PLAYER FOCUS | ASTON VILLA’S SUMMER TRANSFER WINDOW; DIABY
With Aston Villa’s season in full-flow, I’ve been reviewing our summer arrivals and how they’ve contributed to the club’s fifth-placed standing after game week nine, continuing with Moussa Diaby. Joining me to review Moussa Diaby’s start is our Player Ratings contributor, Gary Plaza. Words from: Ryan Mckeown MOUSSA DIABY Signed from German outfit Bayer Leverkusen […]
PLAYER FOCUS | THE CURIOUS CASE OF LEON BAILEY
Leon Bailey remains an enigma and a player with whom Aston Villa fans are rightly growing out of patience. It’s just not clicking for the Jamaican winger. It appears he seems a player better suited to the (dare I write it) “moments of magic” system of Steven Gerrard’s reign than he does Unai Emery’s built […]
PLAYER FOCUS | KENZA DALI
It’s been a week of personal and collective achievements for Kenza Dali on the international stage, as the Équipe de France Féminine de Football clinched the Tournoi de France trophy for the third time in as many tournaments and Dali reached a landmark of 50 “sélections” in international colours. Dali collected her 50th cap in […]
PLAYER FOCUS | DOES DOUGLAS LUIZ FINALLY FEEL AT HOME?
Douglas Luiz is performing at his finest and most consistent level since signing for the club. Is it the Unai Emery effect, the blossoming partnership with Boubarcar Kamara, the new deal, or does he just simply feel at home? WORK PERMITS, LOANS, & ISOLATION! At the tender age of 19, Douglas Luiz departed from Vasco […]
PLAYER FOCUS | WHY DO WE NEED ÁLEX MORENO?
The first signing of the Unai Emery era nears its completion. And it’s telling: Emery is bringing in a player to play the “Unai Emery Way”. During two disappointing back-to-back games at Villa Park; a draw against Wolves, and a FA Cup exit against Stevenage, I believe Emery learned a lot about the squad he […]
PLAYER FOCUS | TYRONE MINGS
Tyrone Mings’ name has been a source of debate among Villa fans in recent seasons. Following a crucially important chapter in the Mings X Aston Villa story line, I examine how important Mings is to this football club. THE STORY SO FAR … Let us begin at the beginning of the story. He joined Aston Villa […]
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PLAYER FOCUS | MAHMOUD TREZEQUET
Aston Villa have announced the departure of Egyptian Mahmoud Trezequet to Trabzonspor for an undisclosed fee. Trezequet joins Trabzonspor after spending the second-half of last season in Turkey on loan with Istanbul Basaksehir. I’d like to reflect on Trezequet’s time in claret and blue and recall all of the important goals he scored. Slow Start […]
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PLAYER FOCUS | LEON BAILEY
Do you remember 18th September 2021? Aston Villa ended Everton’s unbeaten run with a 3-0 victory over the Toffees, putting Dean Smith’s side on 7 points after 5 games. With goal contributions from the Polish Cafu himself, Matty Cash and an own goal from future Villan Lucas Digne, one man, in particular, shone above the […]
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PLAYER FOCUS | Carney Chukwuemeka
At 18-years old, Carney Chukwuemeka has the potential to go far in football with his athleticism and exquisite passing range. Whilst his substitute appearances for Aston Villa have not left a strong impression on the fan base, it’s vital to place importance on time with the development of Chukwuemeka. Not every player can transition so […]
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PLAYER FOCUS | WHAT DOES BOUBACAR KAMARA OFFER?
The entirety of the Aston Villa fan-base breathe a collective sigh of relief as the club finally confirms the signing of a defensive midfielder, arriving in the shape of: Boubacar Kamara. Having recently been called up to the French national side, Kamara signs on a 5-year deal; keeping him at Villa Park until the summer […]
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PLAYER FOCUS | Andy Lochhead
“Andy, Andy Lochhead, Andy Lochhead in the air” Aston Villa fans joined together for a ninth-minute standing ovation at home to Arsenal this weekend in the memory of Andy Lochhead who sadly passed away this week at the age of 81. I was born in 1983, so Andy Lochhead’s exploits in a Villa shirt were […]
PLAYER FOCUS | Carney Chukwuemeka and that contract amid Dortmund interest
Jude Bellingham, Jadon Sancho are the big ones. Then we have the ones we maybe aren’t aware of just yet; Noni Madueke of PSV and Omar Richards of Bayern. They’re bubbling away pling their trade in a different league, quietly going about their business. There is also of course former West London Blue (Chelsea) youth […]
PLAYER FOCUS | Phillipe Coutinho
Aston Villa have signed Phillipe Coutinho on-loan from Barcelona with any option-to-buy. Yes, you read that correctly, only 4 years since he moved from Liverpool to Barcelona for a whopping £142 million, the Brazilian playmaker is now an Aston Villa player, albeit only on a 6-month loan but still, this is one of, if not […]
PLAYER FOCUS | JACOB & AARON RAMSEY
Aston Villa’s youth system boasts some of the most exciting young talents in the world. The youth system has added the likes of Carney Chukwuemeka, Jaden Philogene-Bidace, Cameron Archer and Jacob Ramsey to the first team, to name a few. Jacob is the most experienced in the first team, having earned 30 appearances and scoring […]
PLAYER FOCUS | Goal Scoring Right-Backs
Credit to B6Ben for the superb Matty Cash footage. In light of Matty Cash opening his Villa goal account, it prompted me to think back to all our previous right-backs and see just how prolific they were. Matty Cash was originally a winger in his breakthrough years at Nottingham Forest, and as such, came to […]
