But over in the PST, we’ve still got three hours of Saturday to go. And so I sit, pondering the significance of tomorrow.  It’s not just that it’s a match against our hated rivals. It’s that, just like Saturday’s fixtures, tomorrow’s matches can shuffle the table once again.

Chelsea v Stoke City

Stoke travel to Stamford Bridge to take on the once-mighty Chelsea, who have looked a bit ragged as of late. Their performance against Spurs was disheartening and their captain’s play inadequate. Still, the Blues seem to have a knack for bouncing back, and I wouldn’t count on Stoke ending up in 10th place. This is basically Chelsea’s title game. Lose and it’s likely gone, and they know it.

What a Villan Wants: This game really has no impact on Villa’s standing. However, this Villan wants peace and harmony in the house. Blue is the color…

Everton v Fulham

Position eight versus position twelve. Everton have been on fire lately, and most agree that had it not been for injuries to significant players, they’d likely be heading to Europe next year. Still, isn’t that the issue facing all but the very top clubs–a lack of quality depth? Everton has a knack for faltering in the last few minutes of a match (or feeling so bad for their opponents that they net them the equalizer) but I wouldn’t count on that tomorrow. Fulham also had a midweek jaunt in Europe, walking away with a draw against Hamburg. While they’ve been the talk of Europa, their home form hasn’t been impressive and the only only way they’re seeing Europe next year is if they become champions.

What a Villa fan wants: Fulham. Everton might be 7 points behind us but if they win their last three and we don’t, well…ok I don’t even want to think about it. Much as I’d love to see the Toffees finish above Liverpool, I’m too nervous about our own European campaign.

Burnley v Liverpool

The Clarets are sitting in 19th place and nothing short of a miracle is going to save them from from being relegated. Can that miracle occur at Turf Moor? Burnley have been adequate at home but dismal on the road, yet Liverpool have only managed four away wins.  Liverpool also just finished a 24 hour road-trip and looked sluggish and confused facing Atlético Madrid in the semi-finals of the Europa League. If any day is your day, Burnley, tomorrow is the one to seize.

What a Villan Wants: A Liverpool loss, of course. Even if our fellow claret and blues hold the Reds to a draw, we still stay above them in the table.

Aston Villa v Birmingham City

Derby games are ugly and the Second City Derby particularly so. Villa took three points at St Andrews earlier this season so it’s likely Birmingham are looking for vengeance at Villa Park. Birmingham had a shining start to the season but have sputtered out recently, while Villa have won their last two away from home. Earlier this week, while reading MON’s words about still being in the race for fourth, I laughed–but here we are, level on points with Tottenham if we win. Still VP doesn’t seem to give us that much of an edge and I’m uncomfortable being too optimistic, especially since we’ve squandered every opportunity to gain points when our rivals have lost.

What a Villa fan wants: I would hope you’re smart enough to figure this out. Three points brings us to 5th, above Citeh and behind Spurs on goal difference. Even if we don’t make it to that coveted fourth spot, we’re more secure in the battle for Europa, where we just might have an excellent chance next season.

And hey, I made it through that without referring to colored noses or cursing anyone’s father. I wouldn’t expect the same of me tomorrow, however. Due to inane American scheduling, we won’t be watching the match until 3pm. To keep me occupied, I’ll be watching the Liverpool v Burnley followed by Toronto v Seattle followed by Chelsea v Stoke before finally watching my beloved Villans. My stomach is going to be in a knot all day. Thank goodness beer relaxes the muscles.

UTV!!!

Halfway through and it’s fairly clear that this weekend is one of the most important in the Premier League season. Going into this weekend, the only thing certain is that Portsmouth were being relegated. In contrast to previous seasons, we are 2-3 games away from the end of the season and nothing else has been decided. We don’t know who will win the title, we don’t know who will take fourth, we don’t know who will be in Europe and we don’t know who goes down. Every game this weekend, with the possible exception of Everton v Fulham, has the ability to draw non-fans into the match, cheering for the result most beneficial to their side.Let’s review Saturday’s games first.

