Alan Hutton has been at Villa for almost a month now and here he is speaking of how well he has settled into his new club. He also mentions how Mcleish has been a good man motivator in the camp and how his influence is growing around the training ground.
Hutton said:
“He’s been there, done it and got the t-shirt if you like,” said Hutton. “He was a fantastic footballer himself, so just the guidance will help, he’s a strong character.
“When I was struggling as a player or having a dip in form he would always encourage you. I think as a team you want a man who you can always go to and I think Alex is like that.”
Asked if McLeish’s influence was growing around the Bodymoor Heath training headquarters, Hutton replied: “Of course. I think he’s been like that wherever he has been. I don’t see why here would be any different.
“We’ve got a great squad here, it’s just about learning what he wants us to do and progressing as a team. I feel I’ve done really well. The boys have welcomed me in and the manager has been great. Personally it’s gone well.
“Obviously we’d like to have won some of the games but other than the Carling Cup, we’ve not lost a game so it’s not too bad so far.”
“I’d always like to say I’m half full, you want to take the positives from each game,” added Hutton. “The fans pay their money and they come to watch the team play free-flowing football, and attacking and everyone doing well.
“We understand that the fans want to be entertained and see goals
“But first and foremost you have to be strong at the back. Our defenders have got lots of experience at club level and national level, but they’ve helped me along so much, always talking to me and helping me.
“They have made it really easy to settle in, they’re always talking to me telling me where to go and I feel like I’ve settled in really quickly.
“I’ve just come here, I hadn’t played a lot of games before so it’s about getting my fitness up. But the manager knows what I can do and he knows what I’m capable of, and my fitness is starting to come back now.”
Thursday 29 September 2011
Mcleish To Crack Down On Bookings
After some silly bookings in the opening few games, Alex Mcleish has decided to fine anyone who picks up needless bookings.
Here is what he had to say:
"There's some bookings you can't avoid and you can't say 'right you are fined for that.'
"There's got to be a bit of give and take. But, with suspensions, you can control yellow cards to a certain extent if players can control their emotions. They can avoid the silly ones.
"I'm not going to tell a player not to tackle anybody. There are some things you can't legislate for suspension-wise. But we can't afford to lose players to suspensions.
"I'm going to have to fine players now for taking their shirts off when celebrating.
"I didn't have a rule in place before Gabby (Agbonlahor) did that. Gabby's also had one for dissent.
"We're trying to cut that side of it out and he understands that. We've talked it through as a group."
Here is what he had to say:
"There's some bookings you can't avoid and you can't say 'right you are fined for that.'
"There's got to be a bit of give and take. But, with suspensions, you can control yellow cards to a certain extent if players can control their emotions. They can avoid the silly ones.
"I'm not going to tell a player not to tackle anybody. There are some things you can't legislate for suspension-wise. But we can't afford to lose players to suspensions.
"I'm going to have to fine players now for taking their shirts off when celebrating.
"I didn't have a rule in place before Gabby (Agbonlahor) did that. Gabby's also had one for dissent.
"We're trying to cut that side of it out and he understands that. We've talked it through as a group."
Player Profile - 6. James Collins
Brought in on the same day as fellow centre back Richard Dunne, those 2 formed a formidable partnership in their first season. However in the next season, Collins along with Dunne seemed to fall from grace. The spa bust up and several below par performances are what people will remember him for that season.
However he scored key winners against Blackpool and Newcastle to secure vital points which can't go unnoticed. This year he seems to be back on form, throwing himslef at any ball coming his way. He's arguably one of the bravest men I have seen in a Villa shirt over recent years. His major flaw which I'm sure almost all Villa fans will agree with me on is his long ball tendancy. He is known in my section of the crowd as "Hoofer Collins" and I'm sure we aren't the only people to call him that. I suppose you could say that at least he doesn't give away the ball trying to fanny about at the back, but he needs to learn how to pass the ball into midfield instead of automatically looking for the striker.
The reason I haven't gone into loads of detail about him is that his story is almost identical to Dunne's who I posted yesterday so I don't want to sound like repeating myself.
Rating 7.5/10
Wednesday 28 September 2011
Player Profile - 5. Richard Dunne
Richard Dunne has only been at Villa for 2 years but he has been such a headline maker that it feels as though he has been here forever. When he joined he had an amazing first season where he surprised us all with his standout performances, and he was even a bit of a goal getter early in the season with goals against Man City, Chelsea and Hull. Overall it seemed that at around £5 million he was bargain of the season, especially when Jolean Lescott cost Dunne's former employers more than 4 times that amount. Unfortunately his mistake in the Carling Cup final defeat to Manchester United which led to Owen's goal seemed to be the start of a dramatic fall from grace.
With the arrival of Gerard Houllier the following season, Dunne became the prime example of hero to zero. Returning to pre season completely out of shape following the departure of MON, and he never seemed to get back to peak physical fitness all season. He looked, to put it bluntly, a bit fat. Far from what you would expect a professional footballer to look like. This was followed by a string of shocking performances where he was being outpaced by almost everyone and tripping over the ball at every possibility, and simply looking like a pub player. He was then dropped by GH for a few weeks until it appeared that GH was advised to make up with senior players he had fallen out with in order to try and catapult us back up the table from the worrying position we were in. Despite reclaiming his position for the rest of the season, he never came close to recapturing the form he showed in his first season with us. He was also involved in a bust up in a spa with team mate James Collins, where the less said about that the better.
