December 2008 Archives

So after another round of Premier League matches it is back down to fifth for Villa.

But you look at their next run of fixtures: Hull, Albion, Sunderland, Portsmouth, Wigan and Blackburn - that's six games which can once again put real pressure on Arsenal.

Anyone who saw the first half against Arsene Wenger's side will now know - if they didn't before- that on their day Villa possess the quality to match anyone.

Talking of Wenger, isn't he a whinger? What a ridiculous accusation to make that Villa were attempting to influence referee Lee Mason at half-time: "I know how it works here. At half-time the referee gets stick and then in the second half every little 50-50 decision goes the other way.

"I waited at half-time to see what happened and I was not disappointed."

Utter nonesense.

Talk in football is that Wenger has few friends among fellow managers.

Anyway, Hull on Tuesday has become a 'must win', if Villa want to continue their remarkable push for the fourth Champions League place.

All of a sudden Everton are breathing down their necks having beaten Sunderland today, and it is vital Villa don't allow Phil Brown's side to bounce back after their morale-sapping defeats to Sunderland and Manchester City.

You get the feeling that the first goal once again will be vital at the KC.

Seven times out of seven Villa have won when taking the lead this season.

Unfortunately they couldn't do so on Boxing Day against Arsenal which stretched a run going back to the opening day against Man City when they last took the lead in a home league game.

Had Villa got what they deserved then they'd have romped to a convincing win.

That opening 45 minutes was the best I have seen against a top four opponent in quite some time. It certainly rivalled some of those magnificent home wins against Chelsea in recent years.

Three times they hit the woodwork, and there was that outrageous goal-line clearance from Bacary Sagna. Then Nigel Reo-Coker blurs what was otherwise a really fine performance at full-back by gifting Arsenal the lead.

Arsenal's second was as good as you'll see all season.

But the comeback... from a debateable penalty to a thrilling crescendo... breathtaking stuff. And infront of an atmosphere reminiscent of bygone times.

I'm guessing Carlos Cueller will be struggling for the Hull game, although Martin O'Neill will reveal more at his press conference tomorrow.

Whether he is fit or not shouldn't affect Villa one way or the other.

Zat Knight shocked us all with a performance of real stature capped by a truly remarkable goal that I'm sure will make the shortlist for goal of the season - along with Ashley Young's winner at Everton and Gabby Agbonlahor's winner at Arsenal.

One performance and one goal will not turn around a career.

Knight still has much to do.

But it is a start and comes at a crucial time with Villa fearing a lengthier lay-off than the month already attributed to Martin Laursen's lay-off.

Villa supporters have much to be excited about as the club enter 2009.

The team are bristling with goals with Agbonlahor and Ashley Young in magnificent form over the last six or seven weeks - since John Carew's injury before the Arsenal game to be precise.

And yet hardly a day goes by without a link to a top international goal-scorer.

You can put your house on Martin O'Neill splashing out big-time at a time when few will be spending other than Man City.

Emile Heskey and one from Jermaine Defoe, Peter Crouch or Roque Santa Cruz appears to be the cut and thrust of it.

If that isn't sounding out real ambition to crack the top four then nothing is.

Starter for ten: Name your Villa skipper.

Martin Laursen is crocked. Let's hope it's not too serious, but whenever the words 'knee' and 'Laursen' fall into the same sentence you can hear a pin drop.

It's like a friend bringing up a former partner in front of your current spouse: "Do you remember Cathy? Such a good - looker." Not the done thing.

So Laursen is out, and by my reckoning that leaves four candidates to lead the side against Arsenal and Hull City.

Gareth Barry - the favourite. But would he fancy the responsibility after all that had gone on before? It was a messy old summer. Is all that forgotten?

Stiliyan Petrov- now a fans' favourite and a senior team member of some standing.

Brad Friedel- as old as the hills and playing as well as ever.

Nigel Reo-Coker - skippered the side at Liverpool last season, but unlikely to come into serious contention here because he is only in the side by default, although he will face the Gunners at right-back.

