John

I guess some candidates would place more pressure on the manager than he would want. But we need the best man for the job irrespective of that. I wonder whether Fox might sound out someone with Arsenal connections or if the manager will look at someone like Dean Saunders who is looking to get back into the game if not Stark who does look a very decent shout?

At least he parted with some nice remarks about the club and I hope he can now sort things out family wise.

I regret to report that former Villa full back John Neal passed away on 23/11/14. John made 114 appearances for Aston Villa. He joined us from Swindon in 1959 having previously played for Hull and left us for Southend in 1963. John played 41 of 42 league games during our 1959/60 promotion season and was also part of our 1961 League Cup winning side. John went on to manage Wrexham, Middlesbrough and Chelsea who he led to the same Division 2 title in 1984 that he had claimed earlier as a player with us. My thoughts are with his family at this time. HEITS.

I cannot see Gabby standing up to Keane as there would only ever be one winner. Given Ireland do not have a flood of games coming up that reason also does not stand up unless it is linked with a need to spend more time at home due to family issues. But it was his choice to go or if it was not it is water under the bridge now and like many that leave us we may not find out why any time soon. The issue now is not Roy but getting someone in quickly who will improve us.

We have a habit of playing teams at the wrong time. This looked like points in the bag once but we will really need to earn them now. I would take a point at the moment but worry we will struggle to get that and to stay above a team that most think are still doomed to relegation despite their recent wins.

I guess we will be looking at players on loan whose salary will be partly met by their current club or whose wages fit into our wage structure without the help of their present club. If we buy anyone I would guess we would be looking at someone who will cost next to nothing and will be willing to join a club with our recent history so will therefore be unlikely to make the sort of impact we need to drag us away from the relegation zone. I look forward to being proved wrong and to us signing a couple of midfield players, a forward and a defender for say £8 - 10m each to protect our current owner's investment. Sadly the press know money is too tight to mention at Villa Park and as a result do not bother to make a wild link between us and any such a player that we can take hope from where there is none...

"We're the Stoke of a couple of years ago without the results". And without their then manager R.Bear. I think the attendance figure says it all and it should be reported. Clubs charge way too much for games. A 25% reduction on season and match tickets would not hurt them given what they get from other sources and given what we have spent on the team and had to watch in recent seasons we should be the first club to think about doing that to get fans back into the ground. But it is never going to happen is it? So "we go again" although less of us do each match......

Source: Player Match Ratings: A small step towards safety!

