retired_jgirl87

Top work, Bob. :thup:

I notice that Bierofka has scored a few goals for you. I've had him in a Charlton game and a Spurs game and I've found him to be a great assister, but a shocking finisher. I lost track of the number of times I held my head in my hands in those games when Bierofka missed a simple chance. Still worth it for the goals he sets up though.

retired_amyslack

Thanks Spav. Bierofka has been a real star for me, both scoring and making goals - top man.

November 2005

Despite, or perhaps because of, our slump in form, Doug has once again rather uncharacteristically loosened his wallet and given me an extra £3.4M in the transfer fund because of our improved finances. As yet I am not totally sure where I want to strengthen the squad so I need to give this some thought before the winter transfer window.

Liverpool have been having as poor a season as us in the league and when they visited Villa Park they sat just below us on goal difference. There is not too much between the relegation places and us now and we just have to start winning games. The Reds have spent £22M on new players this season and they will be equally keen to get a result. I am delighted to welcome back Cruz to midfield and Nobby to the bench. I also decide to bring our great Dane back between the sticks as his layoff seems to have improved his morale. But now I am concerned about Gareth Barry as he seems very down so I decide to give him a rest and bring in Samuel.

Villa v Liverpool
We are boosted with an early goal, made by Lee Hendrie but credited to Xabi Alonso as an own goal. It’s nip and tuck for the rest of the game and we concede an equaliser after an hour before we re-take the lead, Angel making and converting a penalty. With Sørensen making some very good saves and Laursen a rock in the centre of defence, we hang on for a much-needed 2-1 win.

Hero : Sørensen and Laursen – our Danish pair both earned their corn today and were key figures in the win.
League Position : 9th


I made a couple of changes for the trip to Fulham as the physio team have told me that Mellberg and Angel are both in need of a rest so they move to the bench and are replaced by Tudor and Johnson respectively.

Fulham v Villa
Andy Johnson showed his eagerness to play by scoring inside the first minute and Lee Hendrie put us two up just minutes later. It was a very open and attacking game and Johnson could have completed a hat trick before the home side pulled a goal back on 22 minutes. Quarter of an hour later the game was square as we squandered our early advantage before half time. The game had barely restarted before we conceded again, Sørensen completely missing a cross to leave an easy header. We spurned several decent chances to get back in the game and to my intense frustration we surrendered a winning position to lose 3-2.

Villan : Sørensen – back to square one as his fumbling performance undid all the good work in midweek.
League Position : 14th


Mark Delaney had suffered a twisted knee in our defeat so O’Connor came in at right back when we faced a visit from rivals West Brom in the 4th Round of the League Cup. I felt that this competition offered us the best chance of a trophy so I was really keen to get the win.

Villa v Baggies
Some great work from David Rasmussen made an early opening goal for Johnson and he used his strength and speed to score again within minutes. His hat trick came on 25 minutes as we tore the visitors apart. We lost James O’Connor to injury on the half hour but reached the break unscathed to keep our 3-0 lead. The second period was somewhat quieter but we were still able to add a 4th through Lee Hendrie to give us an excellent win.

Hero : Johnson – a great hat trick means that he looks like keeping his place in the starting eleven.


Having disposed of one set of rivals, we learned a few days later that we face an even fiercer foe in the Quarter Final – Birmingham. But before that we had to play them in the league and we would both be looking for a morale-boosting win.

Villa v Brum
This was a typically tight and dour local derby and the first half produced few chances and finished goalless. We took the lead on the hour through Hendrie but were unable to hold on to our advantage and conceded an equaliser for a 1-1 draw.

Hero : Bierofka – the German winger laid on our goal and generally made a nuisance of himself all afternoon.
League Position : 13th


We got back into UEFA Cup action looking for our first point in the group at home to Sporting and I decided that Jlloyd Samuel would continue to play at left back as he had been in fine form since replacing Barry.

Villa v Sporting
Having made all the running and built a two-goal lead through a double from Andy Johnson we somehow contrived to conceded twice in the last ten minutes to throw away two points.

Hero : Johnson – another good display and two more goals.
Villan : Sørensen – an unsteady display that has me tearing my hair out about our goalkeeping situation.
Group position : 4th


For the visit to Old Trafford I decided that Sander Westerveld would be given the gloves and I hoped that he would be a steadier influence. United are another team that have spent big over the summer, with over £32M of new talent in the squad.