Friday night will reveal all.

Just when you thought it was a great time to face Arsenal, fate goes and slaps Villa in the face.

No Cesc Fabregas, no Emmanuel Adebayor. Sure they have replacements, but those are two key players to be without in anyone's book.

Then Laursen goes and spoils it on Sunday evening....

Still, this is what Carlos Cuellar was signed for at £7.8 million. Not to play right-back for the rest of his days.

He was poor at Hamburg but if you remember he did pretty well as a half-time sub at Chelsea. And his reputation is steeped after a fine time at Rangers.

There's still no John Carew and won't be for at least a month. That's a worry.

Surgery has never been ruled out completely.

But I am not one of those conspiracy theorists who think he will never play for the club again after the Ajax incident. The Rocket thingy.

Still, Emile Heskey will soon be here...

I pointed out to Martin O'Neill on Tuesday morning that if there were two players you wanted in your team against Arsenal- it was Laursen and Carew.

Laursen because of the last 18 months of consistently high performances, and Carew because he has held a talismanic influence over the Gunners from his time at Valencia.

He was "unplayable" at Villa Park against them last year.

Can Villa beat Arsenal and open up a six point gap? Of course they can. And a sell-out crowd will ineviteably help, particularly with the electric atmosphere that a late kick-off invariably brings.

It's ten years since Villa last beat them at home. High time for change.

You have to go back to Ron Atkinson and 1992/93 for the last double over Arsenal. Dean Saunders scored the only goal at Villa Park on 28 December 1992, and Tony Daley the only goal at Highbury the following April.

Much has been made of Arsenal's inconsistent form. Losing to Stoke, Hull, Fulham, Manchester City and Villa this season when last year they were top of the pile at Christmas having lost just once.

But they have also beaten Chelsea and Manchester United and managed a draw with Liverpool last week with just ten men.

Write them off at your peril. Just like United, they love Villa Park and its superb playing surface almost as much as their own home.

Villa can go six points clear with a victory. And yet a defeat will see Arsenal rise back above them. It's as intriguing a clash at Villa Park that I can remember.

Sure the Liverpool clash was one to savour. But that was all about Barry and Benitez. United is always a fixture to excite... but that is always about ending a hoodoo.

Friday night is about two teams almost now viewed on a level. With Ashley Young and Gabby Agbonlahor in such fine form Villa you feel can really shake Arsenal up, particularly if the visitors defend as high up the pitch as they did against Liverpool.

But Boxing Day has not been kind to Villa in recent years.

Last year's eight goal thriller at Chelsea and a win at Everton in December 2005 are as good as it has got since a 2-0 win at Derby in 1999.

In fact Villa have only won one other game in Premier League history on December 26: 4-1 against Spurs in 1997, whilst the likes of Man City, Blackburn and Coventry have got the better of them on the date as well as Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool and United.

The record books also show that Villa have only played Arsenal twice on Boxing Day: registering a goalless draw in 1994 at Highbury and winning 3-0 in 1957 when Gerry Hitchens was on the scoresheet - now there was a striker. What price the Welshman today?

But Boxing Day hasn't always been one to fear. Although you have to go back a bit.

Back in the 1890s there was a four year period where Villa hit 22 goals without reply in three matches. They beat Darwen 7-0 and 9-0 in 1891 and 1893 and Stoke City 6-0 in 1894.

Villa fans don't need any such thrills on Friday. 1-0 with a scruffy goal off the defender's backside in the 95th minute of a drab encounter will suffice.

Then there will no longer be any talk about whether Villa can live with the top four.

The agenda then from the press men will be if they can live with the top two.

Heady times indeed. Merry Christmas!

A REPORTER - also a Villa fan - whose name I will keep to myself, but let's just call him Kat Mendrick for now, got it spot on.

He argued that Villa had got the UEFA Cup draw that they effectively deserved.

It's hard to argue against his viewpoint.

