If We Think Randy Is Bad, We Have No Idea Of What Could Be Around The Corner

After Villa’s abject performance in the 2-0 defeat at Norwich on Monday, Villa supporters took to Twitter in force to lament the current regime. It was clear where the frustrations lay; our current custodian, Randolph Lerner.

Remarkably, the players, and to an even lesser extent the manager, escaped the brunt of the wrath. Indeed, it was the tag #RelegateRandy that began to trend in force throughout the evening.

I myself, in jest, said that I blamed Doug Ellis for not foreseeing this when he sold the club many years ago now. Although, this was a joke, it did begin to make me think. And worry.

Back in 2006, the vast majority of Villa fans were sick to death of the Ellis regime. We felt restricted by penny pinching and with not being able to compete with the big boys. We felt we were being cut adrift. We felt that with a new rich, ambitious owner, we could be in a position to challenge and become great again. We felt that we were always just coming up short and with just a bit more of a push we’d be right up there.

It seemed that the clamour to be rid of Ellis had lasted for years and years. He was never really a popular figure amongst fans. It was felt there was a bitterness within Ellis that he was not in power for our glorious triumphs in the early 1980’s. Having been expelled from the board in 1979, he returned as Chairman in 1982, with the club as European champions. Within 5 years, we would be relegated. Whether this is down to Ellis is largely debateable; the argument is that the previous regime had landed the club with huge debts. The dismantling of our European squad was necessary to balance the books. Unfortunately, either way, it ultimately led to our last stint in what was the old 2^nd Division and Ellis was certainly held responsible.

Upon returning to the 1^st Division, we spent the next 7 seasons bizarrely yo-yoing between mounting title challenges and being relegation candidates (think Leicester City style circa 2015-16 but over several years). The following 7 seasons saw our most stable period where we finished each season between 4^th and 8^th.  Villa fans frustrations with Ellis grew throughout the 1990’s, perhaps somewhat fuelled by popular managers such as Ron Atkinson and John Gregory famously falling out with their chairman. In Gregory’s case especially, the feeling was that we were perhaps just one or two players short from being genuine title contenders and the frustration of not being allowed to break the bank to land his targets became too much. Which sounds like a familiar story regarding a certain Martin O’Neill, showing that this isn’t a problem experienced just in the Ellis era.

Ellis had spent money however. Outlays of £5.5 million for Steve Stone, £5.25 million for Dion Dublin, and the record signings of £7 million for Stan Collymore and £9.5 million on Juan Pablo Angel were certainly not to be sniffed at. Add a £6.75 million for Paul Merson here and a £6 million for Bosko Balaban there and it adds up and actually portrays an image of a supportive chairman.

The problem was always that everyone around the club felt as if just pushing onwards and perhaps speculating to accumulate could have bought us some real glory. Ellis’ meticulous nature with the pennies would never allow us this springboard, and rather than being content with what we had (and what we’d kill for now), we wanted more ambition to drive us forward. Whether this is right or wrong given the present circumstances we find ourselves in, I genuinely can’t decide; standing still doesn’t seem the right approach, but our wishes to have investment have left us in a terrible situation.

Ellis’s relationship grew even more weary with the club in his last few years as chairman and finishing positions deteriorated with an unlikely 6^th placed finish sandwiched between a couple of 16^th’s and a 10^th - the fans had enough. Apparently so had the players, as well as yet another manager in David O’Leary; a mutinous statement supposedly from the players, but also rumoured to involve O’Leary, criticised Ellis’ thrifty running of the club. Rumours of cutbacks to the extent of refusal to employ a masseur and even penny pinching right down to a refusal to reimburse a cup of coffee were emerging and it was making a mockery of the club.

Underneath it all however, was a love of Aston Villa, the club. Whilst a cynic may oppose this and say it was more a love of making money and having something he could control, I believe that Ellis just would not tolerate putting the club into debt for its own good. An old school view to take perhaps, we were operational within our own means and unfortunately that meant we could only compete so far.

However, when Ellis finally was ready relinquish control of the club, it was a drawn out process in finding a buyer who he deemed to be suitable and wouldn’t just be using Villa for their own gains. I believe he genuinely cared about who would be coming in and taking over Aston Villa.

And my worry is that Randy Lerner may not have that same level of commitment to Aston Villa. We know he is desperate to get out and he simply is not in a position to be picky about the next owner. I do not see a possibility of a takeover bid being rejected should Lerner feel that the next incumbent is unsuitable.

Ellis did his best in finding us a new owner who had money and a vision for the club. An owner who would protect the values of Aston Villa football club. The fact that Lerner had professed an affiliation to Villa during his time in England as a student was a plus point. Lerner had obviously further outlined his intentions to Ellis and passed the test. A fiercely stubborn man, Ellis would not have been pushed into selling the club on anyone’s terms other than his own.

And to his credit, Lerner has done some amazing things for this club which we should not forget about. Those first few years under Martin O’Neill were exciting times. Lerner did bankroll our push for Champions League football and we could boast exciting talent such as Ashley Young, Stewart Downing and James Milner. However, far too much of the money was actually frittered on average, even poor, players; £8.5 million on Nigel Reo Coker, £10 million on Curtis Davies, £5 million on Nicky Shorey etc... Perhaps a bigger problem than this however was the incredible wages being offered on top of these transfer fees which was the true downfall in our demise. Nevertheless, the willingness to spend WAS there. If only the structure was in place to have invested it in a more controlled and thought out manner.

For me, those early years saw a raise in Villa’s profile as a club off the field just as much as on it, and that is down to Lerner. The charitable gesture to forego a sponsorship deal and let the Birmingham children’s hospice Acorns adorn our shirts was extremely noble and bought us much goodwill from the football community. The renovation of the Holte Hotel was popular with fans and showed us that we actually had an owner who cared about the club and its traditions. A long overdue recognition for the heroes from our early 1980’s glories who had been shunned for so long was now forthcoming and celebrated with a ‘Legends Day’ where greats such as Peter Withe and Dennis Mortimer were paraded around Villa Park before kick off and an nice extra touch with the text of the commentary leading up to Withe’s all important goal against Bayern Munich now sits adorned as a banner on the North Stand. Not to be forgotten amongst these charitable and history-embracing gestures was a much needed investment in Bodymoor Heath which had been long overdue and dithered over was instantly upgraded and transformed into what in recognised as perhaps the finest training facilities in the country.

Once the going got tough however, the excitement for Lerner ceased and the gestures have all but stopped. What remains is an owner desperate to salvage something from the wreckage of the good ship Aston Villa. With endless unfit owners flooding English football over the last 10 years or so, our club could be in real trouble with any future proprietors. The current regime may be a disaster right now, and the last few years have seen us drift aimlessly towards our current situation. But I fear we could be the target of owners as ridiculous as Massimo Cellino, Mike Ashley, The Glazer’s, Vincent Tan, Karl Oyston, Craig Whyte, Peter Risdale, Alexandre Gaydamak, Hicks & Gillett, The Venky’s - the vast majority of these people coming into football do not know what they are doing and see only the money they can make.

