What a weekend.
After travelling down to Wembley and seeing us shoot our way into a final, it feels kind of surreal but at the same time real – much like the Aston Villa I’ve known in recent years has been ejected and replaced with a different team.
Perhaps that’s bordering on hyperbole, but the truth is that things feel much different. I’m only just now getting my voice back, spending Monday sounding like Frank Butcher from Eastenders and wondering if it was actually real.
Of course, we did win and we’re in the final against Arsenal, and whilst we’ll be seen as the underdogs, anything can happen in one game and Villa are arguably better off when the expectations are low, and most neutrals will think Arsenal have one hand on the cup.
If Tim Sherwood can ruin the day for Arsene Wenger, Villa’s season will go down in history, and this time for the right reasons given the club have been notoriously poor in terms of achievements for almost the past 20 years.
In fact, if we’re brutally honest, we’ve done little for even longer than that so a cup – and the FA cup to boot – would be a tremendous boon for progress at the club. Tom Fox speaks a good game and talks of resurrecting a team that should be doing better given the stature and support. Sadly, up until recently, the football has been less than palatable.
Which isn’t, by any means, to suggest Sherwood is a wizard, but his injection of confidence has been a catalyst for a dramatic improvement. On Sunday, it was Liverpool looking dejected and the ability for Villa to get back into the game after going behind showed that this is a team that refuses to lie down.
Contrast that with games earlier this season where conceding was a precursor to a collapse, where confidence was a fragile entity that rattled regularly and frequently shattered. Under Sherwood, it would seem, Villa have the belief to not only survive, but have a good chance of grabbing the club’s first silverware in almost 20 years.
Jack Grealish, a player who seemed to have potential under Paul Lambert appears to be looking like a player playing at a level that defies his years. We’ve been here far too often to be making statements about Grealish being the “real deal” just yet, but there’s positive indications that Sherwood is showing he can make something of the young player.
Similarly, his transformation of Benteke’s confidence – given the sum total of zero extra players being added – has been nothing short of remarkable. Yes, Lambert’s teams were shackled by a defensive mentality, but Villa’s Belgian striker is like a man reborn, throwing off previous sleights that his injuries may have made him a shadow of the player he looked to be during his first season at the club.
The difference now is that Sherwood has decisively chosen a plan and has stuck to it. No plan is infallible, but the difference between Sherwood and Lambert is that Villa’s current manager has a swagger than inspires the players rather than having them worry about looking over their combined shoulders.
Under Lambert, the tactics seemed wholly back to front. When he joined, he espoused attacking football but lacked the individuals to play with such fluidity, leading to lax defensive displays. Somewhat ironically, once he got in a better standard of player – and even managed to add flair through Carles Gil – he switched to a rigid and defensive style that stifled the new talent.
I have no bad feeling for Lambert, but what Villa needed then – and still need now – is belief. When you’re constantly worrying about falling down or focused on purely not conceding, you’re going to be a ball of anxiety. Under Sherwood, Villa seem positively brimming with confidence – a stark contrast.
If Villa can take such a swagger and shock Arsenal in the same way they put Liverpool to the sword, there may be a chance the Villans can grab their first FA cup success for 58 years. For our collective sakes, I sincerely hope we can and – for the first time in a long while – I’m starting to believe it may actually happen.
The Author
Matt Turvey
Matt is the owner of, and chief writer for, Aston Villa Life. He is also a columnist for the Wolverhampton Express & Star, appearing in the Kick Off pullout on Saturdays and the Final Whistle pullout the Monday after Aston Villa play, as well as every Thursday as a blogger on their website. He has previously been featured as a writer on Football365 and Life's A Pitch, and was a regular pundit for Sports Tonight TV on Sky.Comments 38
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Isn’t life great for Villa fans now Matt? Let’s hope we are still full of enthusiasm by 30 May.
A song for cup final day to the tune of che sera….
Steve Gerrard Gerrard
Hes taking it very hard
Sat at home with his birthday card
Steve Gerrard Gerrard
Getting closer to getting my own voice back to normal, great write up Matt. I think the belief the players have from TS is transferring to the fans and the Liverpool win cemented the feeling for me that we can survive the relegation battle and look forward instead of backwards or over the shoulder.
