tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43280637672134518722026-07-23T12:20:06.941+01:00John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.comBlogger454125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-12280959314767458182023-10-22T21:37:00.002+01:002023-10-23T14:48:32.500+01:00

Yes, David, you perhaps have a right to be rueful-looking watching how Villa broke away to score the third and fourth goals. At that time, West Ham, having come back to 2-1 following their fortuitous goal, were striving to make a break-through and a Villa of old might just have caved in.But the Villa showed clearly that they have a superior quality stemming from confidence when on the ball, and

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-87706952743650922352023-10-08T18:02:00.002+01:002023-10-10T20:04:43.122+01:00

A mostly awful match to watch, but then it was a derby and derbies have often brought up such situations. Wolves with 19 fouls against them, and a red card to boot, demonstrated they are a team of spoiling tactics, with a couple of their players falling over like flies because of a knock or two.The Villa, though, should have had the game wrapped up in the first 15 minutes. Initially, Wolves

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-75175850119956557562023-09-30T15:38:00.002+01:002023-09-30T18:48:19.186+01:00

I am still perplexed. Nine attempts on target and six scored with only 39% possession. Actually, perhaps it says a lot about Brighton, who spend so much time passing the ball (though quickly) but against a defence like Villa's it did not help them much. Their one goal was through a freakish passback from Digne instead of whacking it out for a corner if that was his only real option, but at that

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-6242959095399026562023-09-24T17:42:00.001+01:002023-09-24T17:45:23.198+01:00

A win, partly thanks to a sending-off I feel, as I don't think there was much to choose between the teams. If 11 Chelsea men had remained on the field I think the final score could have been 5-5 without the performances put in by the two 'keepers. Both goalkeepers excelled themselves to keep down the number of goals. There were two thunderbolt shots from Villa and their keeper's

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-6877474814171883432023-09-22T09:04:00.000+01:002023-09-22T09:04:56.382+01:00

Well, we lost in Warsaw. Defensively in particular, we looked naive. But with so many changes in that area I am not surprised at the misunderstanding showing in Villa's defensive ranks.Most importantly, it's not the end of the world considering this is a group stage. We have a good chance to put things right and progress further. It was by no means a fluid Villa performance, but to some extent

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-27712428014945761822023-09-17T13:31:00.001+01:002023-09-18T08:39:32.510+01:00

So goals are being refused by VAR when a toe is judged to be offside? I thought that the powers-that-be were trying to learn how to use VAR properly? How come that a goal scored with such skill can be chalked off because the player's toe is too long? What kind of game are they trying to create?Hands up anyone who remembers that the 'three points for a win' law was introduced in 1981 to encourage

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-91833140651857154282023-09-03T17:22:00.002+01:002023-09-03T20:23:33.329+01:00

Well, if you play average opposition over four games and score 15 goals in the process I suppose you can get a bit complacent. But there is complacency and there is naivety, for surely everyone knows that if you go to Anfield they'll run at you and pass you by if you'll let them.Unfortunately, no one seems to have told Mr. Torres that as he tried (what we now know is) his normal shimmy

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-89943400728272895352023-08-20T22:12:00.001+01:002023-08-21T08:13:24.738+01:00

So, the goal difference has been restored to zero!  And really it should be showing plus, but I can accept that with matches coming thick and fast, and with a few injuries to worry about, there's no point in the players blowing a gasket I suppose. At least one more Villa player has gone down today with a serious injury it would seem.What were the Toffees doing? It is difficult

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-14293316004069646122023-08-12T20:34:00.001+01:002023-08-13T10:45:00.709+01:00

Well, where do you start? You could put it all down to the Geordies' Pace, Precision and Power; but was it as simple as that?At half-time we had, amazingly, recorded more shots than them, but a couple of those were genuinely squandered chances. We should have been at least level at half-time.But one of the two real turning points in the game was firstly in losing Mings to injury, and secondly

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-48196969645442561802023-08-01T08:08:00.000+01:002023-08-01T08:08:19.589+01:00

Well, so there is still feeling in football after all! After watching Ezri Konsa's highly individual goal against his old team, I am enthused to see that coaching methods have not wiped away the individual's need to express himself.I can imagine his thoughts. After surrendering a penalty he must have started to get angry. When Villa went 2-0 down he must have been seething as the scoreline was

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-5849412327419022682023-07-07T11:21:00.003+01:002023-07-07T15:17:18.934+01:00

Hello there. Last time I wrote I was aghast at the Villa's policy with regard to the shirt sponsors and also the new logo. Now it's the turn of worry about the lack of young players coming through from the Academy, despite several being lauded as highly promising. The recent signing of Rico Richards - another example of poaching from neighbours Albion - makes me think back to all the other

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-5608867096165767462023-06-25T20:47:00.002+01:002023-06-25T21:33:39.501+01:00

Hello Fellow Villans!You might say this is a blast from the past ... and it is! I have been .. away, let's say. A housing problem occurred in October last and it has taken until this month (June) to settle into something that we might call home. It has been something of a traumatic time (but all problems are opportunities are they not?!) and I send my sincere thanks to those of you who inquired

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-78445756381831128152022-10-11T08:54:00.001+01:002022-10-11T08:54:32.578+01:00