Our next owners need to be football people first and foremost. They need to know how to run a club or at least have success in running a huge sporting institution. For all Lerner’s good intentions, he has ultimately failed for not knowing this business sector and hasn’t surrounded himself with those of a football background who could’ve helped and advised better. We’ve had military generals, corporate marketing men and banking officials steering us wildly. But can we really expect a man who is disinterested, without motivation and, crucially, desperate to reclaim anything he can, to put us in those safe hands going forwards? Those sort of people do not come along very often and the likelihood is that another American business group or Chinese consortium will be our next owners.

And perhaps bottom of Randy’s checklist will be to make sure they have the best interests of Aston Villa at heart.

 Any thoughts or comments? Please let me know here or @lovespud83! Thanks for reading!

Perhaps Not A Window of Opportunity This January

The bookies don’t usually get too much wrong, and with odds now floating around of 1/12 about Aston Villa being relegated, it’s looking more and more likely that we are going to drop out of the top division of English football for the first time since 1986/87.

The looming January transfer window therefore poses several problems and dilemmas. Most crucially, do we still attempt to try to save ourselves this season, or begin to build a squad that will be competitive in a tough Championship division next year.

Unfortunately, it’s a choice which we may not even be in a position to make.

Villa currently have a frankly pathetic total of 7 points. This consists of one solitary victory which came way back on the opening day of the season against Bournemouth (it is important to take points of your relegation rivals...). With 21 games to go, there is still time to turn things around. But realistically, out of the remaining 63 points on offer, We are looking at trying to snaffle 33 of those points - that means winning 11 of those 21 games. A tall order for a team with a 1-in-17 win ratio.

Even faced with such diversity, it surely can’t be an option to simply accept relegation at this point. Whilst most supporters feel at this time that we are pretty much doomed, where there is life, there is hope. As one of the grandest clubs in the whole of the game, we have set many firsts and hopefully being the first team to escape this sort of predicament will be another achievement for us.

In order to do so, reinforcements are compulsory. The big problem is that we are not in any sort of position to be a viable option or attractive proposition for the type of player we would ideally like to take on board. Or sadly, even players we would deem suitable to help us battle back from relegation.

If I see another suggestion for us to sign Charlie Austin, I may very well bang my head against a wall until I pass out. There is zero chance of this happening. And for once it isn’t down to just finances. Austin is a proven Premier League goal scorer. I personally think we should’ve paid the £15 million to sign him back in the summer. After all, that is a drop in the ocean compared to what we are about to miss out on next season. But now, there is absolutely no benefit for Austin’s career in joining us. Despite a queue of clubs ahead of us in the pecking order anyway, Austin is effectively a symbol of a greater problem that we are facing.

Aston Villa, in its current position, is not even a viable option for so many Championship players. Due to the fact that we are so far adrift right now, we look nailed on to be relegated. With the Championship being notoriously tight, at this point in the season, as it will be throughout January, it is feasible to suggest that any team from Fulham upwards, who currently occupy 18^th place on 24 points, still have a chance of at least making the playoffs. The Cottagers are 10 points behind 6^th placed Ipswich Town and a run of two or three wins on the spin brings them right into it. That means that any of the decent players in these 18 teams who we might be looking at will be harbouring hopes, at this point, of potentially being a Premier league player next year. We can currently only offer a 4 month relegation fight and a strong possibility that they will still be a Championship player next season, whilst their current team mates make a step up into the big time should they achieve promotion. This rules out players such as Austin, Ross McCormack, Sam Byram, Demarai Gray and a whole host of other promising options.

Other, more established, experienced and impact options will also prove incredibly difficult to land and probably would see our hands severely tied in the process. For example, a strong link has been a move for Everton’s Steven Naismith. On the face of it, a decent acquisition. A player who will run all day which is something we are desperately missing, and is also capable of scoring. But what can Villa offer him? First team football, but with the very real possibility of Championship football next season. Not exactly a enticing proposition. Indeed, if regular action is our only selling point, there is a very real risk that our offer would be gazumped by any one of our rivals who could put a more attractive package on offer. It comes to something when the likes of Bournemouth and Norwich could be preferable destinations over Villa Park, but we shouldn’t kid ourselves any longer into thinking that simply being Aston Villa is enough to give us the edge over the small fry that has, in fact, already overtaken us.

Should we choose the strategy to attempt to salvage this season, the potential danger in all of this is that our only option left is to offer obscene wages to entice our targets. Players will literally be able to bend us over with their demands. This will see our wage bill rise considerably just at a point where have managed to balance Randy’s books to a certain degree. After an exercise in cost cutting which has taken five years to clear the likes of Darren Bent and Shay Given off the roster and has landed us in this position in the first place, we may have to completely undo all of this austerity to be able to sign players who will give us a chance of escaping. Relegation release clauses with either huge payoffs or low sell on transfer fees will be written into contracts. Five year contracts of £50k, £60k, £70k a week or even more would be the minimum to attract the players wavering at the thought of joining us. And make no mistake, we aren’t talking world beaters here - we could have Steven Naismith on our books for the next 5 years on upwards of £50k a week! Mind you, if he kept us up, he’s more than welcome to it.

We are in an extremely fragile position. We could end up being football's bitch. Whichever way this goes we are in very real danger of a future with more average players on huge wages, or a squad of players not equipped or good enough for a Championship season. Although we may already have that anyway of course.

There is talk of clearing out the remaining deadwood on huge wages such as Gabby Agbonlahor and Charles N’Zogbia in order to free up some cash to bring in improvements in January. Easier said than done. Neither exactly has a reputation worth scrapping over and both are sitting pretty on their current contracts. N’Zogbia reportedly is generating interest in the USA and maybe a move abroad is Gabby’s only chance also, but mutual termination of their contracts, especially in N’Zogbia’s case, is the likeliest outcome if we want to rid them; a significant outlay which would render the whole point of freeing up wages pointless.

Randy Lerner has some big decisions to make. Whilst I have always stood by my gratitude for not leading our great club into the sort of debt that Leeds faced after over-spending and trying to keep up with the big boys, the balance hasn’t been struck and we are now in an all or nothing last roll of the dice. Millions will be wiped of the value of the club he wants to sell if we are relegated, whilst the expenditure needed to keep us in the Premier League, or even to prepare for relegation in a positive manner, will be vast.

Either way, Randy is going to be counting the cost of tightening the reins a tad too much over the last few years.

Any thoughts or comments? Please let me know here or @lovespud83! Thanks for reading!

Libor Kozak. What More Can He Do?

