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!

UTV!

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!