Aston Villa Banter - Join the debate with AVFC fans, staff writers and club legends

A richly deserved accolade for Ashley Young

2009-04-29T21:42:55Z

Congratulations to Villa winger Ashley Young on being named the PFA Young Player of the Year.

It was a richly deserved accolade for a young man with the world at his feet.

If he keeps his feet on the floor he will be the answer to England's wide left problem for
years to come.

He should be an automatic choice for the national team for many years. If he isn't it will be
down to himself.

From best since Ron Saunders to just best since the last season

2009-04-27T21:36:13Z

WHAT was once Villa's best season since Ron Saunders and the league title, then their best since Graham Taylor and Ron Atkinson's charge towards second, then their best since Brian Little's fourth and fifth, is now quite simply their best for 12 months.

A year ago Villa were sat where they are now: 55 points from 34 matches, although they were then back in seventh.

They were a team chasing another, Portsmouth, who were in the Cup Final.

Now they are in fifth trying to keep the door shut on another Cup Final team - Everton.

All in all it was a decent point as Villa seek a fifth-place finish for the first time in 12 years.

But they have made a habit of shooting themselves in the foot just when glory beckons.

The way their season has imploded over the last two-and-a-half months has now equalled the 12-game run between November and a home victory over Watford in January 2007 in Martin O'Neill's first season at the club.

Villa seemingly had fourth place in the bag two months ago. Then came a swing of Glenn Whelan's trusty boot which galvanised Stoke and pierced their belief.

At this point Arsenal clicked into gear and Villa's season since has outwardly resembled a plane crash.

To be fair to Villa, during this 11-match run only their performance during most of the 5-0 hammering at Liverpool showed them clueless.

A large portion of the FA Cup defeat to Everton and the feeble first half at Manchester City were similarly poor, but they should have beaten Stoke, Tottenham and West Ham. They could also have drawn at the European champions.

At Bolton they were neither at their brilliant best as at Old Trafford for 80 minutes, nor their shocking worst at Anfield.

They got about what they deserved in a match that neither side dared lose, so neither went that extra mile to make it a spectacle.

Villa still require that one away win to equal their best in the top flight in their history - this was their first away draw in the league since May.

It was never going to be a classic, not between the 16th and 20th-best teams in the division going into the game on form.

A fluke of a goal put Villa ahead and in keeping with their miserable run of late they were unable to keep a clean sheet.

Three months ago Villa would have gone ahead in similar fashion, weathered the storm and broken in the last minute to snare the points.

Blackburn in early February now seems a long time ago.

Have Villa simply forgotten the art of winning?

They now face two teams at home who are battling for their lives in the bottom four. The comfort is that both Hull City and Newcastle are the only clubs now below them in the current form table.

Trips to Fulham, who are resurgent under Roy Hodgson and have won twice as many home games as Villa, and Middlesbrough, who have won as many, bring an end to a season which once offered so much.

Villa, in competitive action for 40 weeks, or 280 days, are limping over the line.

They created few chances at the Reebok, although Bolton created fewer still. Villa were close to breaking the deadlock when Ashley Young and John Carew combined well with the latter sliding a perfect pass for James Milner.

Milner slipped inside Matt Taylor, checked on to his left foot but saw his shot blocked by Andy O'Brien.

As with much of Villa's luck of late, a bullet of a shot from Gareth Barry was blocked by team-mate Curtis Davies.

Bolton, who play far less of the long-ball stuff under Gary Megson than they are ever given credit for, really should have taken the lead when Kevin Davies' magnificent early outside-of-the-boot ball released Taylor down the left. His low cross was deflected by Carlos Cuellar to an unmarked Fabrice Muamba six yards out but the former Blues midfielder scuffed his attempt completely.

An element of fortune handed Villa the lead.

Emile Heskey fed Young whose curling cross eluded both Carew and Gary Cahill and sneaked into the net off the far post for his first goal since scoring against Bolton in December.

