Taylor blasts cup surrender
Wednesday 25th February 2009, 11:28AM GMT.
Holte End favourite Ian Taylor fears Villa conceded tomorrow’s UEFA Cup tie with CSKA Moscow before they even touched down in Russia.
Claret and blue boss Martin O’Neill has incurred the wrath of supporters after leaving eight first-team players at home for tomorrow’s second leg, last 32 tie against CSKA.
England quartet Gareth Barry, Ashley Young, Gabby Agbonlahor and Emile Heskey were among the big names rested for the match, with fringe players Isaiah Osbourne, Moustapha Salifou and Nathan Delfouneso among those set to be given a chance in the Russian capital.
And lifelong fan Taylor, whose goal against Atletico Madrid took Villa within a whisker of the UEFA Cup semis in 1998, can understand why fans are fuming with the tie delicately poised at 1-1.
“The fans will have been bitterly disappointed when they saw the squad named,” said the former Villa midfielder.
“To see so many of our best players missing for a game as big as this will frustrate them. I can understand two or three big names being left behind but not eight or nine. It’s just waving the white flag.
“Villa have come a long way to get to this stage, so it is a real shame it has come to this. I don’t see too much hope. I really felt with a full strength team we were still in with a real chance of beating them.”
Sporting Star columnist Taylor believes the limited resources at O’Neill’s disposal are beginning to take their toll. “The size of the squad has really started to affect us now,” he added. “It just isn’t big enough to handle these games.”
One positive for Taylor is that fact young talents could get a chance.
“There are some excellent prospects coming through like Barry Bannan, Shane Lowry and Marc Albrighton at the moment and I’ve long been calling for them to get a chance. This could be their opportunity and they will need to take it.”
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You’d think Taylor would keep his mouth shut following his words of ‘wisdom’ over Barry last summer. I think he’ll find that MON knows a bit more about managing than he ever will, and that 90% of the fans actually agree with the manager.
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I agree that MON does now better than anyone else what the state of the players is,like who needs a rest and who doesn’t. I also agree that that on the face of things putting 8 younsters into the team to play Moscow is far too many. It would be a better way of giving the kids some first team experience by introducing them to first team football one at a time.
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Ian, are 90% of the fans who’ve paid a grand & over to travel to Moscow behind this selection?To me it smacks of treating fans with contempt.
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@3: Probably not, but then you’ll find the vast majority haven’t gone because they knew the squad would be a reserve one. That has been obvious from the start of the UEFA cup run, MON has only once picked a full team. Ask them how contemptible they feel when they’re able to travel to Champions League games next season.
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I totally agree with the comments which have been made by the Aston Villa legend Ian Taylor. Martin O’neill has just surrendered the UEFA Cup tie even before flying to Moscow. They worked there socks off during July last year and now they have gave the game away so cheaply. All that hard work from last year has gone to waste. Martin O’neill is to blame for having a small squad. He had his chance to get players in the january transfer window but instead he signed 1 player who isnt even premier league class. I guess they would do the same thing next year in the UEFA Champions League.
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Yes but he hasn’t wasted it at all – the games have all been good, no great experience for the squad, that can only stand them in good stead. Why can’t you see that we are on the cusp of a fantastic opportunity, one we have been harping on about for a decade, and to expect the first team to fly all across Europe, time zones etc and back and then play Sunday and Wednesday is suicidal?
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Vaqas chohan, You seem ill informed as regards to the transfer window. We infact signed two playes, a young prospect named halfluid and Heskey! Id be willing to accept that halfluid isn’t premeiership class but surely you wern’t implying that a current england international forward is below the premiership? It wasn’t that long ago we were consigned to watching Baros fluff the easiest of chances! Look where we are now, my opinion- save criticism until after the moscow match, or even better, the end of the season.
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i believe MON has made the right decision,we are on the verge of makin it to C/L…. I have have a lot of faith in MON he knows what he is doin plus it gives him a chance to see what kind of players we have in the squad….
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Ian – Totally agree. I think the only Villa fans who are upset are the one’s who have shelled out to go to Russia, which is fair enough. But its already been said by MON that the league was priority.
Moscow seemed pretty well drilled against us at VP and with some fresh faces in the team, it might just undo CSKA, you just never know. Tonight is the night to make a name for yourself. I just hope whatever team we put out puts in 100%.
Our defence coped pretty well in the first leg, so to keep that the same, bar Friedel is a good move on MON’s part.
I can feel a shock result on the cards!
UTV
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why would any villa fan question martin o’neils judgement and further more a place in next seasons champions lge would move the club much further forward that doing well or even winning the uafa cup as class players want to be in champs lge thats what attracts the better players and not a uafa cup run
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100% behind MON. He will make the odd bad desicion but i’ve never felt so positive about the Villa. Even my mates who aren’t Villa fans are starting to like us (including a Blues fan!!)
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