When Remi Garde was asked last week about Libor Kozak's continued absence, his answer revealed extremely little. In fact, it only served to fuel the conspiracy theories surrounding the big Czech striker even further.

Garde noted that 'he was no better than the current forward line' and that 'he needs to be better'. Without any expansion upon that, the plot thickened as to what Kozak is/isn't doing in training or in and around the club to be given a chance in a side that is struggling to score goals.

It perhaps shows a touch of desperation amongst us that we are so keen to see Kozak given a chance. After all, he has only ever featured in a handful of games, thanks to a huge layoff due to a broken leg with which followed complications in recovery.

Further to this, Kozak's career goalscoring record is patchy at best. A decent return of 19 goals in 41 games in two seasons for Czech 2nd division side Opava earned him a move to Lazio as a 19 year old. In his first couple of seasons in Italy, Kozak featured just 3 times. A promising third season however saw him bag 7 goals in 22 appearances which then dipped down to 5 goals in 24 games the following campaign.

His final season at the Stadio Olimpico before Villa came calling was the most baffling of all - 19 Serie A appearances with 0 goals to show for it. Yes, zero. The bizarre flip side of this was the fact he scored 10 goals in 11 Europa League fixtures, which meant he finished as the tournament's top scorer.

Before Ciaran Clark nobbled him in a training session, Kozak had delivered 4 goals in 14 league games in his first season at Villa Park. Fairly meagre and nothing to be overly excited about. However, he never struck me as a poor player. He was decent, fitting in, but unfortunately for him, he wasn't Christian Benteke. Now, however, there is certainly an air of wanting to find out more about Kozak.

During this year's pre-season, Kozak featured fairly heavily and grabbed himself a few goals. Whilst we can't read anything into these games, it was promising to see Kozak back around and as an option, especially with Benteke departing.

Yet, despite our continued inability to score, Kozak has not featured at all in the Premier League so far and has amounted just 48 minutes in the League cup against Notts County. 

The timing of this article comes as during the U-21's game against Derby County on Monday evening, Kozak bagged himself a couple more goals and added to the fervour to give him a chance in the first team. Interestingly, before this game, Kozak had also scored in an U-21's game against Blackburn but Garde had confirmed that Kozak wouldn't be involved at all for the upcoming Southampton Premier League game. Which seems like a strange thing to have already decided.

Obviously the competition for the 'big man up top' position is between himself and Rudy Gestede. Garde seems to rate Gestede above Kozak, as did Sherwood. We know Gestede was one of the players that Sherwood definitely wanted to bring in, so that explains that to an extent. But is there something deeper about Kozak that we don't know about, apart from a lack of match practice? Does he not work hard enough? If that is the case, then how is Gestede getting a regular run out?! Kozak was fit for pre-season and contributed, but since then has completely fallen away from selection again. It cannot simply be a case of fitness at this point? Kozak seems to deliver in these friendly's and reserve fixtures, so what else is going on? The quality of opposition is a million miles from a Premier League fixture of course, but if they are his only chance to impress, then surely he is taking those chances and deserves a run in the first team. Especially as Gestede is not performing.

Kozak, to me, has more ability than Gestede and is a more complete player. For a start, Kozak has shown he can use his feet rather than just score with his head. The problem for Gestede, especially with Jordan Amavi now injured, is that the supply of crosses needed are not materialising, leaving him floundering trying to get into the game and being able to offer little else. Kozak would be a better option to try and link up play whilst still having a presence in the box.

Villa fans may be getting carried away with the growing support for Kozak, and seeing him as some sort of saviour, which in itself says so much about the state of our plight. Whilst he may not be the man to save our season, he has certainly earned himself the chance to have a go at doing so.

With rumoured interest mounting from Celtic, who came in for him in the summer, and also Birmingham, I would hate Kozak to leave and then blossom into a regular goalscorer elsewhere, without being given a chance to show what he can do at Villa first.

Mind you, wouldn't that be just typical of us.

 Any thoughts or comments? Please let me know here or @lovespud83! Thanks for reading!

A Crossroads For Jack Grealish?

Remi Garde this morning has confirmed that Jack Grealish will not be in the squad for the forthcoming visit of Watford in this weekend's vital game in which Villa must surely collect 3 points to kick start a dismal season so far.

The emergence of pictures of Grealish from the weekend has once again propelled him into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, and opinion on this matter seems to divide supporters massively. However, Garde has labelled his behaviour as 'unprofessional' and has taken decisive action accordingly.

From what I can see, there are two main ways of looking at it; firstly, he is a 20 year old kid and he is doing what any 20 year old kid should be doing. Secondly, he is a professional footballer and should act as such.

However, there are many other factors involved in this, and I have to say I am completely behind Garde in his decision to banish Grealish for this game.

Over the coming weeks, possibly even days, we are going to find a lot out about what sort of character Jack Grealish possesses. None of us know him personally and so we can't judge. However, I am concerned that there is a spoilt kid mentality about him and I hope that is not the case, as his career will ultimately never reach it's potential if so.

Garde is obviously unimpressed so far with Grealish. The assessment that Grealish has skill and quality but is 'unfinished' is absolutely fair and spot on. Having dropped Grealish for his first game in charge against Manchester City, Garde, perhaps surprisingly, recalled him for the next game against Everton. There was an obvious message; don't think you've made it already, but here is another chance. Garde was obviously looking for a reaction in the Everton game, yet Grealish failed to deliver and didn't work anywhere near hard enough. That isn't to single the lad out or lay the blame solely at his feet. Yet, despite a challenge from his manager and being given a chance to come back in, Grealish failed to seize his opportunity to prove his point to Garde. A poor team performance is no excuse for an individual performance which lacks effort.

Now, on top of this, the story emerges of Grealish being out on the pop in Manchester on Saturday night and again on Sunday in a Birmingham hotel. Whilst there are no pictures of him partaking in anything, the Daily Mail video and images that came out certainly suggests he is not sober. Not by a long way. 

Villa fans are sick to death of having their weekend's ruined every single week for the last 4 months. Personally, the last thing I want to see is any of our players jollying it up, especially straight after such an embarrassing performance and especially when we are in the midst of a run of 5 points from our opening 13 games.

The argument is that he is a 20 year old kid who is entitled to live his life still. 

Wrong. He isn't just a 20 year old kid. He is a professional footballer for Aston Villa F.C. His age is completely irrelevant. He isn't a youth player, or just breaking through any more. He is an established first team player.£20,000 a week is the price for not living life as an ordinary 20 year old and getting smashed at weekends. At least during the season. 

