Love that color scheme
Official Name: Aston Villa Football Club
Nickname: The Blues, The Toffees The Villa, The Villans
Home Colors: Claret and blue
. They were the first side to wear the claret and blue, and they’ll be glad to let you know that West Ham and others took it from them. They’ve been wearing the colors since 1886.
Trophy Case: Plenty of hardware at Villa Park. Aston Villa won the European Cup in 1982; the European Super Cup in 1983; the Intertoto Cup in 2001; the English First Division seven times (1894, 1896, 1897, 1899, 1900, 1910, 1981); the Second Division in 1938 and 1960; the Third Division in 1972; the FA Cup seven times (1887, 1895, 1897, 1905, 1913, 1920, 1957); and the League Cup five times (1961, 1975, 1977, 1994, 1996).
2009-10 League Finish: Sixth place. For the second consecutive season, Villa seemed to hit a patch when they just couldn’t get the wins they needed. From Boxing Day until an April 18 win over Portsmouth, Villa drew 10 of 16 games while winning three and losing three. A late winning streak wasn’t enough to jump Citeh or Spurs.
2009-10 Cup Finish: Aston Villa made it to the Carling Cup final against Manchester United but lost 2-1 when Wayne Rooney scored 16 minutes from time. The match started with controversy when Phil Dowd awarded a penalty to Villa but did not send off Nemanja Vidic on what looked like a clear goal-scoring opportunity. As a United fan, I could have seen red there. Manager Martin O’Neill was livid, and the call was much of the talk afterward. The trip to the final followed a wild 6-4 victory over Blackburn in the second leg of the semifinals.
In the FA Cup, Villa advanced to the semifinals but lost 3-0 to a motivated Chelsea side. Villa also played Rapid Vienna in the playoff stage of the Europa League but lost on away goals (they play the same team in the same stage this season, too!).
Villa Park party
Stadium: Villa Park. It’s a UEFA four-star stadium, which means it can host events up to but not including the Champions League final. There are plans to fill in the corners and increase capacity to 51,000.
Open since 1897, it has hosted England international matches in three different centuries. According to the club, the ground is not actually called Villa Park. It’s called the Aston Lower Grounds, but the supporters have always called it Villa Park.
History: Aston Villa was founded by four men in a Wesleyan Church in Handsworth, which is now part of Birmingham, in 1874. Villa’s chairman, William McGregor, was the founder of the Football League in 1888. Villa was also one of the founding members of the Premiership, and they are one of the sides to play in every season of the EPL, joining the Big Four and Everton as the only teams with 19 seasons of EPL play (Fulham is next with 10 years and no relegations).
Lerner and I were this far apart…
Gaffer: Well, here’s where things get interesting… Martin O’Neill was manager of Aston Villa for three four seasons and was prepping for his fourth fifth until he quit in a shocking move this week.
Owner Randy Lerner—an American who also owns the NFL’s Cleveland Browns—has been hailed as a good owner, but there seems to have been some dispute between O’Neill and Lerner about transfer policy.
The saga surrounding James Milner, who looks headed to Manchester City, might have been the breaking point, but neither person is giving too much information about the split.
Lerner said Wednesday that “I can say only that we no longer shared a common view as to how to move forward.”
Reserve side manager Kevin McDonald is in as caretaker manager, and he might be there a while. Lerner and his people have met over a shortlist of candidates, and Sven, Huh Bob and Martin Jol appear to be the top candidates.
Transfers In:
As of this writing, Aston Villa has signed no new players.
Transfers Out:
Wilfred Bouma, LB/CD, released
Marlon Harewood, ST, released
Andy Marshall, GK, released
Stephen O’Halloran, LB, Coventry City, free
David Bevan, GK, Walsall, free
Nicky Shorey, LB, West Bromwich Albion, undisclosed
James Milner, MF, expected to leave to Manchester City
Ashley Young, MF/FW, might leave to Tottenham
Key Players:
Gabriel Agbonlahor, ST: The striker has been on the cusp of greatness for a couple of seasons, but will he break through in a consistent fashion? Then again, will he have enough talent behind him to get him the ball if Milner and Young do, in fact, leave.