Man U v Villa
Another ****-poor goalkeeping display and another demoralising defeat as we shipped four goals, one of them an own goal.

Villan : Westerveld – poor, very poor.
League Position : 15th

retired_amyslack

December 2005

I needed to find some way to arrest our debilitating slide down the table but before that we had UEFA Cup action with a trip to Basel in a game that we had to win if we were to make further progress. I felt that I had no option but to reinstate Sørensen and I also decided to bring back Mellberg as I really needed my captain’s influence at the back.

Basel v Villa
A glorious strike in the first minute from Lee Hendrie gave us the perfect start and he scored again inside ten minutes to double our lead. That’s how the score stayed until the 50th minute when Cruz scored his first goal since mid-September and a good win was sealed when Angel, on as a late substitute, scored a wonderful solo effort.

Hero : Hendrie – his two goals set up the platform for a fine win.
Group Position : 3rd


With Mellberg seemingly restored to full fitness it is now Martin Laursen who needs a bit of a rest so Tudor came back into central defence for the league match at home to Everton. Having gained an excellent win in Europe I was desperate to keep up our momentum but the Toffees were having a great season and sat in 3rd place in the Premiership so it would be a very tough game.

Villa v Toffees
If I had any hair left I would have been pulling it out in handfuls as we once again relinquished a game-winning lead to drop points. 2-0 up after 26 minutes through Johnson and Bierofka, we allowed James Beattie to score a goal in each half to end with a 2-2 draw. The second half degenerated into a bad-tempered and niggly affair as we allowed the robust style of the Everton players to affect us and yellow cards were flashed at regular intervals. Rasmussen had to be replaced early in the second half and he has been diagnosed with shin splints and will be absent for a couple of months.

Villan : Sørensen – once again his maddening inconsistency cost us dear.
League Position : 13th


With Rasmussen absent it cleared the way for Solano to have an extended run in the team, starting in the League Cup at Birmingham. David was joined in the treatment room by fellow Dane Sørensen who hurt a foot in training so Westerveld was called up in goal.

Brum v Villa
This turned out to be a rare old battle as the two bitter rivals put on a real show for the fans. We took the lead inside 20 minutes when Hendire scored his 15th goal of the season and for spells in the first 45 minutes we played as well as we have all season. Keeper Maik Taylor was instrumental in keeping his team in the game and they reached halftime just a goal down. Within minutes of the restart they squared the game but we struck back immediately through Andy Johnson to re-take the lead. They came back strongly and we had to do some pretty desperate defending to hold on to our advantage. With the game entering stoppage time we put the result beyond doubt with a 3rd goal. Taylor had joined the attack for a corner and when the set piece broke down and the ball fell to Angel, he was stranded. The Colombian shrugged off one defender and calmly rolled the ball into the empty net from some 40- yards out to seal the win.

Hero : Cruz – he reached the heights of his early season form with a masterful display in midfield.


We were off to the south coast next for a game at Portsmouth hoping to extend our short unbeaten run.

Pompey v Villa
Looking at the match stats there was little to distinguish between the two teams as we both managed just three scoring attempts on target. The difference was that we scored with two of ours and Westerveld dealt with their efforts. Andy Johnson got us off to a great start with a goal after just five minutes and Lee Hendrie scored a cracker before half time to give us a 2-0 lead. We defended stoutly in the second half and clung on to our lead to get the win but we lost Hendrie for a week with a twisted knee.

Hero : Delaney – our unsung right back had a great game in defence, as did the rest of the back four as it happened.
League Position : 11th


In the lead up to our crucial UEFA Cup game at home to Dnipro we suffered a huge blow as Gareth Barry suffered a broken leg in a training ground accident. He had been out of the side for quite a few games due to the sparkling form of Jlloyd Samuel but it was still a major blow. With no other left-side defender available to me it meant that we had no cover for that position at all. I had to make a couple of changes to the starting eleven got the game with Whittingham replacing the injured Hendrie in midfield and Angel in up front as Johnson was struggling with a knock.