Manchester United v Tottenham

The early game brought together second place United and fourth place Spurs. Ryan Giggs converted two penalties while Nani launched a beauty before falling to his knees to vomit on the hallowed grass of Old Trafford. Actually, I’m unsure as to whether he actually violated sacred ground but he looked ready to imitate Evra. Although Ledley King did score for Tottenham, Spurs looked tired and ready to accept their typical end of season downward spiral.

Result: Manchester United 3–1 Tottenham Hotspur.

Affects: United go on top of Chelsea by two points, but Chelsea have a game in hand. Spurs stay in forth but City edges closer.

Aston Villa fan says: Thumbs up! We’re three points from a tie for fourth, although our goal difference is atrocious.

Bolton v Portsmouth

The Wanderers were sitting pretty at the half, thinking they had earned 3 points at the Reebok and ready to breathe easy in the knowledge that they were staying up. Then Pompey, with nothing left to play for, came charging back after the break to salvage a draw. I’ve felt that Portsmouth haven’t been quite as bad this year as their record suggests and this game reflects this. Yet Bolton still finds themselves safe thanks to Wolves and Wigan. Had they won, Bolton would be in a much less secure 16th place.

Result: Bolton 2–2 Portsmouth

Affects: Bolton, at 36 points, just might be looking over their shoulders at Wolves and Wigan, each with 35. Still, 18th place Hull only has 28 points–not too threatening.

Aston Villa fan says: no importa, but yay Pompey!

Hull v Sunderland

Hull continued their dirty run of play today (see the actions of Fagan in Wednesday’s game against Villa for reference) when Jozy Altidore let his frustrations show and launched himself headfirst at Alan Hutton. Hutton got sent off as well but it was clear that the Tigers were boiling over. This match likely signifies the death rattle for Hull as they start to re-contemplate life in the Championship. It’s been an ugly two seasons.

Result: Hull 0–1 Sunderland

Affects: Mostly West Ham. Had Hull won and West Ham lost, they would be even at 31 points, although the Tigers’ -41 goal difference is pathetic. Sunderland is sitting pretty in midtable.

Aston Villa fan says: screw American loyalties, unless your name is Jimmy Bullard or Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, I’ll gladly slam the door as you leave the league.

West Ham v Wigan

Oh, bottom of the table excitement. West Ham started today just three points outside of the bottom three places. After a pitiful and pitiable performance at Anfield, they started the scoring just as they’d ended it on Monday: allowing one of their players to score a goal for the other side. Jonathan Spector put the ball in West Ham’s net after just four minutes. Luckily West Ham decided they’d spent enough time lying down and managed to find the advantage just before the half. Wigan came back but West Ham battled to find the win.

Result: West Ham 3–2 Wigan

Affects: Both teams. Had the result been reversed, Wigan would be in 14th and West Ham would be biting their nails.

Aston Villa fan says: No threats from either team, although unfortunately both of these minnows beat us this season. Still a thumbs up because Zola is adorable.

Wolverhampton v Blackburn

I could pretend that I paid attention to this match, but I really didn’t. I could wait until highlights are up, but I’d rather watch playoff hockey.

Results: Wolves 1–1 Blackburn

Affects: Blackburn not really at all–they’re a classic safe-in-midtable team. Wolves celebrated the draw without realizing they’re still not safe from relegation. Granted, it’s nearly impossible that Burnley will win their last three matches, but still, mathematically Wolves are still clinging on.

Aston Villa fan says: Thumbs down. Wolves earning two more points would’ve meant safety and another team in the Midlands next year.

Arsenal v Manchester City

This really should’ve been the game I skipped. Unfortunately, I watched nearly every minute while wishing I were asleep. Granted the game nearly put me to sleep, but I kept my eyes open. City’s first choice keeper, Shay Given, left the match with 20 minutes remaining with a suspected broken shoulder. After that, the game remained almost entirely in City’s end,with the exception of a few breaks by Tevez. Yet Arsenal clearly have lost their heart this season, and being Arsenal chose to pass rather than pepper the inexperienced goalie with shots.

