displaced_seagull

\o/ The Albion in the Premiership \o/ (for now at least )

Excellent stuff :thup:

The Taxman

UEFA Cup, Group D, Match2
Chalkidona vs. Villa

Off to Greece in what is supposed to be the easiest match of the group for us.

This match marked the return of Juan Angel to the side and with Vassell and Yakubu starting to be affected a little by morale it was a welcome return. He partnered McFadden in the front of the pitch as we went chasing the win.

Angel looked like he was getting back into the swing of things quite quickly as he surged forward and put the ball in the back of the net after 10 minutes, only to have it ruled offside. Eventually we got our first goal, a rare goal from a corner as Bresciano headed in a corner from Solano on 37 minutes.

After an hour we got a 2nd goal as McCann got a rare goal venturing forward after being fed by Whittingham. This gave us a good buffer and we were able to relax a little bit. A few minutes later we sealed the win as Angel marked his return with a goal thanks to a great cross from McFadden. We managed to get 2 more goals through Whittingham and Angel getting a 2nd, to seal a thumping 5 - 0 victory.

After this we really should progress to the next round quite easily.

Chalkidona 0
Villa 5

EPL, Game 13
Villa vs. Man Utd

The start of the rough period mentioned earlier is upon us. Our run for the next few matches is...

Much like the Liverpool match, it started out slowly but it was very intense. Man Utd had the upper hand and they went ahead through Owen before half time just when I thought we were getting ourselves into the game.

Into the 2nd half and Man Utd had a tight grip on the game and it was slipping away from us. However in a sign of how fast things can turn around, Hitzlsperger hit a tremendous goal, from 40 yards out he fired it passed Tim Howard and suddenly we were equal. Morale transformed instantly. We surged forward for a chance to go ahead and we got our 2nd goal within 5 minutes when McFadden lobbed one smartly over the goalkeeper to give us the lead.

After this it was up to us to hold them off for the last 20 minutes. We lasted 18. In the last 2 minutes who else but Scholes fired one in too steal a draw for the away side. In the end we should have won and I am disappointed in the defence for letting in the last minute goal.

Villa 2
Man Utd 2

UEFA Cup, Group D, Match3
Villa vs. Barca

Probably the best side we've played since I joined, this will be a huge test for us. Bresciano is out on the left so McFadden is down there replacing him on the wing.

With a win we had a chance to secure top spot in the group, and a HUGE morale booster. Things were fairly intense early on but we didn't buckle under early pressure, enduring an early surge before getting to grips with the game and starting to wield our own muscle.

Just 10 minutes in we grabbed the crucial first goal when Simunic hit a quick long ball up the field to Vassell, who put it through to Yakubu who put it into the net. We were 1 goal up and confident we could match these giants.

They were a class side though and they reacted by upping the tempo and eventually they got one back after some sloppy defending left Requelme open after a free kick.

They had grabbed the upper hand by now and were pressing hard for another, and we were just holding out until half time...but everyone knows the tables can turn very quickly in football and this time they did in our favour. McFadden grabbed the ball on the counter attack and booted it long out to Solano who got through and put the ball into the net...and then a couple of minutes later Hitzlsperger chipped the goalkeeper to give us the third. Villa Park was on their feet as the half time whistle went and the players went off to tremendous applause.

We were on a high, going into the 2nd half and we weren't about to sit back and let them get back at us. We kept coming at them, and of course it was Solano who was in the action, when Yakubu hit the post and Nobby came in and put the ball into the net.

Villa against Barca, the score reads 4-1. In our favour.

Barca had seemingly conceded the match and let off. But this was our day and we weren't finished. We kept coming at them and after the hour mark we struck again, this time through Hitzlsperger getting his 2nd after Solano fed him a great header.

Near the end they got another back, but they must have fallen asleep in the last 5 minutes because Yakubu managed to score 2 more goals to give us a 5 goal buffer and an incredible 7-2 victory.

Villa 7
Barca 2

As the players headed off the pitch, the Villa Park home crowd stood in ovation for the players - and I joined them. What a performance. A hattrick from Yakubu and 2 goals from Solano and Hitzlsperger. McFadden had also done very well on the left wing and was becoming a very good signing.

Back in the dressing room I let the players soak in the victory for a few minutes before spoiling the party and telling them that was just the beginning of our season - alot more work to do.

EPL, Game 14
Villa vs. Arsenal

The three days flew by and before we knew it, it was Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately Olof Mellberg sustained a minor injury and will miss the match.

The match started off fairly free flowing with some good football being played in a very end-to-end way. They got the best of the start when they got a scrappy goal from Reyes after only 8 minutes. However we had a newly found sense of confidence and we kept surging. Vassell started to take advantage of his chances back at the front of the park as he grabbed a ball from Yakubu and fired it in to equal the scores.

Confident as we were, we kept going forward. Despite the wet day, both teams were playing free football which was attacking and exciting, we were attacking through the wings with McFadden and Solano, and through Solano we hit the lead after 25 minutes when he hit a beautiful long shot from the edge of the box which sailed past Lehmann and hit the far corner. A quick turnaround and suddenly we were ahead.

Without Mellberg though we were always vulnerable at the back and the top placed Arsenal took advantage after half an hour when Gilberto headed home their 2nd.

They kept at us and we were lucky to hold off until half time.

Into the 2nd half and at the break I remembered to tell the players what happened last time we played Arsenal - they won 9-3. Yes, that is NINE goals. I saw the players going out and they looked determined.

Into the 2nd half and they came at us, pushing their defenders up. We were starting to sit back and go for the counter attack. With their defenders pushed right up though it gave us a chance, and it was Hitzlsperger who showed his tremendous individual talent when he struck a piledriver from what must have been 40 yards, definitely closer to the half way line than the goals, and the crowd watched the ball sail through the air for what must have been an eternity before hitting the back of the net. It was the type of spectacular goal that sets a crowd on their feet and the Villa Park crowd reacted accordingly ... the atmosphere was electric and there was an electric feeling that the team was stepping up to a higher level to compete.

After the goal we started to gain in confidence, feeding from the crowd we were pushing them once again. Hitzlsperger tried to repeat his tremendous goal just 2 minutes later and almost got it, but it took only 15 minutes for Solano to put Yakubu passed Campbell who put the ball into the back of the net to give us a 2 goal lead over the league leaders on 66 minutes.

But still, the facts remained. Mellberg was out of the match and our defence was vulnerable, without him. Particularly to Arsenal and only 5 minutes later they pulled one back through Edu to set up a very intense finish. I was desperate to avoid the same finish as the match against Man Utd when they scored a last minute equaliser.

Without our star defender the players clung on admirably, and we even got another when we sealed the deal through Yakubu who was fed by McFadden in stoppage time.

A tremendous win.

Villa 5
Arsenal 3

We had almost come through the horror period I was talking about, against the teams Man Utd, Arsenal and Barca one after the other and we hadn't lost yet, infact beaten two of them.

Particularly against Barca and Arsenal in the last two matches, four players really stood up. They were Solano, Yakubu, McFadden and Hitzlsperger, and the great thing that puts a smile on my face is that the latter 3 are all younger than 24 and showed composure in big games far beyond their young age.

That last win had propelled us into 4th spot. Our next match was against Sporting, away in the UEFA Cup but with our passage through signed, sealed and delivered I was planning on resting some of the first team players who were really needing of a rest after giving it their all against the big clubs over the past few matches.

Wow. I think we've turned the corner. GREAT 2 wins there

Peljam

Love the story. Good luck with the cup

Forest_Rule

great story, I cant sleep and I have just read through the majority of it

KUTGW