However the departure of GH due to health reasons was a huge relief to Dunney and new manager Alex Mcleish has reignited the centre half. He looks in peak physical condition and has so far been as solid as ever, claiming many MOTM awards and getting high recognition on International duty from a certain Paul Mcgrath. One thing is for sure, if he can keep his performances consistently high quality then we will be keeping plenty more clean sheets than last year.
Rating 8/10
Bannan Targets More Goals
After finally bagging his first Premier League goal at the weekend, Barry Bannan has targetted more. He spoke after the QPR match about the weight lifted off his shoulders now that he has his first goal in the top flight. I'm delighted for him now that he can just relax and get into his groove and hopefully become a bit of a goal getting midfielder, something we lack since the departure of one James Milner.
This is what Bannan had to say:
“I’ve been trying so hard, I’ve been dying for a goal.
“I knew where I was going when the referee said it was a penalty. No-one’s going to change my mind, even if I think the keeper is going to go there.
“I’d made my mind up that if I hit it right it would go in. I wouldn’t say I was nervous, I was looking forward to celebrating really.
“That’ll go to the grave with me, that’s one of the biggest moments of my career and hopefully now, as I said, I can go on a run and get more goals for this team.”
This is what Bannan had to say:
“I’ve been trying so hard, I’ve been dying for a goal.
“There’s been people, not questioning, but asking when I’m going to score – my dad, mum, girlfriend. That will always stay with me, that goal.
“Obviously I wanted the ball. Any chance to score, free-kick or penalty, I’ll be there asking to take it. I wasn’t nervous at all.“I knew where I was going when the referee said it was a penalty. No-one’s going to change my mind, even if I think the keeper is going to go there.
“I’d made my mind up that if I hit it right it would go in. I wouldn’t say I was nervous, I was looking forward to celebrating really.
“That’ll go to the grave with me, that’s one of the biggest moments of my career and hopefully now, as I said, I can go on a run and get more goals for this team.”
Mcleish Excited By Jenas
With the long awaited debut of loanee Jermaine Jenas seemingly just around the corner, Alex Mcleish has expressed his excitement at what the midfielder has to offer. For me personally I am always excited to see a new player in Claret and Blue, no matter who it is. This time however I am very excited because I believe that if we can get Jenas back to his best then he could add the spark to our midfield that it's really lacking.
Here's what Mcleish had to say:
"I am excited about seeing Jermaine play for Villa.
"I know what he can do on a football pitch.
"How many caps has Jermaine got? It's 20-30 - that's tremendous experience.
"You don't get that amount of caps and play for the clubs he's been at without having a certain amount of quality.
"He's a dynamic midfielder. He can go from back to front.
"He's been frustrated with injury, as we all were. We want as many good players fit and raring to compete for places.
"He's a very dedicated guy as far as I've seen in terms of working in the gymand doing his preventative exercises.
"He looks as if he's a guy who cares and wants to get back playing again"
Here's what Mcleish had to say:
"I am excited about seeing Jermaine play for Villa.
"I know what he can do on a football pitch.
"How many caps has Jermaine got? It's 20-30 - that's tremendous experience.
"You don't get that amount of caps and play for the clubs he's been at without having a certain amount of quality.
"He's a dynamic midfielder. He can go from back to front.
"He's been frustrated with injury, as we all were. We want as many good players fit and raring to compete for places.
"He's a very dedicated guy as far as I've seen in terms of working in the gymand doing his preventative exercises.
"He looks as if he's a guy who cares and wants to get back playing again"
Bent Wants To Be Penalty Taker
After missing out on the clash with QPR, Bent missed out on the opportunity to cement himself as the clubs penalty taker after the departure of Ashley Young. In his absence young Barry Bannan stepped up and cooly slot away the penalty and won't want to give up the role of penalty taker any time soon. However Bent is keen to wrestle the penalty taking duty from his team mate. For me personally I would like to see Bannan take them until he misses one, otherwise I think it's unfair to take them off him when he currently has a 100% record.
This is what Bent had to say:
“I want to keep taking the penalties 100 per cent,” said Bent. “I was delighted to see Barry slot that one away, it was a top spot-kick.
“It was his first goal in the Premier League, too, so I really couldn’t have been happier for him. It must have been a big moment for him.
“But as a striker, if I’m on the pitch I want to take them. Alan Shearer once said to me ‘what striker wouldn’t want to be on penalties’?
“As a striker you score goals in open play but scoring from the spot is vital, too. It adds another five goals per season.
“The key is scoring goals for Villa and making sure you slot them home to win games for the team.
“I am confident when I’m stepping up to take them.”
“I am feeling good, I trained yesterday and it all felt fine. Hopefully there won’t be any reaction for the rest of the week and I will be 100 per cent for Wigan on Saturday.
“I hope to be flying. It’s been annoying. I had a problem with the left groin in pre-season and the latest injury has been the other one.
“It’s been stop-start at the beginning of the campaign but if I can get over this now I will be firing again. I want to get going.”
This is what Bent had to say:
“I want to keep taking the penalties 100 per cent,” said Bent. “I was delighted to see Barry slot that one away, it was a top spot-kick.
“It was his first goal in the Premier League, too, so I really couldn’t have been happier for him. It must have been a big moment for him.
“But as a striker, if I’m on the pitch I want to take them. Alan Shearer once said to me ‘what striker wouldn’t want to be on penalties’?
“As a striker you score goals in open play but scoring from the spot is vital, too. It adds another five goals per season.
“The key is scoring goals for Villa and making sure you slot them home to win games for the team.
“I am confident when I’m stepping up to take them.”