Result: Arsenal 0–o City

Affects: Anyone chasing fourth, fifth, six or seventh. Five points separate Spurs, City, Villa and Liverpool. We’re almost all certain to be going to Europe, but in what capacity?

Aston Villa fan says: Thumbs way down. Come on, Gunners. I cheered for you and everything, even without Andrey. Could you not have come through with a win?

Thinking Outside the Box: My Journey In Search of the Beautiful Game

Brad Friedel has started every Premier League match this season, yet he doesn’t get a lot of attention. Criticism, certainly, as it’s far easier to pick up his mistakes than his often-flawless saves. But as a couple of Cup mistakes by Brad 2.0 showed, we are quite lucky to have Brad 1 in our corner. Or box, if you will. And what much of the book focuses on is how hard he had to work to get to a top side.

Admittedly, there are not a lot of surprises in Friedel’s book, even to someone who’s been paying attention to football for less than two years. In fact, Brad and I became Villans around the same time. There are some interesting insights to the politics behind the game, particularly with regards to work permits in England. Friedel also exalts some players that fans love to hate, and gives perspective on competing for a starting keeper position.

Overall, though, the book is less about football than about a genuinely decent individual with an excellent work ethic–a small-town boy done good, a hero for Americans. Friedel follows a stringent diet, doesn’t drink or do drugs, and doesn’t chase women. In that respect, he’s quite unusual among footballers. Much of the money he’s earned off salary and sponsorship deals is put toward his football academy, Premier Soccer Academies.  This is the type of book you give to a strong footballer who is entering high school or heading off to college, hoping they’ll be struck by a bit of inspiration. While at some points in the book I just wanted him to tell a revealing story or give us some juicy dirt on a teammate, Friedel clearly has a strong moral code, and in the end it made me appreciate his presence in Villa’s goal even more.

This isn’t good news. Delph will be out until the middle of next season, and it will be impossible to know how well he has recovered until then. I’m in no way an expert on sports injuries, but I’d say that it’s likely Delph makes a full recovery and only suffers a delay in his development. But there’s no way of knowing for sure, and until I see him back and healthy and just as dynamic as he was before, I’ll be nervous.

Emile Heskey is paid to do one very specific thing; collect the ball, hold it until the break catches up or the attack re-forms, and distribute into space. There is certainly a case to be made that there are better uses of a spot in the rotations (and a very good case to be made that there are better uses of a spot in the starting 11) but Emile Heskey is as God made him and it is unfair to ask him to do more than he is capable of. Heskey is something like a playmaker, just in a more advanced position and significantly less dynamism. He is ostensibly an important part of the attack, but he is often neutralized and unglamorous even when effective.

After Delfouneso entered the game, I found it very difficult not to focus on him. Most people (and I include myself in this, absolutely) will find that their lasting memory of his performance in this match is his twisting finish to put Villa ahead in the 82nd minute. It was clearly a brilliant and important goal, but he impressed me in other ways (both today and in past appearances, it should be said.) I do not believe that Delfouneso’s ability to control the ball in tight space and distribute to open attackers is quite as good as Heskey’s, but I do not think it is that far behind and it is only going to improve with maturity and experience. On numerous occasions I have seen Delfouneso gather a loose ball, hold off his marker, work his way to space and find an open man to set up the attack. Long breakaways that might typically end in a desperate chance or a goal kick have turned into possessions. When you combine that with his speed and purported scoring ability, he looks to be someone who could develop into a very versatile, very dangerous and incredibly valuable attacker.

There’s a fair amount of talk about Villa’s need to add a playmaking forward this summer, and I certainly understand this desire. This team has a lot of offensive talent, but it’s incredibly frustrating to see smart through balls from the midfield go to waste because Gabby is unable to create his own chances when the opposing defense is playing deep and he has an entire back line to beat. Gabby is a talented distributor in how own right and the thought of two players with such a valuable combination of skills is enough to make a fellow salivate.

