John

Those still playing: Cahill, Millner & Barry. Those not: Macca, Mortimer & Morley.

Done so. A Gray, Platt & Macca Villa treble would have been nice.

I take the point on Gabby both. Gabby does really need to hit the back of the net more often particularly at home. He worked well in the first half and did grab an assist so that is why he shaded a 6 for me but we need him to get goals in the run in because we cannot rely on Benteke alone and Stoke would be a great time for him to find the net again. I think Weimann has done enough for me though PussEKatt. He works very well with Benteke and has a decent strike rate and I would be happy to see him and Benteke playing alongside each other next season and if they both stay fit for the rest of this season I back them to get the goals we need to stay up (just about...).

We last won at Stoke in season 84/5 with goals from Walters (2) & Withe making it 3-1 (they went down that season so the opportunity to do it again was denied us until 2008/09 other than for that one season we spent down below in 87/88). Of the games we have played at Stoke since 84/5 they have won 2 and we have drawn the other 3. So it is high time we got another win but I would take a point at the moment.

Let us just rejoice in this result. These Villa lads have taken on the cream of Europe and have emerged victorious. They have spanked Chelsea and Sporting who after their semi-final defeat now join Bayern in 82 in feeling they were the better team but who will read the record books from now on and will see Aston Villa rather than them as trophy winners. I hope some of these lads will make first team players at Villa or failing that at somewhere else and that as holders even the powers that be will see that we merit an invite to whatever the competition may call itself next season to appease the clubs who dominate football at senior level. But that is for the future and this night is for the young Aston Villa side who have won the big one tonight. Well done you Villa lads!