Villa v Dnipro
This was as good a performance as the Villa Park faithful have seen all season as we brushed the opposition aside with a magnificent 5-0 win. Julio Ricardo Cruz was the architect, scoring a hat trick and also being involved in the two other goals. His movement, passing and vision were top class and he orchestrated proceedings superbly. The downside of the win was an injury to Bierofka, a calf strain that would keep him out for a fortnight.

Hero : Cruz – a sublime display from the Argentinean.
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | Dortmund | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 8 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Q | Aston Villa | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 6 | +6 | 7 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | Q | Sporting CP | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 5 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Basel | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 11 | -7 | 4 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Dnipro | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 11 | -7 | 2 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>
Our reward for getting through the group stage was a tie with Dutch side PSV. Newcastle also progressed as did neighbours West Brom. By a supreme irony if the Baggies could somehow get past FC Bayern in the 1st knockout stage and we could dispose of the Dutch then we would face one another in the next round.


But that was all a long way off and we needed to get back to earth for our league match at home to Derby.

Villa v Rams
Confidence was high once more at Villa Park and it showed in our comfortable 4-0 win. Solano still seemed to be set on leaving the club given an opportunity but he excelled today, scoring two good goals. Andy Johnson and substitute Fatmir Vata provided the others but it was the performance of Gavin McCann in midfield that really caught my eye. He worked tirelessly and although he isn’t seeing a lot of first team action he came through when it counted.

Hero : McCann – a typical 100% game from the tireless midfielder.
League Position : 10th


We headed into the dreaded Christmas period with a very heavy fixture list and another player in the treatment room, Whittingham having suffered some bruising in the last game and needing a short break. First stop was a trip to relegation threatened Sheffield United.

Blades v Villa
McCann put in another very solid display, scoring the opening goal midway through the first half. Cruz added a second on the stroke of half time and we dug in for the second period and held on to our lead for a good 2-0 win.

Hero : Samuel – there were some excellent individual performances but Jlloyd was really outstanding at full back and he has really blossomed recently.
League Position : 9th


Boxing Day saw us travel to bottom of the table Leeds. The Yorkshire side have had a nightmare return to the Premiership after winning the Championship last season and with one win and 18 defeats in their 19 games they are rock bottom of the league.

Leeds v Villa
We won’t have an easier away game all season and we totally dominated a very poor Leeds side. Angel had a field day, scoring twice, hitting the post and having another effort ruled out for offside. Hendrie, back after injury, also hit the woodwork and scored our final goal late on as we had an easy 3-0 win.

Hero : Angel – he ran the Leeds defence ragged and with a bit more luck would certainly have had a hat trick.
League Position : 9th


Two days later we faced a visit from league leaders Arsenal and with a lot of weary looking players I had to make a number of changes. The one that concerned me most was having to play a fit again Ulises de la Cruz at left back to rest a tired Samuel.

Villa v Gunners
I was rubbing my eyes in disbelief as we took a two-goal lead inside ten minutes through Johnson and Cruz. But two minutes later Pires had pulled a goal back to get his team right back into the game. Cruz was denied a second by a point blank save from Lehman and I believe that if he had scored we would have gone on to get the win. As it happened we conceded again with 20 minutes remaining but we were far from outplayed in a decent 2-2 draw.

Hero : Cruz – another commanding performance and he was very unlucky not to have been the match winner.
League Position : 9th

retired_embartl

phew - nice to see the form coming back again there Bob - and still decently placed for a charge up the board :thup:

retired_amyslack

Cheers Bri - keep your fingers crossed that our form improves in the second half of the season.

January 2006

I may have over-reacted to the loss of Gareth Barry for on New Years Day not one, but two left-sided defenders turned up at Villa Park. Danish international Niclas Jensen arrived from Dortmund on a £575K deal and he was joined by Belgian defender Filip Daems who was purchased from Gladbach for £40K. Neither of them featured in the side for the trip to 3rd place Chelsea however.

Chelsea v Villa
Ouch – a 6-2 mauling was not exactly the way that I would have chosen to start the New Year. Having managed to put a decent run of form together we slipped up badly in this game and Chelsea’s expensively assembled set of superstars had a field day. The ironic thing was that we kept pace with them for the first half hour and despite twice being behind we managed to strike back each time through Cruz and Johnson. Had a shot from Tudor not come back off the crossbar then we would even have taken the lead. But when the wheels came off they did so in style as the defence collapsed and it seemed that every shot on target produced a goal.