CSKA (Central Sports Club of Army) Moscow were about as tough as you could get.

When the alternatives were reduced to three clubs: St Etienne, Udinese or Moscow there would have been only the most romantic of Villa followers plumping for the icey depths of Russia as their choice of destination.

As Martin Jol pointed out, there was always the danger that could happen to Villa once they failed to win the group.

And in fielding a weakened team thoughout the group phases- and inparticular the home game against Zilina- Villa prioritised the domestic league and gave Europe a thumbs down.

Had they beaten the Slovaks then most probably Villa would have been facing Nijmegen in the last 32.

Now they face a trip to the 2005 winners, who admitedly will be midway through their break at the 78,000 Luzhniki Stadium.

Their triple helping of Brazilians: Vagner Love, Ricardo Jesus and Ramon will be tasty.

It means an end to Villa's 'midweek' team. You'll probably see them at Gillingham but not again in Europe.

Too many fringe players failed to cut the mustard yet again. Marlon Harewood is clearly hopeless. Moustapha Salifou - not yet good enough. Zat Knight - it's all been said already to many times. Nicky Shorey - wondering when his first team place will ever come along again. Brad Guzan- lucky to get away with one absolute howler. Nigel Reo-Coker- wondering where it all went wrong.

Craig Gardner didn't let anyone down. He should have put Villa ahead in Germany though, which might have silenced the masses.

And the plus points were Nathan Delfouneso's second half and the introduction of Barry Bannan.

Three points at West Ham today and you still have to side with the manager that prioritising was the right thing to do.

The 2,500 or so Villa fans who forked out their hard-earned Christmas money will not have seen it that way when the team-sheet was read out. Many were furious by the performance that followed.

But since when does a manager make his selections based on supporter hopes? The day he does he'll be in trouble.

The comment that stood out for me most in Hamburg post-match from Martin O'Neill was the one where he said: "February is a long way off. A long way off. I do not know what players I might have available to me by then," and then he made a quirky remark about perhaps not being in a job by then.

I took it to mean that by February a host of new names will have flooded into the club, including the two strikers they are so desperate for.

The competition will just be starting then. After Moscow... bring on Tottenham.

Here I am in Hamburg... or as close as I am going to get tonight.

The Ryanair plane from Stansted couldn't have been quicker... well not without some sort of manipulation of modern-day physics. The hour and a half whizzed by.

We... and this includes a sizeable smattering of Villa fans.... touched down in what we thought was Hamburg only to find it was 54 kilometres to the North-East.

Lubeck Airport. Sort of the Stansted equivalent of London back home. These airport folk could start marketing Stoke and Oxford as Birmingham North and Birmingham South.

Anyway, it was nothing that a shuttle bus wouldn't put right in an hour.

First impressions: dark, very dark for 4pm. Cold and misty too.

Lubeck- a big, silver aircraft hangar. Not exactly welcoming.

It had been a long day to begin with. There had been some hasty re-writes at 9am when Martin O'Neill told us that all of his five big -hitters: Barry, Laursen, Young, Milner and Agbonlahor were staying at home.

Now there's confidence.

No more complaining about a weak squad. Still, qualification is assured.

It's just the 2,800 supporters (or thereabouts) didn't exactly pay to come over to watch the reserves. Then there is the truly blessed few who paid £800-odd to fly with the team.

What must they be thinking?

My M6 and A14 dash was often fraught but surely nothing else could go wrong?

Well, the hotel district around the central bus station in Hamburg looked impressive enough.

Huge buildings, bright lights... this was more like it.

But it was safer to get into a taxi so as not to get lost.

This sleek silver beast, without a scratch on the outside and smelling of soap on the inside, was driven by an elderly blonde lady, long silver hair, not much English language skills and a red baseball cap perched on her head.

My aim: to go straight to my stay for the next two nights.

"The Hotel Ramada please", I said. And showed her the address.

I only started to get a little worried with the meter at 30 euros (now about £25) and we were still driving.

