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Villa linked with Tottenham’s Tom Huddlestone

According to the Metro ourselves and Fulham are being linked with Tottenham’s midfielder Tom Huddlestone, and personally I don’t mind it.

He came on yesterday against Man City and rather randomly helped to change the game. He has never really had a consistent period where he’s played week in and week out for a number of years, with the 09-10 season being his most successful in terms of appearances. There isn’t much in the report as you might expect, but here is some of the text:

‘Since returning from injury he has found it tough to find a place in Andre Villas-Boas’ plans, other than as a fringe player.

Spurs are expected to add to their midfield options during the summer by delving into the transfer market with Porto star Joao Moutinho still on their radar, and Huddlestone could be allowed to leave for the right price.

Fulham boss Martin Jol, wh worked with Huddlestone at Spurs, would love to take the Nottingham native across London to Craven Cottage but Villa boss Paul Lambert is also keen on a swoop for the 26-year-old – if the Midlanders stay up.’

He’s one of those players I’ve often thought would do alright at a club like ours, and could really benefit from playing every week. He’s had a few injuries during his career, which might make that perhaps unrealistic, but would I have him in our squad? Absolutely. Tottenham probably think the same, and as they look to go on to greater things, players like Huddlestone could be a valuable commodity. I don’t think he’d cost the earth, and as I’ve said many-a-time, I’d like to see us add some Premiership experience to what is a very important area of the pitch.

He’s scored a few screamers in his time, though not recently as his hair has reached rather epic levels. Again it’s tough to look too much into the future with our Premiership status still uncertain and the report not looking have to much substance. Still I wouldn’t mind it personally.

UTV.

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Posted by upthevilla - 22/04/2013 at 5:56 pm

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Don’t be greedy Bale, let Benteke have the young player award

We wrote a post on this subject a while ago (Link), and for me a lot of what I said there still rings true. This was written before the nominees were released, but it would have been a bit of a surprise/shock if Benteke didn’t make the list, and he indeed has.

For those who haven’t seen it, here are the final six, and I think our Christian has a very good chance:

Gareth Bale, Christian Benteke, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Jack Wilshire and Danny Welbeck.

The first four are certainly justified, and although Wilshire is clearly a class act, he’s had trouble with injuries. I’m not sure at all about Danny Welbeck, and I think he’s only scored two all season, even Heskey might have been more prolific than that. Let’s just say if he wasn’t playing for Man United, he probably wouldn’t be getting a look in.

Benteke is currently the second favourite at 9/2, with Bale a massive odds on favourite at 2/9 on. Looking at it objectively then yes Bale should probably win, but as he’s nominated for the main one as well, I say just give him that one and let Benteke have the young player award. It might be a good thing though if he doesn’t win, as the last two Villa winners (Ashley Young and James Milner) left soon after scooping the award. Interestingly enough the majority of people’s bets are currently going on Benteke, and after the Kyle Walker shock win last year, maybe we’ll see another surprise (based on the betting anyway).

I’m not sure when the voting is done, but Benteke has just got better and better. Looking at impacts made by the nominees then once again it’s hard to look past Bale, but Benteke has made a similar impact here at Villa. Without him we’d be, well you know what we’d be. Here’s a little tweet from the Who Scored gang that highlights his improvement throughout the season:

Congrats on a great season Christian, and here’s hoping for many more in a Villa shirt.

UTV.

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Posted by upthevilla - 19/04/2013 at 9:47 pm

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Benteke cements legendary status in twitter exchange with a Birmingham fan

He’s been in the news today after rightfully being nominated in the list for PFA Young Player of the Year (more to come on that later), but last night something perhaps equally as exciting was taking place on Twitter, with Benteke essentially telling a blues fan where to go, before passing on some wonderful advice from Gabby Agbonlahor.

Now there have been a number of fake Benteke accounts set up, and unless you’re planning a parody one I’m not sure I will ever understand why, but I’m pretty sure that this account is the real deal. It often features photo’s of him in his day to day business, and features a mix of English and French tweets, so it’s either him, or someone has gone to a ridiculous level to convince us.

Anyway on to the tweet mentioned, and after a Blues fan tried to give him some jip, Benteke responded with the following:

“It`s only 1 football club in Birmingham we not wearing blue sorry. Focus on your own team.”