Can’t wait for the man city game, would have been dreading it a few weeks ago and can’t wait to cheer on the boys v Everton in person.
All the players have been transformed under TS, sure there are individual mistakes but that comes with football.
UTV
Hello Matt,
Chuffed you and your family enjoyed Saturday, great day.
The toxic jocks have been a lesson learned for Randy and our admin, every Villan knew how it would end, our recent disasters are entirely down to RL, PF, TF and the two mis-managers mentioned, pathetic appointments.
On the playing side i feel two good signings could put us in the top eight, four could have us challenging the positions MON left us in but that is without injuries, i think we need eight more decent standard players in our squad before we can talk about hitting top six. Cleverley, while a decent player, isn’t worth 80,000 a week.
Regarding CB, i bet he looked at Henderson and thought ‘If that clown is worth 100,000 quid a week what am i worth ?’ I think its CRUCIAL that he stays.
TS has some hard and sad decisions to make for the cup final, some of the SF stars will be disappointed in my opinion, still, that’s what he gets paid for.
Something i notice on the Liverpool sites is how “the best fans in the world” have turned on a bloke who’s given them 22 years of great service, now i hate all the negative traits that Gerrard displays, the diving, cheating etc, but without him they’d have been even more mediocre in recent years, vitriolic doesn’t cover the abuse, for me it sums up scousers, sing when your winning.
Only two contenders for Midland Sports Personality of the Year, Sherwood and Carson Yeung.
Me and and a mate are going to City on Sat so I can’t wait for that now. The away fans will be buzzing, as will the players. The way we are going know one will be surprised if we beat City. Even a draw would be good if the teams bellow all lose
Sherwood. Hes surprised everyone think. We all knew he would be outgoing but not to many people were sure about his tactics understanding but he’s sjown everyone he’s not just a crazy man. At first it was a bit worrying, but then came Sunderland, Spurs and pool which were master classes
If we win the FA cup, I can die with a smile on my face.
I can’t imagine what it would feel like to win a cup when just getting to the final felt amazing
Frem,
What, yer gonna die on Cup Final day ?
Just found out who that bloke is who St75 was babbling on about the other day who bought 24% of the shares in Real Madrid, it was Atletico and the bloke is Wang Jianlin who is only worth 24.2 billion dollars. He owns China’s most successful club, the ironically named Dalian Wanda, good omen, he got the part right about Jianlin wanting to buy a club in either Italy or England though. Sounds good and it sounds as though this could be the one although why he should form a consortiium puzzles me.
The fact that Delph and now Vlaar are so excited to the point of euphoria makes me think its a biggie.
Frem
hopefully you will see many more Triumphs being your still young , for me and steamer and a few others grave dodgers , were the ones who can go to our graves seeing us win all the cups around during our life , l know we never won the Eufa but the state its in now l woundnt be over fussed with it , l think out of all on here , you deserved it most , you have had to sit and watch some god awful crap these last few years as a season ticket holder , l know of a few lads your age who gave up , even TC reckoned you must be mad , even TVB lads were asking wheres Frem when we need him , and you took some stick on here too but stuck to your guns , l really hope you get a ticket for the final mate , enjoy man city and the meat “n” potatoe pies , we’ll be watching on the telly before Chris’s fight , so we’ll be looking in the crowd for ya kid .
you need to meet Frem and just maybe you’ll see a little bit of yourself when you was his age being a one eyed villa fan , but unlike Frem l did get into scrapes with people who slagged me or the villa off , it makes a big difference when you meet people face to face , some you wish you hadnt and some l have no intention of meeting , still like to know how Brasil got that other £20 off me sunday though , SWW please tell me your watching it at home ,
and lm voting for Carson city Yeung
steamer hows about we go do over Tom dross’s house in claret and blue on the early morning of the final , or put his windows through .
enjoy the sun all …………………………………..l bloody hate it
our coach is already sold out .
And apparently GG is eligible for Wemberlee.
