Aston Villa - Young at Heart

[footballannoyed]

Go to last page!!!!!

Go to last page!!!!!



I don't like first posts, they are just walls of text that I find impossible to read...

So I will tell you why I have chosen Aston Villa.

Aston Villa are one of the oldest clubs in England, so have a large following and a terrific heritage. They have been at the same stadium for 112 years apparently which is pretty incredible and shows just how old they are.

Of course that is not the main reason I picked them, there are tons of old teams out there. The real reason is the exciting players at the club, and the incredibly bright future in store for the club. Watching them battle for 4th place has been very interesting this season, and players like Ashley Young and Gabby Agbonlahor inject something explosive into every match that makes it so good to watch.

It's a great club for MM as well, because they are not quite at greatness but on the verge. It means I will be able to buy good players realistically, without the worry of the league being too easy and starting from the top.

So there you go, my mini essay on why Aston Villa are a great team to choose for an MM.

[footballannoyed]

Three main players for Aston Villa.

Gareth Barry


Aston Villa's longest serving player, but how long will he be a Villan? Liverpool are expressing major interest in him at the start of the 08/09 season and Martin O'Neill will have to think long and hard whether to accept a deal with the Scouse.

Gabriel Agbonlahor


An Aston Villa player in heart and mind, Gabby Agbonlahor was a major performer for the team on the big stage, being voted Premier League Player of the Month for November in 2007. He isn't going anywhere soon and will be the crucial man up front for them.

Ashley Young


Regarded as one of the great young British talents, Ashley Young came to Aston Villa in January 07 and is not fully committed to the club, but the amount of support he gets from O'Neill means he may be staying for some time as he grows into a great Premier League player and England international.

[footballannoyed]

Stadium: Villa Park



Capacity: 42,640
Best place to sit: Holte end (pictured above)


Manager: Martin O'Neill



Age: 57
Nationality: Northern Ireland


Owner: Randy Lerner



Home Kit:




Away Kit:

[footballannoyed]

Pre-Season Press Conference with Martin O'Neill




Martin: Thank you to the associated press for turning up. I will be taking questions now.

Q: How would you evaluate your last season?
A: It went very well for us I feel, 6th is very respectable especially with our rather shallow squad. A lot of the lads were starting to tire and that's the reason we didn't push into the UEFA Cup Spot this season.

Q: How do you feel about the fact you won't be getting into the UEFA Cup this season?
A: Well it was very disappointing after we expected to get in from the Intertoto cup, but after the two competitions cut all links to one another it seems we will have to wait until next year. It's a big problem for us as a lot of the players wanted European football this year, so it might be harder to keep them at the club.

Q: What is going on transfer wise at Villa then?
A: Well we have a tenative target list at the moment, but our main priority is hanging on to the players we have at the moment. The top teams have started to take notice of how good our boys are so it will be a battle just to keep the team together.

Q: What are your aims for this season?
A: 4th spot isn't too optimistic I don't think. I don't want to say who we will be replacing in 4th but I think we need to get there to get the supporters champions league football to watch. The F.A. Cup is also a realistic possibility, and the Carling Cup is always there to be won as well.

Q: Will you reveal any people you want to bring to the club?
A: Well it's still undecided as yet, but I want some more young English talent. You'll know soon enough when we want to make a move on any players. Just one more question please.

Q: What are you hoping to do differently this season?
A: We want to create the best atmosphere in the premier league, to make Villa Park an absolute fortress. If we can win all our home games it will be an easy season for us so that's what I'm hoping will happen.

[FC-Junior92]

I actually like this start. You don't need blocks and blocks of writing of writing about stuff people never read anyway.

[Reece]

voted 5 star to counter those 1 star voters

[footballannoyed]

thanks to both of you

[TH360]

Voted 5 star buddy to get it up to 4 overall. Good start to your thread, its good to see a different opening few posts.

[footballannoyed]

'So it should be quite an easy start for Aston Villa in the Premier League. First Bolton away which will be quite tough but it's not like it's Chelsea. I expect them to get 3 points there.'

'I agree, 3 points is a must so they can get a good start and be at the top for the rest of the season. If they are hoping to get a European spot then they can't be dropping points to teams who will be finishing in the bottom half. Although it's away and Bolton are notoriously sturdy opponents so you never know.'

'Yes, then after Bolton it is Middlesbrough at home. Now that should be an easy game. Middlesbrough have been slipping for a while now.'

