The most ridiculous question in football - Is Bent worth £24million?

Of course not - he's a footballer!!! I personally don't think a footballer is worth £1million.  Maybe a scientist with the cure for cancer, or a special politician with a soultion to this economic 'crisis' - hard to believe when £24million is spent on one player.

Ok, that's enough of the real world, back to football.  It's pretty hard to define what a player's 'value' is.  There's no such thing as 'market value' since the market is just too varied.  Would Chelsea or either Manchester club pay £24million for Bent - probably not.  In fact there probaly isn't a club in the world that would.  But if Villa had bid less (say £15million) would Sunderland have sold? Blackpool have rejected bids ranging from £2.5million to about £5million for Charlie Adam - Holloway wants £10million on top of that, but with his contract running out in the Summer surely they will accept less.  Added to the fact that Blackpool paid £500,000, what is he worth?

If Villa are prepared to pay £24million, surely that's what he is worth.  The question that needs to be asked is have Villa put all their eggs in one basket and is that basket going to be enough?

Of course by 'basket' I mean Darren Bent.  So will Bent help Villa move back up the table towards the 6th place they occupied at the end of last season, or will Villa prove that no squad is 'too good to go down'?

With his goal yesterday, Bent is now level with Rooney and Drogba on 82 Premier League goals in the last 3 seasons.  What Villa have lacked more than anything over the last 3 seasons is an out-and-out goalscorer.  Good match then?  His goal against Man City is exactly what Villa have bought Bent for - right place at the right time = goal.  More often than not, Bent will be in the right place at the right time and Villa might have just bought their first 20-goal a season striker for a long time (none of Angel, Yorke or Saunders scored 20 league goals in one season).  Will he get the chances?  With the likes of Young, Downing and Alrighton as suppliers, Bent should get opportunities, although there is still a lack of creativity in the heart of midfield (possibly why 3 bids have been made for Charlie Adam).  There is also some concern with the full-back areas - with Warnock not performing and Luke Young not naturally left-sided, young centre-back Ciaran Clark is filling in admirably.  Whilst Houllier has addressed the right back position with loan signing Kyle Walker, he does need to strengthen on the opposite flank.  So that's already 2 positions that need reinforcements and with Brad Friedel getting on, albeit still playing very well, a new goalkeeper will be needed in the Summer as well as some sort of replacement for those squad players touted to leave (Sidwell, Reo-coker, Carew, Davies, Beye).

So with £24million spent, what else can GH do?  Well he's got an excellent set of youth players coming through - already the likes of Delfouneso, Albrighton, Bannan, Clark, Hogg and Lichaj have made league appearances and there are still players like Delph, Gardner, Baker and Weimann who are highly rated.  But you don't win things with kids...so what else?  Well, despite appearing to be cautious with the transfers of Martin O'Neill (£90million spent in 3-4 seasons!?!), Randy Lerner has also sanctioned the purchase of Jean Makoun for £5-6million and bids for Charlie Adam.  Rumours are that more signings might happen before next weekend (Crouch for £10million the latest), demonstrating that money is not much of an issue.  Indeed, knowledge of the European market is surely one of the main reasons for hiring Gerrard Houllier in the first place.  It's exciting times at Villa, if not a little nervy!

I don't really want to talk about the politics of transfers, with both Steve Bruce and Ian Holloway deciding to vent their frustrations through the media.  I guess it is a symptom of the transfer window, but it wearing thin for me.  Houllier will do well to continue to avoid responding.

Only time will tell if Bent is a success at Villa, or Makoun for that matter, but already there seems to be a higher calibre of player being linked (and signed) by Villa than for a few seasons - long may it continue!

Was O'Neill a genius?

Wherever he goes players, coaches and chairmen have loved Mr O'Neill.  He is definitely a very intelligent man, proved by his law degree and often evident in interviews.  He is also very principled an believes in a certain style of management - one that affords him as much control as possible at a football club.  In this regard, the influence of a certain Brian Clough is very apparent (despite having a pretty tough time whilst playing at Nottingham Forest).  I am not trying to write Martin O'Neill's biography (which is a good read by the way) but the question has been posed as to why Gerard Houllier, a successful manager himself, finds his Aston Villa team in the bottom 3, whereas his predecessor finished 6th with virtually the same team.

