Solidity Is Villa's New Keyword

'Grit', 'tenacity', 'commitment', 'determination'. These are all apt words to describe the Villa's two second-half performances against Crystal Palace and Chelsea, leaving the opponents' team managers (Hodgson and Lampard) both looking fed up at the end of the two matches.

In the Palace match, their ageing defence was partly responsible for what looked like an unlikely Villa win after we were reduced to 10 men, but the commitment and skill of the entire Villa team was clear in that second half with the result that Palace had few chances to get a goal.

Against Chelsea it was a similar story of commitment by Villa, but against quite a different opponent, with Chelsea being quick movers and gritty themselves. The likes of Grealish and Traore had little opportunity to show their silky skills, but both played a solid part in keeping Chelsea at bay and trying to keep the Villa in with a chance of a winner. And then young Ramsay so nearly fashioned a winner after midfield dynamo McGinn had rocked the Chelsea bar from 25 yards.

Hause and Konsa were a solid central pair, and were ably supported by the two Villa full-backs. The only thing missing from the back was Mings's ability to play the ball out of defence, but the team's overall commitment was first-class, punctuated only by a silly rearguard pass across the edge of the penalty area from Jack that they nearly capitalised on. It's odd that arguably Villa's two most classy players in their respective departments - Grealish and Mings - manage to do silly things, but they do.

El Ghazi, having been eviscerated for his wastefulness against Burnley, is suddenly a darling of the Villa fans having scored 4 in the last 3 matches. He's certainly the man of the moment in goalscoring terms, and poor Trez must be looking on with worry. In fact, El Ghazi seems to fit in well with Jack and Traore right now.

With the ever-reliable Martinez behind this solid Villa team, things do look quite bright and I am sure they will give a good account of themselves on the first day of the new year at Old Trafford after 5 games undefeated. Mings and Barkley should be available for that match. 

The question then remains as to whether Villa can score another seven the following week against Liverpool in the FA Cup, but they, of course, should be much better prepared this time. Hopefully not, though!

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Why Do Villa Have To Frustrate So Much!

Results-wise, the past three games (bringing 7 points out of 9) have surely restored some faith that the early season run was not entirely a fluke! However ... these last three matches have left me a little drained! Perhaps the reader feels the same, but please allow me to explain anyway...

First - the match against Wolves. I felt that if it hadn't been for the excellent Martinez, we may well have lost that match. He really seems to have big hands, doesn't he, and because of his heroics in that match we eventually obtained a win - albeit via a penalty and after Douglas Luiz had been given his marching orders. The match was also extraordinary in that two players called Traore were playing, with one being a former Villan. It was the latter that looked the potential match-winner, however, with his swift runs and dangerous centres, an ability that Villa would have done well to have hung onto i.m.o., instead of letting him go.

Second - versus lowly Burnley. How - on Earth - can you have 27 shots and not score?! The score could easily have been 10-2 instead of 0-0, and resulted in both El Ghazi and Traore getting the thumbs-down from a good number of Villa fans: El Ghazi for his profligacy. He had 8 shots, with only a free-kick giving trouble to their 'keeper. And the Villa drove forward with such myopia that on at least 2 or 3 occasions, players in better scoring positions were ignored.

Third - last night versus Albion. Both El Ghazi and Traore were restored to some level of respect as they finished the only scorers in a 3-0 win that took until the last 10 minutes for Villa's superiority to be reflected in the scoreline, after taking an early lead. At times, Villa looked too ponderous (as they have in other games) to stand any chance of breaking through Albion's 10-man team, and I suspect that the fact that Villa improved the scoreline at the end was at least part due to the subs that Allardyce introduced to try to force a draw.

So, 7 points obtained after a lot of huff and puff! And a goalkeeper that always seems to remain so very alert even when not much is thrown at him. We surely have found a jewel there and now seem to have a great richness in the goalkeeping department.

Another talking point - yet again - is surely VAR. Maybe I'm the only one of this opinion, but how was that a valid sending off of the Albion player? Yes, there was a certain aggression about his tackle that probably warranted a yellow card, but did he really touch Grealish? And i.m.o. he went for and took the ball, not the man. I feel the ref's first judgment was the correct one. 

Then, another Watkins 'goal' disallowed. As I recall it, his previous goal that was disallowed (vs West Ham) was because his arm was offside (!), and yet vs Albion the defender's arm surely put Watkins' onside! 