One goal is never enough for Villa as we have for too long found it impossible to keep a clean sheet (our laundry bill must be enormous). There is always a defensive howler or two lurking just around the (or from a) corner waiting to bring our opponents into the game and cost us valuable points in our struggle to avoid the drop. This was not a game we could have expected to have won before it had started but having gone in one up at half time it was one we really needed to take something out of to climb out of the bottom three and to worry those clubs who now sit above us in the table by goal difference or just one, three or four points this morning. Liverpool started brightly but we came into the game as the first half wore on. But the confidence and belief we had taken from going a goal up ebbed as we gave away an early second half equalizer and then when we went a goal down on the hour it disappeared, our frailty was exposed and our shape was lost as was the game. We had the chances to earn a share of the spoils but they also had the chances to have won the game more comfortably and we caught Gerrard and Suarez at their best so whilst the result is disappointing we now need to focus on our next two games at Stoke and at home against Fulham and on securing the minimum of 4 points we need from those games to keep our heads above water and to try to ensure our survival is secured before the last day of the season lottery. My player ratings from a game that has left us still in the drop zone are: Brad Guzan – 8 – Tipped a Suarez shot over on 20 minutes and kept out a goal bound Gerrard shot from the edge of the box which had moved in the air with an outstretched hand on 43 minutes. Beaten on 47 minutes when Coutinho’s ball split our defence to find an unmarked Henderson who chipped the ball over him and into the net for their equalizer as he was on 58 minutes when a Johnson shot flashed past him and hit the far post rather than the back of our net. He had no chance with Gerrard’s well struck penalty on the hour. Denied Suarez on 83 minutes after the forward had played the ball through Baker’s legs getting a touch to the ball as Suarez tried to take it past him and then clutching the ball that he was not able to chip over him. Matthew Lowton – 6 – Tried to move up to play Coutinho offside on 55 minutes which left him free to run onto a nice ball from Henderson and to clip a shot past Guzan which also went fortunately inches past Guzan’s far post. Hit a speculative effort on 69 minutes which Reina struggled to get back to help over the bar and which would otherwise have crept into the top corner of the net. Ron Vlaar – 6 – Steady enough in his own display but he is not the leader at the back that Carragher is or that we needed in the absence of Clark. Nathan Baker – 6 – One wild rash moment tarnished what had otherwise been a very good central defensive display yesterday. Did well on 25 minutes when the pressure he applied on Suarez as he was about to pull the trigger led to him putting an effort wide of the post rather than on target from close range and forced the ball out for a corner as Gerrard was about to try his luck from the near post 9 minutes later. But his wild, rash, unnecessary and naïve challenge on Suarez of all people on the edge of the box led to an inevitable and unarguable penalty. Joe Bennett - 6 – Hit an inviting cross into the box on 4 minutes that first Benteke and then Gabby were unable to get anything on. A decent enough performance. Yacouba Sylla – 6 – Looks like he may prove to be a real bargain and he does not appear to be lacking in confidence given the short time he has had to acclimatise with us. He was the best of our midfield performers for me yesterday. Ashley Westwood – 6 – A decent enough display but has looked better than this during the season. Barry Bannan - 5 – Nearly cost us our lead on 41 minutes when he misplaced a pass badly which he tried to hit first time rather than to first get it under control and this risky decision left the ball with Suarez who was denied an opener by Guzan’s legs which blocked his effort and spared Barry’s blushes if not a 5 rating. Andreas Weimann – 6 – Not at his best today and was carrying an injury for much of the time he was on the field yesterday but even when that is the case he offers us a goal threat and an energy that we lacked when he left the field on 63 minutes shortly after hitting a good Sylla cross high over the bar. Gabriel Agbonlahor – 6 – Hit a Lowton cross straight down the keeper’s throat on 16 minutes which had it been placed anywhere else would have led to an opening goal for us. He was found on the edge of the box by Weimann who had in turn been found by a good ball from Bannan but his 50th minute effort was high, wide and not very handsome. Worked hard though and did feed Benteke for our goal. Christian Benteke – 8 – MOTM - He shoots he scores! He looks the man most likely to keep us up with the goals he is providing of late and the havoc he causes to the defenders that he comes up against. He gave us our lead on 31 minutes when Westwood hit a super ball up to Gabby who pulled the ball back nicely to him and his crisp shot beat Reina from the edge of the box. Just failed to get his head to a Weimann cross on 56 minutes and was denied an equalizer by an incredible clearance off the line by Gerrard on 65 minutes after his header from a Westwood corner had appeared to be unstoppable. Hit the back of the net on 93 minutes but he did so having drifted into an offside position. Substitutes: Fabian Delph – 6 – Replaced Weimann on 63 minutes and must now put Bannan’s starting place at risk. I would have been tempted to have started him today although I can appreciate we had won two on the bounce so that might have seemed harsh. Charles N’Zogbia – 5 - Replaced Sylla as part of a double substitution on 63 minutes and made a minimal at best impression on the game. Karim El Ahmadi - Replaced Sylla on 77 minutes but was not on long enough to earn himself a rating or to threaten turning this game around. Stay up the Villa and Stay Strong Captain! John Lewis

Source: Player Match Ratings – Once is never enough!

"and sadly there were no cameras there!" There were cameras there Mike the goals were shown on the local news the following evening. My understanding was that the tape had been recorded over or not kept by Central although I think John Lerwill might have once suggested that there might be some hope of that clip turning up again and how if it did I am sure we would all like to see those goals go in again. "So we did Liverpool 5-1 in 76 and again in about 79 I think ??". I think not CI. We beat them 3-1 on 16/4/79 with goals from Evans, Thompson (og) & Deehan and then 4-2 on 19/9/92 with goals from Saunders (2), Atkinson & Parker. There is no other 5-1 against them but we did have another 5-1 beating Arsenal by that score on 25/4/79 with goals from Shelton (3) & Deehan (2).

Villa 5 Liverpool 1 was without doubt our best first half CI. Goals from Gray (2), Deehan (2) and Little did for them on 15/12/76.

"I think personally we will go for Douglas from Twente... available for nothing this summer... was talk of us trying to get him in Jan for the summer too...." But would we pay the wages he would want Mattyp-avfc? So who is that player from the 30s GarethRDR (I know we need a bit of experience but would he have the pace as he would be around 100 years old by now)?? Nice to see any link but Norwich would as VillaAlex has said be less than happy for him to come to us.