Firstly, one major consideration is James Milner.  When Villa signed him I was delighted - I believed then, and perhaps still do, that he is the next Steven Gerard.  Man City aren't doing him any favours, but at Villa he was the main creative attacking force - something very lacking at the moment.  It's hard to say whether the sale of Milner was the reason O'Neill left - it seemed to be on the cards for a while - but what is clear is that Stephen Ireland isn't an adequate replacement.

O'Neill did have a knack for making average players look good, and good players look great.  Last season Dunne and Collins formed an excellent defensive partnership.  Dunne has been a solid performer in the Premiership, but Collins was barely getting a game at West Ham.  Agbonlahor and Young looked like star players last season, but the lack of England appearances perhaps show that they are not (yet?) able to perform to the highest level on a consistent basis.  So is Houllier unable to get the best out of players?  There have certainly been a lot of reports of unrest at Villa, particularly amongst 'senior' players.  There were 'bust-ups' with O'Neill though, Barry and Reo-coker most notably.  Perhaps these were dismissed because O'Neill was more established at the club.  When O'Neill left, several players talked about how boring training was and how they didn't really get on with O'Neill.  Young players in particular didn't seem to get much of a look in.  The younger players are apparently very happy under Houllier - they are getting plenty of match time, and often look very impressive.  Houllier also won several trophies at Liverpool - something Liverpool managers since have not been able to replicate.

Perhaps O'Neill was better tactically, or used subs better?  It is widely believed that whilst O'Neill is regarded as an excellent man-manager, tactically he doesn't always get it right.  Villa fans last season were often frustrated by a lack of flexibility or simply a lack of options used by O'Neill - in particular in the use of subs.  Indeed, Aston Villa used the fewest players last season and by March, a month without any points for 3 seasons under O'Neill, the team had been found out and early promise had faded.

It's not possible to compare transfer records yet.  Houllier has brought in just 2 players - Pires and Kyle Walker - but has already set up a more comprehensive scouting network.  O'Neill didn't ever seem to look abroad for players - over 90% of his transfers were from English or Scottish clubs.  I feel more confident in the players Houllier will be looking at - I just hope Villa are still in a position to attract these players to the club.

There's no real explanation for Villa's form at the moment - another terrible performance against Sunderland leaves them in real danger of relegation.  You would think that they have the players to stay up and Houllier might be able to further add to the squad this month.  There needs to be a change - in tactics, in personnel or in attitude.  Only time will tell whether Lerner's faith in Houllier will be repaid.

Cause to be optimistic?

Hard to say...

No doubt an improved performance on the previous few games and there were opportunities to score more goals.  However there are still a few basic things that need to improve.

Four centre backs looked very solid - Richard Dunne looked very sharp after his 'rest', and both Cuellar and Clark did a good job at full back, even venturing down the wings to support attacks.  Friedel was fantastic in goal - he didn't deserve to concede 3 but was rightly rewarded with the Man of Match award.  Emile Heskey was also a handful and Petrov and Reo-coker controlled midfield to a greater extent than any other central midfield pairing all season. 

Those that know me will wonder where this positive spin has come from, well here is concern:

Ball control.  Quite simply Villa cannot keep possession of the ball.  Too many times players were caught on the ball and on too many occasions the ball was given away by wayward passes.  Luckily, Chelsea were even more guilty of this and most of their second half possession was wasted.  Gabby on the wing was a good idea, and going forward he provided a bit more pace and direct running that has been seriously lacking.  However, he wasn't so good at tracking back and often left Clark (quickly becoming my favourite player) exposed at the back.  Ashley Young had a quiet game, but there wasn't too much of the diving and moaning that he's displayed at other points of the season.  Downing looked like he might have threatened, but a few shots straight at the keeper, followed by a couple of wayward shots seemed to knock his confidence.

That's all I have to complain about, and my overall assessment of the match is generally positive - a more solid defensive display (even with conceding 3!?!), a bit more constructiveness in going forward and excellent spirit.  A few players in this month a Villa can start looking up again.

Added to this the very positive article by Mat Kendrick (Birmingham Mail) about the overhaul to Villa's scouting system and we begin to see why Houllier was more than simply the 'best choice available'.

A busy Christmas/New Year has delayed my comments on the Queen's speech/World Cup decisions, but it should come soon.

Villa players not earning their spurs

Hmmmm...well...

I'm going to get it out of the way early, I don't think the ref had a good game at all.  I think several incorrect decisions really affected the game (although not necessarily the result).  There, no more need be said 'til another day!

