Thoughts and issues regarding the past and present of a great football club by "The Chronicler".

Saturday 24 October 2020

Villa Seem To Be Chumps, not Champs!

The Villa know how to bring you down from the clouds, don't they?!

Never mind, we should be used to it. 

When fixtures against Leicester and Leeds come up, I'm always more apprehensive. The match earlier this week could have so easily gone the other way if Vardy had played, i.m.o., due to Villa's casualness first half.

Leicester also play in an aggressive way, and some of that was in the Leeds team, too, but they combined that with something else, and look more likely to be challenging the top-4 based on that performance.

For me, the Leeds manager, Bielsa, demonstrated everything a team manager should be.  Having had to make adjustments to his team owing to the absence of a couple of important players, he managed the tactics and on-going play to perfection, with emphasis on teamwork.

Early on he was quick to substitute a player once he had received a yellow card and looked likely to get another. His main capability, I think, lies in his commonsense. The question was put to him:

"In the first half, maybe the one criticism was there was maybe some loose passes - was that the thing that you changed most in the second half, was that the key to winning the game?" Answer from Bielsa:  "Not only what you mentioned, but in general it’s not good to lose the ball before you reach the attacking phase, in the opponent's half."

That answer highlights one of the Villa's major problems, and one that came up in the first half against Leicester earlier this week: casualness. This happened again and again in last night's match. It frequently happens when coming out of defence, but last night I saw it in Barkley's play, too, and his misplaced midfield pass triggered at least one goal. But it was compounded by the defence - and Mings in particular - by just standing off and looking.

But in my view, Leeds won because they played as a team. And they passed and passed quickly and accurately. Villa, on the other hand, look more like a team of individuals most of the time. And in these last two matches I have seen Grealish attempt to beat the entire opposition defence on his own three times. 

Grealish was well held a lot of the time last night, though his first-half shot on goal was magnificently cleared off the line by Leeds. In fact, both teams finished the first half on a par in terms of opportunities, but that goal-line clearance was superb. 

And then the second half, when first Grealish tried to beat the whole defence but couldn't thwart their keeper, and then the keeper's magnificent save from Konsa. At some point Bamford gave the impression that he had been nearly killed by Mings in his attempt to get a penalty, but that incident seemed to ruffle Mings as he looked on while Bamford then gained a hat-trick.

By the way Villa have played since that thrashing of Liverpool, they seem to have adopted a kind of swagger that seems to suggest that they just have to turn up to win, and after 8 league games undefeated, including that Liverpool result, they may have thought they had good reason to. At least they should now realise that they are not yet champs. More like chumps just at this minute!

Let's hope that Dean Smith will take stock and realise that it's no good having potential match-winners like Grealish and Barkley in the team if they are not functioning properly as part of a whole. And a whole that needs to be alert, not cocky.

This was not good enough, Villa. We were starting to get used to better than this.

UTV!


Thursday 15 October 2020

Were The Three Lions Missing A Villa Lion?

Well, England loses and, of course, everyone weighs in with an opinion on why that was. In particular, "Why wasn't Grealish brought on?".

I don't wish to labour on that particular question (I would be accused of bias!), but I do think that Southgate shot himself in the foot post-match when he said that the Three Lions needed speed following McGuire's sending off in order to get back into the game. But they didn't get back into the game, did they, Gareth?

The problem is, Gareth, that England just did not do enough based on your criteria. Someone like Jack (not necessarily Jack) was needed to pick the lock. A player who could stand on the ball and get it to other players who did have the speed, but at the right time. Obvious, init? Johnny Haynes did that with great skill. With him around I remember England winning games 9-3 (vs Scotland, when they had great players), 4-2 (vs Spain!), 5-1 and 8-1 back around 1960 time. Then came Sir Alf and the more cautionary approach took over. But we won the World Cup, didn't we?

After years of soul-deadening cautionary play, I also remember Joe Mercer taking over as manager pro tem and doing a wonderful job in his short time at the helm. But all that is history - the old ways of playing and looking at the game is now the stuff of history. Perhaps that's a pity. Or perhaps we just rely too much on teamwork these days, when - on occasions - you need an injection of individual brilliance.

I am seriously now wondering whether Gareth has lost the plot. When he came in I thought he did a great job in renewing faith in the selection of teams that brought in the best of England's promising players. Now, he seems to have reverted to the old habit of caution in selecting a team and substitutions, which - surely - can only be described as a negative ploy.

