Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Albion blog: Hail Cesar
Tuesday 6th November 2007, 8:58AM GMT.
Wow, what a performance and what a result, writes Albion blogger Jarrod Hill.
Surely the highlight of the season so far, in all honesty I feared our trip to Watford, they are the typical type of team we fear the most. They are an uncompromising, strong, and well organised outfit.
Mowbray highlighted in the run up to the game that we needed to match them for “battle”; before we could play our football, and lead by players like Cesar we more than matched the physicality of our opponents.
In the four games Cesar has played we have kept three clean sheets, coincidence? No.
Cesar has brought a real physical presence to our defence, he has a determination to defend and not concede goals, and he can also pass the ball as well, which is contributing to us retaining possession better.
He has also had a very positive effect on Albrechsten, he seems so much more confident with Cesar alongside him, and with Barnett as cover, our defence is now looking ok.
Saturday also witnessed the little and large show continuing to show the rest of the division that they are the best strike partnership in this league.
Eighteen goals between them, and confidence sky high.
Next up is Sheffield Wednesday at the Hawthorns, and I hope Mowbray plays an unchanged team and rewards the excellent performance at Watford.
Wednesday do seem to have a knack of getting a result against us, however, if we perform anywhere near our current level, we will win.
Looking at the league table I am struggling to decide who are going to be our main challengers for automatic promotion.
Saturday aside, Watford will definitely contest the top two places, Bristol City have started well, but many pundits are predicting they will struggle when injuries and suspensions start to kick in.
Personally I think there are four teams that can make the top two, Albion, Watford, Wolves, and Charlton.
I was tempted to include Ipswich, but after watching them against Norwich on Sunday I don’t think they will win enough games away from home.
However, in two weeks time everything will have changed and I will be back tracking, what a funny league the Championship is.
On another note, I hope Gera decides to stay and sign his new contract, if he plays tonight, all fans should show him our support and let him know how much we want him to stay a baggie.
A few chants of there is only one Zoltan Gera should do it.
Anyway time to go, I can hear The Vine calling my name, up the baggies.
Albion fans, what do you think? Have your say below
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With regards to your comment about Zolly….”you hum and we’ll sing it”… couldn’t agree more with you on that front. Lets hope ToMo plays him so the brummie road can do their stuff.
Boing Boing!!
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What a result for the Baggies at the weekend! There was an audible gasp around Molineux when the result came up on the big screen!
Its warming up to be a corking season!
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Spot on Jarrod – Cesar is the “missing link” that allows the flair guys to play round the opposition. He gives confidence to the back line and as his partnership with Albre gets better so will we.
We were all suprised when TM dropped Barnett and kept Albre but he is being proven 100% correct – its a shame for Leon but you cant argue with the transformation – it just shows our strength in depth AND the management skills of TM.
Gera is having a great season for us, and although I think we CAN replace him with the players we have he would be a hard act to follow – lets hope he signs up as he aint guaranteed 1st team action ANYWHERE, so why move ??
Threre is no limit to what this squad can do – we still haven’t seen the best of Brunt or Morrison yet, Koren and Tex are getting better every game, and Greening is leading us really well.
Then up front we have the 2 best forwards in the division, with Bednar & Bart still to come.
Yes we will lose games, and no, I’ not getting “cocky” as our friends down the road call us – I just love what we are doing at the Albion and can see things getting even better.
LOVIN IT !!!!
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Yes jarrod I agree 110%. At last we have our destroyer in Ceasar and how we needed him. Ihave been begging for him to play because I know a lot of Slovenians and they really rate him. By the way we are getting to be the most popular English team there. Saturday was the best Albion performance I have seen since the days of Big Ron and I was so proud to be in the crowd—by the way our fans were amazing at Watford and the song of the season so far has to be 3-0 to the football team and I loved our ole’s.
Onwards and upwards–please stay with that team tonight TM.
I think you are bang on with the four teams you forecast will fight it out but if we can maintain this form then it will be us and one of the others.
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Happy, I wonder if you will still be lovin it after the derby game?
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Haven’t posted on the albion blogs for a while so here goes!
Fantastic result for your lot the weekend. When is Philips going to be too old? Hope its soon, is that 9 for the season he has now? Quite a partnership him and Miller are forming, the old big man little man combo!
Obviously I couldn’t go a whole post without a little gripe, but its constructive (i think). Robinson at left back, I don’t think his hearts in it and doesnt seem to be playing the way he can, i think you have a solid team with that exception.
