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

Aston Villa v Manchester City: Live coverage here

2009-10-05T18:29:18Z

Follow our coverage of Aston Villa v Manchester City here:

Dunn and Dumber

2009-09-28T09:29:12Z

Here's a little clip to cheer up Villa fans after former Bluenose David Dunn wrecked their team's six-game winning streak with his late penalty for Blackburn. Even Dunn himself admitted that Saturday's last gasp winner made up for this shameful show-boating in the Second City derby.

Thinking it's the year again

2009-09-24T14:55:34Z

AS A Villa fan I'm a bit of strange mix.

My dad's old school, as cynical as they come and I'm sure has been for the 70-odd years he's been a supporter.

My mum on the other hand is to total opposite. A cockney by birth - though not of the cheating variety - she was evacuated to the Midlands during the blitz but didn't discover football until in her 50s.

Since then she's become the most optimistic Villa fan I know. Our players are lovely lads, Ashley never dives, it was surely a case of mistaken identity when Carew was out on the razz and we're going to win every game we play.

So consequently I'm a bit of a mix of the two of them. I swing between utter hopelessness and sheer, unbridled optimism.

Take last night's match. It was a boring, turgid affair for the most part, brightened only by the continued wonderful form of Gabby Agbonlahor.

So why am I convinced this is Our Year? Perhaps because, following in Ma Villa's footsteps, I tend to start the season believing we can win the league cup, the FA Cup and maybe even crack the top four.

Deluded? Probably. But I'd much prefer to be that way than some of the miserable so-and-sos who sit around us at Villa Park.

Football still means joy for me and long may it continue.

Up the Villa!

Nigel Reo-Coker v Martin O'Neill: It's like history repeating itself

2009-09-23T19:25:36Z

REGARDLESS of what he says about that incident on the Bodymoor Heath training pitches on Thursday, all the evidence suggests that Martin O'Neill was guilty of grappling.

Not necessarily with Nigel Reo-Coker, because if the Aston Villa boss maintains that the angry "contretemps" with the midfielder was verbal rather than violent then I daren't argue, especially after his revelation that he once tried to chin former Nottingham Forest team-mate Sammy Chapman in a training ground scuffle, albeit more than 20 years ago.

No, it seems O'Neill was guilty of grappling with his past.

For his handling of Reo-Coker throughout their time at Villa bears many hallmarks of his own struggles with the boss during his playing days at Forest.

O'Neill regularly remarks upon his relationship with Brian Clough during the City Ground glory years and how he always perceived himself to be the legendary manager's scapegoat.

Even now the Irishman will look back and complain about being shunted out to the fringes while Clough's Forest favourites, like O'Neill's current assistant John Robertson, could do no wrong.

O'Neill still talks about being forced to play right wing when personally he felt he was much more effective in central midfield. He still remembers the occasions he was dropped or subbed by Clough when he was convinced he should have started and finished every game.

He still bangs on, to anybody who will listen, about feeling victimised, expendable, replaceable.

Listen to O'Neill whinge about his persecution at the hands of Clough and it's almost as if it happened yesterday rather than during the late seventies and early eighties.

But, nowadays his gripes are voiced with a glint in the eye and with his typical self-deprecating wit because, with the benefit of hindsight, O'Neill recognises that his old manager was right all along.

Does any of that sound familiar?

Well, fast forward three decades and Reo-Coker has exactly the same concerns about the way he is being treated by O'Neill at Villa.

The former West Ham skipper always seems to be the unlucky one that makes way, be it to right back, right wing or right the way to the substitutes' bench.

And even Steve Sidwell admitted last week that his midfield colleague was hard done by to be sacrificed in last Sunday's second city derby victory at Blues.

Like O'Neill the player, Reo-Coker refuses to publically moan about his lot and only tends to grant ever-so occasional press interviews.

But also like the old O'Neill, Reo-Coker has no qualms about knocking on the manager's door to put his point across when he feels he has been wronged.

Let's not forget that the well-read pair are a rarity in football in that they share IQs nearer to Bamber Gascoigne than Paul Gascoigne.

