Download via the link below:

http://www.astonvillalife.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AVL_Podcast-Episode_002.mp3

I recorded a new podcast with Dan Bardell (Birmingham Mail, AVillaFan.com) talking about some key talking points from the use of Kozak ahead of Gestede, to the appointment of Steve Hollis as the new chairman.

The podcast will be available via iTunes from episode 2 onward but until then, please have a listen directly on the website and let me know what you think!

Download via the link below:

http://www.astonvillalife.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/AVL_Podcast-Episode_001.mp3

The Show

Citizen Khan follows the trials and tribulations of loud-mouthed, tight-fisted, self-appointed community leader, Mr. Khan (Adil Ray), his long-suffering wife, Mrs. Khan (Shobu Kapoor), and daughters Shazia (Maya Sondhi) and Alia (Bhavna Limbachia).

This new family-based sitcom is set in the well-known British Pakistani area of Sparkhill, Birmingham.

Mr. Khan is a larger-than-life character with strong opinions and big dreams. The challenges he faces are those of many fathers: how to make ends meet, keep his wife and daughters happy, and impress his daughter’s future in-laws. Things would be so much easier if everyone just listened to him and followed his lead. But his obsessively house-proud wife and two feisty daughters usually have other ideas.

Citizen Khan also stars Kris Marshall (Love Actually, My Family) as mosque manager Dave.

Created by Adil Ray, the character Mr. Khan has already featured in the BBC Two comedy series Bellamy’s People, Radio Four’s Down the Line, and Ray’s own online series on the BBC Comedy website. Citizen Khan is written by Richard Pinto and Anil Gupta (Goodness Gracious Me, The Kumars at No. 42) with Adil Ray.

The Question!

Who is the actor who plays “Dave” in the series? Send in your entry by filling in the form below.

*** THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED AND THE PRIZE HAS BEEN AWARDED TO THE WINNER ***

Prize Terms

The prize for the competition is 1 (one) copy of the “Citizen Khan” DVD, which is available to be won by a successful entrant to the competition via the designated form on the Aston Villa Life site. One entry per person. Winners will be selected at random. No cash alternative is offered. Competition ends 31st October 2012.

Want to join the conversation? Read the day’s latest article open for comments by clicking the following link:
http://www.astonvillalife.com/aston-villa-blog/a-six-pointer-norwich-against-norwich-a-different-approach-is-needed

In last week’s article I predicted a score draw, but as kick-off approached at Craven Cottage I was beginning to feel a tad more optimistic about things, a wave of positivity began to flow through me, and I was starting to believe that it was going to be our day. Instead, it turned out that I was to endure 90 minutes of football without us remotely looking like we were ever going to find our mojo. Our boys would have been there all day trying to find the back of the net. We’re desperate for goals, big time.

The most frustrating thing from our last two league outings is that Benteke has been on the end of two glorious chances and spurned them both. Chances that even the out-of-form Darren Bent would have gobbled up. If those two gaping opportunities had have been converted then the outcome at Spurs may of been very different, and we would have to snatched a hard-earned point on the road at Fulham.

This weekend we have a lunchtime kick-off at home to Paul Lambert’s former club, Norwich City. Despite it only being the end of October, make no mistake, this is a massive six-pointer. A point won’t really be sufficient for either side.

I’m certain that Chris Hughton’s men will be buzzing after beating Arsenal last weekend and in doing so landing their first Premier League win of the season. The Canaries will be on a mission to prove a point when facing their former boss for the first time since he made the move to the Midlands.

Changes ahead of Norwich City clash
My biggest concern against Fulham was our lack of width, with no natural wingers on the pitch until Ireland made way for N’Zogbia in the 66th minute. On a tight narrow pitch it’s important to have an outlet on either side, especially seeing as Fulham are strongest through the centre of the park.

I’m still unsure as to why Lambert has a reluctance to pair both Benteke and Bent upfront together. Whatever his reasons may be, the time to gamble is now. They may even bring the best out of each other. We live in hope.

Out on the wings I’d like to see two players that can get at their fullbacks: Albrighton on the right and Agbonlahor on the left. And through the middle I’d have El Ahmadi sitting, with Stephen Ireland in a wandering role.

Defensively, should Ciaran Clark be available then he should come in for Baker and I’d opt for Lichaj ahead of Joe Bennett. Against Fulham, young Bennett was made to look more like a schoolboy at times.

Calling out for Dunne. Why?
I’m not sure if these people are living in a parallel universe to you and I, but I happened to notice a small army of Villa fans on Twitter who believe that the return of Richard Dunne is imminent, and that with his wise head at the back our fortunes would change dramatically. Am I missing something here?

Excluding Southampton, defensively we haven’t really been that bad—particularly centrally. During the Euros, Dunne appeared overweight, and ever more sluggish than usual. His best days have well and truly been and gone, and the further he stays away from the starting XI the better.

As I touched upon above, through the middle we have been relatively solid. The goals that we have conceded have mainly come from mishaps on either side of the central defensive pairing. On the whole, Matthew Lowton has been solid, a good signing that will get better with age, but there have been a few times already where his top-flight inexperience has kicked us in the teeth.

The two that stick to mind is Shane Long’s goal for West Brom when he totally misread “the step” as we opted to play a ludicrously high line. And then against Fulham, his man, Chris Baird, found more space than Apollo 11. Fine examples of two goals that were perfectly avoidable.

Am I concerned?
I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t. I’m not one to press the panic button just two-and-a-half months into the season, but I just can’t see where or how our goals are going to come about.

Television pundits simply point the finger at our forwards, but then I look at how many genuine chances we’ve created in the first eight games of the season and it’s then I really do worry for us. Scoring goals is a collective responsibility. And at this moment in time we just aren’t creating enough opportunities.

As a whole I’m quite satisfied with our work rate, especially our closing down, but the magic isn’t quite there when we are on the ball. We either a) knock the ball about for a while before tediously surrendering possession, or b) get frustrated by the lack of options in front of us so opt to deftly lob the ball into our front two. Which never works.

Lambert really needs to try a different tack, strip it down, and master an approach that works for the players that he has at his disposal. I’m far from a sinister critic of Paul Lambert’s regime; I still genuinely believe in the bigger picture and his future vision. But it’s clear to see that at this moment in time we just aren’t good enough.

After all that, I’m going to remain upbeat for Saturday and predict a 1-0 win. Until next time, up the Villa!

•••••••

Competition Time: Win A Copy Of The Citizen Khan DVD

We are delighted to offer Aston Villa Life readers the chance to win a copy of the BBC’s latest Birmingham-based comedy, Citizen Khan. To win a copy of the soon-to-be-released DVD, all you have to do is click here and answer a question.

Competition opens 3pm Wednesday 24th October – the above link will not work until this time. Thank you for your understanding.

The findings of the fan consultation will help form a blueprint for tackling discrimination over the coming seasons. Lord Herman Ouseley, Chair of Kick It Out, said:

“At a time when discrimination is high up the football agenda, it is easy for fans and players to forget the great strides made over the last 20 years in helping to eradicate it. But there is still a long way to go. We are launching this important dialogue with football fans to help set out how we move forward to achieve a zero tolerance approach to discrimination in all its forms, at all levels of the game.”

“The One Game, One Community weeks of action provide a focal point for everyone connected to football, from supporters to players, to stand up against discrimination in all its forms.”