Thirty-five seconds after the restart Kevin Davies fired wide from Johan Elmander's knock-down.

O'Neill will not have enjoyed Bolton's equaliser. Barry barged into Cahill allowing Taylor to float a free-kick to the edge of the Villa box.

Kevin Davies won the flick-on ahead of Carew, Stiliyan Petrov and Curtis Davies, who came forward to try to win the ball. O'Brien crucially beat Cuellar to the second header and nodded to an unmarked Tamir Cohen who fired home.

The home fans were claiming a hugely optimistic penalty for a nothing shoulder barge by Barry which sent Cohen tumbling.

Twice Villa almost won it in the dying stages when Carew sent a left-foot curler whistling past the far post and then saw his header tipped over.

Despair, anguish, dejection, desperation: A tale of woe for Aston Villa

2009-04-06T20:38:16Z

DESPAIR, anguish, dejection, desperation, despondency, disheartenment, forlornness, gloom, melancholy, misery, pain and sorrow.

They were not the names of the 12 Villa players on duty at Old Trafford yesterday, but they may well have been.

The ghost of Peter Withe 1983 was close to finally being exorcised.

On Merseyside, Villa deserved every bit of their defeat and players will have been embarrassed.

Here against another team harbouring title ambitions, they will have felt mugged.

Except that you are unlikely to get Kirsty Young inviting them on Crimewatch at the end of the month.

Villa deserved at least a point. Arguably their fine play warranted more, although admittedly they fell deeper and deeper into their half as the scent of fame grew stronger.

Take the joy of that incredible late victory at Everton in December and imagine the polar opposite.

You are left with just how Martin O'Neill, his staff, players and supporters were feeling the very moment when a world-beater of a strike won it from a teenage debutante.

Former Lazio 17-year-old youth Federico Macheda turned inside Luke Young and smacked a pearler into the top corner of Brad Friedel's net a week after scoring a hat-trick against Newcastle reserves.

Ten minutes from exhilarating glory. That's all.

Old Trafford was stoney silent as O'Neill's men sniffed yet another slice of history. Two slices in fact.

They were 600 seconds away and counting from ending 26 years of hurt on this ground and also equalling a club record of away wins in a season in the top flight. This in a season where they had already chalked up a first win at Arsenal in 15 years, won a record seven away games on the bounce and recorded a best in almost 100 years of 13 games unbeaten in the top flight.

The sub-plot of course was the race for fourth.

O'Neill had wanted to be within a point or two of Arsenal once the two tricky away games were out of the way. Now, after one point from 18, he finds himself effectively seven behind the Gunners ahead of a game against Everton which he dare not lose.

Where, oh where, oh where did Mike Riley get five minutes of stoppage time from?

Statistics, damned statistics. United are unbeaten in 27 league meetings with Villa, having won 20 and drawn seven since Villa's 3-1 home win in August 1995.

Forget Withe and 1983, only Olof Mellberg (October 2002), Steve Staunton (March 1993), Gary Pallister (December 1990) and Gordon Cowans (November 1988) had scored goals which had brought points to Villa in this neck of the woods over the last 26 years. The last time they had won at United they had conceded six at home to Arsenal the previous week and been knocked out of Europe by a team from Moscow.

They arrived here just as written off but with those ten miserable minutes on the clock United were staring down the barrel of a third straight league defeat for the first time since December 2001.

Villa have now registered four straight league defeats for the first time since December 2006.

It's also no wins in nine but this was not a performance of a team suffering a confidence crisis.

O'Neill had sprung a shock with Nicky Shorey starting his first league game in five months since the home defeat to Middlesbrough in November.

The other switch was more obvious with Gabby Agbonlahor partnering John Carew as the manager resisted calls to switch to a five-man midfield.

It was Villa who enjoyed by far the better of things in the early stages with Darren Fletcher called upon to block John Carew's header on the goal-line inside the first five minutes .

