SIGNING - Holman

So we have our first summer signing and it is one that I guess most people won't have guessed.  We have agreed to sign Brett Holman from AZ Alkmaar on a free transfer at the end of the season.

He is an Australian international and can play on the wing or behind the striker.  Perhaps this is paving the way for a departure, possibly Ireland as his wages are rather large.  I hope this is not the case but it wouldn't surprise me one bit.

Nevertheless I welcome you Brett Holman to Aston Villa Football Club and hope your stay here is a successful one.

Who Is The Mystery Bosman

Mat Kendrick suggesting today that we are close to announcing the signing of a Bosman/Free Transfer. Gregg Wylde is the obvious name and rumours are that he has been spotted at Bodymoor Heath so it looks like Mcleish is on the verge of another signing.

Lets hope this one is a bit better than the previous ones!

EDIT

It appears it is NOT Gregg Wylde after all! Mcleish keeping his cards close to his chest, but my money is on Ivica Olic.

Has The Defence Turned A Corner?

After conceding just once in our last 3 games, has our defence finally sorted itself out?

There is no doubt that the injury to Richard Dunne has been a blessing in disguise due to the fact it has forced Mcleish to play King Carlos in his favoured position. Since he has been there he has been virtually MOTM every game. Lets just hope we offer him a new contract very soon!

Collins alongside him seems to have cut out the silly errors which were costing us vital points which is another bonus. Perhaps that is down to playing next to a calming influence for a change!

Also our full backs seem to be turning their form around. Warnock seems to have recovered after a horrendous couple of months and Alan Hutton has actually been looking pretty decent in the last few games. Both could be better going forward but seem to have at least cut out the mistakes at the back.

Im not going to go overboard and say we have a top defence but we certainly do not have a poor one at this moment in time. I still believe we need to replace Warnock in the summer, or perhaps try out Lichaj, but maybe we dont need the massive defensive overhaul we thought we did earlier in the season.

Massive Win - A Star Is Born

I will admit I got it wrong! I didnt see this coming today but im absolutely thrilled it has. There is no greater feeling than a last minute winner and the fact Weimann got it made it all the better. I along with many others have been calling for him to get his chance and he has become an instant hero with a winner at the Holte End.

This result puts to bed any lingering doubt of relegation, it seems as though Wigan, Wolves and QPR are destined for that after todays results. Now we can look to the future and start to try a few things differently.

I think today will be the making of Andi Weimann, its what he has dreamt of for years and the celebrations were just a joy to watch and be a part of! He must start next game, although I doubt he will. We need to start giving the likes of Weimann and Gardner starts rather than cameos because they are the future of Aston Villa and the more they play, the better they will get.

Hopefully today is a turning point, but it definately highlighted one thing, the youngsters hold the key to our success.

SPECULATION - Pogrebnyak

On the day of the Fulham game Mcleish has come out snd stated that he has been looking at their in form striker Pavel Pogrebnyak for the past few years.

There is no doubt that if we could get him on a free in the summer it would be fantastic but I cant see him joining us above Fulham. Surely Fulham will be in for him in the summer so why would he join us ahead of them? I just cant see it happening, but at least we are looking at quality!

A Tough Game - The Run Will Go On

So on the eve of the Fulham game and I cant help thinking that they will rip us apart.  In recent weeks they have started to look very decent, with the Pogrebnyak and Johnson partnership starting to flourish with Dempsey just behind.

This doesn't bode well for us as we struggle to find that elusive victory.  With Fulham on fire I can only see a comfortable defeat and another miserable weekend.

Still I will go to the game tomorrow ready to cheer on our brave Villa boys and believe that anything is possible.  Lets end this horrendous record asap!!!

SPECULATION - Lukimya-Mulongoti

Another link to a defender, it seems the press have picked up on the fact we need to strengthen in that area. This time we have been linked with Dusseldorf's Lukimya-Mulongoti who i s a Congo international with ambitions of playing in the EPL.

He has welcomed the link with AVFC but as I know very little about him it is hard for me to judge him. Lets hope he's another Chris Samba!

Gabby Admits Fans Affect The Team - Time For Support

As if we didn't know already, Gabby Agbonlahor has come out and said that the fans negativity is affecting the players.  This almost seems like a cry for help off one of Villa's most loved players.  The fact that the fans have become so negative towards the team it has required the players to come out and almost beg the fans to get behind the team is very sad.

We have all been very negative this year, including myself, and there have been valid reasons for it.  However it's got to the stage now where we are having a major impact on the team and that is unacceptable.  As fans we are supposed to be the '12th man' but instead we appear to be the oppositions '12th man' in some games.  So now I am calling for the fans to put their agenda's away for the time being and sing louder than we have ever sung before because god knows we need too now!

Lets drive the boys over the winning line against Fulham on saturday and show them what true support is!

SPECULATION - Wylde

Obvious link today from the Daily Mail saying we are the front runners to sign Greg Wylde who left Rangers this week.  I hope it's not true and just lazy journalism but somehow i can just see this being true!