Rotterdam 82 is obviously a win that would be hard to better. But the 2-1 win against Manchester United in the League Cup SF in season 70-71, Bournemouth 2-1 (h) Division 3 (71-72), QPR 3-0 LCSF Replay 76-77, Everton 3-2 LCF Replay 76-77, Small Heath (h) 3-0 Division 1 (80-81), Everton (a) 3-1 Division 1 (80-81) and the Manchester United 3-1 LCF 94 after that Tranmere win were better games for me up to 94 although that SF win was a super night as well.

So how do you feel this season has gone for you so far? What are your feelings about the present state and direction of your club and how do you rate the boss and Randy Lerner? Slightly worse than I had expected. I had looked for say 14th and we might still get that but to be so low down the table for so long has been a bit of a shock. The direction of our club is downwards but I hope not quite down. Randy has done a great deal for the club but he spends little to no time at Villa Park now and although he has appointed the right manager he has not backed him. You’ve had a couple of good wins recently against Reading, West Ham and QPR. What are you hoping for the remainder of this season and going forward into next season? Enough points to stay up. If we do maintain our status not being in a relegation fight next season would be nice and if we do not, coming straight back up as champions (although that will be a tough one to achieve). Players of the season awards being talked about in the press all the time, so who has been your best player of the season so far, who has been your most improved and who do you reckon is the flop of the season for you? Benteke, Guzan and Bent's strange fall from goal machine to bench warmer. And the same thing for our team, who do you think are our best, worst and most improved. Gerrard is still on his day your best by a distance and has been for some time now. I think Downing has at last shown some signs of the player he was with us before he decided it was time to leave almost as soon as he had shed the crutch he limped into Villa Park with to sign for us and having pledged himself to us shortly before moving to you (not that I am bitter about that). Your worst player is something you will know better than I and I hope he gets a game on Sunday! Finally on this subject, who would you choose to have in your team given the chance, Van Persie, Bale or Suarez? Bale - the money would come in handy this summer. How do you think the match at our place in December turned out in such a comprehensive victory for you? Paul Lambert got his tactics spot on that day, Benteke played like a man possessed, Villa got lucky with a smash and grab raid, we were too embarrassed to play you once we saw Lerner’s pockets bulging with his £20 million Downing money, Liverpool were poor, or somewhere in between? Even Liverpool lose home games (more often now than in the past). You started well and then folded after we hit a purple patch. It was not a good point in your season and you lacked confidence once we went ahead to come back. On to the game now, and firstly, who are the form players and danger men we need to look out for and which of our players are you not looking forward to playing against? Which of your players are we best targeting if we want a win, and which of our players do you think will help you out with a poor performance? In what areas of the pitch do you think the game will be won or lost for you, and what tactics do we need to employ to beat you and get our revenge for the match at Anfield? I think after the game at Anfield you already know our danger men! Gerrard and the hand of Suarez will be dangers to us as will Downing who I guess might well choose to celebrate should he put one in. I think our respective scouts will have picked out the weak links in both teams and I doubt if either of us would want to help the other by pointing them out here and the same applies to the tactics you might need to use... There’s a new Pope in town now. If he could throw out a few miracles on request, what ones would you ask him to perform for the team and for Paul Lambert and why? I think the Pope has bigger fish to fry but staying up and a return to the glory days of the late 70s and early 80s when English clubs ruled in Europe might be one that would suit us both (and Forest). Lookalikes now. Brad Guzan, hero goalie or the boss eyed bloke off Dragon’s Den? Nathan Baker, full back or bloke from Thor with shorter hair and no beard? Any other lookalikes you can think of from either yours or our team? Skirtel really is Voldamorte! The game is more and more about managers and styles these days. So let’s say Brendan Rodgers v Paul Lambert were to have a Mortal Kombat style fight. Which one is most likely to throw sand in the eyes and kick his opponent in the family jewels to get the win and why? Lambo is from Glasgow don't you know? And finally, your realistic and honest predictions for the score. I think you will do well to get 0. Seriously we need the win and might just get it on current form but a draw would be what I would guess at but it is really too close to call.

