much a cert, and after a decent cup run with Wembley in sight, the future's bright.

Don't Cha Wish Your Striker Was Benteke (or Weimann)

Christian Benteke and Andreas Weimann celebrating during Tuesday's
4-1 over Norwich City in the Capital One Cup

Let's rewind back to the 10th of November where we faced Manchester United at Villa Park; the Premier League leaders finding themselves 2-0 down after 50 minutes, with Andreas Weimann scoring either side of the half time whilstle.

Aston Villa 2-3 Manchester United
"We gave it absolutely everything, we were brilliant. I can't fault the team. We've got lots of young lads in the team and they were great. I can't ask for any more from them." Paul Lambert

Villa were two goals to the good by the time United woke from their slumber. Weimann scored both to shake United to their core.

First he found Benteke with a perfectly measured ball down the left and, when his strike partner pulled back a low cross, thumped a fizzing drive past David De Gea from 16 yards out.

The interval did little to steady United as Villa began where they had left off and doubled their lead within four minutes. Ireland swept the ball left for Agbonlahor and the Villa forward's low ball skidded across the six-yard line where Weimann escaped Rio Ferdinand's attention to sidefoot in.

Villa Park was rocking and yet somehow United turned the match on its head. Ferguson's decision to replace Ashley Young with Hernandez at half-time changed the game in seven second-half minutes as United struck twice to level the match from nowhere.

For the third, Van Persie curled a free-kick towards the far post where Hernandez headed the ball into the bottom-right corner with unerring accuracy. Ferguson's clenched fist at the final whistle said it all, United had done it again despite the efforts of Villa.

Manchester City 5-0 Aston Villa

Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez both scored twice as Manchester City thumped Aston Villa to move top of the Premier League for the first time this season.

Villa frustrated City until David Silva broke the deadlock before half-time. But the hosts took charge when Andreas Weimann was adjudged to have handled and Sergio Aguero scored from the spot.

Carlos Tevez added another penalty after Barry Bannan's handball, Aguero made it 4-0 with a deflected shot and Tevez tapped in Samir Nasri's cross.

In the end, this win for the champions was every bit as convincing as the scoreline suggests but Villa boss Paul Lambert will argue his side were in the game until the 54th minute, when City scored their second goal from a debatable decision.

Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
"It's a long project. It's never going to happen overnight. I thought today we were well worth something. They are a young side but they are growing every time they play." Paul Lambert

Aston Villa 1-0 Reading
The Belgian striker, Christian Benteke headed in the winner from a corner late on to leave the Royals one place off the bottom.

Villa, who left striker Darren Bent out of the team for the second match in succession, also went close through Andreas Weimann and Ciaran Clark.

QPR 1-1 Aston Villa
Brett Holman fired Villa into an early lead from 20 yards - but Jamie Mackie headed QPR level before the interval and they created the better opportunities to finally secure three points.

Aston Villa 0-0 Stoke City
Most of us thought it would be tight and probably goalless - and that's how it proved. All Villa's chances fell to Christian Benteke but great blocks by Stoke's defence kept him out. Darren Bent came on for the last 20 minutes but hardly had a sniff. As for Stoke, 90 minutes and not a single shot to test Brad Guzan. This is one best forgotten.

Norwich City 1-4 Aston Villa

Aston Villa reached their second League Cup semi-final in four years by beating Norwich City and in turn handed boss Paul Lambert victory on his first visit back to his former club.

Steve Morison gave Norwich the lead by clipping over Shay Given before Brett Holman's drive levelled matters. Both sides had a number of chances to take the lead in a frenetic tie. But substitute Andreas Weimann's late double and a tidy Christian Benteke strike saw Villa through.

Liverpool 1-3 Aston Villa

"I think the whole performance was fabulous, the goals were excellent as was the way we defended." Paul Lambert 

 

Liverpool were left stunned after their hopes of challenging for a top-four spot were hit by a loss to Aston Villa.

The home side went behind against the run of play when Christian Benteke arrowed a shot in off the post. Benteke's backheel set up Andreas Weimann for Villa's second, before the Reds were denied a penalty when Ciaran Clark pulled Daniel Agger's shirt. Benteke then made it three from close range for a resurgent Villa before Steven Gerrard netted a late consolation goal.