But just as they had at Anfield a fortnight ago Villa shot themselves in the foot.

James Milner's momentary lapse of concentration in tapping the ball back to Brad Friedel, under pressure from Nani, saw the American keeper penalised.

Villa could have few complaints about a free kick barely 10 yards from the goal-line. Ryan Giggs laid off and Ronaldo fired home.

But Villa recovered swiftly and deserved their leveller when Gareth Barry's superb cross caught Gary Neville in no man's land. John Carew rose unchallenged to plant home his eighth league goal of the season.

Incredibly, Villa took the lead before the hour mark. Petrov dispossessed Ronaldo and fed Carew, who picked out Agbonlahor to nod home. Villa, at times, threatened a third.

The warning signs were there, however, with Friedel saving with his fingertips from Fletcher and with his body from Danny Wellbeck. But Ronaldo's shot squirmed through Petrov's legs and into the far corner before the late, late drama took every bit of air from O'Neill's deflated lungs.

Manchester United v Aston Villa: It was Villa who should have won

2009-04-06T20:38:16Z

Aston Villa almost turned back the clock by coming as close as they have done in 26 years to winning at Old Trafford in a stirring performance which proved a point even though it agonisingly failed to yield one.

Ultimately time was on Manchester United's side as a late, late winner in a pulsating five-goal encounter returned Sir Alex Ferguson's title hopefuls to the top of the table and left Villa at rock bottom.

Goals from John Carew and Gabriel Agbonlahor were sandwiched in between a Cristiano Ronaldo brace before United's 17-year-old debutant Federico Macheda scored a 93rd minute decider.

Agbonlahor and strike partner Carew, reunited because of injury to Emile Heskey, clearly smelt blood with United shorn of defensive rocks Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

Bearing in mind how Villa's previous match at Anfield panned out, the claret and blue contingent were dreading witnessing another five goals flying in, especially after their team's habit of kicking themselves in the foot reared its ugly head once more.

In the time it took James Milner to touch into Brad Friedel's grasp a ball that the veteran keeper already had covered, Villa left themselves with an uphill task seemingly steeper than Everest after an indirect free-kick was awarded for a backpass.

Milner, in his haste to make amends was booked for encroaching as Ryan Giggs and Ronaldo attempted to work their magic on the 10-yard opportunity, although he merely delayed the inevitable as the Portuguese rattled the Welshman's lay off into the top corner above the head of Nicky Shorey on the line.

Before the concession Villa surprised a nervy United side with their pluckiness as Ashley Young, Nicky Shorey and Agbonlahor all whipped over threatening crosses, before Darren Fletcher's knee stopped a Carew header creeping inside Edwin Van Der Sar's right-hand post.

However, there was nobody to prevent Carew's next effort doing precisely that, certainly not Gary Neville as the Norwegian powerhouse's movement took him behind the Red Devils defender to make perfect contact with Gareth Barry's measured left-foot ball from the right flank.

It was a goal which restored claret and blue belief, unsurprisingly knocked by just one point from the previous 15 on offer, especially when Ferguson's changed his tactics, swapping Neville and John O'Shea in a desperate attempt to cope with Carew.

The switch barely worked because just before the hour mark Carew drifted over to the left and was allowed ample time and space to pick out Agbonlahor for a brave header inside the six-yard box which saw him poleaxed by Van der Sar for his troubles.

It was with an air of inevitability that, given sufficient time, Ferguson's team, a red and white force of nature would eventually break Villa's resistance, while the identity of the goalscorer, Ronaldo, was hardly surprising either.

Michael Carrick was a paragon of patience as he calmly worked the ball to Ronaldo, who squeezed an edge of area shot into the only area of Friedel's goal, the bottom right corner, that the American was not guarding.

So pulsating was the match that even at that point a first Villa win at Old Trafford since 1983 was still not beyond the realms of possibility. This was a Villa team after all which had also tested Van der Sar before the interval with goalbound strikes from wingers Young and Milner.