Fan consultation

The Tackling Discrimination fan survey, hosted by Populus, and developed in partnership with key fans groups, will run during the current football season and can be accessed at http://populuslive.spss-asp.com/ASP/P001557/flash.asp (warning – will not work with mobile devices).

The survey covers a range of topics from how to improve reporting of abusive behaviour and enforcement in grounds, to combating abusive behaviour on social media. Fans have the chance to suggest what more could be done by clubs and football authorities to help stop all types of discrimination.

Kick It Out will also engage with players during this period to canvass their opinions. PFA Chairman, Clarke Carlisle, welcomed the move saying:

“The responsible majority of fans in this country are on board with stamping out discrimination, and want more to be done.

“They are a powerful voice in football and this survey gives them a chance to have their say.”

“We want to make sure we tackle the tiny minority for whom the healthy rivalries and passion that make the game great, tip over into unacceptable prejudice and hatred.”

Everton captain, Phil Neville, said:

“There is no place for any form of abuse and discrimination in football. I’m proud to support the One Game, One Community weeks of action campaign and this important consultation with fans. After all the progress made so far in tackling abuse, we cannot sit back, we must ensure that all forms of discrimination are made unacceptable.”

Weeks of action

The One Game, One Community weeks of action period is a platform for all 92 professional football clubs across England and Wales to show their support for the anti-discrimination campaign and to promote the club’s own equality events and activities. Every professional football club has nominated a home fixture as its own day of action.

In addition to these fixtures, events and activities will be taking place at schools, prisons, libraries, community clubs and at grass roots level all over the country. The campaign also has support and commitment from the Kick It Out XI, comprised of some of the game’s male and female talents, past and present, who have demonstrated a desire to make football accessible and open to anyone that wants to get involved.

About Kick It Out

Kick It Out is a charity funded by The FA, the PFA and the Premier League and has been at the forefront of anti-discrimination campaigning and education work for two decades, working all year round with professional and amateur clubs at all levels of the game. This work includes helping clubs achieve the Equality Standard, a three tiered framework in recognition of their efforts to improve diversity and tackle prejudice, both internally and externally.

Education and enforcement

Kick It Out is currently working with the Premier League on a number of initiatives to strengthen enforcement including enhancing steward’s training and developing mobile phone apps and textline services within stadiums for fans to report abuse anonymously and instantaneously. There were just 962 new banning orders at all levels of the game in England & Wales in 2010/11; while a tiny proportion of fans need to be arrested (less than 0.01% each year).

The Home Office reports that banning orders work, as 92% of fans banned since 2000 have been rehabilitated into safely watching football.

For more detail on Kick It Out, please visit www.kickitout.org

Kick it Out XI

The Kick It Out XI comprises the following players: Hope Powell, Shaka Hislop, Clarke Carlisle, Paul Elliott, Zesh Rahman, Phil Neville, Stuart Holden, Jermaine Jenas, David Clarke, Megan Rapinoe, Rachel Yankey, Nathan Ellington.

More detail on the Kick It Out XI is available in this season’s weeks of action magazine, available at www.kickitout.org

Want to join the conversation? Comment on our latest article by clicking the following link – http://www.astonvillalife.com/aston-villa-blog/please-come-back-alex/

To be fair, this isn’t exactly what anyone’s been saying. What they’ve been saying is, “We had more points at this stage under McLeish.” Which is more observation than endorsement.

Yet, it’s an observation that I find somewhat amusing.

Looking Back

Some of you might remember that my chief complaint during the brief McLeish era was that the team just wasn’t good enough. Didn’t work hard enough, kept panicking and punting, and just generally lacked quality.

I was repeatedly told it wasn’t the players, but McLeish’s management. That the kids would save us if only given a chance. But we’ve seen MON, Houllier, McLeish and now Lambert all opt for other options than our ‘kids’ whenever possible. Four very different men reaching the same conclusion tells us something. As for Alex’s management, well…again, the first thing Lambert did was replace as many of the players McLeish was forced to work with as possible.

In all honesty, we’ll never really have a decisive answer about McLeish. Fans will continue to do what they’ve always done…look for evidence that bolsters their arguments and dismiss evidence to the contrary.

That’s no indictment. It’s just human nature. I do it, too. But don’t tell anyone.

And now that a man like Paul Lambert—young, smart, successful, and no nonsense—has had a rough time remaking the side and getting results, I think it is clearer that Villa’s problem the last few years has primarily been a lack of quality, Young, Barry, Milner, and Downing notwithstanding.

The Here And Now

Personally, I think Lambert spent what money he had in the summer pretty well. I like Vlaar far better than Collins or Dunne. He’s faster, smarter, stronger, more comfortable in space and more comfortable on the ball. Perfect? No. Who is? But he can run stride for stride with Gareth Bale, turn and make space, and muscle players off the ball.

I like Joe Bennett, too. I like Karim El Ahmadi. I like Brad Guzan. I like Holman’s application, and readily acknowledge he’s not world class. But for those saying we need Nigel Reo-Coker back, I’d submit Holman covers more ground, does just as much, and has more skill. Lowton, I’m still not sure about, but he’s certainly no worse than Hutton and has a lot more upside. Westwood…He’s simply looked lost out there. But that doesn’t mean he won’t grow into things. I also like Benteke, even if he has choked on two or three gilt-edged chances now. The fact he’s scoring for Belgium tells me he has a short memory, which is invaluable. He’ll figure it out.

So overall, I think the team is improved, even if it’s not a dramatic change. I prefer Guzan over Given. Bennett over Warnock. Vlaar and Clark/Baker over Dunne and Collins. Lowton over Hutton. KEA over Stan, mainly in terms of endurance and range, because Stan was a steady, smart player. But KEA isn’t failing where Stan succeeded, if you know what I mean.

But if it’s a better team, overall, where are the results?

These Things Take Time

When I talked about Oklahoma football, the point was that a new coach came in and won the biggest prize in his second season with another coach’s players. But while he’s had a good run after, he’s yet to equal that start.

For others, the success doesn’t come right away. But it does come.

As we’ve discussed at length, we’ve played some good, settled sides. And I’m among those who think that overall we’ve played much better football. We’ve missed some crucial chances. We’ve suffered a little bad luck. We’ve conceded a couple fantastic goals. We’ve had two truly bad halves. But we’ve pressed and worked harder, passed more and to better effect, have competition for places, and shown an attacking intent in setup and substitutions.

We just haven’t scored enough at the end of the day. We’re lacking a real difference maker up front. It could be Benteke. It could be Ireland or N’Zogbia. But no one’s laid claim, and it’s showing. Gabby and Bent? Bent doesn’t create, and Gabby doesn’t finish. Villa need someone to step forward.

The reason I failed to hate McLeish was that I was okay with the idea that what you do with a poor team is try to make them disciplined and hard to beat. If flair and style suffer as a result, so be it. But even that simple and time-tested idea was almost undone by the squad Villa were able to field. I’m not saying McLeish was blameless, or a genius. I am saying that there a few managers in the world that would’ve been made to look good by our squad last year.

Now it’s a better baseline of talent that’s being asked to do much more. And they really are doing their best to deliver. But as we saw under Gerard Houllier, trying to change things round can take a while.

