Author: Sam Burnett
Team selections are just one of the difficult jobs that football managers are faced with in the modern game. Aston Villa have one of the biggest games in their recent history a matter of days away. Dean Smith must pick a starting XI that he feels is good enough to get Villa across the line at Wembley. I have picked my starting XI. The one I believe will give us the best chance of beating Derby County and guiding us into the Premiership. Jed Steer The hero at the Hawthorns. He has been our man in between the sticks for…
It was a big one. All Aston Villa had to do was not lose to West Brom and we would book a place in the Playoff final for the second year running. Fortunately, I was one of those lucky 2000 fans who got their hands on a golden ticket. This is my matchday experience. I had originally planned to get the train to the Hawthorns but the possibility of the penalties persuaded me to get the coach. The easier option. The coach departed Villa Park at around 6.10 pm and everyone seems in high spirits for the game. The nerves…
The regular Championship season has finally come to a close. Aston Villa will now turn their focus towards the playoff semi-finals, where we take on West Bromwich Albion. At the start of the campaign, I predicted the final championship table. Today I am going to take a look back and my predictions. Was I spot on or just how wrong was I? Top 6 predictions 1. West Bromwich Albion 2. Swansea City 3. Middlesbrough 4. Aston Villa 5. Stoke City 6. Derby County As you can see, there is no Norwich, Leeds or Sheffield United. None of this seasons top…
Where can I start with this one? Leeds United vs Aston Villa on Sunday was one of the most entertaining, yet controversial games I have ever witnessed. It had everything. Goals, red cards, yellow cards and even a 15+ man brawl including both sets of team staff. The referee made some decisions on that day that have been talking points for the fans but alas, justice has prevailed. The Incident The first of these incidents arised from the Leeds goal. Yes, we know, no rules were broken when Mateusz Klich put the ball in the back of the net. The…
Tammy Abraham was forced off with a shoulder injury during the win over Bolton Wanderers. It meant that Dean Smith had a decision to make while the Chelsea loanee is unavailable. The two obvious options are Jonathan Kodjia and Keinan Davis. Jonathan Kodjia Smith opted for Kodjia in the 1-0 win over Millwall the weekend. Although it wasn’t his worst game for Villa, he clearly struggled and didn’t look at his best. You could argue that his goal was the only goal of the game that took Villa to 10 wins in a row. The problem is he also missed…
A lot has been made about the improvement of the Aston Villa defence during our recent run of form. This is partly down to the signings of Tyrone Mings and Korney Hause. Both have been nothing short of sensational since their arrival. But some have overlooked the resurgence of Neil Taylor. Villa have won 8 games on the bounce and have the change to make it 9 on Friday against relegation-doomed Bolton Wanderers. We have seen an astronomical improvement to what was a very shaky defence. Villa are not leaking goals like they were at the start of the season.…
Aston Villa have won a very impressive six games on the bounce in the Championship. Villa should look closely at this winning formula and reward those players involved. More so, if we are to have another season in the Championship. I wrote about Tyrone Mings and Tammy Abrahams in a previous article but one player who seems to creep under the radar is Glenn Whelan. Over the past 6-8 weeks, Whelan has been a vital part of the cog at Aston Villa. It looks like the second coming of Sergio Busquets! Conor Hourihane has had to settle for a position…
Some of the players who have performed well for Aston Villa this season have come through the loan system. Tammy Abraham and Tyrone Mings spring to mind but it is worth remembering that we have our own crop of loanees. We have quite a few who will be back at B6 once the season is over – regardless of what division we will be playing in. In this article, I will be discussing some of these loanees and whether or not I believe they have a future at Villa. Aaron Tshibola Aaron Tshibola re-joined Kilmarnock in the summer for his…
Before injury made Axel Tuanzebe miss almost four months of action, he looked an early contender for Villa’s play of the season. The Manchester United loanee is now back at the club and reportedly ready for action. Will Dean Smith put him straight back into the team and can he help us get promoted? In his absence, Smith recruited the help of Tyrone Mings and Kortney Hause. They have appeared to develop quite the partnership over the last few games. Hause original played out on the left but more injuries saw him move more central. James Chester and Tommy Elphick…
After a stop-start two-thirds to the season, Aston Villa appears to have finally got their promotion push underway. One of the reasons for recent success is the loan deals. Former and current managers Steve Bruce and Dean Smith deserve credit for those deals. Villa are currently sitting 6th in the Championship, the final playoff position. They are just one point adrift of 5th placed Middlesbrough, following the 3-0 win at the weekend. Of all the loan signings made this season, some have made an impact while others haven’t. So who should we look to keep and who should we allow…