Through my head, momentarily, at the time.....could this woman be related to Josef Fritzl? Was that a man under that red cap?

We ended up some 25 miles away. In the town of Bergedorf.

It appears my newspaper had booked me there with the thought that it was in Hamburg itself, and not on the outskirts.

Well, it was a pity as I missed the press conference where Martin O'Neill was set to entertain and perhaps tease the German media as he often likes to do.

Still, to be fair to the Villa manager he knew I was flying budget airways and he had tried three times to call in his mobile through the day- the last of which was just as the plane was beggining to hurtle down the runway towards take-off.

Ooops! Forget to turn that one off. "Can we speak later Martin!".

The look on the air steward's face would have frozen the fires of hell. I could have ruined his chance to shine as he demonstarted how to tug the chord in event of a crash. "Pull once and blow hard...."- I thought to myself he's said that before (Les Dennis gag circa 1990).

Anyway, here in Bergedorf, feeling a little bit disappointed at missing a few hours out with the many thousands of Villa fans who have travelled.

But tomorrow always brings another day. And despite the weakened team it is still such a magnificent occasion on which Villa can send a real message of intent to the rest of the UEFA Cup competitors.

If they top the group... with a terrific win they'll perchance face the likes of Stuttgart (Thomas Hitzlsperger), Schalke, Sporting Braga, Brugge, Olympiacos, NEC Breda or Deportivo La Coruna on February 18th.

Draw or lose and finish second in the group and it'll mean Bordeaux, Shakhtar Donetsk, Aalborg, Dynamo Kiev, Werder Bremen, Marseille, Fiorentina or holders Zenit St Petersburg.

Lose, or draw and finish third and it could mean a trip to: Standard Liege, Wolfsburg, St Etienne, Galatasaray, Udinese or CSKA Moscow.

All exciting stuff next year but clearly there are so many imponderables.

Clearly there is not much to be won or lost apart from pride in winning tomorrow night as all these teams, apart from one or two exceptions, seem much of a muchness.

The fear is that when managers chop a change to such a degree they are invariably seen to make a rod for their own backs.

And West Ham, who haven't won at home since September I believe, will certainly be looking to exploit that on Saturday night - whether Villa have five, fresh and raring to go match-winners or not.

AS A newspaper reporter involved in football you can rarely beat a story where one Premier League manager appears to be having a pop at another.

Last summer's spat between Martin O'Neill and Rafa Benitez was priceless.

And if you read some of this week's papers you'd have put your house on Villa's emanently quotable Irishman opening up a war of words with Mark Hughes of Manchester City.

But I think not.

In fact, although it was written as such, I think O'Neill and Hughes were in almost total agreement with each other over Manchester City's transfer funds.

Here is how the tale was reported: "MARK HUGHES has hit back at Martin O'Neill's claims that mega-rich Manchester City could "explode" the transfer market."

Hit back? More like: 'responded to questioning'.

Still I think that: "Mark Hughes agrees with Martin O'Neill that Manchester City could have a major impact on the transfer market in January" wouldn't have sold many papers.

"O'Neill," the article continued: "is worried Hughes will be able to outbid everyone next month and says City are offering twice as much as other clubs for players."

Again not so. O'Neill will already be aware of whether City have outbid him for players such as Roque Santa Cruz in terms of the personal terms on offer.

And I suspect he will be weeks down the line of Plan B.

The background to the story was this:

Last Tuesday, down at Bodymoor Heath, I asked Martin about his scouting network and how far his plans were advanced for January.

He brought Manchester City into the discussion by suggesting that they could, quite possibly, change one or two club's plans- particularly Chelsea's.

"I am only going on what everyone is reading, I have no inside track. But you get the impression: 'credit crunch? What credit crunch?'", he had said.

"If the rumours are true, that they are talking about paying twice as much for players, then that might change the whole dimensions of everything," he added.

And what did Hughes have to say in reply?

"Martin's comments are shaped by what he reads in the media", he said.