Whilst I do think he is getting unfairly targeted by the press, he has to realise now that his card is marked due to him having talent and being fairly high profile, in terms of a potential hope for English football. The previous incident involving him this summer is something I don't want to re-visit or link to this as I believe off season, he is entitled to do what he wants - within reason of course. He has been tarnished by that whole episode however, and then with the whole 'hippy crack' nonsense also which was dug up by the press going even further back in time to get mileage out of the story. Grealish needs to be way cleverer than letting them control the image that is portrayed of him.

Garde may get pelters from some sections of supporters for banishing Grealish, but this kid needs some discipline. I think it's probably come as a shock to him, to have Garde not completely flailing over him in the way that Tim Sherwood did. It was telling when Grealish posted this on Twitter when Sherwood was sacked.

It would've been interesting to see how Sherwood had handled this latest breach by our young playmaker, but you can't imagine him taking a hard line. Rather, a nudge and a wink and a 'don't do it again'. Maybe that is how to get the best out of Grealish, but long term it isn't doing him any favours, and Garde is right to try and begin instilling some discipline both in Grealish and around Villa Park in general. It's been too long in coming and whilst it may put some people's noses out of joint, professionalism is absolutely key and he'll soon find out which players he can trust and which he can't.

Grealish would've been in no state for training on Monday morning, and thinking he can wing it is simply not good enough. Whilst a 20 year old can probably run off a night out or two fairly easily, Grealish needs to realise that supporters are counting on him to be in peak condition and totally committed in helping our club, his club, out of this mess.

It will be very interesting to see how Grealish responds to this. We can't afford any sulky and stroppy immaturity. He needs to become a man, and show some determination. And quickly. I've said in previous posts that we, as supporters, are now expecting more from Grealish; more goals, more assists. At the moment he is standing still in his development. 

I personally think Garde is spot on this time. He hasn't fined him or gone over the top in his punishment. But a breach of club rules and procedure simply cannot be left to go without consequence. The next step is now up to Jack Grealish and every single Villa supporter is hoping for a positive and mature response rather than a potential personality clash with Garde.

Any thoughts or comments? Please let me know here or @lovespud83! Thanks for reading!

It's Pretty Much Now Or Never...

Saturday afternoon at 3pm represents perhaps the most defining point we will have in our season. When games are billed as 'must win' or '6-pointers', it usually isn't quite so severe; those terms are overused to a large extent.

However, for Aston Villa, the game against Watford at Villa Park is simply a must win. If we go any longer without picking up 3 points, then we run the risk of being seriously cut adrift and making an escape look even less likely than it already does. Especially after Sunderland's shock win at Palace on Monday night.

In the same way that this game is a must win, although it may not obviously seem it, for us at least this is also a 6-pointer. Although Watford have had a decent start to the season and currently occupy 13th place, they are a team who we should be looking at as potential relegation candidates. A team who, if they have a bad run, could potentially take one of the bottom 3 places instead of us. They are a huge 11 points ahead of us right now. However, reeling that into 8 points just makes everything a bit tighter at the bottom and we need to drag in as many teams with us as possible to give ourselves a chance. These sort of games are now absolutely vital.

Much has been made about our December and January fixtures as having a run of winnable games and a period which will give a significant idea of our fate. Yet, after the Watford game, we have two more horrible looking games, away at Southampton and at home to Arsenal. On paper, it is easy to discount any hope of wins in these games. However, due to our position, we can't afford that outlook. Southampton are showing more vulnerabilities this season, and hopefully Arsenal's injury crisis continues (and worsens) until 3 weeks time. We must not discard these games by the wayside. After all, nobody expected the point against Manchester City.

That said, the point against City now looks extremely fortuitous in the cold light of day against the Everton defeat. Make no mistake, City had chances and should've scored. Nevertheless, we defended admirably for the most part. Organised, committed and battling to win that point.

It's absolutely crystal clear to me though, had we conceded in the first 20 minutes or so of the City game, we'd have lost that comfortably by three or four, or even more and the fight that we showed would've been nowhere to be seen. Although it seemed that Remi Garde had worked a miracle after just three training sessions, it seems that Billy Smart once again took over for the Everton game. Now, whilst Everton are a good side, we didn't half help them to look much better that I think they perhaps are. At least the first three of their goals should've been cut out and avoided, with their third goal in particular being an example of the absolute comedy gold we've come to be so familiar with; our defence tripping over and clattering into each other whilst their one man, who is outnumbered in the box by a ratio of 2:5, nips in to score. It was utterly embarrassing. How had Remi gotten us to look so solid and compact against City yet we suddenly looked at our most frail against Everton?

I have never known a team who's players heads drop as much as ours do when we concede a goal. This is probably reinforced by the horrible form we are in, showing that the players have no belief in being able to get back into a game once we go a goal down. But we have seen so many occasions this season where we concede and any confidence or belief just completely evaporates out of us. The Swansea game is a great example of this, having gone a goal up, once they equalised, it just seemed inevitable that we would go on to lose. There was no notion of fighting them back and going for the win. Does this stem from the capitulation at Leicester? Can we really be that psychologically damaged?!

Whatever it is, it needs to be addressed, and quickly. Because if we don't have that fight and determination at the very least, we may as well accept relegation now.

Watford may be a good game for us, in so much as they are the among the league's lowest scorers, leading only ourselves, Stoke and tying with West Brom on 12 goals. Hopefully we can summon up the spirit we found against City and shut them out. In saying this, Odion Ighalo is a tricky player who both creates and scores goals and I personally wouldn't want to bump into Troy Deeney outside of a Birmingham nightclub. Being a Blues fan, and getting rejected by us as a kid, he will be up for this and he is beginning to find his feet at this level. Despite a lack of goals so far, they certainly pose more of a threat than we do at the moment and attack with power and pace. The flip side of their poor goals return is that they have largely been solid at the back, shipping just 14 so far. This obviously poses it's problems for us and our non-existent attack and it is hard to see how we can trouble such a miserly defence when we have mustered just 10 goals at this point.

In regards to personnel, I would like as close as possible the team who started against City. With the obvious exception of Jordan Amavi, left back is a problem. Kieran Richardson simply consolidated the view that he is a liability on the left hand side; the more I watch the clip of the way he tried to shoulder barge Gerard Deulofeu on the touchline instead of going for the ball and nearly falling over instead, the angrier I get. I would prefer Garde to come up with a solution (Clark at left back, with Jores Okore coming into the centre) or at the very least have the hard working Scott Sinclair to start on the same flank as Richardson to offer more protection on that side. Ashley Westwood cannot start this, or any, game in my opinion, and a non jet-legged Carlos Sanchez must come in again. Garde was refreshingly firm in dropping Jack Grealish against City, yet his surprising recall a week later was not justified for me. Having being snapped in the papers out on the pop again, supposedly after the Everton game, expect Garde to demote him back to the bench for being a naughty boy again. It would also be nice to see the lesser-spotted Adama Traore to at least make the bench this week.

Either way, it's going to be interesting to see how Garde sets us up and see which Villa turns up this week. 