The vast majority of Villa fans would have taken a point from this game had one been offered to them prior to kick off. But having taken the lead against a Saints side that were some way off their best last night this was a game we could have won. Our very welcome goal was scored against the run of play on 29 minutes and our lead stood until the 81st minute when once again we conceded a late goal. We just cannot see out a game at Villa Park at the moment and the points we are losing as a result may come back to haunt us at the end of this season. Having gone ahead we then attempted to hold our slender lead for over an hour rather than to look for a second goal which might have proved decisive. A minimum of one goal against looked inevitable given the amount of time we were spending in our own half and so it proved. We look nothing like the team that stood second in the league earlier this season and fortunately Southampton played nothing like a team that currently occupies that same position. We were too ready to fall back deep into our own half but although this gave them a lot of the ball they were unable to turn possession into goal scoring opportunities. We were badly hit by suspension and injury last night. Our defence held firm and our two central defenders were tremendous. We gave a gritty performance and deserved something from the game but it was not pretty to watch. Villa fans voted with their feet last night. Yes it was a cold Monday night and it was on the television but 25,311 was a shockingly low attendance and our lowest since 1999. Villa fans have grown accustomed to being entertained at Villa Park. We hope to win more games than we lose; to enjoy the lion’s share of the possession, to spend more time in our opponent’s half than in our own and to start most of our home games as favourites. At the moment and for too long now the opposite has applied. We now face what has become an annual battle for survival and as the 1960s proved one season you do pay for constantly flirting with relegation. It is grim to watch and increasing numbers of Villa fans are showing a reluctance to pay their hard earned money to do so. Where is the club’s ambition and what happened to that bright future? My player ratings from a game that has left us one game nearer the transfer window, two points clear of the relegation places and facing a must not lose game at the weekend are: Brad Guzan – 7 – Produced a good one handed save at full stretch from Mané on 37 minutes and his outstretched leg pushed a Fonte effort wide of the post on 73 minutes. Solid when called upon. Alan Hutton – 7 – Did very well on his return to the side at the back and when getting forward. Ciaran Clark – 8 – MOTM – Did all that could have been expected of him last night and more. Organised the defence well and this performance shows he still has the ability he showed in previous seasons with us. It now needs to be shown more regularly. Made a good right footed challenge inside the box on Long getting enough of the ball to turn it out for a 20th minute corner and to make their penalty appeals pointless. Jores Okore – 8 – A very assured performance. Looked nothing like a player who had been out of the starting line up for 14 months. He will be hard to shift if able to reproduce this form when our central defenders that are out do eventually become available. Showed the promise he demonstrated in his first couple of games for us last season is undiminished. Aly Cissokho – 6 – Played his part in a solid defensive performance. Charles N’Zogbia – 4 – A disappointing performance in a game that we needed everyone to be at their best in. But he might have given us a second on 47 minutes when a Hutton cross aimed for Gabby’s head ran to Weimann at the far post who played the ball back across goal and his on target shot was blocked a couple of yards in front of the goal by a defender. Ashley Westwood - 6 – Missing Delph’s assistance but he was the best of our midfield last night. Carlos Sánchez – 5 – His loose passes are an ongoing concern. Tom Cleverley – 5 – Put in a shift but he needs to show more than this given his pedigree and price tag. Andreas Weimann – 6 – Spent a lot of time defending yesterday, was played out of position but worked very hard as he always does. Did not quite connect well enough with a 49th minute Hutton cross that found him at the far post and his header from waist level fell gently to one of the two waiting defenders. Made a good run from inside his own half on 77 minutes playing a good ball forward to Gabby who in turn played the ball back for him to run onto inside the box but his hurried shot was skied over the bar. Andi did get into scoring positions but his finishing let him down. Gabriel Agbonlahor – 7 – Brought down on the edge of the box on 24 minutes after a good run from the half way line with Weimann having made a good run to his right and looking to be fed the ball. Gabby raced onto a Clark clearance and beat Forster who had came out of his box to claim the ball on 29 minutes. Having touched the ball past the keeper and into the box he then did well to hit the ball into the net before the defender who was rushing back to cover was able to intervene. He did demonstrate his defensive frailty again when he switched off and ball watched as Bertrand got goal side of Weimann failing to react quickly enough as Clyne raced into the box to get on the end of the cross for their equalizer. But he is no defender. Substitutes: Kieran Richardson – 5 - Replaced N’Zogbia on 64 minutes. Provided fresh legs and running but did not see enough of the ball. Darren Bent – 5 - Replaced Sánchez on 74 minutes. Lacked the type of service he needs and failed to make any positive impression on the game. His introduction led to Gabby moving wide and this lost us much of whatever threat we had up front. Up the Villa! John Lewis

A superb video and a proud 140 year long history!

I was thinking he was a player we might make a move for as he is not getting games where he is. I very much doubt they would want him to move to us. But I think he would be a good signing and this is a position we need to get cover for injuries for whether or not our captain goes sooner rather than later.

Sir William played a key part in helping us to reach those glory years of the 70s & 80s. My thoughts are with his family - RIP.

Games like these will bring him on and Preston are a good club for Callum to get experience at. A hat-trick will boost his confidence, he will help Preston and his time with them will help both player & Villa. Looks like this might just prove the ideal loan for all concerned.

Just noticed he is on the bench so he is nearer a start than it had first looked.

No return for Senderos then. When our players get an injury they seldom come back any where near quickly do they? Gabby has some work to do today I hope this is one of the games he feels up for because he owes us one.

I would guess Old Trafford is his likely move and they will try to offer us next to nothing for him during the next window or at best give us a Cleverley exchange or just wait to take him for nothing at the end of the season. We really should have offered him a new contract last year before the World Cup when he might well have signed it. I anticipate we will be prepared to sell if he has told us he is not going to sign any new contract we are prepared to offer. But we need to weigh what we might get from a sale against what that might cost us should a Vlaar free defence see us in the bottom 3 at the end of this season.