Can Gabby Be The Man All The Time?
Stuart Downing, LM: A lot more is going to depend on the winger. He’s going to have to come through is Villa want to maintain their station.
Brad Friedel, GK: The American might be on the move. If he stay, he needs to keep being a rock for Villa in the back. This is going to be a tumltuous season, so a quality goalkeeper is a necessity.
Rising Stars:
Nathan Delfouneso, ST: This 19-year-old English player might be the answer down the road if Ashley Young is really gone. He shone for England in the U-19 Championships, so we’ll see if he can continue to grow and earn a solid spot in the senior side.
Eric Lichaj, DF: The young American defender didn’t play with the first team last season, but his preseason work was enough to earn him a three-year contract. He says he want to start playing his way into the USMNT. He might have plenty of chance.
Drama: Uh, haven’t you been reading?
Tactics!: Under O’Neill, Villa ran a 4-4-2 most of the time, with the concept of “wing it and fling it.” Villa was a pretty straightforward side that wanted to get the ball out to the wing with pace, the play it back across to the box. I don’t know what the new guy will do. And I tried to look.
Question Marks: How will the team hold together during all this upheaval? Striker John Carew has started to rumble that he might leave, but according to stories, O’Neill might have lost the players, so his exit wasn’t met with all tears.
Will a new manager be able to stop what has now become an annual Villa swoon late in the season? Each of the past three seasons, Villa were inside the top four at some point in the second half, only to fall to sixth each time.
Will Lerner find a quality manager, or will he settle? My money’s on the former.
Important Fixtures: With Villa, the games that matter most come after Boxing Day. Even with last season’s opening day loss, they were able to do well… until the turn of the year.
Prediction: If you asked me last week, I would have said fifth to seventh. Now, with all of this change happening so close to the season, I expect an early swoon, followed by a rally, then another swoon. I think Villa fall to 8th this season.
TSE: Sorry, I’ll read the review in a bit, but had to ask: last night I saw where Schwarzer was going to Arsenal, then Friedel was going to Fulham, so Villa were going after Alumnia? Is that happening? If so, why wouldn’t Villa give Guzan a run out as 1st choice?
@OM: Can’t remember who it was, but one reporter I read said that the final straw for MON was Lerner wanting to move Friedel to Fulham (other dominoes fall accordingly, although Almunia coming back wasn’t in there) and MON balking. This theory certainly ties into the wage-structure idea since Friedel’s reportedly on about 50k/wk. If MON was willing to walk over a goalkeeper pushing 40 in the final year of his contract when he’s got the US keeper of the next decade ready to go… Seems like he wanted to find an excuse, and this may have presented itself.
Either way, Villa will be lucky to finish 10th this year.
Nickname: The Blues, The Toffees
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UR DOIN IT WRONG.
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And also, if you’re going to put “Ashley Young, might leave to Tottenham” in Transfers Out, at least put in “Stephen Ireland, expected, Manchester City” in Transfers in.
Also, Carew was asked by the Norwegian papers if he wanted to leave while O’Neill was still around, and he said he had a good relationship with the gaffer. Soooooooo, yeah.
@Keith: The Mirror (I know, I know) has it that both the Milner and Young moves have hit a snag because Ireland now fancies a move to Spurs, and Spurs find his price tag more palatable than Young’s. The whole thing is unsourced, so take it FWIW.
“The whole thing is unsourced and annoying as f**k, so take it FWIW.”
/fixed that for you, Phil
@JT: Excellent edit, JT. This transfer window has thus far been the most bulls**t-filled of any in recent memory.
I’ve also been hearing Sunderland mentioned as in for Ireland; that said, if Spurs move to get Ireland and that means we keep both Jimmy and Ash, I’ll be happy with that too. But it is the Mirror.