I understand that we still have a (very, very, very) outside chance at 4th and that Europa is not yet a given, but I think MON would be very well served to give Delfouneso a much longer look over this final stretch. If he is not quite ready to be a first-team contributor then you can go forward as previously planned with any off-season acquisitions as planned. If he is ready, that could be a tremendous boost to the club. Attacking players are not cheap in terms of transfer fees or the wage budget, but Nathan Delfouneso costs nothing aside from his relatively small wage. Assuming there is money to spend, being able to spend it to fill several holes (depth, particularly in the midfield, and fullback spring immediately to mind) rather than one attacking player has to be seen as a positive.

This is obviously scary news, as Fabian Delph must be considered a major part of the team’s future. Knee injuries are scary in any sport, but when you’re talking about a midfielder who counts speeds as one of his biggest assets, the concern must be magnified.

This is something to keep a very close eye on. One of the biggest reasons to be excited about Villa’s future are the young players that have yet to make a major impact on the first team, and Delph is a huge part of that. That’s not to say anyone should panic, but everyone should certainly hope that this turns out to be less severe than it sounds.

Recaps are something I’ve wanted to do for a bit and for reasons that will soon become clear  we’ll be doing them much more frequently going forward. Here is the first one!

Well that was a bit more nerve-wracking than expected. I don’t think it is unfair to say that Villa leaving without anything less than all three would have been a massive disappointment; a team of Villa’s caliber must be expected to defeat a team of Pompey’s no matter the venue. That Portsmouth managed to defeat Spurs (that Portsmouth managed to defeat anyone) to book a ticket to Wembley for the FA Cup final is nothing short of an act of God. I have a lot of affection for Pompey and their fans are some of the best in England (if not the world) but at the risk of stating the obvious they are not at all a good side.

It is understandable then that I found myself rather displeased when Michael Brown put Pompey ahead in the 10th minute. Stephen Warnock did not have an especially good day and at no point did he look more absurd than when he had his lunch eaten for him in by Anthony Vanden Borre, who then sent a smart cross along the ground. Kevin-Prince Boateng gave Friedel a bit too much to think about and Smith took advantage of the hesitation and hammered the ball into the back corner. I’ve become so accustomed to the dominance of Villa’s back line that seeing Warnock made to look so foolish gave me a bit of a start, and credit to Portsmouth for forcing the error and capitalizing.

Villa were dominant to that point and it didn’t take long at all for them to re-establish themselves as the superior side. I think that’s an encouraging sign, as one of the major criticisms I have of this team is their tendency to become rattled and ineffective when faced with a bit of adversity. I think it’s largely a function the age of the squad and it’s nice to see some signs of maturity.

There’s a bit of difference between dominance of the proceedings and putting the ball in the net however, and seconds after Carew somehow managed to choose the arms David James as the place to put the ball of a beautiful feed from Gabby, I found myself grateful that the downstairs neighbor moved out a few months back because no one wants to be woken at 8:30 on a Sunday morning by a stream of loud profanity coming from the floor above. That’s a chance I really think you must convert, as Carew had the whole net to choose from; it wasn’t a given, as Big John was only a half-step ahead of his marker and right in on the goal, but it’s one he is more than capable of converting and it’s fair to be disappointed when he does not.

My disappointment was thankfully quite short-lived (and to be honest I can’t stay mad at John for long in any event.) Carew has been rightly criticized for appearing to be less than observant of his surroundings at times, but he did a fantastic job of recognizing the offside trap, gathering Milner’s very nice ball into the area and displaying a bit of his trademark awkward grace to make a bit of room for himself and hammering it home to pull Villa level. A very nice bit of play all around and very nice to even it up so quickly after Portsmouth went ahead.