What is wrong with Villa!?! I've said it before, but it was clearly evident against the 10-men of Tottenham.  If a team is compact and defends in numbers against them, the Villa attack has no ideas.  Too many passes are sideways or backwards, players aren't moving to create space and on far too many occassions the frontline are playing with their backs to goal.  There were a couple of times that Delfouneso actually ran at the defence and caused some problems, but he was forced into doing this from midfield and didn't really result in a chance at goal.

Speaking of midfield - really pleased to see Delph back.  He made a few quality passes and hasn't lost any of his 'enthusiasm' but were Villa really so short of midfielders that he had to make his comeback in such an important game?  It was a very young team, and there were positives.  Lichaj did a better job of containing Bale than most other fullbacks this season.  Albrighton delivered some good balls - especially for his goal.  Petrov coming back is massively important.  He has a bit more control and creativity, which was lacking for most of today.

My biggest irritant is the tackling ability, particularly in defence.  It was far too easy for Tottenham players, particularly the likes of Bale, Lennon, Van der Vaart, to step away from a tackle.  For example, Bale running at Warnock (Bale's weaker side) on the counter attack, it is text book to stay on your feet and keep him on his weaker side, away from goal.  But Warnock over-committed and allowed Bale inside on to his left foot and create the winning goal.  Bleh...

With away games at Man City and Chelsea coming up, dramatic improvements will be vital if Villa are to avoid a relegation battle.

At least the cricket went well last night, I'll probably stay up to watch it again tonight!

Look out for my next post - I'll be talking about the Queen's speech of all things!

The man is a genius (West Brom verdict)

Okay, so maybe 'genius' a step too far, but Houllier made some big decisions today that seemed to pay off.

Some of his choices were enforced by injury.  With both Gabby and Young (Luke, that is) pulling out this week, the decisions were between youth and experience.  Up front, GH opted for the fit again Heskey - not always the fans favourite - over the seemingly overlooked Delfouneso.  Without suggesting that Nathan couldn't have done the same job, Emile's strength and direct running caused West Brom problems and despite a few rusty moments, made GH's first decision look justified, especially after getting on the scoresheet.

Perhaps a tougher decision was whether to go for the experience of Habib Beye or the youth of the American, Eric Lichaj, to replace Young at Right Back.  Again GH's choice seemed to be the right one, opting this time for youth.  Lichaj had a tough job against the tricky Jerome Thomas, whose pace and tricky, matched by several of West Brom's players, looked menacing.  However, time and time again the American timed his tackles to perfection and calmly stepped him to disposses the West rom winger.  His long throws also promise to be a useful weapon.

With Petrov, Reo-coker and Dunne all missing, Houllier made the often petulent Ashley Young, captain for the day.  Whilst the theatrics weren't entirely eradicated, there was a certain maturity to Young's game as he looked back to his tricky self.  On many occaisions he drew fouls in dangerous positions without quite so much of the rolling around on the floor. He took up the mantle of leadership in his stride as he looked to inspire the team after setting up the first goal with a near post flick.  His delivery from set pieces, and open play for that matter, is still a cause for concern, and I'm not entirely sure why the 'better than Beckham' Marc Albrighton isn't taking them.

I've already alluded to what I think was Houllier's boldest decision - leaving out Richard Dunne at the heart of defence.  I have always thought that Cuellar is a fantastic defender (and he didn't disappoint today), but to leave out arguably one of the premier leagues best central defenders over the last decade was a brave decision.  A change was needed - a goal difference of -9 after today's game highlights Villa's dysfunctional backline - but one so swift and dramatic was indeed creditably enterprising.

There were some glaring frailties throughout the match.  More should have been made of some swift counter attacks (perhaps a striker like Adebayor may take advantage?).  In defence, players often committed themselves too early with the front men of West Brom often leaving Villa bodies stranded on the floor.  Plus there seems to be no strategy for playing the ball out of the full back position (particularly on the left) other than to hit it long and hope that someone will chase it.

Priorities for transfers have to be up front and left-back (Steven Warnock has looked decidedly shaky all season).  Villa could do with a creative midfielder - someone to replace Milner (like Stephen Ireland perhaps?) although the likes of Bannan with either Hogg or Clark alongside have done exceptionally well in their first real season.

There are things to be pleased with today - particularly Villa's dominance for 35 minutes of the 2nd half - but a tough Christmas could still see them near the bottom before the mery-go-round of the January transfer window.