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As far as TACTICS! go, MON was experimenting this preseason with a 4-4-1-1 with Young playing as the 10, and Albrighton and Downing out wide- Milner was on extended holiday for many of the preseason games. If Milner stays, K-Mac might start games with Milner-Young-Downing as the attacking band of a 4-2-3-1 (with NRC/Petrov as the two holding mids)- or Albrighton-Young-Downing in front of Petrov and Milner. (BTW- Marc Albrighton really should be in the rising stars section)
Just watch. F**king everyone will be using the 4-2-3-1 in the EPL. Except Stoke. They can go f**k themselves.
@JT: And SFB.
OK, read the review. If Milner goes, does Downing stay on the wing or move more inside? Will he remain healthy? Will Guzan get more action @ GK if Friedel moves on? Will there be more reliance on Delph and Delfouneso if guys like Milner & Young move? This club seems to be in flux with the addition of MON’s departure. It could be a frustrating year for the Villans.
@phil, Keith: I’m actually headed to Villa this morning in a 6.5m deal. You can trust me because I wrote it.
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The past two seasons should have been “benchmark” years for Villa, and yet they only reached Europa. They are who they are and that’s the 6th best team in the Prem – no more. Is that on MON? Perhaps. But the only way I see this squad getting better is if a manager with flair and attacking nous like a Klinsy or a Bilic comes in. Other than that, Villa will be lucky to get 8th this year.
Ireland to Sunderland, Bellamy to Cardiff. Good for everyone. Well, basically just for City, but hey, tough luck.
Bellamy linked with Celtic too?
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Seriously though, I’ve ceased caring about the fate of James Milner.
TJ: ‘Pool have signed Poulsen from Juve. ESPN claims this precipitates the sale of Mascherano. Also, Celtic have confirmed a loan bid for Bellamy./TJ
@ EF: Channeling your inner Dennis Green? “Crown their asses!”/NFL’d
@JT: Thought Bellamy retired…it seems as if media outlets have had a boring summer, so they’re floating just about anything tangential just to spice things up.
@OM: he actually threatened to retire if he didn’t make the Citeh 25-man or was transferred.
@OM: He’s threatening to retire if he doesn’t make the 25 man squad.
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@JT: How about Brad Jones? That has to get you excited right? Right?
If Friedel does get sold, I really hope Villa give the no. 1 to Guzan. It would be nice for him to get solid minutes in preparation for the next WC cycle.
@L’OM: They are who we thought they were! Europa Fodder.
@Ryan
Let’s just say your hilarious new avatar pic is better than Brad Jones.
@ phil & Ryan: I know, just making light of all the silliness that tends to be reported. I pray scientists never learn how to reanimate dead footballers, or there could be stories about which club is signing Zombie George Best this transfer period.
@OM: don’t give The Mirror any ideas. It’s bad enough as it is.
@L’OM: If Milner goes, MON might have had plans to move Stu inside eventually (he was talking about him as a Barry replacement on signing), which makes sense- he often cuts in anyway from the wing. But, Young had been pushing for a move back to CF or at least CAM, and had been really impressing in the role in preseason. So I think regardless of whether Ireland comes in, Downing stays on the left wing, with Young or Albrighton out right.
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@EF: it’s that mentality that gets Martin Jol sacked in place of Magic Juande. I just hope we don’t appoint Sven, who will surely be our Juande.
@JT, TSE: Posting that Villa’s nickname is the Blues is like saying that Manchester United’s is the Peacocks or the Citizens. FIX YO’ NICKNAMES.
Oh, and O’Neill was in charge for four years, and was preparing for a fifth. Seriously, TSE, that’s EPL Talk levels of accuracy. I expect better out of you and UF as a whole.
HeyyyyyyyyyFootball Weekly is back! Just sayin’…
@Keith: Isn’t it three straight sixth-place finishes, also?
@Shane: Been looking for it; Bazza’s minute-by-minute of the England friendly was a close substitute.
@Shane: with an increased point total each year, no less.