Villa continued to control possession and threaten Portsmouth’s goal, and I think it’s worth noting that Portsmouth were sitting very deep and being very selective in their decisions to launch the counter. They weren’t yet quite parking the bus, but they were quite clearly in a defensive mindset all afternoon and Villa were able to give themselves quite a few nice looks in spite of this. Dan at the peerless Aston Villa Central has been talking about this for quite some time now, both on the blog and on Twitter, but it’s worth re-iterating; teams are playing their defenses deep against Villa now, just as they would against the other top attacking sides in the Premiership. Villa have struggled to adapt to this change in tactics at times this year, but they seem to be making some adjustments to their attack. We’re still having some trouble finishing, especially against the top half of the table, but that’s going to come. Definitely something to keep an eye on the rest of the year.

Villa had several more very dangerous possessions late in the first half. Ashley Young very nearly forced an own-goal in the 20th minute from a lovely cross, but the ball ultimately found the woodwork. Late in the first half, Milner and Carew attempted to find an opening in the box but it appeared Portsmouth had largely diffused the situation. Carew got a touch on the ball and appeared content to push the ball back and allow Villa to reset the attack when Papa Bouba Diop made one of the most pointless and frankly idiotic challenges I’ve seen in a great while leading to a Villa penalty, a creature heretofore only spoken about in hushed tones by the elders but thought by most to be a myth. Carew stepped in and rifled the shot towards goal but David James managed to get his body in front of it and direct the ball out of danger. It’s always frustrating to fail to convert a penalty but there’s not much more Big John can do; there was plenty behind the shot and it was towards an acceptable part of the goal, James just guessed correctly and made a great stop. Not much you can do but tip your proverbial cap and try to get another. (As an aside, the look on Carew’s face when he realized the ball was not in the back of the net was priceless and I would kill for a screen cap.)

As we went into the half I felt as though Villa could have easily been ahead 3-1 and deserved it. The lapse at the back that led to Pompey’s goal was painful and the finish legitimate, but Portsmouth were clearly struggling to stay in it and I was certainly pleased. My expectation was that if Villa could come out and proceed in the same manner we would go ahead soon enough and cruise the rest of the way. It might go without saying, but I am sometimes an idiot about these things and I would hope that I will eventually figure out that goals are never a given. things did indeed proceed as they had in the first half, but the second goal remained frustratingly out of reach. Around the 70th minute I began to get fidgety and as the clock ticked away my edginess progressed to annoyance and ultimately to yelling at the screen. In hindsight I realize that there was a lot of bad luck in Villa’s inability to go ahead earlier, but at the time it was incredibly frustrating.

Carew being pulled for Heskey did little to improve my mood, but I will admit that he looked a different player today. Perhaps it was the level of opposition, but you really got a sense of what it is Heskey does so well and Villa really ramped up the attack once he got into the game. I am as hard as anyone on Emile Heskey, but I am also one to give credit where it is due so good on ya’, Mr. Heskey. If you can play like that going forward I am more than happy to have you on this team. MON’s second substitution came in the 80th minute when a clearly gassed Gabriel Agbonlahor was pulled in favor of Nathan Delfouneso. Two minutes later James Milner sent in a gorgeous cross that Emile Heskey headed on to Delfouneso brilliantly and the youngster did incredibly well to finish. He went up with his body in a somewhat awkward position and made a graceful adjustment in mid-air to finish beautifully. I’m planning on a longer post about Delfouneso and what he could mean to this team both in the near and long-term, but for now I will say that he looks as though he could be a very special player in the making. speaking of very special players, Ashley Young very nearly converted an acrobatic goal in the 85th minute but missed just wide, missing out on an opportunity to put the match out of reach. It seemed insignificant at the time, more upsetting by nature of our being deprived of seeing something exciting than having any real consequence, but five minutes later I found myself hoping against hope that it had found its way into the net.

I was at Qwest Field yesterday to watch Sounders and immediately after going ahead 1-0 in the 92nd minute it took a tremendous diving stop by Kasey Keller on a breakaway not ten seconds later to preserve the Sounders lead. In the wake of the euphoria caused by going ahead late in the going, the defense completely fell asleep and absolutely collapsed, and if not for having the best keeper in MLS in goal that euphoria would have very quickly been completely erased. I mention this because something very similar happened in the wake of Delfouneso’s goal today. It wasn’t quite as bad, but it was readily apparent that Villa’s back line were very complacent in the final minutes, and it took a heady stop by a veteran goalkeeper to preserve the newly gained lead late in the match. Conceding a goal there would have been the very definition of gutted. I think that the impact of goalkeepers at the highest levels is most likely overstated to some extent, but I’m very thankful to have Brad Friedel on this team.

