astonvilla:

Yesterday’s depressing defeat at home to Spurs has put a serious dent in Villa’s dreams of pipping Arsenal to fourth place in the Premier League this season. Martin O’Neill had taken his players away to Dubai in the hope of revitalizing tired legs and developing an even stronger bond between the squad. Yesterday ended in disappointment. Individual mistakes cost Villa and it seemed as if the  side were running on empty. Players like James Milner and Gabriel Agbonlahor who had shone during Villa’s long unbeaten run looked as if they were playing with a huge weight on their shoulders - devoid of confidence and low on energy.

History tends to show that at some point in Villa’s season under Martin O’Neill, there will be a bad run of results. Villa went five games without victory last December and during 2006-07, Villa went 7 games without a win. Villa have now gone seven games without victory at the worst possible stage of the season which has resulted in being knocked out of the FA Cup by Everton and dumped out of Europe by CSKA Moscow. From being in an excellent position to gain Champions League football next season, Villa now face an uphill struggle to overtake Arsenal who have the momentum. The gunners are unbeaten in 14 Premier League games going into the final stretch of the season.

Failure to qualify for the Champions League would mean almost certain exits for the likes of Gareth Barry and Stiliyan Petrov. It would also make it increasingly difficult for O’Neill to compete at the very highest level in the transfer market. The Villa boss will also not need reminding that he sacrificed the UEFA Cup (and all that came with it, including battling through the inter-toto cup early to reach that stage) to put all his eggs into one basket. O’Neill will be desperate to avoid a similar scenario next season.

His relationship with the Aston Villa support has been generally sound but not without a few cracks along the way. He has been criticized heavily during transfer windows where his dealings (and lack of them) have still failed to address Villa’s lack of quality in depth. That criticism has increased since he fielded a weakened side to face CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Cup and signed Emile Heskey. There have also been concerns over players being played out of position on a number of occasions.

His signing of Emile Heskey in January totally divided the Villa fanbase. Some felt it was a huge risk to sign a striker with such a poor goalscoring record and others defended his decision by claiming that Heskey would double Agbonlahor’s goal rate. So far, Villa have won  3 games in 11 since Heskey’s arrival - compared with 3 defeats in 15 games prior to his arrival. Casting Emile Heskey as a scapegoat for Villa’s poor run would be unfair and wrong but there may be a case for saying that O’Neill’s return to 4-4-2 hasn’t worked.

My personal view is there isn’t one single simple reason why Villa have started to wobble. Football is very much a confidence game and winning breeds that - which is one reason why I think Martin was wrong to field a weakened side in Moscow. I also think the Villa manager has made some errors in his team selection. Despite scoring 11 goals this season, I don’t see Agbonlahor as long terms striker at the club. I still think his pace is better used in a wide area - although where you can fit him in this side is another question with Milner and Young . And I think Villa miss another body in midfield. I’ve said it before but I think Petrov and Barry are too similar. I’ve seen Ireland and Jenas in recent weeks doing the sort of role that Villa really cry out for. Over-reliance on Ashley Young is not enough. Fatigue and vital players low on form have all contributed to the current situtation.

Having said all that, it’s a tribute to the job O’Neill has done that Villa fans are even discussing Champions League football. We were nowhere near these dizzy heights under previous managers - although it’s fair to say that a certain Herbert Ellis may be more at fault for that than any combination of managers.

O’Neill has raised Villa’s profile and gained a lot of respect around the country from opposition managers, players and fans. However, after setting such high standards, the expectation levels have risen dramatically - and with that comes pressure and criticism when things go wrong. This led to the booing/ironic cheering of Agbonlahor’s substitution yesterday. There is a general feeling amongst some fans that some players in the side are immune to being dropped/rested and others are given a bum deal. If Martin still holds any sort of grudge towards John Carew then he needs to sort it out and quickly. And if John Carew has any commitment issues then those also need to be dealt with. There is an uneasy atmosphere between the fans and O’Neill’s reluctance to start with John Carew up-front ahead of Heskey. I think Gabby Agbonlahor needs to be taken out of the side for his own good at the moment. His confidence looks to be rock bottom.

One glimpse at the league table shows that only goal difference separates Villa and Arsenal. We all know that Villa need to travel to Anfield and Old Trafford in the coming two fixtures - but before the end of the season, Arsenal also need to travel to those places. All is not lost by any means and that is something O’Neill will be keen to point out to his players and an increasingly defeated fanbase. Villa need to forget about other teams around them in the table and concentrate on doing what they do best - lightening fast exciting and attacking football and one game at a time. There is no reason to travel to Anfield already beaten before a ball is kicked. That attitude belonged to a previous era at Villa Park.

Everyone connected to the club needs to stick together. I wouldn’t boo a player during a match or cheer ironically. The manager and players need us all pulling together - that isn’t to say that we all should bow to O’Neill and blindly agree with every decision he makes (I certainly don’t) - but while we are on the pitch pushing for the Champions League then there has to be closed ranks with a loud and positive atsmophere at home games.

Fractions between fans and the club at this stage of the season would be suicidal.