John

Source: Player Match Ratings: From the sublime to the ridiculous!

We followed up a 4-goal comeback win against Norwich and a hard fought win against the league leaders with an embarrassing first home defeat against Stoke since 1965 in what was the 100th league meeting between the two clubs and our heaviest ever home defeat against them. Every time we think we have turned a corner and can pull clear of the bottom dwellers once and for all we produce a sorry display like this one. Having gone an early goal up few could in their worst nightmares have suspected that we would so tamely surrender the initiative and end the game well beaten and outplayed by a team that had managed just one away win up until then. We made it all too easy for Stoke as we have for too many visiting teams this season and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. So there was not to be three successive home wins for the first time since 2007 but there was a ninth home league defeat for us of the season. We started brightly enough but switched off after taking that early lead and two goals in 4 first half minutes all but sealed our fate before the third certainly did in a game we never threatened to come back into. My player ratings from a game that has seen us plunge once again into the bottom half of the table and grateful for the points we have already gained are: Brad Guzan – 6 – Had little to do other than to pick the ball out of the back of his net. The exception proved to be on 64 minutes when he produced a good stop to keep out an Odemwingie effort from outside of the box. Leandro Bacuna – 3 – His defensive frailties were exposed for all to see yesterday by Arnautovic. His Austrian tormentor got in behind him for their third which he was unable to cut out leaving their wide man free to play the ball off the back of the hapless Baker’s legs into the path of N’Zonzi whose goal effectively put the game beyond us. Arnautovic then pushed the ball past him as if he was not there on 89 minutes before pulling the ball back to the unmarked Cameron for their fourth. Ron Vlaar – 5 – His slight deflection helped a shot from Odemwingie on 20 minutes fly inches over on 20 minutes. Ron was then far too casual inside his own box on 70 minutes after Crouch had flicked a header on and he was looking to shield the ball under pressure from N’Zonzi for Guzan to collect it before the referee spared his blushes giving a free kick against his opponent. Hooked a risky pass back towards Delph 14 minutes later and was fortunate that Arnautovic had strayed offside as he ran onto the ball. Failed to steady the ship for once. Nathan Baker – 3 – His despairing challenge was easily resisted by Crouch who played the ball on for Odemwingie to thread the ball past Guzan under pressure from Bertrand for their 22nd minute equalizer. Really needed to stay tight on his man 4 minutes later and this left Crouch unmarked in the middle of the penalty area when Pieters pulled the ball back to him to hit home their second. Ryan Bertrand – 6 – Hit a strong dangerous looking cross into the box after more good work between Delph and himself that a Stoke defender touched out. Had a shot deflected on 94 minutes that their keeper gathered easily enough. Karim El Ahmadi - 6 – Booked for a wild challenge but we missed his presence in the middle. Why or why did it take us 4 – 5 minutes to get Albrighton on for him? Fabian Delph - 6 – MOTM – Produced another solid consistent performance unlike the team as a whole. Ashley Westwood – 5 – Not one of his better performances. Gabriel Agbonlahor – 4 – One day Gabby will stand up to be counted raising his game and those of the players around him in a game like this one. This was not to be that day. Hit a shot from outside the box high, wide and not handsome on 32 minutes. Andreas Weimann – 5 – Put in a weak challenge that was brushed aside by Arnautovic leaving him floundering on the floor in the build up to their second goal. Left the field with an injury on 33 minutes Christian Benteke – 6 – Played the ball wide to Bertrand on 5 minutes who in turn found Delph who pulled the ball back to the waiting Christian who had found space inside the box and took a good first touch before firing the ball into the net for our goal. Lacked service. Substitutes: Marc Albrighton – 5 - Replaced El Ahmadi on 33 minutes. Marc failed to make the positive impression on this game that he has so often when coming on recently. Yacouba Sylla – 4 - Replaced Weimann on 33 minutes and again failed to show anything of the promise he had demonstrated at times last season. Grant Holt – Replaced Westwood on 73 minutes. Was not on long enough to merit a rating or to make anything approaching a positive impression. Stay up the Villa! John Lewis

As a fellow luddite I have to say I liked the emphasis your presentation of the table in that format gave Avfc96. Interesting stats and it looks like we are odds on to win that particular league!