“I am feeling good, I trained yesterday and it all felt fine. Hopefully there won’t be any reaction for the rest of the week and I will be 100 per cent for Wigan on Saturday.
“I hope to be flying. It’s been annoying. I had a problem with the left groin in pre-season and the latest injury has been the other one.
“It’s been stop-start at the beginning of the campaign but if I can get over this now I will be firing again. I want to get going.”
Tuesday 27 September 2011
Injury Latest
Good news for us coming out today that we could have as many as 5 players back from injury for the Wigan game on Saturday. Darren Bent, Emile Heskey, Jermaine Jenas, Ciaran Clark and Carlos Cuellar are all back in training and hopeful of making the squad this weekend.
"Darren trained today which is good news. The injury wasn't as bad as first feared so it will be good to get him back in action and unleash him again.
"Emile will train later this week with the group. He has already started preliminary training but he will be with us when we are preparing for the weekend game so he will be available.
"The good news on Jermaine is that he started training yesterday and he had a good session.
"He had another good session today and looked very lively and he is ready to go as well.
"James played through the pain barrier and was hobbling about a wee bit at the end of the QPR game but he is one of these that will run through brick walls.
"We feared the worst afterwards but the scan was good and there was nothing broken.
"He has suffered severe bruising and his ankle is a little bit swollen but we think he might make it at the weekend.
"Ciaran Clark is another one who will join us later and will be available for the weekend."
- Bent has apparently overcome his groin injury that kept him out of the QPR game but he thought he had shaken it off one time already so it will be interesting to see if there is any reaction on Saturday.
- Heskey is also back after his hamstring strain, though I'm hoping this doesn't mean he will be taking back his place in the team at the expense of someone more worthy.
- Jenas should finally make his debut at last! I've been really looking forward to seeing him in our midfield to see if he can add that spark that we have been lacking.
- Clark has recovered from a knee injury but this just means that our bench will look a bit stronger as there is no chance he will get a start.
- Finally Cuellar is making a return!!! I rate him highly but sadly I see no way of him breaking the current partnership at the back. I agree with the saying "If it's not broke, don't fix it" and I think this statement should apply here.
"Darren trained today which is good news. The injury wasn't as bad as first feared so it will be good to get him back in action and unleash him again.
"Emile will train later this week with the group. He has already started preliminary training but he will be with us when we are preparing for the weekend game so he will be available.
"The good news on Jermaine is that he started training yesterday and he had a good session.
"He had another good session today and looked very lively and he is ready to go as well.
"James played through the pain barrier and was hobbling about a wee bit at the end of the QPR game but he is one of these that will run through brick walls.
"We feared the worst afterwards but the scan was good and there was nothing broken.
"He has suffered severe bruising and his ankle is a little bit swollen but we think he might make it at the weekend.
"Ciaran Clark is another one who will join us later and will be available for the weekend."
Player Profile - 3. Stephen Warnock
Some rate him, some think he's hopeless. But one thing is for sure, nobody can question his work rate on the pitch. Every game I see him in he is racing up and down the left wing, getting forward whenever possible whilst also tracking back whenever the opposition comes forward. He puts in some crunching tackles, admittedly a lot of them result in a yellow card, but he never backs out of a 50-50. But for me there are 2 major problems with his game.
The first problem is his distribution/execution of passes. Over the past couple of seasons I have seen far too many loose passes from him which puts us right on the backfoot or wastes good opportunities coming forward. The other problem I have with him is his constant misjudgements of the ball when it's in flight. A few times already this season I've seen a simple hoof upfield end up in a chance for the opposition as a result of Warnock charge at it to try and cut it out and the ball ends up going straight over his head. At this standard of football that is simply unacceptable. I think it was these traits which caused Gerard Houllier to banish him from his attempts to create "total football".
Despite these flaws I believe we have a pretty good left back and we shouldn't be in a hurry to replace him. There are clearly better left backs availible but we have much more important positions to find replacements for in the short term. I suppose he could be described as a marmite kind of character, you can love him or hate him. Therefore I'm going to play it safe and sit on the fence and open up the floor to other people's opinions!
Rating 7/10
Monday 26 September 2011
Bannan Full Of Confidence
Barry Bannan has been on the up in the last few weeks, getting more involved with the Villa and also shining for Scotland. As a result of this, his confidence is on an all time high. My main criticism of him last season was that he didn't influence the games enough and didn't get involved in the games. It was clear for all to see that he possessed great technical ability and had an eye for a pass, displayed best by his fabulous assist for our goal of the season last year against Fulham. It was simply a matter of getting the confidence to demand the ball from his team mates and influence the game as much as he possibly can.
However he finally seems to be turning into that player looking at his recent performances. Mcleish had this to say regarding our penalty against QPR:
"Bannan claimed the penalty, I never pre-ordained who would take a penalty if we got one, but Barry was confident.
"You can see in the way he grabbed the ball that he was very confident he'd dispatch it."
From this one act it is clear to see that he has grown massively in confidence in his ability and it's rubbing off on his game. If he keeps improving at the rate he is currently then we can expect a great season from the lad, and then it's just a question of whether we can keep hold of him. Rumours circulating over Man United making a move for him. However I'm led to believe this is nonsense from the £18 million price tag being mentioned. Lets just hope it's a wind up!
However he finally seems to be turning into that player looking at his recent performances. Mcleish had this to say regarding our penalty against QPR:
"Bannan claimed the penalty, I never pre-ordained who would take a penalty if we got one, but Barry was confident.
"You can see in the way he grabbed the ball that he was very confident he'd dispatch it."