However, United cranked up the pressure with Carlos Cuellar, who had taken the ball off Giggs' foot just after the opening goal doing likewise to deny Evans a scoring opportunity.

The second intervention was particularly important, not least because a slip by the Spanish defender had moments earlier let in Danny Welbeck for a one-on-one which Friedel stood up strong to repel.

There was nothing the Villa goalkeeper could do about a strike from another United substitute which was worthy of winning any game, even if his team were not worthy winners against visitors who deserved at least a point.

O'Neill was apoplectic about a foul on Ashley Young in the build up to the 93rd minute sucker punch although the spin with which Macheda left Luke Young and his measured missile into the top right corner were worthy only of compliments, not complaints.

Villa's boss was also taken aback by the five minutes of stoppage time awarded by referee Mike Riley, especially as there were only three substitutions.

Scorers: Ronaldo (14) 1-0, Carew (30) 1-1, Agbonlahor (58) 1-2, Ronaldo (80) 2-2, Macheda (90) 3-2.

Manchester United (4-4-2): Van der Sar; O'Shea. Neville, Evans, Evra; Nani (Macheda, 61), Fletcher, Carrick, Ronaldo; Giggs, Tevez (Welbeck, 88). Substitutes: Foster, Park, Gibson, Martin, Eckersley.

Aston Villa (4-4-2): Friedel; L Young, Cuellar, Davies, Shorey; Agbonlahor, Milner (Reo-Coker, 76), Petrov; Barry, A Young; Carew. Substitutes: Delfouneso, Knight, Salifou, Guzan, Gardner, Albrighton.

Referee: Mike Riley (Yorkshire).

Bookings: United - Macheda (unsportsmanlike conduct); Villa - Milner (encroachment), A Young (dissent).

Attendance: 75,409.

Villa man of the match: John Carew - the big Norwegian scored one and made another after running United's makeshift defence ragged at times upon renewing his partnership with Gabriel Agbonlahor.

Manchester United v Aston Villa live blog

2009-04-05T15:19:37Z

Join in live match banter as Aston Villa head to Manchester United....

Manchester United v Aston Villa

Russian trip will overshadow Aston Villa's season

2009-03-30T11:29:40Z

As soon as Martin O'Neill changed his tune, Aston Villa's season was doomed.

The intellectual Ulsterman was quick to dismiss talk of a top-four place during the first half of this season.

Villa's exciting crop of young English talent were over-achieving and daring to challenge the Premier League's all-conquering elite.

However the chances of hearing O'Neill publicly express a belief that Villa could genuinely finish the campaign in a coveted Champions League plan were slim.

That was until the claret and blue wave went beyond the Iron Curtain at the end of the February.

From the moment O'Neill unveiled his weak starting XI to face CSKA Moscow during last month's second-leg round of 32 Uefa Cup tie, Villa were officially gunning for a top-four place.

Whereas, before, they were something of an unknown quantity who were storming forward on all fronts with tremendous moment, Villa had suddenly become the ones to watch.

Teams were now even more on their guard when the top flight's visitors from Birmingham arrived in town and as CSKA Moscow manager Zico alluded, Villa's opponents were starting to figure out a way of dealing with their one-dimensional style.

A bold move it may have been for O'Neill, but it is one that has disastrously back-fired into the face of the former Celtic manager.

A season that promised so much hit a new low with the 5-0 thumping at Anfield and colleagues have told me that O'Neill looked a broken man after that defeat to in-form Liverpool.

While it was always going to be obvious that O'Neill was harbouring hopes of cracking the top four, the decision to publicly announce those intentions piled extra pressure on to his squad.

It is a group of players that still aren't experienced enough to go toe-to-toe with the giants of world football and that has been clear for all to see over recent weeks.

From the moment O'Neill theoretically waved the white flag in Russia, his side's momentum dramatically halted and confidence was dented both on and off the field.