When O'Neill described their bust up as a "contretemps", Reo-Coker was probably one of the few members of the Villa dressing room, or the entire football fraternity for that matter, clever enough to know what it meant.

Reo-Coker is more than capable of independent thought and vociferously expressing his opinion and, for a manager who is a self-confessed control freak, players should, preferably, be seen and not heard rather than constantly invading his office to speak their mind.

Surely, it is these similarities in stubbornness that have put the pair on a collision course.

Whatever the truth about Grapple-Gate - some of the numerous versions I've heard have sounded like the actions of Nigel's Hokey Cokey terrace chant they put their left arms in, their left arms out, in out in out, and shook them all about - it will be interesting to see whether their relationship can be repaired.

The crucial thing with O'Neill and Clough was that the player always retained a grudging respect and admiration for his boss.

That in turn ensured that whenever O'Neill was back in favour he would return with a point to prove and give his absolute all for the team, which was clearly Old Big Ead's intention all along.

But while Clough was content to cuff a few unruly Forest fans on the pitch, to my knowledge he never squared up to O'Neill or vice versa.

Still, it took trophy after trophy and the passage of a significant amount of time to convince O'Neill that Clough knew best.

And if all those European Cups, First Division championships and League Cups were testament to Clough being correct then O'Neill still has some way to go in the process of being proved right.

Let's hope it won't take O'Neill and Reo-Coker anywhere near as many years to come around to the other's way of thinking.

Let's hope they appreciate each other's viewpoint long before Reo-Coker hangs up his boots and O'Neill retires from the game.

And let's hope that by the time the player returns to training following his exile on Monday, he and the manager will want to shake each other by the hand rather than firmly by the throat.

Aston Villa v Cardiff City: Live coverage here

2009-09-23T18:14:06Z

Join Mat Kendrick and Lisa Smith as the cover Aston Villa's Carling Cup clash against Cardiff

Aston Villa v Cardiff City

It all seems like Pie in the Sky for Aston Villa's James Collins

2009-09-17T15:02:58Z

THERE was an amusing case of mistaken identity during Villa's transfer deadline-day dealings.

A satellite channel, which shall remain nameless, got slightly muddled by the arrival of James Collins, amidst all their excitement about the window closing (blimey, anyone would think it's Armageddon they're counting down to, not the end of football's wheeling and dealing for a few months).

Anyway, the Wales defender was still crossing the t's and dotting the i's on his contract when the TV station reported that he was due to line up for Villa's reserves that very night.

Considering at that stage he was still officially a West Ham player and Villa were playing the Hammers, surely there was some mistake.

There was. It was correct in so much as there was a James Collins listed in the second-string squad for the match.

But it was Villa's youth team striker James Collins and not his ginger central defender £5 million namesake!

The pec-uliar case of Gabriel Agbonlahor's posing in the changing room

2009-09-17T14:57:26Z

STILIYAN Petrov claims team-mate Gabby Agbonlahor's new "pecs appeal" may be striking fear into the heart of Premier League opponents but his obsession with his new body-beautiful is incurring the wrath of his Villa team-mates.

Agbonlahor has spent the summer working out in the gym to add strength to his pace up front.

But his skipper claims there are times when the players have to tell him to stop posing as he walks around the dressing room showing off his new physique.

Agbonlahor used his new-found power to get on the end of a John Carew flick-on to steal the bragging rights in the Second City derby with Blues on Sunday but Petrov says, behind the scenes, his stature is the mirth of the locker room.

"Gabby is a very big player for us and we know how important he is for our team," said Petrov.

"But we do have to tell him to put a top on when he starts flexing his muscles in the dressing room.

"But, seriously, he is confident with his body and his form and it shows in his game."

Petrov added: "He is outmuscling people and you can see how easy it is for him to do that now.

"You can see that he has built up his upper body strength."

The Bulgarian international believes Agbonlahor is focused on improving all the time.

"That's what you want to see when a young player takes it to the next level and wants to improve more and more and that's what Gabby wants to do," said Petrov.

"He can add something to his game, he's working so hard so hopefully he can keep going.

