November 2008 Archives

I'm one of the lucky ones.

I will be flying to Prague tomorrow, from Stansted airport via Easyjet no less.

Can't wait to return to the scene of my first European venture with Villa: the mighty Marila Pribram in the InterToto Cup.

The date: July 2000. The score: 0-0. And a red card to current youth coach Mark Delaney to boot.

Not to worry, Villa polished the Czechs off easily at Villa Park before falling to Celta Vigo.

Back then we (I mean the press aswell as the fans) expected European nights every season.

But it was sadly not to be. The nest season I was despatched to Slaven Belupo, Rennais, Basel and Varteks, and the following year Zurich and Lille.

I was even sent to Lisbon to cover David Ginola's debut.

Then of course as quickly as it all started, it was all over. Who'd have thought that home defeat to Lille would mark the last game for six years in Europe?

All would be good memories if I could remember a single thing about those matches other than the fact that the company was good, the nights were sometimes long and the beer ridiculously cheap. (You could go out with 50 pence and still come back with change).

That first trip to Prague will forever live in the memory.

I was with a small group of English reporters who sneaked out late one night and could not find a damn thing open near the hotel.

Just when we were about to give up and head back for an early night we stumbled upon what can only be described as a working men's club.

But it was open, and serving pints. Five or so were ordered and it came to a little under a pound. One pound. We drank like thirsty camels in a particularly hot desert.

(I think Prague will have cottoned on to the English by now. I've heard we might be accepted to pay as much as a pound a pint each this week).

Anyway, that night eight years ago was as good as you could ever imagine.

With only local hack Ged and Alex from the Villa web-site (who still possesses a remarkable resemblance to Alan McInally) now standing we stumbled upon a loud and bright club. The rest is history.

There is the tale of a flannel placed precariously over the privates and thus sparing the blushes of a journalist who had fallen asleep on his bed just as six foot tall Kathy L Fortmann, an attractive American brunette, wandered in to say hello.

He knows who he is. The flannel, it has to be said, was clean but was extremely small.

By this time of course I had made my excuses and left.

I have never spoken to Paul Breitner but I know a man who has. Or more accurately, I know a publication that has.... and they may just have ribbed him about May 1982 and Rotterdam.

Breitner- just look it up on Google- "is one of only four footballers to have achieved the feat of scoring in two different World Cup final matches, sharing that honour with Pele, Vava, and Zinedine Zidane. He achieved this in 1974 against the Netherlands and in 1982 against Italy."

There is the mention of being paid 150,000 marks to shave off his trademark beard by a cosmetics company, but not a single mention of playing 90 minutes in that losing Final to Villa.

Anyway, quite how Heroes and Villians have managed the interview is another matter. But hats off, and it's on sale around the ground on Sunday against Boro.

BE prepared for some good news comiong out of Villa Park today.

The memories of that abysmal 30 minute surrender last night still burn bright, but I understand there is some cracking news about one key player (a vital player who may not have played too well at St James' it might be said).

Oh, and there may also be something regarding that nasty incident where Joey Barton appeared to flick a finger in Gabby Agbonlahor's face.

It appeared trivial at the time. But the national papers in the North-east were salivating over it. They smelt blood. And maybe there is a twist to come. Watch this space.

Expect changes and quite of few of them when the team take on Prague.

Having seen Martin O'Neill this morning it is clear that he is not a happy chap. It was the manner of the defeat at Newcastle, the lack of a thrust in those final 15 minutes or so, that perhaps hurt him most.

But still 5th, still in Europe and no one should get carried away.

It promises to be a busy day at Villa Park.

JUST by chance I choose today to wear a black shirt and black and white tie. Bought it in a £5 deal from Asda. What an idiot! I get mistaken for one of the waiters in the press lounge and spend a few worthless seconds trying to explain that I do not have any gravy.

You'd never find Borjan Valero in an Asda combo set. (I have my humurous colleagues on the Mail sports desk to thank for that. They think they've spotted one of those 'divided at birth' funnies)

First impressions of Newcastle? If the game kicks off in ten minutes (it's 7.50pm) then the ground will be less than a third full.

Are the bars still packed with thirsty geordies?

It's fourth versus bottom. But a win for Villa tonight will send them third. United need a win to lift their spirits and continue a remarkable drop for neighbours Albion who would go second bottom.

The team sheets are long in. Where are all these changes that Martin O'Neill was predicting after the Blackburn game? No Steve Sidwell, just the rather obvious recall of John Carew for the injured Stiliyan Petrov.

James Milner gets a smattering of applause. He'll surely play on the wing.

No major surprises on the bench either. But a look at the Newcastle programme shows that the number 48 has been handed to young left-sided central defender (I could not think of a more accurate description of his standing and position if I tried) Nathan Baker.

That's odd. Not because he doesn't deserve a senior squad number, but who chose 48?

It's a bit of a steep climb from Carlos Cuellar at 29. He could have had 12, 23, 25, or 28. Or even 30.

Anyway, the players are out. Very few empty seats- other than a whole block of grey seats up in the clouds above us which I guess were set aside for Villa fans who quite understandably are at home watching it on the box.

