Burnley came up from the Championship last season via the play-offs and rightly didn’t go crazy bringing in new players before predictably heading back down to the Championship without too many heading for the exit. They were soundly beaten 4-0 at home by Reading last weekend, two of the starting line-up – Brian Jensen and Tyrone Mears – started every Premiership game the season before and five others had at least a dozen Premiership starts under their belts.
They may
Continue Reading
Emile Heskey came on around the hour mark with Villa a goal down to Blackburn and within a minute he had equalised, possibly with his first touch, and 18 minutes later Ashley Young was tapped in Heskey’s cross for the third goal to seal a comeback victory. Ashley had also headed in a second goal in between, crossed in by Nathan Delfouneso.
Quite the start for Gérard Houllier.
I didn’t see any of it, so I can’t give you any first
Continue Reading
Blackburn return to Villa Park in the Carling Cup tonight, but if it’s to be a repeat of the 6-4 thriller back in January, it will likely be for different reasons. Sam Allardyce has stated explicitly that the Premier League is their priority at all costs and after a bruising encounter with Fulham last weekend, on top of a Lancashire derby against Blackpool next weekend, Sam’s unlikely to field his strongest possible XI.
But neither will Houllier, who’s hit the
Continue Reading
Among much speculation regarding Champions League bound Tottenham trying to get their hands on no-longer-cup-tied Ashley Young, he’s talked up the team’s desire to bounce back against Everton and also his own determination to re-establish himself in the England set up.
Ashley Young
I’m a positive person. You can’t carry defeats around on your shoulders, because you would be going into the next game having too many negative thoughts. You have to look forward.
Of course, the Newcastle result crushed us. We just
Continue Reading
In short, no.
Then again, maybe it is… eventually.
Maybe no one really remembers the runner-up, but they’re rightly rewarded with cold hard currency which is needed to help finance next year’s campaigns. I’ve never made a secret of my opposition to the rich benefactor approach or my pride at the Villa way of doing things right now. I’m pretty certain that I’m not in the minority there.
I want to see Aston Villa challenging for titles at home and abroad as much
Continue Reading
…looking like a fool with you hands in the air. (That’s to the tune of “Pants on the Ground” for anyone not getting the reference)
I always laugh at players who commit a foul and then put their hands in the air as if to say “I didn’t touch him!!”. Nemanja Vidic gives a masterclass as he takes Gabby down to give away a penalty in the first 5 minutes of the Carling Cup Final.
Grab A Handful Of Shirt
Dive In
Quick,
Continue Reading
Despite one of the most farcical construction projects ever, the old Wembley stadium was demolished and rebuilt in between this and our last cup final. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since that FA Cup final. Football is different. Aston Villa is very different.
For these reasons, and an almost infinite number of others, and I doubt I was alone here, I found myself almost overcome with emotion and pride as I watched
Continue Reading
Well, we lost. Not worth adding much more at the moment, except to say how proud I am of the team and how proud I am to be a Villa fan. Good effort lads, there will be more trips to Wembley I’m sure. It just wasn’t to be this time.
I suppose I’d have to admit that UtD did rattled the wood work on a couple of occasions and we didn’t really threaten the Utd goal beyond James Milner’s penalty, but
Continue Reading
Live blog below the fold.
Carling Cup Final – Man Utd vs Aston Villa