Steamer
Jianlin ?? thats the company who make them shit motorbikes that my nephew nearly bought , 6 months and they’re ready for Taroni’s
there a spade and fork with your name over at mine
PS . steamer the workshop door will be open for you , and l will be behind the Trampoline , like yesterday .
the more l think of it the more l feel you saw me but saw the hard work and fucked off ,
Runtingz,
So you met Big Kenny ? did you see the tatt on his mit, SOTC, every time he meets a nose he holds it to their faces. If you knew him though he’s a great bloke, strange but great.
Things are buzzing now, and Sunday in Wembley was a great day for both club and fans.
Clive Evans, talking sense as ever lol!!!
Carson Yeung gets my vote for the damage inflicted on the scum I would let him out tomorrow to carry on the good work.
ST75,
Nah I might grace you with my presence at Wemberlee just so I can annoy you in person, I have got my feelers out in London for tickets and if I get a spare then Frem can have it if he cannot get one, like you say the lad deserves a bit of glory for having to put up with all that shit over the last few years.
I was at the last FA Cup final in 2000 and jesus what a crap game, lets hope Sir Tim Of Astonshire can pull off another result to beat the gooners.
AVFC ITWT
SWV, the 2000 final was a shocker, but so were the League Cup finals in 1975 & 1975, and the 2000 semi against Bolton. This year’s FA Cup final will be the tenth competitive Villa game I’ve seen at Wembley and I’ve only seen us play well 3 times. Sunday was probably the best team performance although the league cup finals in 94 and 96 were decent games.
Worth remembering that Arsenal’s last 3 Wembley FA Cup appearances – this years semi and last years semi and final – were all pretty grim. If we turn up again then they are definitely beatable.
I like where Clive is going with the Stevie G thing. My own tribute to the legend…
Steve Gerrard, Gerrard,
He sounds like a Scouse retard.
He’s shitter than Frank Lampard.
Steve Gerrard, Gerrard.
Matt: “Which isn’t, by any means, to suggest Sherwood is a wizard, but his injection of confidence has been a catalyst ”
Mmmmmm …. depends on your definition of “wizard”? 😉
In all seriousness, so-called “wizards” were often persons with a deep knowledge of psychology, which is what TS seems to exhibit.
Sorry if I’m nit-picking as you’re over the moon about what’s been happening of late, as we all are.
Foundations for a new era seem to be already in place in many respects. Let’s hope that the development is allowed to continue.
Happy days Matt – good to see a post from you and one done out of joy rather than frustation
exciting details of the guy possibly taking over at villa — anyone with that kind of money just needs to know how to run a sports institution to bring success to a base like the villa
Steamz big kenny showed me his tats but i all i remember was looking at the size of his hands thinking binkin ek i would want him gripping me 🙂
st75 the cd is ace mate – for all the reggae i have you gave me stuff i didnt have – and thanks so much for the shirt
wouldnt — deffo not would 🙂
Kev – mail me when you get a chance and I’ll give you a number to get 0.5p a minute to my Thailand mobile.
Runtz,
We went to Highbury in 77 I think for a league cup semi v QPR and on the way to the ground along by the park Kenny got hit by a Transit van or similar, left a big dent in the van but nothing stopped him from getting to the game, we were in the Highbury vaults after the game when QPR/Arsenal showed up and put all the pub windows through, I think it was just an invitation to go outside and discuss the game in depth which we duly obliged and a long and meaningful conversation began although it never lasted that long I think they had a prior engagement and had to rush off.
AVFC ITWT
i was at the 2000 semi and final, jesus cost me a fortune in flights never mind tickets, drink money, hotel and served crap but i was there in the old Wembley and I’ve great memories because of it, the hunt for two tickets or one has begun, don’t mind if i end up with the suits as long as i get to see the Villa.
But, planning on going anyway, just to be part of it, so i’ll be looking to know where you will be drinking anyway.
Looks like since the Asian announcement that China much in the way it owns America through finance, is on an agenda to buy football clubs, if anyone is not a fan of FFP you can bet it will be the Chinese, they’ll be selling advertisements on the grass to fund expansion. After years of wilderness and having watched teams with little history become CL regulars, i want a bit of the pie for Villa with the proviso that Villa Park remains the name of the ground, Aston Villla is the name of the team and claret and blue are the colours.
Andy P,
I have watched the Villa play in all the major finals since 1971 against Spurs ( I still cannot believe Perryman cleared that off the line ) .