Legend. Twitter can be a nightmare where footballers are concerned as mentioned plenty of times, but little bits like this are pretty amusing. He’s had a terrific season, and it’s also nice to hear that one of our own, Mr Agbonlahor has been passing on some wise words to Benteke, as he revealed the following in a later tweet:

“Gabi always tell we don’t like blue lool #astonvilla”

Gold. Who knows what will happen next season, but whatever happens he’ll be looked upon fondly by the Villa faithful. I remain more confident he’ll stay, and hopefully he can fire in the goals that ensure our safety.

UTV.

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Posted by upthevilla - 19/04/2013 at 4:21 pm

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Villa Park isn’t a fortress as we’ve picked up more points away from home

It isn’t really a surprise as we’ve struggled at Villa Park for a while now, but after reading a tweet earlier from WhoScored, which stated that this season we’ve picked up more points away from Villa Park than at it, we have the perfect opportunity to change that tomorrow.

It’s very close, with 17 points won away, compared to 16 at home, and we have a great chance to change things as Fulham visit. We’re in very good form, and Villa fans are buzzing after a more than decent time of it lately. Still we’ve been burnt enough as supporters to know not to take anything for granted.

A Villa fan on our Facebook page noted that a few too many supporters are almost assuming we’ll beat Fulham tomorrow, and I have noticed a renewed confidence going into this match. Whether this is a good or bad thing remains to be seen, but it’s nice to see fans genuinely optimistic going into a match….been far too long! Here is the tweet from WhoScored, which states the information above:

I hope this isn’t one of those ‘kick you in the teeth’ kind of matches, because defeat tomorrow would be a massive blow, especially because as mentioned it’s been built up a fair bit. A few games ago it might have been seen as a must-win, but given our result at Stoke, a draw wouldn’t be the worst result in the world, though obviously not ideal.

They have a few injuries, with their midfield particularly decimated. I’m quietly confident, but as already mentioned most of us have seen Villa mess up far too often when you become expectant. Here’s hoping though!

UTV.

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Posted by upthevilla - 12/04/2013 at 10:59 pm

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Why we should also support Tottenham for the rest of this season

Now I often hear people say we only need to focus on ourselves as the season draws to a close, and while I can certainly agree with that school of thought, I’m also more than happy to root for other teams, especially when they’re playing our close rivals.

That’s why Man United and Newcastle amongst others will have my backing this weekend, because ultimately, staying in this division is all that matters. I don’t particularly like it, and despite my hatred of the red team in Manchester, I hope they put 17 on Stoke this Sunday. QPR and Reading have two tough looking games against Everton and Liverpool this weekend, but I think they’re more or less done anyway, so it’s the teams around us I’m more concerned with.

I still think we’re more than capable of winning enough games to not have to worry about other sides, and I’ve said as much for a while now. We’re playing better and better, and three points against Fulham tomorrow could go a long long way to keeping us in this division. I think teams will need a slightly higher points tally than I originally thought to stay in this league, but I think if you get to that magical 40 mark, you should be able to start planning for next season.

So as well as Villa, I’m going to root for Tottenham for the rest of the season, especially in their last four games where they play Wigan, Southampton, Stoke and Sunderland. I have no shame in sending a bit of my support there way, especially if they can do us a favour, or two, or three, or four. I want us to stay in this league, it’s vital, and while I hope we don’t need any favours, if we do I hope Tottenham are nicer than some teams (I’m looking at you Chelsea) and tonk our immediate rivals.

With Bale back soon, and the race for the top four hotting up you figure they’ll give everything the rest of the season. Hopefully they’ll be no food-poisoning incidents, and they win 4 out of 4 and help their fellow Premiership ever-presents out.

UTV.

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Posted by upthevilla - 12/04/2013 at 4:34 pm

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That’s better. Bids for Benteke can ‘start’ at £25 million

One thing that has annoyed me recently, has been the ridiculously low transfer fees mentioned when our star striker Christian Benteke has been linked away. Now this probably seems somewhat contradictory seen as though I regularly produce posts based on newspaper rumours, but if you’re going to link him away, at least include a realistic fee.