"Is there no chance of him staying at all?" - About the same chance as last season supermon I would guess (but that turned out better than we had anticipated it would). He is at the same stage in his contract having added a year but he has not had the season he had last time. However, he does have a World Cup to come and if he has a good one big clubs that did not go for him last time may want him this time. If he does not do much between now and the end of the season or at the World Cup I guess our price demands would reflect that so that might tempt teams to take a punt on him. Of course if we brought in 3 or 4 top players in the window and showed some ambition (by not using the money from his sale to do it) he might be tempted to stick around. But I think it depends on how much the club are prepared to resist the temptation to take a big profit by selling him and on whether his staying for this season was agreed on the grounds that we would not stand in his way at the end of this season.

Source: Player Match Ratings: Red sky at night Villains delight!

We claimed two successive league wins at Villa Park for the first time in four seasons yesterday. We did so with a battling victory against the league leaders who had won their last four games against us. Chelsea had previously gone 14 games without defeat but they left B6 without making it 15 and with the “special one” still waiting for a first win at Villa Park! Firstly this was a hard fought win. It was achieved by means of a rousing and solid performance against a team that may yet finish the season as league champions. Some will no doubt point to the fact that they ended the game with 9 men and with their manager joining two of his players in being asked to leave the field by a referee who has now sent off 6 Chelsea players in the last 8 of their games he has refereed. But the game was all but lost when Jose began his slow walk from the technical area after Ramires had rightly been sent off for a potentially leg breaking petulant stamp on El Ahmadi in the last minute of stoppage time. It will be argued that the second yellow for Willian on 68 minutes changed the course of the game and it did seem a very harsh decision. But they had not scored up until then and who can really say with any certainty they would have done or have kept a clean sheet had Willian stayed on the field? It was not quite Chelsea at their very best yesterday. But they have not been at their very best on other occasions in this championship chasing season yet had emerged as winners or with a point as champions have a habit of doing. But this time they came up against a Villa team that was not prepared to roll over and meekly accept defeat. They came up against a team who had already beaten Arsenal and Manchester City this season and who were prepared to go toe to toe with them. Potential champions will sometimes taste defeat in such circumstances. But the team that inflicts that defeat deserves full credit for it after all we could argue with equal if not greater conviction that we were on the harsh end of referring decisions ourselves at Stamford Bridge in the second game of this season. At half time a picturesque red sky was there for all to see at Villa Park between the Trinity and North Stands. It correctly foretold the delight that Villa fans were to feel after a splendid performance was sustained not just for one half but throughout the game. To the victor the spoils and those three points make the league table look a lot healthier for us than it would have looked without them. We now face a mid-table clash with The Potters next weekend needing one or at most two wins for safety. Bring them on! My player ratings from a game that has taken us into the top half of the table and all but banished our relegation concerns are: Brad Guzan – 6 – Parried a 50th minute Ivanovic cross wide to Hazard who beat Bacuna before hitting the ball back which El Ahmadi intercepted but that would have produced a cruel own goal had Brad not made an instinctive one handed save to prevent that. Gathered an Oscar shot easily enough at his near post 6 minutes later but was otherwise rarely tested. Leandro Bacuna – 7 – A very sound defensive display against the dangerous Hazard. Ron Vlaar – 8 – His was the defensive rock on which the vital clean sheet was built. Might have claimed the opener himself on 81 minutes when despite Ivanovic having a vice like grip on his shirt he got the back of his head to a Westwood cross and the ball flew just wide of the upright. Nathan Baker – 6 – Had a solid enough game alongside our captain. Joe Bennett – 7 – Did well against whatever talented wide player Jose threw at him last night proving an able defensive deputy for Bertrand on the night. Did very well to touch a clever chip from Ramires out for a corner on 34 minutes which had looked destined for Torres. Joe then cleared the danger inside the box for a second time on 41 minutes getting in front of the same player when he was looking to get on the end of another ball from Ramires. Karim El Ahmadi - 7 – Covered a lot of ground and played his industrious part in what was a hard working midfield. Karim was found by a good ball from Gabby on 14 minutes but took the option of shooting from distance rather than feeding the unmarked Bacuna to his right and the ball sailed tamely over the crossbar. Fabian Delph - 8 – MOTM – Hit a good cross that was just too high for Benteke’s header to be able to trouble the keeper on 10 minutes and worked hard and to good effect throughout. Hit the decider on 82 minutes took the ball from within his own half and beat Matic before playing the ball wide to Albrighton whose early cross was a little behind him as he continued his run into the box but he somehow managed to help the ball past Cech and just inside the far post with a deft back foot touch. Might have added a second on 93 minutes when Westwood found him on the edge of the box with a sweet ball but his shot was deflected off Cech’s outstretched leg onto the woodwork. Ashley Westwood – 7 – Pinged some nice balls around and battled throughout winning balls well as in the build up to out winner. Gabriel Agbonlahor – 6 – His pace remains a threat to defenders. Andreas Weimann – 6 – Worked tirelessly. Hit a nice ball through towards Benteke on 15 minutes which the striker was a couple of feet from getting a touch to having run clear of three defenders. Christian Benteke – 7 – Chelsea knew he represented a big threat to them and treated him accordingly. He was well found by Gabby on the edge of the box and hit a superb volley which flew inches wide of the post on 39 minutes. Might have had an opener on 66 minutes to cap a splendid move that started with Gabby running from inside his own half before feeding Benteke who in turn played the ball to Weimann who pulled it back to him on the edge of the box but his shot got a slight deflection off a defender that took it just wide of the post. Hit a powerful shot from the edge of the box on 90 minutes which unfortunately was straight at Cech. Substitutes: Marc Albrighton – 7 - Replaced Gabby on 75 minutes. Marc hit the ball over for the winner and made another positive impression in the brief time he had available to do so. Ciaran Clark – Replaced Bennett on 78 minutes. Was not on long enough to merit a rating but did add some strength to our defence towards the end of the game. Stay up the Villa! John Lewis