@Keith: Right, right. I just think they’d missed their chance with the arrival of Citeh. There was a space for a club to break the top-four; I feel it’s safe to say that the other Manchester club has taken the lead in that race, Spurs fourth-place showing last year aside.
Don’t get too sexy with The Grauniad: we’re back in the “recording” “studio” tonight
“Seriously, TSE, that’s EPL Talk levels of accuracy.”
That’s a slur Roberto Mancini would be proud of Keith.
@JT: Need a rampant speculator from the Villa side to discuss the MONodrama?
@all: Does my avatar actually appear as a walking teal plus sign, evidently trying to suck a golf ball through a garden hose, or is that just some generic image that pops up in the “Recent Comments” box?
@Shane: I have no idea what you are describing, but what i see is a sideways G.
@TFA: Fair enough. I see this little guy in the Recent Comments box on the right side of the screen. No clue.
@Shane: On the old version of the site those little monster things would be default Avatars if you hadn’t made one on gravatar.com. Now they just seem to appear in that recents comments box, but not on the actual comment.
Asked and answered. The customer service here is GREAT! A++++++++++++
BBC now saying that Young will remain at Villa after his talk with the powers that be at Villa Park today.
@ phil: thoughts on Andros going on loan to Tractor Boys?
@OM: LE and I are just discussing that in the Spurs preview thread.
@Keith: OK, let’s take a deep breath here, dude. The Blues thing was because I use a template and didn’t eliminate one entry. It’s fixed. As for the O’Neill thing, that was an honest mistake. I will fix. Everything else was written with info from current or recent stories. I’m not expecting Ireland to make it to Villa, and I was on the fence about including Young as an out. That’s why I hedged every time I mentioned it. On the Tactics! front, I know that MON was messing around with lineups, but the fact still remains that the caretaker is going to do his own thing, at least somewhat, so I balked at assuming a formation.
And the EPL Talk comment is a little low. I knew this preview, of all of them, was going to be the most difficult because, frankly, the whole team is in disarray now. I’m not perfect. But I’ll never be as bad as those douchebags. You have my apologies. Can we move on?
@TSE: Keith went to procure an arsenal, similar to my response to the SPL preview of a couple days ago. Beware.
Since Shane mentioned Football Weekly, two things. First, they make the point that Chelsea may not be able to fill their 25 man squad, since they don’t have enough homegrown players. Is this really true? The way they explained it didn’t really make sense.
Second, Barry Glendenning makes the same point that the guy on The Game Podcast made on Monday about Capello being the worst England manager of his lifetime. That’s ridiculous right?
@ Ryan: On the 2nd point, thought the Wally w/the Brolly won that honor. On the 1st, do Chelsea have enough young English talent or have enough young internationals in their system to qualify based on the time period? Would a guy like Kakuta qualify as “homegrown” or has he not been in the system long enough?
@Ryan: That’s Glendenning’s MO. He repeats what’s already been said. With his grumpy Irish persona as value-add, natch.
@OM: I think they were suggesting that they did not have enough youngsters to qualify. What I was most puzzled by though was what the implications would be. They seemed to suggest they might have to have less than 25 in the squad. That seems kind of like a weak penalty imo, but maybe I misunderstood what they were saying.
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@Anonsters: I wasn’t so much commenting on the fact that Baz used a point made elsewhere- like you say, nothing new. More so that two people in 3 days could claim that Capello is the worst English manager in history. I’m no fan of the Capello, but Steve McClaren has to be mentioned right? Graham Taylor perhaps?
@Ryan
Those idiots absolutely have to be mentioned in the conversation, though a guy like Baz Glendenning doesn’t need to.
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@Shane
Kakuta is not homegrown yet, and I don’t think he can be. Joined in 2009 at age 19, I think.
@Ryan: I know, but I like to take potshots at Glendenning, so you put the ball on the tee for me.
@Pupsters: So he’s well-organized, strong at the back, etc.