There have been plenty of times when fees of around £15 million have been quoted, and even though that would double the outlay we spent on signing the player, it would be an absolute steal if anyone was able to sign him for that price, especially given the current football climate. Paul Lambert has been speaking on the subject, and even though I hope he stays around for a good while yet, I don’t think there is any chance of him going on the cheap:

“He is hot property. If you wanted to prise Christian away from here you would want a sizeable cheque, that is for sure.

“He has the potential to be fantastic. If you look at modern day figures then £25m is probably a good start.”

“We can’t stop people looking at him but he is under contract here. He is enjoying his football at the moment and doing fantastically well.”

We’ve normally been able to command good fees for our players in recent years and if we sold Downing for £20 million, then there is no telling what Benteke could go for. As I said ultimately I want Benteke to stay here, for at least the next few seasons. He’s probably destined for big things, but he’s only young, and if we do stay in this league he could play a big part in what might be an exciting few years at the club.

We’ve looked at it before but there’s no reason we shouldn’t command Andy Carroll money for him. The vast majority of football fans would have Benteke over Carroll, and I’m sure football managers think the same. Paul Ince has said Tom Ince is also worth £25 million, so again on that logic, Benteke should be sold for Torres like money. The board have done nothing to suggest they wouldn’t turn down a massive offer, and I would worry how much of that would be reinvested for players, but that’s for another day.

If he does go, it won’t be for peanuts (relatively speaking of course), and it’s good to see our manager put this on record.

UTV.

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Posted by upthevilla - 11/04/2013 at 8:56 pm

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Does Brett Holman have a Villa Park future?

He’s created a few headlines the other week regarding some quotes Lambert made about the player, and as a result we asked a few fans whether they thought Brett Holman had much of a future at Villa Park. The player was supposedly unhappy at not featuring as much as he would like (as you would hope), and this led to Lambert commenting on the matter.

Me personally I’m not entirely convinced on the player, but as a member of a squad I’d certainly keep him about. Whether or not this will be sufficient for Holman or not is another matter, but it’s tough to make a real argument for him replacing anyone in the starting eleven at the moment. Andi Weimann is probably the player keeping him out, and I don’t think anyone would willingly take him out of the equation. Maybe you could make a case for including him in the one spare position rotation we have at the moment, as we’ve seen Sylla, Bannan, N’Zogbia and Bowery used recently.

Here are the quotes from Lambert for those who may have missed them:

“I had a good chat with him,”

“He is an experienced player and has done really fine since he’s been here. You don’t want people to sit and be happy when they are not in the side. You want them to be unhappy.

“He couldn’t get in because Charles (N’Zogbia) was playing extremely well.

“He (Holman) wasn’t fit for the other week (due to a hamstring injury). He is fit now. He has trained this week so he is back in the fray.

“I’ve got to pick a team that can win a game. That’s the only reason.”

The mention of N’Zogbia is interesting because he hasn’t really featured as of late, certainly not starting anyway. As I said it’s tough to ever really envisage a scenario when he’s an automatic starter any time soon, but he could change that. Earlier in the season Villa fans had a mini love-in with the player, with his ridiculous work-rate and attitude endearing Holman to plenty of us. Is that enough going forward? I suppose we’ll have to wait and see, but I wouldn’t be averse to keeping him around.

Here is what a selection of fans had to say on the matter, and us per, feel free to send us your views:

UTV.

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Posted by upthevilla - 11/04/2013 at 4:05 pm

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Phil Neville anyone?

Given that he’s due to quit Everton come the end of the season, the inbound transfer links have continued, and the Telegraph have linked us, along with a few other sides (Stoke and Hull) with a move for 36 year old Phil Neville.

‘The former England defender will leave Goodison Park when his contract expires in June, but despite speculation linking the 36-year-old with a career as a pundit with BT Vision, it is understood that Neville is keen to play on in the top flight for at least another 12 months.

Aston Villa and Stoke City are long-term admirers of Neville, while Hull City are prepared to make a move for the former Manchester United player should the Humberside club win promotion back to the Premier League this season.’