"Macheda **** up a very very good accy for me" - Ditto ED (I was counting the money when Wigan went in front). Their loan signings from Old Trafford are keeping them up!

"Fortunately that cup final was way before my time so that'll be fine" - You can no doubt pick up a DVD of the game at the club shop as well Yannick. But more seriously it might be a touch different if someone turned up to a game in a top from another English club (although I have seen it done). I am sure the addition of a bit of Villa claret & blue to your Bayern colours will lead to a very warm welcome at Villa Park this weekend. Enjoy the game

Understood samjp26 & thanks. If we all agreed with each other it would be a dull old game!

"Benfica, Ajax and clubs from Italy all wanted to sign him, as well as swedish champions Malmö FF, but Villa was the best choice". Nice to hear the lad wanted to come to us rather than to one of those other teams. The Norse could be strong once again at Villa Park in the coming years.

Very harsh it is then samjp26. I gave my marking on what I marked that evening rather than on that and the post game stats although those do make interesting reading. It seems only meregreen and myself did not see KEA's contribution as being quite as significant as those that got 6 or more but we are all entitled to our opinion and each one is as valid as the other. I also share Stevo985's thoughts on the 4th goal and SikhInTrinity's view on how we might have looked at the 2nd goal had it been scored against us.

Two spring to mind from Villa vs Bournemouth 1972. Ted MacDougall's flying header in front of the Holte and Andy Lochhead's winning voley at the same end in front of 48,110 in Division 3.

I do not think he was right momo. Benteke wanted it more and used his strength to win the ball. Surely we have not come to the point where a big centre half needs protection from a big centre forward? Jamie Carragher had no doubt on TV that there was no foul and his opinion on that given where he played has some merit for me. As for KEA it seems I am on my own on this one. I thought he could not do a thing right in the first 25 minutes (although I accept he was not alone in that). He did get better and does put in a shift but it is a matter of opinion and I appreciate those made although I did not think he quite did enough for a 6 myself. Agree with you on Delph's game last night Mike. But I do think Westwood has come on in recent games and as AVFCRigo82 points out he did take a knock. I also consider he would look a better player with more support alongside him. I have to agree this was a massive win villa-revoluton and adding the home game with Stoke to the two that you have mentioned I would like to think we should be able to get 7 points from our home games alone. But we cannot be sure which Villa team will turn up at home games just yet. Would you go 5 for Weimann and a 6 for KEA then rjw63? I myself thought Andi ran himself into the ground and although he did not pose a threat himself up front his pace does worry defenders. Thanks for the above well made points and ratings one and all.

Source: Player Match Ratings: Cooking with Delia - Roast Canaries!

