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!!!

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!

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!

Sunderland: PREVIEW

Another match day and once again I feel as though we need at least a point from the game.  Results have not been going our way recently for one reason or another, and it's about time we added to our points tally.

Sunderland are a vulnerable side at the moment.  They enjoyed a good victory over Bolton last week but I feel that if we can get at them early on and maybe take an early lead, we should be able to control the game.  We should be looking to start like we did against West Brom and hope that the ref doesn't ruin the game again.

Despite the loss of Bannan, we will go into the game with a strong looking squad.  Herd's suspension written off, Hutton fit and so is Jermaine Jenas who could make his debut finally.  Lets just hope he doesn't pick up another knock in the next 24 hours!  I expect Mcleish to look to try and steady the ship with a solid point, even though this is a very winnable game, so I expect the following line up:

                     Given

Hutton  Collins  Dunne  Warnock

              Petrov  Delph

  N'Zogbia  Ireland  Agbonlahor

                     Bent

I don't think Jenas will start but I expect him to play some part in the game.  I would love to see Herd keep his place but I can't see it happening and the same applies to Cuellar.  He's so reliable but managers always seem to want him as back up which is very unfair to him.

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.

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!

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.