There are no guarantees in life, and certainly none in football. But I still think Lambert knows what he’s doing, and he’s not panicking and casting about willy-nilly for a winning formula. He’s sticking with the way he set things out to begin with, and it means the players are getting a fair chance to understand each other in a consistent setup, which is the best way to facilitate getting such a remade squad working together. Lambert is showing courage and consistency in the face of growing unease. He’s even standing up to our biggest signing.

I understand some of us are getting twitchy. But I don’t want Alex back. I don’t want Houllier back. And I certainly don’t want Martin O’Neill back. From everything I’m seeing, Paul Lambert will see us through this season, and the side will continue to improve from there.

Now I’m off for a bagel, I think, poppy seed with garlic and herb cream cheese.

IF you can keep your head when all about you,
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise

I wanted to start my piece this week with the first verse of one of my favourite poems – “If” by Rudyard Kipling. In the current circumstances, I am sure one can see just how applicable it is, describing as it does the words of how a leader must lead.

Which is fundamentally something we have lacked over the past two years. Even now, the confidence of the team is shaky, something that exhibits itself with regularity as heads go down after goals, or one player or another fails to work hard enough – the solution isn’t an easy fix.

Start with the facts and figures

So we must start by looking at the issues we’ve been experiencing in the short and long term, and to see what is or isn’t changing and, more importantly, why these things are or aren’t changing. To begin with, I suggest we look at a brief synopsis of Villa’s key performance statistics from the game vs. those of Fulham. The statistics below show this (Fulham’s are the stats before the hyphen as the home team, Villa are to the right):

Attempted Shots: 19 – 12
Goals: 1 – 0
On Target: 5 – 1
Off Target: 10 -7
Blocked: 4 – 4

Passes (in figures with a slash, the first is the completed figure, the second is the attempted figure)

All Passes: 371/456 – 349/449
Completed Pass %: 81 – 78
Possession: 50.9 – 49.1
Territory: 53.1 – 46.9
Attacking Third: 110/154 – 79/147

Crosses: 8/31 – 8/20
Take-ons: 5/14 – 5/8
Corners: 4/6 – 0/4 (first figure equals corners that created a chance, second figure is total corners)
Offside Passes: 2 – 2

Tackles: 6/8 – 15/18
Interceptions: 14 – 18
Blocks: 4 – 4
Clearances: 20/36 – 18/40
Headed Clearances: 14/21 – 8/15
Aerial Duels: 26/40 – 14/40

Fouls: 7 – 12
Yellow Cards: 1 – 2

Looking at passes, and more particularly long passes, yet again this shows that the team are not completing them. If we look at the graphics for Villa’s passes below, we can see the problem visually:

Here we can see quite clearly that there are a swathe of red arrows going from Villa’s goalkeeper to the wide left position, presumably to take the advantage of Gabriel Agbonlahor’s pace as a weapon, or Darren Bent’s ability to poach. However, the fact remains that many of those passes did not complete – a full 73.3% of them did not.

So why bother with long balls? As mentioned above, the pace of Agbonlahor is one of the weapons along with Bent’s poaching that Villa has to use but, with that in mind, their abilities aren’t being used if the pass isn’t completing.

Looking at the bigger picture statistics, that of possession and territory, it was clear that the game wasn’t lost by Villa being totally dominated on their side, much as a 1-0 scoreline often illustrates.

So what now? Therein lies the million dollar question as panic rapidly enters the psyche of the average Villa fan. If the club are losing, what do we do to get things going? Do we change the players? Do we keep them the same and hope for the best?

Picking out key events

Interestingly, three of the best passers on the pitch for the game were playing for Villa. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the top three Villa players were Fabian Delph, Karim El-Ahmadi, and Ron Vlaar – two of which being Paul Lambert purchases, and the other a player he has restored to the team. The other two players in the top five passers were Chris Baird and Sascha Riether.

Perhaps surprisingly, one of the worst passers for Villa was Brad Guzan who only completed 13 of 35 passes attempted giving a lowly 37% completion rate. Other players completed less passes than Guzan, though they also attempted less thus having far better completion percentages.

We all know that Lambert’s passing philosophy relies on a tight, short passing game. With the majority of Guzan’s passes not completing, and all but a small amount of those passes being short, he may well pay a price for sloppy distribution as I imagine Shay Given will be pushing hard for a place.

One of the other players who had a poor completion rate was Eric Lichaj who completed 5 of 11 passes attempted (45.6%), perhaps illustrating that he isn’t a solution on the sides of defence in Joe Bennett (33/37 – 89.2% completion) or Matthew Lowton (38/45 – 84.4%).

However, fans don’t just look at passes and Christian Benteke was seen to get some stick from fans after missing what was deemed an “easy” chance, or one that some had suggested Bent would have scored had he still been on the pitch.

Again, this is subjective, and with Benteke a mere six-or-so weeks into his career at Villa Park, it is far too early to be suggesting the Belgian striker is “rubbish”. After all, with two goals during the international break, Benteke clearly knows how to score, leaving reality to suggest that Villa’s problems lie in creation.

Lack of width a real killer

A lot of Villa’s problems are currently residing between a combination of two key statistics – the chances that Villa create, and their ability to finish those chances off. With Villa having the second lowest conversion rate for chances of all Premier League teams before the Fulham game, it is those kinds of statistics that prompt concern amongst fans. How Villa deal with it comes from a bit of an either/or option in playing wide or narrow, yet both have their problems as I’ll come to shortly.

Handling pressure from the front

The final problem for Villa against Fulham was the inability to handle pressing football. Like any team hoping to play well, Fulham pushed forwards using the wide areas as the battlegrounds with which to either play two vs. one, or to otherwise pull apart a midfield that has to move or cede the wide areas.

Just the influence graphics (which show the average position of each player on the pitch) illustrates, on both sides, how Villa were pushed back. They are listed sequentially below:

Villa

Fulham

In short, these graphics, along with past evidence suggests it is quickly becoming the way to beat Villa by simply playing 4-4-2 or, at the very least, by using skilful wide players to exploit the flanks. Fulham played 4-4-2 and won. Southampton did the same. Tottenham didn’t play the formation, but used wide players to great effect. Everton played 4-4-1-1 and won.

This isn’t to suggest that 4-4-2 is the answer for Villa, but rather to realise that a lack of width is a real killer for the team. Sadly, it isn’t as easier as just saying “play wider” as the only way Villa are currently stopping the central midfield of other teams is by packing their own central midfield. If they change that around, they will instead end up with the same issues, just in different areas – frustrating to say the least.

The solution? It’s far from an easy one. If it was, I’d be the first person to be telling the club as we all want to see us win games. Some of the flak seems to fall on Lambert’s purchases, though statistics seem to back up the fact that it is Lambert’s purchases that are statistically the best players on the pitch. The solution is invariably working hard, picking players who are willing to follow orders, and doing the best to get rid of players/get new players in January.

However, it isn’t January yet, so Lambert will have to do as best as he can with what he’s got. Sadly for the club, the ingredients Lambert has from the group of players he hasn’t signed aren’t of the best quality. Fingers crossed that will be enough to win the next game, one that may turn into a grudge match between ourselves and Lambert’s former employers.

Of course, such a statement is, by its very nature, completely obvious. Whilst my support for the club as an entity is, as always, unwavering, the performance of the team is a critical part of how the club live or die – failure to remedy problems, deep seated as we know many of them are, will have a consequence, and one that can have a large cost.