Please, please, please give us 3 points and finally get this season going!

Any thoughts or comments? Please let me know either here or @lovespud83 and thanks for reading!

Paul Lambert - A Deserved Chance At Redemption?

Paul Lambert this week made his comeback into football by taking the vacant post at ailing Championship team Blackburn Rovers. There doesn't seem to have been much in the way of well-wishing from Aston Villa supporters on social media, who still hold the Scotsman in pretty poor regard. Indeed, his reign at Villa Park is so negatively remembered, that Blackburn supporters are cautious in their hopes for their new manager. But is this reputation around Lambert completely justified?

First things first, let's make no mistake here; Lambert completely stunk out Villa Park, especially in his final season. It's pretty much accepted as fact that we would've been relegated had he remained in charge. There was no fight or passion, and the football was the worst seen, with dreary barren runs of 6 or 7 games without even scoring, let alone picking up any points, becoming normality. We had scored 11 goals in 25 games before he bit the bullet. Even just typing those figures out, it still seems an impossibility for it to be true.

However, Villa fans are sometimes quick to forget that we were pretty much unanimous in wanting Lambert to be our manager, even going so far as singing his name while playing Norwich City at Carrow Road whilst he was still in charge in the final game of the 2011-2012 season. The fact that the universally unloved Alex McLeish was in charge at the time probably contributed most of all to this, rather than the fact we saw Lambert as some sort of Guardiola or Mourinho figure for us. Still, the fact remains that he was the fans choice to take the hotseat.

The reasons we wanted Lambert to take over were obvious, but, at this point in time, largely forgotten. As a reminder, his managerial record up until that point was impressive. 

Having struggled in the 8 months he was employed in his first managerial role at Livingston, where he was registered as a player still also, it was at League 2 Wycombe Wanderers where signs of a promising coach began to take shape. In his two years at Adams Park, he reached the League Cup semi-final, the first time in more than 30 years that a fourth tier team had progressed so far in the competition. It took a Chelsea side, in the 2nd leg at Stamford Bridge, to eliminate them, after a 1-1 draw in the first leg. He also guided them also to the play-offs, before faring poorly and eventually missing out. 

Colchester United, a division higher in League 1 came calling and after a respectable mid-table finish, his tenure was to be defined by the opening game of the following season, in which his side humiliated Norwich City 7-1. The Canaries sacked Bryan Gunn and instantly installed Lambert in his place. What followed in the subsequent three seasons at Norwich was a remarkable rise from League 1 to the safety of mid-table in the Premier League. During their back to back promotions, which hadn't been achieved since Manchester City did the same some 11 years previously, Lambert built an exciting attacking side who were difficult to beat; they didn't lose back to back games for two seasons.

He was, in many different ways, the logical choice for Aston Villa. After a season in which McLeish was never going to be able to win over the fans anyway, especially with negative football, Lambert seemed like a beacon for a brighter future; a younger manager, a British manager. A man who had worked his way up through the leagues and now also had Premier League experience under his belt. Most of all, a manager who could get a team playing attractive attacking football.

As we know, this did not translate. Lambert, to be fair, was always going to have a difficult job on his hands. A club still bearing the effects of the over-spending O'Neill era, the squad was a mish-mash of high earners with little motivation, and young kids with little experience. Tasked with reducing the wage bill whilst still remaining competitive in the Premier League is a frankly oxymoronic job to be given - is it possible to have one without the other?

In saying this, Lambert was still handed a respectable level of cash. The likes of Christian Benteke and Ron Vlaar, Matt Lowton and Ashley Westwood were, at least in part and varying degrees, what could be deemed as successful signings. However, for each of these, there was a Karim El Ahmadi, or a Joe Bennett, or a Jordan Bowery. I have always felt that the supporters gave Lambert the whole first season as a grace period; the fans knew the state the club was in and the limitations of the squad. This was the season that we were annihilated 8-0 by Chelsea, followed immediately by damaging 3-0 and 4-0 defeats to Wigan and Spurs respectively. Even at this point, there were very few calls for Lambert to be sacked (It is interesting to compare this to Tim Sherwood, who didn't even make it until November in his first full season). Perhaps the real disappointment came with the two-legged defeat to League 2 Bradford City; a total embarrassment and a rare chance of silverware gone. Still, there were highlights also; a 4-1 League Cup win at Lambert's previous employers Norwich and a 6-1 demolition of Sunderland at Villa Park. 

Lambert's second season saw noticeable discontent rising, but still even at this point, I would say not an overall majority. We were by now a one dimensional counter attacking team with no plan B, and we would frequently give up at least 60% of the possession. Lambert was struggling. Was this limitations of the squad or limitations in Lambert?

By the time he entered his third season, Lambert was a dead man walking. A shift in transfer policy saw the likes of Joe Cole, Phillipe Senderos and Kieran Richardson brought in, which even at the time looked doomed. The logic was there to see; the cheap and youthful lower league experiments hadn't worked and it was difficult to know how a player would step up, but the quality in these new, more experienced old pro signings were poor. With an injured Christian Benteke for the start of the season, we were lost. And when Benteke was fit again, he was completely misused and isolated with no service. Lambert was sacked just in the nick of time for Tim to come in and rescue us.

In the end, Lambert was treated to absolute dogs abuse of which never sat well with me. Yes, he was failing, and yes, it was absolutely atrocious football and he smashed all sorts of unwanted records. It was clear he was completely broken. The unrest and uncertainty behind the scenes at the club could hardly have helped. Each post match interview was the same; dreariness (or weariness) and the same old line about picking ourselves up and going again. In reality, he didn't help himself in regards to the fans reactions. But when things get to a point where nothing is going right or working, there are very few people who are able to summon fresh energy and invigorate people around them. Recognising this, as he absolutely must've done, Lambert should've handed in his resignation much sooner than rather than waiting to be sacked. But as we know, in this day and age, how often does that happen? With mutli-million pound contracts, managers are in a no lose situation - they carry on until told differently, otherwise they forfeit their huge payoff.

Despite all this I do believe there are still positives to Lambert. To his credit, rather than continuing with a formula that wasn't working for us, he did at least TRY to change things and wanted to adopt a more possession based style of play. The huge problem was that it was poor timing to try and implement a completely different style of play within a struggling side midway through a season. The other major flaw was the inability to recognise the fact that the players at his disposal were not capable of adapting to such a style of play which involved crisp passing and being able to break teams down; the players were just not good enough. We suddenlty had the majority of possession, but most of it was around the halfway line; teams were happy knowing we were not hurting them and could eventually pick us off. Similarly, in trying this approach, and as previously mentioned, Benteke was not used effectively (or even at all really) because of this.

