Time to look forward

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A very happy new year everyone.

Good riddance to 2012 as a Villa fan and lets welcome 2013. Yes we are unbeaten! Admittedly it was away to Swansea and I am disappointed that we couldn’t hold on for all three points, but lets face it, in the first 30 min we could have been 3-0 down so I will take the point, especially when other results went our way.

So then we have our  next Premier League game against Southampton, I would almost call this a nine pointer rather than a six pointer. For me (at the moment) it is between us and Southampton as to who joins Reading and QPR in the Championship next season. I have a suspicion that Wigan are Wigan and will do their usual great escape act, although if I were Newcastle I would also be nervously looking over my shoulder.

However the Southampton game is part of 6 crucial games we have coming up. We have Ipswich in the FA Cup who could be a tricky team to beat given our current situation. We have two legs against Bradford to make the League Cup final. I really really wish we hadn’t already sent out promos saying buy your final tickets as that is a great way to fire up the opposition. We also have West Brom and Newcastle. Both of these games are winnable BUT  West Brom on current form should wipe the floor with us and we do seem to play rubbish against Newcastle!!

So looking forward 6 key games and depending on how we get on, they could really help us to build on the mid season, get some momentum going and build up the confidence of the team. Let’s not worry about Chelsea in the final. (You see what I did there? COME ON SWANSEA!!). It will have been a great journey to get there and just remember when a certain Ron Atkinson out thought Man Utd to win us the League Cup.

Now I know this blog tends to draw in certain comments about blind loyalty but I reject that. I understand we have been poor and we haven’t got the points we should have. However this is a general acceptance from the media  and in fact the bookmakers who think we will be all-right. AMC was negative in his tactics and we were moving backwards as a club. (Let’s see what happens at Forest). In PL everyone can see what we are trying to do. There are people who are saying he is trying to rebuild the club too quickly and in truth I think that is a fair criticism. We brought in 7 players and I think we can all agree that we probably need another 4-5 in Jan to keep us  up. I am slightly concerned that we are looking at older Championship players for ‘experience’ where as I would possibly like a couple of workmen like Premier League players just to shore the team up.

This is another season of transition, but hey at least we are finally taking cup competitions seriously. We have a chance to maybe beat the odds. I think we will be fighting to the very end, BUT we will be a stronger team in the long-term for doing that. Remember Ferguson didn’t get it right straight away.

I see the vision and I will back PL however the one thing I will add that Lerner, you need to support your manager. I understand why you have cut back. I don’t think you have lost interest at all. I just think you have been given some bad advice. I will say no more than that.

UTV and in PL we trust.

 

13 comments

  1. Happy New Year JimmyB. Good article my friend, but you have more faith than I in Randy. I seriously think he has lost interest although I believe you to be right about the bad advise.
    At Swansea we should have been buried within 30 mins but at least we saw our young lions regain some confidence. If we go down so be it, but if we do, lets go down fighting to the last. We can ask no more than that of the lads.
    PL still has my support unfortunately Randy lost all credibility when appointing AMC. As you rightly say, Forest are already struggling under his reign. Forest supporters deserve better than that. Good luck to them.

  2. Yippee….we scaped a draw from a hgame we should have been four goals behind in (again) by half time. Benteke, Weimann, and Guzan are ok. The rest can go for me!! WE are that bad!!

  3. I’d like to see another striker, an attacking midfielder (winger) and a defensive mid who can win the ball back and hold it well (someone to compliment Westwood). Also another CB (who can preferably also play as either a RB or LB as well) is a certain must. Happy New Year to all!

  4. Aston Villa need to bring experienced players into the squad and therefore as the January transfer window has opened, now is the perfect time to get a few quality signings into the villa squad. We need a forward like another Hernandez to replace Darren Bent who works for the team and doesn’t just rely on assists to get him goals. Hopefully in our next game at home to Southampton, we can get a win; as if we do get three points from that game it will be crucial to our survival this season in staying in the Barclay’s Premier League.