Villan : The Defence – this was as poor a defensive display as I’ve seen all season. Caption Mellberg had a ‘mare and Westerveld, having put in a series of good games, just fell apart.
League Position : 9th


I hoped that a visit to Cambridge in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup would give us an ideal opportunity to recover from our heavy defeat. I rotated most of the first team to rest them, both physically and emotionally, especially as we had to face Chelsea again in a few days in the League Cup.

Cambridge v Villa
It was ugly, but at least it was a win. Lee Hendrie scored what proved to be the only goal of the game after two minutes. I was pretty disappointed with the performance and even more upset at the news that Andy Johnson suffered a broken arm and would be out for three weeks.

Hero : Hendrie – one of our few good performers and he scored the only goal (although he did manage to miss a penalty.


We prepared for the visit of Chelsea for the 1st leg of our League Cup Semi Final hoping that we could bounce back from our horrendous defeat ten days earlier. I fielded what I hoped was my strongest side, minus Hendrie who had been injured in training.

Villa v Chelsea
Well we were outplayed but at least we weren’t outfought and the lads worked ever so hard to stay in the game. A Drogba goal early on proved to be the only thing that separated the sides at the final whistle but only thanks to a man of the match display by Westerveld. But to my horror we suffered another serious injury blow when Mark Delaney broke his leg to join Barry on the long-term injured list.

Hero : Westerveld – made some impressive saves to help restore his battered confidence.


The loss of Delaney cannot be underestimated as he has been one of our best performers and had recently agreed a contract extension. Nobby Solano confirmed that he will be moving on when he accepted a contract offer from Derby. It was then back into league action with the visit of Middlesbrough and I was looking for an improved display and a good win.

Villa v Boro
We continued to be plagued by inconsistent goalkeeping and after a great display in the previous game Westerveld contrived to concede three times today, costing us dearly as we lost 3-2. With more possession and more chances we should have wrapped up three points but each time we forged an advantage some dodgy keeping handed the initiative back to the visitors.

Villan : Westerveld – my keepers are driving me crazy!
League Position : 9th


For the midweek visit of Manchester City I moved Bierofka over to the right wing and brought in Whittingham on the left and I also decided to give Cesar a try in goal.

Villa v Man City
A superb hat trick from Bierofka saw us through against a very lively and determined City. We took the lead after 20 minutes through Angel but then went to sleep at the back and allowed the visitors to score twice in five minutes to fall behind. But Bierofka squared the game before the break and scored twice more in the second half to give us a much needed win.

Hero : Bierofka – a great hat trick spared our blushes and gave us some useful points.
League Position : 9th


For our FA Cup 4th Round tie at Newcastle I brought back Laursen and Mellberg into central defence and gave Luke Moore a start up front to give Angel a rest on the bench.

Mags v Villa
A storming game was decided by the odd goal as Newcastle triumphed 3-2, Alan Shearer scoring the winner deep in stoppage time. We were outplayed in the first half and only some great saves from Julio Cesar kept the home side at bay. We took the lead with a breakaway goal in stoppage time through Cruz to secure a fortunate lead at the break. Cesar continued to look impressive but the Mags were creating such good chances that it seemed only a matter of time before they scored. The excellent Kevin Kuranyi squared the game on 65 and then scored again on 72 and we looked a beaten side. But all credit to the boys, they came back strongly and Hendrie scored with 7 minutes remaining to tie it up again. But a defensive slip from Samuel allowed Shearer the ball and he scored the winner with an unstoppable shot.

Hero : Cesar – he put in the kind of performance that persuaded me to buy him in the first place and I can’t criticise him for any of the goals.


We were all a little subdued as we travelled to Stamford Bridge for the second leg of our League Cup Semi Final although my mood was somewhat improved when Thomas Sørensen informed me that he had accepted a contract offer from Middlesbrough and would be moving on in the summer.

Chelsea v Villa
I think that mentally we were beaten before we even stepped on the pitch and when Eidur Gudjohnsen scored early on with a stunning shot our heads dropped even further. A second from Kezman on 34 minutes pretty much sealed things and we watched our chance of a Cup Final appearance disappear.

Villan : Cesar, Whittingham, Angel – pick any one as they were all fairly abysmal.