"During the pre-season tour of America he told Villa supporters he owed the club for their unwavering loyalty during his injuries. However, three successive relegation battles – with a possible fourth this season – and his elevation to the England squad have convinced him that he will have to take the difficult decision of leaving Villa Park to advance his career". If he wanted to repay the club he could offer to sign a contract for an extra year which allowed him to talk to any club that offered say £10m so we would get something for him rather than nothing and a relegation clause. If we wanted to keep him we should have offered him a deal last season when he may well have signed one or try offer him a contract such as the one above now with a signing on fee that makes it worth him looking at £50k a week when he can no doubt get much more elsewhere. From his point of view if we made such an offer playing first team football with us might help his England prospects more than spending a lot of his time on a bench elsewhere (after all he made the England break through with us). But I guess that is a risk he along with others in the past is prepared to take when it is balanced against a better looking bank balance and signing for a club that might win something when he is part of their squad.

Gabby would have got the same rating and have been MOTM for me had he played in the same way as Benteke did and been sent off heid3ster. I would have expected him given the number of first team games he has played not to have responded to Mason in the same way as Benteke did but I would have balanced that against his improved performance. I take your points on his sending off and Benteke will have a lesson to learn from this incident. Thanks for asking the question.

They say these things even out over a season rjw63. If that is the case officials need to help us big time in a forthcoming game. Somehow I cannot see that happening.

Thanks for those comments osmark86. The ban will stand and we will miss the goals he might have provided as a result. A retrospective ban on say Mason would be nice but it would not bring back the points we lost due to having gone a man down. I do think the officials need to be asked to explain the decisions they made but I guess their association will close ranks and ignore their questionable decision making.

Source: Player Match Ratings: A rare goal but our losing run continues!