  5. Yes to championship football two days in to transfer window and still yet it seems nothing doing.No players of Premiership quality linked only some player from the lower league ie Charlton and some twenty year old from abroad.Yet more evidence of LAMBERT,S miss management and incapability to attract top players to the club.We do not have anything to look forward to at all.
    Only the fact Randy may wake and sack the fool before it;s to late but think it;s to late now LAMBERT as already done the damage with his loony ideas.

  6. A little disappointed with your comments Terry, do you really want our club to become another Chelsea or Man City. One – we dont have a sugar daddy and two – who would you go for to replace Paul Lambert. Chopping and changing the manager dont get you anywhere – we have done that these past three years and thats why we are where we are now. Everton set the perfect example for me – a chairman/owner who is dedicated to the club and a manager with the right vision/ideas for the club.
    Villa have suffered with long term injuries to key players, or so we are told – should we not be questioning our medical team – what exactly are they doing to get these players back to fitness.
    Yes we need 3 or 4 experienced heads to mold the kids into something resembling a team – but WHO.
    Can I close by being a little controversial – we need a ball winner in midfield – personally cant stand the guy, but love his commitment on the field of play – Joey Barton. I think Paul Lambert is strong enough to turn this guy around – he did do an excellent job for Newcastle.

  7. Joey Barton are you joking he is a marked man his days in the PL league are over.So do come up with something more realistic answer to our woes,and don;t say loan deals.As i have always thought loan deal players only have one loyalty and that is to them selfs not to the club or fans.

  8. Could not agree more about loan players Terry, but the lack of activity at Villa Park since the transfer window opened leads me to believe we may have to settle for this.
    Ref Joey Barton, I did say it was a little controversial and personally I have little time for him as a human being, but he does have great ability and experience on the field of play,something Villa seriously lack at the moment, and of course he does speak quite good french these days :).
    A close mate of mine is a huge Newcastle fan, we were talking about Barton over the Christmas period. Like you and I, and probably a million others, they couldn`t stand the guy, but he admitted that he was impressive on the field and did a good job for them.
    Finally you ask me to be realistic, ok, but answer the question – just who are we going to go after, just who wants to get involved in a dog fight.

  9. Looks like we are going after Lescott, i’d be happy if we got him. Experienced and a he’s a villa fan, just what we need. Also Bent, Gabby, and Charles might be fit for tomorrow.

  10. read all comments very interesting.
    i think we definately need a ball winner in midfield the only problem i have is that a ball winners job is to pass it on to someone who can do do something with it, this is where i struggle, who can do something with it?
    on a sour note i,m fed up of people telling me how good a player ireland is (and he agrees!! ) well go out and prove it !!

  11. Some interesting comments. I think we need 3/4 good signings to stay up, lescott sounds a good bet but think he might not be so sure after the abuse he got when we played at Everton a few years ago!! Lampard we can only dream!! I feel the only signings maybe a few loans signing which will not be enough!! Randy you have a lot to answer for, sell now or invest in our club up the villa

  12. Lescott would be a good addition, and try for Richards as well. He dont get too many run outs for City – they owe us anyway – they nicked our midfield when they took Barry and Milner.
    We have to avoid the temptation to go foreign again, they are cheap (so to speak)but take far to long to settle in the Prem. We dont have the luxury of time. Thats why I raised the bar again in suggesting Joey Barton. I have made my personal feelings about Barton clear, but a strong ball winner in the middle is desperately needed. Joey reminds me very much of (and now Im showing my age)the old Vic Crowe – now there was a ball winner – red hair and a temprament to match.Does anyone remember Billy Bremner – again another volatire character – yet what a player. Joey Barton is of a similar nature – massive risk but desperate times call for desperate measures. I believe Lambert could control him.
    As usual, I agree with Big Ron. Probably we will end up with a couple of loan signings – Walker didnt do us any harm – but yet again Randy will have deep pockets and short arms. The man is the root problem to our current situation. Needs to sell us and get out.

  13. According to one paper this morning i think the Lescott rumour can be put to bed as they reckon QPR have gone in with an £8 million offer,and can;t see Lambert getting into a bidding war.So think we are going to get more of tne same on transfers lower league and players from abroad whom nobody as ever heard of.So there is nothing to look forward to.

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