Down by the Riverside

Congratulations to Stiliyan Petrov.

As I'd said in an earlier post he was the expected recipient of the Player of the Year award. Fully deserved.

I myself expected Gareth Barry to win at least the Players' award, but the Bulgarian has had a consistent season.

Petrov's full turnaround will be complete when he lines up against Newcastle next weekend.

Remember him being hauled off at half-time against the Toon last February? Along with Olof Mellberg?

Of course you'd have had to have paid £95 plus VAT to see Petrov pick up his gong in person on Tuesday night.

Who says football is for the common man?!

It was intriguing to see that Ashley Young picked up nothing at all. It seems his team-mates think rather less of him than they do at other clubs.

If only there was an award for Walk of the Season. Nicky Shorey would have waltzed that one with his snail-esque walk of shame after being subbed at Craven Cottage.

Like a lone foot soldier at the Somme, driving on from the trenches through the mud and over the bodies with bullets and bombs either side.

Rumour has it he is still making his way to the team coach.

Elsewhere today I see that Randy Lerner is running Aston Villa "just like Doug Ellis," according to one former senior executive at the club.

I think I know exactly where this story has come from. A long-standing former employee of the Ellis era, part of the furniture it has to be said, appears to be having a pop at the Americans?

I would not read too much into such gripes. Not unless this person wanted to stick his name to the article and then lose his season tickets.

Lerner passed the litmus test as an owner in my book by handing out nigh-on £50 million last summer to Martin O'Neill.

Of course the test ahead is to replicate that again this summer. Villa are streets ahead of where they were off the pitch three years ago but you'll never win over the supporters if the team are struggling, regardless of your training ground or stadium.

Ellis always backed his managers with money, whatever you might think to the contrary.

I personally wish Villa weren't so corporate. But how else would they compete with the bigger clubs? The closest club to Villa, arguably, in terms of make-up Everton are looking to move into a new stadium.

Will that allow them to leave Villa in their slip-stream?

Anyhow, to this weekend and the trip to Middlesbrough.

How many Villa supporters want to see Gareth Southgate relegated on Saturday?

I'm guessing quite a few. Which is a pity. If ever there was a loyal and proud Villa club man it was Southgate.

The villain of the piece was not he, and that said villain is no longer in football.

Of course the story this Saturday is all about Boro. No one cares a jot about whether Villa win, lose or draw.

But I do.

And just think of the scenario should Everton get a point at home to West Ham and Villa lose? Or Villa draw and Everton win.

That would push Villa down to sixth and would represent quite a fall from grace after the first six months of the season where anything looked possible.

Villa first held a top four place after their win at Tottenham in mid-September.

They broke back into the top four after the home win against Blackburn at the end of October. The home draw against Manchester United in November saw Villa regain fourth.

They regained it again after the home win to Bolton in mid-December and apart from a four day period prior to the away win at Hull City in late December they
remained there until they lost to Tottenham in mid-March.

But if ever you want a fixture to put smiles back on faces it is Middlesbrough away.

Boro have won only seven matches all season. Villa had managed that with their win at Arsenal on November 15, ironically six days after being beaten at home by Boro.

Villa's Premier League record at Boro is immense. Played 13, won 8 drawn 2 lost 3, goals for 30, against 15, pts 26. That's including five wins in the last six visits, having scored 17 goals.

I remember Joey Gudjonsson's 30-yarder six years ago and thought Villa had pinched the missing link. Unfortunately, Gudjonsson's only other memorable event at Villa Park was that two-footed lunge on Matthew Upson.

But he scored against Boro that January 2003 night when Graham Taylor's side got their first away win of the season in spectacular fashion, winning 5-2.

Indeed, such is Villa's domination up there (and I am not even going to mention Lee Cattermole's tears) their best performance arguably of the lot was a rare defeat, 3-0 under David Whatsisname when they absolutely battered Boro from start to finish.

So regardless of the fact that Villa were plain awful in the second half at Fulham, surely it will be three points in the bag?

Surely? But then again Luke Moore is now an Albion player and his goal against Boro used to be almost guaranteed.