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!

Give Weimann A Chance!!!

I write this for a couple of very simple reasons.  The first one is obviously the fact that Bent is now out for the rest of the season.  The next reason is the fact that everyone who has ever worked or played with him has always given him rave reviews and can't stop banging on about how good a goalscorer he is.

So why not play him!!! As much as I like Gabby he will never be a goalscorer.  I know he has had seasons where he has been in double figures but in terms of goal scoring ability he will never be the best.  Then we have Heskey, need I go on?

But on our hands we have what Darren Bent described as one of the best natural finishers he has seen in a long, long time.  Surely he must be given his chance to prove himself now that the opportunity has arised.  However it wouldn't surprise me to see Big Eck play Heskey as a lone striker!

But lets just wait and see...

Optimism Mixed With Fear

It seems so long since my last post.  In fact I think it was just after the 2-1 defeat to West Brom when I last wrote an article.  I must apologise for the lack of posts but it has been a hectic few weeks but I'm committed to making this blog a success so my attention is now fully focussed on giving you, the reader, a good read about all things Villa.  So, let's start with a look ahead to Monday's match with Spurs shall we...

I've just checked the table and noticed that if Spurs win thier 2 games in hand they will rise to 2nd in the table! And the way they are playing it is a real possibility.  I would love to go into this game with confidence but whenever I start feeling optimistic, my mind switches to our full backs.  Warnock against Lennon and Walker is bad enough but when you add Hutton against Bale to the equation, the outlook doesn't look good.  Then they have Van der Vaart, Modric and Parker against Petrov and Herd which just adds to the woes.

On a positive note I definately feel as though we can make chances against anyone now that Gabby and Bent have formed a potentially lethal partnership.  We need Gabby to be at his best to stand any chance of getting something out of the game.  It is a potentially very high scoring game.  Over recent years our games together have been very tight affairs and usually full of drama, but this time around I think we need to rely on Tottenham's midfield to have an off day to make it a close game.  Nevertheless that won't stop me believing we can take all 3 points in great style, no matter how impossible that may seem.  That's the feeling I get before every game and that will never change, so bring it on!

West Brom: PREVIEW

Match day is upon us once again, and we are back at the home comforts of Villa Park.  The fact we are at home makes me think we should be going out all guns blazing to try and win this one.  After the submission at Man City I'm sure Eck will have the players fited up for this.

Despite this, I can't see there being many goals in this one.  West Brom are generally a solid team under Roy Hodgson and, apart from last week, so are we.  I'm expecting a very close faught game and predicting a 1-0 home win with Gabby grabbing the goal. 

In my previous post I stated what team I would like to see being played but this is what I think Mcleish will go for today:

                     Given

Hutton  Collins  Dunne  Warnock

                    Petrov

        Bannan           Delph

                     Ireland

               Gabby    Bent

It will be similar to the diamond we played against Wigan and I for one wouldn't be too disappointed to see that.  It seemed to work well last time so it deserves to be given another chance.

All in all I think we need to win today to give us a bit of a boost.  As we all know, we are drawing too frequently and even though a draw against the Baggies isn't bad, I feel it is needed.

Which Way Forward

There has been a lot of debate over the last few games about Mcleish playing the wrong formation and the wrong players in the wrong positions etc. This begs the question though, what formation do we think would be the best way forward?

Ive thought long and hard about this for a while now and tried to take into consideration everything I have witnessed so far this season. The key thing for me is to get players playing in their natural positions where they know their jobs and can just focus on playing rather than trying to please the manager by sticking to his position. After considering all the possibilities I have come up with 2 line-ups that I would like to see be given a go.

Option 1

Given

Hutton/Herd Collins Dunne Warnock

Petrov/Clark

Jenas (if fit) Bannan

Ireland

Bent Agbonlahor

Option 2

Given

Hutton/Herd Collins Dunne Warnock

Clark/Petrov

Ireland Bannan

N’Zogbia Bent Agbonlahor

The first option is kind of what we saw against Wigan but with a couple of personnel changes. It seemed to work well in that game but perhaps that was just down to Wigan being a very poor team. The second option potentially offers a bit more width if Gabby and Zogs pull out wide but I appreciate that they both like to cut in so perhaps Albrighton might be a better choice instead of N’Zogbia.

All in all there are so many possibilities that we are all going to have our own preferences on what we believe is the right formation to take us forward. Those are my choices, but I would love to know what everybody else thinks.

Agbonlahor Could Be A Superstar - Angel

Old Aston Villa favourite Juan Pablo Angel has come out and said how well he feels Agbonlahor is playing and says that he has all the attributes to make him a world class player.  I think this is replicating what most Villa fans are thinking after watching his performances so far this season, and hopefully Juan Pablo is correct in his belief that he will become a superstar.

He said:

“I do remember him from my time at Villa but he was only a young player who made his debut when I was there,”

“It was hard to tell whether he would make it.

 “He had everything to make him a superstar, most of all the one tool that is extremely important in the modern game, which is his speed.

 “But he was still young and at the end of the day it was up to him.

 “It was hard to tell whether he was going to be a world class player or not.