I trust he will see this is the club where he can make a mark and have the opportunity to do so. Surely at this early stage this still has to be the primary concern for a young player???

I think there is a going rate in the league we are in now Blandy & StefanAVFC. I think the wages players expect are too high and I hope Andi would take less but you either pay the wages the better players want or sell them to buy players that will sign for much less, take a punt that they will develop with us into better players and then in turn sell those players when they look for better deals. It becomes a circle of the club developing players only to sell them on at a profit and of us not seeing those players develop with us and make our team better. We would then be left with what we have this season on repeat rather than with hope that we can progress as a team by bringing on players for our own football club to make us better each season.

Linked with Inter Milan in "The People" today who suggest we are looking at Gary Hooper from Celtic. I would prefer to keep both Benteke and Weimann for next season as they work so well together but I think we will do well to have one let alone both still at the club after the summer.

£50k pw is not unreasonable for a player like Andi (although it may be considered so at VP currently) and he will get the same or more elsewhere. I think we should start the ball rolling on £40k and see if we can agree something to keep the vultures away as soon as possible (with a get out clause for him should we not stay up this season). "The People" are linking him to Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool today and refer to "the cash-conscious Germans" being "keen on striking a bargain deal this summer". For me it is time for us to prove we are not a selling club or a feeder club for the likes of Liverpool. Keeping Andi would be a good start whilst letting him go for peanuts because he has been allowed to reach the last year of his contract and/or wants more than our frugal wage structure will allow will suggest that is just what we have become.

"Villa will give him away for free and he will take a pay cut to get away." Yes on the first one DeepDish and I hope you are right on the second but it may well depend on the extent of that pay cut I would guess.

Thanks 8pints & TheSufferingVilla.

"marks for inept bent referee? Minus ten million". If he was worth a mark rjw63 I think that is a fair one! "can we wait until we beat a team worth beating before getting carried away"?! I think QPR are better than bottom 2 on current form PussEKatt but I take your point on the boss making selections with an eye on experience although I think beating the likes of Reading and QPR is worth more than a win against say Liverpool at present because it denies them points at the same time as giving us some. We are in a mini league now at the foot of the table and I am not getting too carried away following these 2 wins and Wigan's result showed things can quickly turn on one result. But after 22 months without 2 wins on the trot and given how vital those wins were we need to enjoy the wins and try to take something positive from them. The job of staying up is not done yet but 6 points from 6 makes it a more likely prospect for us.

