John

Indeed it does hogso.

Source: Aston Villa find Los Boquerones to their taste!

This proved a decent work out and it suggested as many suspect that whilst we are likely to score goals for fun this season we may again find it difficult not to concede them in similar numbers. We were three up on 31 minutes and playing some sweet football although it could be argued we had up until then faced little real resistance. It took a fortunate own goal on 42 minutes and I suspect a stark reminder from Bernd Schuster at half time that the three goals already conceded proved this was not going to be the walk in the park that Malaga players might have been expecting to get our opponents truly focussed on the job at hand. But they upped their game in the second half and produced some decent football as would have been expected from Champions League quarter finalists although they found coming back from a two goal deficit just beyond them. My player ratings from a game that was more about match fitness than the result and from which the ratings that follow are therefore less important than they will prove in the coming months are nevertheless: Brad Guzan – 6 – Not a busy day at the office and he had little chance with the two goals. Brad tipped a decent Pawlowski effort over for a corner on 57 minutes. Matt Lowton – 6 – Made a good run into the box on 55 minutes but his one-two with Benteke did not quite bounce right for him. He found more than a little difficulty in handling Pawlowski and it is rare for Matt to find a player who can put him to as stringent a test as did this 20 year old. Could this be one for Lambo to consider bringing in? Ron Vlaar – 6 – His powerful unchallenged header from a well placed Tonev corner on 21 minutes gave us our second with a nuclear strike of his own into the corner of the net. At times his positional play was not at its best but that will come. Jores Okore – 6 – Lacking in game time but he looks confident in his ability and able to read a game well. Jores was unlucky on 42 minutes when he turned a Pawlowski cross past Guzan at the near post. Could well provide the solid central pairing we are looking for with Ron. Antonio Luna - 6 – Looked composed at the back and able to offer us something when moving forward. Did well to force player and ball wide on 76 minutes when an offside decision was looked for but not given. Karim El Ahmadi – 5 – Has played a surprising number of pre-season games given he was not a first choice for most of last season but he needs to show more than this to claim a first team starting place. Their second took a deflection off him which eluded Guzan’s reach. Fabian Delph – 5 – Needs to step up to the level he had been showing at the end of last season this performance was some way below that. Aleksandar Tonev – 6 – These are very early days but he will need to find some more consistency with his corners which other than the one that produced our second were none productive and show he has more to give us than that famed nuclear strike. Had a shot deflected for a corner on 33 minutes after a decent run forward by Luna but he did have a hand in two of our goals and I back him to improve with further games. Gabriel Agbonlahor- 6 – A nice early run past 3 defenders on 10 minutes ended with him on the ground following a strong challenge and he found himself floored again on 65 minutes when he would otherwise have just had the keeper to beat earning the defender a booking. Needs to start this season as he ended the last one and he may then get his hands on an England shirt again. Andreas Weimann – 6 – Did not look quite as sharp as he has looked in some of our earlier pre-season games but he offered and offers s a real threat up front working so well with Benteke that I can see them getting 40 goals between them this season. Christian Benteke – 8 – MOTM - Showed Spurs what they could have had but cannot now! Christian dominated this game scoring a brace and causing havoc in the Malaga defence who found him much too hot to handle. Opened the scoring on 12 minutes when he eased past a defender brushed aside a challenge from their captain and hit the ball past keeper Cabellero and into the net. Hit our third from the penalty spot on 31 minutes having been found well by a Tonev through ball and was then felled inside the box before sending the ball into the centre of the goal that the diving Cabellero had vacated. Substitutes: Nathan Baker – Replaced Okore on 76 minutes not on long enough to earn a rating. Joe Bennett - Replaced Luna on 76 minutes not on long enough to earn a rating. Ashley Westwood - Replaced El Ahmadi on 76 minutes not on long enough to earn a rating. Nicklas Helenius - Replaced Tonev on 76 minutes and was another who was not on long enough to earn a rating. Up the Villa! John Lewis

Five opening days that I well recall (2 of which I would rather forget): 76/7 a 4-0 home win against West Ham with goals from Gray (2) & Graydon (2) was a very nice start. 81/82 a 0-1 home defeat to newly promoted Notts County was a shocker for the champions. 82/83 a 1-3 home defeat against Sunderland proved the same for us the Euro champs the following season. 91/92 a 3-2 away win at Big Ron's former club Sheffield Weds with Staunton, Regis and Atkinson was inspiring. 95/6 a 3-1 home win against Manchester United's kids with goals from Taylor, Draper & Yorke. It was before our time but I guess our best opening day would have been: 1925/26 a 10-0 home win against Burnley with goals from Capewell (5), Walker (3), York & Stephenson!

Given Tom Ross was there was anything said about the forum possibly being recorded for a later radio airing?

I thought Lambo had said the days of us signing £10m players were gone so I guess unless we could get him for quite a bit less this might be more than the club would be prepared to pay. It would also be a real pity if the policy of clearing out the dead wood first led to any potential targets we may have going elsewhere but it seems that the transfer pot may already be empty unless the wages are gone and some sort of fees come in for those players we no longer want.

"You've never heard him mention it before?" - Fair play it is well worth a mention or 300 please pass on our best regards to the Grader next time you see him KJ he is a Villa legend!

I must admit I really thought we would not be seeing him again in our shirt. Welcome back to the fold CB that transfer request never happened and it was just a bad dream. Now go and make your dreams happen at Villa Park starting with 20 league goals next season!