I also note that a number of pundits thought that England's defence looked more settled after Mings came on.

If you are going to lose then go down with honour, please! Lions are not pussy-cats!


Thursday 8 October 2020

Best At Villa - George Best!

Well, just as we were getting excited, an international break interrupts everything! I hope the players do not forget what they've done when they return, and demolish the Foxes as well.

So, as we have free time, let's have a look at a big one-off in Villa history - when George Best turned out for the Villa for 60 minutes, wearing the no. 11 shirt!

Yes, it happened as follows, as reported in the Birmingham Mail on the occasion of the sale of Best's Villa shirt, Nov 28, 2014:

The appearance was a fundraiser hurriedly scheduled following the Bradford City stadium blaze on May 11, 1985, which killed 56 people and injured 265.

The Holte End was closed for the clash against [the Albion] and most of the 5,663-strong crowd was sandwiched into the Trinity Road stand.

In fact, the match was arranged with such haste, no programme was published. Fans had to make do with a four-page newspaper-type flyer.

Best lined-up in a side that also featured Kevin Poole in goal, Gary Williams, Tony Dorigo, Allan Evans, Brendan Ormsby, Ray Walker, Steve McMahon, Peter Withe and Paul Rideout.

On-line writer Dek Hogan was there. He recalled: “It is absolutely true to say that George wasn’t in prime physical fitness, being just shy of his 39th birthday at the time.

“But all the skill was there and his every touch was greeted with yelps of delight from the assembled Trinity Road throng.

He added: “I was certainly awestruck, so much so that I couldn’t find it in my heart to sing the old classic: ‘Georgie Best, superstar, looks like a woman and he wears a bra’.

“Mind you, the emerging middle-aged spread and the full beard made the song somewhat redundant anyway.”

After a tame first 45 minutes, fans were treated to something of a goal-fest in the second half.

McMahon and Evans put Villa 2-0 up before Steve Mackenzie and Tony Grealish levelled matters.

Gary Thompson put the Baggies ahead, but Didier Six earned the home side a 3-3 draw.

It so happened that an old Villa-fan pal of mine, John Biddle, ran the line in the match, being a qualified referee. John was once a supervisor at the Lucas company, where Stan Lynn worked under his wing for a time, much to John's glee. Stan 'the Wham' Lynn was one of our favourites back in the 50s.

UTV!

Monday 5 October 2020

How The 'Pool Got Drowned!

It all brings back the best of memories of games against Liverpool at Villa Park, doesn't it?

Most of all, probably, the 5-1 demolition of the 'Pool in 1976-77, when a Villa side that included the very great Brian Little took them apart in one half of the game. Alas, that game was not - it would appear - filmed for posterity. Some say that was a better Villa team than the subsequent 1981 title winners, and season 1976-77 certainly had some great moments about it.

If we're talking of taking Liverpool apart in one half, we also should record a similar game against them back in 1899 (no, I was not there!), when the 'Pool came to Villa to decide the league championship. Well, Villa did precisely what they did in 1976 - scored 5 first-half goals. On that occasion, Villa became champions as a result. Villa were mesmerising that day, just as in 1976.

Then there was 1992 and a superb 4-2 win, but one game that will always stick in my mind is a mid-week tussle back in 1960, when 'Pool led 3-0 at half-time and were 4-0 up with 20 minutes to go. Villa - having mainly slumbered through most of the match to that point - suddenly came alive. Villa not only brought the score back to 4-4 in those last 20 minutes but should have scored the winner in the last minute!

Great games, great tussles - and (I hate to say it) my memory of wee Ian St. John (a wonderful Scottish inside-forward of the 1960s) running around with socks around his ankles and mesmerising the Villa defence with his skills.

Last night showed that we now have players that can really make opponents' defences think, and Watkins must surely be a leading example of that. His hold-up play - as well as his scoring ability - is really excellent. Barkley, too, will probably only improve as he gets to know his fellow team-mates. And Jack himself looked happier I thought, now having other players he can rely on more, including McGinn. My only fear is whether we have enough depth of such attacking ability in the squad. 

One match does not make a season, but what a relief such a win provides for the Villa faithful after some totally embarrassing results in that horrible 2015-16 season and before. It also provides immense hope that Villa is now able to compete equally with the so-called 'big boys' and give them a run for their money.

Next up? Oh, just Leicester City. 

UTV!