Another Hot Prospect Tied Down

AVFC today announced that 17 year old winger Jordan Graham has signed his first professional contact at the club which will keep him here until 2014.  I've seen this kid play for the youth and reserve teams and there is no doubting the fact that he is something special.  A bag of tricks and someone we must keep hold of.

Yet another name to add to the list of AVFC graduates! Lets hope he can make it to the first team before too long.

Cuellar Wants To Stay

Carlos Cuellar has lifted the lid on the his current situation regarding contract talks at Villa.  He claims that he has not yet recieved a contract offer, but despite recieving interest elsewhere he is holding out for an offer from AVFC.  He says he is enjoying it here and wants to stay so will put AVFC to the top of his priority list, which is great news!

There is no denying that Carlos is a top professional and more than competent defender and has earnt a place in Villa fans hearts, including mine.  The one thing that I'm not happy about is that we are yet to offer him a deal.  Perhaps Mcleish is just biding his time but if he isn't offered a new deal I'm certain there will be quite a few disgruntled supporters.

Sign This Mcleish Out Petition

Before I start I would just like to clarify that this is not my petition, it was created from the people of mcleishout.co.uk and they must take the credit.

Now I know I have said in the past that I don't want to be seen as biased but screw that! I want Mcleish out just as much as the next fan so anything that could help with his removal must be supported.

As I write this it has been signed 1111 times out of the 10000 target. My signature is there and I hope yours will be too!

http://www.petitiononline.co.uk/petition/removal-of-alex-mcleish-as-aston-villa-manager-before-its-too-late/4196

Great Work By Villa

AVFC stated today that their tickets for schools campaign has now signed up a whopping 50 local primary schools!  This is some great work by Villa trying to get the new generation of die hard supporters at an early age.

If you are not familiar with the scheme it basically just involves Villa giving 1000 free tickets to the schools in the scheme who can then sell on at a very low price to the kids.  It's a win win situation for everyone involved and a great way to try and keep attendances at a respectable level.  Some fantastic off the field work by Villa, but still a lot of work to do on it!

Lerner Makes An Appearance

Stan Petrov has recently lifted the lid on Randy's involvement with AVFC.  He says that the chaiman is a regular visitor of the training ground and is keeping all the players up to date with the ambition and direction the club is taking.

This is good to hear but doesn't really provide the fans with the news we have been waiting for.  Its all well and good being open with the players and being involved but at the end of the day we have a manager in Mcleish that is not going to take us anywhere but down it is all irrelevant.  Grow a pair Randy and do the kindest thing for our great club, SACK HIM!

Ireland And N'Zogbia Hold The Key

With 11 games left to go, as I posted yesterday, we are pretty much safe.  Despite this, I still can't see us picking up many more points looking at the teams we still have to face.  I think the key to our success in these games is the performances of Ireland and N'Zogbia.

In the first half at Blackburn they were terrific.  I know many of you will say it was because Blackburn were so poor but at the end of the day they capitalised on that and showed the quality they possess.  Obviously it is going to be tougher for them to produce that kind of performance against the better sides but I believe they have turned a corner recently and will continue to get better and better.

If they do get better and better then we can definately expect to score a few goals along the way to the end of a dismal season, and possibly win a game!  However if they don't then we can expect to see the same old dross such as the Wigan game where we will settle for a point under any circumstances.

SPECULATION - Rasmus Elm

It seems as though the summer transfer speculation has begun, an exciting time for us all!  Unfortunately I feel this year is going to be a pretty depressing summer due to the position we are in although this link is a good one.

It seems as though our scout in Holland has picked out Rasmus Elm from AZ Alkmaar.  He is a Swedish midfielder, and as we all know midfield is an area that definately needs strengthening.  He turned down Rubin Kazan in January because he didn't want to move to Russia so perhaps we have a chance with this one!

SPECULATION - Guzan On His Way?

After being linked to Joe Lewis from Peterborough over the weekend it put a question mark over the future of Brad Guzan.  It's been well publicised that he has yet to agree to a new contract at Villa and at this stage in his career he needs to be playing first team football.

This has sparked a rumour linking him with a move to Ipswich.  Now there are 2 reasons why I really don't want this to happen.  The first is that I really rate him and was very impressed with him over the winter when he stood in for Given and he would be a bad loss.  The second is that if he is going to move, then surely it should be to another Premier League team.  He is definately Prem quality and I feel he would be wasted in the Fizzy Pop league.

You've Written Your Chapter, Now Get Lost!

The title refers to Mcleish's first press conference as Villa manager when he said that he would like to write his own chapter in Villa's history.  He has certainly done that I think it's safe to say!  With all the hype leading up to him joining it would have been impossible for him not to write a chapter in our history.  So, now he has successfully gone down in Villa's history, why stay?

I don't have anything against the man personally, I'm sure he's a great guy once you get to know him.  But from a managerial perspective he has looked out of his depth from the moment he joined and has failed to win over the Villa faithful that had their doubts about him (to put it lightly!).