"compare this guy leaving to Stewart Downing, worlds apart". I take your point bradarmstrong but the lack of respect both have shown to the club and fans is very much the same.

I know this report is from "The Mirror" but I had been waiting for the player/agent to play the do not block my dream move card and to pair it with the "more drastic action" one. It would be a pity that a offer of over £60,000-a-week could have "blown Villa's new contract offer out of the water" and that Benteke it seems views coming back to play for the club and fans that he was a hero for last season as anathema. The question is whether he is prepared to risk his international place by spending a season refusing to play for us and whether we are also prepared to allow this and risk seeing his transfer worth lowered in the same way that Bent's has been. I back us to stay up with or without him although it seems fans of other clubs do not. The ball is in our court as well as his and now is the time for us to make a stand or to prove we are a selling club that can be bullied by other clubs and by our own players should they choose.

"I would guess that we have not offered him any more than the reported 20k a week more for good reason - that we need to off load some of the high earners that Lambert feels are of no use to the new evolving team before committing to more than we could get away with." If we have not already offered him any more than £20k a week and I would doubt we have not made it clear that we are prepared to do that to him and his agent then it would seem the club had no wish to keep him and were looking to move him on during this window hanxamillion and I would doubt Lambo would have had anything to do with that idea.

"Villa are forced to offer him a lot more the the reported extra £20k a week that WE value him at, given the success he has enjoyed playing for us last season". I would guess we have already offered him an increase of 100 - 200% on his current £20k a week hanxamillion but he knows a signing fee (to compensate for what he might lose by asking for a transfer) and much higher wages are his to be had somewhere else as long as the price is right for the buying club.

I think Ince would be a good addition to our squad but I think £8m is too high a price for us to be able or should I say willing to match.

The more often £20m is mentioned the more that tag will be seen to be the starting point rather than say £25m - £30m. If they do make such a bid we should offer £40m for Bale to test their own resolve.. It is a pity Benteke and/or his agent was not decent enough to give us a second season but that is football these days and it was always likely he would be off at the drop of a hat at whatever cost to his future or his current football club due to the quick impact a move will have on his bank balance. I expect Benteke and his agent will come out and plead for us to accept the offer when it is made and claim a £13m profit is a good deal for Villa but for me the price is £30m or at least £25m with say a 20% sell on clause. The test will be how much resolve the club shows on the fee and how much ambition is shown with how much if any of that fee is spent on players in the window.

Same story in "The Sunday People" as well. "Tottenham plan to leave it late in the transfer window before making their move for Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke. Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas and new technical director Franco Baldini are both keen to get the Belgium hit-man to White Hart Lane this summer but are ready to play a waiting game in a bid to drive down the price. They rate the player closer to £20m than the £25m Aston Villa will demand". It seems Spurs or the London press see us as being desperate to sell in the window and think we will drop our price unlike they are prepared to do in the case of Bale. £25m is not enough and around £5m less than that is not even close to being enough. Jog on Spurs and your London press friends this is no way to do a deal and we are no selling club pleading with you for your spare change!

"The Times" yesterday said "Aston Villa have told Tottenham that Christian Benteke the Belgium forward who has 3 years left on his deal will cost as much as £25m". I guess this would have come from their end but it is not a figure we should be mentioning to any prospective buyer unless we are about to agree a huge doorverkooppercentage as a part of any such deal. I am still concerned that he will go once the season ticket activity is at an end to fund the signings already made and I will be until a new contract is offered and signed.

"I just feel it would be a huge waste to drop out and not finish.I just feel she should finish what she's started at this stage". My thoughts on this as well. The loans do not start to be paid back until a decent wage is being paid and so although your sister will have to pay the debt in the long run the interest rate is low as are the repayments so she should be able to cope when she is earning. For me if she sees the need to put things right then she should go for it as a degree will only help her future job prospects as would the effort she was prepared to put in during an extra year to make it happen. I hope it goes well for your sister and I am sure she will appreciate the help with her decision you are giving her.

"Agreed John and although i've never seen Murphy play by all reports he is potentially better than Westwood. Maybe we're having to wait on shifting another out before bringing someone else in?" I would like to think we could run to a £1m fee without needing to wait to shift another one out Morpheus but it did cross my mind as well for a moment and I would hate to think we might miss out on a player for that reason after all why should the plug be pulled so soon. It is not as if this potential signing would be in the Benteke price range for example.

At £1m this would seem a low risk signing for us and now that Wolves have had a fee agreed if we want him I guess we would just need to match it to make him our player.

I wonder how much Spurs would be asking for him if he was their player? I guess at least 100% more than they think they can pinch him off us for.

It is a nice thought but he would have no sell on value and Manchester City would need to pay some of his wages and ask a minimal fee to make this happen but given the way they did us on the Milner deal it is the very least they should do as they owe us big time for that one!

8th with 55 points on the predictor. I would be happy enough to spend the season outside of the bottom 6 and would anticipate seeing us end mid-table 7th - 12th.

"says hopefully if he plays well he will get a call from the national side but all he's focused on is us succeeding". If he gets anywhere near their squad he will have proved to have been a bargain samjp26! Welcome Antonio and reach for the stars during your stay at B6.

"Does anybody remember the Gaumont? biggest screen in Europe" Yes PaulC my first was Mary Poppins there in 64.

"It will be Everton at home most played top flight fixture to correspond with league 150 year anniversary". I think it should be villa75 but I do not think that the PL appreciate or are willing to accept that any football was played before the PL started.