The heartening performances this season by the Villa youngsters - including that performance against the Liverpool first team in the FA Cup - has been the real highlight of the season. Putting six past Newcastle and then four against the Baggies on Friday has put the Villa well and truly favourites to win the FA Youth Cup, but we have the not small hurdle of having to beat Liverpool Youth to achieve that. Can they stop the Villa steamroller?
That Raikhy feller can certainly hit a good pass, with Chuky and Barry doing their usual in the proceedings so far, and all three must surely breakthrough into the first team.
Talking of the Villa Youth causes me to recall way back to 1960 when the first really good Villa youth team emerged, containing the likes of Deakin, Sleeuwenhoek, and Baker, but they made mistakes in the quarter-final against Chelsea (whose players soon became big names in league football) and so did not progress any further.
We then fast forward to the Youth Cup-winning team of 1972 (was it really nearly 50 years ago?) and the emergence of Brian Little and John Gidman. Then further good sides until well into the 2000s, that produced the likes of Vassell, Gabby, and the Moore brothers (Stephan and Luke). A lot was expected of the Moores but they somehow fell away after promising in the first team.
Another player that emerged from the Youth setup was Mark Albrighton, who really did seem to establish himself at one stage, but then fell away. Why was it that he fell away, I wonder, for look at him now! Not only a League winner with Leicester (2016) but also now gaining a Cup Winner's medal. When he left Villa at the time there were a lot of puzzled faces around.
Mark himself tells us a bit about that (with acknowledgement to the Birmingham Mail), when Villa did not make an offer to him to renew his contract:
I just totally loved the club. I knew no different. That was my life. Aston Villa was my life since I was young. I'd probably say I was getting a bit complacent there and never really pushed on as much as I could.
But whatever was on the table for me I would have accepted, 100 per cent; a one-year or even a pay-as-you-play or whatever. I didn't even think in my head that I would leave Villa.
Once I'd got to grips with the fact that there was no conversation to be had, I phoned my agent back and he named the clubs that were interested. I chose Leicester as my preference and I went there, spoke to the manager, spoke to Steve Walsh on my phone. He was singing my praises, he told me how good it was at Leicester and he sold it for me.
I'm not just blaming other people for that, that was down to me as well. I never kicked on as much as I could. [At Villa] I was always known as the kid from the youth team at Villa. That's how I felt. Once I had gone to Leicester I was a signing. I was brought in. So somebody along the way has gone, 'I like Marc Albrighton. We'll sign Marc Albrighton'. That sat well with me.
C'est la vie. It was the Villa's loss.
Back to the first team (groan!), the last two matches have been a wrench, with Villa today repeating their trick away against Burnley by leading 1-0 and then 2-1, but still losing 2-3. What is it when we play claret and blue teams? Er, Crystal Palace's colours were claret and blue until ca. 1967, and we did help 'em out a lot when they first got established in their current form (1905).
So much for the "strong finish to the season" message from Dean Smith.
If it's any help, Dean, our recent performance away at Everton and in today's first half were a lot to do with being given space by the opposition. When we have space we look good, but, as Everton showed when they came to Villa Park a few days ago, when the opponents play it tight, Villa wilt. And again today.
Lessons are there to be learnt; I hope they learn them, for it's not about making more big signings but more (to me at least) a question about being tougher in their approach.
We shall see what next season brings. It will be better. I think.
UTV!
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