Allowing Pompey that late challenge seemed to wake Villa up a bit and from that point on it was academic. If you saw only the scoreline you might be a bit disappointed; I personally was hoping for a few more goals and a better defensive performance coming into the day as well. But watching the match, it was apparent that Villa were the far superior side, and escaping with only one point would have been a tremendous amount of poor luck rather than an indictment of their performance. Portsmouth are a very poor Premier League side at the moment, but they’ve shown they’re capable of beating very good teams in the recent past. You always want to win by a wider margin, certainly, but when you dominate as thoroughly as Villa did today you’ve got to be pleased with that as well.

Villa are now sitting in sixth two ahead of Liverpool and four clear of Everton with a game in hand. Fifth is a long shot and fourth is all but out of the question (thanks a bundle, Chelsea!) but the team is well positioned to go to Europa (which, as I’ve said, is most likely a more suitable competition at this point in any case) and looking a decent bet to exceed last year’s point total. It is worth pointing out that while last year Villa placed sixth with 62 points, losing eleven and drawing ten times. This year they have lost only six and drawn thirteen times. While it is to be sure that a few of those draws could have very easily been losses, I think it’s fair to say that, if not for a bit of poor luck an even greater number could have been wins. This while going to one cup final and one cup semi-final.

It is baffling to me that there are Villa fans (and a not insignificant number of them) that see this season as at best a stagnation and at worst a step backwards or a disappointment. Each game is an incredibly small sample (and even a full season could be classified as such) with chance playing a huge role in the outcome. Generally the best teams will rise to the top and the poorest will sink to the bottom, but the order in which they finish is affected in a very significant manner by things out of anyone’s control. It is tempting to think of each result as evidence of the superiority of the victorious side, but one must realize rationally that this is not the case. There are certainly criticisms to be made of Aston Villa, and although I love Martin O’Neill and think he is the right manager for this team now and in the future, he is not exempt from criticism in his own right. But if you are being rational and considering all the facts and the body of work, not only the results, I cannot see how you would come to the conclusion that this is not a team headed in a very positive direction. I digress, but I think that this is an appropriate time to make this point because there will almost certainly be those that point to the final score as evidence of Villa’s mediocrity. Those people are missing the forest for the trees, and it is a shame because they’re missing out on a lot of excitement.

In the end, a great result. Hull City on Wednesday, which is an equally winnable match. Villa fans can feel good about their team today, and that’s always a lovely way to head into the week.

It feels very odd saying that I am not at all nervous for tomorrow. Generally around this time pre-matchday I start getting a bit antsy, and when playing an opponent of Chelsea’s caliber that goes it’s only amplified. This time though? Nothing, at least in the way of nerves.

It’s not that I’m not excited; far from it. I’ve been counting down the days since Carew put Stephen Warnock’s cross into the net to go ahead of Reading over a month ago. I doubt I’ll get much sleep tonight, and I likewise doubt I’ll have trouble summoning energy and enthusiasm when I perch myself on a bar stool at 9:00 AM, a Chelsea fan on one side and a Villa fan on the other. (At least I assume this will be the seating arrangement; anything to prevent female-on-male domestic violence.)

The nerves though? They’re just not there. Part of it is an acceptance of reality. Chelsea are just flat-out a better side than Aston Villa. At the moment they are inarguably one of the best  teams in the world, early-season struggles be damned. It’s not that Villa can’t beat them, as they’ve shown that it’s possible. But on any given day, the odds are against them.