It would be very easy to just snipe at the team or individuals but, with our policy of remaining balanced, I don’t intend to do so. The team are far from being above criticism, but the issues levelled will need to have some backing and an offered solution, rather than some of the reactions that invariably go no deeper than “That was rubbish.”.

Fans are angry, and I totally understand that – anyone who wants to win won’t be happy when they lose, but the way to bounce back is with some kind of plan, and some kind of stability.

More changes won’t make it better, just worse

If there is one thing that Villa fans should know is that change is the spectre that has hung over the club for the past few years. The club have tried short passing under Gerard Houllier which nearly had us relegated. Then we had Alex McLeish in and played longer balls and almost got relegated. Now we have Paul Lambert and some are starting to believe we could be relegated.

Part of Villa’s issue is that the logic behind the changes at the club, if that doesn’t sound inherently contradictory, seems totally flaky. Nobody can doubt that Martin O’Neill’s hangover is still being felt by the club, but having no overall plan of how the club is run is getting to be one of Villa’s issues.

This doesn’t mean I advocate more change – on the contrary, I think Paul Lambert is the right man for the job – but rather that the board have to have stay solidly behind the manager, something that the fans could do with doing too.

The times comes to ask the question – where is the root of the problem?

Of course, some of the fans will argue that sticking with Lambert means further misery, but certain things have to be acknowledged as truths. They are:

1) Lambert finished above Villa last season with a supposed lesser team.
2) Lambert managed to get back-to-back promotions.
3) The amount of games that the manager has had so far is far too small to be making judgements or changes.

Of course, managers can have blips in their career where they just don’t fit the club’s mentality at that point. A strong case here is Roy Hodgson at Liverpool although, in reality, much of Hodgson’s lack of success came from a lack of support, and the invariable chop.

Liverpool then went on to hire Kenny Dalglish only to sack him after only a season and a half, arguably because his spending record was poor. Brendan Rodgers was appointed and yet Liverpool, in relative terms, still struggle.

Why am I covering Liverpool’s plight? There are strong similarities in terms of a lack of overall coherence to a logic. Just as Liverpool are staggering around away from fourth nowadays, so Villa are at the wrong end of the table too, arguably because the board’s overall plan has been completely ad-hoc.

Progress will only come from stability – in my opinion

However, to focus on the here and now, the board have to have some guts and stick with the man they have chosen. All things being equal, Lambert has the capabilities to do well for the club, though it may not be instantaneous – in fact we’ve seen from evidence it hasn’t been.

When fans wonder why we are facing another “season of transition” as such periods are often marked, it stems from a lack of stability, from a headless direction for the club where, sadly, it appears many people from the board, to the fans, to the players, are all pulling in different directions – hardly ideal.

To get away from further transition, it means doubling down on Lambert. I am sure some fans will think that such an idea is utterly ridiculous – and they might even be right potentially – but Villa can’t chop and change again. If they do, who comes in and, more to the point, how much money does he need to build another team in his image? It’s more dead money Villa can’t afford to waste building foundations again – the club have to stick on one plan.

The reality is that Villa are the problem – time will show exactly why

So what have the past few seasons told us? Primarily, due to the sheer number of variables that have changed, that it is Villa, and more specifically Villa’s inability to remain pointing in one direction, that is the problem here. Something at the club is causing issues, and time will bear out as to prove what it is or isn’t.

Just like in a scientific analysis, or even in a simple cooking recipe, individual components don’t make an overall big picture. Adding sugar to rotten food doesn’t make it any better, just slightly less foul tasting – this is much the same as adding Lambert to a mess of a club doesn’t solve the overall problems.

There is no doubt that part of the problem is the spending that was overseen during O’Neill’s era, and that part of that responsibility must fall on Randy Lerner’s shoulders. To believe that O’Neill was the sole person who should take the blame is foolhardy, and problems invariably run deeper than that. Yes, O’Neill wasted money and, yes, Lerner would have been castigated had he stopped the money supply earlier by fans at the time, but the problems – whether down to naive belief or a simple lack of knowledge in Lerner’s early days – have cost the club dearly.

So, in the third season after O’Neill departure, Villa are still in a troubled position. Panic may well be ensuing in some areas of the Villa fan base but it is time to focus on sorting problems out rather than simply pulling in different directions. If Villa don’t start moving in the right direction as a group – from the board level to the fans with players and manager in between – then the reality is the club will be doomed sooner or later.

Time to see how Lambert’s leadership holds up – I have faith in the manager, despite our current precarious situation. Just as sacking McLeish didn’t offer a panacea for Villa’s worries, so Lambert’s introduction won’t be a quick fix either. The present may appear bleak, but this is a time where more stability is needed, not less, as Villa look past the next few games into a potentially turbulent November, and it may well get worse before it gets better.

And that was where the result all turned, in the end.

Once again, Villa seemed to be in no real danger after the first few minutes, and the game had settled into what looked most likely a scoreless draw, the home fans tense, and neither keeper being called upon for heroics.

Then just like that, Villa walk away with nothing when once again they looked to have done enough to have expected something.

The first 45 proceeded in familiar fashion, with Fulham getting the brighter start, and Brad Guzan was called into action early, saving smartly with his outstretched foot to deny Kieran Richardson who had the goal at his mercy.

Villa then grew into the game, and looked more comfortable as the half wore on.

At 17 minutes Gabby cut left to right looking to get space for a shot, but had the effort deflected, and Schwarzer saved easily.

There were a number of good moves for both sides, and it was an entertaining match, ebbing and flowing, even if it didn’t produce a number of quality chances. The Ginger Ninja almost came back to haunt us, missing a header at 43 minutes he’d like to have back.

The halftime stats told the story, Fulham with 4 on goal versus Villa’s 1, the off-target shots at 5 and 3 respectively, for a 9-4 tally, and Fulham had a 52%-48% edge in possession.

The second half started brightly for both sides, with Rodallega missing a volley before Gabby put a shot/cross across goal just waiting for someone to tap in. And at 48 minutes, Villa had the ball where they wanted it in the box and at Gabby’s feet following some good work by Ireland, but it just didn’t quite come off.

At 54 minutes, Darren Bent headed over a chance at the end of another nice move and Lowton cross.

Then at 58 minutes, Mladen Petric found himself in the box between Vlaar and Baker, who was starting for Clark and doing well. Baker held his ground, Vlaar closed in and muscled Petric off the ball, and Petric then fell into Baker, who rolled his ankle and had to leave.

Lichaj was then introduced, and Lowton stepped into the right CB spot, and Vlaar took the left. Lowton was immediately called into action with an important block of a Richardson effort. Sidwell skied the rebound opportunity over the bar.

Charles N’Zogbia came on for Stephen Ireland at 66 minutes, who’d had a fairly good run-out after missing three games.

At 75 minutes, Benteke came on for Bent, who did apply himself a bit having started the game, but still didn’t do or offer much. Dimitar Berbatov, himself considered a “lazy” player, was much more influential, especially early on, and always looked much more of a threat and complete player. He outpassed Bent 23 to 6, had 3 successful dribbles (and 3 unsuccessful) compared to 0 for Bent in either category, and had 6 incomplete passes to 0 for Bent.

And to be fair, Sidwell did outpass Stephen Ireland and probably had a larger influence overall, though Ireland was the player most likely to create a chance for Villa. Hugo Rodallega also outpassed Gabby, 21-9, and the pair were dead even in shots on, 1-1, shots off, 2-2, crosses, 2-2, and successful dribbles, 2-2.