If we are to have such stringent rules, let they be at least consistently interpreted! It seems that the human decision (the referee) has been transferred to a studio to be essentially decided on by another referee, and usually after some delay! Where is the logic in this - especially when consistency is as lacking as it was before?! Bah! Humbug! 😒

Well, Are we going to transform Boxing Day as meaning to Box the ears of Crystal Palace?! Their ears must already be sore after their humiliation at home vs 'Pool the other day, and since we put 7 past the 'Pool, does it mean that we'll achieve double-figures in this match?! No, of course not! Such is football that it may well be a case of a tightly-fought match with a draw at the end of it. But who am I to make predictions.

But, to finish on a good note: I am happy to see Traore quietly blossoming. He and Jack seem to be like twins in their artistry, though Traore's game has not yet quite come alight. And, as they said on MotD, McGinn's passing and industry is worth a lot. I do think we have a "Bright Future" - but (thankfully) without Lerner and Co.!

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Alex Cropley and The Health Of The Game

The news about Alex Cropley, that dynamic Villa midfielder of the late '70s, is indeed very sad. Yet another serious football-related condition it would appear, adding to the ever-increasing list of sufferers. And the issue seems to have developed in Rugby Union, too, where the obvious solution is to ban scrums, as they have been in Rugby League.

One thing that I did not know about Cropley was that he broke the same leg on three occasions before he came to Villa, and when he suffered a fourth break that spelt the end of his short career at Villa Park. But what a formidable tiger of a player he was. Villa fans loved him.

Although we heard of great footballing competitors like Dennis Law and Tommy Smith suffering serious long-term body ailments, those conditions were almost considered as just an accepted outcome of football, but now the matter has got to an understanding that everyday mental functions can be impaired, it brings on a touch of deep sadness.

We were all so innocent about contact sports, were we not, back in the 'old days', and contact by body or head was all part of the physicality which we loved - and love. But the long-term effects are all too sad.

Oh, by the way, Villa's great centre-half of the 1890s, Jimmy Cowan, regarded footie as being just footie - he refused to head the ball, although perhaps he did when he had no other choice.

For me, I seriously question the future of football now, with not only that very sad on-going news but also the farce of VAR in the way it is being applied and is now so clever it can't pick up a ball that has gone out of play (West Ham v Man U last week-end) before swerving back in and allowing a goal to be scored. 

I also seriously question how the game still fails to pick up seriously bad tackles like that on Virgil van Dijk earlier in the season, where - in my view - the Everton 'keeper was quite reckless in coming out to ensure that van Dijk would be stopped. And we all remember the hatchet-job done on Wesley last season.

This is all in addition to the farce of the length of time being taken now to determine whether an offside has taken place,

Sport is sport, and the old distinction between amateur and professional is now very blurred. But for me I think the real future lies in non-contact sports such as tennis, badminton and golf, in which I have to say I found far more participatory enjoyment, despite my deep allegiance to Aston Villa from boyhood and family tradition. The first two sports named can be very physically demanding, too.

Importantly, the non-contact sports, in my view, help more to generate real understanding between people, for what we have witnessed particularly in the last 50 years and more, is a violent antipathy between supporters of rival clubs which is just plain unhealthy and did not exist before the 1960s, apart from small pockets of fans. You do not (except perhaps rarely) get any of that in rugby, let alone the non-contact sports.

Further, though football has always had a number of 'hard men' (old fans will remember the likes of 'Chopper' Harris), they were the exception. Today, the snidey clipping of ankles and bumping from behind that are commonplace now, and so-called shoulder charges without use of shoulders, do - in my view - threaten the integrity of the sport.

Understanding between peoples is the goal of the future, not antipathy nor snidey play, if the world is to have a chance of surviving the mammoth problems that have particularly engulfed us in the decades since 2000.

Although football has played a great part in creating understanding in the past and probably will continue to have a role in the future, I think footie is in danger of becoming a dinosaur in this ever-changing world - but how is footie to adapt, I ask. I ask because I do think that we have now become more consciously aware of the drawbacks and money-orientated nature of this often lovely contact sport which will necessitate a serious change in the nature of the game in the future that is upon us on this planet. Can we ignore these drawbacks as 'something for them to sort out'?

That view may not be acceptable for many, but I foresee that forthcoming circumstances will force us all to take a view on this.

Fortunately, Aston Villa as a football club has, for the most part, always stood up for fairness and high standards, and has been a credit to the game in that regard.

Anyhow, that's just a thought to dwell on, but please don't think we have a lot of time in which to choose!

For a deeper exploration about the need for change in the world, please click here.

Despite all - UTV!

Talking About The News (Dec 4, 2020)

The bits of news that have emerged from Villa Park recently have stimulated the media to write large headlines and inflated copy to attract the fans - and I don't blame them; they have to stay in business!

