By Alan Duffy

After watching his side throw away a two-goal in a bizarre seven-minute second-half capitulation at the Emirates, Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish is apparently desperate for some kind of retribution, with Arsenal captain Robin Van Persie firmly in his sights.

The Scottish manager claims that the Dutch striker, who scored two penalties in the game, launched a pre-meditated elbow into the face of Villa’s Carlos Cuellar during the game. Now McLiesh wants The FA to investigate.

The Villa boss has always been one to laud the physical nature of this ‘man’s game’, so it is simply a question of sour grapes, or does Van Persie indeed have a case to answer for? Watch the video evidence here and judge for yourselves…

                          

By Alan Duffy

Arsenal 3-2 Aston Villa – FA Cup – 29th January 2012

With Aston Villa going in at half-time two goals up, Arsene Wenger would no doubt have been preparing himself for a mountain of abuse from the Emirates crowd for the rest of the afternoon. However, thanks to a superb seven-minute surge straight after the break, the Gunners secured a vital victory and a place in the fifth round of the cup.

It was business as usual for the home side in the first-half, having the majority of the possession without scoring before crumbling at the back, not once but twice, against a fleet-footed Villa side.

Football’s one and only Honey Monster Richard Dunne opened the scoring for the Villans just after the half-hour mark, as the Gunners once again failed to deal with a set-piece, leaving the Irishman to head home from a corner. Darren Bent then doubled the score on half-time, netting superbly from the narrowest of angles after Lukas Fabianksi had stopped his first effort.

Whether or not Wenger produced a hairdryer moment in the Arsenal dressing room remains to be seen, but on the re-start the Gunners were a different side, cutting through the Villa defence again and again. Robin Van Persie netted the first of two spot-kicks for the Gunners on 54 minutes, after Dunne fouled Aaron Ramsey, before scoring his second penalty of the game just seven minutes later, this time after a rampaging Laurent Koscielny was felled by Bent. Those two RVP penalties sandwiched a rather fortunate Theo Walcott goal, with the ball coming back off Shay Given before rebounding off the winger’s face and back into the Villa goal. Although to be fair, Walcott had created the initial chance himself superbly.

Oddly, after ripping Villa to shreds in the first half of the second period, Arsenal then dropped deep and allowed the visitors to once again threaten Fabianski’s goal. Indeed, Stiliyan Petrov and the rather disapppointing Stephen Ireland had decent chances to level the scores again. However, ultimately, Wenger would find himself on the receiving end of some cheers rather than jeers, as the Gunners battled through to the fifth round of the Cup.

Photos…

Highlights to follow…

Photos: PA

                          

By Chris Wright

Short and sweet. Our nation’s prematurely balding monarch-in-waiting Prince William – an Aston Villa fan by trade (look, he even has a hat!) – giving a heckler his honest and frank assessment of former Brum manager Alex McLeish’s appointment as Villa boss back in the summer while clambering into his car…

Cutting.

When even Prince Willybobs – a chap who’s paid handsomely to pretend to like everything – greets the very mention of your name with a condescending guffaw, it’s probably time to pack it in and go and live in a cave somewhere.

(Thanks to Pies fan @gsmyly for the nudge)

                          

By Alan Duffy

Aston Villa 1-1 Everton – Premier League – 14th January 2012

Alex McLeish’s Villa side once again struggled in front of their home fans, drawing with Everton to make it just three wins out of 10 home league fixtures for the Villans.

Everton started with new signing Darron Gibson in midfield and loanee Landon Donovan up front, and it was the Toffees who impressed in the early stages of the game. Indeed, only for a couple of superb Shay Given stops, the visitors could have been a couple of goals up by half time.

However, it was the Villans who eventually opened the scoring, with Darren Bent netting after good work from Stephen Ireland. Not long after the goal, David Moyes subbed off Dutch midfielder Royston Drenthe, replacing him with Victor Anichebe, and the switch did the trick for the Toffees on 69 minutes. Donovan was the architect of the equaliser, with his superb defence-splitting pass setting up Anichebe who slotted past Given.

McLeish threw up another MLS loanee, Robbie Keane, to try to secure all three points for the home side, but ultimately Villa once again failed to impress on home turf.

Both sides stay in mid-table, but Moyes will no doubt be the happier of the two bosses, with both Gibson and Donovan impressing for the Toffees.

Photos…

Highlights…

Photos: PA

                          

By Chris Wright

“Hello everyone, I’m Robbie: Football’s undisputed King of Craic and B-B-B-B-BANTZ! Good to see you all again. It’s been a while, so it has!”

“Roight. Let’s get this shitstorm started shall we? Any questions?”

“Hi Robbie, over here. Quick question…”

“Yes, you. You wid the face like a bulldog licking piss of a thistle…”

“Thanks. Robbie, are you aware of the rumours that Liverpool are still in with a chance of pipping Villa to your signature?”

“What?”

“No!”

“But…but…I hated it there…”

“Maybe I could crash the car on the way up, make it look like an accident…”

“Robbie…”

“Yeah?”