Well, isn't that exactly what O'Neill said he was doing?

Hughes continued: "The point I'm trying to make is that, OK, we may be able to spend money other teams can't, but what we may well do is stimulate the market and that could be a positive for others."

Errrrrm, again, isn't that exactly what O'Neill said?

Still, I've a lot of time for Hughes. Many years ago when he was a newly appointed manager of Wales he was made available for a telephone interview by the Welsh FA from their Cardiff headquarters.

He was polite, extremely well spoken and eager to devote his time to a Birmingham reporter questioning him on Mark Delaney's worth to Villa and to the national side.

I've never forgotten that.

Anyway, must move on.... I've got a story to file........

"Martin O'Neill today attacked Gary Megson's choice of pre-match sandwich......."

I don't know whether you'll be able to make it but here's a date for your diary- although it's a 320 mile round trip.

Gillingham manager Mark Stimson is sending his full first team to meet the fans at Asda Chatham tomorrow.

The fun starts at 2pm.

And whilst your there, why not pick up a CD of new pop sensations Same Difference, reduced to just £9.50.

I jest.

But I did manage to catch the last few minutes of Gillingham's 2-1 victory at Stockport last night via the link on the BBC web-site.

They celebrated the final whistle like they'd won the FA Cup. (The two commentators, not the players).

It promises to be a fascinating third round tie- pity that it's on a Sunday at 1.25pm.

Gills chairman Paul Scally is already welcoming the £250,000 cheque that will be coming the Division Two club's way.

I wonder if Tottenham will allow on-loan two goal hero Andy Barcham to play?

"The money obviously will help, and to get Aston Villa back to Priestfield is going to be fantastic for the supporters and the players as well, " Scally told the local radio station.

I just hope Villa don't turn up with too much Christmas cheer still inside them, ala Doncaster November 2005.

Gary Liptrott, chairman of Gillingham's Independent Supporters Club, is already predicting a shock: "I don't see why not," he said. "We'll go into the game on a real high with the way we're playing at the moment and you can just see another shock on the cards."

Perhaps he has seen Zat Knight and Marlon Harewood in action?

Everyone wants a bit of Villa at the moment it seems.

Even down the road at Coventry City the local paper, the Coventry Telegraph, were highlighting last Friday that Marcus Hall's testimonial next summer could be against Martin O'Neill's side.

Hope so. I'm looking forward to seeing the casino. Eric Djemba-Djemba will be ruing the day he walked out on that opportunity.

It won't be Villa's first trip to the Priestfield Stadium Gillingham, by the way.

March 1971. Goalless draw. 10,812 spectators. Vic Crowe's side missed out on promotion by a whisker- three points behind Halifax. Gillingham finished bottom having been beaten at Villa Park in September by the odd goal in three.

On a personal level I've been to the stadium once.

January 1981. A young Steve Bruce was all the rage in home hearts. And they battered Albion in a third round tie only to lose to a Derek Statham special.

Four hours in absolute agony on the way down, in tears and crying for the toilet.

Then in arctic conditions on the way back to the Midlands after a brick shattered the windscreen.

Ah the beauty of the Cup!

Sometimes you have to read between the lines to get your story.

And I happen to say that - at this minute- I do not believe that Emile Heskey will wait until the summer to get his move from Wigan.

I happen to think that Steve Bruce and his chairman Dave Whelan are just playing the game.

Bruce, from what I understand, would be prepared to deal although he will only say the opposite in public.

Whelan wants rid. He's costing them a decent wage and he's looking to recoup some ofn the £6 million handed to Blues.

Heskey is likely to say the opposite. He is under contract and it never looks good in the dressing room if he announces he is away.

His agent will say the opposite. He will want the maximum pay-out for him and his client on a swift end to his stay at the JJB.

A period of bartering will then take place, but then I expect Heskey to be unveiled at Villa Park after the New Year.