But it didn’t come down to a squandered Bent opportunity, rather the one from Benteke, that saw Villa see a precious and likely well-deserved point slip away.

Obviously Benteke can score, having done so twice for Belgium over the break. But we could desperately stand to have him add to his Villa account. He’s been in the right places and offers a good physical presence and work rate.

But what Villa need are goals, not just opportunities. The side are not creating enough clear-cut chances to be at all profligate, and it cost us again today.

It has to start somewhere

Paul Lambert is undoubtedly the right man for the job, but the club are in need of points from somewhere. Whilst it would be far too early to suggest Villa are having serious issues, points do mean proverbial prizes or, in Villa’s case, a chance to move further up the table. Villa’s transformation under Lambert needs time, and it appears most are likely to give it to him, with the board solidly behind their new man.

We all know that football is very much a results business. Many senior managers speak out on regular occasion about the pressures facing a modern manager, and how the time being offered to many new entrants to the game is shorter than ever. Finances, or rather the cost of relegation, especially from the Premier League is that festering problem that forces lunacy in terms of short term thinking, throwing cash at problems, and generally being fearful if people don’t spend, they are screwed.

Ergo, it is the footballing equivalent of “keeping up with the Jones’s”, and it’s utterly ridiculous. However, like some sort of proverbial drug addict, the footballing world is addicted to a cash inflow. If there’s one route to disaster it is greed, especially when only comparatively few people can “win” anything, whether the league, a cup, or anything in between – why else do you think Tony Fernandes is chucking bad money after good trying to fix QPR? Do you think he would spend £100m if he could spend £10m or £1m?

So, Villa fans, much like all other fans, have to be patient. It’s not great, it isn’t exciting, and it isn’t what many people want to do, especially in today’s 24/7 “I want it now” world. Anyway, that’s enough on finances, let’s get back to the task in hand – Fulham away.

Lambert’s view

The Villa squad will need looking over as Brad Guzan, Brett Holman, and Karim El-Ahmadi may need a rest after gruelling air trips. Joe Bennett is likely to be available after being stretchered off against Tottenham Hotspur. Midfielder Stephen Ireland will also be looking to return to the squad following hsi broken arm. Richard Dunne (groin) is Villa’s only currently confirmed injured player.

Stat attack – provided by Yahoo! Europsport

Fulham have won none of the last six Premier League meetings with Aston Villa (W0 D3 L3).

Fulham have conceded the joint-most headed goals in the Premier League this season (4).

Five points from seven games is Aston Villa’s worst ever start to a Premier League campaign.

Fulham have conceded six goals from set pieces this season including four from corners – both are league-highs.

The Whites have scored with 20% of their shots at goal, the best chance conversion rate in the top flight.

Villa have won just one of their last seven Premier League visits to London (W1 D2 L4), including losing twice in the capital already this season.

Villa have failed to score in five of their last seven Premier League away games and have netted just five times in their last 12 Premier League road trips.

Fulham have won nine and lost just two of their last 13 Premier League games at Craven Cottage.

Only Norwich (6.8%) have a worse chance conversion rate than Paul Lambert’s Villa side this season (9.8%).

All seven of Fulham’s league games this season have gone over 2.5 goals.

Darren Bent reportedly wants out if you believe The Mirror. For the sake of argument, if this is true it does reflect poorly on the manager to a degree. The relationship between player and manager would’ve disintegrated faster than a Kardashian marriage. I won’t rehash the debate on Bent’s merits as a player, but we can all agree he is one of the most important players on the team right now. If he is sold in January this team will struggle to score goals, depending on how the manager replaces him. There’s nobody else at the club I trust to regularly put away chances.

Liverpool announced that they will renovate and expand Anfield as opposed to building a new stadium. As a New Englander and Boston Red Sox fan this is what I expected all along. It always was the more cost-effective option provided they could get the needed approvals from the relevant authorities. Given that the expansion is part of a larger development, Liverpool will be able to acquire the needed land around the stadium to expand.

Villa’s planned new North Stand has been on ice for a while now. If/when there are renovations it would be nice if it could be part of a similar development. Typically when stadia are built or renovated in the U.S. it is part of a larger development which offsets construction costs. With around 40,000 supporters coming into the area on match days, one would think businesses would want to open nearby. I’m sure there are practical hurdles and whatnot.

Eric Lichaj still hasn’t been called up by Jurgen Klinsman, and hasn’t been capped since 2010. In recent qualifiers the U.S. was down to its fourth-choice left back due to injury and illness and could’ve used him. The U.S.’s lack of width would also be helped with Lichaj on the pitch. Even if he is a squad player for Villa, he is more than good enough to be a squad player for the U.S. Meanwhile Brad Guzan patiently waits for Tim Howard’s international retirement.

The IFA must be too cash-poor to sack Giovanni Trappatoni. International managers tend to have a shelf-life. The IFA should’ve shaken Trap’s hand, thanked him for Euro 2012 qualification, and separated amicably. With several key players retiring, it would’ve been the perfect time. A new manager may well have played Cieran Clark and reached out to Steven Ireland who signaled some willingness to return to the Republic of Ireland fold.

Speaking of international manager’s who need the sack, Craig Levien should be sacked just for calling up and starting Alan Hutton. The horrible results, and worse performances should just be icing on the cake.

Cheers to the club for hiring Simone Farina as a community coach. If he was black-balled for blowing the whistle on the latest Italian match-fixing scandal, that would be nothing short of reprehensible. We may bemoan the secrecy or lack of communication from the club, but more often than not the club can be counted on to do the right thing. I was proud that my club stepped up and brought Farina on board.

The highlight of this international break was seeing the tweet that Stewart Downing is an anagram for “twat on the reds wing.”

When he’s flogged for half what Liverpool paid us for him I wonder if he would be amenable to a reunion with Martin O’Neil. Coming up through the ranks on Teeside, who knows if he would go to Sunderland. We all know how loyal the former England winger is.

Last summer Rangers FC bought US international Alejandro Bedoya and U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra. With Maurice Edu already on the books, that made three U.S. internationals. I kind of adopted ‘Gers and bought a year-old shirt on eBay. A year later the club was liquidated after cheating the tax man, all the Americans are gone, and their new owner slandered my club. I’m open to suggestions for what to do with the shirt.

In spite of this wealth of speculation that I could heap onto the ever-growing pile of questions that are being posed by fans, writers, players, and apparently the Rangers chairman, I don’t really want to talk about the present, or even the future. I want to delve into the past and look back at the moments that ingrained the club into our hearts for the years of fluctuating form that continue to reign.

As a new writer to Aston Villa Life, I’m not sure whether this sort of piece has been done before. Even so, I feel that I’d like to escape, just temporarily, from the current predicament in which the team finds itself. This piece is something of a cross between a personal account and an analysis of what makes being a football fan so important; indeed what makes it so necessary.

This is a piece about my first ever Villa game, and in turn I hope to hear about the spread of first games we have from the range of claret and blues that make up this fine community.

My First Game

It was a crisp December 13th 1998 when I first travelled to Villa Park, which would become the temple to my religious following of the team and the sport in general. At six years old, only the most outstanding events stick in your memory with any true vividness. Interestingly, the way I felt before the game that night remains with me to this day, largely because those core emotions are rekindled before matches I go to even now. Perhaps that’s the beauty of football: no matter how old you get, the nerves, the excitement, the tribal ambiance, all of it is as real as the first match you went to.