The obituaries pages in “The Times” today alerted me to the sad news that former Villa and Ireland star Con Martin had passed away on February 24th aged 89. Con was the original “utility” player joining us from second division Leeds for £10,000 in 1948 as one of four players signed by then manager Alex Massie for a total outlay of £50,000 in what proved a successful attempt to avoid the drop which we did finishing 10th that season. Cornelius Joseph Martin was born in Rush, Co Dublin on 20/3/23 and began his time at Villa Park as a left back continuing in that and his preferred centre half position until the first day of season 1951-52 when first choice keeper Joe Rutherford suffered an injury at Bolton and Con played the rest of that game in goal as he did the next 26 games of that season which we finished in sixth position. Con said later “I didn’t mind where I played I could handle the ball because of Gaelic Football”. Con had appeared for Dublin at representative level and featured in a Leinster championship victory in 1941 eventually receiving his championship medal in 1971 when the Gaelic Athletic Association’s ban on “foreign sports” was lifted (he was also playing football for Drumcondra at the time). Having moved from Drumcondra to Glentoran he was then offered a move to Manchester United as a keeper but turned that down to sign for Leeds in December 1946 as an outfield player for the same fee that he joined us for. Con made international appearances for both Northern Ireland (6) and Eire (30) at a time when it was possible to be selected for both. He made his debut for Northern Ireland against Scotland in November 1946 and for Eire against Portugal in June of the same year when he took over from injured keeper Ned Courtney and then went on to start as keeper in a win against Spain in Madrid in which he kept a clean sheet in his yellow shirt earning the nickname “the yellow canary” from the Spanish press. In September 1949 he also scored the first goal from the penalty spot in a 2–0 win for Eire at Goodison Park which made that Irish side rather than Hungary 4 years later the first overseas team to beat England on English soil. He played his last game for Northern Ireland in 1950 against Wales in a game that was part of the Home International Championship and that doubled as a World Cup qualifier which meant that Con had played for two countries in the same tournament which FIFA then ruled could never happen again. His international career ended in 1956 and he scored 6 goals for Eire including two against Finland when playing as a centre forward. Con made 213 appearances for Aston Villa before he moved on to Waterford in 1956 and scored one goal a penalty and the second of our 4 goals in a 4-1 away win at Charlton on 7/4/50. After leaving Waterford Con went on to manage Dundalk and Shelbourne and was assistant manager at Cork Hibernians. He is survived by his wife, Vera and by his 3 daughters and 4 sons one of which (Mick) won 51 caps for Ireland and he has a grandson (Owen Garvan) who plays for Crystal Palace. Some player and some life! My thoughts are with his family.

I'll question your rating for Bannan. Please justify why you think as a 5/10 he was the worst Villa player to grace the pitch on Saturday? I thought he was the least effective but not by much TheSufferingVilla and he was close to a 6 but I hope for more from Barry given the games he has under his belt now and for me this was a step back on what he gave us at Reading. I keep expecting him to step up to the plate week in and week out and make it very difficult for the boss to drop him. I do not think he quite did that on Saturday but it is a matter of opinion and we will see if Lambo gives the same team a run out again after 2 wins. I think he just might or bring in Delph for Sylla given the extra experience he has.

Source: Player Match Ratings – Can we stay up? Yes we can!