Spurs left the field with 11 men still on the pitch having been shown undue leniency by the match officials. It was their decisions that turned this game and handed it to our opponents on a plate. Vertonghen escaped with just a booking on the hour no doubt because he made some contact with the ball but his challenge on Westwood was still a two footed one. The same was the case 20 minutes later for Chadli who approached the referee expecting the worst following a similar challenge on the same player but he escaped with a yellow and compounded our feeling of injustice by scoring their equalizer 4 minutes later. But the crucial decision game changing decision was made when Benteke who had been a thorn in Spurs side up until then was given his marching orders on 66 minutes. The decision to send him off was one with which we cannot really argue given his raised hand made contact with the face of an opponent and that is a sending off offence. But the same is the case where a player puts his head into the face of an opponent. There are no ifs or buts this is also a sending off offence and if one player was punished so should the other have been. But Mason escaped any sort of punishment for his violent conduct. The officials either missed the provocation that led Benteke to understandably raise his hand to get Mason’s face from his or turned a blind eye to it. Benteke is not blameless for our defeat but there were three incidents that could have led to Spurs having gone down to ten men before they equalized. For them to have avoided a sending off on one or two of those occasions was perhaps excusable but for all three players to avoid an early bath was not! Spurs were unconvincing yesterday and we had looked like breaking a run of defeats that is now our worst since 1967 until we were reduced to ten men and for a while after that. But the big decisions went there way and they are now unbeaten at Villa Park in their last 7 visits. But they will not have Swarbrick officiating every week for them and they will not be fortunate enough to play us more than once in the league this season so they will need a big improvement if they are going to finish anywhere near where they did last season. We will also need to break our dismal losing streak soon if we are to avoid another relegation scrap. Although our performance of yesterday if repeated on a consistent basis would see us ease out of trouble losing becomes a habit. The team gave their all yesterday and Benteke might have had a hat-trick on another day. But leaving a player unmarked at a corner and conceding needless free kicks on the edge of the box is unlikely to lead to clean sheets. Those two late goals were cruel and the win flattered our opponents. But our frailty at the back and lack of goals tends to lead to results such as this one. My player ratings from a game that has left us still languishing in the bottom six are: Brad Guzan – 7 – Brad was thankful when smothering the ball at the foot of his post on 23 minutes that Kaboul had only been able to direct the ball towards goal with the faintest of touches. Made a fine one handed save 4 minutes later after Soldado’s pass had left Adebayor clear with just him to beat. Fumbled a Chadli shot at his near post on 52 minutes and was fortunate that Adebayor was unable to get the loose ball past him. Kept out a 58th minute Kane effort at his near post and was quickly off his line to gather the ball ahead of Soldado when Chadli had tried to play him in on 71 minutes. Matt Lowton – 6 –.Looked good when moving forward and had an opportunity to stretch our lead on 32 minutes when Sánchez played a ball into the box for him but his shot was miss-hit and heading wide before it was deflected for a corner. Did well to win the ball from Mason inside the box after Weimann had hit an attempted pass short of him on 41 minutes. Ron Vlaar – 6 – Steady enough but Ron has not been as dominant as he has been in the past of late. Nathan Baker – 7 – Unluckily gained an assist when jumping up in the defensive wall and deflecting Kane’s free kick into the net leaving Guzan stranded and flat footed. Solid on his return to our defence. Aly Cissokho – 6 – Did well when we had the ball in their half. Charles N’Zogbia – 6 – One of his more effective displays and he should get a run of games now. Ashley Westwood - 7 – The best of our midfield for me yesterday. Carlos Sánchez – 5 – His tired and needless challenge led to the free kick that gave Spurs their winner. Hit a first time shot wide after the ball had fell to him at the edge of the box following a 33rd minute corner. Tom Cleverley – 6 – A decent display. Andreas Weimann – 7 – Broke our goal drought on 16 minutes when he stretched a leg out to reach an N’Zogbia cross and hit the ball into the corner of the net. Worked very hard again and deserves a run of starts. Christian Benteke – 7 – MOTM – Lowton made a good run from within his own half on 11 minutes and his cross was met by a diving header from Christian that went wide of the post. Three minutes later Cissokho played a one-two with N’Zogbia before pulling the ball back to Benteke who took a touch before hitting a crisp shot that rattled the post. Should have fed Westwood who had made a good run ahead of him into the box rather than run into a wall of defenders himself after Cissokho had found him on 39 minutes. Leapt like a salmon and headed a Cissokho free kick inches wide of the post on 43 minutes. Much nearer Christian at his best so losing him for three matches as well as the last half hour of the game due to a moment of indiscipline has and may well again prove costly for us. He would have been better advised to have gone down in a crumpled heap when Mason provoked him as others have done in the past to bring teams down to 10 men but his honesty and understandable reaction to Mason led to him spending the rest of the game as a spectator and getting a 7 rather than 8. Substitutes: Gabriel Agbonlahor - 5 – Replaced N’Zogbia on 74 minutes. Was fed inside his own half by Lowton on 86 minutes and went on a speedy run that was too fast for both their defenders and our forwards to keep up with. Having held the ball up he then played a ball between Weimann and Sánchez that reached Cissokho whose shot from the edge of the box flashed wide of the post. He really should have looked to get some sort of challenge in on Chadli who was left unmarked on the far post from a corner for their 84th minute equalizer. Kieran Richardson – Replaced Weimann on 86 minutes and was not on the field long enough to merit a rating. Darren Bent – Replaced Cissokho on 93 minutes and also did not get the game time to gain a rating. Up the Villa! John Lewis

3 points at best for me. The most likely source of a point or points is at Burnley for me. But they will get a win one day and like QPR did they will be looking at the game with us to get 3 points from.

We seldom beat Spurs at home these days and we look unlikely to beat anyone at the moment or to even score a goal. We need to stop the rot but we needed to do that on Monday as well and failed to do so. I would take a point as I said on Monday. I guess it would need to be 0-0 but although I think we look good for 0 I doubt we will be able to keep our part of the bargain with a clean sheet. Desperate days and looking at 6 defeats in a row but show some fight Villa and prove us wrong!

"and the the doors the the premier league are wide open." For who Mic09 (surely not for Small Heath for another decade or two)?