With my Dad and my older brother leading the way, both having been to see the Villans since before I was able to kick a ball, I sat in the Doug Ellis stand. This was not the most desirable of seating selections perhaps, but it took nothing away from the exhilaration I felt and I couldn’t care less anyhow. There are a lot of things that you do and you can’t ever replace the first time, but for me, walking out onto the terraces and seeing the pitch is not one of them. Every game I go to, it takes my breath away.

For this first match of my career as a football fanatic, every aspect of the experience hit me. Perhaps the most striking element was the noise that was being generated around the stadium. It took me a while to appreciate that the players would be playing with all of this going on around them. The bubble of belief and bravado that fizzed around was nothing short of mesmerising.

Born in the Midlands, it was natural for me to support Villa and I didn’t have a choice anyway, given the passion my brother already showed for the club. As my Dad began talking to a chap next to him about how it was my first game, I remember the realisation that everyone in the stadium was in unison, all willing Villa to win. I’d watched games on TV with other people before, but to actually be at a game and feel the support was something different altogether. I absorbed the anticipation. The chants began.

Aston Villa v Arsenal

I don’t remember the game starting, and I don’t remember large periods of it, but I can visualise every goal, from the low-positioned seats we were sat in. There was a mist hovering over the first couple of inches of the pitch, and it seemed impossible that the players, these heroes of mine, were just metres away.

The game was quick-paced, a strong Villa side facing an arguably stronger Arsenal one. One of my favourite players of all time, Dennis Bergkamp, scored the first and the second goals I have ever seen live, subsequently dashing my hopes and introducing me to the cruel reality of being a football fan, and not least a Villa fan.

The Dutchman’s first was well taken, coming just fourteen minutes into the game. He was sharp with his movement and clinical with the volleyed finish.

Though I didn’t know it at the time because I had nothing to compare it with, the night-time atmosphere of a football match is unique. Perhaps it was the proximity to Christmas and therefore a festive air was blowing, but there is something special about a night game—something spectacular. The match would turn out to be quite a spectacle, though it was difficult to imagine as we went into half-time 0-2 down, Bergkamp having scored again just before the whistle.

At half-time, pre-match entertainment arrived in the form of parachutists dressed as Villa players landing on the pitch and heading down the tunnel. It’s become something of a pre-requisite to have a show at the interlude during top-flight football matches, and I was delighted to see this sort of thing. Suddenly, though, the mood dropped dramatically as the final jumper hit the roof of the stadium and fell heavily to the edge of the pitch. A hush among the crowd, it added a 15-minute delay to the break, and this poor man, who was dressed as Father Christmas for supporters just like me, was stretchered away. We would later learn that he had broken both of his legs and had one of them amputated, such was the severity. A sobering event to break up what would become probably the most exciting Villa game I’ve ever seen.

The second-half back underway, it started slowly for us with Dion Dublin and Julian Joachim snatching at their infrequent chances. I didn’t know at the time, but John Gregory’s tactical decision to bring on Stan Collymore was the reason for our triumph that day. We went to three up front, teenager Gareth Barry coming off. I was just hoping to see a goal for Villa at my first match.

Joachim grabbed the first with a nice outside of the boot shot and then provided a delivery that eventually saw Dublin turn in the equaliser with twenty minutes to go. The stadium erupted but just as if I were a player, I seemed to have become a part of the commotion, feeding off the surge in hope and jubilation.

My first taste of being a real football fan would turn out to be a sweet one, as the pressure built towards the end of the game. A corner from Alan Thompson saw Dion Dublin take charge and thump the ball into the roof of the net to round off the perfect comeback.

The next day, the Guardian would read that Aston Villa had shown title-winning credentials. Then again, I didn’t read the newspaper back then and in reality, whether we won the title that season or not didn’t really matter to me that night. What mattered was the injection I had been given, and one that would make me an undying Villa fan for the rest of my days. What a game, what a night, what a sport.

The first game of the rest of the season

It all sounds very dramatic—perhaps a little too much so. I don’t agree. My first match was that dramatic, and that impressive, and within me it instilled an optimism that I have always carried whenever Villa are in question.

So even though that was 14 years ago and the sport has changed, the team has been altered, and maybe even the base of supporters is a little different, remaining positive is the fundamental route to success for any club.

This great history upon which Aston Villa is founded is worth remembering every now and then, because there is no room for the negativity of a Scottish chairman or the mumblings of discontent from players about whether they should be playing or not.

Sentimental though this piece may be, I think it’s worthwhile showing this sort of appreciation for the club.

I didn’t know what to expect from my first game, and I certainly didn’t expect us to come back from 0-2 down against the Gunners. Football is full of ups and downs, proved in just one game, one of many first games.

The match on Saturday at Craven Cottage will most probably be someone else’s first Villa game. So let’s get behind Paul Lambert, get behind the team, and believe in the club. It’s the first game of the rest of the season, at the very least.

As I said before, I’d love to hear your stories about your first games so please leave them in the comments section.

As a senior player and record signing with a rich goal-scoring pedigree Bent probably feels that he should be one of the first names on the team sheet, and many a manager would happily go along with that on the back of the old cliché “form is temporary, class is permanent”. But not Paul Lambert.

One of the main problems with footballers in today’s age is the power that they exert. Many of them go two or three months performing averagely at best, yet rely on their reputation and, in so doing, imprint their name on the team sheet week-in-week-out regardless of form.

And so no matter what has actually happened behind closed doors, Lambert will have my backing on this. Bent’s lack of movement, sharpness, awareness and endeavour in the opening half-dozen games of the season was simply not good enough, particularly for a man of his ability. He needs to get his head down, work hard, and regain his appetite to be that fox-in-the-box that we all love and adore. Make no mistake, the gaffer would have told him this in no uncertain terms.

January now has the potential to be an important and perhaps critical month for us, more so than usual. If Bent can drop the ego I’d like to see him stay at the club until at least the summer and beyond, because the fact of the matter is he will always bag you crucial goals. Unlike the scenarios we have found ourselves in with many a player in recent years we’re in no rush to sell. Come January Bent will still have two-and-a-half years remaining on his contract.

I speculatively wrote about January in last week’s article. We’ve still got an incredible 1170 minutes of Premier League football to play prior to the madness of the mid-season transfer window. But today, whilst I was going about my normal everyday business, I was thinking about what areas of the squad I think require tinkering and strengthening. And also the names of the players I wouldn’t give two hoots about if they headed for the exit doors tomorrow.

I came to the conclusion that there’s an obvious trio of deadwood: Alan Hutton, Richard Dunne (whose contract will expire next summer), and our Cameroonian misfit Jean Makoun. There were two further players who I certainly wouldn’t miss; the lightweight Fabian Delph and a man who has yet to (and will likely never) settle at the club: Charles N’Zogbia.

In turn I’d like to see a fresh centre half as genuine competition for both Vlaar and Clark, who are, without doubt, the only two of choice right now.

Karim El Ahmadi has made the holding role his own in the absence of Stiliyan Petrov. I sense that the options we currently have at our disposal to partner him in the middle of the park just do not make the grade. One thing that Villa are desperately lacking right now is a rounded midfielder who is equally adept at spraying the ball about the park, playing those needle-type through balls to the forwards, and bringing the ball forward himself.