''In the Premier League defenders are as strong as anything and to compete with them you need to be just as strong. He knew what he needed and that's what he worked on.''

Petrov admits Agbonlahor's fitness is reward for all his hard work.

"People forget that Gabby came back for pre-season just a week before we started the season so he has had to battling and work hard to get fit," he added.

"As he gets even fitter he'll get even better. We and the fans know how important he is for the team.

''We know with the pace, the goals and the determination he's got that he is very important for us."

Manager Martin O Neill is equally proud of the work his young striker has done to bulk up over the summer but admits he doesn't want him to get too big in case it affects his pace.

He believes the Birmingham-born star has the perfect balance of strength, speed and agility.

"Gabby took his goal brilliantly last week," said O'Neill.

"He has been excellent in training, really strong and powerful and can be dangerous on either flank.

"All of that is coming on and of course has helped his confidence.

"He felt as if he needed to get a bit stronger but I am not convinced he needs much more strength. He is particularly strong now - I am not sure he needs much more.

"Sometimes when you strengthen up there you maybe lose a yard of pace. I am sure though that isn't the case with Gabby."

Steve Sidwell tries to keep a secret, petal

2009-09-17T13:05:02Z

STEVE Sidwell was happy to spill the secrets of the Villa dressing room on national television - but the midfielder conveniently forgot to mention his own guilty pleasure.

The former Chelsea dynamo took part in the Team-mates feature on Sky Sports' Soccer AM and dished the dirt on many of his colleagues in the claret- and-blue camp.

But Sidwell omitted to mention that he winds down away from the field by tending to his flowers.

Apparently when the green-fingered red-head is not charging around the field he enjoys nothing better than pruning his tulips!

Unsurprisingly, he was not so shy about giving the lowdown on his team-mates.

BEST TRAINER: James Milner - he's the first in, last out and covers every blade of grass out there.

WORST TRAINER: Gabby Agbonlahor and John Carew - it's a close call between them, but I'm going to go with John. He just doesn't move. He just stays in his little spot the whole training session.

BIGGEST MOANER: Nigel Reo-Coker - there can only be one. Every day, on and off the pitch. Anything he can moan about he moans about.

HARDMAN: Fabian Delph - from what I've seen I'm going to go for the new boy Fabian Delph. He likes to put his foot in, put it that way.

QUICKEST: Gabby Agbonlahor - he's frightening. He's too quick for anyone.

MOST SKILLFUL: Ashley Young - he's got great talent day in, day out in training and matches.

FUTURE MANAGERS: Brad Friedel and Nigel Reo-Coker - Brad could definitely be one and Nigel could if he wanted to.

There are a few of the players doing the coaching badges at the minute so we're trying to get our foot in that door.

WORST DRESS SENSE: Brad Guzan - he's down Harvey Nics every day but even they can't sort him out!

WORST MUSIC: Brad Guzan - it's the American thing, it's not going down well at our gaffe at the minute.

WHO'S THE LONGEST IN THE SHOWER?: Nigel Reo-Coker - he loves a good scrub.

Evidence that two heads are better than one at Aston Villa

2009-09-15T11:18:29Z

John Carew nodding the ball back to Gabriel Agbonlahor who heads past Joe Hart to give Aston Villa a last-gasp win in Birmingham City's back yard - it's a lovely memory of another derby day win.

But I'm also hoping it'll be a memory of the day Martin O'Neill reveals why he needs to strikers up top against the lesser sides.

Yes, the one man up top and a counter-attacking style is definitely the way forward against the big guns when you don't want to over commit, but surely we have to back our players to do the job against clubs who play in the third tier of the Premier League?

How many of those Blues players would have got into the Villa side on Sunday? Man-for-man Villa are a better outfit, but for some reason O'Neill didn't seem to have the confidence to have a go at those-less-fortunate-than-ourselves until later on in the game.

Would losing the extra man in midfield but having a target man up top alongside Agbonlahor from the off - or even half time - really have given Birmingham City the upper hand? Instead, by packing the midfield like-for-like you actually saw the threat of James Milner and Ashley Young nullified to an extent as the space dried up around them.