The 4orce was with us yesterday! Our fourth home win of the season, another goal from Bacuna to add to those he has netted in each of our previous home victories and a game changing brace of goals in 2 minutes from Benteke gave us another 4-goal comeback win at Villa Park this season! We started the game very poorly and it inevitably had to be Hoo that opened the scoring and threatened to make this another very disappointing home performance. But Christian Benteke turned this game on its head with two goals to take his tally to nine league goals this season and it is his goals that for a second successive season seem likely to keep us up. This was a vital win. It has taken us 7 points clear of the relegation places and 3 points clear of yesterday’s opponents. This 6-pointer gave us the double over Norwich and plunged their former Small Heath manager back under unwarranted boardroom pressure. The goals had dried up before yesterday in much the same way as had our ability to gather points away from home to make up for our inability to win games at Villa Park. But 4 goals in 15 first half minutes cancelled out Norwich’s opener which Hoolahan who did so much in his first start in 2 months to show why Lambert wanted him in January chose not to celebrate in front of the Holte End and allowed us to coast the second half with a three goal cushion. My player ratings from a game that has left us in 11th and sitting top of the bottom half are: Brad Guzan – 6 – Denied Hoolahan a second on 35 minutes. Our transfer window target had played a nice one two with Hooper before pulling the trigger and Brad saved well with his legs before Delph did very well to block his subsequent effort from the rebound. Also denied Hooper a late consolation goal when he stretched out an arm to keep out his side footed effort on 85 minutes. Leandro Bacuna – 7 – Hit our third on 37 minutes when we swiftly moved the ball from defence to attack. El Ahmadi picked the ball up on the edge of our area found Gabby on the edge of the centre circle who ran with it before switching it to Weimann who in turn played the ball wide to Leo who curled a sweet shot past the keeper and into the corner of the net. Ron Vlaar – 7 – Another accomplished defensive display. Nathan Baker – 6 – Nathan was solid enough alongside Ron yesterday. Ryan Bertrand – 7 – Played the ball to Delph in the build up to our fourth and looks a player we really need to sign. Karim El Ahmadi - 5 – Had a dreadful start to the game but improved as the ball began to find its way into the opponent’s net on a regular basis. Fabian Delph - 6 – Did his bit. Ashley Westwood – 7 – Our best midfield performer yesterday. Gabriel Agbonlahor – 6 – In close attention and applying pressure on Bassong when he turned the ball in for our fourth on 41 minutes after Delph had made a good run into the box and hit a cross that was intended for him. Pulled a shot wide of the post on 45 minutes having been found by Bertrand, failed to get power on his 50th minute header which was directed straight at Ruddy and had a shot canon off Martin’s arm inside the box on 82 minutes. Andreas Weimann – 6 – Covered an awful lot of ground yesterday. Turned inside the box on 5 minutes following a Benteke header onwards but his shot did not trouble Ruddy. Christian Benteke – 9 – MOTM – Hit a sensational equalizer on 25 minutes. Vlaar played the ball to Christian who chested it down before hitting the ball over his shoulder on the volley past both Yobo and Ruddy into the back of the net. That was the sort of instinctive finish that makes him worth his weight in gold to us and 2 minutes later he added a second. His second was a return to striker he had proved himself to be last season. Nobody else was going to get on the end of Westwood’s 27th minute corner. He used all of his strength to muscle clear of Bassong and apply a decisive header that flew into the net to turn the game around. Took the game by the scruff of the neck and won it for us! Substitutes: Marc Albrighton – Replaced Weimann on 81 minutes. Marc was not given long enough to earn a rating. Grant Holt – Replaced Benteke on 82 minutes and was not on long enough to merit a rating. Stay up the Villa! John Lewis

Been there and done it a couple of times. But I had hoped it would never ever happen again! It took us a season to return when we were relegated in 1986/87 with Graham Taylor at the helm but when we went down in 1966/67 we spent 8 long seasons out of the top flight and 2 of those were spent in Division 3. If we went down we would lose the likes of Vlaar and Benteke as well as those players like Gabby and Guzan who might be prepared to risk a season or at least half of one to try to get us back up where we belong because I suspect the club would want rid of them as their wages would be too high given the club would want to cut costs even more than they have done already should the R word come to pass. I guess we just have to look at Wolves, Small Heath, Leeds, Forest and Derby to see what the future might hold for us and it looks a very long way off a "bright future" to me.

For us maqroll!