 “He started to become more involved with Martin O’Neill and he has now developed into a more mature player.

 “What I have seen in him this year is very encouraging.

 “I’m sure he would have been disappointed with having the season he had last year.

 “Now he has something to prove. He’ll want to be back in the England frame and he’ll want to give himself the chance to be the player he wants to be.”

 “His speed is always going to give him a good chance to start with,”

 “He has the tools but it’s up to him how much he wants to improve and how willing he is to do the things he has to do to become a world-class player.

 “He’s in an environment and a league that will give him all the opportunities.

 “He looks a lot stronger now. When I saw him at the beginning of last year, I noticed he had put on some weight in terms of muscles and strength.

 “I guess if he knew that speed wasn’t enough he wanted to become more powerful too.

 “He’s giving himself every opportunity and you can tell he is more confident using his body because he will not get out-muscled.”

Spurs Want Agbonlahor

Some interesting articles coming out today saying that Harry Redknapp wants to sign Gabby Agbonlahor in January.  I can believe that there is an interest there but what I can't believe is that Gabby would even consider leaving.  He has said before that he wants to stay at Villa for life and I fully believe him.  The figure floating around was £20 million and that speaks volumes for his progress this year.

Player Profile - 11. Gabriel Agbonlahor

The local lad Gabby Agbonlahor has become a fans favourite over the past few years. He is a Villa fan living the dream and he is one of only a few people in the squad who truly knows how much of a privelage it is to play for your club. I think that was the main reason for the sadness people felt for him last year when he just couldn't come up with the goods and it looked like he might be on his way out.

Thankfully for the fans and himself, he has made an amazing resurgence back to the top of his game, leaving defences quaking in their boots. He's even starting to look clinical in front of goal! 4 goals already this season tops what he made in the whole of last season, and his ability to create a goal out of nothing is something that nobody else in the squad possesses so to have him back at his best could easily gain us an extra 10 points this season.

I don't think that there is any doubt that if he can keep this form up and stay fit then he should be given a chance in the England squad, and possibly even get on the plane to the Euro's. Not only does he possess great pace and danger, but he has now also added versatility to his list of attributes which, for Capello, makes him a great addition to the squad if he is to go to the championships.

Rating - 9/10

Man City: PREVIEW

Possibly the toughest game we will play all season. We rolled over twice last season at Eastlands and Man City have strengthened a lot since then. However, despite the departures of key players in our squad I believe we will put up much more of a fight this time around. A new found solidity at the back means we should hopefully not concede any cheap goals and force them to use the undoubted quality at their disposal to break us down. Last season it was all too easy for them, but I think we could be a much tougher task than they are anticipating.

Now we get on to the injuries. Man City are thankfully without Sergio Aguero for the match tomorrow so it will most likely be Balotelli to replace him. For us we are without Jenas still as he looks to overcome an achilles injury and Nathan Delfouneso is out with a minor hamstring tear. Ireland, Bannan and Agbonlahor have all overcome injuries to be fit for the trip to the Etihad Stadium so at least we can put out a strong team to have a realistic chance of perhaps taking something back to Villa Park.

My team prediction:

                    Given

Hutton  Collins  Dunne  Warnock

              Petrov  Delph

     Bannan  Ireland  Agbonlahor

                     Bent

From what Mcleish said in an interview after the Wigan game he made it seem quite clear that he wouldn't stick with the diamond for this match. I think he will play a much more solid base and try and hit them on the break with the pace of Gabby, and I think this is the only way we can be competitive against a side better than us in all parts of the pitch. I honestly believe we could win a hard earned point if we put in a real gutsy performance. A win would be unbelievable and I don't think anyone is predicting a Villa win, but it's not an impossibilty. Keep believing and it might just happen!

Gabby Declared Fit

It gives me great pleasure to announce that Villa's main man Gabby Agbonlahor will more than likely be fully fit to take on title contenders Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

He has seen a specialist about his back problem and it appears as though he has overcome it. If we are to have any chance of coming away with a result it is vital that Gabby is playing as he is the only one in the squad who can stretch the City defence.

Wigan MOTM - Gabby Agbonlahor

The poll for the MOTM against Wigan closed yesterday and the result is very much as you would expect. Gabby Agbonlahor cruised to top of the poll claiming the award with Barry Bannan the runner up, however he didn't even come close to Gabby.

Gabby As Good As Ronaldo???

Stan Petrov has come out today and claimed that our very own Gabby Agbonlahor is in the same bracket as Cristiano Ronaldo! Now I know that Gabby is playing some great stuff at the moment but come on! To claim that he is in the same bracket as arguably the second best player in the world is ridiculous, all Gabby has done is destroy Wigan's defence, WIGAN'S DEFENCE!

Don't get me wrong, I love Gabby and I think he is the key to our season, and I know he has played well against other teams this season but we haven't come up against top quality opposition yet so the Man City game will tell us a lot more.

Petrov Said:

"People talk about Ronaldo, but when you look at the assets of Gabby, you can put him in the same bracket,"

"I have always said to him, 'You don't know how good you are and the ability you have'. He can take this Premier League by storm. Not many people have what he's got.