That said, I like the fact he obviously studies the game intensely and wants to improve. His connections in Germany have allowed him to study methods used by the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola. The man obviously garners a great deal of respect; clubs like Bayern and Dortmund, and also individuals such as Klopp and Guardiola, wouldn't let just any tinpot manager into their circle and use them as study aids. Other noticeable placements have included time at Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen. Whether Lambert is able to implement any of the techniques and methods he picks up is open for debate, but the time and effort is being made to improve himself and that is highly commendable, and he is undoubtedly learning from the best in the game. 

A great player doesn't necessarily make a great manager, but Lambert's playing career was more distinguished than most and I don't think it can be completely ignored. A Champions League winner with Dortmund, he produced an exceptional display in the final to quell the threat of Zinedine Zidane. He was also a UEFA Cup finalist with Celtic, and whilst it may only be Scottish football, he was part of the side that halted Rangers 9 year dominance in winning the title. As a player, the guy was a winner and his record commands respect. With this behind him, as a manager, he must find a way of putting this mentality into his players and work out which players are capable of playing above themselves. He obviously knows what it takes to win, and he must find a way of making this count as a manager. Roy Keane was unable to for various reasons, but Lambert is more intelligent and personable and not a lost cause like our former assistant manager.

On a different note, I don't want to say his hands were tied completely in the transfer market as he has had money to spend, but he always had to spend his budget around thinly. This was always likely to mean having to take gambles on certain players. And while I alluded to it earlier regarding the poor purchases such as El Ahmadi, Bennett, Bowery, Tonev, Sylla etc... it would be unfair not to recognise his successes also, some of which we are hoping to rely on even now for our future. The standout success, of course, was Benteke. In many ways, but for this signing, our recent spending this summer would perhaps never have happened. Benteke, undoubtedly, saved us from relegation for the last 3 seasons while he was at Villa Park and his sale, while it has left us lacking hugely up front, has contributed hugely to the rebuilding of the squad (which I still believe will prove, for the most part, successful). Vlaar was an important player for us also until his injuries took their toll. But we also shouldn't forget that Lambert brought in Jores Okore, who I think will be immense for us once he gets himself fit, and we are also seeing the benefits now of a more settled Carlos Sanchez who I think had his best game for us so far against Manchester City. Add to this Carles Gil, perhaps our technically best player we have, who we have been crying out for to play, and we actually have a fair amount to be grateful to Lambert for.

Which brings us back to the present. Lambert has been away from the game for 9 months. Frankly, I didn't even recognise the man upon seeing the pictures of his unveiling at Blackburn. He looks a world away from the haggard, exhausted shell of a man who last managed a Villa side that lost 2-0 on a cold February night up in Hull. Does that say more about management as a job, or just managing Aston Villa. The way Tim Sherwood withered considerably after just 9 months (including a couple of months of for a summer break) would suggest that the manager's position at Villa Park should come with health warnings.

It's not a straightforward gig at Ewood Park by any means, with a certain level of discontent amongst fans and not forgetting the Venky's board to deal with also. The club are currently under a transfer embargo and haven't been able to buy any players for the last year, with debts spiralling to around £80 million. So it is to Lambert's credit once again that he has taken on a job that isn't going to be a comfortable ride. Yet, this still represents a good opportunity for Lambert to begin repairing his damaged reputation. It is rumoured that the embargo will soon be removed, and the Rovers squad has some decent players within it for him to work with, such as commanding centre back Grant Hanley, Ben Marshall and obviously, in Jordan Rhodes he has a readymade proven goalscorer which is going to be vital.

Lambert has already sounded out an attacking hi-tempo approach that he will be looking to play. Many Villa fans will scoff at this in memory of the painful football we had to endure. However, his previous achievements should not be overlooked, nor should his eagerness to improve as a manager. If Lambert can learn from past mistakes and implement the style of football seen in his time at Norwich, then it could be a great move for both parties.

Has Remi Resuscitated Us?

You know those scenes in films and TV shows, where the patient is rushed into the emergency room, shirt ripped open by medical staff as the doctor rushes to prepare the electric shock resuscitator. He then shouts 'CLEAR!!' and administers a jolt throughout the barely alive individual. The pulse is barely more than a flatline, but then suddenly, it beeps and spikes and that patient is alive and fighting for life once more.

That patient is Aston Villa. And Remi Garde is the doctor!

And boy, did he get to us just in time.

For the first time Since August, I have not had my weekend ruined by Aston Villa (yes, even the draw with Sunderland ruined my weekend). I have forgotten what this feeling was like. The rot and festering decay of loss upon loss has been halted, and whilst a 0-0 is nothing we should usually be getting excited about, what it potentially represents is absolutely huge.

With our dreadful run of losses, and on top of that Manchester City's good form coming into this game, no one gave us much of a chance. I think the general consensus even amongst our own supporters was that we were going to lose this one as well. We had a new manager, but realistically, he would not be judged on this game. It was a free pass for him in many ways. He's only had a few training sessions with the players after all. Get this tonking out of the way and then over the international break, we'll resume, and then we begin for real.

But Remi had other ideas. 

Instantly, the fans were lifted purely by the team selection. Garde had given us more or less what we had been asking for. Speaking for myself at least, the positives were that I was glad to see Joleon Lescott dropped, Ashley Westwood not making it, and Gabby Agbonlahor out injured (although I doubt he would've played anyway). On top of this, I was excited to see Jordan Amavi back in the side, pleased to see Jordan Veretout given a chance, and most of all just relieved to see that Garde had not made the same mistake as his predecessors and finally given a deserved start to Carles Gil. Jordan Ayew was also worthy of his opportunity to begin the game upfront in place of Rudy Gestede, after scoring twice in the last two league games. I also thought the selection of Carlos Sanchez and Idrissa Gueye was spot on as our defensive midfield pairing.

I tweeted my thoughts on this instantly - this line-up had left me feeling slightly optimistic. With City having had a tough midweek Champions League game away to Sevilla, and with a couple of key players out, maybe there was a chance for us.

But of course, surely all that wouldn't matter. We were bottom of the league! Man City were top. It was a formality!

However, we looked impressive from the very beginning. Full of energy, pressing when we needed to but for the most part, we were in control in possession anyway, passing it around very neatly and quickly, and there was a lot of one touch passing which was great to see. Gil in particular was scampering away, from one side to the other, trying to create an opening. He is, technically, by far and away our best player and found a teammate with 34 of his 35 passes which is superb. 

I thought Veretout looked extremely comfortable on the ball, and showed great special awareness, twisting and turning himself out of some tight spots. I had noted in my last blog that whilst I did rate Sanchez and thought he should be playing, his passing was generally appalling; however, he had obviously read my words and decided to show me what's what and his passing was much improved, even spraying a few accurate 40 yard passes around. Amavi and Sinclair worked well together on the left side, with the former especially showcasing his attacking talents that have been missing since he was dropped by Tim Sherwood. 