Heskey has done enough to become an England regular at Wigan. He's never been prolific, although he certainly used to score more goals at Leicester and Liverpool than his recent hauls of two goals this season, four the season before, nine the season before that in his first season in the north- west, five in his last at Blues, eleven in his first at St Andrew's, 12 in his last at Anfield and 10 in 2002/03.

He only ever hit 12, 10, 9,and 12 goals a season at Filbert Street.

You have to go back to 2001/02 for when Heskey can lest be described a 'prolific' when he bagged in 16 for club and country with the last against Thomas Sorensen and Denmark in the World Cup.

And yet O'Neill is convinced he can turn back the clock at Villa and get Heskey scoring again like he did in 2000/01 when he hit 23 goals in his first season for Liverpool.

A lot of Villa supporters seem to be questioning the wisdom of the move.

Some of those doubts will be based on Heskey's goal-record, some will be based on his fruitless seasons at St Andrew's.

But one look at Heskey in an international shirt when he allows so much play to blossom off his broad shoulders should convince the doubters to give him a chance.

Who would you have faith in? Martin O'Neill getting the best out of Emile Heskey? Or Tony Pullis getting the best out of Marlon Harewood (or Martin Hayward as Graham Taylor called him on Channel 5 last week)? I rest my case.

Oh, and speaking of Villa and strikers. Don't be too quick to dismiss the fact that O'Neill was never interested in Henrik Larsson.

My sources suggest talks took place but O'Neill cooled when PSV Eindhoven came in with a lucrative offer and a longer contract.

Sometimes, as I said earlier, you have to read between the lines.

As for Roque Santa Cruz? Well, I suspect Manchester City have blown any other club out of the water with their personal terms.

That might well open the door to a Villa move for Michael Owen, Dean Ashton or some such target.

Talks are taking place right now at boardroom level to map out the plan for the January window.

I expect Villa to more than punch their weight in trying to acquire the one or two players that would give them a fighting chance of finishing in the top five and reaching Istanbul.

Of course it will take more than money to achieve those targets though.

If that were the case City would already be there.

"Randy Lerner wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for me."

Nope. It wasn't Doug Ellis saying those words, although he was connected in some way to the gentleman I met in the hour leading up to the Fulham game.

And nope it wasn't David O'Leary.

It was 70 year-old John Russell whom I had the pleasure of shaking hands with outside the North Stand.

You'd probably never look twice at John if you saw him. Brown baseball cap besides, he has no distinguishing features as such.

But Villa owe him a debt alright. And not just the £50 he set aside in November 1968- yes, that's just over 40 years ago to be precise- a sum that would have been equal to a life savings in those days- to set in motion change at the club that would eventually see Villa rise off the floor.

Just to take you back to that era. Villa were struggling in the old Second Division. Tommy Cummings' side had won just two of their opening 19 league games. They'd drawn a further seven and lost 10. November '68 saw them beaten by Huddersfield, Preston and Portsmouth. Only 13,374 bothered to show for that Preston game.

But in those days football clubs were rarely the centre for protest meetings. Villa though did not bargain for the passion and vision of Russell.

Despite only meeting Russell fleetingly, he is clearly an interesting chap in more ways than one.

He tells me that he is the only living British member of the Baseball Hall of Fame in the USA, on account of him visiting all the stadia.

As a Villa supporter- apparently there has rarely been a Villa game from the year dot where at least one member of the Russell family has not been in attendance- he was apparently the only fan to attend an away game at Plymouth in 1960 and went to every game (all 12) of the victorious 1960/61 League Cup campaign.

"Football wasn't like it is now", he said. "You didn't used to watch the team away."

Anyway, his worth to Villa isn't just in the fact that he rarely, if ever, misses a game to this day.

It was more in him being one of two gentleman to organise a protest meeting of supporters at the Digbeth Civic Hall. This meeting is etched in Villa folklore.

It was supposed to be at the Birmingam Town Hall, says John, but they were charging £200 for the night.

So Digbeth it was...and there were real fears that it would become a damp squib.