Obviously if you did get promoted i think 6 players would be required to stay there just because of the class difference between the two leagues – still along way to go before the P word should be banded around though I think.
Should be an interesting black country derby this month.
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5 – oooh let me think….
How about you – do you expect to get anything at the hawthorns ??
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Cesar has definately had a stabilizing effect at he back,
and with TM`s penchant for “footballers” he sits comfortably into that catagory too.
Defending however,
is not the sole responsibility of the back four,
with our perceived achilles heel at set pieces,
and our apparent lack of defensive
acumen, period …. what`s changed?
Gentlemen,
i do belive we ALL sometimes overlook the fact, that this team
was/is in it`s embryonic stages,
and familiarality among the players
will bring not contempt but understanding and better application.
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To Nathanwolves,
Robinson only knows one way to play, and that is whole hearted. His last six games have been consistently good, he has been more box to box this season than at any other time, and seems to be enjoying Mowbrays brand of football.
The summer of confusion for him is now seen to be a little embarrassing, but do not be fooled, his performances have been good.
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wbaforever – I think I said many times that i expected the defence to come good once it was bedded in, but our positioning at set pieces is much better since Cesar was introduced – I’m not sure how he gets his point across but however he does it its working.
There was a discussion on talk sport the other day about whether teams still need to play a holding midfielder – Ian Wright was saying it was a position that the best teams don’t use – as long as your players are battling for the ball and can stand up to some rough stuff you CAN pick a team of ball players – and this is what TM has been trying to do.
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I strongly beleive when we play Gera and Koren in midfield it gives us the balance between attack and defence. Both players can track and tackle well, and Gera is also good in the air.
I still do not think we have seen the best of Brunt, Morrison, and Texeira.
Tonight we see two teams who do not draw many games, so lets face it, it is going to be a draw!!!!
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Happy. Of course wolves expect to get something in the derby.. but makes it all the better when we humiliate them AGAIN..
I see they are now 7th and tonight could be a massive 7points behind us!
Still it’s what WE expect.
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My fellow Nathan – yes i think I expect something out of the Derby, I always do. Contradictory to what the numbers after your name suggest we each took 3 points from the derby last season, so I am certainly not bricking going to the hawthorns this season. We are almost complete, once MM has decided on his front 2 and they start scoring I think top 3 for wolves this season.
See if you can reply to this comment without saying wolves are a joke and the fans are a joke!
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Happy
Sorry it`s taken a while to get back to you.
Yes mate, in fairness you have always been an advocate of the
“bedding in” period,
and have said so on several occasions,
so apologies for my ALL generalisation.
To be honest, my comments were not a critisism of impatience,
just when we collectively aired concern of our defensive frailties,
it was all too easy to forget that this is a team relatively unknown to each other, and it does take time.
How ironic is it, that we put to the sword , in an emphatic manner,
doubts about our ability to win on the road and keep a clean sheet,
against the pundits favourites,
the one trick pony that is Watford.
Hopefully, in the aftermath of this comprehensive performance,
we can give the “cant defend”
theory a decent burial.
A test of our new found belief/hope, that we have found the answer to our niggling defensive flaws, will again get a genuine test tonight,
Sheff Wed are another up and at em
team,
but i am optimistic, and we owe them for last season.
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Nathan wolves – I would not say either wolves or their fans are a joke… but your prediction of top 3 did make me laugh !!
Once MM has decided on his front 2 ?? I think you will find he already has – and they aint scoring enough.
I admire and understand your optimism but I’m sure you won’t be too suprised if we beat you on the 25th.
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Happy chap, MM doesn’t know his front two, the papers are always speculating and saying we are linked with other forwards, there must be a slight element of truth in this! Keogh shouldn’t be starting, 1 in 13 ratio is not good enough!
Could you honestly tell me that IF wolves beat albion on the 25th you would be surprised? I’d be suprised if you said yes! Derby’s are difficult to call anyway, look at ipswich, norwich but with two good championship teams going for it like both our teams are the result is far from predictable (maybe with the exception of philips scoring – but even that doesn’t guarentee an albion win!)
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Nathan – I was amazed when we beat Watford – i do not follow blindly expecting us to win every game, but yes, I honestly will be suprised if you beat us. I think at home we will too strong for most teams and although i guess we will lose one eventually, I don’t think it will be that one.
I’m sure MM actually named his preferred front 2 a few weeks ago – much to his embarrassment they have since failed to earn that support.. however his refusal to change shows a lack of both humility and management skill which i think will keep you out of the top 3 come May.
You may get some new blood in January but i think you will be too far behind by then – although I still think you will be top 6.
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