The team had real energy and seemingly no fear, and it was actually enjoyable to see us playing football. However, much like a lethargic lovemaking encounter, our penetration was pretty much non-existent. 

We rode our luck several times in the second half, but we were never going to be able to completely shut City out for 90 minutes. We were fortunate that Sergio Aguero and David Silva were both ruled out, and that Wilfried Bony injured himself and had to go off which did leave them somewhat blunt in attack. With the exception of Kevin De Bruyne, and to an extent Raheem Sterling, their attacking options were severally limited in truth. Yet, thanks to a combination of Sterling opting to take a dive, De Bruyne's ridiculous attempt at showboating instead of converting, Brad Guzan literally using his head for once, and our crossbar, we survived. This of course, is not doing justice to our defence, with Micah Richards and Ciaran Clark throwing themselves into every tackle and winning the 50/50's which limited City to only a handful of clear chances, instead of completely landsliding us.

In fact, the team as a whole just worked incredibly hard and it made me proud to be a Villa fan which hasn't been the case so far this season. That, however, is the absolute minimum we should be expecting from our players. The fans appreciated it and that is all we ask for at this point in time.

Incredibly, Even Charles N'Zogbia looked up for it after coming on as a sub in his surprise recall to the squad. Should we read anything into the fact the N'Zogbia was preferred to Jack Grealish to enter the field? Possibly not, but it will be interesting to see if this selection continues after the international break. It will also be interesting to see whether Adama Traore can feature at all in this side - he didn't even make the matchday squad on this occasion and should we now be concerned that he just may not be quite what we have all expected him to be if he is failing to even make the bench?

Despite the bounce that a new manager brings, it was impressive to see just how quickly Garde had instilled some belief, solidarity and organisation into the side. It bodes well to see that sloppy mistakes had been cut out, and that the back four was structured to such an extent within such a limited timeframe. It was by no means watertight, but work has certainly begun on fixing those leaks that were drowning us. 

Garde must now also spend time on formulating a plan to make us sharper in attack. It cannot be overlooked that we had a total of zero shots on target. However, it must also be put into perspective that this City side had endured a miserly total of just 28 shots on target so far in the league this season - it was unlikely that we were going to muster much of an attacking threat and it was, in this instance, pleasing enough to see us keep a clean sheet and give ourselves a platform on which to build going forwards.

Overall, it completely highlights that we have some very good players and should not be sitting bottom of the table. It also unfortunately underlines that Sherwood switched our team around ten different times in the league this season and couldn't stumble upon a side that has taken Garde just one attempt to do so. It was glaringly obvious to every single supporter which players should've been playing. Garde has picked the best available players in their most effective positions. It does make you wonder just what Sherwood was thinking; was he really jeopardising Aston Villa for the sake of making a point about our transfer policy, and neglecting to play certain players despite knowing that they would be better options? Likewise, Kevin McDonald should be ashamed of his team selection against Spurs which was even more cumbersome than usual until Gil and Ayew were introduced.

For Garde, and everyone connected with Villa, It was an important first step. Although still in critical condition, we've at least responded and finally shown some signs of life.

One final note, the hostility towards Delph was completely expected and deserved and that noise was absolutely incredible. If anyone other than a Villa fan is reading this and seeing it as a case of Villa fans being bitter about him moving to further his career then this blog piece will explain it very clearly for you - fbdwf.blogspot.com

Similarly, Joe Hart only has himself to blame for that corner. Anyone expecting us to then not take that set piece in the name of 'sportsmanship' is having a laugh.

@lovespud83

Are Our Players Really That Bad?

Looking through the current Villa squad, I've been wondering whether the players we have truly reflect our position at the bottom of the table. Below are my verdicts on each man and whether they are capable of starting games, or should be on the bench or even if they should still be at Aston Villa.

** Before anyone mentions it, I'm aware I have selected more than 11 starters! This merely reflects the payers I believe I wouldn't mind seeing starting games, not necessarily a preferred line-up.**

Brad Guzan - A once reliable, if unspectacular, pair of hands has now become a liability, responsible for costing us several points this season. However, I do not think Sherwood's handling of him can be underestimated in his decline in form. New manager, new confidence? With no other real options right now, we have no choice but to persevere. VERDICT - Starts

Mark Bunn - Pretty much unknown. The general consensus is that he isn't good enough. If Sherwood didn't even try him out despite obviously not rating Guzan, then it shows how far off the pace this guy must be. There is no point in keeping him if he isn't good enough to come in when your no.1 is making mistakes left right and centre. VERDICT - Get rid

Jordan Amavi - Needs to play. Whilst I could possibly see logic in him being dropped against Chelsea with a plan of trying to keep it tighter at the back, to continue to leave him on the bench is a mistake. Obvious quality going forward and already has claimed a couple of assists. Stats will show him to have a high interception rate, successful tackles and so on. Yet several times his marauding exploits have left us exposed. However, I don't think it's a coincidence that we have stopped scoring since he has been out of the team. VERDICT - Starts

 

Micah Richards - Probably our best defender. Yet for some reason, doesn't fill me with absolute confidence. Prone to be dragged out of position and ball watching. I'm not entirely convinced that he has a 'football brain'. In saying that, he is brave, quick and does posses ability. He will throw himself into a challenge to block the ball and that is what we need. I just worry that as a centre back whether he is switched on enough to be successful as he has been at right back, where you can get away with a little bit more. VERDICT - Starts

Joleon Lescott - A poor buy in my opinion. Looks unsteady, certainly not brave enough and turns away from the ball for fear of being hit. As a Villa fan, he should be striving so much harder to make this work for him and us. Would be useful as a backup option, but certainly not good enough to be starting each week. VERDICT - Bench

 

Jores Okore - I think this kid could be the real deal. Hopefully now injury free, I would love to see him get a run of games and impose himself. So unfortunate to get such a bad injury so soon after joining which has set him back and he was playing with an injury still towards the back end of last season. That sort of dedication cannot be underestimated and plenty of others in a similar situation would not play. Strong and quick, I think he has the potential to lead us from the back and underpin some stability in our defence. VERDICT - Starts

Ciaran Clark - At 26, he is not quite the young man everyone seems to think he is anymore. Personally I like him, in so much as I think he has grown into a capable centre back. Was outmuscled far too easily for Spurs' first goal the other night, but I would certainly have him playing over Lescott right now, but probably not Okore. Gives his all and is generally reliable. VERDICT - Starts

Alan Hutton - Not as bad as everyone would like to label him. Does a job. I like his willingness to get forwards, but the problem is there isn't much of a delivery from him once he gets into advanced positions. No world beater, but an experienced Premier League level right back until a better option can be sourced. VERDICT - Starts

