From the Daily Heil ..It would be a travesty if Villa go down

[godzvilla]

Picked this up yesterday from the Club site  , can,t see its been mentioned elsewhere  on H&V but if it has , my apologies . Very positive article though , many of the writer,s sentiments echo the thoughts I and I,m sure many other, Villa Fans have had for a while now , viz , that we are headed in the right direction uner P.L. . Also nice to see us getting some good Press for a change .............Godzvilla!

It would be a travesty if Villa go down / Adrian Durham / Daily Heil .We should all stand up and applaud what Paul Lambert is trying to achieve at Aston Villa. He has a team made up mainly of young players – eight of the starting XI at Stoke on Saturday are 23 years old or under, and six of those eight are English.

If you haven’t seen Villa this season, that’s a shame because this is a team that tries to play football.

They keep the ball on the floor and pass it around. Unless it’s a clearance, they rarely hoof the ball aimlessly.

 "These young players have technique. Matthew Lowton scored one of the goals of the season with a beautiful chest and volley from 25 yards with Stoke’s hardest hatchet men charging at him.

They’re brave. Nathan Baker took the ball full in the face from a fierce Kenwyne Jones blast. And carried on no problem.

And they’ve got character. Jordan Bowery started only his second Premier League game for Villa in that big relegation clash at Stoke

All of these young players look calm and composed on the ball and, even better, they kept their heads up on Saturday. They had been by far the better side at Stoke, so when the home team equalised, heads might have dropped. But they didn’t and Villa hit back to win 3-1 with two late goals.

Heavy beatings at Chelsea and Man City have proved that it’s a project that has some way to go. Indeed, Aston Villa are still heavily involved in the relegation picture. Individual mistakes will happen with a young, growing team and those errors have cost Villa dear this season.

It would be a travesty if Villa were to go down, given the quality of the football they play. Aston Villa fans should feel proud of their club – it’s a model that every other club should try to emulate.

[tomd2103]

Can't stand Adrian Durham on the radio, but he has been fairly complimentary about Villa this season. 

[ACVilla]

I can't listen to Adrian Durham on the radio. I know he's employed to be somewhat controversial but he also comes across as a prick of the highest order.

About the only thing I can listen to on Talk Sport is Hawksby and Jacobs, and even then in only small doses.

As for his opinions on Villa, fair play. Talk Sport does seem to have more than your fair share of Villa fans contributing to it.

[Californian Villain]

It was posted on some other thread somewhere.  Hard to disagree with any of it.

[Mortimer's Bear]

Nice article

[paul_e]

articles like this are going to become more common over the next few years I think, we're doing things 'the right way' and it's impossible to not give some credit for that.  A team built around a young British core, many of whom have been at the club for years.  This is another reason I don't want us to sell off loads of the youngsters this summer.

[Nev]

I can't listen to Adrian Durham on the radio. I know he's employed to be somewhat controversial but he also comes across as a prick of the highest order.

About the only thing I can listen to on Talk Sport is Hawksby and Jacobs, and even then in only small doses.

As for his opinions on Villa, fair play. Talk Sport does seem to have more than your fair share of Villa fans contributing to it.

He's a different presenter on a Saturday afternoon, he doesn't have that other idiot with him, he's as thick as a Whale omelette that Gough.

[Ads]

Its in stark contrast to that Guardian pod-cast of last season which said something along the lines of “nobody would shed a tear if the Villa were relegated given the way we play the game”.

[LeeS]

A similar article appeard on the Here Is The City website, a site for us Banker types....



Should every neutral be willing Aston Villa to stay up? - by Dan Coombs

Aston Villa are full of confidence after winning three of their last four. Is this good news for the Premier League?


While few will be sorry to see the back of QPR, a club who desperately tried to progress by throwing cash at big name stars in a bid for short-term fixes, there may be some disappointed if Aston Villa are relegated.

The reasons are varied; Villa have one of the most highly rated managers in football in Paul Lambert, or at least he was a year ago. An intelligent manager who has worked his way up from the lower leagues, it would be disappointing to see him falter.

But perhaps more at issue is the way Lambert has stuck by his young players, even in moments of trouble, and persisted with them despite their character testing mid-season slump which saw them win just two of 12 Premier League games between December and February, and also suffer humiliating cup defeats to both Bradford City and Millwall.

As full-back Matthew Lowton commented this week, the players are full of confidence and on a real high after lifting themselves out of trouble, and there must be a real optimism that if the club can move forward and survive then they will not be involved in such a struggle next season.

Young players like Lowton have been brought in, and are benefiting from playing Premier League football despite the tough standard, with Ashley Westwood of Crewe particularly impressive.

Villa have the exciting starlet of Gary Gardner still to return from a cruciate knee injury, and if he can fulfil his potential then the future of the club's midfield appears to be very bright.

Aston Villa's under-19 side also beat off competition from 23 other teams to triumph in the NextGen Series at the beginning of the month, giving the club even further hope for the seasons ahead.

So the last thing the club need is to be relegated, and fortunately their form has picked up at the most opportune time, the business end of the season.

Neutral fans should be willing them on, because the club have several young British starlets who can develop at the top level and turn into real stars. A trip to the Championship could be harmful to their development and could eventually lead to some players leaving Villa Park.

It is completely unlike last year, when few neutral fans would have been unhappy to see the back of a dour Alex McLeish side which offered very little in terms of entertainment or value to the Premier League - But this Villa side have potential, have potential to be different, and successful - And for that reason we should all welcome what will become an achievement if they stay up - And keep a close eye on what they have to offer in the future.

http://hereisthecity.com/2013/04/10/should-every-neutral-be-willing-aston-villa-to-stay-up/

[freethinker]

The Guardian did a similar thing on Monday in their '10 talking points from the weekend's action':

Aston Villa would be a big loss to the Premier League

After Stoke City went down 3-1 at home to a progressive Aston Villa team, Charlie Adam said: "He has a good side there, Paul Lambert. They pass and showed intensity." To win at the Britannia Stadium is rare – despite the Potters' dire form it was only a third league defeat there this season – and Lambert's side prevailed by having the courage to stick with the philosophy espoused by him. Lambert is a young manager with a young team who are enjoyable to watch. If they beat the drop, they should emerge from the summer even better and an exciting prospect to light up the division more regularly next season.

[Ads]

Crikey, we're in danger of becoming some sort of official "second club" as Newcastle were supposedly in the mid-90's.

 

[Nev]

Don't worry we'll always have balance from Bordesley Green, and now and again from the schizophrenic Sandwell clowns (depending on how Wolves are doing).

[PaulWinch again]

Not like the Daily Heil to make a special reference to most of the players being English.

[Ads]

Not like the Daily Heil to make a special reference to most of the players being English.

I don't think there is anything political in that to be honest. Its a nod towards the national side, which the Premier League was set up to assist once upon a time.

[curiousorange]

Funny how this stuff has cropped up now we're in a bit of form. We had the same players when we were cocking up against Bradford and everyone wanted us to fail then, because it was hilarious.