We've won the three points so what's the problem? Short term, there's no problem, but long-term Villa might find teams who can shut up shop more successfully than Blues did. And when you have a behemoth like John Carew on the bench you simply HAVE to use him if he's fit.

Carew is in your face, powerful and a handful for defenders. Coupled with the pace of Agbonlahor you have a potent combination who can find the net and defend from the front. Look at how far Roger Johnson went in the one Blues attack? Had Villa give him a Carew to occupy him, would he really have left his station to go romping upfield?

Yes, Sunday was a good result and a win's a win, but O'Neill needs to have faith in what is a very good Villa side on a given day.

A smash and Gab in front of Birmingham's most expensive ever crow

2009-09-14T15:01:10Z

ONCE again it took a free Brummie to settle the showdown between certainly the Second City's most expensively assembled team and arguably its most expensively assembled crowd.

In the build-up to the derby, Blues boss Alex McLeish attempted to swing the pendulum of pressure in Villa's direction by insisting that his big-spending rivals were the favourites to win this clash.

And, shrugging off the mind games, his Villa counterpart Martin O'Neill chose instead to have a dig at Birmingham's prohibitive prices with St Andrew's tickets for away fans costing almost £50.

But ultimately, after Brum's fierce rivals looked like matching each other pound for pound, it was one of the few players on the pitch who cost nothing and one of the few locals who paid nothing to get in who grabbed the glory. Gabby Agbonlahor.

And not only was Agbonlahor free, after coming through the claret and blue ranks, he was also left completely free to head the decider in the same Railway End net as his dramatic winner almost two years ago.

Suddenly 50 quid seemed like a bit of a bargain for the 3,000 delirious Villa visitors behind the goal.

Talk about smash and Gab.

Or should that be Ash and Gab - with a bit of John Carew thrown in too - because Birmingham's trio of tormentors from two seasons ago, having scored two goals each in the 5-1 and 2-1, returned to haunt McLeish and Co.

Agbonlahor was the only home-grown hero to start the 107th league meeting between the near neighbours and he is certainly out on his own when it comes to finishing it.

The England hopeful later admitted that the offensive Bluenose taunts about his mum, which naughtily adapt the words of his Villa signature tune, with the onus on the final syllable of his surname, was the inspiration for his goal.

Agbonlahor also confessed that just moments before he nodded in Ashley Young's free-kick after a nod back from Carew, he had glanced up to the clock to see if there was time for more late heroics.

There certainly was and after grabbing an 87th-minute winner last time around, his effort two minutes earlier on this occasion even gave Villa chance to extend their lead.

Indeed it was Agbonlahor himself and then a combination of Carew and James Milner who wastefully spurned the late openings.

With Blues committing men forward during a desperate search for an equaliser, O'Neill's counter-attacking specialists should have scored when Young launched a rapid raid, only for Agbonlahor's attempted lob to float over the bar as well as Birmingham keeper Joe Hart.

Milner, who on a rare off-day squandered a host of half-chances and hit several misplaced passes, would surely have scored from an even better break in the closing stages, but Carew's ball was too heavy for the winger as Villa outnumbered their hosts.

Not that Villa needed the cushion of a second goal, given how magnificently their three defensive debutants performed as the manager's gamble more than paid off.

Despite winning with a clean sheet in the previous game against Fulham, O'Neill chose to rest rookie teenager Ciaran Clark and both full-backs Nicky Shorey and Habib Beye.

But new-boys Richard Dunne, James Collins and Stephen Warnock looked like they had been playing together throughout their careers rather than a matter of minutes.

Dunne spoke before the game of the chance to become instant heroes and he, Collins and Warnock did just that as they put their bodies on the line to protect the Villa goal.

It would be unfair to praise the defence without a special mention for Carlos Cuellar, who produced his best display for Villa despite returning to right-back.

The Spaniard set the tone for Villa's resolute rearguard action with an impeccably-timed tackle to take the ball off Roger Johnson's shooting boot midway through the first half.

There was good reason for Blues fans to feel a little aggrieved about the result after generating a partisan atmosphere which lifted their players and closed the gap between O'Neill's haves and McLeish's have-nots.

