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.

That Matchday Feeling

So the weekend is here but I can't help but feel slightly underwhelmed at the prospect of two days off. The reason for this is that there is no Premier League football to get excited about, or more importantly, no Villa action. None of that anticipation of what might happen in the next 90 minutes, the excitement of scoring a goal, the pain of conceding a goal, the anger towards a dull match, the thrill at seeing an explosive game of football. All of these emotions are part of the match day feeling and I wouldn't trade a single one.

The England game yesterday should have been something that would get me excited, the prospect of my nation qualifying for the next major championships. Sadly however I couldn't have been more disinterested in it. I was so disinterested that I even forgot it was on until I was texted by a friend to tell us we had scored, to which my reaction was very care free. I try to get excited in International football but it simply doesn't come close to my love of Aston Villa and the Premier League.

The International break is, to me, just an annoying hinderance to the proper action that we are all looking forward to. That's why most of us watch the Internationals just praying that our players come away unscathed so they are fully fit for our club's next fixture. Perhaps I'm speaking for the minority but that is just my honest opinion, there is no feeling greater than that Villa match day feeling.