A trip to Anfield is never designed to improve your morale but I worked hard at remaining positive and trying to boost the confidence of the players as much as possible.

Liverpool v Villa
All things considered it wasn’t a bad performance but we lost 1-0 to an early goal from Cisse and we seem to have lost a lot of our attacking sparkle. We certainly miss our injured lads but at least Johnson and Rasmussen should be back in full training shortly.

Villan : Whittingham – the lad seems to have lost all of his early season verve and clearly needs a break for a while.
League Position : 9th


On the final day of the transfer window I received an unexpected offer from Man City for the useless Vassell and although it offered a little up front and staged payments I was only too pleased to accept and get him off the wage bill.

retired_amyslack

February 2006

On the first of the month we were given the boost of a new player as Colombian international midfielder Freddy Grisales joined on a free transfer and he went straight into the team for the visit of Southampton. I also welcomed back Andy Johnson who took a seat on the bench.

Villa v Saints
OK, this was probably my low point of the season so far as we lost 2-1 to two Craig Bellamy goals – not my favourite player this lad and I like him even less now. We didn’t do anything terribly wrong but then again we didn’t do anything particularly right either. Grisales made a competent debut without really excelling but he looks to have promise. The win moved Saints level with us on points but we stay ahead on goal difference.

Villan : Bellamy – sorry, I just don’t like him and it’s not the first time that his goals have hurt us.
League Position : 9th


Everton have gone on an amazing 19-game unbeaten run in the league and they now top the table. I have challenged my players to try to match their achievements and restore some pride to the club beginning with the televised fixture at Blackburn. We have Hendrie missing through suspension so I decide to risk Whittingham in central midfield for this game and Andy Johnson returns after his broken arm.

Blackburn v Villa
At last – a performance worthy of praising and a deserved 2-0 win. The game was as hard as I had expected but defensively we held firm with Martin Laursen looking much more like the rock that I expect him to be. The goals came from Johnson and Cruz in the first half and it was encouraging to see how well we withstood the Blackburn onslaught in the second period.

Hero : Laursen – a commanding performance from the Dane that was great to see.
League Position : 9th


The visit of Charlton saw David Rasmussen take his place on the bench having seemingly recovered from the shin splints that kept him out for several months and Lee Hendrie also returned to midfield after suspension.

Villa v Coventry
Do you want the good news or the bad news? The good news – we won 3-1 with Johnson scoring twice and Hendrie also on target, both players reaching the 20-goal landmark. The bad news – Grisales was injured in the first half and replacement Rasmussen also picked up a knock in the second period. Thankfully neither was serious but Grisales looked like he could miss our next match.

Hero : Johnson – another brace and he looks like he is none the worse for his layoff although he is lacking match fitness to some extent.
League Position : 9th


European action next with both legs of our UEFA Cup knockout tie against PSV in the next week. The opening leg is in Holland and the game plan is to try to keep a clean sheet and nick an away goal if possible.

PSV v Villa
Well we partially achieved our objectives – we failed to keep a clean sheet but we did score an away goal. We scored two away goals to be accurate but also allowed the home side two of their own and the 2-2 draw leaves the tie finely balanced. It was a highly competitive encounter with both sides well matched and a draw is a fair reflection of the balance of play. We took the lead late in the first half through Rasmussen, replacing the injured Grisales, but allowed an equaliser in stoppage time. A lively 45-minutes could have produced more goals for both sides but with 90 minutes on the clock there had been no further scoring. And then the fireworks in stoppage time – firstly PSV scored to go ahead and then Lee Hendrie rescued the draw with a deflected shot with seconds remaining.

Hero : Johnson – he didn’t find the net but his tireless and intelligent running caused all sorts of problems for PSV all evening.


I had to make two changes for the return leg – a booking for Laursen meant that he was suspended and a training injury ruled Cruz out for a fortnight.

Villa v PSV
We made a storming start as our first-leg goalscorers were on target again, Hendrie and Johnson both scoring inside ten minutes. That really knocked the stuffing out of PSV and they rarely managed to mount a meaningful attack. When Johnson scored his second on the hour then it was game over. Sadly West Brom were rolled over 5-2 on aggregate by FC Bayern, meaning that we would face the Germans in the next round – I’d rather have had the Baggies to be honest.