Often, this reality would be less comforting than terrifying. There’s just the little matter of what happened last time these two met. What transpired was everything I’ve always feared going into matches Villa shouldn’t expect to win. And it was awful. But now that it’s happened, and the world didn’t end, and Villa bounced back to perform quite well the week after, what’s left to fear? It’s far more likely we leave Wembley victorious tomorrow than losing 7-1 again, but even if we do we’ll still be going to Europe, we’ve still had a tremendous season (A Cup Final! Beating United at Old Trafford! Legitimate Champions League Contention well into March!) What’s to lose? Compared to what’s to win, very little.

But enough of the philosophical business; if Villa are to win this thing, they’re going to have to be aggressive. Sitting back and waiting is a successful strategy against some top-tier teams, but I don’t see it working against Chelsea. They’re going to score, and their defense is too good to expect a steady approach to pay dividends. What worked against Manchester United and Arsenal is not going to work against Chelsea. (Which is not to say that Chelsea is a cut above those sides; I just believe that their strengths and weaknesses are different.)

I’m concerned about Richard Dunne, because while I don’t doubt he’ll play the last match with Chelsea showed that as wonderful as he is you can’t expect him to be as solid when injured. I’m concerned about Milner and Gabby as well, to a lesser extent. If Villa are to compete, they need to be at full strength and they need more than a bit of luck. I honestly believe that they’re going to need to go at things a bit differently as well, and what better time than a Cup semi-final no one expects them to win? All the embarrassment, all the rumors, all the panic, erased over the course of 90 minutes.

Let’s do it, boys. I might not expect you to win, but I have no doubt you’ll make us proud.

Sorry we’ve gone quiet—we’re working on transferring the blog to a different platform, so look for exciting changes coming soon!

But first, Aston Villa have some excitement of their own. Saturday they hit the pitch at Wembley for the second time this season (sadly enough, I won’t be there for this match). And as we all know, in this semi-final tie we must face Chelsea once more. With the disastrous meeting at Stamford Bridge a fortnight ago, The Blues wiped from our memories October’s 2-1 victory and left us confused, angry and shaken. In the aftermath, many of us realized that March’s final game was an anomaly, an unraveling of a young team that had been trying to hold it together for too long and had a bit of a mental breakdown. Unfortunately, others, including media outlets, took the week after the Chelsea fiasco to spread rumours about our manager, our owner and one of our stars. During that time, we took a break from writing, not wanting to give any credence to the ridiculous gossip.

Last week we were at Reebok Stadium, where we slammed the door on our accursed March with a 0-1 win over Bolton. The scoreline doesn’t reflect the fact that our team finally looked again like the Villa who had been competing for a top four slot. Yes, Gabby still looks a little out of sorts, but it seems more like he is rusty from a lack of recent starts, and he came very close at least twice. And yes, our midfield was less spicy without James running around. But Delph is coming into himself and finding more confidence on the pitch. And Ash! Although commentators seized on the fact that he hadn’t scored in eight games, he’s been in on the assists, feeding crosses that are just barely poked in by his teammates. But last Saturday the glory was all his as he slid a gorgeous kick past the Bolton defence and straight on to the net. Ashley Young is becoming a threatening presence on any pitch, especially since most opponents still underestimate his skills.

On most nights before a match, I’m nervous. I toss and turn, tangling myself up in my Villa t-shirt. Before the Carling Cup final, I forced myself to stay busy the entire day, and found solace in a few pints to distract myself through the evening. But there’s no anxiety surrounding this important fixture. Chelsea has seen us at our worst. What more could happen? Can we lose 9-1? The fear has dissipated. Our team is healthy and fairly rested. James Milner’s Achilles strain has healed enough, and MON has said that he’s confident Richard Dunne will be playing as well (although I will still offer up prayers and by God if he needs me to kiss it better I will hop on a plane). Obviously Chelsea is still Chelsea, top of the league and ready to dominate. But our confidence is coming back. We’ve beaten Chelsea this season, and we’ve already been at Wembley. Villa won’t allow themselves to be overwhelmed on Saturday. They’re ready to show everyone that they are formidable opponents—and that next season, everyone will be worried about the Villa.