From this one act it is clear to see that he has grown massively in confidence in his ability and it's rubbing off on his game. If he keeps improving at the rate he is currently then we can expect a great season from the lad, and then it's just a question of whether we can keep hold of him. Rumours circulating over Man United making a move for him. However I'm led to believe this is nonsense from the £18 million price tag being mentioned. Lets just hope it's a wind up!
Mcleish Wants Tougher Villa
After once again failing to close out victory yesterday against QPR, we are once again left thinking what might have been. If they had gone on to take 6 points from the games against Newcastle and QPR we would be sitting pretty in 4th place with 12 points. As it happens, we failed to kill off teams that we should have done and now only have 8 points from our opening 6 games, which isn't bad but considering the teams we have faced we should be looking at double figures.
In response to this, Mcleish has called on Villa to become mentally tougher in an attempt to finish opponents off in games when we strike the first blow.
"I'm not happy. I still feel that we should have ground out another four points, that's the mark of a team with real mental toughness and we have got to put that into the guys."
"I am gutted that we threw it away in the dying embers of the game, after a second-half performance which is much more what I expected from these players."
I think we all agree with what he is saying. We have seen all too often us throwing away leads over the past couple of seasons and it's up to him to get that habit out of them. It was a much thrown around stat last season that we threw away more points from winning positions than anybody else in the league. That's possibly the most frustrating stat to claim!
Now from what I have seen from Mcleish so far as Villa manager is someone that knows the right things to say. He has said on numerous occasions that he wants to play attacking, expansive football and that he wants to give youth a chance to show what they can do. However so far the football has been pretty dire and he has only used youngsters when injuries have forced him to do so. Therefore it will be interesting to see how the players react to this challenge in our next game against Wigan. There is no doubt that Wigan at home is a game that should be won, no excuses. We have struggled in this fixture in the past but I fear that anything other than a convincing performance and scoreline will get the boo boys out in full force.
In response to this, Mcleish has called on Villa to become mentally tougher in an attempt to finish opponents off in games when we strike the first blow.
"I'm not happy. I still feel that we should have ground out another four points, that's the mark of a team with real mental toughness and we have got to put that into the guys."
"I am gutted that we threw it away in the dying embers of the game, after a second-half performance which is much more what I expected from these players."
I think we all agree with what he is saying. We have seen all too often us throwing away leads over the past couple of seasons and it's up to him to get that habit out of them. It was a much thrown around stat last season that we threw away more points from winning positions than anybody else in the league. That's possibly the most frustrating stat to claim!
Now from what I have seen from Mcleish so far as Villa manager is someone that knows the right things to say. He has said on numerous occasions that he wants to play attacking, expansive football and that he wants to give youth a chance to show what they can do. However so far the football has been pretty dire and he has only used youngsters when injuries have forced him to do so. Therefore it will be interesting to see how the players react to this challenge in our next game against Wigan. There is no doubt that Wigan at home is a game that should be won, no excuses. We have struggled in this fixture in the past but I fear that anything other than a convincing performance and scoreline will get the boo boys out in full force.
Player Profile - 2. Alan Hutton
Brought in on transfer deadline day after the departure of Luke Young to QPR, Hutton has made 3 Premier League appearances for Villa. I don't think many people can argue that he has had a slow start as our new right back, but considering the circumstances I'm not surprised at all. Hutton recently lifted the lid on what his life was like at White Harte Lane and it didn't sound great for him. It very much reminded me of what Stephen Warnock had to endure last season under Gerard Houllier once he had fallen out of favour. Left out in the cold to rot in the reserves/youth team.
For those reasons I'm not going to judge him until he has had a run of at least 10 games so he can get back to match sharpness. He has said so himself that he can't be expected to play to his maximum potential straight away after spending so long without competitive football. From what I saw of him when he used to play regularly for Spurs he looked like a very attack minded full back who could cause opposition defences problems with his overlapping runs. Defensively he looked a bit dodgy, conceding lots of fouls in and around the box so he must cut that out sharpish.
It's hard to give him a rating so soon after joining but I'm going to do it presuming he gets back to his best form that we saw a couple of years ago.
Rating - 7/10
Sunday 25 September 2011
Player Ratings - QPR Game
Given - 7/10 - Made a great save to deny Wright-Phillips in the second half and could do nothing to prevent the goal. Otherwise he had very little to do despite QPR's pressure
Hutton - 6/10 - Looked a little shaky to start and booked for a desperate lunge but grew into the game in the second half. Linked up well with Bannan on occasions and got forward slightly more than past couple of games. 2 penalty shouts against him for handball, both could have been given. Needs to learn to keep his arms tucked in!
