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...
Showing posts with label Darren Bent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Darren Bent. Show all posts
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
Sunday, 20 November 2011
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!
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!
Saturday, 15 October 2011
A Long Way To Go
I think a lot of Villa fans were expecting a scoreline similar to 4-1, perhaps not quite as bad, but it's the way in which we conceded the goals that annoyed me. I said before the match that I thought had learnt our lesson since last year and we wouldn't concede any cheap goals, but here we are, talking yet again about sloppy goals.
It seems as though Warnock is never going to learn how to be a 'solid' defender. Yes he has his good days, Wigan being one of them, but I have voiced my concerns about hi in the past and he is doing nothing to change my mind. He is an accident waiting to happen every single game, and against Man City he is starting to make a habit of having shockers. Surely Ciaran Clark deserves a chance at left back against West Brom. I know he isn't a left back, but he was more solid last season than Warnock has been recently so that change can't hurt.
Our other full back, Hutton, is another accident waiting to happen. I know a lot of Villa fans have said that they feel Chris Herd should be given more of a chance and I have to say that I agree. Hutton has looked dodgy since joining and Herd has only played one Premier League game and he got MOTM. Surely it's a no brainer!
Moving on to midfield, and it pains me to say it, but Delph just doesn't seem up to it at this level. I could see glimpses earlier in the season of a real quality player but his past few performances have been getting increasingly ropy and it must be time for him to be dropped. I would like to see us revert back to the diamond midfield that we saw against Wigan as it made us attack with a bit more intent and it wasn't too 'structured' where everyone has a fixed position and is afraid to move out of it.
Up front Bent didn't really have a sniff once again. It is more understandable against top quality opposition but he must be getting more and more frustrated by the game. Reverting back to the diamond midfield I think will create a lot more chances for Bent, as long as Bannan is on the pitch as he looks like the only player in the team who is actually focused on trying to release him.
This is the team I would like to see line up against the Baggies:
Given
Herd Collins Dunne Clark
Petrov
Bannan Jenas
Ireland
Bent Agbonlahor
I know the odds of Mcleish making all these changes is next to nothing, but that is the team I would personally like to see. If Jenas still hasn't recovered then I would like to see Gary Gardner given a start alongside Bannan. People keep on giving him rave reviews so it's about time we saw if he has what it takes. He can't be any worse than Delph has been recently.
It seems as though Warnock is never going to learn how to be a 'solid' defender. Yes he has his good days, Wigan being one of them, but I have voiced my concerns about hi in the past and he is doing nothing to change my mind. He is an accident waiting to happen every single game, and against Man City he is starting to make a habit of having shockers. Surely Ciaran Clark deserves a chance at left back against West Brom. I know he isn't a left back, but he was more solid last season than Warnock has been recently so that change can't hurt.
Our other full back, Hutton, is another accident waiting to happen. I know a lot of Villa fans have said that they feel Chris Herd should be given more of a chance and I have to say that I agree. Hutton has looked dodgy since joining and Herd has only played one Premier League game and he got MOTM. Surely it's a no brainer!
Moving on to midfield, and it pains me to say it, but Delph just doesn't seem up to it at this level. I could see glimpses earlier in the season of a real quality player but his past few performances have been getting increasingly ropy and it must be time for him to be dropped. I would like to see us revert back to the diamond midfield that we saw against Wigan as it made us attack with a bit more intent and it wasn't too 'structured' where everyone has a fixed position and is afraid to move out of it.
Up front Bent didn't really have a sniff once again. It is more understandable against top quality opposition but he must be getting more and more frustrated by the game. Reverting back to the diamond midfield I think will create a lot more chances for Bent, as long as Bannan is on the pitch as he looks like the only player in the team who is actually focused on trying to release him.
This is the team I would like to see line up against the Baggies:
Given
Herd Collins Dunne Clark
Petrov
Bannan Jenas
Ireland
Bent Agbonlahor
I know the odds of Mcleish making all these changes is next to nothing, but that is the team I would personally like to see. If Jenas still hasn't recovered then I would like to see Gary Gardner given a start alongside Bannan. People keep on giving him rave reviews so it's about time we saw if he has what it takes. He can't be any worse than Delph has been recently.