But fear not. The Hall was packed to the rafters. The call for change had united everyone and passions ran high.

Villa fans voted unanimously for change and a certain Herbert Douglas Ellis stepped in.

Forget the fact that there was an almost immediate relagtion the following season, gates trebled, Tommy Docherty arrived as manager and the club never looked back.

Fast forward 38 years and Ellis sells to a certain American.

So perhaps Mr Lerner does owe Shropshire-based John Russell a polite "thankyou".

Anyway, it was a pleasure to meet John. We spoke for ten minutes when perhaps a few hours wouldn't have got close to telling some of his stories.

But at the Mail we aim to speak to him again soon, just to get a flavour of one of the most charismatic of supporters ever to wear the claret and blue.

IF Thursday night belonged to Nathan Delfouneso then Sunday belonged to Ashley Young (although Martin Laursen pushed him close).

Anyone out there know who ended up with Laursen's or Steve Sidwell's shirts?

An incredible ending. An incredible start for that matter. It was a 35 second goal for a time, that someone then narrowed down to 31 seconds. By the time the game had ended it was back up to 34 seconds.

I chose the wrong day to forget my stopwatch.

Anyway, what a win. And yet we are talking of very fine margins once again.

Had Ashley Young not scampered away and slotted that ball in the back of the net then there might still have been talk about a missed opportunity in Europe.

There would more than likely have been talk about a disappointing performance at Goodison Park and a nightmare ending.

But the end always justifies the means.

Young did put that chance away after scampering beyond Joleon Lescott as if he were a tailor's dummy.

And so the resting of eight players in the UEFA Cup three days earlier now looks justified- even if Villa have given themselves a bit of an uphill fight if they want to win the group next week.

Three points at Everton and that fight for a top five place, or beyond, is back on.

It doesn't matter how you perceive Villa to have played, it was a thrilling win if not a thrilling "game".

I doubt I have ever witnessed a game with quite a start and end.

It was like a bread and butter sandwich if you like. Nice bread below and on top, but not a fat lot inbetween.

Well, that's not actually true. Most of you will have seen it on TV in the pub. Villa were masterful for 20 or 25 minutes. Steve Sidwell's stupendous opener was followed by a period of utter domination which was strangling the life out of the home side who looked so utterly average without a striker of any pedigree.

Then for 20 minutes Villa were shoddy. They were pushed back and were lucky to be on level terms at the break.

Brad Friedel's fingertip save from Everton's beanpole walking haircut, Marouane Fellaini, was crucial as within a few minutes Young had put Villa back infront courtesy of a shocking backpass.

Once again Villa looked steady and composed and for 15 minutes or so had the points in the bag.

But back came Everton. Villa crumbled and eventually wilted in injury time.

2-2 was about right. The Everton fans were happy.

Then more drama.

So for me it was a "great" and a "thrilling" win, if not a tremendous performance.

For me it wasn't a great game either. Which made me wonder just how Lee Dixon, Martin Keown and Adrian Chiles could call it thus on Match of the Day Two last night.

But it made a change for a remarkable ending to fall in Villa's favour.

The last gasp slips at Tottenham, Arsenal, Liverpool and so forth in recent seasons still stick in the memory.

Last gasp wins always count double.

On a personal level I always like going to Everton. And it's nothing to do with a press room fridge being full of Thailand beers, or the meat and potato, cheese or steak pies which always seem to be in abundance.

It's nothing either to do with a couple of pubs within arms length of the press door.

I fell hook line and sinker for the attractive badge-seller at £2 a throw in aid of charity (that's the badges, not the seller).

Her Liverpudlian accent was best described as broad.

If she'd have said anything more challenging than "Charity badges for sale", I'd have needed a phrase book.

The choice of badges was restricted to a St George flag, a Union Flag, an Irish clover, a pint of Guinness, an Everton crest, a pair of red lips, a "we love you mummy" badge and Homer Simpson in an Everton shirt.