"He has the strength, the speed, he scores goals and he creates them. I'm trying to give him the encouragement. I thought Gabby was absolutely outstanding in the win over Wigan. That's the Gabby we know, taking people on. Players are so scared of his pace. The game against Wigan was all about Gabby. He was brilliant."

Mcleish Impressed By Strike Duo

There is no arguing that against Wigan on Saturday the partnership of Gabby and Bent started to look very dangerous, earning various rave reviews from the media. Today it was the managers turn to praise them.

He said:

“Gabby was very understanding of Darren’s prowess and fully understood why we were still persevering with Bent through the middle,”

“You’ve got to hold your hand up to that. The guy had scored a lot of goals previously with Sunderland. But I’m glad Gabby has shown magnificent fight to get himself into this team because I know he loves Villa.

“I’ve got a gem on my hands if I can keep improving him. I heard Gabby added muscle last season. He’s a powerful beast with great feet. He’s a kid that can get even better.”

“Can they play together? Definitely, Benty’s role slightly changes when they are a partnership in that they try to dovetail each other and help each other when we are against the ball.

“I can’t just have one guy chasing back all the time. But Benty put in a real shift having been out for a few weeks, which is why we put the subs board up with 20 to go.

“Gabby has that frightening pace. Benty would love to have that extra asset. Darren is no slouch, he is quick enough, but he wins a lot of the aerial jousts.

“If the two of them can continue to make the ball stick then great because that’s where we’ve not been 100 per cent in the last few weeks.”

Bent In England Squad

So the England squad has been announced and it comes as no surprise that Darren Bent is our sole contributor to the squad. I'm sure that Gabby would have made the squad if it wasn't for his back injury mentioned in an earlier post. Lets just hope the Bent doesn't get himself injured, that's always my worry when I see our players on international duty!

Petrov Bigs Up Gabby

Stiliyan Petrov has come out today and praised Gabby Agbonlahor after his Man of the Match display against Wigan yesterday.  He talks about what he is capable of and how he is deserving of an England call up.

He said:

"Against Wigan is the way Gabby plays - that is his strength. If he manages to use it every game, teams would be scared.

"Look at Wigan. Every time he picked up the ball they were going backwards because they were scared to go closer to him.

"That is Gabby. We know what he can do. He does it every day in training and he has been doing it more consistently.

"That is what makes good players - being consistent every game. That will make you a world-class player. I don't think there should be any doubt about Fabio Capello picking Gabby for England.

"I wouldn't even think about it. He deserves to be there. He has great ambitions and we will probably see him back in the England jersey."

Gabby to see a specialist

Gabby has revealed that his ongoing back problem has forced him to see a specialist over the international break. Hopefully for our sake its not a major issue (it obviously hasn't been affecfing him too badly!). Without him in our side we lose our one man who can create a chance out of nothing simply down to his immense pace. Obviously this should mean he won't be in the England squad but that doesn't bother me as whenever Villa players are playing for England I spend the whole game worrying about them getting injured.

This is what Gabby said:

"I've got a back problem which I'm going to get sorted during the international break.

"I'm going to see a specialist about it - but overall I feel okay and I feel good about things.

"The manager knows what I am capable of and has given all the players the confidence to go out and do their best."

Gabby Steals The Show

Such a nice feeling to be relaxing on a Saturday evening on the back of 3 points for the Villa!  And I think it's fair to say that we owe pretty much all of it to Gabby Agbonlahor.  I actually thought he started the game poorly, giving the ball away a bit too easily and not making the most of promising positions.  However as soon as he scored his goal he seemed to turn into a man possessed.

First things first I think that goal deserves a mention.  Bannan, who had a very impressive game before fading late on, sending an inch perfect ball down the left for Gabby to run on to.  He then ran at his marker, cut inside and rifled an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net.  It was a taster of what Gabby has to offer this season if he can keep up his level of performances.  He has the speed to terrorise any defence in the league and now he is starting to develop some skill to go with it which can make him unplayable at times.  He is also starting to improve his level of finishing which makes him even more dangerous as now he doesn't need 3 or 4 chances before he will take one.

For the second goal he went on a magnificent run down the left, leaving Emmerson Boyce for dead before delivering a perfectly placed cross for Bent to volley home his first goal in front of the Holte End so a special congratulations to him.  As for Gabby's role in the goal, there is nobody else in our squad who has the ability to do that, his pace being the key factor but now he is finally starting to use his pace more effectively.

Other than Gabby, I felt there were plenty of other positives to take from the game.  As mentioned earlier, I felt that Barry Bannan looked very creative and created pretty much all of our chances in the first half before almost scoring a cracking 25 yarder in the second half.  Stephen Ireland is far from the finished article but I saw moments of promise and I feel that given a lengthy run of games in the first team he could become a key figure this season for us.  As ever the defence looked solid, and I was especially pleased with Warnock's display.  I thought he was terrific today.  Last but not least another mention to Shay Given, who after being so quiet for most of the game came up with a couple of quality stops to preserve a clean sheet which will go down well in the camp.

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."