I still rue the loss of Milner and Young back in 2010 and 2011 and both have shown over the years their immense value in service to other leading clubs. Barry's loss too was hurtful, but I feel the two previously mentioned players were the greatest loss. And we've never had their equal since.During the time those players were at Villa Park, Gabby produced his best footie as well, but after they

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-62758494916570869492022-10-03T09:23:00.003+01:002022-10-03T09:32:22.630+01:00

Boy, did they look rusty! An enforced international break seemed to have a dampening effect on the forwards in particular. Not that they were full of alacrity before the enforced break - they weren't - but when you are up against a 10-man team for the whole of 45 minutes  (including injury time) and not take advantage of the gaps with inadequate firepower was downright appalling.I

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-77198828734368076712022-09-20T09:40:00.006+01:002022-09-20T11:46:41.299+01:00

Aside from the COVID-hit season of 2020-21, this is perhaps the most peculiar football league season on record! Firstly the postponement of matches arising from the Queen's sad death, followed straight after (now) by an international break. And then we face the World Cup break in November and December. So from mid-September right up to Christmas it's a staccato fixture list.Well, it

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-20690335094125599132022-09-03T20:35:00.008+01:002022-09-04T09:10:55.305+01:00

Based on the Villa's performance in the last 60 minutes I would say there's room for a fair amount of hope. I say that but it was not until Ashley Young came on to replace the injured Matty Cash at 27m did the Villa shown any kind of method. If anyone played a captain's part, he did, constantly seeking a constructive way out of defence and not doing badly in his defensive duties either.Villa's

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-52054910608499965202022-09-02T09:34:00.003+01:002022-09-02T16:40:37.650+01:00

It is of course noteworthy that Gerrard said that the signing of Coutinho would make Villa a bigger attraction for other major players to enter the portals of Villa Park. However, apart from Carlos and Kamara, what has happened is anything but that aspiration, particularly now that Villa are flirting with the relegation zone.Though I am not criticising the player himself, the only permanent

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-67339848356743693762022-08-31T22:11:00.001+01:002022-09-01T08:10:12.719+01:00

Well, Villa played with spirit. Fielding the same team put out against the Palace, Villa at least stood up and put their bodies in the right places this time when it came to defending, and had the benefit of a fair amount of luck first half, as well as two superlative saves from Martinez. Shame that he was somewhat to blame for their first goal but, at that stage, the Gunners in

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-85460053512220783632022-08-28T18:12:00.004+01:002022-08-29T09:09:46.167+01:00

Villa's opening defeat at Bournemouth was a result of an uninspiring and poor Villa performance and it looks decidedly worse when looking at Bournemouth's (the Cherries') record since, over 3 games: 0-4, 0-3 (home) and now 0-9. Zero goals were scored and 16 were conceded in that time. Certainly, those three defeats were against three of the League's best teams, but where, exactly, does that put

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-84575237436730926152022-08-24T09:15:00.005+01:002022-08-24T09:43:50.524+01:00

Well, we won ... and a 4-1 result looks good for the record books doesn't it?On the other hand, we played with a strong team against a team two tiers down in the league. What's more, up until a fortuitous goal direct from a corner after 35 minutes, we were a goal down and against a side that played with not very different movement and commitment than Palace last Saturday. Bolton - a club with so

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-79841038715162694572022-08-21T08:45:00.006+01:002022-08-21T19:44:20.581+01:00

I'm sorry to have to put such a title to this piece, I really am, but after that performance - hardly an improvement on the Bournemouth match - it really does beg the question as to just what is going on at VP under Gerrard. And to compare Gerrard with Vieira's record seems very relevant to me.Vieira was appointed manager at Palace four months before Gerrard's appointment at Villa, and

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-70927245727876794052022-08-15T10:56:00.004+01:002022-08-16T14:57:43.560+01:00

The news of Diego Carlos's injury is devastating. He may be out for six months and Gerrard must be feeling that it is an awful blow to his plans only two games into the season.Thinking back over the years I can think of other big name signings who were totally lost to Villa within a few weeks or months of their first game - Pejic, Fashanu, Nilis to name three - but, hopefully, Carlos will come

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-57131812467931312462022-08-13T16:01:00.001+01:002022-08-13T16:01:56.736+01:00

Everton is always welcome to Villa Park, but mainly for the reason that we generally meet them early in the season at Villa Park and get a good result from their visit to get the season rolling! On this occasion we had the peculiarity of our left-back conceding an own-goal, as he also did for Everton against us while still with them last season! A peculiar double.And in fact my criticism of

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-55301286736409955342022-08-06T17:46:00.002+01:002022-08-06T17:59:47.016+01:00

Gerrard was facing Scott Parker today and is due to face Frank Lampard next week - both former England colleagues in midfield. And it was Parker that showed today that he could do much better with the limited resources available to him.The new season opened so disappointingly, the Villa conceding a goal within three minutes. The defence did not look fully awake, not at all helped by the fact that

John Lerwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11508029564155592727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328063767213451872.post-27895879163775010292022-07-23T17:47:00.000+01:002022-07-23T17:47:02.718+01:00

The new season cometh closer!The Australian foray has, I believe, brought a clear message about what the first team is likely to look like when the new season kicks off. Gerrard made it possible to assess that by selecting the team he did in the first half of the Manchester United match, a half which saw some downgrade performances compared with the players that came out for the second half.The

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