John

Source: Player Match Ratings: We’re Aston Villa we score when we want!

There was to be no cup giant killing yesterday much to the disappointment no doubt of those who are not of the claret & blue persuasion. Bournemouth had already beaten Small Heath and WBA this season but found the cream of the Midlands to be made of sterner stuff when they sought to make it a trio of wins against West Midland opposition yesterday. The Cherries came to Villa Park with probably more people expecting them to be in the draw for the next round than thought we would be. But the majority of people were proved wrong and they can no longer claim to have scored more goals in Birmingham than we have this season! Eddie Howe made eight changes to his team having made more and still been able to knock WBA out of the League Cup earlier this season. But promotion is their primary objective this season and we wish them well in that. We did our bit to help their cause yesterday by ensuring they are able to concentrate solely on the league for the remainder of this season without the distraction of the FA Cup. The Cherries have yet to beat us and in the league or in the cup and happily that remains the case. But they gave a good account of themselves yesterday particularly during the first half when they looked to have as good if not a better chance than we did to prevent this tie going to a replay. But two goals in twenty second half minutes gave us a two goal cushion and a place in the draw for the next round. Their consolation goal did not arrive until the 93rd minute which fortunately left them with very little time to search for an equalizer and to raise our collective blood pressure. We have now beaten the top and the bottom team in the Championship and await a home draw with a third Championship team to continue our cup run. With the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Spurs already out of the cup only Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United of the big guns now stand between us and a Wembley appearance. We can gather some confidence from scoring goals and winning games during this cup run that could help us get the points we need to secure our top flight status. We could even lift a major trophy for the first time since 1996 and win the FA Cup for the first time since 1957 thereby overtaking Chelsea and Liverpool’s 7 wins and drawing level with Spurs on 8. That would bring us European football again which we have gone too long without and it would bring an end to what will be 58 years of FA Cup hurt should we fail to lift the trophy and run around the Bull Ring with it this season. It would also put a gloss on what has up until now been an abysmal season at Villa Park. My player ratings from a game in which the only shock was that we scored two goals for the second time this season are: Shay Given – 6 – Did very well to turn an O’Kane shot from the edge of the box past the post on 32 minutes. Produced another solid cup display on those occasions he was tested yesterday. Alan Hutton – 7 – Alan produced another reliable performance and claimed an assist for our second goal. Jores Okore – 7 – Very solid again yesterday and his partnership with Ciaran looks better with each game they play alongside each other. Ciaran Clark – 7 – Led by example. Kieran Richardson – 6 – Made a rare start and was in the right place at the right time to clear an effort from MacDonald off the line with an outstretched leg on 19 minutes after their player had pushed the ball wide of Given. Kieran could yet play a part when called upon during what remains of this season but he does need to get forward more often and with some more conviction. Leandro Bacuna – 5 – Leo was another to get a rare start yesterday. A quiet game overall during which he did not do quite enough; often enough to further his claims for a regular starting place. But on the positive side he did play a part in both goals to show fleeting glimpses of what we have seen from him in the past. Carles Gil - 8 – MOTM – Provided us with a world class opening goal on 51 minutes on a very encouraging full debut. Bacuna found Carles on the right; he stepped inside leaving a defender in his wake before curling a spectacular shot into the top far corner of the net from the edge of the box. He provides us with some of the threat, trickery and forward movement that we have been lacking for too long. Tom Cleverley – 6 – Produced a decent workmanlike performance. Carlos Sánchez – 7 – Another good all round midfield display. Andreas Weimann – 7 – Headed a 9th minute cross from Hutton inches wide. Andi hit our decisive second goal having started the move himself with a ball to Bacuna who played a one-two with Gil before hitting a sweet ball through to Hutton who in turn pulled the ball back to Weimann inside of the box who hit the ball past Camp and into the bottom corner of the net. That sweet finish topped off another hard running performance and one in which he showed some good forward movement. Christian Benteke – 5 – Still looks below par and lacking in the confidence that a goal can bring but needs to get more involved to make things happen for himself. Might have opened the scoring on 22 minutes but he was unable to control a through ball or test the keeper by getting a foot on it. Collected the ball and ran across the edge of the penalty area on 49 minutes without being able to get into the position he sought to get a shot in himself before playing the ball wide to Gill whose shot hit the side netting. Substitutes: Ashley Westwood – Replaced Gill on 87 minutes. Ash was not on long enough to earn a rating but he almost claimed a third goal when Benteke found him and he ran to the edge of the box before forcing a stoppage time save from Camp who turned his on-target shot around the post for a late corner. Jack Grealish – Replaced Bacuna in the 95th minute and was not given the opportunity to claim a rating. Up for the FA Cup Villa! John Lewis

Great news and I like most of us did not see this coming. Well done to the club for making him a decent offer that he could accept and to Fab for showing the sort of loyalty that is so rare in football these days rather than just seeing out his contract and making more money by moving without us getting anything for him in the summer.

