John

Source: Player Match Ratings: A defeat but a first goal in 659 minutes!

This defeat leaves us with just 14 games left to get the points we need to secure our top flight status. It seems we may need to be reliant on three teams having a run that is similar to the one we are currently on between now and the end of the season to secure that safety. This is because there are few clear signs that we will be able to do it ourselves. Another 12 – 16 points looks like a huge mountain for us to climb in our remaining games. Given we currently have the worst goal difference in the league finishing on the same number of points as others is also not presently a viable option for us. But at least the margin of yesterday’s defeat did not hit our negative goal difference as hard as did our humiliating defeat last weekend. We gave a decent enough account of ourselves yesterday particularly given that we conceded a goal so early to the Champions elect but did not throw in the towel. Jose got the first win at Villa Park that he was seeking and Chelsea extended their lead at the top. But they were made to work harder than many had anticipated for their victory and it could be argued that we were worth a point on the day. Few Villa fans thought we had much chance of getting anything from this game before it started and that was particularly the case when they went ahead. But their winner came against the run of play when we were getting forward much more than we have become accustomed to see us doing. The ball did run for them before Ivanovic who scores goals for fun against us hit their second and decisive goal and coming back from a goal down again proved to be beyond us. That second goal took the wind out of our sails and we lacked the energy, confidence and belief to claim a point after that. But we can take something into the coming games from the fact that Chelsea were time wasting as the game reached its conclusion and that they were so keen to hear the final whistle at the end. We do tend to raise our level of performance against the top teams at Villa Park. What we now need to do is to produce the same level of performance both home and away against the teams who are now below us and who currently stand just above us. We need to start doing this on Tuesday at Hull because that is a must not lose 6-ponter and one we could really do with getting three points from. But it remains difficult to see where our next win is coming from and Hull’s unexpected point at second placed Manchester City yesterday unlike Milner’s late equalizer has done nothing to make our task any easier. My player ratings from a game in which we scored our first league goal since before Christmas are: Brad Guzan – 6 – Did well to keep out an Oscar shot at his near post on 22 minutes and held a Cahill header that had deflected off Cissokho shortly afterwards at the second attempt. Brad then came a long way off his line but got nowhere near a corner on the hour. Alan Hutton – 6 – A solid game at the back and when he was able to get forward. Hazard ran into the box without being picked up and was able to get in front of Alan to turn home Willian’s 8th minute cross for their opener. Jores Okore – 8 – Another exemplary display of central defending was rounded off by his first goal for us and our first goal in almost 11 hours. Gil left Oscar for dead before hitting a sweet cross to Jores who had been left unmarked at the far post and his textbook downward header brought us level on 48 minutes. Ciaran Clark – 7 – His strong challenge denied Ramires what had up until that point looked a certain second for the visitors on 38 minutes. Another very solid display alongside Jores. Aly Cissokho – 6 – A welcome return to the first team and he needs to keep his place because we are stronger at the back with him there than without him. Carles Gil - 8 – MOTM – Made a good run into the box on 43 minutes and fizzed a cross in that Cahill got to before Gabby did. His trickery created our equalizer and he kept us going forward and looked a cut above throughout yesterday. Ashley Westwood – 6 – Improved as the game wore on. Tom Cleverley – 5 – Surely Sánchez who I assume was only rested for Tuesday’s game rather than dropped after his recent high standards fell for just one game will claim a place for the Hull game. It is Tom’s place that looks to be under most pressure if his loan deal does actually allow him not to start a game when fit. He worked hard enough but his passes are very rarely forward. He needs to show more and to suggest his stay with us is something other than just a season long stop-off on his way to Goodison Park if he is to win over the fans that made it all too clear on his substitution that his name would not have been the first on their team sheet yesterday. He did play a nice one-two on the edge of the box with Delph on 48 minutes but his effort was deflected wide of the post off Cahill. Fabian Delph – 7 – Lost the captain’s armband to Gabby yesterday but surely that was only temporarily. Gave a solid midfield performance and played a major role in getting us moving forward on the occasions that we did so. Fab was not quite able to get a foot to the ball that Azpillcueta pulled back for an unmarked Ivanovic to hit his unstoppable winner. Andreas Weimann – 5 – He works hard and offered support in the middle but he offered little up front and this was not one of his better games. Flicked a header from a 17th minute Westwood corner a couple of yards past the far post and then clipped a 46th minute Hutton cross over the bar from the edge of the box. Gabby Agbonlahor – 5 – Offered no serious goal threat and it was a surprise to see him make a quick return to the starting line up. Kept himself busy enough but Terry and Cahill would surely have had more concerns had they faced even a below par Benteke. He was unable to get high enough to head a good ball from Delph on 19 minutes downwards that sailed harmlessly over the bar as a result. Substitutes: Christian Benteke – 5 - Replaced Gabby on 68 minutes. Christian again looked some way off his best and failed to make the impression we had hoped for on entering the fray just after we had again fallen behind. For me he should have been introduced 10 minutes earlier when we were on top, looked likely to create opportunities and his introduction might have worried their defenders. He has to start on Tuesday! Scott Sinclair – Replaced Cleverley on 74 minutes and found Ivanovic to be quicker than he had anticipated on the occasions he tried to get past him. Scott was not on long enough to earn a rating but will be harder to keep out of the line up on Tuesday and was I think worth a start up front today given the forward options we went for. Joe Cole – Replaced Weimann on 79 minutes and was another who was not given sufficient time to gather a rating. Stay Up Villa! John Lewis

5 - 7 points.

