Author: Guest Post
Much has been said about the rivalry between Aston Villa and Newcastle United but where has this emerged from? 24th May 2009 – the final day of the 2008-09 Premier League campaign. Manchester United having already been crowned champions meant all attention was on the wrong end of the table. Only two out of a possible four teams could stay amongst the English elite for another season. Middlesbrough’s fans already feared the worst due to their much poorer goal difference compared to the sides around them. That left Hull City, Newcastle United, and Newcastle’s big rivals Sunderland AFC. Despite their…
The announcement of the England squad for the latest round of World Cup qualifiers has left many fans and pundits scratching their heads. Fabian Delph has started this season in sparkling form, just like he finished the previous one – in England form, you could say. Even Robbie Savage was surprised that Delph had been overlooked. Equally baffling is Hodgson’s failure to call up Gabby Agbonlahor, who has terrorised defenders with his explosive pace and who would surely have played more for England but for injuries ruling him out of games in the past. Fans could also make a case…
The picture became clear under the Lambert regime as to which players would play a part in his squad and which would be banished to the ‘Bomb Squad’. However, there remains one player with perhaps the biggest question marks of all still hanging over him – Charles N’Zogbia. Monday 2nd of September, or Football Transfer Deadline Day as it is known to you and I, has arrived and yet there is little or no talk of N’Zogbia, despite his current injury. While it is fair to say that McLeish’s signings – Holman (limited technical ability), Given (inexplicably…
The start of the season is always the time for optimism for fans. Having endured three relatively fallow years under Houllier, McLeish and then a difficult first season for Lambert, is it now finally the time to start to wonder how far forward we can reach again? Aston Villa have been quietly careful, it seems, not to make any specific statements about where they see the club heading in the next few years, compared to the lavish and glossy campaign of yesteryear’s Proud History Bright Future. The fans can see what Lambert is trying to achieve but the question…
Some people lose interest in the close season, especially the casual football fan; many of you don’t fall into the category and I don’t either. We are supporters of Aston Villa, so much so that we can’t live without it. Remove the pre-season games and transfers from summer and we’d all be keeping up with the progress of the groundsman. We have been spoilt this year; before pre-season started we had a very busy June indeed with 6 players in, which is unheard of. On top of that, a handful of our favourite players have signed new deals! The one…
It was December 8th 2012 when Stoke City came to Villa Park and played out a fairly dull 0-0 stalemate. So many must be wondering why I am reminiscing about a goalless draw? Well that particular afternoon marked the last time Aston Villa kept a clean sheet. I have heard Villa fans say Ron Jeremy has cleaner sheets than the Villans, and although that is highly amusing, at what point does the chuckling stop? For me the distant echoing of alarm bells have slowly started to creep into the Villa eardrum . Yes people say preseason games mainly serve as…
In the wake of Christian Benteke handing in a transfer request, midfielder Ashley Westwood has joined the list of players that have committed themselves to Aston Villa by signing a new four year deal. Following his move from Crewe, Westwood has proved to be a bargain for boss Paul Lambert, and after just one season he is now considered as one of the first names on the team sheet. Westwood bases his personal game on that of England international Michael Carrick. And if reports are true, it won’t be long until the 23 year old pass master finds himself In…
Last week I wrote a piece on the unexpectedness at Villa (Link) with Lambert’s new transfer policy and the new club direction. This week I want to focus on something a little different. I want to start with a reference to a year ago: Paul Lambert had just arrived, there was a sense of optimism surrounding Villa Park. However, there were a minority who were not happy with some of the signings Lambert was making. Lower league and unproven; not usually the attributes that have been associated with success and certainly not with the players coming into Aston Villa in…
Hello, my name is Jon and I am a new writer for avillafan.com. I posted on this website once before, a year ago regarding the managerial search, but have had a busy year since. I am now however going to be providing an entry every Monday. Now, with introductions out of the way, for my first post, I just wanted to share a sense of optimism that I have, that I expect many of you share. There is no doubt that this summer there will be a plethora of in-comings and out-goings. With our first signing; Aleksander Tonev through the…