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@TSE: Apology accepted. I come through the Newhouse news writing class, where you get an F for fact-error, is all. And on MacDonald’s prospective formation, you coulda gone to Villa Talk, where there’s a thread about the man. You would have gotten the following insight:
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He’s a fairly attacking manager, he plays mostly 4-4-2 but isn’t afraid to mix that up. The reserves play some very attractive football, but then at that level they are a really good quality side and being good to watch is easier when you’re better than the opposition.
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I stand by my 4-4-1-1 prediction for the first match, and a little less wing play for a more pass-and-move style.
@ JT: I was thinking not enough time has passed on him to be “homegrown” and, not really having followed Spartak’s younglings, have no idea of any others.
and sorry for calling you EPL Talk, TSE
@ Ryan: It took a bit, but looked up the penalty for not having enough “homegrown” players:
WHAT IF A CLUB DOESN’T HAVE 8 ‘HOME GROWN’ PLAYERS? – That club must name fewer senior players on their nominated list.
@OM: Hey, thanks for that. Still kind of vague though isn’t it? What does that mean? So if you don’t have 8 HG players, you can only name 22 guys or something?
It’s not really a penalty per se. You get a maximum of 17 foreign players. If you can’t name 8 homegrown players, then your squad size is just going to be one player less for each homegrown player you lack.
@ Ryan: Yeah, the only penalty is to name fewer players and it appears currently Chelsea and Liverpool are the two clubs that might have to name fewer, either 21 or 22 I forget.
Oh okay, that makes sense then. I guess I read some of the stories about the rule as “OMG clubs must have homegrown players!1!” when really, you can go without them, and just have a limited squad.
Thanks to both of you.
@ LE: That’s right, not much of a penalty per se, and I think there are provisions in case a shortened squad gets shorter with injuries anyway. Seems much ado about nothing.
Also, UPDATE! on the Milner/Ireland mess- supposedly, just as they did with Richard Dunne, Citeh are delaying the transfer over the gap payoff between Ireland’s proposed terms at Villa and his currently contracted terms at Citeh. Sounds like they’re just going to make him wait the weekend.
So really, taking an extreme view, a club could really just extend a middle finger to the whole rule, get a squad of 17 players they really like, maybe 3-4 English players, then 5-6 under 21s, and roll with that all season, squad requirements be damned.
@Ryan: Arsene would love to receive your newsletter. Also, MON was doing that backward.
@Keith: I worked at a Gannett newspaper for six years and a McClatchy newspaper for seven. I hate errors with a passion. Also, I don’t use threads on fan sites (even one as good as Villa Talk) as the bible when it comes to teams. Yes, they are useful, but I’m not going to stake anything on it.
@TSE: Fair enough. I got irked by the preview being delayed for accuracy to then find my team given the nickname of its far inferior rival. Then got carried away. As you do.
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I figured in lieu of any comprehensive match reports (the Villa site has been scrubbed of last year’s reserve news in the redesign) that the report of people who have regularly watched the reserves would be a good substitute. But taking fan forums with a silo of salt is a good policy.
@Keith: I put a little treat in the Arsenal preview just for you. It lands in four minutes. And we delayed for possible news, not accuracy. We’re third-rate through and through.
@TSE: It better not be that crap Manuel Almunia rumor.
“Citeh are delaying the transfer over the gap payoff between Ireland’s proposed terms at Villa and his currently contracted terms at Citeh. ”
Alternate view on things . Ireland wants and extra 2 million to go to him for being included in the deal.
@Ryan: as I said, that’s the gap in his wages between now (something like 82K/week) and what he’ll be on at Villa (60K/week)- for half of his remaining contract (22,000 X 52 X 2 = ~2,400,000). That makes sense to me- if he’s being forced out by his other club halfway through his contract, he should be entitled to at least part of the difference.
Mm, my fault. I misread what you wrote at first. More power to ya Stevie. After all, those tricked out range rovers don’t pay for themselves now do they?
hey, you try finding cheap pink chrome.
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The good news is if he puts together the trick jobs on his two Audis he’ll have an appropriate car for his new employers.