Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: Archie on April 01, 2013, 02:13:07 PM
-
It's well known that if you are not a glory hunter Villa is the club n° 1 in the world, and if you are (glory hunter) you have chosen the wrong team
At Villa we won't win many trophies but surely we don't risk to annoy.
First of all, we are not arrogant.
We don't want to buy the best players in order to win easy. Where Liverpool have Coutinho, we have Barry Bannan, where they have Gerrard, we have Sylla.
It's so exciting. . .
And we always give a hope to our opponents. Every game we have 15 minutes of complete black out (normally in the second half) in which our manager fells asleep, the players limit to belt the ball clear, and the opponents smell the blood, they know that they can score one, two, or three goals, it is all (and only) a question of time.
This is the main reason why managers like Alex Ferguson are so glad to play at Villa Park.
And we also are a charitable institution: we go all around the world, for instance to Holland, we pick two players, one CM and one CD, that are depressed because in Italy wouldn't play even in Fourth Division, and we tell them: "hey mates, we make your dreams to come true, you are in Premier League now.
Mister Vlaar, let me introduce to you to el Senor Suarez.
Mister El Ahmadi, the ball is that white or yellow spherical object, you can even try to hit it".
But in the Next Gen Series all change.
In that competition, you really have a good team, some promising players, for instance a gifted and tricky winger like Jack Grealish, and a midfielder that knows the art to pass the ball like Samir Carruthers.
So, you can't miss the fantastic occasion to follow the boys in claret and blue in a beautiful small city, Como, laid on the banks of a lake with excellent wineries, to see the Next Gen Series Semi finals.
(http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/3355/fotomz.png)
(http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/219/fotoxzk.jpg)
(http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/5426/fotoffh.jpg)
Como have an old, maybe decadent, but proper english-style football ground
(http://i49.tinypic.com/6rokmg.jpg)
With the Villa staff attending Arsenal Chelsea.
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/73169_553309978046409_1679007695_n.jpg)
The perspective from the bench.
(http://i45.tinypic.com/wjtpi8.jpg)
Tactics repetition before the start of the extra times (ok, they only said: "come on" and "calm down", Lambert docet).
(http://i47.tinypic.com/9pom5x.jpg)
After the game, with the MOM Jack Grealish, the new hero.
(http://i48.tinypic.com/nf1h86.jpg)
-
Great stuff Archie!
-
Great pictures Archie. I so hope the young lads win today.
-
I also hope, but realistically I know that it will be difficult as Chelsea have a strong squad with two or three players ready for the Premier, beginning from Baker.
-
Lake Como's a shithole....I wanna go home .........
Come on you Villa youngsters
-
Give them a shout from me lads.
-
2 - 0 Villa 2 Pens well done the Villa
-
Grande Archie! Bravo.
-
I also hope, but realistically I know that it will be difficult as Chelsea have a strong squad with two or three players ready for the Premier, beginning from Baker.
But we outplayed them and they couldn't match the class of Grealish and Robinson or get the better of Donacien. And most of our players are British too.
-
Well that was extremely impressive. An organised Villa side who could defend well. Impresive peformance from Carruthers in midfield. In the Lisbon semi I thought he came across as a Billy Big Potatoes arguing with the ref far too much But he was excellent throughout in the final and can deal with the physical side to the game.
Obviously Robinson and Grealish stood out because they have the skill but Brad Watkins was excellent in both games and Barton looked as if he might have something.
Burke took his penalties well but only looks a possible Championship player with his general play
All in all it was a pleasure to watch and shows the club is developing some considerable talent.
-
Well done lads, suberb
-
Mods can you merge the two threads please
-
Well done lads, at least we'll end the season with some silverware.
-
European Champions, again :)
-
I also hope, but realistically I know that it will be difficult as Chelsea have a strong squad with two or three players ready for the Premier, beginning from Baker.
But we outplayed them and they couldn't match the class of Grealish and Robinson or get the better of Donacien. And most of our players are British too.
This was a point that was made when we played them in the Youth Cup. It would probably be the biggest game that most of the Chelsea players would ever play in, such was the remote chance they would ever get into the first team.
-
Great stuff Archie!!
Glad to see you're well. Still have fond memories(despite the result of course)of watching the Carling Cup Final in Padua with you and your friends back in 2010!
Cheers and hope to catch up with you again in future!
Nik
-
Villa in Lake Como I know, I know, its really serious.
-
I hope the lads get to parade it around Villa Park at the Fulham game.
It should get the crowd going and really lift the place.
-
Yeah great pictures Archie, hope you enjoyed it.
I know someone who was chatting to Sid Cowans after the game on Sunday and he reckoned Chelsea might have been too tough for us. Glad he was wrong.
-
Just read this about the proposal from UEFA to sponsor its own version of NextGen. I think it's a well-written piece and so is the report of the match on another page. Worth a look IMHO!
http://hereisthecity.com/2013/04/02/how-aston-villa-just-gave-uefa-the-middle-finger/
-
Great stuff Archie!!
Glad to see you're well. Still have fond memories(despite the result of course)of watching the Carling Cup Final in Padua with you and your friends back in 2010!
Cheers and hope to catch up with you again in future!
Nik
Nik, I had lost your traces, glad to hear you're well even if in the other part of the world!
-
Well done for being there.
It's common knowledge that we use funds raised from our first team activities to develop our youth, that's our main purpose for existence nowadays!
-
Just read this about the proposal from UEFA to sponsor its own version of NextGen. I think it's a well-written piece and so is the report of the match on another page. Worth a look IMHO!
http://hereisthecity.com/2013/04/02/how-aston-villa-just-gave-uefa-the-middle-finger/
"Uefa coming in is flattering to us. Although they have had 50 years to do this". Says it all.
-
We are not popular enough for them. 'Don't invite them to enter, just in case' is what they might be saying.
-
We are not popular enough for them. 'Don't invite them to enter, just in case' is what they might be saying.
I think this situation, potentially, is a great opportunity for the wider football community to call UEFA's bluff: are they genuinely interested in the sporting integrity of the game or is football, for them, all about money and building up the brands of the clubs with media/petrodollars behind them?
-
We are not popular enough for them. 'Don't invite them to enter, just in case' is what they might be saying.
I think this situation, potentially, is a great opportunity for the wider football community to call UEFA's bluff: are they genuinely interested in the sporting integrity of the game or is football, for them, all about money and building up the brands of the clubs with media/petrodollars behind them?
I imagine they will continue to answer that question one way and act in a way that clearly shows they mean the other.
-
We are not popular enough for them. 'Don't invite them to enter, just in case' is what they might be saying.
I think this situation, potentially, is a great opportunity for the wider football community to call UEFA's bluff: are they genuinely interested in the sporting integrity of the game or is football, for them, all about money and building up the brands of the clubs with media/petrodollars behind them?
I imagine they will continue to answer that question one way and act in a way that clearly shows they mean the other.
You could be right but there's an opportunity here for Villa (and last year's winners, Inter) to kick up a fuss and make a stand. I'm sure the likes of Sporting would be opposed to UEFA's moves too. The ideal solution would be for UEFA to team up with the NextGen people and keep things as they are. If UEFA try to make academy football a closed shop, too, we may as well all pack it in.