'Yeah, one of the best games they could have had for their first home game of the season. To be honest I could see that being a walkover.'

'Quite a toughie after that though, Everton at home. Now these are going to be Villa's major rivals this year as they also want that 4th spot. That will be a close call but it is at home for Villa.'

'Yeah it's got to be a draw for me Tim. I can see them cancelling each other out.'

'Then after that it's Blackburn away. They've got a few good players but I can't see them being too much of a threat.'

'Well when you've got Santa Cruz up front you will always be dangerous. He had a great first season for Blackburn but even he might not be able to stop Villa dominating that match.'

'Then the 5th game is Portsmouth at home. Easy?'

'That's a win, I can predict it now. Portsmouth might be good at home but on the road to Villa Park it isn't going to happen. Another 3 points right there.'

'Well it looks like it will be a good start for Villa then! Now on to Arsenal...'

[footballannoyed]

Thanks TH
although those who voted 1 star may have had a point at first, it started out with just a picture of the badge

[TH360]

Those votes may of been justified then mate lol.

[AK0N]

Top start

[footballannoyed]

'Welcome to a glorious day at the Reebok stadium on this, the opening game of the Premier League for Season 2008-2009! It's Aston Villa at Bolton today, and Martin O'Neill's side are coming without injuries or fitness worries. We've got the team here;

it’s Friedel at the back then from right to left:
Luke Young, Cuellar, Laursen and Shorey.
Then James Milner, Petrov, Barry and Ashley Young.
With Gabriel Agbonlahor and Carew completing the team up front.’

‘Yes it’s a very typical 4-4-2 formation today, nothing drastic but it allows all the stars freedom to move on the pitch. They’ll be looking at Agbonlahor to be cutting through the Bolton defence as Barry will be putting balls over the top a lot as is his custom. On the bench they have Curtis Davies, Nigel Reo-Coker and Marlon Harewood so 3 good options there if the situation arises.’

‘And now the players are coming on to the pitch, Gareth Barry at the head of the Villa line and Ashley Young at the tail. Our referee today is Mike Takla, and he is just checking with the keepers before blowing his whistle.’

0’: Bolton kick off, going from left to right as we see them.
2’30: A quick one two and Elmander is off down the right. He whips in a good cross... Nolan with the header but Friedel plucks it easily out of the air. Weak effort but showing that they can get down the right with relative ease.

5’49: Shorey to Young, Young sprints down the left wing and his cross is good. Agbonlahor with the header! Jaaskelainen saves well. A good response by Villa there.

10’: Agbonlahor... 1-2 with Carew and he’s off 1 on 1 with the keeper! Ooh, poor effort from the young striker there, well wide. Should be 1-0 up there.

38’53: Ashley Young sliding in late there and giving away a free kick. You have to say Bolton are really looking dangerous down the right. Yes, the problem is that Shorey just isn’t that good a left back. Ashley Young isn’t one to come back and help either so it could be a big weakness for them as the game progresses.

40’ Bolton take the free kick... Oh no they are caught napping there as Barry cuts it out! And what a ball from the midfield man there to get Agbonlahor through on the break! Agbonlahor, still Agbonlahor... Yes!! There is the opening goal, struck low into the bottom left corner, well out of Jaaskeleinen’s reach to put the away side one up with 5 minutes to go in the first half. Great play from Gareth Barry.

46’ Well that’s the first half. Thoughts? Well I wouldn’t say Villa deserve that lead. Bolton have been all over them with some great crosses but it isn’t possession, it’s the taking of chances that influences games and Agbonlahor is a taker of chances.

45': The second half kicks off.


52’ Ashley Young, Young cutting inside past one defender, into the box and he shoots! Ooh, well blocked there by Cahill. Corner for Villa.

60’ Carew has had a very quiet game and he is coming off now for Harewood.

64’ Taylor on the ball down the left wing. And he puts in a wondrous cross but it is punched out for a corner by Friedel.

71’ Mistake by Ashley Young... Nolan collects and lobs a perfect ball in to the path of Kevin Davies....1 touch, 2 touch, shot from Davies... and they are level!!! Bottom left corner again puts the teams level at 1-1. Can’t say it wasn’t coming. No it was well deserved, Cuellar was drawn into the ball there and it left a huge gap for Nolan to place that ball in front of Davies. Villa will have to watch out now and maybe just settle for a point.

81’ Villa look so sluggish, Nolan nearly through on goal but for the offside flag.