Since that unpopular decision at the Luzhniki Stadium, Villa have surrendered a two-goal lead to a team haunted by relegation, lost three consecutive fixtures and witnessed one of their stars booed by his own.

It is interesting to note that, as of yesterday, the link to the match report from that second-leg defeat in Moscow on the club's official website was faulty. Perhaps the memories are too painful to be reminded of.

There is no doubt that O'Neill has made huge, in fact gigantic, strides since first stepping through the door at Villa Park in August 2006.

However a season that looked set to go beyond Villa fans' wildest dreams has suddenly become overshadowed by that miserable moment in Moscow.

In hindsight, O'Neill may now wish that his ambitious aspirations had remained behind closed doors.

"Mr O'Neill, where did it all go wrong?"

2009-03-24T12:21:12Z

Martin O'Neill loves a good yarn. So there's no doubt he's fond of the famous story about George Best's playboy lifestyle.

The former Manchester United legend is on his hotel bed with a wad of banknotes won in the casino and the current Miss World, when a room service porter knocks on the door, sees the scene, and asks: "Mr Best, where did it all go wrong?"

O'Neill might not be Best, and as we're all finding out now, his Aston Villa team are not yet the best.

But the Villa boss can surely empathise with his former Norther Ireland international team-mate.

A team which is currently 11 Premier League places better off than the one he inherited less than three years ago.

With the strong prospect of automatic qualification for European competiton for the first time in over a decade.

And a collection of talented young British players who have been a breath air for most of the season by challenging the established elite.

So, in this knee-jerk era where impatient fans are clamouring to knock O'Neill, it's worth remembering the Best anecdote and realising that, even after a month of misery, Villa haven't got it too bad.

"Mr O'Neill, where did it all go wrong?"

Aston Villa: The day Martin O'Neill was rendered motionless by Liverpool

2009-03-23T08:18:50Z

Call it gallows humour, but the lone Villa voice who asked 'Does this make us as good as Real Madrid?' when Liverpool's fourth goal went in was clearly having a laugh.

Which was more than could be said for manager Martin O'Neill after a humiliation which leaves Villa's receding Champions League hopes hanging by a thread.

When the animated Irishman stands statue-like in his technical area instead of jumping around the dugout like a jack in the box, it is clear his team have got problems.

Sadly, he was not the only member of the claret and blue contingent to be rendered motionless by Rafa Benitez's rejuvenated title-chasers, as a team which put four past Real Madrid and Manchester United went one better against Villa.

First for the positives.

John Carew was recalled at the expense of under pressure Gabriel Agbonlahor and forced two fine saves from Pepe Reina with his head and his heel during Villa's brightest spell midway through the first-half. Oh, and the Villa fans stuck with their team throughout. That was about it.

From as early as the eighth minute Villa were in trouble.

When Curtis Davies, now probably wishing he hadn't been brought back in at the expense of Zat Knight, and Nigel Reo-Coker dawdled over dealing with a ball on the edge of the area, the latter resorted to foul means to halt Albert Riera.

From the subsequent free-kick Dirk Kuyt reacted quicker than Carlos Cuellar to lash in the rebound after Steven Gerrard's curling cross was headed against the crossbar by Xabi Alonso.

However, it was the second goal which effectively ended Villa's chances of recovery, coming as it did, at a time when the visitors were gradually feeling their way back into the game.

O'Neill would be the first to take his hat off to a defence-splitting pass of genuine quality, except when the pass is provided by the boot of a goalkeeper and Villa's defenders have ample opportunity to clear it.

Gareth Barry was culpable for losing the run of Riera from Pepe Reina's route one punt, even though the captain was covering the right-back area for Reo-Coker, who in turn was filling in for centre-back Davies, then still returning from a Villa attack.

No matter. Whoever was to blame there is no justification for Riera being able to pull down the high ball and score from just inside box, albeit with a stunning strike which crashed in off the crossbar.