Personally speaking I think we could do far far worse than bring someone like Phil Neville into the squad. Again, he’s hardly your typical Lambert signing, and despite some signs pointing to his skills dwindling, he’d be a great option to have. It’s a cliché but with all the young players in the squad, and with another set close to the first team, a player like Neville has to be a positive influence.

Someone left this comment on another post, and I tend to agree with it: ‘another shout would in my opinion be phil neville just someone with vast experience who would do a job over a 10 – 20 game period’. Not asking for someone to come in and start every game, but in the case of injuries/suspension etc, you could do far worse. At this stage of his career he’s not going to demand high wages, and I think it be a case of the positives far outweighing the negatives.

I was hoping for something similar when Pires signed a couple of seasons ago, but that just ended up being a slightly strange deal more than anything else. Neville doesn’t seem to have a hint of an attitude, and if he does want to progress into coaching, then a player/coach role could perhaps be an option.

Obviously there is a lot of speculation occurring here, but after the link, I quite like the idea.

UTV.

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Posted by upthevilla - 10/04/2013 at 6:46 pm

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Villa linked with former Arsenal midfielder

After a quiet time regarding Villa transfer speculation, at least inwards, we’ve now had a few interesting links in the last couple of days. I know plenty dismiss these out of hand, and given previous experience that might be wise, but as a sucker for these kind of things, I’m more than happy to look at them.

The latest appeared on an Italian football website (Link) and mentions us, along with Southampton as possible suitors for former Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini:

‘Mathieu Flamini could be on his way out of AC Milan as interest from Southampton and Aston Villa reportedly grows.

The 29-year-old is out of contract with the Rossoneri at the end of the season and his future at the club is unclear.

According to the Sunday People, both Southampton and Aston Villa have been alerted to the Frenchman’s potential availability and could make a move at the end of the season.’

Again it doesn’t immediately jump out as a ‘typical’ Paul Lambert transfer, mainly because he’s over the age of 25. Personally speaking this is exactly the type of transfer I’d be keen on making, and feel that this type of player, coupled with the young talent already at the club could really add to our squad. He had a pretty impressive spell at Arsenal, and it probably hasn’t worked out for him as he might have hoped at AC Milan.

He’s had a really bad run of injuries, which may be a concern for anyone interested in the player. His contract is due up, and it’s hard to see Milan renewing it, so maybe a return to the Premiership might be appealing. It’s tough to envisage him being able to demand a massive amount per week on wages, so maybe it could be a risk worth taking.

As I seem to keep saying it’s tough to argue with what Lambert has done in the transfer market, with only one or two not really performing, so I can’t complain too much if he continues to sign the type of player we’ve seen arrive to date. I would love to just add a bit of know-how to our side though, and Flamini wouldn’t be the worst signing in the world.

UTV.

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Posted by upthevilla - 10/04/2013 at 2:04 pm

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Nigel Reo-Coker causes controversy

A slightly tedious Villa link, but given that he played for us for a number of years, and this tackle has caused quite the bit of controversy, I thought it was worth a look. He’s now playing for Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the ol’ MLS, and it’s quite something how his career has turned out.

Me personally I don’t mind the player too much, and would have had him back on many an occasion after he left us back in 2011. Firstly I was annoyed that yet another player left us for nothing after we shelled out a fair whack on him, but it’s quite clear that his career hasn’t progressed as he would have hoped. Also, and as regular readers will know, I was so keen on a defensive midfielder coming in (before Sylla) that I would have considered anyone.

He then went on to Bolton after us, despite Champions League teams being interested in him (according to the player anyway) and had a pretty decent season before deciding to leave after the Trotters were relegated. After finding that a new club was hard to find, he eventually joined Ipswich before crossing the Atlantic to join the MLS revolution.

It was in a latest match for his new side that Reo-Coker once again hit the headlines, after the challenge in the following video went unpunished:

What do you all think? Now me personally I think it’s a great tackle, but I like watching football where you can actually make a proper challenge. The flip made it look slightly more dramatic than it probably was, but you could very easily see a red card being brandished over here, which is sad really. I know plenty of you aren’t fans of NRC, but he’s still showing he can get involved. Though at 28 I’m not sure he imagined he would be doing it for the Vancouver Whitecaps.

UTV.

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Posted by upthevilla - 10/04/2013 at 1:30 am

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