84’ Barry on the edge of his box clears to Agbonlahor. And what a ball from Agbonlahor to set Young off on the left wing! Young, Young, cuts inside, passes across the 6 yard box to Agbonlahor and Jaaskeleinen pulls off a marvellous save!!! But its straight to Harewood... And his shot hits the post! Back to Harewood, he turns... and his shot is blocked and cleared by Muamba. How are Villa not ahead?! I tell you what, Carew would have scored that.


90’ AGBONLAHOR!!!! Oh and his left foot shot skims centimetres wide of post.

92’ And that’s it, 1-1 the final score and a decent result for both sides. Fair result there wouldn’t you say. Yes, can't say fairer than that. Gary Megson would have been very disappointed if Bolton hadn't got something from that game.



MOTM:
'My man of the match would have to be Kevin Nolan, he was scaring the back 4 all day long and his ball over the top to provide the goal for Bolton was sublime.'

'I would say Agbonlahor deserves it. Not much service but he still scored and could easily have got the winner if not for a magnificent save.'




Results from around the League


'Pretty big upset here, Wigan 2-0 Arsenal!'

'Wow, yes that's a big one for Villa. Arsenal could be the team getting knocked out of 4th if things go to plan so that is bad news.'
'Chelsea, Liverpool and Man United all got a win, a good start for the 3 teams really contending for the title.'
'Yeah it'll be tight at the top this year, of course don't rule Arsenal out, one bad result means nothing.'

'And Man City have got a 1 goal victory over West Ham...'
'Oh, turns out money can buy you happiness.'


'Well that's all from us, join us next week for Villa at home to Middlesbrough!'

[Valo]

Good luck, and unlucky on the draw with Bolton.

[footballannoyed]

I'm going to have to work on cutting it down, no-one's gonna be able to read all that

And thanks

[TH360]

Thats a brilliant update man, its good how you used the radio station to incorporate the live report style.

[Solskjaer|20]

This is quite good tbh. Keep it up!!

[footballannoyed]

Well aston Villa are our featured team of the season, and one match in we managed to get an interview with Martin O'Neill. Here's how it went:

5L: Hello Martin, thanks for agreeing to this.
M: No Problem at all Tim, I love talking about Aston Villa!

5L: How do you think your opening match went?
M: To be honest, it's probably the best result we could have hoped for looking at the performances. Bolton were outstanding.

5L: How do you think your players did?
M: Well Ashley Young was incredible as was Gabby. Those two have got to be the two greatest up and coming stars in the Premier League. Carew isn't at full fitness yet which explains his performance on Saturday. Nicky Shorey is still getting used to the club so we'll give him a few more games, but Bouma is nearly at full fitness so he will be fighting for his place soon.

5L: Should Marlon Harewood have scored in that last minute?
M: Well you can always say a player could have done this and that, but when it comes down to it, it was a tight angle and it was the best he could do in that situation. He'd only been on a short amount of time. We think he'll start the game against Middlesbrough.

5L: This leads us to our next question, are you wanting to buy another striker?
M: Yes it is our top priority, getting an English striker. There are a few people we admire, Emily Heskey, Peter Crouch, Michael Owen are all great English players but we are looking for some young talent. I think Peter Crouch would be a good partnership for Gabby though, knocking it down for him.

5L: Does this mean John Carew isn't you main striker?
M: Wow, aggressive question. I never said that. John is a great player and works brilliantly with Gabby but it is just that we need someone to fill in for him when he has injuries and fitness dips. The competition for a place will also help boost the performance I think. Nathan [Delfuoneso] is also a big talent but he is a young age so we will be trying him out at some point in the season.

5L: Thank you for your honest answers, good luck for the rest of the season.
M: Thank you, it's been a pleasure!

[footballannoyed]

Thank you for the compliments

[SBFC-Chris]

great report

[Reece]

Mate its all great but could you use a different font than the plain normal one

unless people like it?

[footballannoyed]

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/1210/5livelogo.jpg

'Welcome to our first game of the season at Villa Park! This is a big game for Aston Villa, a win against Middlesbrough is vital to get a good start.'

'Indeed it is. Two changes for Villa today, Harewood for Carew and Sidwell for Petrov, with the replacees on the bench and expected to come into the match in the second half. Oh and they're coming out now'

'Yes here we go, lead out by Gareth Barry come Aston Villa. And we are here to commentate every kick of the match!'


http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/5734/firsthalf.jpg

0': And Harewood kicks off for Villa, going left to right.

