Go Hard Or Go Home: Can Aston Villa Beat The Odds?
Out of the bottom three, and things are looking up! But, the job isn’t anywhere near finished yet; we still have quite a fight on our hands. I don’t, for one minute, think that anybody believed that the job was done; in fact, most realise that it is still creaking into movement, but what I saw on Sunday was exactly what is needed to save this club!
I’m under no illusion about the quality of the football on display this last Sunday – it was relatively poor. West Ham’s tactics always produce a game that is seen as a bit of stinker: big and strong at the back whilst hoofing the ball up towards Findus’ latest contribution to lasagne. We’re used to seeing a similar game played when Stoke comes to town.
What I did see was plenty of fight and determination, which will be needed in abundance between now and the end of the season.
A good case in point is the demise of Stephen Ireland, who, it appears, has been frozen out of the squad and asked to train with the youth set up. In terms of raw talent, you will be hard pressed to find someone better in our current crop for natural ability. The problem with Ireland is that all the ability in the world is useless without the attitude and application to display it on the pitch. Ireland has chance after chance. Since he arrived two and a half years ago, I can think of one occasion when we saw him realise his potential and run a game: the away win at Chelsea last season. He was incredible that day, and showed just what he was capable of. Sadly, we have been waiting to see it again since then. The Bradford semi and Wigan games showed how mentally fragile he is. In a time when we need plays, looking at our experienced members for guidance, they instead were faced with an empty shell who looked like he had given up and seemed to run around with his head in his hands.
In stark contrast, step forward Charles N’Zogbia. Since his move to the free role behind the striker, he has been a player transformed. He looks like the player we signed again; needless to say, that player almost single-handedly kept Wigan up that season.
I’m ready to hurt people to try and help us stay up is the fighting talk we as fans have been looking for, and it’s a mentality that needs to spread throughout the squad.
The evidence was there on Sunday that this squad does have the fight within them to get the job done. Charles N’Zogbia, Fabian Delph, and Nathan Baker are three examples that immediately spring to mind from Sunday’s game. N’Zogbia caused West Ham problems, and untimely was the difference. Delph showed the promise from when we first signed him: he chased everything and had a pass completion rate of 92% – impressive in anyone’s book – and Nathan Baker really put his body on the line for the cause.
I have to admit, I thought it was more likely to be Ireland issuing the rallying cries – opposed to N’Zogbia – not that it matters who it is.
Commitment, hard work and accountability are what we need now! Twelve games to go; and, be assured, we will hit more bumps in the road. These three qualities will ultimately be what sees us through.
It’s very much a case of go hard, or go home!
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Hello Ryan,
Yes it’s a shame about Ireland and a bigger shame that his valuation has dropped to virtually nothing, he should take a good look at himself, nobody’s going to pay him what we do again.
Nice to see Zoggy’s twigged though. Ditto Delph and Baker, two of the younger players are showing how it’s done, if you’re off form you try even harder, this is why i would give some of the academy lads the odd run out, no fear.
The chances of getting rid of the chav has now slimmed as no bugger will want him, his behaviour far outweighs his ability.
Hopefully the club will use this break properly to prepare for the final assault on our league survival campaign , anything less than survival will be an absolute catastrophe.
Once the season is over we need a real inquest into what has been the worst season in living memory, we cannot continue in this vein, we are heading into oblivion if we continue on this path.
Agree with your comments Ryan.
What I think PL needs to do in the break is to sit the squad down and make them watch their opposition play. I’m talking about he opposition for survival – Reading v Chelsea; Southampton v Man City etc
The sit down and look at Villa’s last few game
The difference is commitment.
I wish the ‘powers that be’ at VP entertained the idea of bringing Teale in to strengthen the defence.
So frustrating to see this great club in decline; I hope we get out of this situation and build on the experience.
have to say i’m very worried at a different level that N’Zogbia is playing himself out of Villa a la RVP on his move to Manu, by playing well in a poor team he’ll catch the eye of the mid tablers of this world and we’ll be down another quality player
Hello Lads, Sorry I have not been on lately as to be quite honest I have not had anything to say.
Regarding the win, I can only put that down to me growing a beard until we won. Looking like a hobo and having important contract meetings I had to shave it off so my bad if we lose our next matches.
Darren, would you rather he played sh1t and stayed. As mention giving him the free run as helped his game. We have 2 weeks until Arseanal hopefully integrating the new lads into the team.
The Ireland enigma continues but I think we’ve given up on him as he did on us afew months ago. We all know how this story ends , he’ll leave be a superstar at another club and bang a hat trick into the holte end but at this moment in time we cannot afford to be gambling on pandora box type players like Ireland.
Ireland is the most gifted Irish player since Liam Brady in my opinion , the amount of regrets the fella will have when his boots are gathering cob webs is frightening. He should be playing on the champions stage and the irish team based around his ability instead he is a washed up yesterday man training with our reserves.
We gave him chances under plenty of managers, he has no one to blame but himself. Hopefully he is a prime example of failure to our younger players.
Hey Ryan, thanks
It’s funny that we see players like N’Zogbia who have played like poo for a year and a bit then turn it around and we think they will be off. Their poor play is part of the reason Villa is on the ropes. They have to see this. With improvement in themselves and the team surely they would want to be part of that improvement. Ireland is FRUSTRATING.
Hey Haggis
Regaling us with some embarassing moments in your life will get you past the rough spots regarding comments on Villa. Or perhaps a tune or two.
Hi Ryan,
I agree that it is important to play hard and win, though I don’t think this is any more or less applicable if you are in a relegation scrap or not.
It is a funny one – some fans will want more than winning football because they crave style, and others will just be happy with survival.
I guess that is the issue all the time, no matter what team a person supports, that fans generally want more than they have, which often leads to the complaints about circumstances and the situation whether we are sixth from the top or sixth from the bottom.
Don’t worry Lads I here Mark Hughes is on the radar of West Ham lol… He’ll be in for Dunne, Ireland and Bent in the summer if that’s true….
Darren,
Charlie may well attract the plaudits by virtue of playing well for us, but frankly we aren’t in a position to be complaining.
Anyway, isn’t that exactly what we did when buying him from Wigan? If we can’t progress, the lad deserves to do well, surely?
Ireland’s useless release him ASAP and use his wage to go to the local pub and hire everyone in their as they’d play better for a fraction of the wages…
On an alternative note, i think we stand a chance against Arsenal, They’re fans are getting on the players backs for under performing and they have no real aerial threat so since we are at the emirates play keep ball for 20 minutes frustrate the Arse fans and then release benteke on their unsuspecting back 4. Which sounds like a game plan to me.
It’s actually the only game plan iv’e seen from the Villa for years mate, you’ve got the job when Lambert’s gone.
Nice post Ryan!
It was only last year that Ireland was in the mail saying how we hadn’t seen the best of him and how determined he was to get back to 100%
Empty words! He looked alright earlier in the season and to be fair he was running around like a dog in the park closing down space. But nowhere near as good as his City days. I was at City away when Ireland was in form. One of the best performances I’ve ever seen. His interplay with Robinho was amazing, little back heels and everything. Such a shame.
He must have said or done something. For the good of our club I hope he gets back to form so we can either sell him or get some value out of him.
Or, looking at it another way Gav, Ireland is like a telephone – no good unless you have two players on the same level of talent.
Bit like Pires really – a player who was universally lambasted despite the fact he was always floating in space but was never used.
Instead he got lambasted for being slow when, truthfully, he could have been a great purchase had the players around him been able to think on anything near his level.