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.

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.

Injury Update

Alex Mcleish today revealed the extent of the injuries picked up by midfield duo Jermaine Jenas and Stephen Ireland. Jenas picked up his injury in training whilst Ireland suffered an ankle injury in the victory over Wigan at the weekend.

Mcleish said:

“Stevie turned his ankle, he was clearly struggling at the start of the second half but still contributed with a great through-ball,” he said.

“We felt it was right to take him off and he didn’t argue about that at all.

“He wants to keep that run of games going, and the more confidence he gets the better player he will be for Aston Villa.”

With regard to Jenas he said:


“He is going to be out for four weeks,”

“He’s hurt his Achilles and it’s a devastating blow first and foremost for Jenas. We’ll support him to get back to fitness.

“I could be doing with that extra competition in central midfield.”

Player Profile - 8. Jermaine Jenas

Well what can I say about Jermaine Jenas? He joined us on loan in January until the end of the season and I think the main question is will he stay injury free long enough to get on the pitch? So far he has injured himself on the eve of match day twice, the latest of which will keep him out until November, which begs the question of whether he will ever be able to stay fit enough to play a sustained run of games.

Now enough of the negatives and on to what I think of him as a player. As Alex Mcleish said, you don't get several England caps without having ability. I honestly believe that he could be the athletic midfielder we are lacking whilst persisting with Petrov and his 50 year old legs. If Jenas can turn into the driving force of our midfield I think we would be a much better side.

Now I have been giving the rest of the squad a rating but it's impossible for me to rate someone who hasn't played a single game for the club so I will not rate him right now. If he gets a few games under his belt later in the season I will come back and rate him but for now I will leave it and just hope he recovers.

Rating - N/A

Jenas Out For A Month

I'm sure most people have already found out but I felt that I should touch on it anyway. News came out yesterday that the reason for Jenas missing out on the Wigan clash with an achilles injury that will keep him out for around a month. This is very annoying because I can't wait to see what he could bring to the team but every cloud has a silver lining I suppose. The silver lining on this cloud is surely the fact that against Wigan our midfield started to look quite good so it will be good for them to get a few more games together.  It also means that Stephen Ireland can get a few more games under his belt which I feel is essential for his Villa career.

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"

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.

• 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.

This is what Mcleish had to say:

"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."