Unsurprisingly, Liverpool chose to target the area of weakness down Villa's right repeatedly, a successful tactic which also resulted in the third goal.

Kuyt picked out Riera with a measured crossfield ball from right to left and with Reo-Coker frantically back-pedalling to recover his position the make-shift fullback clipped the Spaniard and conceded a penalty, which Gerrard coolly converted, sending Brad Friedel the wrong way.

No offence to the manager's powers of motivation but his half-time team-talk must have included less positive points than Villa have gleaned from their past five league matches.

For it took Liverpool all of five minutes of the second period to compound Villa's misery.

Cuellar caught Kuyt on the edge of the box and Gerrard provided further proof of why he widely regarded as the world's best midfielder.

The Reds captain was clearly frustrated by the Villa wall encroaching towards the ball, but simply waited for his opponents to jump before placing a sublime side-footed finish under them and low into the right corner.

On this form, Gerrard did more to convince his close pal Gareth Barry to join him on Merseyside next season than the power-brokers at Anfield managed throughout last summer's protracted transfer saga.

By completing a match-winning hat-trick Gerrard not only made the Reds a more attractive proposition to Barry by enhancing Liverpool's title chances, he also put an almighty dent in Villa's hopes of keeping their longest-serving player by finishing fourth.

Gerrard's third goal was a carbon copy of his first, a clinical spot kick, this time committing Brad Guzan before rolling the ball in confidently after Brad Friedel's return to Anfield was soured further by his 65th minute sending off.

Fernando Torres' failure to score was the only mystery on Merseyside, although there is little doubt he would have done had Friedel not caught him on the edge of the six-yard box during an ominous dart towards goal.

From that point onwards it was damage limitation. Villa restricted the Reds to five (a result which leaves them three points and 14 goals worse off than Arsenal in fifth).

However, the true extent of the damage will not become clear until they next cross the white line. At Old Trafford in a fortnight's time, of course, in case anyone has forgotten.

Scorers: Kuyt (8), Riera (33), Gerrard (pen, 40, 50, pen 65).

Liverpool (4-4-1-1): Reina; Arbeloa (Agger 77), Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio; Mascherano, Alonso (Lucas 66), Gerrard (Ngog), Kuyt, Riera, Torres. Substitutes: Cavalieri, Dossena, Hyypia, El Zhar.

Aston Villa (4-4-2): Friedel; Reo-Coker (Guzan 65), Cuellar, Davies, L Young; Milner, Petrov, Barry, Ashley Young, Heskey (Agbonlahor 58), Carew (Gardner 89). Substitutes: Delfouneso, Knight, Salifou, Shorey.

Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).

Booked: Liverpool - Gerrard (foul); Villa - L Young (foul), Barry (dissent), Gardner (foul).

Sent off: Friedel (professional foul).

Attendance: 44,131.

Villa man of the match: Brad Guzan - Despite being thrown on in unenviable circumstances and picking out a penalty from his first involvement, the young American handled his Premier League debut and the ball as well as could be expected.

Aston Villa v Liverpool live blog - join in with Mat Kendrick and Bill Howell now

2009-03-22T15:58:25Z

Aston Villa v Liverpool

An ode to Aston Villa

2009-03-20T07:20:55Z

I spotted this on the Blues forum on the Mail this morning....

"There was a team called Villa"
"They were two-nil up on Stoke"
"They let in 2 late goals and became a national joke"
"They thought they'd break the top four"
"They never stood a chance"
"Now their bubbles burst and we're doing a promotion dance"

Thoughts? Dare I ask...

Villa fans should get behind Gabby Agbonlahor

2009-03-19T23:12:52Z

I WAS surprised and appalled at the jeering and cheering at Villa Park on Sunday when Martin O'Neill substituted striker Gabby Agbonlahor.

Accepting that supporters pay good money to watch the team and have a right to express their feelings, I would like to pose a couple of questions to those who so loudly jeered and cheered.