Hero : Johnson – two more goals for the striker who is keeping Angel seated firmly on the bench.


At the end of the month we watched our conquerors Chelsea beat Middlesbrough 3-1 in the League Cup Final to lift the first domestic trophy of the season.

retired_amyslack

March 2006

With 10 days break before the trip up to Newcastle the players were pretty well rested after their European success. Cruz was back in full training but still not fit enough to play so I gave Whittingham a place in midfield and Laursen came back into central defence.

Mags v Villa
A combination of good defensive play by us and poor finishing by the home side gave us a clean sheet and we made the most of our chances when they came our way. Andy Johnson opened the scoring on 36, Hendrie the provider, and the former Palace man showed again how effective he is playing as a lone striker. Having survived some significant spells of pressure we doubled our advantage late on through substitute Djemba Djemba, his first goal of the season giving us a 2-0 win.

Hero : Mellberg – the captain was a rock in the middle of our defence.
League Position : 9th


Daniel Bierofka had to miss the home leg of our UEFA Cup tie against FC Bayern after taking a knock in our last match so I moved Whittingham to the left and brought Cruz back into the centre.

Villa v Bayern
The visitors dominated the first 45 minutes but despite that we went into the break a goal ahead, Johnson hitting them on the break midway through the half. But the pressure continued in the second half and the inevitable equaliser came with 25 minutes remaining. Bayern seemed to take their foot off the gas after they got their away goal but we looked tired late on and couldn’t capitalise. Based on this the Germans will be firm favourites in the return in a week’s time.

Hero : Julio Cesar – the Brazilian keeper seems to be finding his feet now and he has been performing well recently.


Bierofka suffered a further injury during a gentle training session and with the physios recommending some rehab he would be out for three weeks. On the eve of the Bayern game captain Mellberg suffered torn ankle ligaments and the decision that surgery was required ruled him out for the rest of the season. Laursen was also unavailable after he too was hurt in training so I was not optimistic about our chances in the tie.

Bayern v Villa

I expected Bayern to put us under some pressure and that’s exactly what they did. After his fine form last season I have been rather disappointed with Djemba Djemba this year and after a very poor 45 minutes he was replaced by Gavin McCann at half time. By that point we were 2-0 down an as good as out of the competition. Lee Hendrie scored late on to give us a lifeline but the second away goal failed to materialise and that was it.

Villan : Djemba Djemba – another poor performance from a player who “has lost confidence in his manger”. Well I’ve got news for him – I’ve lost confidence in the player and he won’t be seeing much more action this season.


My birthday treat was visit from West Brom and I was hopeful that we would all be celebrating a win over our local rivals.

Villa v Baggies
What a great way to spend your birthday! Despite being televised there were over 42,500 at Villa Park and goals from Freddy Grisales and Lee Hendrie gave us a 2-0 win that keeps our rivals deep in relegation trouble.

Hero : Grisales – not yet match fit but a big contribution from the Colombian who has made a case for a regular start.
League Position : 9th


The injury jinx hit again as Peter Whittingham suffered a sprained ankle in training and looked set to be out for a month. With limited options on the left of midfield I decided to play Niclas Jensen there against Tottenham. Although a defensive-minded player he was an effective wingback and I hoped that he would work in an attacking role. With our opponents a place and a point above us in the table a win would move us a little closer to that top-6 finish that we wanted.

Spurs v Villa
Lee Hendrie’s 25th goal of the season got us off to the perfect start inside 5 minutes but a Kanoute thunderbolt squared the game midway through the half. Both sides traded further chances but late goals from Cruz and Hendrie sealed a cracking 3-1 win.

Hero : Hendrie – two more goals for the midfield dynamo who is now one of our most important players.
League Position : 7th

retired_amyslack

April 2006

Jlloyd Samuel has been deputising superbly for the injured Gareth Barry and he was rewarded by winning the Player of the Month for March. After our 100% league record I also won a gong, my second Manager of the Month bauble.

With just 7 games remaining in the league programme I was very keen to see us maintain our momentum in our search for European qualification. The top four places seem to be sewn up – Chelsea, Everton, Arsenal and Man U all battling it out for the title – but 5th place could be achievable. We were four points behind Birmingham and five adrift of Liverpool, although both teams had played one game less than us. I was particularly keen to finish above the Brummies is possible so we really needed a win at home to Fulham as we would play our bitter rivals next weekend.

