Tag Archives: Aston Villa

‘Kick The Cr*p Out Of Them’

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Conforming to just about every stereotype going, perfectly-named Aston Villa director U.S General Charles Krulak has delivered a rallying cry to his players, urging them to ‘kick the crap’ out of their opponents between now and the end of the season in order to avoid relegation.

Krulak, who is a vet of the Vietnam war (he’s seen things man), delivered his sermon on the club’s Villa Talk forum:

“When my Marines put on their uniforms and the emblem of the Corps and went into battle and things got tough, they did not fight for their Commander, they fought for their brothers-in-arms, the men wearing their uniform and emblem.

“When a player puts on a kit and wears the club badge, I would expect the same. We have very good lads who know how to play with passion. We have all seen them do it and have cheered them on. They are professionals who have given 110 per cent in many games.

“What we need now is to quit pointing fingers and everyone look at the Claret and Blue of our kit and the badge they are wearing and go out and kick the crap out of the next teams we play until the end of the season!”

Probably says more about the ethos of the American military than it does about Gerard Houllier’s mounting problems, but you can’t fault the logic!

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What To Expect Of Houllier And Villa?

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How badly is Houllier doing at Aston Villa?  That is, what should the expectations of the Villa fans be for this season?  The club are hovering just above the relegation zone half way through the season after years of UEFA Cup football and just missing out on the Champions League under O’Neill which does constitute a fairly big fall from grace.  But the situation that the Frenchman inherited is far less encouraging than his predecessor.

The loss of James Milner to City was a big blow, enhanced by the failure of Stephan Ireland to make any discernible impact while Lerner has tightened the purse-strings, the reason O’Neill walked in the first place.  O’Neill did well on a good budget, Houllier has been less successful on a smaller budget.  Now isn’t that astonishing?

So there are mitigating factors in the poor start Houllier has made to his Aston Villa career.  There are also some positive points to pick out such as the renaissance of certain players, in particular Emile Heskey.  Heskey scored against Chelsea today and was dominant in the air.  Never what you’d call clinical (in fact it would be generous to say wasteful) Heskey nevertheless offers Villa an outlet up front that was cleverly utilised at Stamford Bridge.  Secondly, some of the youngsters coming through at Villa Park look very promising indeed.  Albrighton appears the pick of the bunch but Clark, Bannon and Hogg should all have top flight careers based on what we’ve seen so far this season, the highlight being a commanding display by Bannon and Hogg against Manchester United, spoilt only at the death because the crap invincibles will not accept defeat.  Houllier has proved during his time in France that he is one of the best at helping young players achieve their potential.  The thought of Young and Albrighton on the wings is a prospect to frighten full-backs everywhere.

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FA Vow To Probe ‘Dark’ Violence After Birmingham Derby

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Judging by the considerable hike in both steward and police presence at St. Andrews (over 500 West Midlands officers were drafted in for the occasion), it’s pretty clear that the relevant authorities were envisaging a bit of a feisty affair between second city rivals Birmingham and Aston Villa in the Carling Cup last night – although the ugly tension that swarmed after the final whistle could, in these supposedly enlightened times, hardly have been preempted.

During the game itself, the two sets of opposing supporters provided a magnificent bristling maelstrom of noise that seemed to marry perfectly with the exciting, fractious football on display.

However, the friction brimmed over as the game culminated when, having seen their side run out as dramatically late 2-1 winners, thousands of Birmingham fans stormed across the length of the pitch to goad the Villa fans who were located in the Gil Merrick Stand at the opposite end of the stadium.

A hail of saliva and make-shift missiles ensued, with a gaudy red flare sent spiralling from the pitch into the Villa section of the crowd and back over the police cordon again before plastic seats, uprooted from the terraces, were hurled back and forth between the two sets of irate supporters.

The fact that Sky Sports were forced to show the violence in replay after breaking for commercials after the game indicates the relative brevity of the trouble in the ground, but reports quickly filtered through of similar incidents taking place in the area surrounding the stadium – with five arrests made in conjunction with a fracas in a local pub, amongst various other acts of petty vandalism.

In the aftermath, West Midlands Police confirmed that 14 people (including four police officers) had been admitted to hospital for treatment to minor injuries, whilst two police dogs had also been injured after being struck by a couple of wayward missiles.

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Arsenal Legend Robert Pires To Sign For Aston Villa

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Aston Villa have confirmed that former Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires will join the club this week.

French Bob, currently a free agent following his release by Villarreal in the summer, has been in talks with Villa. He has also been training with the Gunners to help maintain his fitness (see photo above).

Villa assistant manager Gary McAllister told the club’s website: “Robert has been training at Arsenal.

“I know the boss and Arsene Wenger are very friendly and I believe he’s going to join us in the next two or three days.

“It’s perfect. I am sure he will arrive at the training ground in good condition. He’s a player everyone can look up to because of what he has achieved.”

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Four Villa problems needing Gerard Houllier’s immediate attention

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It’s been an interesting couple of weeks in the Midlands. As Birmingham City, Wolves and Aston Villa struggle to find any sort of consistency, West Brom have become the Black Country’s team to beat. While few could have predicted the form, skill and killer instinct displayed by Roberto di Matteo’s Baggies, even fewer would have predicted the changes which have seen Aston Villa’s coaching set-up overhauled in the last couple of months.

Unpredictability has since been the watchword at Villa Park with the club unable to string together any consistency in their league form. With just 11 points and a current position of 10th, one could be forgiven for showing concern towards a team that had hoped to challenge the Premier elite for a place in the top four. Sport.co.uk picks out four areas of concern that new coach Gerard Houllier will need to address if he is to change the Villans fortunes in the upcoming weeks.

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