Exciting times ahead

[ROBBO]

looking at the choices GED had on the bench tonight made me reflect back just a few weeks when some of us thought we were relegation material. Having Heskey, Petrov and Albrighton on standby gave me an insight into what the summer may bring. We are back to a position where just one or two top players will make us in to a very good side and i am more than confident that this manager is well connected enough to get them in. I would hate to see AY leave in the summer, i have been critical of him in the past but realise how much better we are with him in the side. Starting NRC tonight indicates that GED will rotate even the better players to keep them fresh and he will continue to give younger players their chance. Happiest i've been for a long time.

[Chipsticks]

GED?

[Chris Smith]

When I stop shitting myself in the last 10 minutes I might be able to look forward but for now I'll do the famous "1 game at a time".

[Ger Regan]

When I stop shitting myself in the last 10 minutes I might be able to look forward but for now I'll do the famous "1 game at a time".

Agree to a point. I'm cautiously optimistic about the future, but the final 10 minute panic is a worry. Only thing is that it's not exactly a new phenomenon. Villa have been guilty of it for a few years now.

[Chris Smith]

Absolutely, Ger, they always do it to us. If GH cures them of that habit it will be better than any signing.

[pauliewalnuts]

Tonight's final ten mins was particularly bad.

I go into dread mode whenever we conceded on 75-80 minutes.

If we could stamp that out, we'd be well on our way to being a very good side indeed.

[The Left Side]

I agree, some very good progress but still some hard grafting to be done but let's enjoy the wins.

[eamonn]

looking at the choices GED had on the bench tonight made me reflect back just a few weeks when some of us thought we were relegation material. Having Heskey, Petrov and Albrighton on standby gave me an insight into what the summer may bring. We are back to a position where just one or two top players will make us in to a very good side and i am more than confident that this manager is well connected enough to get them in. I would hate to see AY leave in the summer, i have been critical of him in the past but realise how much better we are with him in the side. Starting NRC tonight indicates that GED will rotate even the better players to keep them fresh and he will continue to give younger players their chance. Happiest i've been for a long time.

Steady on. Back to back wins are fantastic but we're not out of the woods just yet. Far too soon not to consider us ''relegation material'' anymore.

Wigan are third from bottom and looking from the highlights there didn't seem to be that much between the teams. I know we can play better, just a matter of us doing it, and then doing it a few more times after. Then, maybe a decent finish will be on the cards.

[ClarrieBlue]

I don't get it really. Things are looking distinctively positive at the mo but did MON see a load of trouble coming and get out and therefore was GH the fall guy to sort  it out. Having said that the last 3 or 4 months are not excusable. 6th to possible / likely relegation candidates is chronic. However that's our beloved Villa - 5 year cycles -eh

[Toronto Villa]

We did what we had to do tonight, and the important thing is this continues to build momentum. Man U is realistically our last really tough league game for a good while until Arsenal and Liverpool at the end of the season. That's a 10 or 11 game span of very winnable games coming up. Throw in a decent cup run and what was turning into a disaster of a season might end up being quite good after all.

Even though we are not playing with complete confidence or fluidity, it's coming. Darren Bent gives us a player that opposition defenders have to account for. Give him an inch in the box and he'll kill you. The supporting cast are getting to know him better, and overall, the the players are buying into what GH is selling with every practice and positive result. This is by no means the finished article, but we can see the direction that the club is going now.

There will still be significant change between now and next August, but the change is for the better. Between new technically gifted players, incumbent players with a new sense of belief, and young kids coming through with boundless energy, our future is indeed looking very bright. There's a unity at the club that you felt was eroding, and everyone seems to be on the same page again.

If we're patient and observe and enjoy the development of this club, despite the bumps we will invaraibly encounter, the end result should be something we will all come to appreciate.

[KevinGage]

Even relegated sides have an upturn in fortune at some point of the campaign -usually around this time of year too.

We have to ensure that this isn't our mini revival and then we revert to type in March/April. After looking like possible relegation candidates under BFR in 1994/95, we had a good run under Sir Brian stretching over Jan/Feb 1995 -before the arse fell out of our season again and we just about stayed up. Difference between that and this occasion is we've strengthened considerably - and we might not be done yet.

The three points tonight were absolutely huge in the context of the season for us. If we get another win on the board ASAP (most likely Fulham at home) then it would just be another three wins to get to the magic 40 point mark (possibly less depending on what we do at OT).

The way the fixtures have panned out, we could conceivably reach that by mid March. If we do, we'll have two months and eight games to build a respectable league position, possibly even a late dart for Europe if the sides above us flounder.

[ROBBO]

They never looked like scoring in the second half until that huge deflection, of course that's going to give them a lift as it would any side. Blackpool were two up against United who looked completely flat and were being ouplayed but one goal changed the game completely. I am not going to be swayed by you pesimists we are on the up, get used to it.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

The good thing about Houllier, compared to the Villa hating madman, is that he will use the squad and rotate players, rather than running the favoured 11 into the ground.

[ozzjim]

It was interesting that as soon as Makoun looked tired Petrov came on and got himself forward a lot, leaving Reo Coker to do the dirty work so to speak.

[sid1964]

Agree with the comments about the mini revival - remember under Brian that we won a few games and got to about 10th in the league, then the dip in form and were lucky to stay up!!

Had to smile when I saw Houllier at the end of the game giving the thumbs up and a wave to our support.