1) Do you think you helped Villa's cause or Spurs?

2) What do you think you did to Gabby's confidence bearing in mind he will be in the squad for every game?

I have seen most of the games and accept that Gabby may not have been at his best but will jeering or booing help the young England attacker rediscover his best form?

Getting behind him, while he is wearing the Villa shirt, just might give his confidence a big boost and help him get back to his best form.

It might seem hard to do but is without doubt most effective way to help the kid.

If you were making mistakes at work and things were not going well, would you want to be encouraged and helped through it or hammered by your boss and workmates in front of everyone else?

Surely, that would make you more nervous, lacking in confidence and more prone to mistakes.

The reality is that you would probably be looking for another job.

Frank Quedrue suffered similar treatment at Blues last season and also had the embarrassment of his club's owner branding him "rubbish".

This season the fans have changed their attitude to him and now cheer his name and that has brought out the best from the French defender.

Confidence is a very fragile thing and I believe the fans have the ability to influence that emotion - either positively or negatively.

Even those players with great mental strength need to hear positive encouragement from the terraces that will lift them to give an extra ten per cent. In addition, it also gives them the courage to want the ball in any situation.

Many fans tell me on my Friday night football phone in on 1152 am GOLD that they want the team to give them a lift and get them cheering by performing well on the pitch. I have always believed that it was the responsibility of supporters to create the atmosphere that affected their teams positively and the opposition negatively. Have I got that totally wrong? Let me know here!

Live web chat with Mat Kendrick

2009-03-19T23:09:53Z

Villa writer Mat Kendrick spent almost two hours online debating the issues of the day with Villa fans. You can read it here below, and feel free to leave your comments at the bottom:

Live web chat with Aston Villa writer Mat Kendrick

Live web chat with Mat Kendrick

2009-03-18T21:59:06Z

Join our Aston Villa writer Mat Kendrick online at 1pm-2pm tomorrow, Thursday 19th March.

Mat will be chatting live to Villa fans across the world and giving his view on the goings on at Villa Park.

Don't miss it at www.birminghammail.net/live

Paul McGrath: Why Aston Villa fans were wrong to turn on Agbonlahor

2009-03-17T18:11:29Z

HEARING the Holte End chanting your name at the top of their voices is one the best feelings in the world and I should know because they still do it 50 times during Villa home games.

But I can't imagine how painful it must be when the Villa Park faithful turn against you like they did with Gabby Agbonlahor against Tottenham on Sunday.

Villa fans are usually so patient and they have always been brilliant with me during my playing days and since I've hung up my boots.

Which is why I was so upset to hear the ironic cheers aimed at Gabby when he was substituted towards the end of the sorry Spurs defeat.

There must have been a significant amount of supporters abusing him because the shocking reaction was audible on the television.

The only player I can remember getting similar stick from the claret and blue army was Savo Milosevic.

Believe it or not Savo was one of the most skilful strikers I ever played with and in training his first touch was sublime.

But he went through a spell where he couldn't hit a barn door, thought he'd never score again, and got frustrated with himself.

In turn the fans' patience with him finally snapped and there were one or two awkward occasions where they vented their anger at him and vice versa.

To give Gabby similar treatment is extremely harsh because he's still a young kid learning his trade and finding his way in the game.

I think Martin O'Neill is right when he says that some supporters have short memories because it was only recently that Gabby was being hero worshipped.

Knowing Martin he will take Gabby to one side at Bodymoor Heath and have a word with him to find out what damage Sunday's incident has done to him.

I'm sure he'll try to rebuild his fragile confidence by reminding him of the progress he has made to go from youth-teamer to senior England international so rapidly.

And he will challenge Gabby to prove his critics wrong by recapturing the explosive form which has made so many Premier League defenders so frightened of him.

Villa View (post Tottenham)

2009-03-17T11:01:05Z

Ironic cheers and boos as the claret and blues lose. Here's our video reaction to another Villa Park let-down