7': ...Poor chip from Young there, oh but Huth has made a mistake and Harewood is free! Edge of the box now... Oh what a stunner!!!! 7 minutes in and Harewood puts Villa ahead with a low drive into the bottom right hand corner! What a start! A bad mistake there from Huth, there was no danger there until he miskicked that.

10': Harewood on the halfway line. Turns well, and passes.... What a ball round the back of the two central defenders, and Agbonlahor hits it first time and it goes into the top left corner!!!! That was a stunner. Goal of the month contender. Wow. Nothing more to say. Great vision by Harewood, but the finishing of Agbonlahor there was divine. I could watch that goal all day.

11': A bad start for Middlesbrough to say the least, but hopefully they will settle now.

15': Harewood, Agbonlahor, HAREWOOD!! Oh what a save. Great right footed strike from Harewood but well stopped. Villa are dominating this game, Alfonso Alves hasn't even had a touch I don't think. Well he's kicked off twice. Oh yes, I suppose that counts.

45': And Tuncay has made a great run and is in the box... Curls it with his right foot... Oh and he halalalala the bar! It's bounced on the line and gone out again! No no, the referee has given it! Oh yes the linesman has signaled that it crossed the line and Middlesbrough have pulled one Back! Completely against the run of play, but it could be crucial as that is the end of the first half.

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/6208/villamiddlesbr.jpg


http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/4108/secondhalf.jpg


45': No changes at half time, and Alves kicks off for the third time today.

50': You'd have to say the Boro back 2 are doing a much better job of containing the Villa strikers in the second half. Yes, Gareth Southgate must have given them a few tips. They are closing them down much easier now.

68': Alves goes wide, crosses in... Tuncay flicks on... O'Neill, turns, turns again and shoots! OH what a goal! A very tight angle indeed but it is all level at Villa Park!! Where is Martin O'Neill's fortress?

68': And now the change comes. Sidwell and Harewood for Reo-Coker and Carew. Harewood is clapped off after his great first goal. Carew will have to do something special now to win the game for Villa.

90': Villa just couldn't get the ball, and it's another draw for the Europe hopefuls.

Dreadful performance in the second half, I can't believe they blew the lead.

Man of the match? Got to be Tuncay for me. He started the comeback with that magnificent curler. No way, it has to be Agbonlahor! No-one else in the world could have finished like that I don't think. That was a genius shot. Agree to disagree then.


Results from around the Premier League

Man Utd have completely thrashed Arsenal five goals to nil! What a stunner. Who'd have thought it, Arsenal will really have to pluck up their ideas if they want to be in the Champions league next season.

And look at this... Wigan have beaten another of the top four, beating Liverpool 1 goal to nil at home! Wow, just wow. What a start from Wigan, Amr Zaki has turned out to be incredible for them!

Man City have won again, looking to be a good season for them as well. You know I think it'll all go wrong at some point for them, I can feel it.


That's it from us for another week, Villa will have to hope to get 3 points as Everton visit Villa Park. That is a tough tough game considering the results so far.

[Scene Kid Oli]

thats a good report mate well done your writing looks promising

[footballannoyed]

Cheers roon

And I guess I could use a different font.. I don't see what's wrong with the normal one though...

Which should I use?

[footballannoyed]

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/1210/5livelogo.jpg

Villa hoping to get Bent

'Well I've had some inside information, that Martin O'Neill has been texting Harry Redknapp. Turns out he wants to sign Darren Bent.'

'Shocking Tim, well I guess that's his young English striker. It makes sense, the guy has hardly had a great time with Spurs has he. Now with Defoe going to them he has got no chance of getting into the team.'

'And it's a great move for him, Villa are the ones more likely to get into the Champions League so he'd be playing higher level football.'

'You think he could hack it at that level though?'

'I'm starting to think Martin O'Neill can make any player play at his full potential. He could well be the guy that pushes Bent into the big time.'

'You have to admire Aston Villa. Whilst Utd are buying Berbatov, City are buying Robinho and Liverpool are wanting Villa Martin is trying to keep his players Englilalalala gives the team an added respect value.'

'I completely agree. It's great news for the Premiership. That is if the deal goes through.'

'Well yes, has he even put an offer in? You'd think after all the money Tottenham have spent they would be wanting to sell players for their maximum value so it might be a struggle signing him still.'

'Yes well, I don't know everything yet. Early days, but I guess we'll see in due time. Right onto our next story...'