It's amazing what a 2-1 home win over Albion can do for a club's confidence. St James' is now rocking.

Less than 20 seconds gone and Joey Barton has gifted Ashley Young a free run. Young feeds Gabby and Villa are on the attack. CRUNCH! Barton and Nigel Reo-Coker go hell for leather over a 50-50.

Milner is now getting the sort of treatment that say a Spanish or Brazilian motor racing crowd would reserve for Lewis Hamilton. Not too friendly.

11 minutes gone and Martin Laursen has nodded Barry's free-kick against the outside of the far post. On the subject of Laursen, I was phoned today by a journalist in Denmark who made the

22 minutes in and lots of fun and games, largely centering around Joey Barton who is running around like a madman. Gabby misses a sitter when he fails to connect to Milner's square ball infront of goal.

Hope they won't pay for that later, but Villa well on top as the half hour passes.

Martins is a threat for United. Appears to be playing for a move. Is he out of contract in June? Sign him up Martin.

Villa produce the move of the match. Carew feeds Barry who produces a great ball to Gabby. Now he slips it to Ashley Young- OOOOHHHH! A fine save by keeper Given with his legs from a fiercely struck shot.

Somehow Steven Taylor finds himself in the Villa area and only narrowly fails to connect to Beye's cross.

It's half-time. Could go either way. I'm not going back into the press lounge though- despite that tie being firmly tucked into the top pocket.

ANOTHER Saturday and another 3pm spent away from a football ground because the TV cameras want a slice of Villa again.

Newcastle away used to be a fixture to fill every Villa fan with dread. Six straight defeats at the start of the Premier League, then a 1-0 win at the start of the 1999/2000 season broke the hoodoo.

A draw in the FA Cup in January 2001 gave further hope of a shift in fortunes. Then two successive 3-0 defeats brought them crashing back to earth at St James'.

But the last six visits to the venue- bringing just one win, four draws and an unlucky January 2007 defeat when they played probably as well as at any time on the ground in recent years- have smashed United's stranglehold over Villa.

So the ground holds no fears. And in any case head to the North-east as favourites to continue their seemingly irrepressible momentum built up with wins over Ajax, Wigan and Blackburn at a time when Joe Kinnear's side look decidely average. They managed a timely win over Albion but it was rather less than impressive.

That one Villa win- April 2005- was of course was the most memorable of the lot. And not because of the 3-0 margin.

Steven Taylor's dying swan act still sticks in the memory to earn his red card, but it was the incredible fight between Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer that took all the glory and still ranks as the most bizarre incident perhaps ever witnessed on a football pitch.

Gareth Barry saved Dyer from a mauling that day by pulling Bowyer away. I wonder if he'll be as keen to get involved with Joey Barton?

It promises to be quite an occasion. Last year the fixture witnessed it's first goalless draw at United since 1922, but it wasn't a dull game.

Two years ago Villa were also up there for a late night affair. I remember working 'til well past midnight with Villa tasting that unfair defeat and then putting the finishing touches to Shaun Maloney's transfer. There was the sight of Richard Fitzgerald (remember him?) walking around with his mobile phone glued to his ear.

It's a fine stadium alright- even if the one stand does completely swamp the rest.

I have stumbled upon the match programme and team-sheet for my first trip to Newcastle as the Mail's Villa reporter.

The date was January 2001, and the occasion an FA Cup third round tie that, if memory serves me right, ended 1-1 with Steve Stone opening the scoring for Villa at the club he supported as a boy before Nobby Solano got a late leveller.

Villa completed the job at Villa Park to reach the fourth round with a goal from Darius Vassell.

The Newcastle team-sheet is littered with the good- there was no Alan Shearer but Dyer was there, as was Gary Speed and Nobby Solano- the not so good: Aaron Hughes never lived up to his billing in later years at Villa but is still earning a living in the Premiership at Fulham- and the 'who on earth was that?'- Alain Goma, Clarence Acuna, Christian Bassedas.

There was also a 19-year-old up front with seeingly a huge future ahead of him. He is still popping them in for the Toon- Shola Ameobi. It's just a pity that he sort of disappeared during the middle six years.

Anyway the match programme is worthy of note for the fact that there is an interesting interview with Tommy Craig inside. He goes on to say that his move from Newcastle to Villa for £275,000 in January 1978 was a disaster from start to finish.

The reason? Ron Saunders and his long ball game.

He says: "The Villa style was to hit them long all the time to Andy Gray up front alongside Brian Little. I didn't fit into that style in any way, shape or form."

If you cannot agree with that footballing argument then at least you have to thank Craig for his honesty.

He adds: "I was a bad purchase for Villa in every way. They paid paid £275,000 for me and I only played 27 games, which is ten grand a game.

"I know some Villa fans are fairly critical of me for my time there as a player- and I really don't blame them."

Villa should be too strong. John Carew and Steve Sidwell will surely start for Stiliyan Petrov- who will miss Slavia Prague and Middlesbrough too- and probably a tiring Nigel Reo-Coker.

So here's to another away win.