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Player Profile - 9. Darren Bent
I've been looking forward to doing this Player Profile since I started the blog! The reason is simple, there is pretty much nothing negative to say about him so far. He was bought when we were in a crisis, possibly a panic buy, but he was totally worth every penny that we payed for him. He single handedly kept us in the league last season with a series of crucial goals. He had an unforgettable debut as he scored the winner against a team that Villa fans in particular have grown to hate. He grabbed 2 goals against Arsenal aswell in a fantastic victory at the Emirates.
This season he has only scored 2 goals compared to Gabby's 4, however I think that our whole team is starting to turn a bit of a corner on the chance creation front which will undoubtedly lead to more Bent goals. He will never be a team worker and track back all the time but as long as he gets the service, the goals should start to flow which is something we have needed for a long time now.
Rating - 8.5/10
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
Mcleish To Tinker With Formation
After deploying a successful diamond formation against Wigan, Mcleish has stated that he will continue to assess upcoming opponents and modify the formation accordingly.
He said:
“These guys were all I thought at a very good level which helped us win the match.”
“You have to get the midfield right if you are playing a two up front,” he explained.
“Sometimes you can be exposed in central midfield with an extra midfielder playing against you.
“A lot of teams will strive to get control of the midfield, enabling you to control the game and tempo.
“We’ve tried to find ways of getting the two of them in without it hurting our midfield.”
Darren Bent had this to say:
“We still looked solid at the back, our defence is probably up there with the best of them in the Premier League in my opinion.
“The midfield was good and Stevie Ireland playing in there made a big difference. He can get on the ball and sees things. I thought he played well and there is no doubt we can play well and get results with this formation.”
He said:
“These guys were all I thought at a very good level which helped us win the match.”
“You have to get the midfield right if you are playing a two up front,” he explained.
“Sometimes you can be exposed in central midfield with an extra midfielder playing against you.
“A lot of teams will strive to get control of the midfield, enabling you to control the game and tempo.
“We’ve tried to find ways of getting the two of them in without it hurting our midfield.”
Darren Bent had this to say:
“We still looked solid at the back, our defence is probably up there with the best of them in the Premier League in my opinion.
“The midfield was good and Stevie Ireland playing in there made a big difference. He can get on the ball and sees things. I thought he played well and there is no doubt we can play well and get results with this formation.”
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.”
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.”
Monday, 3 October 2011
Bent Fancies A Go At Strictly
Now this blog is called Everything Villa and when I say everything, I mean everything! It turns out that star striker Darren Bent is a bit of a mover on the dance floor and says that he is a keen follower of Strictly Come Dancing! Robbie Savage is the only footballer on the show this series and I think I speak on behalf of most Villa fans when I say that I hope he fails miserably. Bent also reveals that Petrov is as uncoordinated on the dance floor as he is on the pitch (not in those words!).
He said:
“It looks cool, but also hard work,”
“Robbie is doing really well with it at the moment. I’ve been impressed.
“It’s nice to get involved in things off the pitch and when I’m finished with playing football, I could give it a go.
“I am a decent dancer. I like to make an effort on the dance floor when I’m out and about.
“In terms of poor dancers in our dressing room, that’s not tough. Stan can’t dance. He thinks he can but he can’t!”
He said:
“It looks cool, but also hard work,”
“Robbie is doing really well with it at the moment. I’ve been impressed.
“It’s nice to get involved in things off the pitch and when I’m finished with playing football, I could give it a go.
“I am a decent dancer. I like to make an effort on the dance floor when I’m out and about.
“In terms of poor dancers in our dressing room, that’s not tough. Stan can’t dance. He thinks he can but he can’t!”
Sunday, 2 October 2011
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!
Saturday, 1 October 2011
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.
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.
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
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."
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