Lawro goes 1-1 with us to lose the replay. No shock there but Dion Dublin agrees with him!

No although he might get one or two of both it is because we are a better midfield with him in it than without him Ponky.

We need to weigh selling him for £4m now against the possible effect of being without him on our final league position which was worth £1.2m for every place last season. So the difference between ending the season three places higher than we might without him say 17th rather than 14th would be around the fee we now want for him. Clearly if the difference was between ending 17th rather than 18th the difference would be a lot more than £1.2m for the following season. It seems we are desperate to cash in, to gamble on our top flight status and end up having spent nothing net in this window. I doubt the player would be too happy to go along with this given he will get a better deal as a free agent in the next window but I wonder how much if any of the fee would be spent on new players in this window if we did find the player and a club willing to do a deal now.

"I still don't forgive for Cascarino". Nor do I romavillan but GT wanted Sherringham and our chairman gave him Cascarinno because he was cheaper and his club were less reluctant to sell him than they were Teddy. I think GT still has his finger on the football pulse but he calls it like it is as he did when he left the second time around so I doubt the club would risk appointing someone who might not always say "yes".

If all we were prepared to spend during this window was £3.5m and around half of what Citeh want for Sinclair and our manager now considers it unlikely we will be bringing anyone else in am I alone in wondering what happened to the £8m we were said to have available for Cleverley that is not now going to be spent? It appears our custodian is quite prepared to risk our future in the top flight rather than to spend the money we need to buy or loan a couple of players that would greatly increase our chances of staying up. What a way to run a football club into the ground!

it seems the club see a DOF as being more of a priority than an AM. I think we need both quickly. Give Graham Taylor a call on Friday and then talk to him about bringing in an assistant manager to work alongside both him and our present manager. Its not rocket science and if either appointment causes upset to someone at VP so be it!

"a 'proven' manager apparently laughed at the budget available and withdrew his application". FSW then Richard. I had guessed that might have been a reference to Martinez but I guess most managers (even Ole GS) would have had the same reaction to working under the budget constraints that Lambert for some reason accepted.

"It is a case of chicken and egg". Agreed dn1982. But we cannot afford to buy either a chicken or an egg. You can see why we needed to bring in a fox to bring in some significant non-SKY revenue given that clubs like Everton & West Ham were above us in the last Delloitte list and there was only the odd few million euros between Southapton, Sunderland, Swansea, Stoke and Villa.

I really was not expecting a Vulcan takeover. But I trust Randy will recall Mr Spok's wise words when opening negotiations by mind meld namely that: "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one." I also cannot get that old Paul Evans song out of my head now which goes: “Hello, this is Joannie, I'm sorry but I'm not home But if you leave me your name and number I promise, soon as I get in I'll phone” Who would have thought she would be working the telephone for Vulcan now? I am going to cling on to the hope that change will come if not now and in this form then one day soon. As Jean-Luk Picard would no doubt say "Make it so".

If Milner leaves them it will not be for us. I think we are just above Leeds but still a long way down the list of clubs he might join.

Did we ever find out what Paul Lambert had for his main course? I would guess he had what he was told to have which is all the club could afford briny-ear. Or he may have gone off the main menu and had a large slice of humble pie, some hard cheese to follow, a mess for pudding which he washed down with small beer?

Very sad news. RIP Denis. My thoughts are with his failily. HEITS.

Good Evans! £5m is never going to happen. We cannot even afford that sort of money to sign a player we want/need.

I have more than a Phelan this is not going to happen Richard and I am not Phelan groovy about that...

Steve Froggett said the other day he had interviewed Tom Fox and was now sure Lambert was going nowhere this season... So surely we have to look at someone like Phelan when he becomes available? But I guess not. Things have been going so well without an assistant manager after all!

We all felt young once MrDuck. In my case it was a few years before your first game.

Manchester Citeh must need the extra cash so they do not have a problem with FFP. Oh they do not have any problem with FFP do they its everyone else that has to worry about that...

He told Jonny Gould that (link on Page 862) but it was the local sheiks whose ears he had been bending and Jonny said he had been unable to get any comment on the Gilan Holdings thing. I doubt anything is happening just yet. But even if it is not news of a possible deal might remind potential buyers that we are still for sale and that they might miss out on a great deal if they continue to do nothing about it!

In what way is Ron Saunders more successful than George Ramsay? I was looking at the post of "manager" the first of which we had in 1934 Mantis. But if we are including the post of "secretary/manager" then George has my vote as well.

We really need a win and a goal to give the team a reminder that they can do both. I would go for the team that ended the game on Saturday with Clark in for Baker and Westwood in for Gabby.

I thought our most successful manager ever was born in Birkenhead Mantis.

"It wouldn't be announced if it was dependent on relegation". Agreed useless but they could back a few deals or Randy could to make sure relegation does not get in the way of any such deal if there was one.