N’Zog does get an awful lot of stick from me, and the reason is we all know that he’s capable of producing 10 times better than what he has shown in a claret-and-blue shirt to date. We’ve seen over the years just what this guy has in his locker, and he needs to start showing it quick sharp. The most worrying thing for me is that he looks dejected—it’s as if he doesn’t enjoy pulling on the Villa jersey.

I think that it’s about time that we cut our losses on N’Zogbia and accept the highest offer we can possibly squeeze out of somebody. And then go in for a genuinely exciting prospect, somebody like Matt Phillips. We could even use Delph as a make-weight in any deal.

Turning our attentions to something a lot more immediate than the above, Villa travel to Craven Cottage on Saturday to play a somewhat unpredictable Fulham side. This match really could go either way. As a betting man I wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole. I’ll stick my neck out and predict a score draw, 1-1.

The big question in the build up to this weekend will be whether or not Darren Bent will regain his starting place. And I’m afraid that your guess is as good as mine.

Roll on Saturday, and up the Villa!

Why would I do this? Well, it’s obvious…Oklahoma vs. Texas. Good vs. Evil.

Since 1900 (seven years before Oklahoma even became a state), these two universities have had an annual football game because they just can’t get enough of each other. While some will argue the point, The Dallas Morning News asked 119 Division One coaches what the greatest rivalry in college football is, and Oklahoma-Texas prevailed, beating out Michigan-Ohio State, Auburn-Alabama, and Army-Navy.

Last year, the Cotton Bowl in Dallas (a neutral site roughly equidistant between the two campuses) somehow squeezed in 96,000 souls, divided equally between the two schools, with the fans split down the 50-yard line. It makes for a helluva spectacle, half burnt orange, half red. And it’s always a sellout. I didn’t get the number for this years’ game, but there weren’t any empty seats until Texas fans started leaving in droves in the fourth quarter, one of the best sights in all sports.

And we heartily booed the other school’s marching band. Seriously.

Saturday, Oklahoma rolled their bigger, richer neighbors 63-21 for their third win in a row in the series, and both Texas touchdowns came late after OU had knocked the Longhorns’ starting quarterback out and put their own backups in. A true rout, something to savor. We booed the Texas quarterback as he cradled his injured wrist and defiantly marched down the tunnel in the Oklahoma end. Seriously. Booed a 19- or 20-year-old kid. And his marching band.

What’s this got to do with anything? A tale of two coaches and patience.

We used to laugh at Mack Brown at the Texas helm until he won a national championship in 2005 (and we’re back to laughing now). But Oklahoma’s last championship was in 2000. And a decade-plus of paying national championship money to a head coach without a championship? Well…it depends on who you ask as to whether that’s too long.

While I’m not necessarily quick to pull the trigger on Villa managers, I can say that 10 years without a championship, colored further by three subsequent national championship game appearances that all ended in losses, leads me to believe Bob Stoops just isn’t going to win another one at Oklahoma.

Others, though, will argue, pointing to the slew of conference championships and big-game appearances as proof that OU can’t reasonably expect to do any better. “Who would you rather have? What have they done? How many championships have they won?”

I’ve got a couple names in mind. And I don’t care about conference championships. Those titles are small comfort in the high stakes games of “amateur” American football. OU’s got seven national championships in their history, and it’s high time they had another.

But this is the difference in setups. Without relegation, you can spend a decade winning things and deciding you could do better. Over that decade, there are plenty who’ll say things could be worse.

In the Premier League, managers don’t get a decade of multimillion-dollar salaries and “underachievement” to find their doubters. Seven or eight games is enough for some to decide Villa could’ve done better.

Patience is relative, as are the stakes. And often, it really does take five to 10 years to see enough to conclude it won’t get any better, even if it’s been pretty fun and competitive.

Imagine the EPL being decided by a single game between teams without a loss. Imagine getting there four times and coming up empty in three of those. It’s real heartbreak when you know those chances are like golden eggs. It’s real heartbreak to go undefeated, laying waste to all-comers just to throw it all away in one failed game and start again from square one.

And imagine that not being enough, getting there, and winning everything but. Even if you did roll the Blues by six or seven goals in at least three of the past 10 seasons.

Apples and oranges, perhaps, but an interesting thing to take in and consider.

Paul Lambert’s barely drawn breath as the Villa manager. And one imagines he’ll only get one or two middling seasons at the most before people start calling for his head. Never mind seven or eight games.

But echoing what many have said over the past few days, these things take time. And Paul Lambert deserves at least a full season. When people ask why I don’t seem bothered about things, it’s because I’m looking at these sorts of timelines.

Granted, there’s no relegation risk, so it’s all rather different. But success can come overnight. It can come after a few years of getting things right. It can come and then evade. It can be measured in a number of different ways.

But whatever the sport, whatever the league, whatever the expectations, turning around a sleeping giant may well take more than a few games. And we’d all do well to remember that.

Paul Lambert, by all rights, deserves at least a year, maybe two, before we start calling for his head. After all, it’s been a long time since we won anything. What’s the rush?

We are hoping to provide more diversity by including those in the existing “Proud To Be A Villan” Facebook page on Aston Villa Life, and giving Ryan a slot for contributing articles. In return, the articles from this site will be posted to the “Proud To Be A Villan” page Facebook page.

Things don’t stop there though as there are several other plans in place to form strong bonds between ourselves and fellow community members – rest assured that we are dedicated to finding the very best people to contribute to the site in order to make this your number one Aston Villa website.

Stay tuned over the coming weeks to hear about new and innovative ways we are engaging in to ensure that we continue to deliver the best for the Aston Villa community as a whole through this site and our partners.

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The set up in this league leaves only one person with a rope around his neck when he signs on and that is the manager. Twitchy owners, reticent players, no talent, fans baying for blood-it all falls in the manager’s lap. Anyone want to give it a go? Very few get past that first turn.

Ferguson, Wenger, and Moyes comes to mind. Did any of them have huge success to start their careers? Or did they have patient owners? Hopefully Pardew will have success with a long term contract.

Is the hounding managers’ get just human nature?

People are a lot like pack animals. There are the fans, the media, and the players. They all belong to a pack, we just don’t call it that. The dynamics of the practice field or locker room has a hierarchy and where people fit in. It is up to the manager to keep things in control.

McLeish had a few problems with player conduct. Look at the mess that fell into Houllier’s lap with a punch up at his love in. There can be only one alpha male in the dressing room, and that has to be Lambert. He has to bring his best to the table right from the first day, a date that is only a short three and half months in the past.

Not only that, he has to sort out the leaders, the followers, and the ones who will try to undermine his position. And that is on top of rating the talent each player brings.

Misplaced egos can always create problems. Alpha dogs don’t like those that challenge their authority, neither do alpha dogs like to be put in a new pack – I’m thinking of Darren Bent and Charles N’Zogbia here. Both forced their will on the last manager in my opinion, and he had trouble handling it.

By comparison, I’m guessing Lambert is using the bench to push his will on the players. Such a move isn’t really confrontational but more than a strong hint at who is the boss and it isn’t going to change, neither should it change.

It was his first order of the day-to fill the bench with players he can use. It’s Lambert’s way – like it or lump it – and I doubt much is going to change his mind. It’s what he has to do to keep tabs on the team. He is the leader.

It is about the leader, but followers have to do their jobs right too

Within the team there are leaders and followers. An example is Ron Vlaar – he is a leader on the field and, in all likelihood, in the dressing room too. This happened quickly, perhaps another blow to a few egos.