I dallied and then plumped for the red cross of our patron saint, although I'm not quite sure whether it will ever be adorned- save perhaps in April. Alternatively, I could always wear out out in Bosnia, Bulgaria, Catalonia, Serbia or Gergia. We share George the dragon slayer, you see.

Matt Kendrick, a Villa supporter on the Post, Mail and Mercury, plumped for........ an Everton crest. What on earth was he thinking? Was it in case he fell into the wrong company on leaving the ground?

"No, don't hit me, I'm an Everton fan. Here it is! My badge!"

Anyway, he owes me the £2 for it.

Pre-match atmospheres are always the stuff you wish you could take home in a biscuit tin.

Suffice to say the atmosphere in the Windsor Hotel opposite the stadium (they were playing Beatles tunes on the jukebox- no suprise there) was rather flat as I walked by on my way to Stanley Park at 8pm.

Some of the most memorable Villa performances in recent seasons have come at Goodison.

Who could forget Paul Merson's last minute 35 yarder eight years ago? Or the comeback that almost was from 3-0 down when Moustapha Hadji and then keeper Peter Schmeichel scored from a corner?

But however much I love going to Everton it does not compare to Martin O'Neill who has now been there eleven times as a player and a manager since as a sub for Nottingham Forest in May 1972- and never lost.

With a record like that you've got to hope that one day soon Villa are involved in a semi-final in that neck of the woods.

So now to Bolton and a chance to bury the memory of successive goalless draws against Manchester United and Fulham.

If there was a negative to yesterday's proceedings it was in the goal celebrations of messers Young and Lescott.

Why did they feel it necessary to do their celebrating infront of the opposition's supporters?

Young raced for the opposite corner flag and beckoned his team-mates to join him after netting Villa's second. After his third it was an outstretched arm all the way down the touchline before collapsing infront of the Villa end.

Lescott was no better. And from a lifelong Villa fan too.

Sometimes footballers do themselves no favours. And then they wonder why some idiots, who cannot handle their drink, lob coins onto football pitches.

By the way, what ever happened to the search for the 50 pence 'tosser' at Villa?

SO ITV are screening Villa's third round clash at Stockport or Gillingham on a Sunday afternoon at 1.25pm.

I cannot for the life of me think why. Or am I just narked at the loss of a Saturday afternoon out and about in the most exciting of all footballing weekends.

Do ITV forsee a giant-killing of Doncaster proportions? Surely not?

Or are the planners paid by the mile in expecting the Gills to face Villa and therefore rake in from a round trip of 313 miles (for those of you planning the trip north, it is 170 to Greater Manchester).

Anyway, I pity the seasoned travellers who now have to set their alarm clocks and miss a Sunday roast.

The winners, as always, are the armchair fans.

But even a cursory glance at the third round ties surely throws up some more attractive propositions- games which might just take the eye of the viewer from the Eastenders omnibus.

The first four ties all looked intriguing: Tottenham Hotspur v Wigan Athletic, Portsmouth v Bristol City, Sheffield Wednesday v Fulham and the best of the lot: Blues v Wolves.

Then there's Hull v Newcastle, Man City v Forest or how about Sunderland v Bolton?

And yet ITV in their wisdom have plumped for Villa at Edgely Park, which perhaps says something of the pull of the club under Martin O'Neill.

Still it will be an historic encounter. Villa have only played one competitive match at Stockport- back in 1938. Their only clash in the FA Cup came 100 years ago in 1908.

In the unlikely event that Gillingham, from the Second Division, upset the odds with a victory at First Division Stockport in their replay in Manchester then Villa will travel to that part of Kent next month for only the second time- the sides having met in the 1970/71 season in the old Division Three.

They were dark days when Villa were just about recovering from having been on their knees as a football club.

By the time they enter the FA Cup this time around Martin O'Neill is likely to have embarked on another round of transfer spending to not just leave the days of the late 60s and early 70s, behind but take Villa from any financial level they have enjoyed since at least the late 1990s and probably well before.