We really do need to turn around this home form because we can no longer rely on getting the points away from home. This is another 6 pointer and it is one we really cannot afford to lose. We need to produce the sort of performance that we gave at home against Sunderland last season to turn this season around in much the same way that result did last year. But any win would do for me and that might just leave us needing another 2 wins for safety. It is so sad that it has come to this again and that I cannot help but fearing it is as likely we will produce another home performance of the sort that cost us the points against West Ham. Holt to hit the winner then!

We really need 4 - 6 points. But I think these will need to come from our home games and our home record suggests these points will be hard to come by. So 6 it is then!

Signs of the project/plan at the club being something more than staying up at the minimum cost along with grounds for a realistic hope of a bright future for the club once again.

We were linked with Gary Lineker when he left Barcelona which would have been nice (albeit pre PL). Post PL I would go for Bergkamp who had a lift from our former chairman in his Roller from Birmingham Airport before going on to sign for Arsenal instead. Fantasy Island wise pre PL George Best and since it started Messi (that could still happen...)!

They really need a win and this is a must not lose game for us after the West Ham defeat. I think if we go for them and get the crucial first goal we can win this one or at least get a point. But if we sit back and surrender possesion this could turn out to be another defeat in a 6-pointer and would leave their manager happy about his decision to join them after turning down us. Win it Villa!

A point at say Cardiff, Newcastle and Palace. Home wins against Norwich, Fulham and Hull as well as a point against Stoke and possibly Southampton. So 14 points (41 points total) at best but on current form 10 (possibly with a point or two coming from games where we might not start as likely winners to make up for dropping points we might expect to get) might be more likely and that might not quite prove to be enough. It is both sad and far from acceptable that we are again looking at whether we can average as little as a point a game to stay up.

I have to say Mike I was not so sure back in those seasons we spent in the old Division 3 that we would come back as strongly as we did. I felt sure we would get back into the 2nd Division but we did not do it first time of asking as we had expected and to get back into Division 1 seemed a long way off back then. After the 71 LCF I think anyone who had predicted that 10 years later we would be league champions and champions of Europe the following season would have been looking over their shoulder for the men in their white coats. We missed a big opportunity to build upon those glory days of the early 80s and but for Graham Taylor might have faced a lengthy period out of the top flight as a result in the late 80s/90s. Opportunities were then missed again when we were runners-up twice and now following three 6th place seasons we find the club looking similar to we had done in the seasons that led to our relegation in 1967. Having seen us relegated again 20 years after we dropped out of the top flight in 67 I had hoped we would never face this again under Randy's leadership. But players from the 82 squad had suggested he may have left it too late to break into what was a predictable top 4 back then and so it has proved only more so since Manchester City joined the club. We now seem to face more seasons where we battle for survival and give up hope of cup wins because PL safety is not worth risking for a Cup Final win. It would need a new owner with money to burn, a big change in approach from our current one or for Lambert to do what Clough and Saunders did all those years ago with Forest and us if that is still possible 30 years later without the money that buys titles these days. I have to agree that we along with all but Arsenal, the two Manchester clubs, Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs are also rans in this league. Like Everton we have it in us to threaten a top 6 season but the under investment that continues at our club both fee and wage wise makes even top half seasons unlikely given other clubs are prepared to pay more. We are not yet in obscurity unless that applies to every club other than the six mentioned but we are at risk of relegation as are half of this division and it could be just as hard a road back as it was after 67 as the likes of Derby and Forest have proved. It is a tought time to be a Villa Fan Mike and we have both been there more than once over the years. I can understand that your round trip is a hard one to make just now and it is superb that so many fans still pay their hard earned money to see what is so often a sad home performance at Villa Park. What we now need is the hope of a bright future that we both experienced over 30 years ago. I hope those days come again for us but very much so for those who were not old enough to experience them in the past. That hope will see us both making that trip to Villa Park we have been making for so many years but we like all Villa fans do need to see some grounds for hope that we can win something or at the very least aim for something other than just staying up. I think the comments made on VT show we as fans care about our football club and will not accept the current situation with just a shrug in the same way as we did not in the past. That still makes us count although like a previous chairman once felt this might be something some at the club might also now prefer was not the case. Thanks for raising this issue Mike.

You are 100% right villa-revolution we did make Wet Spam look much, much better than they are which suggests we may be somewhat worse than the league position we had occupied up until yesterday might have suggested we were. So once again a chronic home result has left us needing something away from home to make up for lost ground at Villa Park. The game at Cardiff is a real 6 pointer now and how sad is that?