Tiago Illori - Unknown! Doesn't seem to be anywhere near the first team right now, I'm not sure he has even made the bench so far this season. By all accounts a talent, but looking doubtful we will see much of him in this loan spell. VERDICT - Squad Player (but should aim for the bench)

Jose Crespo - Pretty much unknown also. From what I've seen, he is backup at best. Versatile, which makes him handy to have in an emergency, but when he did play against Southampton in the League Cup, he was guilty of backing off Yoshida for his goal and turning away through being scared of getting hit by the shot. That is unacceptable, and we have too many of those sort of bottlers. VERDICT - Squad Player

Kieran Richardson - I've got nothing against Richardson as a whole. I just think he represents a completely average level of player that shouldn't be associated with Aston Villa. He's not quick, he's not slow. He's not great, he's not completely poor. To me, he just represents the standard that Villa are operating at and I think it should be much higher. There is just nothing to get excited about when you see his name on the team sheet. Useful at the moment in our situation, but lucky to be getting a gig at Villa. VERDICT - Bench

Leandro Bacuna - I do like Bacuna. I have absolutely no idea where his best position is though. He's not a right back, he's not one to operate in the middle, so he's more winger I guess but even then in that position, we probably have better options. He is attack minded though and is capable of chipping in with the odd goal. Useful to have as a squad player with his versatility, but either needs to step up a bit more to cement a place in an attacking position or be content with playing his bit-part here and there. VERDICT - Bench

Idrissa Gueye - Started off really brightly and had a lot of energy. Seemed to be an ideal replacement for Delph, with similar box-to-box style of play. Suffered a hamstring injury and hasn't quite been the same since. No doubt we've seen that he can be a quality player for us though and hopefully we can get him fit again sooner rather than later. VERDICT - Starts

Jordan Veretout - By all accounts, the kid has struggled badly with adapting. Was living in a hotel up until recently, with his girlfriend giving birth pretty much straight after he moved here. Not ideal at all and those things will not have been easy. The language has been tricky for him also apparently. Considered something of a coup for us when he signed. Has shown in glimpses some quality and I believe that he will turn out to be a good player for us, and perhaps will benefit most out of everyone from having Remi Garde come in. VERDICT - Bench/Starts

Ashley Westwood - A decent passer of the ball, but I'm not sure what else he contributes. Doesn't break up play, isn't a supplier of goals, doesn't control the midfield, too lightweight and a poor set piece taker. Disappointed to see that a flailing arm the other night against Spurs was enough to see him concussed and unable to carry on - it was hardly a haymaker. VERDICT - Get rid

Carlos Sanchez - An absolutely terrible passer of the ball; even the simplest 5 yard pass seems to be a stretch too far for Carlos. However, he is our best enforcer. He does get stuck in and is our most physical presence that we have in midfield. I think he has to play to give us some strength in the middle. Overall, he can be frustrating, but let's not forget that he is a regular in a very good Colombian national side. I think he is steadily improving and could be an important player for us. VERDICT - Starts

Gary Gardner - A lot of Villa fans seems to had their hopes pinned on this kid for a long time. I think though, at 23, if he hasn't made it by now, he's never going to. He has had terrible injuries which have probably stopped him from becoming the player we hoped, and despite good spells on loan at Brighton and Forest, I don't think he is Premier League class. For his own sake, he needs to start his career elsewhere properly. VERDICT - Get rid

Carles Gil - Should be one of the first names on the teamsheet right now. An absolute crime that he is continually overlooked and ignored, seeing as in his limited spells he has changed games and looked a real threat for us. It isn't easy to keep coming off the bench and being able to have an impact more often than not warrants a sustained run in the side. VERDICT - Starts

Adama Traore - Everyone is dying to see the true talent of the boy from Barca. After an explosive start came an injury. There are now tales of fatigue and also of a bizarre contract situation by where his wages rise to £75k a week if he plays a certain amount of games for us (reportedly as little as 10). If this is true, then firstly, what the hell are we playing at agreeing to such a ridiculous clause. But secondly, bite the bullet if that's what is agreed - he needs to play. He is raw and will make mistakes, but his pace is blistering and he has tricks to create chances. Villa fans are excited about him and we need to see what he can really do. VERDICT - Starts

Jack Grealish - Undoubted talent and loves the Villa. Good to see him holding his own in the first team and doesn't look out of place. Superb range of passing and excellent touch on the ball. He's actually probably at the stage where we now expect a little bit more from him - chipping in with a few more goals and some assists is his next target. VERDICT - Starts

Scott Sinclair - One of our better performers this season. Tricky winger with pace and a good signing for us. Has shown an eye for goal already, although we shouldn't be relying upon him to be our top scorer. Seems willing to take players on rather than a safe pass sideways or backwards which is refreshing. VERDICT - Starts

Gabby Agbonlahor - I think every Villa fan feels the same about Gabby. Thanks for the memories, but it's time to make way. He has never been prolific and I've always said he was more athlete than footballer. His finishing has always been pretty poor but this has diminished into deplorable status. His pace was by far his biggest asset but at 29, and having bulked up so much, this is beginning to show signs of decline. He has moments of brilliance, too few and far between for everyone's liking however. I wouldn't want to see him bombed out completely just yet, as his pace is still considerable and could be used late on in games but there is no way he should be starting. VERDICT - Bench

Charles N'Zogbia - Oh Charles. Very entertaining on Twitter, but clearly does not give a flying f*ck about his career. Frustratingly, everyone knows there is so much talent there. The attitude is all wrong though. We know there will be no consistency if he makes a comeback and a parting of the ways is only a matter of time, especially with those wages he is on. VERDICT - Get rid

Jordan Ayew - Growing on me more and more each time he plays. Struggled at the beginning and looked as if he was a duff signing. Works hard and at least is always looking to get a shot away. Pacey and deceptively strong. Unsure whether he is an out and out striker, but he should be looking for around 10 goals this season. VERDICT - Starts

Rudy Gestede - The proverbial 'good touch for a big man' does not seem to apply to Rudy. However, his presence in the air is immense. His headers against Bournemouth, Liverpool and Blues were all superb; full of power and his runs timed to perfection. We probably haven't given him enough service, certainly since Amavi has been withdrawn from the first team. Capable of disappearing in games and looking like a donkey at times, but when he's up for it, he can bully defences and gives us a physical presence. VERDICT - Starts

Libor Kozak - Incredibly unlucky to not be given a chance in the first team. Although pre-season is not a real indicator of things, he did look decent and notched a few goals. I think there was certainly an opportunity to give him a chance earlier on in the season. Gestede probably stays ahead of him at this moment, but I'd like to see him come off the bench a few times and see how he does. Seems a decent player who could get us around 10 goals in a full season, which is not to be sniffed at. VERDICT - Bench

 

And after all that I may as well have my say on a preferred line up, so here it is: 

 

 

 

 

@lovespud83