If there is no current prospect of a sale and no real prospect of our custodian making the sort of money available that we would need to spend to stop this season after season relegation fight happening again next season (should we stay up this time) has he considered seeking outside investment (to use on new players/staff) for a share of the club? He will lose total control of the club but he would lose a lot more if we were to be relegated and it works well enough at Arsenal.

Philippe Senderos - 165 career league appearances Ciaran Clark - 106 career league appearances Not really all that much in it to be fair That's surprising to be fair! is that due to Senderos playing second fiddle at Arsenal or injuries? Senderos has made 55 international appearances and Clark 10 to look at it another way although I have to say both Clark and Okore have kept us solid at the back up until last weekend.

17th for me with 33 points and trusting that 3 from QPR, Burnley, Leicester & Hull get 32 points or less.

I hope we can keep the goals against down so we do not make too much of a dent in our already sad goal difference. But I hoped we would do the same at Arsenal. I might even rest a few players to keep them fresh for the 6-pointer at Hull in the middle of the following week and start with Given, Hutton, Baker, Clark, Okore, Cissokho, Sinclair, Westwood, Cole, Bacuna and Benteke.

So two of our targets prefer to spend most of their time sitting on a bench at Spurs & Liverpool rather than playing for us. Sunday's defeat and the position we are now in will not have helped our hopes of signing them but they have made their decisions and I hope they will regret them at their leisure. The signings we have made in Gil, Sinclair and Delph are more than I had anticipated we would make during this window. But I wonder if they will prove to have been enough at the end of this season ...

We already comfortably have more than enough in terms of players of the required quality to stay up. Unfortunately what we lack is a manager who can get anything like the best out of them and that would still have been the case had we made further signings today. I appreciate what you are saying about being able to get the best out of what we have. But new signings often make an early impact as has Gil. A couple of new faces today might have done the same and we presently need all the help that we can get but it seems we are not going to get any.

Talksport just suggested Lambert has done his transfer business already. So the money has dried up along with the goals. It seems our custodian is not prepared to risk a couple of million on bringing in a couple of players even on loan to try to keep us up. That is a very big risk that he seems happy to take with the future of our football club!

I doubt Cleverley would have signed for us during this window had we wanted to sign him or that he plans to sign for us in the summer in any case. I can understand Manchester United would like to do a deal for him now as they will get nothing in the summer and they may have asked us to buy him now as a result but the player would also need to want to join us. I think it was always his plan to get games with us before moving to Everton with a nice signing on fee in the next window and I doubt that plan has changed.

Kane and sterling , a cheeky 2 million should do What if we were to go for Gray from sha. I think that would upset fans from both sides of the city useless athough I do like to upset those from the dark side. I guess we only have the money for one or the other and I would go for Dele if that is the case along with 1 or 2 for the rest of this season to try to keep us from having to play against the team Gray is currently with next season.

Why are we bothering with this player, we need to concentrate on the here and now, we're facing a fricking relegation battle and we are buying for next year?? Because I think this might be a player we would regret not signing in a couple of years time supermon. Signing him would be one for the future (although our defeat and current league position will not help us to get him) and doing this really should not result in our not being able to sign someone else who might do something to keep us up this season.

Welcome Scott. I really hope you show us that you can again be the player you were before moving to Citeh. You now have the opportunity to prove those that had their doubts at Citeh and elsewhere (including me) wrong. Give us 110% and we will back you all the way in our shirt.

If we really want Dele Alli I would think we would need to pay more than Newcastle to make it happen assuming we only have £2m to give them now. Say £2m now and £3.5 in the summer or give them a player or two on loan until the end of the season with us picking up say 90% of the wages so that £2m + £3m from us is worth more than £5 from Newcastle now to the Dons.

No I don't think we do have the £4m. But he is a player I would have liked us to have had a proper look at signing in the last window when apparently we did have the money and one that I think will do well at WBA and that could do the same with us if we found any money down the back of a sofa at Villa Park this week.

I keep saying about him. He absolutely tore us apart. Strong, fast, dedicated. Seemed like the perfect Premier League player, I'm shocked no-one over here picked him up. I thought the same. He is with Lechia Gdansk now.

The last time we had home draws in Rounds 3, 4 & 5 was 1999/00 when we last made the final.

Thanks for your comments PaulC and I note your thoughts on Given and Weimann's ratings.

The next time we see Randy at a Villa game, it'll be a bronze erected by new Villa owner Mohamed Al Fayed for his loyal services to AVFC. He, he!

Does anyone else think that the next time we see Randy at a Villa game may be at Wembley for the FA Cup semi-final?

We had done the deal for Carlos before we tried to bring in Cleverley on deadline day so I don't think Valencia would have got any of the money we had available to spend on Tom later on.

Thanks for your comments both. Gil did make the MOTM decision an easy one and I trust both of the things you hope for come to pass.

Or possibly the money we would have paid for Cleverley?

Another Championship team at home given it has been Blackpool and then Bournemouth so far I guess it will be another B so Blackburn it is or possibly Bolton following their cheeky replay win or Bradford if it is to be a club from outside the Championship with the initial B. Anyone at home other than Manchester United, Liverpool or Arsenal would be acceptable really.