My personal tribute to Stevie Me:
Steve Gerrard is shit.
AVFC ITWT
Darren,
Perhaps a compromise along the lines of :
Villa Park No 38 with chips
AVFC ITWT
If you haven’t already, go on the Villa website and have a look at the facebook images. Skip to the bit of the images in the dressing room when fans have what they said in each of the players spaces
it’s pretty moving. there’s one from AVL, don’t know who said it but it was great
Darren,
The cheapest ticket i’ve seen from an agency was 660, get yer overtime in.
Ode to Stevie Me.
Pitiful
Invisible
Criminal
Risible
Dalian Wanda have $85.6b worth of assets.
Dalian Wanda Group Co Ltd is China’s largest commercial property company and the world’s largest cinema chain operator. Wanda also operates luxury hotels, .
Dalian Wanda FC –
Chinese Super League[14]
Winners (1): 2005
Jia A[14]
Winners (7): 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002
Chinese Super Cup
Winners (3): 1997, 2001, 2003
Chinese FA Cup
Winners (2): 2001, 2005
Asian Cup Winners’ Cup
Runners-up (1): 2001
Asian Club Championship
Runners-up (1): 1998
They nearly bought Southampton last year for 175m ( Soton 175m ??? ).
yeh Steamer seen some of the ‘official’ ticket tout scrounging bastard online prices, i love Villa but i don’t have that kind of money floating around
Sorry to keep banging on about it but i seem to remember Tessa Jowell MP saying that the new Wemberlee would INCREASE ticket allocations for the competing clubs, the same woman who gave THREE separate DEFINITE deadlines so that London could get its finances in order. The way the FA treats the fans is sick, do they actually see the empty corporate seats or are they blinded by the cash signs, people’s game ..bollox, rich people’s game.
Being as its a modern slum anyway, they should demolish it and build a new stadium in Birmingham, what with the Olympic con London has been rebuilt at tax payers expense.
This is an organisation that employs Paul Faulkner’s talents (!! ) FFS.
How can you have that many neutrals at a FA Cup final it is truly obscene, you are raping the game for money and creating a sterile atmosphere, all those knobheads who have bought club Wembley seats for five years only go inside the stadium when Take That are on.
AVFC ITWT
The biggest problem with English football is the knobs who run it, none have kicked a ball and i doubt if any have paid in for years.
one of my work collegues has a club wembley ticket – a gooner but he goes to every game and loves footy — not sure all are like that
I agree that the FA are sailing the fans down the river – the amount of money involved is taking them further away from the foundations of the game which is the fans — its almost like fans are just a side dish to the game these days
steamz – great info on possible new owner – they seem like the real deal in every sense — really hope this happens – our club deserves it
Runtingz,
Footy seems to be taking off in Asia, Pires, James and a few other big names in India, Didier Drogba and Alberto Gilardino have played in China but the league seems slower in taking off than the Japanese J-Lge.
The one thing about China is they love the British way of life, the houses and cars are virtually replicas to the ones you see in any British town. A British owner couldn’t compete financially with these people, i can see EVERY top division club being in foreign hands in the future, lets get in while we can.
Runtins
lv not even got through one of the cds you gave me but all sounding great , lm doing some more of that old reggae , l also have this one lp thats special to me and l think you’ll like it mate
whoever said garden is relaxing is a bloody numpty , dont know about you steamer but lm banjaxed and only half way through it , thanks for your help ,
steamer it never ceases to amaze me how many people are in top football jobs and have never kicked a ball or smelt linament or washed a jock strap , mind you l never washed mine all season only because my kit bag was in someone elses car boot , lucky omen , probably why no one ever came near me on the pitch lol
talking of knobs l think l deserve a few knobs creek tipples , see ya tomorrow ,
the Chinese takeover could be great but what Is going to happen when all the teams are owned by massively wealthy people/groups? because we all can’t be in the champs league so how long will they stay when the realisation sets in? on the other hand we could end up with everyone on a even footing.
GG for the cup? would be surprised but good luck to the lad
http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2015/04/22/aston-villas-gary-gardner-on-loan-at-nottingham-forest-keen-to-f/?
great interview with Parks very qualified and not a german badge in sight
http://www.astonvilla.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=7518676