PLAYER FOCUS | TYRONE MINGS
The Discourse Around Tyrone Mings There’s no denying Tyrone Mings has been one of our best players since he signed from Bournemouth in 2018. His height, combative nature and physical assets, paired with his left foot make him one of the leagues truly unique defenders and this has been shown by his England performances. His […]
PLAYER FOCUS | Conor Hourihane
DU, DU, DU, DU, DU, DU, – Conor Hourihane!! As Conor Hourihane departs on loan to Sheffield United and in doing so, the end of his Aston Villa contract, let us take a positive look back at his time in Claret and Blue. Hourihane signed for the club during the January 2017 transfer window as […]
PLAYER FOCUS | Bertrand Traore
We need to talk about Bertie He made the right hand side his own last year, don’t expect him to give it up. Humour me for a second and cast your minds back to Friday, September 25th. Cast your minds back to our Carabao Cup fixture against Bristol City, where Traore made his debut. Many […]
PLAYER FOCUS | Ollie Watkins
Ollie for England!! It is not all that long ago that Aston Villa fans were clamouring for the inclusion of Jack Grealish in Gareth Southgate’s international squads, increasingly incensed by every baffling omission. This week Gareth announced his latest selection with Tyrone Mings retaining his place, Grealish’ lack of inclusion solely due to injury and […]
Player Focus | Savo Milošević
Villa fans of a certain age will know this scene well. You find yourself in the midst of a chaotic playground kickabout with your friends, the ball breaks to you and goalscoring glory is imminent, then reality intervenes and you send the ball high, wide, and entirely off target. What follows is a raucous cacophony […]
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PLAYER FOCUS | Ezri Konsa
The Rise of Ezri Konsa I remember the exact moment when everything clicked, and the fortunes of our great football club took a turn for the better. That day was the 12th July 2020. It’s matchday versus Crystal Palace at Villa Park. As always, one hour prior to kick-off, we’re refreshing our social media accounts […]
Player Focus – Peter Schmeichel, The Great Dane
It’s fair to say that Villa have had some turmoil in recent times where goalkeepers are concerned. Kalinić had a calamitous spell, Steer produced heroics, but isn’t considered a topflight number one, Nyland has veered from league cup leading man to complete disaster, Heaton has been out of action for a lengthy period, and Reina […]
Player Focus – Five more years of Captain Jack!
Villa twitter can be a chaotic place at the best of times, veering from fury to euphoria in the blink of an eye. The transfer window always sees the strength of social media ratcheted up a few notches. Take for instance the activity surrounding the signing of Ollie Watkins, an event covered brilliantly by UTV […]
Player Focus | Juan Pablo Angel
There’s only ‘Juan’ Pablo Angel Villa’s summer hunt for an out-and-out goalscorer got me reminiscing about some of my favourite former strikers. From Dwight Yorke and Christian Benteke to our very own Gabby Agbonlahor, Villa have had their fair share of Premier League Holte End heroes, but one man holds a special place in my […]
Player Focus | Gareth Barry
Gareth Barry is a Premier League legend, but is he of equal standing at Aston Villa? Some things make you feel your age, Macaulay Culkin, immortalised as burglar foiling Kevin McCallister in Home Alone turning 40 and Premier League record appearance maker Gareth Barry announcing his retirement from professional football are great examples. The signs were there that the end was near with injuries […]
PLAYER RATINGS | LIVERPOOL 1-1 ASTON VILLA
Aston Villa earned a vital point at Anfield in the race for a European spot; Spurs fell to defeat at home to Brentford in the early kick-off, opening the opportunity for Villa to take the initiative; European position is in our own hands with the final game of the season at home to Brighton a […]
ASTON VILLA WOMEN | SUPPORTERS’ PLAYER OF THE SEASON; WHO HAVE THE FANS VOTED FOR?
Voting for your Aston Villa Women Supporters’ Player of the Season for 2022/23 is now open. I spoke with the passionate fans that have travelled up-and-down the country following the team to see who they’ve voted for. First up, we welcome Sarah Breslin, founder of Villa Bellas, who this week celebrated their 1-year anniversary. Villa […]
ACADEMY FOCUS | LESSONS LEARNT FROM A PIVOTAL WEEK
At the start of the month Trent Alexander Arnold announced a new programme aimed at helping those players that were released by professional academies – lest we forget, 99% of players who join an academy at nine years old do not make it as a professional footballer. The Liverpool right back made clear the impact […]
MANAGER FOCUS | THE JOURNEY FROM O’NEILL TO EMERY
Aston Villa, while having a proud history, has always been an enigma. Very few clubs can go from the very top to relegation with such speed. Our history should always have been a cautionary tale about the dangers of having too much hope. We now seem to be in the most stable position, off the […]
ACADEMY FOCUS | Aston Villa 4-0 Blackburn Rovers
Villa’s U21 side resumed their Premier League Cup campaign at a crisp and sunny Bodymoor Heath on Wednesday lunchtime looking to record a positive result in what has been a poor cup campaign thus far. Last time out a young side had lost 4-1 away to Peterborough, which followed defeats to Blackburn and Brentford. In […]