We have come back from a goal down to win games only twice this season. The positive thing about that statistic is that we have done so in our last two games now and a second crucial 6 pointer has been secured as a result. We are not safe yet but two more wins might just prove to be enough! We really needed this win and the reaction to the defeat of those QPR players who sat on the pitch devastated at full time showed how important this game was to both teams and it brought a nice memory from 1982 of Bayern players doing the same at full time in Rotterdam. It will be hard for QPR to come back from this a game they came into with the momentum that comes from two wins but they played a big part in making this the game it was. We started the game passing the ball neatly and keeping possession well in a manner that was pleasing to the eye. Harry then pushed his team forward to play a higher line and they started to look more than a little threatening for the rest of the half. Had it not been for the heroics of our keeper the game could have already been beyond us before Gabby for the second time in 2 games gave us a goal in the dying moments of the first half. That goal proved a turning point and the confidence it gave and the reaction it brought from our fans set up a great second half of football that turned one way and then the other. It was also so encouraging to see that when QPR pulled us back to level the game we were not prepared to go into our shell and instead we claimed the win and clung onto a lead without conceding our customary late goal. It had been 68 games since we had last managed back to back wins. Those wins have opened up a 6 point gap between us and the bottom three albeit one that Wigan if they do not become too distracted by their FA Cup semi-final and potential final might expect to shrink with two games in hand of us. But we must now aim to get our noses in front of a couple of those clubs who are ahead of us now on goal difference and by three points or less to bring them into the dog fight that a couple of home wins against say Fulham and Sunderland who are among those six clubs may see us near to safety. My player ratings from a game that took us 6 points clear of the drop zone and to 30 points and in which Townsend and Jenas along with Gabby and Benteke hit the net as they did last weekend are: Brad Guzan – 9 – MOTM – Kept us in the game with a chance to come back into it with three superb one handed first half saves. The best of which was on 10 minutes when he somehow kept out a Samba header that was bound for the top corner with an exquisite one handed save. Followed that up with another one handed save from a shot from the edge of the box from the same player within a minute when the ball found Samba on the edge of the box. On 38 minutes he then got his left rather than right hand to keep out a curling Remy shot from the edge of the box. Brad was beaten on 23 minutes by Jenas who did more for QPR in this game than he did in a season with us sliding in to force the loose ball home after Guzan had kept out Zamora’s effort with his foot. Bosingwa hit a post from a free kick that could have given them a 2 goal cushion which was for some reason allowed to be taken from the edge of the box rather than where the offence was actually committed and their second on 73 minutes from Townsend took a deflection off Vlaar on its way from the edge of the box to just inside Brad’s post. Matthew Lowton – 7 – Another encouraging display and he almost gave us a second goal on 65 minutes when he pulled a shot past the keeper but just wide of the post. Ron Vlaar – 6 – A solid performance. Ciaran Clark – 6 – Has shouldered a lot of responsibility this season and gave another good display yesterday. Had a header from a corner gathered by Cesar on 69 minutes. Nathan Baker - 6 – Put his head in where others fear to tread coming off worst when trying to get to a low Westwood cross and his head came into contact with the man mountain Samba. Left the field on 20 minutes and was replaced by Bennett. Yacouba Sylla – 6 – Looks value for the money we paid and will get better with games and experience. Ashley Westwood – 7 – A very encouraging display. Barry Bannan - 5 – Played his part in the win and in holding onto possession in the middle. Andreas Weimann – 8 – Had a header from a well placed Bennett header tipped over by Cesar on 58 minutes after Benteke had steamed into the box and through their massed defence with great power. Hit our second a minute later after Bennett had pounced on a clearance from a corner found him on the edge of the box and Andreas then turned and drilled a left footed shot past the keeper. His tenacity then led to our winner. Gabriel Agbonlahor – 7 – His pressure forced Bosingwa to help the ball back to his goal keeper at the near post but referee Friend showed not for the first time yesterday that he is no friend of ours by ignoring righteous claims for a free kick due to the back pass. Connected well with a Lowton cross on the stroke of first half time and his downward header beat a statuesque Cesar and got us out of jail. Christian Benteke – 7 – A quiet first half but he was engaged in a heavyweight battle with Samba throughout and neither player asked or was given any quarter. Hit our winner on 81 minutes when N’Zogbia played the ball to Weimann inside the box and his persistence left defenders in his wake as he pulled the ball back to an unmarked Benteke who applied the finish to give us all three points. Turned a header wide of the far post on 85 minutes from N’Zogbia’s free kick. Substitutes: Joe Bennett – 6 – Came on for Baker on 20 minutes. His misplaced pass on the half way line was pounced upon by Jenas in the build up to their opener but he made up for that as the game progressed and looked particularly good when moving forward. Charles N’Zogbia – 6 - Replaced Sylla on 58 minutes and made a good contribution to securing our win. Jordan Bowery - Replaced Weimann on 84 minutes. Not on long enough to earn a rating but did put himself about on his introduction. Stay up the Villa and Stay Strong Captain! John Lewis

"Liverpool but suarez we buy Bent, Almost the same fee i think. either we buy wrong or can't develop the at BMH, either way we don't get value for money in the main". I think Bent was the last time we went big and it worked that season TRO as it kept us up. We have chosen not to do the same this time or to do anything near it and it is a very high risk decision. We have not got value for money in the past with some signings we have made but the likes of Downing, Milner and Young all represented profitable player trading as a former chairman once referred to as will Benteke so I think it is all about signing the right player at the right price. Bent scores goals if a team plays to his strengths and feeds him as did Young and Downing. They left were not replaced and so Bent looks less of a player and does not get games as we do not play a system that suits his game and his value therefore falls. Whether we can develop the young players we have recently signed given the pressure they are now under is open to question but I think Weimann has shown that given time to develop we can produce the players but my concern is that we may now doing so to make money rather than to build a team.

Source: Player Match Ratings – One costly mistake does for us!