We spend a lot of time talking about the team gelling on the field and it is, even if it isn’t always as fast as some fans might want. However, there is also a new hierarchy being formed in the dressing room and that might take a little longer. After all look at all the new players that have shown up – they aren’t what I would call a hippie dream.

What Villa do have is strong willed players and some players with experience. They will come to the forefront in due time, or they will prove themselves incapable of leading and will be gotten rid of – it is up to Lambert to make sure no bombs go off during this period.

In the future, I would think that players will be recruited not only for their abilities on the field, but also their character to be the glue that holds the team together. Give Lambert time – two or three years in reality – to put in place an environment where everyone knows their place on the team, and the needs of their contribution to the team. Give Lambert that time and I, for one, think there will be a great harvest to reap from just a little patience.

I also feel we need to forget about the tactics and certain players’ misgivings and take the opportunity for a lighter look at football and AVFC in particular.

I mentioned quite recently in one of my comments our halcyon days, the memories of players past and, more important, of our match day experiences—places we used to meet and drink, favourite players, favourite away grounds. I am particularly interested in how some our lads overseas got hooked on the Villa.

So just to kick it off I will throw a few names and places into the mix, the Midland Hotel, the Shakespeare, the old “C”s, the Hole in the Wall…these are just a few of the old haunts.

Curtis, Aitken, Carrodus, Cropley, Little, Rioch, Chico, Ray Graydon, and many many more. Some of your favourites might be more recent: Mellberg or Laursen—we have hundreds to pick from.

Away days were always what we looked forward to, especially if it was a ground we had never been to. Highbury was always a favourite of mine not just because we won the title there but we would always fill the clock end and make loads of noise. Most grounds in the Midlands we visited we would always take thousands and swamp the home support.

So when our future is looking unsteady, although I am sure PL will pull us through these tough times, tell AVL about your time as a Villan and share those times when you could buy a whole club for the same amount as a month’s salary for Mario Balotelli.

UTV

It would appear that fears are growing regarding Lambert’s capacity to match, let alone improve, the fortunes of Aston Villa following last season’s strife under the guidance of Mr. McLeish. Indeed, Villans have reason to be concerned, given that we currently reside on a points tally that was worse than that procured by this time last campaign.

However, I would be inclined to maintain some optimism, in spite of a 20-year stint as a Villa fan that would suggest a contrary view would be more sensible.

It’s quite easy to point to the negatives, that is to say the points that are on the board. What is more significant at this stage, though, is the way the team is playing. For me, there can be little doubt that this aspect is far superior to last term, and while the unpredictability of the team can be infuriating, as I alluded to a couple of weeks ago, it might just be Villa’s greatest strength.

Darren Bent

Among the Aston Villa Life community, one frequent talking point has been that of a certain Darren Bent. There have been some not-so-hushed suggestions that the 28-year-old is on his way out of Villa Park in the near future and debates arising around such discussion as to whether this would be a positive thing or not.

Put simply, I think it would be the best thing for Bent to leave in January, and not solely for financial purposes, though his sale would undoubtedly raise some funds for investment elsewhere.

Aside from the fact that Darren Bent has the potential to be one of the most clinical strikers in the Premier League, I would argue two things. First, the current crop of Villa players is not one that has the skill-set to provide Darren Bent with the service he needs. The team is more important than an individual striker, quite frankly.

Second, and perhaps the most key point here, is that when Bent plays, I believe there is a predictable nature to the way we look for goals. Everything seems to be geared towards putting the ball onto his foot. Many will argue this is not a bad thing given his natural instinct in front of goal but in consideration of the conflict discussed in the first point there is an issue. This is not something we can afford – predictability – and apologies at this juncture for harking back to my first column.

Lambert’s Philosophy

Thus far, it has been difficult to glean exactly what Lambert’s thinking is with regard to the way he thinks we line up most effectively. Nevertheless, there is more tempo and confidence on the ball, which is something that was entirely absent last season. The game against Tottenham was not ideal in terms of the result, but the first-half performance was encouraging.

Perhaps encouraging is not enough for a lot of people, and I can understand why. To have fallen so heavily from grace in recent seasons is a jagged pill to swallow, but I sincerely believe Lambert is taking us in a new, more positive direction and it will pay dividends to remain patient.

We’ve not had an easy start to the season and while that is rather evident with the worst ever start to a Premier League season, there is no room for defeatism just yet. As indicated in another article this week, the run of games on its way against Fulham, Norwich, and Swindon is a proper opportunity for the claret and blue army to step up and assert themselves in this wavy campaign.

Norwich is the vital one. There is a natural desire for Paul Lambert to want to beat his old side, of course, but on top of that, I expect this to be the game in which a victory will serve to propel the team’s self-belief and that of the coach, too. It is a chance to illustrate that he has gone forward since leaving Carrow Road, and will underline his progress with a young Villa side since his arrival at Villa. Fulham away will be a tough game, but Norwich at home must be the landmark game. If we lose both of those, then my attitude might change.

In the meantime, I remain hopeful that Lambert will prove to be the disciplined tactician we need. Our crest highlights exactly what we will need to be following the international break: Prepared.

Here he is with EA discussing Darren’s awareness challenge asking fans to count the number of touches made by a team, and to stay aware. The video is below:

The piece is a spin on an old psychology awareness test that shows how fast moving people who are being asked to be monitored can affect the ability for a viewer to miss peripheral action that is occurring.

Want to join the conversation? Post your thoughts on today’s latest discussion piece covering whether Paul Lambert has what it takes to manage some of the club’s bigger name players. Click the following link to read the piece – http://www.astonvillalife.com/aston-villa-blog/can-lambert-manage-and-get-the-most-out-of-big-players/

There was consensus that Christian Benteke missed a sitter with the match still at 0-0. Everything I had read leading up to the match lead me to believe that Darren Bent would regain his spot. After the match, the manager explained that he thought Bent works better with a strike partner, and that Benteke was better equipped to play alone as a target man.

My initial reaction was that it was complete rubbish, intended to placate the press and fans. One of the main criticisms of Bent is that he can only play as a lone striker, requiring the rest of the team to be tailored to him. Upon a bit of reflection, the manager is probably right in regards to this team. With Steven Ireland injured, the club doesn’t currently have a player who can operate in the hole of a 4-2-3-1 and supply passes and through balls at Bent’s feet. Maybe N’Zogbia or Holman could fill that role, but if they can we haven’t seen it.

Speaking of N’Zogbia, he again started on the bench. If you are using form as one of your main criteria, this was clearly the right move. However, N’Zogbia might be the second best pure finisher at the club behind Bent. It is still early days, and I am not blaming the manager one bit for sitting him.

I will be watching to see if this continues. I think we can say this manager values effort and work-rate highly. Managing smaller clubs in the past, this is the first time Lambert has had to manage big players, players who are full internationals or are fighting to be internationals, at a big club. Can he manage the big egos that big players typically have? I think he can, but I will be watching to see him prove it.

If he can’t, I am fully confident Lambert can build a team of blue-collar players that play their hearts out every game, and that the fans get behind and can be proud of. Still, for the club to truly compete at the upper echelon of the Premier League, the manager may have to deal with fragile egos and manage them accordingly to get the best out of them.

A manager’s job is to treat every player fairly. That doesn’t mean treating every player equally.