But an analysis of what has been published does not, in my opinion, really represent much. First of all the business of Jack Grealish. The media, first of all, seemed to suggest that he could be on his way in the January window, but we went through all this in the summer and Jack finally said "Home is home" and signed a hefty contract that represented the desire of the Villa's owners to keep their best players in order to keep on towards their ultimate aim.

And then the media has made a big issue about a £100m being set as the fee that clubs would have to work from if they want to buy him, suggesting that Villa might sell if the price was right. Well, I don't see the reality behind that logic. Greg Evans in his Athletic article made it clear that the owners have high ambitions and it's not plausible, in my view, that the skipper will go, having gone through the negotiations of the summer with a clear conclusion. Especially as this season he's only just started to properly realise his capability. Let's at least win the FA Cup before we even think about letting him go!

Talking of the FA Cup, it's 63 years since I saw Villa last winning it. And at that time there was a big noise because it had been 37 years since Villa had previously won it (1920 - 100 years ago)! For a club that was once famous for its cup-fighting traditions, we have sadly wained and had to be content with just 5 League Cup wins instead since Johnny Dixon's and Peter Mac's big day in 1957. Even the League Cup has not been won for 24 years, but we won it in some style that year, as we did in 1994, too. Great games.

Yes, we have won the European Cup as well, but the FA Cup was very much part of the club's tradition, and with less than 4 years to go before Villa's 150th anniversary, we have to - surely - make amends in this department. So, Liverpool come to VP in January for this precious FA Cup opportunity, and though I hardly expect a 7-2 win again, it will be Villa's grand opportunity to state their intentions in the business of winning trophies.

Coming back to the 150 years anniversary: is that a significant point in the club's owners' minds? Is that the target date that they plan for the Villa to be re-installed at the very top? Jack will be 29 by then and - we would hope - at the very top of his form.

One last topic - Ross Barkley. Reading the media comments about his planned return against Wolves next week, it would appear that people feel that the Villa have lost the last two matches because he's been out. Is that right? Is Barkley such a highly-rated centre-back who would have prevented those so-silly goals being conceded?! Would he have prevented Trezeguet (and all) wasting goal-scoring opportunities? What rot people come up with! This really does illustrate how silly the media has become, for I have yet to see Barkley consistently do such great things for Villa that he should be rated as a guaranteed match-winner.

In my opinion, Barkley has a useful array of skills, but I have seen him have the odd blip as well. I think he has still to do some adjusting before we should regard him as a saviour. I do think, however, that given time he could become something of a true hero in Villa's colours, and if he does achieve that will Villa pay the £100m that Chelsea will ask for him - let alone hang on to Jack?

Well, them's the thoughts of the week from me.  We now enter hibernation for a few days of cold - and more empty news!

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Jimmy Hogan, We Need You!

 Mmm....

One of my earlier posts referred to Villa being Chumps, not Champs, and as the games go by the phrase keeps on coming back to me. Not only were we delivered a real sucker punch against Brighton last week when all the Villa outfield were encamped in the Brighton half, but we have now seen West Ham obtain two goals from virtually their only attacks in the game - and at the very start of each half.

We also have the frustrating sight of Trezeguet missing one straight forward chance after another over the season so far (bar one or two matches) and now Watkins decides to join the act by slamming a penalty against the bar, plus another chance which should at least have troubled the keeper. 

I'm not going into a debate about VAR and that disallowed 'goal' as I really do think that the main problem lies within the Villa mentality. But I am fed up with VAR - leave it just for over-the-line situations, please! What, otherwise, are referees now paid for?

It seems to me that when we face a team that has allowed Villa to play open football (Fulham, Liverpool, Arsenal) then we've looked good. But the moment we face bread-and-butter sides (such as the last two matches) that have a plan to keep the Villa out by hook or by crook, and have players that are awake to their opportunities, then we have problems. And on top of that, we miss the chances that do come our way. Thereby such opponents win.

Yes, I know we are still witnessing a Villa that is being rebuilt, and we're certainly not going to win every game, but there is a weakness in the team that keeps on repeating itself over and over again - particularly in defence. Is that weakness lack of concentration or complacency, or a combination of the two? I'm not sure. But whatever it is has not been dealt with.

Yet there are times when the way Villa motor forward gives me a thrill - especially when we see Jack (especially) or McGinn twist and turn their way past players. Unfortunately, though, attractive play by itself does not produce points. The way to winning is surely achieved by swift and incisive passing. As Villa's famed coach Jimmy Hogan once said, "What's the point of beating 2 or 3 players when one pass can do the trick?"

I think we still miss Gareth Barry and James Milner.

I rest my case.

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