“…only joking!”

“Are you kidding? Did you just…?”

“Hahahaha!!!! BAAAAAANTZ!!! Lolololololol!! You salty bastard!!!”

“Seriously though?”

Suggested further viewing…

The Epic Quest To Destroy Kun’s Hat In The Fires Of Mount Madrigal

                          

Thirteen years after coming this close – you should see how close I’m holding my fingers right now – to joining Villa from Wolves (a financial snag saw him toddle off to Coventry instead) in 1999, Robbie Keane has finally made the move to Villa Park on a two-month loan deal from LA Galaxy.

Here he is with his new work clothes, which we’re delightfully informed has the number ’20′ on the back for those who like to keep track of these things..

I’m sure he’ll ‘do a job’ as they say, but I wouldn’t expect miracles if I were a Villa fan. After all, Keane’s only managed three goals in his last 29 Premier League appearances.

Any thoughts you blighters?

(That’s right. No ‘boyhood club’ gag whatsoever! So proud of myself.)

                          

Chelsea 1-3 Aston Villa – Premier League – 31st December 2011

Coming only days after he was chastised by manager Alex McLeish for being photographed with a hookah pipe and drink in hand, Stephen Ireland rediscovered his best midfield form to inspire the Villans to a superb and surpirsing victory at Stamford Bridge.

Didier Drogba had put the Blues head on 23 minutes from the penalty spot, after Richard Dunne brought down the Ivorian in the villa box. However, the visitors were always in the game, and with Ireland prompting from an attacking midfield berth and Marc Albrighton and Charles N’Zogbia providing pace on the flanks, Villa were always a threat. Indeed,  the equaliser soon came after a superb run from N’Zogbia,  with Ireland netting from close range after his first effort was blocked.

After the break both sides went close, with substitute Fernando Torres hitting the crossbar with a superb long-range strike. However, captain Stiliyan Petrov scored Villa’s second on 83 minutes as the Blues once again struggled to deal with the visitors’ pace on the break. Then, just three minutes later, Ireland set up Darren Bent who slotted the ball past Petr Cech to secure a vital win for Alex McLeish’s side.

Villa now find themselves in ninth place with a spring in their step, while AVB’s Chelsea look in serious danger of missing out on even a top four place. The expected arrival of Gary Cahill may well help to shore up things at the back, but a larger rebuild is needed if the Blues are to seriously challenge Manchester City, both in the second of this season and beyond.

Photos…

Highlights…

Photos: PA

                          

By Alan Duffy

Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal  - Premier League – 21st December 2011

Wiry wingman Marc Albrighton netted the 20,000 goal in Premier League history but it was an under-par visiting Arsenal side that took home all three points in a tough, tense pre-Christmas encounter.

With five defenders out injured, the Gunners were forced to start French starlet Francis Coquelin at right back and the youngster struggled to deal with the marauding runs of Charles N’Zogbia. However, it was the away side that opened the scoring, courtesy of a Robin Van Persie spot-kick (his 34th in 2011) on 17 minutes. Theo Walcott had done superbly to get past Ciaran Clark before the Irishman pulled him back in the box.

Just after the half-time break the hard-working Villans got a deserved equaliser after Thomas Vermaelen’s weak pass was intercepted by Albrighton, who fired home that historic landmark goal. The home side pushed for the winner as the Gunners struggled, with another youngster, Emmanuel Frimpong, also finding it hard going.  However, Arsene Wenger’s men eventually snatched a late winner when sub Yossi Benayoun headed home, unmarked, from a Van Persie corner on 86 minutes. Villa’s resident nutter, Alan Hutton, was then sent off after two silly bookings in quick succession and that was that.

Alex McLeish will be livid at his side’s defending for Arsenal’s winner, while Arsene Wenger will be pondering strengthening his severely weakened squad in January.

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Highlights…

Photos: PA

                          

By Chris Wright

Darren Bent has apologised to Villa fans after a photo of him out Christmas shopping in Cambridge was circulated around Twitter while his teammates were busy losing to Liverpool yesterday.

It’s worth mentioning that Bent had been ruled out of the match after suffering a thigh injury in the week but, after undergoing two hours of physio on Sunday morning at Villa’s Bodymoor Heath training complex, he was under club doctor’s instructions to go home and watch the match on television – which he did, until he got bored in the second half and popped out for some bits.

After a fair few Villa fans voiced their distress at seeing their ‘mercenary’ star striker hobbling around a shopping centre rather than sitting on the settee at home with his hands down his trousers, Bent apologised via Twitter this morning:

“Nothing is more important to me than playing football, sadly injury meant I wasn’t able to do that today. Gutted not to be involved.

“I hope to be back very soon. Watched the majority of he game on tv. Never knew popping out would cause an issue and for that I apologise.”

Word is Villa are completely nonplussed by Bent’s actions, with several reports using words along the lines of ‘unconcerned’, ‘relaxed’ and ‘completely nonplussed’.

Anyone out there think it’s an issue?