But after charging over the odds for entry to yesterday's game at least Birmingham threw in a free gift of a goal.

Rivals reunited

2009-09-14T11:47:59Z

A Jon McCarthy lookalike Bluenose and a rippling hulk of a Villa supporter commentate on the Second City derby for Sky's Fanzone.

Aston Villa: Emile Heskey is already big enough to bounce back for club and country

2009-09-13T10:18:12Z

IT'S a shame that Villa's most famous fake fan Tom Hanks is even less likely than fellow American General Krulak to take a seat at St Andrew's today.

(No, it's not because the multi-millionaire Hollywood A-list actor has been priced out of affording a ticket).

Hanks could do with attending a match like this afternoon's to boost his crumbling claret and blue credibility and familiarise himself with the club he light-heartedly professes to love.

But more importantly the world famous movie star could pass on a cautionary tale to one of Villa's 'Big' players, former Bluenose Emile Heskey, to be careful what you wish for.

For the film in which Hanks made his name, 'Big', has parallels with the situation current claret and blue scapegoat Heskey finds himself in ahead of today's return to St Andrew's.

Well, it does if you suspend your disbelief for a little while, like you would if you were at the pictures.

In the popular 1988 flick, Hanks plays a 13-year-old who is disillusioned with living the life of a boy and, upon finding a wish-granting machine, his desire to be 'Big' and become an adult is granted.

In a moving and amusing story Hanks' character Josh Baskin goes through a host of experiences as a kid in a grown-up's body before eventually realising that it's not all it's cracked up to be and yearns for his childhood.

Now, I'm not saying that Emile should long to be little again - judging by the size of him he was probably a strapping six-foot toddler anyway.

But I do think he should resist calls to radically change who he is in a hurry.

For Heskey to attempt to reinvent himself as a prolific goalscorer now would be ridiculous. He's 31-years-old for goodness sake.

If Fabio Capello needs a Jermain Defoe-type player he'll pick Jermain Defoe. Similarly, if Martin O'Neill needs a Gabby Agbonlahor-type player he'll pick Gabby Agbonlahor.

Surely Heskey has done enough over the course of his career to simply be himself rather than pretending to be something he's not.

Doesn't developing a selfish streak in front of goal defeat the object of a player whose prolific strike partners, certainly for his country, have always raved about his unselfishness?

By his own admission Heskey has been below-par since joining Villa and his urgency to play club football is understandable if he is to remain Fabio's first choice for South Africa.

But it's up to Heskey to force his way back into the Villa team by doing what he does best which is acting as a foil for fellow frontrunners to get the goals. And if and when he finds his form it is up to O'Neill to find the best system to accommodate him.

Let's remember Heskey has started in all of England's major triumphs in the past decade, beginning with the famous 5-1 win against Germany, and culminating in Wednesday's World Cup-qualifying victory over Croatia by the same scoreline.

Despite a long international exile, the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and twice League Cup winner also played in the crucial qualifier for 2002 against Greece, the victory over Argentina, the Euro 2004 qualifying clincher in Istanbul and last year's reverse leg rout in Zagreb.

Perhaps it doesn't need Tom Hanks to remind Heskey he is already 'Big' enough to bounce back for club and country.

Birmingham City v Aston Villa: Proof that friendly rivalry has arrived?

2009-09-13T10:16:39Z

Here's to a fiery, but trouble-free Second City encounter on and off the field at St Andrew's this afternoon.

And let's hope both clubs can follow the example of their elder statesman, who proved that rivals can exist in harmony.

Spotted side by side in the Wembley car park on Wednesday were the respective Rolls-Royces of Blues chairman David Gold and Villa's lifetime president Doug Ellis.

Click here to follow Aston Villa v Birmingham City live

Birmingham City v Aston Villa: Live match banter here

2009-09-13T10:12:56Z

Live coverage of Birmingham City v Aston Villa from 11.30am

Birmingham City v Aston Villa

Second City Derby Video - part 3

2009-09-11T11:23:12Z

Andy Walker