Author: Nick Sanders
Nick Sanders
Season ticket holder/Holteender since the age of 6 when Big Ron was boss. Teacher by trade but keen interest in journalism and travel. Often (annoyingly) confused with Gary Monk.
Monday 18th January F.A. Cup – Third Round @Old Trafford, Manchester KO: 19:55 GMT Aston Villa make a return to Old Trafford tonight as they begin their F.A. Cup campaign with a tricky tie against Manchester United with a home tie against Middlesbrough on offer for the winners in the fourth round. The Villans will look to win for a second time there this season following a 1-0 win in the Premier League fixture in which both teams had different managers in charge. This is the first time the teams have met in the competition since the 2007-08 season having…
Saturday 18th December Premier League @Villa Park KO: 15:00 GMT Aston Villa will keep the Premier League campaign running as they welcome Burnley to Villa Park (subject to COVID/Premier League regulations). The rapid emergence of a new variant means changes will be made to the way in which fans will enter Villa Park and for many teams across England, their games are being postponed as a result. Villa will aim to secure another three points against a stubborn Burnley side that have only lost six games despite sitting in the bottom three. A win would continue the incredible turnaround of…
Saturday 11th December Premier League @Anfield KO: 15:00 GMT Aston Villa travel to Liverpool in what will be a momentous occasion for recently appointed manager, Steven Gerrard. The former Reds captain played an astonishing 710 times, scoring 186 goals from midfield and he is the only player in the club’s history to appear in Liverpool’s top five for both appearances and goals scored. Not to mention the plethora of trophies won, most notably the Champions League in the 2004-2005 season as he helped lead the team back from 3-0 down to beat a strong A.C. Milan side in Istanbul. Whilst…
Aston Villa look to continue to build upon an up-turn in performances as they welcome Leicester City to Villa Park this evening. Villa suffered their first defeat under Steven Gerrard on Wednesday night as they lost 2-1 to Manchester City but will take encouragement out of their efforts and particularly their second half display against the current Premier League champions. The first three games under Gerrard have seen improvements in shape, possession and build up with more shots created and less shots allowed at keeper Emi Martinez which clearly shows the early progress of his tenure. Leicester City come into…
Aston Villa face a stern test as they welcome Premier League champions Manchester City to Villa Park. Fresh off the back of two wins from two games under new manager Steven Gerrard, it will be a first game under the lights for the Villa boss where any points gained will be seen as a positive result for a side that had lost five in a row before Gerrard’s arrival. Manchester City come into the game in second place and just a single point off leaders Chelsea, having won their previous three Premier League games following a shock home defeat to…
Aston Villa made it back-to-back wins in the Premier League for the first time this season with an impressive performance at Selhurst Park. Steven Gerrard said after the 2-0 win at home to Brighton that his team needed to, “Back it up” and the Villans duly delivered with arguably their best performance of the season, looking relatively comfortable for the majority of the game. Crystal Palace were given little time to settle on the ball and the effort levels and determination was shown from every player in a Villa shirt as everyone contributed in some shape or form. Villa made…
Aston Villa travel down to London looking for back-to-back Premier League wins since the final two games of the 2020-21 season. The Villans make the trip to Selhurst Park to take on a Crystal Palace side that they have found difficult to beat away from home of late, having last won there in 2014. Two of the best midfielders in Premier League history will pit their wits against one another from the dugout as Steven Gerrard will be looking to continue his early good form against Patrick Vieira who has overseen an impressive start to the campaign for the Eagles.…
It’s ‘all systems change’ at Villa Park as Aston Villa return to Premier League action under new manager Steven Gerrard to host Brighton. The international break brought about the end of Dean Smith’s era in what was the biggest decision in the ownership of the club by NSWE with CEO Christian Purslow citing the dip in the results in 2021 as the primary factor behind the decision. Gerrard comes in with an impressive record, turning around a beleaguered Rangers side from being in the shadow of rivals Celtic, to winning the league undefeated and back to back Europa League campaigns…
Aston Villa host West Ham United in the evening kick off on Sunday as they look to avoid a fourth straight defeat in the Premier League. A worrying turn of form sees Villa sit three points above the bottom three on 10 points from 10 games which is exactly the same as the 2019-2020 season in which Dean Smith’s men survived on the final day of the season. There has been a growing unrest on social media between a lot of supporters but the facts do not make great reading as Villa continue to be a frustratingly inconsistent team. Four…
Aston Villa travel down to North London to kick off this weekend’s Premier League football with a Friday evening game at Arsenal. The Villans go to the Emirates Stadium off the back of two defeats away to Tottenham Hotspur and most recently last weekends capitulation at home to Wolves, letting a 2-0 lead slip late on. Dean Smith’s men will not only be wanting a win but in an unpredictable league it becomes important after a string of defeats to not get into a rut. Arsenal sit one place and one point above Villa and unbeaten in their last five…