The longer he stays at the club, the more damage he is going to cause and we really can't afford much more damage after the past couple of years.  So my message to Mcleish, you've successfully written your own chapter in Villa's history, now if you truly are a decent man you will leave us ASAP and let us get on with rebuilding the club.

Please!!!!!

8 Point Gap - No Chance Of Relegation

After watching Fulham's 5-0 drubbing of Wolves I thought to myself that with not long to go in the season, 8 points is surely a big enough gap to keep us from the relegation dogfight.

Wolves look so so poor with a manager still learning the ropes, surely they are doomed.  Wigan looked dreadful at home to Swansea and surely they have used up their 9 lives by now.  Blackburn can't even keep a clean sheet at home to Villa which tells it's own story!  QPR still haven't found their feet under Mark Hughes which I must say has surprised me.  Then there is Bolton who have been poor all season and have never really looked like going on a winning run.

So with just 11 games to go can you really see at least 3 of the teams below us overhauling an effective 9 point gap if you look at goal difference?  I certainly can't!  I would be surprised if we needed anything more than just 2 or 3 more points if that due to the garbage that is sitting below us.  I know we have a tough run to the end of the season but even we're not that bad that we will not be able to pick up 3 points in 11 games are we?  I bloody well hope not!

One thing is for sure though, if Mcleish is still here next season then I really don't fancy our chances of survival.  But for now, I'm pretty confident of securing Premier League status next year.  We certainly can't afford to relax, but if we can just scrape a few more points we have absolutely nothing to worry about this season.

No Substance To Mcleish Rumours

It was only really wishful thinking that the rumours of Mcleish walking or being given the boot were true. Despite deep down knowing that was no chance of them being true, the fantasy was fun while it lasted!

If anything as major as this was actually happening then surely we would have heard something by now, if not by the club by someone else surely? Also the rumours of a press conference being taken place on Monday morning were rubbished by Mat Kendrick saying he had heard nothing about it. That is good enough evidence for me to know that it's not happening.

Maybe the day will come in the next couple of months where we do finally hear the news we have all been dying for, but sadly not this week.

Another Draw - More Chances Wasted

Our football was a breath of fresh air in the first half, but it was clear that it was only because Blackburn were afraid to go anywhere near us!  Ireland and N'Zogbia were given so much room and they took advantage with very good performances, a cracking goal by the latter and things were all looking very good indeed.

But the fact we were only 1-0 up at half time meant we all knew what the second half was going to be.  It was obvious we would go out there to hold on to the lead at any cost, but even I was stunned at just how much of a Blackburn precession it was!  We couldn't string 2 passes together for most of it and our goal was becoming increasingly more threatened.  Finally the inevitable goal came and surprise, surprise it came from a cross.

But then the most frustrating part is that as soon as they equalised we came back into it!  So why couldn't we have played like that at 1-0?  Whether it's the mindset of the players or the influence of Mcleish, it is quite simply not good enough.  We have been like it all season and has cost us a hatful of points.  We quite simply are not good enough to sit back for 45 minutes.

Weimann must have been pretty cheesed off at only getting a 2 minute run out, I mean what's the bloody point of that!?  Even it that 2 mins he won a corner with a deflected header, he simply has to play longer.  At least give him 20 mins at the end of the game because just giving him stoppage time every now and then is never going to aid his development.

Anyway, a point is a point.  I feel like I have said that a lot this season!  I'm fairly comfortable of staying up now as I can't see the teams below us earning much more than 10 points for the rest of the season so if we can pick up a point here and there we will be fine.  Mcleish has certainly done himself no favours today but it could have been worse so all we can do now is just continue to get behind the team (once again fantastic away support) and hope things take a turn for the better.

Time To Stand Up And Be Counted

As we approach the crunch game against Blackburn this weekend one thing is certain, DEFEAT IS NOT AN OPTION!  If we were to come away with nothing then there is absolutely no doubt we're in a relegation battle.  At the moment we still have an 8 point gap to the bottom three so victory would make me feel pretty confident that we won't get dragged into the mix.  Defeat would be a whole different story though and would leave in a very precarious position with a horrific run of games at the end of the season.

With Petrov back in training I expect Mcleish to go for an experienced side to try and get us out of trouble so I definately expect him to feature.  There is no doubt that we need our captain at a time like this.  With that in mind this is what I expect the team to be:

                            Given

Hutton      Collins      Cuellar      Warnock

                   Petrov        Gardner 
Albrighton                                   N'Zogbia

                            Ireland

                        Agbonlahor

As I mentioned in an earlier post I would love Weimann to get his chance but I can't see him starting such an important game.  I wouldn't however be surprised to see him get a substitute appearance from what Mcleish has been saying about him.  Also good to hear that he is planning to play Ireland as a second striker, in my opinion by far his most effective position and will hopefully be an opportunity that he capitalises on.

As for the scoreline my head is saying 2-1 Blackburn but my heart is going 2-1 Villa with Weimann coming off the bench to score the winner and become an instant hero!