Collins - 7/10 - Looked solid throughout however his inability to deal with a hoof up field led to the equaliser. Should never have lost that battle
Dunne - 9/10 - Such a shame that he conceded the OG right at the end. It couldn't have been prevented, just one of those things. Otherwise he was immense once again. Game after game proving that he isn't passed it yet, top performance
Warnock - 5/10 - Booked for a rash challenge on Barton (no harm done there!) and conceded possession in dangerous positions on a couple of occasions. Got forward willingly and got into some good positions but as a defender I have to rate him mainly on his defensive showing and, for me, it wasn't up to scratch
Petrov - 5/10 - Once again looked off the pace. Not really his fault, he just hasn't got the legs anymore. Booked for a bit of a wild challenge and gave away too many fouls
Delph - 6/10 - Found space coming forward but should have done better in front of goal with 2 very good opportunities. Caught in possession a few too many times but definately has potential
Ireland - 5/10 - Struggled to get involved for a large part of the game. Had a couple of decent moments but definately room for improvement. I want to see him given a run of games to show what he can do
Bannan - 8/10 - Scored the goal, nearly scored a free kick. He's finally being given a run of games and he is showing exactly what he can do. Our main creative force today and when he was taken off it really affected us going forward
N'Zogbia - 3/10 - A very poor rating for a very poor performance. Lots of running but gave the ball away numerous times, wasted good opportunities and lacked that spark we all thaught he possessed when he played for Wigan. It won't be long until Villa fans turn against him, if they haven't already
Agbonlahor - 6/10 - Work rate is unquestionable, his heart is fully in it, he is proud to wear the shirt and quite a few players could learn a lot from his attitude. He didn't have one of his better games today, had a couple of promising positions where he probably should have done better. He won the penalty, even if it was a debatable one
The 2 subs, Weimann and Albrighton, worked hard and did lots of running for the team. Albrighton looked dead on his feet after just 20 minutes on the pitch which I'm not sure is a good or a bad thing! He perhaps should have played in Weimann late on to seal the game but went alone instead. Once again he gave away a silly free kick in a dangerous position. He really needs to cut that out!
Hutton - 6/10 - Looked a little shaky to start and booked for a desperate lunge but grew into the game in the second half. Linked up well with Bannan on occasions and got forward slightly more than past couple of games. 2 penalty shouts against him for handball, both could have been given. Needs to learn to keep his arms tucked in!
Collins - 7/10 - Looked solid throughout however his inability to deal with a hoof up field led to the equaliser. Should never have lost that battle
Dunne - 9/10 - Such a shame that he conceded the OG right at the end. It couldn't have been prevented, just one of those things. Otherwise he was immense once again. Game after game proving that he isn't passed it yet, top performance
Warnock - 5/10 - Booked for a rash challenge on Barton (no harm done there!) and conceded possession in dangerous positions on a couple of occasions. Got forward willingly and got into some good positions but as a defender I have to rate him mainly on his defensive showing and, for me, it wasn't up to scratch
Petrov - 5/10 - Once again looked off the pace. Not really his fault, he just hasn't got the legs anymore. Booked for a bit of a wild challenge and gave away too many fouls
Delph - 6/10 - Found space coming forward but should have done better in front of goal with 2 very good opportunities. Caught in possession a few too many times but definately has potential
Ireland - 5/10 - Struggled to get involved for a large part of the game. Had a couple of decent moments but definately room for improvement. I want to see him given a run of games to show what he can do
Bannan - 8/10 - Scored the goal, nearly scored a free kick. He's finally being given a run of games and he is showing exactly what he can do. Our main creative force today and when he was taken off it really affected us going forward
N'Zogbia - 3/10 - A very poor rating for a very poor performance. Lots of running but gave the ball away numerous times, wasted good opportunities and lacked that spark we all thaught he possessed when he played for Wigan. It won't be long until Villa fans turn against him, if they haven't already
Agbonlahor - 6/10 - Work rate is unquestionable, his heart is fully in it, he is proud to wear the shirt and quite a few players could learn a lot from his attitude. He didn't have one of his better games today, had a couple of promising positions where he probably should have done better. He won the penalty, even if it was a debatable one
The 2 subs, Weimann and Albrighton, worked hard and did lots of running for the team. Albrighton looked dead on his feet after just 20 minutes on the pitch which I'm not sure is a good or a bad thing! He perhaps should have played in Weimann late on to seal the game but went alone instead. Once again he gave away a silly free kick in a dangerous position. He really needs to cut that out!
A Game Of 2 Halves
It took us until about 40 minutes to produce our first shot on goal, Barry Bannan firing a peach of a free kick towards the top corner only for it to be clawed out. That really summed us up first half. We showed a lack of passion and positive thinking that was promised after the shambolick Bolton performance mid-week. The whole side looked disjointed with no apparent link between defence, midfield and attack. We simply weren't playing as a unit. It seemed as though our game plan was to put our faith in Dunne and Given to produce more heroics and try and keep a clean sheet, perhaps nick a goal. THIS SIMPLY DOES NOT WORK!
Thankfully Mcleish realised that this wasn't working and we came out second half looking refreshed. Battling all over the pitch, even winning some of the 50-50's which recently just hasn't been happening. We were pressing higher up the pitch, getting the ball down on the ground, playing short simple passes and looking a million times better. Its not rocket science! Its not even that difficult! Its just playing simple passes, moving into space and the chances will create themselves. And so it proved with a couple of good opportunities before we made the breakthrough. Im not going to talk about whether it was a penalty or not because the decision was made and we can't change that (not that we would!). The fact of the matter is that it was given and Bannan stepped up and put away a very good penalty. You know it's good when the Goalie guesses the right way but still can't keep it out. I'm made up for Barry, finally starting to get some of the recognition he deserves.
Unfortunately for some reason Mcleish decided to take him off and replace him for a walking liability. Don't get me wrong I think he is a good player, but defensively he gives away so many cheap free kicks and you really don't want that when you are trying to protect a lead. Also by taking Bannan off we lost our creativity which led to a bit of a rearguard action in the last 15 minutes or so. N'Zogbia was then taken off for young Weimann, and it wasn't a second too soon. Zogs had a shocker, not for the first time this season and I think Villa fans are beginning to lose patience with him.
In terms of QPR's goal, we contributed to our own downfall. I know the goal itself was very unfortunate but our negativity when protecting a lead is stupid. I really don't understand the whole fascination with taking a corner short and protecting the ball. Very rarely does it waste any more 15 seconds and when the opposition gets the ball back, you are inviting them to attack you. If we had taken those couple of corners we got late in the game properly then I'm convinced we would be celebrating 3 points. You usually waste much more time when you are pressing teams back and passing it around instead of fannying about in the corner. Anyway, that's my rant over!
Overall I think that our second half performance has given us a platform to build on. We looked a much more attacking side and, surprise surprise, IT WORKED! For the first time since Blackburn I enjoyed watching us play and if we start games like that and get on top of our opponents from the first whistle, we will win more games than we lose for sure.
Full Time - QPR 1-1 Villa
So match day is here, live on sky sports and free to view for this weekend thanks to the Sky Sports free weekend. Much debate over the starting line up after the few injuries we have had over the past week or so. However the wait is now over and this is the team that will start the match:
Given, Hutton, Collins, Dunne, Warnock, Petrov, Delph, Ireland, N'Zogbia, Bannan, Agbonlahor
Subs: Guzan, Beye, Lowry, Gardner, Albrighton, Delfouneso, Weimann
So then, Stephen Ireland starts his first Premier League game of the season. I guess that means moving Bannan to the wing with Ireland behind Gabby. For me this is a good choice as I am looking forward to see what Ireland can really do on the main stage. I can see a much higher work rate from him recently and I really hope he can prove the doubters wrong because there is no denying that on his day he is a top player.
Also would love to see Gardner and Weimann get some minutes today. I rate them both very highly and Im sure the fact that QPR don't know much them means they could cause a few problems due to the unpredictability of them.
Full Time - 1-1
90+3 mins - 1-1. Heartbreak for Villa. Dunne own goal, could do nothing about it
90+2 mins - Albighton wins a corner
90 mins - Traore sent off for a second yellow for a flying tackle on Albrighton. 5 mins of added time to withstand
88 mins - Gabby with a shot deflected wide. Chance to waste a couple of minutes
87 mins - Another penalty shout for a Hutton handball not given. Would have been harsh
85 mins - Finally Zogs is withdrawn!!! Time for Weimann to show what he can do in the last 5 mins although I can't help but feeling it's going to be all about defending now
84 mins - Villa giving away a couple of cheap free kicks in very good positions
80 mins - Zogs must come off, he's had another shocker
72 mins - Albrighton on for goal scorer Bannan. Not what I would have done but hey ho, I'll judge after 90 minutes
71 mins - Hutton blocks a goalbound header with his arm, let off for Villa
70 mins - Petrov booked for a rash challenge on Wright-Phillips
68 mins - What was I saying??? Given pulls one out of the top drawer to deny Wright-Phillips
65 mins - Villa starting to play one touch football, that's right, one touch football and it's a million times better to route 1 rubbish. Chances few and far between now
57 mins - GOAL FOR VILLA!!! A soft penalty for a slight tug on Gabby. Bannan steps up and slots it right into the corner. Kenny guessed right but couldn't keep it out. Now Villa lets not go into our shell
55 mins - Bannan starting to pull the strings... hold on
51 mins - Only a few minutes into the half but already so much better. We're looking much more positive and it's really livened the game up
47 mins - Bright start to the second half. Zogs playing in Delph whose shot was blocked. More of the same please!
Half Time - Very poor opening 40 minutes with QPR all over us creating opportunities at will. Finally an improvement at the end of the half with Bannan coming so close to scoring with a peach of a free kick (any kids watching, that is perfect technique for an up and over the wall free kick) followed by a small spell of pressure but overall we need more of everything
44 mins - Bannan free kick 25 yards out looked in all the way but kept out excellently by Kenny. Our first shot of the game! Would have been cruel on QPR
42 mins - Villa racking up a couple of corners, met by sarcastic cheers from the Villa fans
40 mins - Crunching tackle from Warnock on Barton earns him the first booking of the match. Barton goes down holding his face when it looked like his face when never touched, typical Barton!
35 mins - More of the same. Gabby looking increasingly isolated up front. The whole team needs to press higher up the pitch as a unit. There's no link between defence, midfield and attack so far
27 mins - Pressure eased on our goal slightly, still nothing going forward though
18 mins - All QPR still. Villa looking laboured and passing and movement is all too slow. MUST IMPROVE
6 mins - Shaky start, Taarabt hits the post with a screamer from 30 yards
15:58 - Kick off in a couple of mins. Come on you Villa boys, 3 points please!!!
Given, Hutton, Collins, Dunne, Warnock, Petrov, Delph, Ireland, N'Zogbia, Bannan, Agbonlahor
Subs: Guzan, Beye, Lowry, Gardner, Albrighton, Delfouneso, Weimann
So then, Stephen Ireland starts his first Premier League game of the season. I guess that means moving Bannan to the wing with Ireland behind Gabby. For me this is a good choice as I am looking forward to see what Ireland can really do on the main stage. I can see a much higher work rate from him recently and I really hope he can prove the doubters wrong because there is no denying that on his day he is a top player.
Also would love to see Gardner and Weimann get some minutes today. I rate them both very highly and Im sure the fact that QPR don't know much them means they could cause a few problems due to the unpredictability of them.
Full Time - 1-1
90+3 mins - 1-1. Heartbreak for Villa. Dunne own goal, could do nothing about it
90+2 mins - Albighton wins a corner
90 mins - Traore sent off for a second yellow for a flying tackle on Albrighton. 5 mins of added time to withstand
88 mins - Gabby with a shot deflected wide. Chance to waste a couple of minutes
87 mins - Another penalty shout for a Hutton handball not given. Would have been harsh
85 mins - Finally Zogs is withdrawn!!! Time for Weimann to show what he can do in the last 5 mins although I can't help but feeling it's going to be all about defending now
84 mins - Villa giving away a couple of cheap free kicks in very good positions
80 mins - Zogs must come off, he's had another shocker
72 mins - Albrighton on for goal scorer Bannan. Not what I would have done but hey ho, I'll judge after 90 minutes
71 mins - Hutton blocks a goalbound header with his arm, let off for Villa
70 mins - Petrov booked for a rash challenge on Wright-Phillips
68 mins - What was I saying??? Given pulls one out of the top drawer to deny Wright-Phillips
65 mins - Villa starting to play one touch football, that's right, one touch football and it's a million times better to route 1 rubbish. Chances few and far between now
57 mins - GOAL FOR VILLA!!! A soft penalty for a slight tug on Gabby. Bannan steps up and slots it right into the corner. Kenny guessed right but couldn't keep it out. Now Villa lets not go into our shell
55 mins - Bannan starting to pull the strings... hold on
51 mins - Only a few minutes into the half but already so much better. We're looking much more positive and it's really livened the game up
47 mins - Bright start to the second half. Zogs playing in Delph whose shot was blocked. More of the same please!
Half Time - Very poor opening 40 minutes with QPR all over us creating opportunities at will. Finally an improvement at the end of the half with Bannan coming so close to scoring with a peach of a free kick (any kids watching, that is perfect technique for an up and over the wall free kick) followed by a small spell of pressure but overall we need more of everything
44 mins - Bannan free kick 25 yards out looked in all the way but kept out excellently by Kenny. Our first shot of the game! Would have been cruel on QPR
42 mins - Villa racking up a couple of corners, met by sarcastic cheers from the Villa fans
40 mins - Crunching tackle from Warnock on Barton earns him the first booking of the match. Barton goes down holding his face when it looked like his face when never touched, typical Barton!
35 mins - More of the same. Gabby looking increasingly isolated up front. The whole team needs to press higher up the pitch as a unit. There's no link between defence, midfield and attack so far
27 mins - Pressure eased on our goal slightly, still nothing going forward though
18 mins - All QPR still. Villa looking laboured and passing and movement is all too slow. MUST IMPROVE
6 mins - Shaky start, Taarabt hits the post with a screamer from 30 yards
15:58 - Kick off in a couple of mins. Come on you Villa boys, 3 points please!!!
Saturday 24 September 2011
Player Profile - 1. Shay Given
So, Shay Given arrived at Villa Park this summer for £3.5 million, and with the performances he has been putting in, he looks like a real bargain. Obviously there is still a question mark over his fitness as he was known for being more injury prone than your average goalkeeper, and he has already picked up a couple of niggles, but so far he has started every Premier League game.
When Brad Friedel departed at the end of last season we were all thinking the same thing, what an act to follow! We had been used to Mr Reliable for the last 3 seasons and the kind of names being mentioned to replace him, Foster and Al Habsi most notably, were prone to making the occasional error. Don't get me wrong, I rate them both quite highly, but for £10 million and £4 million respectively, they aren't a patch on Given. He is cheaper, more consistent and a better shot stopper. I know he is older than them, but he could potentially have another good 3-5 years left in him.
Onto his performances this season. His standout performances came against Fulham on the opening day where he saved us a point with a couple of great stops, and most recently against Newcastle where he made some great saves from Cabaye and even for the goal he made a great save initially and almost kept out the next one which just stayed under the bar. He has single handedly earnt us at least 2 or 3 points aready this season, so from my point of view it is very much money well spent.
Rating - 9/10
QPR Preview - Its All About Midfield
So match day is tomorrow and we are playing a team very much on the rise. QPR have looked increasingly dangerous since their deadline day arrivals and Im sure they will ask more than a few questions of our defence. I know that this season we have been accused of getting too many draws but I think a point tomorrow away at a team on the rise would be a pretty good result.
However I would like to see us going out to win the game, not set up to defend a point like we seem to do away from home this season. Ive got no problem with going 4-5-1 as I expect we will with our current striker shortages that I will touch on later. But to warrant playing this formation we NEED to support the striker. Too often this season we have seen Bent isolated and looking lost due to a lack of support and supply from midfield.
Now with Bent and Heskey injured, the role of lone striker will almost certainly be given to Gabby. Im looking forward to seeing him play that role because pace really worries defences and, unlike Bent, he can create his own chances which is vital when you have a lack of creativity in the midfield like we seem to at the moment. Gabby has been our best player this season in most peoples views, so this is a great chance to show what he can do in his favoured position.
Onto midfield and I think the main question is will Jenas be fit? If he is then I think he must start, simply because our midfield just hasn't worked so far this season. Who knows, Jenas may not be the solution to our problems, but there's only one way to find out. Then there's the question of who the three people supporting Gabby will be? Ive got a feeling that if fit, Jenas will be deployed in the hole, with Bannan and Zogs either side.
As the defence seems to pick itself at the moment, here is my guess of the team:
Given
Hutton Collins Dunne Warnock
Petrov Delph
N'Zogbia Jenas Bannan
Agbonlahor
If Jenas doesn't make it I expect to see Bannan in the hole with Albrighton on the wing.
So there we have it. The key to this game is undoubtedly the midfield, and ours must improve if we are going to win that battle against Joey Barton. Unfortunately my mind is telling me a 2-0 win for QPR because I just can't see us winning the midfield battles and that is where our problems will start.
If you have any opinions on the game or on Villa in general, please leave a comment or tweet me at the link above.
However I would like to see us going out to win the game, not set up to defend a point like we seem to do away from home this season. Ive got no problem with going 4-5-1 as I expect we will with our current striker shortages that I will touch on later. But to warrant playing this formation we NEED to support the striker. Too often this season we have seen Bent isolated and looking lost due to a lack of support and supply from midfield.
Now with Bent and Heskey injured, the role of lone striker will almost certainly be given to Gabby. Im looking forward to seeing him play that role because pace really worries defences and, unlike Bent, he can create his own chances which is vital when you have a lack of creativity in the midfield like we seem to at the moment. Gabby has been our best player this season in most peoples views, so this is a great chance to show what he can do in his favoured position.
Onto midfield and I think the main question is will Jenas be fit? If he is then I think he must start, simply because our midfield just hasn't worked so far this season. Who knows, Jenas may not be the solution to our problems, but there's only one way to find out. Then there's the question of who the three people supporting Gabby will be? Ive got a feeling that if fit, Jenas will be deployed in the hole, with Bannan and Zogs either side.
As the defence seems to pick itself at the moment, here is my guess of the team:
Given
Hutton Collins Dunne Warnock
Petrov Delph
N'Zogbia Jenas Bannan
Agbonlahor
If Jenas doesn't make it I expect to see Bannan in the hole with Albrighton on the wing.
So there we have it. The key to this game is undoubtedly the midfield, and ours must improve if we are going to win that battle against Joey Barton. Unfortunately my mind is telling me a 2-0 win for QPR because I just can't see us winning the midfield battles and that is where our problems will start.
If you have any opinions on the game or on Villa in general, please leave a comment or tweet me at the link above.
Friday 23 September 2011
My Thoughts On Mcleish
Before I start posting some proper articles I thought it would be best to let you know where I am in terms of what I make of Mcleish being in charge.
Now, it came as a shock to me, as it did to pretty much everyone, when he was announced as Villa manager. I did feel underwhelmed after some of the higher profile names that were being linked with the job but it has become apparent to me that those names were probably never going to come, and Mcleish was in fact one of only a few respectable options. I wasn't outraged like some people were and certainly never considered protesting against his appointment because I had already come to terms with the fact we are being left behind by the bigger clubs. Mcleish should be able to offer stability and after the year we have had, stability is what I want.
Obviously the start hasn't been ideal and we probably should have had a few more points on the board with the teams we have faced, but there are some positives. The main one for me is that the defence now looks like a unit again after a shocking year last time out. Richard Dunne looks like a completely new player, possibly even better than his first season for us. Also his compatriot Shay Given has been a revelation! We all knew he was a very talented goalkeeper but I dont think many of us realised just how good he is, in many peoples minds an upgrade from Big Brad. Gabby Agbonlahor has been given a new lease of life under Mcleish after his horrid time under Houllier and we are starting to see the emergence of a player that I rate very highly, Barry Bannan.
So overall I am going to give my full support to Mcleish as I believe that throwing constant criticism does more harm than good. I won't criticise people who do express negativity towards him as I believe that everybody is entitled to their opinion and I look forward to hearing those opinions. I try to stay positive as much as I can but I tend to give a more balanced view and let others draw their own conclusions.
Now, it came as a shock to me, as it did to pretty much everyone, when he was announced as Villa manager. I did feel underwhelmed after some of the higher profile names that were being linked with the job but it has become apparent to me that those names were probably never going to come, and Mcleish was in fact one of only a few respectable options. I wasn't outraged like some people were and certainly never considered protesting against his appointment because I had already come to terms with the fact we are being left behind by the bigger clubs. Mcleish should be able to offer stability and after the year we have had, stability is what I want.
Obviously the start hasn't been ideal and we probably should have had a few more points on the board with the teams we have faced, but there are some positives. The main one for me is that the defence now looks like a unit again after a shocking year last time out. Richard Dunne looks like a completely new player, possibly even better than his first season for us. Also his compatriot Shay Given has been a revelation! We all knew he was a very talented goalkeeper but I dont think many of us realised just how good he is, in many peoples minds an upgrade from Big Brad. Gabby Agbonlahor has been given a new lease of life under Mcleish after his horrid time under Houllier and we are starting to see the emergence of a player that I rate very highly, Barry Bannan.
So overall I am going to give my full support to Mcleish as I believe that throwing constant criticism does more harm than good. I won't criticise people who do express negativity towards him as I believe that everybody is entitled to their opinion and I look forward to hearing those opinions. I try to stay positive as much as I can but I tend to give a more balanced view and let others draw their own conclusions.
Welcome
As this is my first post I would like to give a brief outline of what my blog is going to be about. Obviously by the title you have probably figured out that I am going to be discussing topics revolving around Aston Villa Football Club.
I am a lifetime supporter and currently a season ticket holder in the Upper Trinity. I will be posting previews to matches and the reaction after the games as well as any other stories which may come up. The purpose of the blog is to provide information and personal opinions about Aston Villa as well as encouraging people to leave comments and get involved themselves.
So now I've got that out of the way, lets begin!
I am a lifetime supporter and currently a season ticket holder in the Upper Trinity. I will be posting previews to matches and the reaction after the games as well as any other stories which may come up. The purpose of the blog is to provide information and personal opinions about Aston Villa as well as encouraging people to leave comments and get involved themselves.
So now I've got that out of the way, lets begin!
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