We lost yet another player to the treatment room when Ulises de la Cruz came back from a midweek international friendly with fractured ribs, meaning that James O’Connor would fill in at right back.

Villa v Fulham
Hendrie’s stellar season continued as he scored both goals in our 2-0 win. Jensen is not doing the business as a an attacker and I will be glad to get a real winger back in the side but it is make do and mend at present.

Hero : Hendrie – what can I say about the wee orange fella – top notch again.
League Position : 7th


It is no exaggeration to say that the trip to hated neighbours Birmingham is potentially our biggest game of the season so far. A win would lift us above them and into the precious European qualification places. We still have 6 players out injured and although Bierofka is now back from his treatment he is certainly not fit enough to risk in a match of this magnitude. I also have a problem at right back as O’Connor is struggling for fitness so 18-year-old Shane Morris was called up from the reserves.

Brum v Villa
This turned out to be a cracking derby that thankfully ended with the scoreline in our favour. David Rasmussen gave us the lead inside ten minutes and who else but Lee Hendrie made it 2-0 minutes later. When Andy Johnson cheekily chipped Roy Carroll with 25 minutes remaining we looked to be home and dry. But the home side pulled a goal back on 73 and made the scoreline more respectable in stoppage time. I was slightly miffed that we conceded twice but nonetheless the 3-2 win was just what we needed.

Hero : Hendrie – boring I know but after all he has answered my doubts of last season in emphatic style.
League Position : 6th


The relegation issues have all been decided early this season with West Brom, Derby and Leeds all going down. The gap at the bottom has been quite significant and at this point in the season all three have managed just nine wins between them and Leeds are no yet in double figures in the points column.

Igor Tudor has joined the long list of players undergoing treatment having been sent to rehab for a back injury sustained in training. I have decided that Bierofka should come back into the lineup for the visit of Man U – a tough game that could undo all of our hard work and knock us out of the top-six.

Villa v Man U
We are really on a roll right now and we outplayed United from start to finish. Two goals from Man of the Match Andy Johnson and another from Bierofka gave us a well-deserved 3-1 win and if not for Shay Given, an £8.5M buy from Newcastle at the start of the season, we would have won by a bigger margin.

Hero : Johnson – he broke a four-game drought last weekend and took his total to 27 for the season today – magic!
League Position : 6th


No sooner had Peter Whittingham got back into training than Julio Ricardo Cruz replaced him in the treatment room – a neck strain ruling him out of the tough trip to Everton. The Scousers were having a fantastic season but two defeats in their last two games had raised doubts that they might be running out of steam at a crucial stage of the season.

Toffees v Villa
The wheels may well have come off the Everton bandwagon and after our 2-1 win they could well struggle to hold on to 3rd place with Man U hot on their heels. There wasn’t too much to choose between the two sides in terms of chances created and both keepers made some terrific saves. Our goals came from Andy Johnson and Freddy Grisales and Julio Cesar did his part to keep us in front and get the three points.

Hero : Julio Cesar – this was probably his best performance between the sticks since he joined and I am hopeful that he will turn out to be a quality keeper.
League Position : 6th


I hesitate to say that we have an easy run-in to the end of the season but our three remaining matches are all against teams at the wrong end of the table, beginning with a visit from 12th place Portsmouth.

Villa v Pompey
It’s hard to believe that we failed to win given the balance of play and the chances we created but football is like that sometimes. Even though former Man Utd keeper Tim Howard, who joined the south coast club in the winter transfer window, made some decent saves we should have done better than a 0-0 draw. Thankfully Birmingham could only draw at Southampton so we still have a three-point cushion over the Blues.

Villan : Grisales – unfortunately Freddy missed several good chances and was replaced at half time by a fit-again Cruz.
League Position : 6th

As the month ended the Man United Board dropped a bombshell by sacking Fergie after the team lost 3-1 at Liverpool. Neighbours City were also looking for a new boss as they sacked Keegan a week earlier.

retired_brinker317

Excellent stuff Bob, another year of European football beckoning?

retired_embartl

don't screw up villa Nice work in the second half there Bob :thup: