The Villa Times - Issue 7

SHOWBIZ NEWS | HISTORY SPOTLIGHT | LIONS CLUBS | EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS

VillaTimes The

BENTEKE

W IN

Issue 7 | £3.00 | www.thevillatimes.com

O N p7 2

ASTON VILLA’S UNOFFICIAL MAGAZINE

CHRIS

WOAKES

& NEW FACES TO VILLA PARK

2012/2013

SEASON

Peter Lowe meets up with the England Cricketer, to talk about his love for

LITTLE VILLA!

Simon Goodyear

Brian

tells us about VILLA’S 12/13 season...

LAURSEN New Feature Training with Brian’s Football Academy

MARTIN

Exclusive interview with the former Villa and Denmark International about life at Villa Park and his new movie Me, Myself and Martin Laursen

VILLA LIONS Chris Fetters

VILLA WORLD Fan Pictures

PETE GOUGH Celtic To Villa

behind every

great man There’s a big boot

To find out more and for special offers visit Fiat.co.uk/AstonVilla

500 goes large

VillaTimes The

Editor Peter Brennan Designer Peter Brennan Web Development Peter Brennan Social Media Kenny Oldham Thanks to Ian Seddon, Peter Withe, Russell Jones, Aston Villa Football Club, Acorns, Joe Hunt, Brian Little, Martin Laursen, Chris Woakes, Danny Dewery Contributors Ryan Griffiths, Tom Davis, Simon Goodyear, Adam Keeble, Andy Evans, Adrian Nevett, Mark Burke, James Leyfield, Jason Connelly Villa Times Photography Peter Lowe, Joe Merchant, Michael McCafferty, Aaron Haden Images Getty Images, Colour Sport Advertising E: advertising@thevillatimes.com Subscription Go to www.thevillatimes.com E; info@thevillatimes.com The Villa Times Limited Company registration number; 08111746.

E: info@thevillatimes.com W: www.thevillatimes.com Please note: The Villa Times is not a member of the Aston Villa group of companies and is a unofficial magazine based on Aston Villa Images are supplied by people’s own scrap book and collections.

The Villa Times Ltd. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication can be reproduced without the written permission of the copyright owners. every effort has been made by the publishers to ensure the accuracy of this publication; the publisher cannot accept responsibility for the errors or omissions. in the interest of independence and impartiality,many features in this publication have been written by third-party experts. Any opinions expressed therein are views of the writers themselves and not necessarily those of Aston Villa and The Villa Times.

The Villa Times is for the purpose of news and is a monthly/four nightly production.

Welcome

A New Season...

It has been a long and entertaining pre-season on and off the pitch at Villa Park, with some exciting new faces at Villa and the great news of Benteke eventually deciding to stay at Villa Park.

The latest edition contains more exclusive interviews in turn a full packed 80 page magazine with some great new features. We have former Denmark and Villa defender Martin Laursen, England cricketer Chris Woakes , Lions Seattle chairman Chris Fetters, James Leyfield also welcomes one of our newest fans, HRH Prince George. Jason Connelly also takes a look at the new faces at Villa.

We also have some great new features covering the best match of the month and “Recent Form”, we also cover the last four games of last season, providing match reports, stats and line-up’s with some interesting facts with EA Sports. We meet up with Villa Times Subscriber Dale Javis to look at one of his favourite matches of all time. Also Adam Keeble goes through his favourite season 1992 in the history feature as well as “The Season So Far” with Simon Goodyear.

I would like to welcome a few new people to the Villa Times team, Michael McCafferty and Aaron Haden.

The Villa Times would also like to congratulate Prince William and Kate with their new arrival HRH Prince George and wish them all the best for the future.

Finally a sincere thanks to my team for making the Villa Times the successful magazine that it is, in such a short space of time. Well done to all concerned!

TVT

Peter Brennan, Editor

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Main Feature

Martin Laursen

The former Villa and Denmark star tells The Villa Times of his love for Villa, the highs and lows of his career and his new film Me, Myself and Martin Laursen

PAGE 8

In This Month...

2012/13 SEASON REVIEW

Villa author, Simon Goodyear gives us his views of the 2012 /13 seaon.

PAGE 14

HISTORY Adam Keeble tells us about the successful 1992 season.

PAGE 34

CHRIS WOAKES

Peter Lowe meets up with Villa fan and England Cricketer Chris Woakes

PAGE 50 4 The Villa Times Magazine

Contents

Prince George Welcome to the family PAGE 24

New Faces PAGE 19

Pete Gough Stan Meets Pete at Villa Park

PAGE 38

Villa World PAGE 72 6 Pictures of the Month 40 This month we have pictures from 78 Peter Lowe and Michael McCaffery.

30 Was That A Goal

70 Villa Lions

49 Academy

latest news from from some of the Worlds lions clubs with articles.

72 Villa World

Pictures sent from Villa fans not only from the UK but from across the world..

60 Lions Interview

We interview Villa fan and Seattle based Chris Fetters about his best moment, match, player and love for the Villa.

We take a look at the new goal technology installed in Villa Park.

News and fixture of Aston Villa’s exciting youth teams.

38 Pete Gough

The story of Pete and the fantastic achievment of running from Celtic to Villa in aid for Stan.

43 Gaming

The new section from fot-line.com, the new Villa fan run only gaming.

68 James Leyfield

The Villa Times showbiz writer gives us some Villa showbi gossip.

53 Andy Evans

Andy counties his column of his love for Villa while growning up.

77 Save That Date

Villa Events that are coming up.

69 Travel

We take a look at the Arsenal and Chelsea matches ahead, the grounds and were to drink.

66 Shopping

We look at whats new to offer from the new Villa clothing range.

and Much More

Picture of the Month

A FAREWELL

Final home game of the season: Aston Villa 1 - 2 Chelsea Picture shows, Stiliyan Petrov walking the pitch on the final home game of the season, to show the thanks for the support given by the Villa fans.

Picture of the Month by Peter Lowe

LAURSEN

www.thevillatimes.com

MARTIN

W

Andy Evans talks with the Villa Legend about his career, his new movie Me, Myself & Martin Laursen and his love for Aston Villa

hen Villa fans think about Martin Laursen, the image that immediately springs to mind is one of a brave, loyal defender, combining leadership and passion for the cause in a wholehearted, yet dignified way. It was these qualities that made the Dane one of the most popular players ever to pull on the claret and blue shirt, as well as helping him to gain 53 caps for his country. But another accolade can now be added to the list, for Martin Laursen has become a film-star.

Me, Myself and Martin Laursen was released in Scandinavia last November. The brainchild of director Anthony Tullberg, the 42 minute documentary was a long time in the making.

‘It was in 2005 when I was in Bologna doing my rehab after a big knee operation that Anthony Tullberg contacted me,’ explains Laursen. ‘At that time there were a lot of negative things going around about football players and the football environment. There was [Adrian] Mutu who was taking drugs and it was about that time that Roy Keane made that book where he said he wanted to hurt that Norwegian player [Alf-Inge Haaland] on purpose. There were a lot of negative things about the football world so Tullberg said that he would like to make a movie about me because I was something positive. So he came to Bologna and we had a chat and just started recalling things.

But it was over a long period.’

The resulting film was slightly different from the initial brief that was presented to Laursen, with Tullberg exploring why Laursen had made it as a footballer when he himself had failed to do so. However, the finished product was still to Laursen’s liking.

‘It wasn’t exactly what I expected,’ he says. ‘In the beginning, it was just a story about my football career from when I was young, and he interviewed all my youth coaches and my

8 The Villa Times Magazine

family. But it didn’t turn out that well. I don’t think they thought it was good enough. So it became another story – that Tullberg wanted to become a football player but didn’t, and why was it me. At the end of the day I was pleased with the movie in that way. It was quite positive about me, so it didn’t turn out exactly how I thought it should be, but at the end it was alright.’

‘I was in the cinema watching it in Denmark and (laughs) it was great to sit there and watch myself in a movie. It was a strange feeling but a good experience.’

One of the standout moments of the film is when Laursen opens up about his time at AC Milan. After starting out at top Danish side Silkeborg IF, he enjoyed a successful time at Verona where he earned the nickname ‘Lionheart Laursen’ before moving to the San Siro in 2001. However, Laursen’s time there was marred by a pattern of bullying and intimidation. His fellow players, including Messrs Pirlo and Shevchenko, made him the butt of the dressing room. His clothes were hidden, his talent questioned and his confidence shattered.

‘I wasn’t happy there. I didn’t enjoy the dressing room. I didn’t enjoy the environment there with a lot of world stars and their behaviour. The kind of person that I am, I don’t like to fight and I thought that if I behaved well and didn’t do anything nasty or hard to them, they wouldn’t do anything hard to me. But it wasn’t so.’

‘I think they liked me. It wasn’t something where they wanted to hurt me but it was no fun in the dressing room, and because I didn’t play a lot I was lowest in the rank. There were a lot of things going around, so I got fed up and instead of being angry, I closed myself and it was hard at the end.’

So when in 2004 Villa came in to take him away from his Italian nightmare, Laursen was delighted – at first anyway.

But the actions of a certain ex-manager nearly ruined Laursen’s Villa Park career before it had really begun.

‘It was so nice to come to Villa. I could feel straight

Exclusive

“There were a lot of negative things about the football world so Tullberg said that he would like to make a movie about me because I was something positive.�

The Villa Times Magazine 9

www.thevillatimes.com

IN ACTION: Martin closing down Chelsea’s Claudio Pizarro

10 The Villa Times Magazine

Exclusive

But in January 2009, when everything seemed to finally be in place, Laursen suffered the injury that ended his career, at home to WBA. away that the mentally and the culture and the way they play football in England was perfect for me. I enjoyed it very much.

The problem was that only after three games, I got injured and had a lot of problems that year – injury wise and with David O’Leary, who could not understand my problems and didn’t treat me that well. He couldn’t understand my situation and didn’t have any patience with me. You couldn’t trust him. He could say something and mean something else and I don’t think he was a good manager or a good person. So it was a difficult first season.’

‘And then it wasn’t good at the beginning of the next season as-well. I only played the first game. I remember I took some pills to play and then I had a lot of pain after the game and I said, ‘Stop!’ I could feel that my knee needed help. So we contacted Richard Steadman in Colorado and we flew over there and had a consultation, and then we decided to make a microfracture, which is a big operation and a risky one as-well, but he invented the technique so he was the best man to do it.

I felt secure with the situation. He could only give me an 80% chance to come back, but it went well and it was just great from there.’

Laursen subsequently spent nine months rehabilitating in Bologna before returning to B6 in the summer of 2006. His return coincided with O’Leary’s departure from Villa Park and Laursen has nothing but praise for his successor.

‘When Martin O’Neill came to the club, I had a manager who understood me and my situation,’ says Laursen. ‘It was just so nice to work with a manager that told me that the most important thing was to play games. He said, “What you do from Monday to Friday, it interests me but it’s not so important to me, as long as you play well on Saturday,” and that was so good for me because then I could do my special training. He understood – because he was intelligent – that I couldn’t train normally like the other players; that I had to do some different things because of my knee. He understood that from day one and I had a great relationship with him all through my time at Villa.’

O’Neill’s man-management skills allowed Laursen to flourish and the next three seasons would be, in his words, ‘the best period of my football life’.

‘I played most of the last part of the third season, and from there it was just up. I enjoyed the best football of my career in England where I can see now I should have come before because it suited my game. It was just so perfect for me. In England they saw everything that I was good at and didn’t see the things where I wasn’t so good, so it suited my game perfectly. It was just amazing. It was so fantastic for me. I had two great seasons with Martin O’Neill and they were the best years of my life – a great, great time. I played every match and I was captain as-well – something that made me very proud. I wanted to play well and pay back all the good words that everyone had said to me, especially Martin O’Neill, and also be someone you could trust when things didn’t go so well on the pitch. I would try to help others and be a good example, and it was just very special for me to be named club captain and do all

the things that a captain does. Just to have that armband on my arm was a great honour.’

But in January 2009, when everything seemed to finally be in place, Laursen suffered the injury that ended his career, at home to West Bromwich Albion.

‘It was a bit strange because I got injured with my other knee. It wasn’t my bad knee, so to say. It was my other knee, my right knee,’ explains Laursen. ‘I had some problems throughout the Christmas period and had some minor surgery that took away part of the outside of the cartilage, and then I got those problems at the West Brom game. I did some rehab and when I was about to run, my knee flared up. So we contacted Richard Steadman again and he said that I needed a microfracture again, but because of the problem I had with the outside of my cartilage, he said it was going to be very difficult for me to come back and play football again. I had one year left on my contract and he said to me that I should think about retiring because of my future life as well. At the time I was only 31 and I hadn’t hurt my knee so much that I couldn’t play football with my kids or have a normal life, so my decision was that it was better for me to stop and I haven’t regretted that. I stopped at the top, I have a good life now and it was a good decision.’

Following that decision to retire, Laursen appeared on the Villa Park pitch for one last time on the final day of the 2008/09 season. Before the game against Newcastle United, Laursen had the chance to say his final farewell to the fans.

The Villa Times Magazine 11

Exclusive

Villa will always be my best club because of the relationship I got with them, and it was my last club.I experienced the best football of my career there, so it’s always going to be special for me.’

Martin appears alot on Sport TV over in the UK and Denmark

‘I had a meeting with the club beforehand and they said, “How would you like to say goodbye?” – they were willing to do everything for me – and I said that I would like to thank everyone. So they gave me that microphone and I was happy to say a few words. They knew how much I appreciated them and my time there.’

Since then, Laursen has moved back to the Danish town of Vedbaek where he lives with his fiancée and their three children. Media work has kept him in touch with the football world, as well as an eight month spell in charge of local team BK Sollerod-Vedbaek, which has given Laursen a taste for management.

‘I enjoyed it very much. They play in the third best division in Denmark, semi-professionals, young kids, you know.

But still it was a good start for me and we did well. They contacted me when they were bottom of the league and we managed to stay up and were second best in the league in the second half of the season. Then I stopped because of my family. It was difficult for me to leave in the evening – because at that level that’s when they train – three to four times a week.

But it was a very good experience for me that I would like to try again when the kids get older. So I’m just at home taking care of my family now and that’s very nice for me at this moment.’

But when Laursen finally does decide to return to the dugout, there is one destination above all others where he would like to end up.

‘If I have success here in Denmark, I would love to come to Villa obviously. It is the place and the club where I would love to coach. Villa will always be my best club because of the relationship I got with them, and it was my last club. I experienced the best football of my career there, so it’s always going to be special for me.’

Martin in the movie Me, Myself & Martin Laursen 12 The Villa Times Magazine

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“The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”.

A

s a Villa fan for 47 years (all my life) I thought this season couldn’t have been any worse than the previous campaign (2011/13). With the negativity of that season out of the way and a new manager and new style of football to look forward to things could only get better could they?

The pre-season merry-go-round of players started when three players were released during May; Carlos Cuéllar, Emile Heskey and Brad Guzan were out of contract and as Paul Lambert came in on June 2nd 2012 he didn’t waste any time in bringing in his own players. The rebuilding began as early as March 2012, when the free transfer of Brett Holman was announced (by Alex McLeish), with the player officially joining on 1 July after his deal with former club AZ expired. Lambert made his first signing a month into his reign when he signed Moroccan midfielder Karim El Ahmadi from Feyenoord for an undisclosed fee. Four days later, Lambert made his second summer signing when young defender Matthew Lowton joined for a reported £3 million from Sheffield United. Amazingly, Villa’s understudy ‘keeper, Brad Guzan was re-signed on a three-year deal. James Collins was released to West Ham paving the way for Ron Vlaar to come in from Feyenoord, another player with European experience and immediately declared his ambition to become a Villa great and aimed to become a club legend in central defence. Darren Bent was then announced as the surprise choice for Lambert as club captain to replace Stiliyan Petrov, who had announced he was in remission from acute Leukaemia.

14 The Villa Times Magazine

After a fairly successful pre-season tour of the US and victory over German giants, Werder Bremen the season was eagerly awaited and the new manager was quoted as saying the record signing, Darren Bent would fill him with confidence ahead of the upcoming season (remember that quote). The season opener was away at West Ham, which was the same fixture in the previous season which saw a 3 – 0 victory for the Villans but this season wasn’t meant to easy and Lambert’s new Lions went down to a single goal from Kevin Nolan. The fantastic Villa supporters had introduced a 19th minute standing ovation to Stiliyan Petrov, after he was diagnosed with acute Leukaemia; a salute which would continue during the 19th minute of every game of the season. With already small and inexperienced squad news of young starlet Gary Gardner was ruled out for the season without kicking a ball. Villa lost their second league game of the season 3 – 1 at home to Everton, with the visitors going 3 – 0 up at half-time.

The writing was on the wall for the season ahead after only two games.

The League Cup gave light relief from (what would become) a hard slog in the League. Villa’s first win of the new season came in the League Cup against Tranmere Rovers. Goals from Fabian Delph, Chris Herd and a first competitive goal since February 2012 for Darren Bent sealed a 3 – 0 victory for the Villans.

The following day, Villa signed England under-21 leftback Joe Bennett from Middlesbrough on a four-year deal. A busy summer transfer ‘Deadline Day’, saw Villa sign three new players including midfielder Ashley Westwood from Crewe and Jordan Bowery from

Chesterfield. Both players were typical of the type of type of players that Paul Lambert likes; young, hungry and potentially gifted players. Lambert’s last signing was Genk striker, Christian Benteke (remember that name) for £7m; a 21 year old, 6 foot 3 Belgium international known as ‘The Beast’ but unknown to most football fans outside his own country.

Villa fans love their strikers and Benteke definitely fitted the bill as a potential Holte End hero.

After a credible draw at Newcastle and a much better display by Lambert’s reshaped side, our first taste of victory was in the home game against tabletoppers Swansea. Ron Vlaar was named captain for the match, replacing Darren Bent who had captained the side in the previous matches and the switch seemed to pay dividends as Lambert’s Lions produced a fantastic performance and the first competitive goal for the club for Matthew Lowton, a sublime swerving volley. More importantly, ‘The Beast’ was introduced to the Villa Park faithful and he didn’t disappoint as it didn’t take long for him to find the back of the net to wrap up the points for Villa and our first victory in 13 League games.

Renewed optimism following victory against Swansea was followed by a desperate defeat away at lowly Southampton, even though Darren Bent gave us the lead at half-time only to see the team capitulate to a 4 – 1 defeat. Warning bells started to ring again. The topsy-turvy season continued in the League Cup away tie at champions, Manchester City at the Etihad. Villa came back twice to tie the game at the whistle to earn extra-time and it was time to capitalise on an uninterested City side as Charles N'Zogbia netted Villa's third

Season Review

after Agbonlahor's shot was parried by Costel Pantilimon before Agbonlahor grabbed his second and Villa's fourth, courtesy of a deflection, sending us through to the next round.

During September there were constant rumblings that not everything was right with our record signing’s relationship with his new manager. From being named captain at the start of the season, he was released of his duties by Ron Vlaar and with the emergence of Benteke, his place as the central striker was increasingly under threat. By the end of September, Villa were 15th in the table. The draw at home to local rivals West Brom saw Villa register their worst ever start to a Premier League season, with only five points from six games – not what was expected or required. October brought more disappointment and misery with back-to-back defeats against Spurs and Fulham and a draw at home against Paul Lambert’s former club, Norwich. Also, the defeat at Fulham saw Villa record their worst start to a season in 43 years. However, the League Cup saw a stunning 3 – 2 victory away at Swindon with a last minute winner from Christian Benteke to take his side into the quarter-finals.

A superb victory over former manager Martin O’Neill’s Sunderland at The Stadium of Light proved to be another false start for Lambert’s Lions. Next up was a home game against Manchester United. At halftime, you would have thought Villa had won the League as two goals from Andreas Weimann stunned the visitors but again, it was a second-half to forget and all the good work had been undone as the Reds showed their class and came out 3 – 2 winners. If it couldn’t get any

worse, it did just that in our second trip of the season to The Etihad as Villa showed their ugly side and were crushed 5 – 0. The nightmare fixture list continued at home against Arsenal but this time Villa held the Gunners to a credible goal-less draw. That draw saw an upturn in results. A tight game at home against fellow strugglers Reading saw that man, Christian Benteke, hit the winner late on to send the fans home in good spirits (for a change). Draws against QPR and Stoke eased the early season pain a little but Villa were still deep in trouble at the wrong end of the table by mid-December.

The good, the bad and the ugly all came in the month of December. The good - a stunning 4 – 1 win away a Norwich in the League Cup and suddenly, Villa were in the semi-finals but at Anfield on 15th December 2013 Paul Lambert’s Lions became men (if only for one game) and it was the game in which Christian Benteke announced to the world that he had arrived on the Premier League scene. A brace from ‘The Beast’ and a third from Andreas Weimann meant Villa had a 3 – 0 lead, before Steven Gerrard got a late consolation for the Reds. The result lifted us up to 14th in the Premier League, our highest position since 22nd September.

What was to follow wasn’t good, though. The bad was a 4 – 0 home defeat to Tottenham after we held out for an hour before completely being destroyed by a superb Gareth Bale hat-trick. The ugly. There’s only one candidate for that title – Chelsea 8 Villa 0. Say no more and I won’t only that it showed the ‘other side’ of Villa which was witnessed by millions of TV viewers at Stamford Bridge. Villa’s worse defeat in the Premier League – even worse than the 7 – 1 defeat by the Blues under Martin O’Neill heaped pain and misery on the Villa faithful. A 3 – 0 home defeat against Wigan brought even more misery to Villa Park and with the club in the bottom three at the end of 2012, things could only get better – couldn’t they? Fifteen goals against without reply in three painful games questioned Paul Lambert’s managerial reign as Villa manager but he was determined to fight on. Relegation wasn’t a word on the mind of the Scot.

The New Year came in with a bang and a decent draw away at Swansea but it was our defending that cost us the game. A great team performance was undone by desperate defending in the dying seconds of the game. Two important Cup games followed; an easy victory against Ipswich in the FA Cup was followed by the first leg of the League Cup semi-final away at League Two club Bradford. Villa were expected to brush aside the lower league club but what happened was truly unforgettable. The match didn’t go the way Villa would have thought, wanted or hoped for as we lost 3 - 1 to the Bantams at Valley Parade and suddenly cup success was a long way off; however, a late Weimann consolation should have been a lifeline if it wasn’t for a late, late header from Carl McHugh to give Bradford a two-goal cushion going into the Villa Park second-leg tie.

Villa’s League Cup hangover continued with defeat at home to Southampton to surely the most dubious penalty of the season won by Jay Rodriguez, who looked to have gone down with no contact under the challenge of Enda Stevens. In the local derby at The Hawthorns, a two-goal half-time lead was again thrown away in the second period but a draw was a credible result under the circumstances. Villa's misery then continued, as we were knocked out of the League Cup by fourth-tier Bradford City. After losing 3 - 1 in the first leg, Villa had to win by two clear goals to take the tie to extra-time. However, we could only manage a 2 – 1 victory (3 – 4 on aggregate) and exited the competition as a result. Yet more gloom and doom surrounded the club with defeat against Millwall in an intimidating atmosphere of The New Den. Another home defeat against Newcastle underlined the club’s need for new players but ‘Deadline Day’ saw Villa make their only transfers of the January

transfer window, as they signed defensive midfielder Yacouba Sylla from Ligue 2 side Clermont Foot as well as Simon Dawkins on loan from Tottenham Hotspur.

Two of Paul Lambert’s out-of-favour players were shown the door; Alan Hutton was sent out on loan to Real Mallorca and Stephen Warnock joined Leeds. Furthermore, Darren Bent was still struggling to find a place on the bench, let alone in the starting line-up as the goals and power of Christian Benteke prevented the £24m striker from even getting anywhere near the team sheet.

February started with a mixed result for Villa as we drew 3 – 3 with high flying Everton; on one hand, Villa picked up a vital and unexpected point however, we had led 3 – 1 at one point, after goals from Christian Benteke (2) and Gabriel Agbonlahor put us on track to a shock victory but another stoppage time equaliser made sure the points were shared. Villa finally ended their eight-game winless run, as well as four home defeats in a row with a 2 – 1 victory over West Ham United at Villa Park followed by a defeat against Arsenal after a late winner from Santi Cazorla, leaving Villa in 18th place at the end of February.

Defeat at home to Manchester City was followed by back-to-back victories at home to QPR and away at Reading; the first time we had recorded two straight League victories for nearly two years. It was a min-revival but more importantly, it brought daylight between Villa and our main relegation rivals. Defeat at home to Liverpool in front of the biggest crowd of the season, after being in the lead at half-time dented the confidence again but there were signs that we were getting stronger and stronger and the goal tally of Christian Benteke became even more important. A superb away victory against Stoke saw another candidate for goal of the season for Matt Lowton, one which topped his debut goal against Swansea earlier in the season and Benteke finishing off the scoring late on in the game to secure the points. A draw at home to Fulham after taking the lead again and a crushing defeat against Champions elect Manchester United was followed by probably the most important result of the season and a score-line no-one would have imagined or dreamt of before the game.

Paulo di Canio had replaced Martin O’Neill

The Villa Times Magazine 15

Season Review

earlier in March and he brought his Sunderland side to Villa Park wanting revenge for his Swindon side’s defeat in the League Cup by Villa. After a scrappy first half an hour, the game suddenly sprung into life. It all started when Ron Vlaar scored a stunning opener on 31 minutes and his first goal in a claret and blue shirt only for Danny Rose to level a few minutes later. Every Villa fan must have thought they were going to witness more of the same – flattery to deceive; however, Andi Weimann put Villa in front before the break and from then on it was all one-way traffic. Four more goals came in a dazzling second-half display and the 6 – 1 result was also Villa's biggest home win in 17 years and the first time they had scored six in a match since the 2007-08 season. Christian Benteke scored his first hattrick for Villa, becoming the first player to do so in five years, which meant he both exceeded Dwight Yorke's record of 17 Premier League goals in a season and became the first Villa player to reach 20 goals in a season in nine years. Gabriel Agbonlahor also got on the score sheet, making him Villa's highest Premier League goalscorer with 61 goals.

Destiny was in our own hands coming into the final three games. Another superb away win at

16 The Villa Times Magazine

“Personally, I am full of hope; more hope and excitement that at the same time last season that’s for sure.

I have great belief in Paul Lambert’s Lions” Norwich was followed by a disappointing defeat at home to Chelsea, again the lead was lost and destroyed, this time by Frank Lampard’s record breaking second-half goals, following the sending off of Christian Benteke which seemed to have changed the game.

‘The Beast’ had helped himself to his 19th League goal (23 in all competitions) and had firmly put himself up

there as a Holte End hero. With Wigan having a game in hand, they had to win both remaining games but suffered defeat at The Emirates to see them relegated and that meant our season had been saved and another season in the Premier League awaited in August. A draw away at the DW stadium was consolation for both sides but the afternoon was all for Stan. Nearly 5000 Villa fans made the 93 mile journey to say a final ‘goodbye’ to captain Stiliyan Petrov after he announced his official retirement from the game by waving to his adoring fans after the game.

So, onto next season. Personally, I am full of hope; more hope and excitement that at the same time last season that’s for sure. IF (and a big if) we keep ‘The Beast’ and Andi Weimann, I have great belief in Paul Lambert’s Lions. He must be allowed to bring in new blood and reshape the side in his own way. There were signs in the final few months of the season that Lambert’s way of thinking was taking shape; the high pressure, high tempo football in the style of German giants Borussia Dortmund is something to get excited about. However, so many times this season we lost the lead because of sloppy defending and 69 goals against isn’t good enough if the club is to rise again.

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www.thevillatimes.com

18 The Villa Times Magazine

Feature

H Benteke’s maiden soiree in English football probably couldn’t have gone much better

By Jason Connolly

e was described as ‘unplayable’ on his Villa debut by manager, Paul Lambert.

Michael Owen tweeted that he was ‘seriously impressed’ by the Belgian forward.

He became the first Villa player to surpass 20 goals in a season since Juan Pablo Angel back in 2003-04 and overtook Dwight Yorke’s 18 goal record in a single Premier League campaign with 19 strikes.

He finished runner up in the PFA Young Player Award category to Spurs’ talisman, Gareth Bale.

All in all, Christian Benteke’s maiden soiree in English football probably couldn’t have gone much better.

Talismanic displays following his £7m move from Genk on transfer deadline day in August brought cult status on the Holte End and prompted envious glances from opposing supporters who would love the talented to be playing for them rather than terrorising their defence.

From the moment Benteke came on as a second half substitute for Andi Weimann and dinked the ball over Swansea goalkeeper, Michael Vorm before casually stroking the ball in to an empty net to seal a 2-0 victory and Villa’s first win of the season, he showed what shrewd signing he was.

He has strength in abundance - glaringly evident in front of the Sky cameras as he shrugged off Chris Smalling like he wasn’t there before picking out Weimann to smash home against eventual champions, Manchester United – along with skill, creativity and top drawer finishing ability shown by his two goals and unbelievable back heel assist for Weimann as he de-

The Villa Times Magazine 19

www.thevillatimes.com

With survival assured and finishing the season with 23 goals in all competitions, the transfer rumours inevitably kicked in and Benteke was linked with a host of clubs stroyed Liverpool in their own back yard in a 3-1 victory, His crucial strikes against relegation rivals Stoke, Reading (where he netted Villa’s 1000th Premier League goal in a 2-1 win) and Queens Park Rangers show he is a man for the big occasion and proved vital in Villa’s survival. His breathtaking performance and hat trick in the 6-1 demolition of Paolo Di Canio’s Sunderland at Villa Park was one of the most memorable nights I have witnessed as a supporter of this fantastic club.

With survival assured and finishing the season with 23 goals in all competitions, the transfer rumours inevitably kicked in and Benteke was linked with a host of clubs.

Fellow Premiership sides Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool were all linked, as were German giants and Champions League runners up, Borussia Dortmund. He was also touted as the man Atletico Madrid wanted to replace the 60m, Monaco-bound, Falcao at the Vi-

20 The Villa Times Magazine

cente Calderon.

Amidst all the furore, the brilliant Belgian slapped in a transfer request after only ten months at Villa Park and was met with disdain across the claret and blue side of Birmingham.

Paul Lambert subsequently left Benteke out of the club’s pre-season tour of Germany and told him that should an offer of £25m be received by the club, he could leave.

Atletico Madrid signed Barcelona striker David Villa and Gabon international PierreEmerick Aubameyang arrived at Dortmund while Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal’s interest cooled, it looked like Tottenham were in pole position to add Benteke to their Belgian contingent of Jan Vertonghen and Moussa Dembele.

Media outlets reported that Benteke would go AWOL and would be fined if he didn’t turn up to training when he was due to link up with the rest of the squad after the German tour.

Benteke showed up and after a lengthy

meeting with the manager, the big man inked a new four year deal (only eleven days after his initial transfer request) much to the delight of Villa fans everywhere.

With a World Cup in Brazil less than a year away and with Belgium more or less already qualified, Benteke needs playing time – something he will get at Villa - and should he want to go to South America as his country’s main man ahead of Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku, a full season of action is essential.

Further additions have bolstered Villa’s attack and players such as Aleksandar Tonev, Nicklas Helenius and Leandro Bacuna, added to the ever improving Weimann and Ashley Westwood and stalwart, Gabby Agbonlahor - Benteke has creative players around him to help him have an even better season than he had last time around.

Paul Lambert is building a young and exciting squad with Benteke as the spearhead and as a Villa fans, we have plenty to look forward to this season!

Feature

The Villa Times Magazine 21

VILLA PARK WELCOME TO www.thevillatimes.com

JORES OKORE

20 year old Denmark international centre half Jores Okore joined the Villa ranks on June 13th for a fee believed to be in the region of £4m from Danish club, FC Nordsjælland. His former club confirmed that Okore was their most expensive sale ever.

Born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Okore moved to Scandinavia at the age of three with his family and joined Copenhagen club B.93 at 8 years old. He moved to FC Nordsjælland in 2007, where he captained the youth side.

Okore made his first team debut in 2011 and played 65 times between then and his moved to Villa, scoring 5 times in the process and winning the Danish Superliga Title and Danish Cup along the way.

The youngster is regarded as one of European football’s hottest prospect and has significant Champions League experience having played against Chelsea and Juventus – even turning down a move to the former in order to gain more playing time.

He has 3 Under 21 caps and has represented the full Denmark national side 7 times, making his debut against Sweden in a friendly in November 2011.

NICKLAS HELENIUS

Park from hometown club, Norwich City.

Although never making a senior league ap22 year old Danish international striker Hepearance for the Canaries, Steer’s youth lenius joins Villa for £1.2m from Aalborg team coach at Norwich, Ricky Martin, lawhere he leaves the Denmark Superliga as belled him as ‘the best young goalkeeper in the reigning Player of the Year. the country.’

Standing 6ft 5’, the youngster possesses wonderful feet and a fantastic knack for fin- He has represented England at U16, U17 and U19 and will provide competition for ishing, and led to him making his senior Denmark debut against Slovakia in August current Villa number 1, Brad Guzan.

2012 and has 2 caps to date.

He scored a header on his debut in Villa's first pre-season game of the season, against German team SV Rodinghausen and followed this up with another headed goal against VfL Bochum on his second appearance for the club.

Helenius takes over the number 9 shirt from Darren Bent for the upcoming season.

LEANDRO BACUNA

Dutch Under 21 international midfielder joined the club on the same day as Jores Okore and arrives from FC Groningen in his native Holland.

He thoroughly impressed throughout his spell with Gronigen and netted 14 goals in 109 appearances since his debut in 2009.

He showed versatility by playing on the wing and in defensive and attacking central ALEKSANDAR TONEV midfield roles.

23 year old Bulgarian international winger Bacuna scored his first Villa goal on July 26 Tonev moved to Villa on 7 June for a fee of 2013 in a 5-1 friendly victory over Crewe 3.2m from Lech Poznan on the recomAlexandra. mendation of Stiliyan Petrov.

He has made 119 senior appearances at ANTONIO LUNA club level, scoring 12 goals during his time Spanish left back Antonio Luna arrives at with Lech, CSKA Sofia and Sliven.

He made his senior international debut in a Villa Park on a three year deal from La Liga 1-0 defeat to Wales in October 2011 and side Sevilla. He played 52 times and scored scored his first goals against Malta in a 6-0 2 goals for the Andalusian club’s First and ‘B’ teams while appearing a further 24 demolition, where he scored the first hat trick of his career. To date, he has 11 caps times during loan moves to Real Mallorca and Almeria. and 3 goals for Bulgaria.

Highly rated, Tonev rejected the advances of Scottish Champions, Celtic and German JED STEER side Werder Bremen to move to Villa Park. 20 year old goalkeeper Steer arrives at Villa

22 The Villa Times Magazine

Feature

The Squad 2013/14

1 Brad Guzan 2 Nathan Baker 3 Joe Bennett 4 Ron Vlaar 5 Jores Okore 6 Ciaran Clark 7 Leandro Bacuna 8 Karim El Ahmadi 9 Nicklas Helenius 10 Andreas Weimann 11 Gabby Agbonlahor 12 Marc Albrighton 13 Jed Steer 14 Antonio Luna 15 Ashley Westwood 16 Fabian Delph 17 Chris Herd 18 Yacouba Sylla 19 Not Available 20 Christian Benteke 21 Jordan Bowery 22 Gary Gardner 24 Aleksandar Tonev 25 Samir Carruthers 34 Matt Lowton 35 Shay Given 36 Charles N'Zogbia 37 Enda Stevens 38 Nathan Delfouneso 39 Darren Bent 40 Stephen Ireland 41 Alan Hutton 42 Barry Bannan Pictures of Villa’s new signings to the left going clockwise:

Jores Okorbe, Nicklas Helenius, Leandro Bacuna, Jed Steer, Aleksandar Tonev and Antonio Luna The Villa Times Magazine 23

www.thevillatimes.com

Welcome His Royal Highness

Prince George

of Cambridge To The Family

By James Leyfield

U

nless you've been hiding under a rock for the last month or so then you will know the royal baby has finally popped out an in turn has become one of the Villa faithful's latest new recruits.

His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge – or Georgie as the Royal Family are now referring to him – is following in the footsteps of his father Prince William and many other high profile names such as David Cameron and Tom Hanks in becoming the latest big-name fan of our beloved side. And it can only be a good thing for the country that we have two future kings who are Villa fans, right?

As famous faces and members of the public from around the world were busy tweeting their congratulations and celebratory pictures following the announcement of the royal birth on Monday July 22, down at B6 they were preparing an extra special gift for the little one.

While George had already received plenty 24 The Villa Times Magazine

age from the Finnish government featuring condoms – most probably to ensure mummy and daddy don't make too many more heirs too soon – none will compare to his new claret and blue Villa strip.

The tot had been alive for less than 24 hours when the club sent him a miniature kit with the letters HRH – His Royal Highness – and the number one emblazoned on the back.

The picture of said shirt was posted on Twitter for the masses to see, and Villa tweeted: "Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Another Villa fan arrives into the world!"

George will face numerous challenges when the day finally comes for him to put on his crown and take to the throne. But surely none of his treacherous tasks will be more tricky than that of persuading a Premier League star, Christian Benteke, to do the right thing and stay at the Villa for another season. Arise, Paul Lambert.

It would also be nice to think George's

number one shirt is a tribute to Brad Guzan, who will wear the number for this season. There don't appear to be too many similarities between the two though, except their hair length.

While George has been happily settling into his new life as a royal and, more importantly, as a Villa fan, his support has been in high demand even though he can't even scream the word "goal" just yet.

Olympic superstar sprinter Usain Bolt has been having his say and reckons our beloved Georgie should follow in his extremely fast footsteps and support Manchester United like him.

He has pleaded with Prince William – who is President of the Football Association - to bring the little one up as a fan of the Red Devils and even joked it would not be fair to subject our future king to a lifetime of following the Villa.

He told The Sun newspaper: "The British Royal Family are great people - and I have been fortunate enough to meet some of

Feature

Clockwise: William, Kate and George heading home, Proud uncle Harry, The Kit that Aston Villa sent to George

them. I want to give all my best to the prince and duchess on their first-born.

"I just hope he doesn't follow in his daddy's footsteps and become an Aston Villa fan.

"It isn't fair to put a child through that - especially not a prince."

But this is surely one thing Bolt won't win as William will surely shrug off such a bizarre suggestion and hopefully take the prince to Villa Park one day to see us finally beat United. It will no doubt be another 10 or so years until we defeat them at home!

The 31-year-old royal is used to such jibes about Villa. Duchess Catherine's uncle Gary Goldsmith – or Uncle G as he is more affectionately known by his family – recently said he was planning to buy George a Chelsea strip to wind William up.

He is so desperate to get the little one singing the Blues as soon as possible, he is also considering purchasing the tot shares in Jose Mourinho's new revolution.

He told The Sun newspaper: “I’m going to get exactly what I get for all my mates’ ba-

bies.

“As a die-hard Chelsea fan, I always get the baby Chelsea shares. Then, when it’s a bit older, I get it a full tiny Chelsea strip.

“It’s brilliant, it drives the parents mad. I love turning their kid into a true blue Chelsea fan. And Prince William is an Aston Villa fan.

I thought it could be hilarious.”

Uncle G reckons Wills might find his cheeky prank "hilarious", but it is unlikely to increase his chances of becoming the baby's godfather.

He added: "I mean, what on earth can you get for a baby like theirs? That baby is going to have everything it could ever want. So Chelsea shares are perfect. I think William will find it funny.

“I would hope to be at the christening, but I’m sure I won’t be a godfather!”

Hopefully the club's quick-thinking in sending a shirt to George will encourage the little one to become a fan through thick and thin. But there is of course always a worry his grandfather might tempt him into sup-

porting another side in claret – Burnley.

Prince Charles is known to be a fan of the Lancashire side but it seems unlikely the pair will ever be taking a glamorous trip up to Turf Moor to check out their VIP section.

George might be a bit happier dining in the corporate area at Reading – who Catherine is said to be a fan of – or even at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, where his party-loving uncle Prince Harry might take him to see a match before a night on the tiles in London.

Don’t expect to see them popping into the Drayton for a couple before the game though.

But it could be even worse if Harry has his way and George might end up at Twickenham watching England's rugby union side. Let's not even think about that.

Stick with the Villa, George. Proud History – Regal Future.

The Villa Times Magazine 25

www.thevillatimes.com

Tony Barton

The most successful day in Villa’s history was on the 26th May 1982, here is a brief outlook on our 14th manager, Tony Barton who won the European Cup.

26 The Villa Times Magazine

Feature Tony Barton won England Schoolboy (1 cap) and Youth (5 caps) honours before beginning his football career with Fulham who he joined as a junior. After a spell on loan to Sutton United, he turned professional with Fulham in May 1954. He went on to score 8 times in 49 games for Fulham.

He moved to Nottingham Forest in December 1959 and after never really establishing himself at Forest, making only 22 appearances (scoring once), moved to Portsmouth in December 1961, where he subsequently became player-coach. After retiring as a player, after 130 games and 34 goals for Portsmouth, he remained on the club's coaching staff.

He subsequently joined the coaching staff at Aston Villa, becoming assistant manager to Ron Saunders in 1980. Villa won the League Championship in 1981 (their first league title in 71 years) and Barton was promoted to the manager's seat in February 1982 after Saunders resigned.

He guided Villa to victory over Bayern Munich in the 1982 European Cup Final in Rotterdam, Holland Peter Withe put Villa ahead in the 67th minute with a shot which bobbled in off the post and substitute goalkeeper Nigel Spink – an early replacement for the injured Jimmy Rimmer – performed heroics to keep a formidable Bayern outfit at bay.

This was followed up with the 1982 European Super Cup against Barcelona over two legs. The following season their league form (sixth in 1983 and tenth in 1984) did not match their success in Europe and he was sacked in May 1984.

In July 1984, he took over as manager of Northampton Town but left in April 1985 after suffering a heart attack. In September that year he became assistant manager of Southampton under Chris Nicholl, remaining at The Dell until May 1988. He later became assistant manager of Portsmouth and in February 1991 took over as caretaker manager after the sacking of Frank Burrows.

After leaving Portsmouth he was a talent scout for several clubs.

Tony was well respected by his players and staff, and was always welcoming to talk to fans and press. In the build-up to the European Cup Final, no matter what time of day; Tony would always take the calls. Tony was quoted on a few occasions: “Respect others and they will respect you”. There’s a plaque at Villa Park in the museum suite commemorating Tony’s cup win.

Tony Barton will always be remembered in Aston Villa’s history as the manager in the clubs most successful day, 26th May 1982.

THE DAY ASTON VILLA WON THE EUROPEAN CUP. On 20 August 1993, Tony Barton died of a heart attack at the age of 56.

The Villa Times Magazine 27

Boldmere St Michaels Football Club

WATCH THE MIKES FOR £1 Villa season ticket holders of all ages can watch each of our home league games for £1 this season - accompanied under 12s go free!

August home Midland Football Alliance fixtures:

Tue 6 Aug v Coventry Sphinx 7:30pm Sat 10 Aug v Continental Star 3:00pm Mon 26 Aug v Coleshill Town 3:00pm

www.themikes.co.uk Twitter @themikesfc

Why wait a fortnight? Come and get an extra football fix for just a quid!

Enjoy a drink in The Mikes excellent social club before and after the game.

There's free car parking or we are only a short walk from Chester Road train station.

Simply present your valid 2013/14 AVFC season ticket at the turnstiles for £1 admission.

Bring the kids - accompanied under 12s go free and under 16s pay £1 at all league games.

The Trevor Brown Memorial Ground, Church Road, Boldmere, Sutton Coldfield B73 5RY

28 The Villa Times Magazine

News

4G mobile phone coverage for fans

Villa sign up new club sponsor, Dafabet Welcome Dafabet as our Official Main Club Sponsor having entered into a two-year agreement.

A leading Asian online betting website, Dafabet has grown rapidly over the past 18 months and is now established as one of the top sportsbook brands in the world.

In 2012 Dafabet was ranked 21st in the prestigious eGaming Review Power 50 list of online gaming operators.

As part of the agreement, the Dafabet logo will feature on the home and away Villa shirts and the company will enjoy a host of sponsorship benefits.

"We're pleased to announce our partnership with Dafabet," said Villa Chief Executive Paul Faulkner.

"There is a real sense of excitement, anticipation and optimism as we look forward to the new season, building on the solid foundations we have in place.

"This will be a good and positive partnership for the Club and we are looking forward to working together with Dafabet as we continue to build and move the Club forward.

"Crucially for us, during negotiations Dafabet displayed a strong willingness to work with us in our continued support for Acorns and we look forward to progressing some ideas around that in the near future."

Dimitris Karatzas, Managing Director of Online Betting and Gaming at AsianBGE, said: "After entering the Premier League last season as international betting partners to two clubs, we saw the increased potential of becoming an official club sponsor.

"All of the team here are football mad, sup-

porting sides from all around the world. It's no clichĂŠ to say we love, live and breathe the game with extreme passion.

"It's a very significant and proud moment for us to form such a partnership with Aston Villa, a side steeped in tradition.

"We are delighted to see Dafabet on the front of such a well-recognised shirt and to be associated with a club respected throughout the footballing world. I am sure all the fans will agree the kit looks great.

"We look forward to the new season and hope this partnership continues well into the future."

John Cruces, Head of Sponsorships at Dafabet added: "The Premier League is second to none in the world of football, simply speaking it's the most exciting and recognised league in the world.

"To be associated with one of the oldest and most successful clubs in England will help us achieve our aim of making Dafabet a household name - not just in Asia, where the majority of our players are currently from, but worldwide."

Acorns Chief Executive David Strudley said: "The ongoing support shown by the Club and fans for Acorns is immeasurable and clearly demonstrated by their efforts to include us in their discussions with Dafabet.

"We are extremely grateful to both AVFC and Dafabet in what is a crucial year as we celebrate 25 years of caring and look to a future where we can help to provide care and support to each of the 2,000 plus lifelimited and life-threatened children in the region."

Villa Park looks set to be the first stadium in the Barclays Premier League to offer 4G phone coverage to fans on a matchday.

Supporters should be able to better text and phone on their mobiles in Villa Park from Spring 2014.

It is a big project, with the "extensive" system of antennae and cabling inside the stadium taking approximately eight months to fully install.

The system would be attached to the underside of roofs and look very much like flat speakers - there would be no external masts.

It would provide Villa Park with very specific 4G cell coverage, separate from surrounding areas.

Only those within the perimeter of the ground would be able to access.

Summer fun for kids at Villa Park Villa Park is the place to be during the summer holidays with a host of fantastic activities for children.

There are a host of fun-filled events at our famous stadium, guaranteeing plenty of excitement and enjoyment for the youngsters during their summer break.

There are stadium tours, soccer schools and treasure trails which will keep the children occupied for hours.

Why not bring all the family along to our home pre-season friendly against Champions League quarter-finalists Malaga?

We have everything the youngsters need - a happy environment, caring organisers, yummy food and fellow kids to bond with.

The Villa Times Magazine 29

www.thevillatimes.com

The goalline technology, Hawk-Eye has come to Villa Park, we at a look at the new revelational system The new goalline technology installation, Hawk-Eye has been installed at Villa Park.

Working alongside British-based company Hawk-Eye, IT chiefs have overseen the addition of fourteen cameras and extensive cabling on the various stands across the stadium.

There will be seven cameras trained on the North Stand goal and seven cameras on the Holte End goal.

The work was completed in four days with the second phase comprising extensive testing scheduled in mid-late July when the Villa Park pitch is laid-out in readiness for the start of the season.

Hawk-Eye is known for providing tennis and cricket with ball-tracking technology.

Its football system - using high frame rate cameras in order to find the ball when it is close to the goal - detects if the ball has crossed the goalline via a triangulation signal which is then sent to the referee's watch within one second from a Broadcast Truck on-site.

Hawk-Eye says its system is "millimetre accurate, ensuring no broadcast replays could disprove the decision".

The video footage of each incident can also be used on the big screens at Villa Park and also for replay purposes on shows such as BBC's Match of the Day and Sky's Football First as well as AVTV's post-match highlights package.

The continued use of Hawk-Eye at Villa be overseen by the company's skilled staff.

As background, the Premier League voted to introduce goalline technology from the 2013-14 season.

Hawk-Eye uses seven cameras per goal to detect the ball and claims its system is "millimetre accurate, ensuring no

30 The Villa Times Magazine

broadcast replays could disprove the decision". The Football Association will install a system at Wembley Stadium in time for August's Community Shield.

Top-flight clubs voted to adopt the system during a meeting of the 20 Premier League chairmen on Thursday.

Hawk-Eye is known for providing tennis and cricket with ball-tracking technology. Its football system notifies the referee if the ball has crossed the goal line via a vibration and optical signal sent to the officials' watches within one second.

Inventor Paul Hawkins said: "It will not slow the game down - it is not going to become like rugby.

"In under a second we will provide the information to the watch, then afterwards we will show a TV replay that will definitively prove what we showed the referee was correct.

"Football's a great game. It does not need enhancements to add to the drama. Our technology is there to ensure decisions are correct."

Nick Finney, Multimedia Operations Manager, said: "We have worked very closely with Hawk-Eye since the Premier League decision to introduce goalline technology for the coming season.

"All cameras have now been installed in the ground so what's left is testing by a third party to verify the workings of the state-of-the-art technology within B6.

"We're happy that this will be signed-off and the new system will be fully-operational by the time Liverpool visit on August 24."

Feature

How It Works!

There is seven fast-frame cameras located above and around each goal, such as on a stadium's roof, track the ball's movement within the goal area. Computer software analyses information from all the cameras and, as soon as it detects the ball has crossed the goal line, sends a signal to the official's watch. The result can be relayed within one second and is said to be millimetre accurate. The Hawk-Eye can also provide definitive replays to TV outlets.

The Villa Times Magazine 31

ASTON VILLA FPA GOLF DAY & DINNER Monday 30th September | Great Barr Golf Club Chapel Lane Great Barr Birmingham B43 7BA

Join a host of former Aston Villa players and special guests for a day of golf and a fun-filled evening of excellent food, top-class comedy and musical entertainment.

11.30am – 12.45pm: Registration and lunch 1.30pm: Shotgun start (team & individual prizes and competitions)

7.30pm: 3-course Dinner & Entertainment Hosted by Paul Burrell (‘Voice of England’ at the Euros 2012 Football Championships & Wembley Stadium Olympic Games presenter 2012) Bar: Midnight (20% discount on all drinks)

Inclusive golf day & dinner ‘team’ entry – £290 inc vat

You can enter a team of 3 and an Aston Villa former player will complete your fourball, or enter your own fourball that does not include an Aston Villa former player

Dinner only guests – £25.00 incl vat

To book your places or for more information, please call Paul Burrell on 07855 378326 or email to – neil@avfpa.co.uk

Official Sponsers of the AVFPA Golf Day & Dinner

ASTON VILLA

Welcome to the first of what will be a monthly news and information article about everything that is happening in the Aston Villa Former Players Association and with the legendary Aston Villa Old Stars football team now playing their 54th consecutive year of fundraising fixtures.

AVFPA welcomes new management team Former Aston Villa players Mark Draper, Gareth Farrelly, Tony Daley, Jon Pearson and Derek Dudley have all joined the AVFPA management team that already includes former Villa players John Donnelly (chairman), Neil Rioch (chief executive), David Norton (operations manager), Mark Kinsella (relationships manager), plus specialist consultants Chris Jones (business), Steve Aston (finance & accounts) and Adrian Cutler (legal). The five new members possess a broad range of skills and experience that will enhance the development of the association and enable us to meet current and future challenges. Mr. Randy Lerner remains Hon. Patron, Charlie Aitken Hon. President, Peter McParland Hon. Vice President, and the late Johnny Dixon President in Memoriam.

MONTHLY NEWS & INFORMATION

FORMER PLAYERS ASSOCIATION Est. 1995

EVENT REPORTS & UP COMING EVENTS CRICKET For the third time an AVFPA team took on a Lapworth Cricket Club team that comprised 1st & 2nd X1 players in support of the Lapworth Cricket Club Charity Fun Day on Sunday 14th July. The 30-overs per innings match

was played in glorious sunshine in front of a large crowd. Lapworth CC batted first and finished their innings with a very impressive 188 despite excellent bowling from Villa favourite Chico Hamilton (pictured below right with BBC TV reporter Ian Winter) taking 4 wickets for just 29 runs. Even though the AVFPA team recorded their highest score to date (167) with Mark Kinsella (pictured in action above left) top-scoring with 43 they were unable to keep up with the required 6.3 per over run rate and were beaten by 21 runs.

GOLF 20 former players including Brian Little, Lee Hendrie, Mark Draper, Tommy Johnson, Bobby Thomson, and Andy Blair participated in a Golf Day & Dinner at Patshull Park Golf Club near Wolverhampton on Wednesday 24th July that was sponsored by and organised in conjunction with Honeywell Control Systems whose Sales Director Stephen Jones joined the AVFPA party on their recent fundraising trip to Bulgaria.

WHAT THE AVFPA IS ALL ABOUT!

54 Years and still going stong Aston Villa Old Stars greeted former Aston Villa and England international midfield player Gavin McCann (pictured left) for their fixture at RAF Valley in Anglesey on 30th June and he made an immediate impact by scoring the opening goal in an 8-0 win where the Aston Villa Old Stars all-international midfield of Lee Hendrie, Gavin McCann, Mark Kinsella and Gareth Farrelly proved too strong for the much younger (and fitter) opponents in the match raising money for the RAF Benevolent Fund. Hat-tricks for Lee Hendrie and Gareth Farrelly and a goal from striker Martin Carruthers completed the scoring.

In the Aston Villa Old Stars match on the following Sunday 7th July at Darlaston Town FC, former Aston Villa and England U21 international striker Julian Joachim (pictured right) also made his debut and scored the second goal in the Aston Villa Old Stars 3-3 draw in the match raising funds for the Balls To Cancer charity.

Former Villa players to have so far turned out for the Aston Villa Old Stars in 2013 are; Dale Belford, Derek Dudley, Stefan Postma, Andy Comyn, Bryan Small, David Norton, Gavin Price, Gordon Smith, Ian Ward, Jon Pearson, Andy Blair, Gareth Farrelly, Gavin McCann, Lee Hendrie, Mark Draper, Mark Kinsella, Julian Joachim, Mark Burke, Martin Carruthers, Scott McLaughlin, Tony Daley.

“Since its formation in 1995 the Aston Villa Former Players Association has developed into one of the best – if not the best – Association in professional football. How has this happened? Because it is led by people who care. Care for whom? Care for former players who are in difficulties, who are ill, who have family problems, who have lost family members, and for families who have lost their husband, dad, granddad who happened to be former Villa players. I am proud to be associated with such an organisation who not only does itself proud, but also continually improves not only its own image, but also that of the club itself.”

Graham Taylor OBE Aston Villa Manager 1987-1990 “A great football club is a mixture of past, present and future talents. Players from earlier vintages are key to setting the standards and inspiring the next generation. Aston Villa Former Players Association plays a crucial role in maintaining the involvement of former stars in the life of the Club.

Keeping the diaspora of former players in touch with each other and the Club, looking after their welfare when one or more of their number fall on hard times, and promoting good causes are at the heart of an essential part of Aston Villa Football Club.

Aston Villa Old Stars provide both entertainment and memories of former glories. The list of players who turn out for Aston Villa Old Stars brings back memories to me of over fifty years of special moments at Villa Park. And the players who turn out do so to help others. So long may the Aston Villa Old Stars and the Former Players Association thrive. They remind us of how privileged we were to see our heroes play.”

Sir Mervyn King, former Governor, Bank of England

Official sponsors of the Aston Villa Old Stars

FORTHCOMING FIXTURES 11th Aug

Bromsgrove Sporting FC KO: 2pm Birmingham Road, Bromsgrove, Worcs. B61 0DR 18th Aug

Abbi XI KO 2.30pm Redditch Utd FC, Bromsgrove Road, Redditch, B97 4RN Abbi (pictured left) is 5 years old and has a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy called Ullrich Congenital Muscular Dystrophy - there is currently no treatment or cure. Help us to help Abbi and her parents.

1st Sept

Snailbeach White Stars KO: 2pm The Coates, Snailbeach, Shrewsbury, SY5 0NS

The Villa Times Magazine 33

T

www.thevillatimes.com he 1992 season was a great year to be a Villa fan. Manager Ron Atkinson had used the money raised by the sale of David Platt to Bari to gather a group of exciting new players who would replace the old guard employed by Graham Taylor and the disappointment that came with the Josef Venglos experiment.

The team had finished 7th in 1991-92 and the 1992-93 season was full of hope. While Villa would ultimately fall short of their first league title since 1981 they would give some belief to fans after suffering relegation just a few years earlier.

Dalian Atkinson kick-started the season with a hot streak which fired up the fans. He had scored just goal for Villa since joining in July 1991 but he scored in the first three games of the 1992-93 season, all 1-1 draws against Ipswich, Leeds and Southampton.

A 1-0 defeat at Everton was followed by a 2-0 win over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane and a coming-out party for Garry Parker. His brace of goals in the win over the Blades included a fine strike on the half-volley direct from a throw-in. Villa’s first win of the season meant they finished August in 11th place in the new FA Premier League.

September started with a disappointing Wednesday night defeat at home to Chelsea. Kevin Richardson scored the first of only two league goals this season as little consolation in a 3-1 defeat. This was followed by a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace, with Yorke, Staunton and Froggatt the scorers.

Despite the big win RA still hadn’t found the strike partner he was looking for to partner Dalian Atkinson and a combination of Cyrille Regis, Frank McAvennie and Dwight Yorke hadn’t provided any league goals before the win over Palace when Yorke scored the first of his six for the season.

But as that game took place at Villa Park, Liverpool striker Dean Saunders was celebrating a goal with the fans against Chelsea at Anfield that many took as a farewell before the official announcement was made. Saunders was to become Aston Villa’s record signing five days later for £2.3m.

The arrival of Saunders, who had disappointed Liverpool with an 11-goal return on 42 league games in 1991-92 after three successful seasons with Derby County, would provide Villa with a striking 34 The Villa Times Magazine

partnership for the ages. Atkinson had strength, power, flair and a growing reputation, and the pacey Welsh international Saunders, arriving with a point to prove perhaps, provided the ability to make something from nothing as well as finish the tap-ins.

Saunders’ debut at a hostile Elland Road against Leeds (a 1-1 draw, Villa’s goal coming from Garry Parker) was followed by the dream home debut against Graeme Souness and Liverpool who had sold him just nine days earlier. One of the biggest crowds of the season saw a poor first half from Villa, but a strong comeback for a 4-2 win with two goals from “Deano”. Atkinson and Parker added one each in a game infamous for Ronnie Rosenthal’s open goal miss in front of the Holte End. The new striking partnership went on a tear. Deano scored two and Atkinson scored one in a 3-2 win at Middlesbrough

before the duo repeated the feat in a 3-2 win away at a rainy Wimbledon where Atkinson scored the goal of the season and one of the greatest goals ever scored by an AVFC player. Villa ended October in 6th place after a 0-0 at home against Blackburn and a 1-1 away against Oldham (Atkinson scoring his 7th league goal of the season).

They also knocked Manchester United out of the league cup with a 1-0 win at Villa Park this month, but would be knocked out by Ipswich in January.

Atkinson’s flick provided a trademark Saunders strike against QPR at Villa Park on November 1st, 1992. Atkinson added one of his own in a 2-0 win and then netted the winner in a 1-0 win over Manchester United at Villa Park in front of more than 39,000. However, the rest of the month fell flat. An unlucky 0-0 away at Spurs was followed by a 2-3 defeat at Villa Park against high-flying Norwich City with

History

Left: Dean Saunders in action againsts Coventry City’s Phil Babb, Above: Ron Atkinson with Saunders and chairman Doug Ellis, Below: Villa’s England defender Earl Barrett

Houghton and Parker scoring.

A trip to Hillsborough saw two goals from Atkinson, one a memorable hard-hit shot on the turn, that took all three points in a 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday. Back at Villa Park, Paul McGrath scored his first goal of the season and Cyrille Regis scored his only goal in 1992/93 and his last in a Villa shirt in a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest. A second half collapse against Coventry at Highfield Road on Boxing Day saw Villa lose 3-0. Villa’s last game of 1992 was a 1-0 win over Arsenal at Villa Park with Saunders scoring the decisive goal from the penalty spot. AVFC would finish the calendar year in 3rd place.

Fans who were at Anfield on January 9 will swear the sun came up and shone down on them as Dean Saunders poked home the winning goal against Liverpool to complete a comeback from a goal down to take a 2-1 win. Garry Parker hit the equal-

izer in a game that reminded the league they were to be taken seriously as title contenders. This was reinforced with an eightgoal salvo over their next two opponents Middlesbrough (a 5-1 win: Parker, McGrath, Yorke, Saunders, Teale) and Sheffield United (3-1 win: McGrath, Saunders, Richardson) but Dalian Atkinson would miss both these games and three more through injury. Yorke was an able deputy and young German Stefan Beinlich would offer further support from the bench, though he only scored a single goal in 16 appearances for the club over three years.

A 2-0 defeat at Southampton, who flirted with relegation all season, was a shock but two memorable goals from Yorke (a diving header after some slick passing) and Saunders (a ridiculous 40-yard lob) against Ipswich put Villa back on track and into 2nd place. The next game, a 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace, would be the team’s

last loss for a month and a half.

There was more bad news for Dalian Atkinson. In his league comeback, he was injured again and despite Ray Houghton cashing in on a defensive calamity in a 1-0 at Stamford Bridge, the striker would miss the next six league games.

Defenders Neil Cox and Earl Barrett were the unlikely scorers in a 2-1 win over Everton and Dwight Yorke, continuing his hot streak as a replacement for Atkinson, scored the winner over Wimbledon at Villa Park.

By March the team were playing some beautiful football, but not always getting what they deserved. A 0-0 draw at home to Spurs saw Saunders hit the woodwork and a crowd of nearly 38,000 couldn’t believe Villa hadn’t taken all three points. A solid performance, and a stunning strike from Steve Staunton, saw Villa only get a point from a draw at Old Trafford. That The Villa Times Magazine 35

History said, RA was effectively using more defensive fullback Bryan Small behind Steve Staunton on the left in some games and the gamble was paying off more often than not.

And while another 38,000 crowd saw Villa dismantle a Sheffield Wednesday team with clinical passing and two more goals from Yorke, the month ended with a 0-1 loss away at Norwich. After the Sheffield Wednesday game, Villa had gone top of the league which made the defeat the City even harder to swallow. There were seven games remaining of the season.

Also notable about the Wednesday game was who was in goal. Nigel Spink was replaced by young Australian ‘keeper Mark Bosnich who would keep his place for the final 17 league games of the season.

Bosnich would go on to be the number one goalie choice for the club for six more seasons.

Paul McGrath (who would be named PFA Player Of The Year) scored the winner at The City Ground to take a 1-0 win over Forest that was followed by a 0-0 draw at home to Coventry City.

The next two games saw an unlikely alliance of fans as the race for the title drew to a close. Manchester United were zeroing in on their first title since 1967 and non-United fans were hoping the drought would continue.

At Arsenal on Easter Monday, 1993, the crowd was tightly packed due to renovations at Highbury. Winger Tony Daley, making only his eighth start of the season, scored a header to win the game 10 but Arsenal fans, who were celebrating being in both cup finals in the weeks ahead (both strangely against Sheffield Wednesday) weren’t too upset about the result. They sang to the Villa fans as they filed out “We hope you win the league!” The Villa fans (perhaps inspired by the fact Sheffield Wednesday were managed by nemesis Trevor Francis) sang back “We hope you win the cups!”

An even more overt show of support came from Manchester City fans at Villa Park the following Sunday. City were beaten 3-1 with goals from Saunders, Parker and Houghton after being a goal down at half-time. But the away fans revealed a flag reading “GOOD LUCK VILLA FROM THE CITY OF MANCHESTER” proving the old adage that your enemy’s enemy is your friend.

Sadly for Villa, it would be their last victory of the season. Atkinson had been back for the final seven games of the sea-

36 The Villa Times Magazine

son, but couldn’t find the net. Stephen Froggatt, whose crosses from the left had fed the strikers, missed the last 13 games through injury. It was always going to be a tall order to keep pace with a Manchester United team that only lost one of their last 16 games and took maximum points from their last seven league games, cementing their title.

Villa slumped to a 3-0 defeat away at Blackburn, who themselves had rarely been out of the top four all season thanks to the goals of Alan Shearer, before their last chance of taking the title was taken from them by an Oldham Athletic team desperate for points. Against the odds, Oldham

came to Villa Park and handed United the title as they won 1-0. RA addressed the fans at the final whistle, apologizing for how things had ended up but promising better things still to come.

Villa fans packed out Loftus Road for the last game of the season on May 9, 1993 at QPR. It ended with a 2-1 defeat (Daley scoring Villa’s goal) but there was much to celebrate about the season. Ron Atkinson had brought not just exciting, freeflowing football to the team, but had excited the fans after the Venglos era and had them believing they would be chasing hard and playing with flair and passion for many years to come.

www.thevillatimes.com

Celtic to Villa Pete Gough

Aston Villa legend welcomes marathon man Pete Gough to Villa Park

38 The Villa Times Magazine

Pete Gough

Pictures :Left: Pete with Stan and his son Leo; Above: Stan and Pete with the cake, Below: Pete and Stan with the signed Celtic and Villa shirts; Right Top:: Paul Reddington with Stan and Pete Right Bottom; Stan, Pete, Andy Kite, Matt Swell, and Tracey Lester from Cure Leukemia

year, but when that was called off in the wake of Super Storm Sandy battering the East Coast of the US, he instead ran a half marathon around the pitch at Villa Park before last season’s clash with Arsenal.

Following that effort he was invited to the Cure Leukaemia ball where he said the stories of those who were battling the disease – or had lost their lives – inspired him to take on another challenge.

“I just thought it’s something that’s do-able, I don’t have to rush, I’ll have two weeks so I can take my time.”

And so, replicating Petrov’s move from Celtic to Villa Park – made when he was signed by former Celtic boss Martin O’Neill in 2006 – Pete took on the mammoth 310-mile challenge.

“He’s just somebody that came to the club and gave 100 per cent,” said an exhausted Pete, of Petrov. “Why shouldn’t we support him in his time of need? “It was quite easy to make the decision to run.”

Starting at 9am each day, Pete would run until 5 or 6pm, stopping when needed, he said the run was made easier with the support off friends who ran sections with him.

The 40-year-old ran 310 miles from Celtic Park, Glasgow, to Villa Park to raise money for Cure Leukaemia Long-distance runner, Pete Gough, completed a 310-mile marathon with a massive smile on his face when he was greeted by his hero Stiliyan Petrov at the finish line.

Pete, aged 40, ran from Celtic Park in Glasgow to Villa Park over 13 days in aid of Cure Leukaemia, arriving back at Villa Park yesterday.

The equivalent of nearly 12 marathons, the dad-of-three slogged it out following 34-year-old Petrov’s battle with the disease which forced him to retire from the game earlier this year.

And despite the agony of 13 days running – in which he suffered shin splints and narrowly avoided being hit by a car – the production manager was overwhelmed to see Petrov for the first time.

Fighting back tears as the midfielder gave him a hug and asked how he was Pete said: “It’s so good to be here.”

Shrewsbury born Pete, an avid Villa fan, smashed his £5,000 fundraising target thanks to an £800 donation from Petrov who vowed to be at the finish line earlier this week.

“It’s so good to be here and see him Stan looking so well,” said Pete.

“That’s what it’s all about. “I’ve just been for a little run. I’ve been through a little bit of pain but what these guys with leukaemia go though is completely different.

“In a week my aches and pains will be gone, they’ll have theirs for a long time.”

Pete originally signed up to run the New York marathon last

And then on Tuesday, he received a tweet from Petrov vowing to meet Pete at the finish line. “It was fantastic to see the tweet.

It was only the day before I’d seen his account and sent him a tweet, then he was following me and I got that tweet. “It was the boost I needed to get me through some hard days. “The support I’ve had off everyone has been amazing.”

Villa legend Stan became a fans favourite before his career was cut short by his leukaemia diagnosis last year. Welcoming him to Villa Park, Stan said efforts like Pete’s were “incredible.” He said: “It’s incredible to see someone like that doing a challenge like that to help people and make a difference to people. “I followed him since he started running, he’s done it for 13 days - it’s a marathon a day - and it’s very hard but the difference he has made is incredible.”

Laughing and joking like old friends, Petrov even offered to run a similar challenge with Pete once his fitness had improved.

The Villa Times Magazine 39

THE NIGHT GAME Aston Villa hosted Burnley in the Carling Cup on the 24th Octobr 2010 with Villa winning 2-1. Taken from a series of 'Fans Fotos' in and around the stadium.

This photograph is looking in on the Doug Ellis Stand and the North Stand from Witton Lane.

Picture of the Month by Michael McCafferty

Picture of the Month

News

Villa appointment to FA International Committee

Petrov set for Celtic return as former club host charity match for leukaemia sufferer Celtic will host a charity match to celebrate the career of former midfielder Stiliyan Petrov early in the new season.

Petrov, who announced his retirement at the age of 33 as he continues his battle with leukaemia, and a number of his former teammates, other players and celebrity fans will turn out at Celtic Park on Sunday, September 8 (2pm kick-off).

Stiliyan, who is setting up a foundation to help address the issues involved when people receive a leukaemia diagnosis, said on www.celticfc.net: 'I'm absolutely delighted that this game is going to take place at Celtic Park.

'It will be a wonderful start for my foundation,

and I'm really happy to be coming back to a place where I spent seven brilliant years. It will be great to see everyone there.'

Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell added: 'Stiliyan was a wonderful servant to the club and his drive, commitment and natural flair made him a true fans' favourite.

'He has shown remarkable courage and determination in his battle against leukaemia and we will continue to support him as his recovery continues.

'We are absolutely delighted to host this charity match which will provide our supporters with a collective opportunity to show their appreciation and love for one of our own.'

New Official Formal Wear Supplier revealed Villa is pleased to announce our new partnership with Flannels, the UK's largest independent fashion retail store and our new Official Formal Wear Supplier.

Flannels has established a strong reputation for excellence, specialising in luxury menswear and women's designer collections from leading British and international brands.

Flannels will be providing made-to-measure match day suits for the first team squad, coaching staff and senior Club officials.

Aston Villa Chief Executive Paul Faulkner said: "This partnership helps set the tone on a match day in terms of players, management,

42 The Villa Times Magazine

coaching staff and senior Club officials all looking the part and reflecting something essential about the character that makes Aston Villa the unique and special institution it is.

"The reputation of Flannels is well-earned and the excellence they strive for matches perfectly the high standards and the values intrinsic in the Club.

Flannels managing director Neil Prosser added: "This is an exciting opportunity to work with Aston Villa FC and we are determined to deliver a high quality service of suit and develop the on-going relationship with the club."

Paul Faulkner has been appointed to the FA International Committee, which provides support to Team England during home and away games and helps represent the FA internationally.

In addition, he has retained a place on the FA Cup Committee, which oversees the running of that competition.

Villa's Chief Executive has been selected for these committees through his work as a member of the prestigious FA Council, the body which discusses and determines the major policies of The FA. The Council consists of 92 elected representatives from the FA Premier League, the Football League, County FAs and the non-executive board of The Football Association.

"For Villa to be represented on the Council is important, and I'm very proud on behalf of the Club to be selected to these committees," said Faulkner, who was first voted on to the FA Council in 2012.

Community Hub Restaurant VMF's commitment to sustainability and locally-sourced foods can be traced to a quaint 4,000 square metre site located a couple of miles from Villa Park.

The allotment plot, acquired by Villa around three years ago, seems a world away from turbo-charged Premier League life but it is important to the essence of the VMF project.

Since launching in October 2010, the VMF training restaurant has prided itself on using locally-sourced produce and giving opportunities to young people.

What started out as a venture to produce home-grown ingredients for VMF and the club's Villa Vitality scheme has grown into an exciting pilot project involving young people from St George's Community Hub in Newtown.

Gaming

fot-online.com is a tournament based website to be used in conjunction with your copy of FIFA 13 for either PS3 or Xbox 360.

The idea was originally created by Villa fan Dan Lawrie to relief some of the boredom during the summer break, and was launched on a Villa fan page for facebook, the tournament was played by a total of 100 players and with sponsorship by The Villa Times became a huge success straight away, the two winner's have gained a 6 month Villa Times subscription and bragging rights over their rivals.

Before the tournament had finished questions were being asked about when and how the next tournament will be taking place.

They have now launched our own standalone facebook page ( facebook.com/fot1on1 ) and website ( fot-online.com ) and already have 1500 fans within the first two weeks, each day the fan base is increasing and with it the expectations to create more tournament formats, There are plans to create more formats in the coming weeks such as;

www.fot-online.com

Career leagues you manage a team such as Aston Villa and gain tokens for each game you play, and a bonus for games won, use these tokens to buy players from a team in your league or offer a swap deal.

World Cup You are given a random international team depending on your seeding, and must play the entire tournament with that team.

3 STAR tournament Play the tournament with any team with a 3 star rating or below.

Pay to Play Leagues Pay a small fee to be in with a chance to win prizes.

The website has a variety of different things to keep you entertained from football news to YouTube videos and much more, FOT are also on the verge of launching a new online community for Villa and fifa fans to join in.

INNER TOURNAMENT W

Name?

Jamie Wilcox villa park?

Were you sit at Lower Holte End Age? 16

Fav player? lute Agbonlahor. Abso Has to be Gabby legend for me. e?

Best every gam I went to has to be when e m ga er Best ev ing Cup d leg of the Carl the Semi-final 2n up 6-4, d urn Rovers. Ende against Blackb that ic ere was electr and the atmosph day! e 6-1 ason I went to th Although last se at was Th nderland haha thrashing of Su l amazing as wel

The Villa Times Magazine 43

www.thevillatimes.com

Villa Times Subscriber Dale Jarvis picks his most favourite match of all time at Villa Park, with the 1994/5 season UEFA Cup clash with Inter Milan UEFA Cup 1994/95 | 29th September 1994 | Villa Park | Att: 30,533

Aston Villa 1 - 0 Inter Milan Ray Houghton 41 (Villa win 4-3 on Penalties) Nigel Spink Earl Barrett Steve Staunton Ugo Ehiogu Paul McGrath Kevin Richardson Ray Houghton Andy Townsend Dean Saunders Dalian Atkinson Philip King

Substitutes John Fashanu Michael Oakes Guy Whittingham Shaun Teale Garry Parker

Coach Ron Atkinson

44 The Villa Times Magazine

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Gianluca Pagliuca Giuseppe Bergomi Mirko Conte Massimo Paganin Gianluca Festa Giovanni Bia Andrea Seno Nicola Berti Darko Pancev Dennis Bergkamp Ruben Sosa

12 13 14 15 16

Luca Mondini Angelo Orlando Davide Fontolan Marco Barollo Marco Delvecchio Ottavio Bianchi

Best Match

I have been a season ticket holder at my beloved Aston Villa for a long time now and have seen many classic games, but none sticks out more than on the 29th September ’94.

Aston Villa V Inter Milan the Italian giants who we had previously played back in 1990 in the same competition under Dr Jo Venglos, although we won that game 2-0 we eventually went out after losing 3-0 in the San Siro two weeks later. Was lightning going to strike twice?

No it wasn’t!!

The atmosphere that night was sensational one of the best I have ever come across, even walking to the ground and seeing the floodlights at full beam I just knew something big, something major was about to occur. The attendance that night was only just over 30,000, this was due to the Holte End still undergoing its facelift although the lower tier was open to some fans and I was one of those lucky people who managed to get a ticket in that famous stand.

As soon as the fanfare started and the players made their entrance into this magnificent arena the goose bumps started and the nerves started to kick in as Inter lined up in their famous black and blue kit and villa were in their claret and blue.

The start of the game I could sense that there were nerves as Inter were knocking the ball around with aplomb as you would expect from an Italian team. The away following (no more than 200) was situated in the lower Doug Ellis stand loved the passing and movement that the away team were producing.

And it was Inter who should have in fact taken the lead in fact they could have been 2-0 up on the night as Dennis Bergkamp was pulling Villa’s midfield all over the place and he was in fact running the show, Darko Panchev put the ball over the cross bar following a shot from Nicola Berti which cannoned off the up right.

We then started to raise the tempo and play the good old British way of football the Italians simply could not cope and it was not too long before we asserted ourselves, Parker and Houghton were beginning to dominate the Italian midfield and Bergkamp had suddenly gone

missing out of the game and Gianluca Pagliuca the Inter goalkeeper was finding himself a little busier than before.

I could feel Inter were starting to wobble as their boisterous fans had suddenly quietened down. I was still nervous though as ever time Inter had the ball in the Villa half my heart would skip a beat the chants of ‘Big fat Ron’s claret and blue army’ still ringing around the ground! Then…… .the breakthrough happened the ball was swung into Inter’s box by the left foot of Steve Staunton and it bounced of Giuseppe Bergomi’s back and it fell kindly Ray Houghton who made no mistake in lashing the ball in from just outside the six yard area!!! GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!! The image of Houghton running away with both arms in the air was a magnificent feeling.

The rest of the game flew by with Villa working their socks off to try and force that winning goal! It was not to be though and it went to extra time and then the dreaded penalty shoot-out. I was exhausted so I cannot imagine how the likes of Parker, Houghton, Staunton and McGrath felt. Now, it was the test of nerve who could hold their own nerve. The first few penalties were put away expertly although; Garry Parker’s penalty just about evaded the goalkeeper and went in… .just about! the score was tied at 3-3 when two Inter players hit the cross bar and put one over Nigel Spink’s goal and then Guy Whittingham missed his penalty the tension was unbearable I nearly turned away when Phil King stepped up to take his penalty but I just could not and had to watch as he powered it right down the middle to the jubilation of the Villa Park faithful. Big Ron was celebrating uncontrollably alongside Jim Walker the physio it was party time at Villa Park it felt like we had won the competition (The trip to Trabzonspor would put pay to that dream) but for that one game that feeling was something that never disappeared for the next week of my life and that game will never leave my memory that is for sure.

By Dale Jarvis

“Big Ron was celebrating uncontrollably alongside Jim Walker the physio it was party time at Villa Park it felt like we had won the competition”

The Villa Times Magazine 45

New

Heart The

www.thevillatimes.com

Of Aston

Located in the heart of Aston, The Heart has been relaunched following an extensive refurbishment project under the new owner Declan Shanley. The Heart, formerly the Sacred Heart Social Club, provides a stylish, friendly and vibrant atmosphere.

It is a superb venue for live music, sports, comedy, culture and socialising. Food is served each day from 9am to 8pm, and the bar is open until 2am at the weekend. All major sporting events are shown live on the bars plasmas or 2 10 ft Big Screen. Music takes the form of cover and tribute bands, across the weekend with traditional Irish sessions during the week, all musicians are welcome.

The Heart is ideal for Birthday Parties, Funerals, Weddings, Meetings, Corporate Events and more... for more information please email info@theheart.me.uk

46 The Villa Times Magazine

Business Feature

The Heart

Formerly the Sacred Heart Grange Road, Aston, Birmingham, B6 6LA

The Villa Times Magazine 47

Business Feature

Stephen Withe Meet Our Chef

Stephen has been a chef for eighteen years working in restaurants and hotels all over the world. From a young age he would cook and experiment with ingredients making all sorts of dishes. From the age of seventeen Stephen worked in a Pizza restaurant, from there he worked in the field. In 1996 he moved to Cheltenham and worked in a Bistro Pub preparing Starters, he quickly progressed and moved up the line. Staying there for a year, Stephen decided to move back to Solihull where he worked in a Miller Kitchen for a year. From there he moved to The Forest Hotel and was really taught his craft, working with fresh food, staying there for three years and working his way up to Second Chef.

Over the years he has worked in many establishments and have learnt so much as well as gaining qualifications during the process.

While travelling in Australia, moving from place to place he picked up new ways of cooking. Stephen believes to be good at what you do you have to step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself, believing cooking is made up of using your imagination and creating dishes to the best of your ability.

Stephen is currently at The Heart of Aston, at the Heart Steak House, were is has created a refreshing new menu of fresh food and a selection of steaks. He would like to share some simple dishes anyone can cook that are also healthy.

His Favourite Dish 250g Prawns ½ Red Chilli – Finely Chopped 4 tsp of Salted Butter 100g of Fresh Linguine 100g Cherry Tomatoes 4 Cloves of Garlic 2 Handfuls of Rocket

Sauce

7 tbsp Tomato Paste 3 tsp of Paprika Generous Pouring of Single Cream Balsamic Glaze (optional) Generous splash of Olive Oil paprika Add two teaspoons of butter to pan, then add it will be a nice deep , paste to toma and Straight away add the cream . taste to er Red colour, add salt and pepp

48 The Villa Times Magazine

Withe’s son

Prawn and Paprika Linguine

Ingredients

Directions

Stephen is Villa Legend Peter

r sugar to (Optional) You can add one teaspoon of caste take away the bitter taste. .

Let it reduce down on a low heat, then set aside

oons of butHeat a pan over medium heat, add two teasp ter, finely dice chilli and add to the pan. sharp knife slit Rinse the cherry tomatoes and slightly with a each one, add to pan, cook for ten minutes t cooking.

Until they become soft. Keep turning them whils crush tes, Same pan add the prawns, cook for three minu her. the garlic in the pan and mix ingredients toget can buy in most suYou can buy fresh pasta which I like to use, you ed boiling point add permarkets, add water and season, when reach linguine. le of olive oil.

Strain pasta when cooked and add a nice drizz , then add to pasta.

Add the prawns and tomatoes and re heat sauce with Balsamic Put a generous handful of rocket on top and finish Glaze.

Enjoy.

Academy

Burton Albion to host Villa youngsters

Petrov excited by new Villa role The 33-year-old Bulgarian announced he was retiring earlier this month having spent more than a year out of the first team battling acute leukaemia.

Petrov is in remission and has been charged with helping Gordon Cowans nurture Villa's future talent.

Petrov said: "I'm very excited by this new challenge and I wish to thank the club and the manager, Paul Lambert, for giving me the opportunity to continue my association with Villa, which I have always regarded as a privilege.

"I will study for my coaching badges over the coming months and I am looking forward very much to working with Gordon Cowans, someone I know and respect, a true Villa legend.

"My hope is that I can assist Gordon through my own experience in the game and that I can help the young lads to progress, become better play-

ers and better human beings.

"There are important values that we have always stood for at the club and we will continue to do so.

"The main thing for me, however, is that it is not for sentimental reasons that I will be taking up this role but because I have something to contribute and I really want to do this.

Villa boss Lambert is happy Petrov will remain at the club.

He said: "I'm delighted Stiliyan will be assisting Gordon when the new season gets under way.

"And, as much as he's offered this football club in a distinguished playing career, I know he'll have more still to offer in the years to come through what he will be able to impart to the young lads.

"We are all really pleased that Stiliyan accepted the role."

Johnson signs two-year deal to stay at Villa Park Daniel Johnson has signed a new two-year deal with the club.

The Jamaica-born 20-year-old, who is yet to make his senior Villa debut, joined the midlands outfit's academy in 2010 and had a loan spell last season with Yeovil, featuring in five matches.

Johnson told avfc.co.uk: 'I'm really happy to have signed the new contract.

'These are exciting times at the club at the moment, you can see where the manager (Paul Lambert) wants to go with it and what he's trying to do, and it's really good.

The Pirelli Stadium will be the venue for four exciting Aston Villa U21s matches throughout the 2013/14 season; beginning with a match against Norwich City on Monday, 19th August.

Burton Albion enjoy an excellent relationship with Premier League Villa and the arrangement will see their starlets take in three further matches at Burton Albion; with Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Leicester City all due at the Pirelli.

All four games are 7pm kickoffs and will be open to the public; offering the people of Burton the opportunity to cast an eye over some of the country’s emerging young talent.

Support the Youths Fixtures for the month of August Here is a list of the next youth team fixtures, August Mon 12 19:00 A West Ham League Mon 19 19:00 H Norwich League Mon 26 14:00 A Arsenal League September Mon 2 19:00 H Chelsea League

'I'm really looking forward to coming back into training and I'm hoping that this year can be even better for me and for the team.'

Mon 16 19:00 H Spurs League Sat 21 19:00 A S’hampton League

The Villa Times Magazine 49

www.thevillatimes.com

Chris Woakes

Best memory was us beating Man Utd at Wemley in the league cup final...

B

Peter Lowe meets up with the Warwickshire and England Cricketer Villa fan to discuss his love for Villa and the changes at Villa Park

orn in March 1989 in Birmingham, and attended Barr Beacon Language College from 2000-2007. He began playing cricket when he was seven years old. He started out with Aston Manor Cricket Club, Chris then moved to Walmley Cricket Club to play a higher level of 1st Team cricket.

Chris represented Warwickshire in one match during the 2006 season, during a West Indian tour of England. Woakes picked up three wickets in the match. He has since represented Warwickshire in the Second XI Championship.

He was a regular for the Warwickshire First XI in 2008. He took 42 wickets at an average of 20.57 over the course of the County Championship season, topping Warwickshire's bowling averages.

In 2009, Woakes was given a call up to the England Cricket squad for the World Twenty20.

Allan Donald tipped Woakes as a future England international cricketer, he was then chosen to play for the England Lions in a warm-up match

50 The Villa Times Magazine

against the West Indies. In the first innings, he achieved bowling figures of 6-43 (including the wickets of Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul) as the West Indies were bowled out for 203. During the same season he scored 131 not out against Hampshire, his maiden firstclass century, batting at number nine and sharing a 222-run partnership with Jonathan Trott.

In an England Lions game against Australia cricket team Woakes was able to pick up the wickets of Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey.

Woakes made his International Twenty20 debut on 12 January 2011 against Australia in Adelaide. Opening the bowling, he took figures of 1/34, taking the wicket of Australian captain Cameron White with his final delivery. He later scored the winning runs, as England won off the last ball with just one wicket left and one run required.

Interview What made you want to be a professional cricketer?

Exclusive

The Villa Times Magazine 51

Exclusive think the fact I enjoyed the game from an early age kind of helped me decide. The fact I was decent also helped but it was mainly the passion I had for the game which made me really want to make it as a pro.

If you wasn't playing cricket what would you be doing now?

I'm pretty sure I'd of stayed within Sport but I'd of definitely gone to university and studied either sports science or Physical education. Sport has been in my blood from a young age and couldn't imagine doing anything different.

Favourite all time cricketer?

Jacque Kallis. He's obviously a fantastic player but how he makes it look so easy and also do all facets of the game makes him my all time favourite.

Do you think playing for England has helped your game?

100%. Playing at the highest level is where you want to be to showcase your skills and having that opportunity to practice and play with England best players has certainly made me a better player. You also pick up things by playing against the best players in the world so hopefully there is much more of that to come.

A few people are putting you in the same category as beefy & Freddie, what do you think about that?

To be mentioned in the same sentence as those two great players is a big compliment. I've got a long way to go to be in their category but I am also a very different player. I would like to be known as my own man and hopefully the more I play I can establish that and bring my own style to the game.

What is your favourite match you have played in?

Making my debut for England was an amazing feeling and that is certainly up there with my favourite game I have played in but I think the Lords Final in 2010 for Warwickshire against Somerset where we won the CB40 competition was just an incredible achievement. The team worked so hard for that trophy and was written off by many people so that match is my favourite to date.

First memory of watching Villa?

The best early memory was us beating Man Utd at Wemley in the league cup final 1994. I had the game recorded on video and watched it over and over again. I still to this day could watch that game from start to finish. What a victory!!

52 The Villa Times Magazine

Do you remember the first game you saw?

It was Vs Notts Forest at Villa park. I can't remember what year it was but we won 2-1 and I just remember enjoying the atmosphere.

Is this the game that started your love for villa?

I don't think it was, it might of had a little bit of influence but my dad was a Villa fan and that started my passion for the football club. If I had started to follow any other team I'm sure my old man would of had something to say about it so good job I did follow the mighty claret and blue!

Who is your all time favourite villa player?

I think it has to be Dwight Yorke. His goal in the 1996 league cup final is a goal that stands out for me but he scored so many goals for the club and everyone loves a goal scorer. A close second would have to be Fans favourite Juan Panlo Angel, I know he only had 1 brilliant year for the club but I thought he was a great player.

Heart of a Lion Andy Evans

All fans have their own memories of watching games that are personal to them, and I’m no exception

T

his is the second column about my book, Heart of a Lion – a nostalgic look at the decade between 1986 and 1996 and all the shenanigans of being a young Villa supporter during that time. Heart of a Lion is my first book and I’m about 23,000 words into my first draft, so there’s still a long way to go, but it’s been interesting to see how a book can almost write itself as you start to get some momentum. The initial plan was to base the book around 25 significant games during my first 25 years as a fan. At first, this seemed like a good idea. The memory of watching the 2000 FA Cup semi-final in a packed student house in Preston – trying to ignore a so-called ‘close friend’ who was shouting ‘Miss!’ at the TV screen as Gareth Barry prepared to take his penalty during the shoot-out – is still fresh in my mind, as is the despair of watching that throw-in disappear under Peter Enckelman’s foot on the night when we thrashed by the Blues in 2002.

But it is as a child that your memories are that much richer, that much more evocative. This would explain why I can barely remember anything about Villa’s UEFA Cup campaign in 1997/98, when we reached the quarter-finals, but can recall a 0-0 draw with Barnsley ten years earlier during our second division days with clarity. As the first draft got under way, it therefore seemed sensible to concentrate on those first ten years of my time as a supporter – the sights, sounds and smells that are so much of

part of a child’s life if he or she is a football fan. Therefore, the book will feature 20 games from that period.

So how do you go about choosing 20 matches for a book? It would be obvious to go with the really massive games, and yes, some of those will be in there. No game before or since has been quite as emotional as the Tranmere semi-final in 1994, for instance, even though I was on watching it on TV at the time. But, as the Bolton and Blues matches stated earlier prove, all fans have their own memories of watching games that are personal to them, and I’m no exception. Looking back, there were some extraordinary and unique moments during those ten years – from seeing a Villa fan being deliberately run over by a police horse after the last game of the 1988/89 season against Coventry – highlighting a certain attitude from the police towards football supporters at the time – to buying a ticket from a fan for a home game against Bolton in 1995, only to discover – once inside Villa Park – that the seat number stated on the ticket didn’t exist (I had unknowingly bought a fake ticket but amazingly it had got me inside the ground).

All football fans have experiences like these – moments that other people wouldn’t bat an eyelid about, but which are important to the individual fan. Those quirky incidents that make every supporter’s journey with their club an exclusive one, a special one. Maybe we should all write books. Actually, don’t do that. I wouldn’t want the market to be flooded, after all…

The Villa Times Magazine 53

Brian Little Academy

www.crossbarcoaching.co.uk The Academy is an overdue ambition of Brian’s to aid the all round development of young players through Professional, Structured, Fun sessions. The sessions are designed to educate tomorrows stars on the basics of Football and beyond through relevant, exciting delivery by Coaches that the Children see as Role Models. BLA is held within a professional environment that is designed to not only improve ability but also attitude, pride and teamwork, the players are encouraged to express themselves, have fun and achieve.

The month’s session is ‘Possession’ which focuses on small sided games, without goals, encouraging players to create space in tight areas whilst keeping the ball away from the opposition, the games can vary from 3v3 upwards with the size of the area being applicable to the amount of players.

Many skills such as receiving on the back foot, first touch, passing, movement, individual skill and more are developed within this session as it is created to be as ‘game like’ as possible. Players at BLA are encouraged to express themselves as we look to develop all aspects of the game, however, we may focus on certain topics and revisit when doing possession again.

For More Information on the Brian Little Academy Call 07786 080 801 or email gavin@crossbarcoaching.co.uk

54 The Villa Times Magazine

Form Guide

END OF 2012/13 SEASON STATS

5 MATCHES 35

SHOTS ON TARGET

5 YELLOW CARDS

2 VICTORY 11 GOALS 55 FOULS

79,512 people through the Villa Park turnstiles

4 BENTEKE GOALS 6 SCORERS

20 CORNERS

MATCH REPORTS | LINE UPS | QUOTES

The Villa Times Magazine 55

www.thevillatimes.com

.........6 .........1

Vlaar 31′ Weimann 38′ Benteke 55′, 59′, 72′ Agbonlahor 88′

Rose 32′

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE Date: Saturday, 29th May Kick off: 19.45 Villa Park Att: 37,428 - Despite a much improved second-half performance, Aston Villa were powerless to stop Manchester United in their pursuit of the title as they fell to a 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford.

- Aston Villa are fighting for their Premier League survival and, as have been the story of their season, it will be to Christian Benteke that they will turn to attempt to retain their status in the top flight. The young Belgian has been by far and away Villa’s most potent attacking force this season, attempting 97 shots on goal and managing to make sure one of those found its way on target on average once every 41.4 minutes.

- Despite the ups and downs of Villa’s season, Matthew Lowton has been consistently turning in some rock solid defensive performances.

Indeed, he has the best tackle success rate of any of the 18 players to have broken the 100-tackle barrier this season according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, currently sitting on a highly impressive 74.8%.

- Remarkably, not only has Lowton been excelling in his expected defensive capacity, but also in his work higher up the pitch. No Villa player can match his 475 successful passes in the opponent’s half this season, the 23 year-old averaging one every 6.9 minutes he’s been on the field of play.

- Paulo Di Canio’s first match as manager at the Stadium of Light ended in a much-needed victory as his newly motivated Sunderland side overcame Everton in a 1-0 win.

- Paulo Di Canio recently hailed the influence of Stephane Sessegnon, 56 The Villa Times Magazine

the French winger shouldering much of the attacking responsibility for the Black cats this season. Sessegnon has had more efforts on goal than any other Sunderland player with 53, as well as chipping in with 5 assists.

- Carlos Cuellar has been a defensive giant for Sunderland this term and will undoubtedly be part of his new manager’s plans moving forward to next season. He has the best tackles success rate of any player to have made more than 50 tackles on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, his 88.5% from 61 challenges the gold standard for the season so far.

“Not only has Lowton been excelling in his expected defensive capacity, but also in his work higher up the pitch.”

- Rumours have been circulating of a possible return back to Tottenham once Danny Roses’ loan spell with Sunderland ends and it’s not hard to see why went you consult the stats. Rose has, on average, made a defensive contribution once every 10.1 minutes, placing him fourth in the Sunderland squad.

Form Guide

“I’m not worried about Villa Park,” said Di Canio. “For me, it’s like going to the theatre or seeing Pavarotti when he was still alive. It’s an easy place to go” Before the 6-1 drilling he got

The Villa Times Magazine 57

.........2 .........2

E BOYCE (21) N BAKER (OG 45+3)

D BENT (5) R VLAAR (61)

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE Date: Sunday, 19th May Kick off: 16:00 The DW Stadium Att: 23,001 Andreas Weimann battles for the ball with Wigan Athletic's Roger Espinoza

“Christian Benteke is part of a select group of players to have had more than 100 shots has managed to carve out one of those chances on average less than once every 30 minutes” - Wigan’s fate was confirmed on Tuesday evening as, just days after their remarkable FA Cup Final triumph over Manchester City, they were beaten 4-1 at the Emirates by Arsenal and relegated to the Championship.

- Wigan look to have unearthed a real gem in Callum McManaman but may struggle to hold on to him after a string of impressive performances. The youngster has quickly become Wigan’s most accurate shooter, with a on-target rate of 76.9% from 13 attempts according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.

- Shaun Maloney is another who may well find himself plying his trade in new pastures next season, with a number of Premier League clubs interested in taking him off the Wigan books. The Scottish international ranks third in the Wigan squad this season for attacking contributions (assist, cross, dribble, on target shot) with 104, at an average rate of one every 29.3 minutes.

- Whether he could have helped stave off relegation is unlikely but Wigan have certainly missed the defensive influence of Maynor Figueroa in the final few games of the season.

The Honduran international still leads the Lactic squad for defensive contributions (blocks, clearances, interceptions, successful tackles) with 295 for the campaign.

- Despite Christian Benteke’s well-taken goal, Aston Villa were not able to spring a surprise result as Chelsea fought back to claim a 1-2 win through two Frank Lampard goals.

- Matthew Lowton will have been desperately disappointed 58 The Villa Times Magazine

to have missed out on the England squad for the upcoming friendlies due to injury but should he continue his form into next season then another national call-up can’t be far away.

Lowton is one of only two players to have made more than 100 tackles to have a success rate of more than 70% (75.2%), the other being Nathaniel Clyne.

- His captain Ron Vlaar is the only member of the Villa squad able to surpass him in the tackle stakes so far this season, ‘Concrete Ron’ currently sitting on 81.9% according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. He also leads the Villa squad for clearances with 63.

- Any summary of Villa’s season would not be complete without discussing the mammoth contribution made to their cause by Christian Benteke. The Belgian striker is part of a select group of players to have had more than 100 shots (105) (Suarez, Bale, Ba, Tevez, Van Persie, Defoe, Michu, Cazorla) has managed to carve out one of those chances on average less than once every 30 minutes (28.7).

Paul Lambert will be going all out to ensure Villa do not lose out on his services come next season.

Form Guide

.........1

.........2 C BENTEKE (14, S/O 58)

RAMIRES (S/O 45) F LAMPARD (61, 88)

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE Date: Saturday, 11th May Kick off: 15:00 Villa Park Att: 42,084 Chelsea's Eden Hazard in action with Aston Villa's Eric Lichaj

“Aston Villa’s season has been defined by the emergence of a promising generation of young players, not least Joe Bennett who was one of three players to make five clearances in the last round of games” - Aston Villa put five points between themselves and the relegation zone last weekend with a 2-1 victory over Norwich.

A brace from Gabriel Agbonlahor secured a vital win for Villa.

- Agbonlahor’s second came from a perfectly weighted through ball from Ashley Westwood.

- Aston Villa’s season has been defined by the emergence of a promising generation of young players, not least Joe Bennett who was one of three players to make five clearances in the last round of games, the highest in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.

- Young defenders such as Bennett and Matt Lowton have benefited from the experience of Ron Vlaar this season.

Vlaar has the cleanest tackling record in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, attempting 59 tackles and committing just 6 fouls, a rate of one every 9.83 tackles, and with a tackles won percentage of 81.4%.

- Behind Villa’s defensive line Bradley Guzan will be welcoming the close season, as he has been the busiest goalkeeper in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index making 217 saves to date. Last season’s busiest goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey made 223 saves, and Guzan looks on course to beat that total.

- Chelsea missed out on the chance to cement their Champions League spot by conceding a late equaliser against Spurs which saw two of the three teams fighting for the two remaining Champions League places share the points. Oscar

and Ramires were on target for Chelsea in that game.

- Despite Chelsea’s point in that game being vital to their Champions League spot, their pass completion of 73.1% was actually the lowest they’ve managed at Stamford Bridge this season.

- Demba Ba has continued to struggle to hit the same goal scoring form for Chelsea. He had 13 Premier League goals for Newcastle upon joining Chelsea, but has scored just two since. That’s despite him being the fourth most prolific shooter in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index averaging a shot every 22 minutes and 42 seconds this season.

- Eden Hazard has been among Chelsea’s star performers in his first season at Stamford Bridge. He is ranked second in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for dribbles completed with 54 this season, just one behind Luis Suarez who tops the rankings with 55, and 8 ahead of the third placed player Adel Taarabt with 46.

- Juan Mata has been equally impressive, contributing an incredible 18 assists this season, 1 in 4 of Chelsea’s goals, while Hazard has contributed 14 assists.

The Villa Times Magazine 59

.........1

.........2 G HOLT (PEN 74)

G AGBONLAHOR (55, 89)

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE Date: Saturday, 4th May Kick off: 15:00 Carrow Road Att: 26,842 Gabriel Agbonlahor scored a last-minute winner

“Agbonlahor has had just 32 shots at goal this season, though he has converted when it counts, averaging a goal every 4.57 shots, better than Robin van Persie’s rate of a goal every 4.88 shots.”

- Norwich remain adrift of mathematical safety after a 1-0 loss to Stoke in their last match.

- Ryan Bennett did his best to prevent that result, making 18 interceptions against Stoke, the joint highest in the last round of games.

- Bennett has now made 36 interceptions this season, part of 65 defensive contributions overall across tackles won, interceptions, blocks and clearances. Those stats are impressive considering Bennett has played just 862 minutes this season, averaging a defensive intervention every 13 minutes and 16 seconds.

- Norwich has worked tirelessly in the tackle this season, and are one of three teams in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index to have two players who have attempted 100 or more tackles this season. Both Robert Snodgrass (123 attempted, 56% won) and Bradley Johnson (112 attempted 52.6% won) feature.

- Aston Villa climbed out of the relegation zone in stunning fashion on Monday night with a 6-1 victory over Sunderland on Monday night.

- Christian Benteke boosted his growing reputation with a quick fire hat trick, while Ron Vlaar, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Andreas Weimann added to the tally.

- Those goals took Benteke’s tally for the season to 18, fourth in the race for Premier League top scorer. Benteke’s goals have come at a rate of one every 5.67 shots, and one every 158 minutes 43 seconds. Of the Premier League’s top 60 The Villa Times Magazine

five goal scorers only Robin van Persie has a more efficient shots per goal ratio with 4.88 shots per goal.

- Benteke also has the best shots on target percentage of the league’s top ten goalscorers, getting 69.8% of his 102 shots so far this season on target.

- Agbonlahor’s goal was his seventh of the season, though the striker has been shying away from shooting in order to support Benteke and the team defensively. Agbonlahor has had just 32 shots at goal this season, though he has converted when it counts, averaging a goal every 4.57 shots, better than Robin van Persie’s rate of a goal every 4.88 shots.

Form Guide

.........3

.........0 Van Persie 2′, 13′, 33′

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE Date: Monday, 22nd April Kick off: 19.45 Old Tradford Att: 75,591 van Persie shoots to score his team's second goal against Aston Villa

“Fabien Delph has made a name for himself for being tough in the tackle this season. He attempted twelve against Fulham, more than any other player in the last round of games” - Manchester United came from behind twice to draw 2-2 with West Ham in their midweek game, thanks to goals from Antonio Valencia and Robin van Persie.

- After a long drought by his own high standards Robin van Persie has now scored in his last two Premier League games for Manchester United, breathing life into the golden boot race as he now has 21 goals compared to Suarez’s 22.

- Van Persie has been the more efficient of the two strikers in getting to this tally, taking just 5.52 shots per goal compared to Suarez’s 7.4 shots per goal.

- If Manchester United do go on to win their 20th Premier League title it will be down to their lethal and efficient attacking play which has allowed United to continue to dominate even during van Persie’s goal drought. United have three of the top five players in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for minutes per goal or assist this season.

- Hernandez leads the ranking, averaging a goal or assist every 71 minutes this season, while van Persie is ranked third with one every 84 minutes, and Rooney fifth with one every 93 minutes.

- At the other end of the pitch, Patrice Evra won 8 tackles against West Ham, more than any other player in the matches taking place last weekend or in midweek. That made Evra’s tackling performance the best in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index by a United player so far this season, judged on the number of tackles won.

- Aston Villa earned a vital point in their fight for survival in

their last league game against Fulham, and have the benefit of not having played in mid-week when facing United today.

- Ron Vlaar’s defensive performances will be key to Villa’s survival chances this season, and the Dutch defender has managed to put in a dominant defensive performance without giving away the fouls that can place a team in danger. Vlaar has attempted 51 tackles, giving away just 6 fouls, a rate of 8.5 tackles per foul conceded, the best in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index (excluding those players who have attempted less than 30 tackles) - Charles N’Zogbia scored for Villa against Fulham, just his second of the season, although he’s been more prolific at creating chances, clocking up six assists this season. That’s an average of one every 170 minutes while on the pitch, the sixth highest in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for player’s with more than one assist this season.

- Fabien Delph has made a name for himself for being tough in the tackle this season. He attempted twelve against Fulham, more than any other player in the last round of games and just one short of the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index’s record for tackles attempted in a game this season.

- Nathan Baker also boasted impressive defensive stats against Fulham, contributing more defensively than all but one other Villa player has in a game this season. Baker contributed defensively 27 times across won tackles, clearances, interceptions and blocks, one every 3 minutes 20 seconds. The only Villa player to have done more in a game this season is Ciaran Clark against Sunderland in November.

The Villa Times Magazine 61

www.thevillatimes.com

Lions Seattle Lions Chairman

Chris Fetters Interview With

Chris and members of the Seattle Lions Club outside the 'George And Dragon' pub when the Seattle Lions Club was founded

Our overseas Villan this issue is none other than the founder of Aston Villa's new Lions Club in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A., Chris Fetters. Here he talks about how he came to love football, Villa, and much more.

Tell us a bit about yourself Chris?

Well, I was born in Seattle, Washington - grew up in Seattle and went to high school on an island about a 30-minute ferry ride from downtown Seattle, Bainbridge Island. It was there I learned to play and love the game of soccer and started watching it on television. At that time (mid-70's) the only European soccer readily available to us here was Bundesliga highlights on public TV (PBS), so I got good at pronouncing names like Borussia Monchengladbach and Cologne.

Once I got into high school I got away from soccer and moved into other sports, namely golf. I played competitively in high school and in college. During that time I just got away from the game, although the Seattle Sounders had opened the new Kingdome by playing the New York Cosmos in 1976 and I actually went to that game. Pele played in it

62 The Villa Times Magazine

and other superstars like Giorgio Chinaglia and Franz Beckenbauer.

I lived away from Seattle until 2001. It was then I had a career opportunity to move back home, and I did so. Around 2007 a cousin of mine from Wisconsin moved to Seattle also for work and we started hanging out quite a bit. His name is Matt.

Matt is a massive Everton fan and talked to me about joining him at a local pub called the George and Dragon to watch Premier League games, so I started watching soccer again.

At first I was watching Everton games and really started enjoying the game again for the first time in a very long time. It was like riding a bike; you don't ever seem to really forget what it's like and it doesn't take long to get the handle of it again. The George is about a 10 minute drive from my home in Ballard, a Seattle neighborhood, so I started

going to games on my own.

At that time I hit a couple of Aston Villa games. Martin O'Neill was managing and Martin Laursen had just retired. They had also just signed Brad Friedel, so that intrigued me as an American watching English Football.I also remember Emile Heskey joining the team around that time.

If I remember correctly, it was a stretch of a few games where they played Sunderland and Portsmouth, maybe a couple of other teams. But in watching the games, Villa just stood out to me. It's hard to explain now, but there was just something about how they played. I remember Cuellar and Luke Young in the back, Milner, Petrov, Barry and Ashley Young in the midfield and Gabby and Big John Carew up front. They were fun to watch, and they were winning too!

Once I realized I was getting hooked by watching the Premiership, I knew I wanted to follow a team.

I knew I couldn't support Everton, because that was my cousin's team, and I certainly wasn't going to be following the 'Big Four' that was too cliche and boring to me. So the more I followed Villa, the more I appreciated how they played the game.

And then I started going to the message boards like Heroes & Villains and Villa Talk and delved into the history of the club. It was a massive club!!

And they also Acorns as their shirt sponsor, and learning more about their association with Acorns simply solidified what I kind of knew in my mind for a while - Aston Villa was going to be my club. I picked them, but in some strange way I feel like they picked me too. And I've never looked back!

How the Seattle Lions Club became a reality?

Once I knew I was Villa Til I Die, I went for it. I tried to go to as many games as I could at the George and Dragon (my career as a sports journalist wreaks havoc on that schedule because of what I do, but I made it happen anyway), and I noticed there were a few Villa fans here and there, but nothing compared to clubs like Liverpool and Arsenal.

I met the Villa fans and talked to them, but at the time I never really thought about organizing a group. Then I met a Birmingham exPat named Danny Thrasyvoulou. He came into the George and Dragon about three years ago for a Villa game and we were the only Villains in the house.

Of course I was thrilled to meet someone from Brum, and Dan was thrilled to meet anyone that had an interest in the Villa, so we sparked up a friendship. He had just married an American girl, so he was going to be living in Seattle. It was at that time the seeds for a supporters club were first con-

Lions Interview

Chris with Villa Legend Peter Withe ceived, although it would take a long time for the roots to take hold.

Over the course of those three years I tried to keep in touch with Danny, but it was hard. Lost cell phones, no contact through email, conflicting schedules...we wouldn't see each other for months at a time, even during the seasons. So our little group of Seattle Villains were scattered to the winds.

In the summer of 2012 it was announced Aston Villa was going to visit America - I couldn't have been more excited. I flew out to Chicago to see Gabby score in a 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire and then flew home in time to see the Villa draw with the Portland Timbers but win in a penalty shootout.

Tom Hanks and Geezer Butler were there.

Before I went to Chicago I started corresponding with one of the top men in the Chicago Supporters Group - Simon Leach. I met up with Simon and his wonderful girlfriend Cat Stewart at a Chicago bar called the Halsted Harp. They also wanted to know my story.

So we swapped Villa stories, and it was there where I met Villains from Canada and everywhere throughout the United States. It was incredible!

But it was meeting three Lions from Kidderminster - Paul Harris, Mark Byworth and Ben Mitchell - that really got me excited about the possibility of putting a supporters group together.

They had flown out from England to see the Chicago game and came decked in Kiddy

shirts and brought their supporters flags and all that good stuff. I was so impressed by their dedication and passion for the club (I believe Kiddy would later win the Supporters Club of the Year) they got me all wound up about the possibilities.

With their support and also the advice of Simon, I came back determined to do something, but it was my recent trip to England to see it up close that put the cherry on top.

I spent a few days hanging out with the Kiddy Lions, as well as some of my Canadian Villa mates like Danny Peever and Todd Butler. I went with the Kiddy boys on a coach to the Stoke game, and was called 'Guzan's Dad' the whole time. It was a surreal experience for a Seattle kid to be on a bus with a police escort to the Britannia. And then going to Villa Park to see the Villa take on Fulham was fantastic. I went to the Lions club and met some phenomenal people, like Alan Perrins and Rob Bishop. And I also met the legend himself - Peter Withe! After an experience like that I was bound and determined to spread the Villa gospel.

I got home and went to the George to see the Villa take on Manchester United. Lo and behold, Danny Thrasyvoulou showed up too with his beautiful wife Kaite!

It was a great reunion, and we started planning on seeing more games together. And then another Birmingham ex-Pat that neither of us knew - David Hewat - also showed up for the game!

The Villa Times Magazine 63

www.thevillatimes.com

“The Sounders have games that bring in over 60,000 fans at times - so I know there are young minds out there ready to follow the Villa.�

At the time there were more Villa fans watching the game than Manchester United fans - a first! To me it was another sign that it was time to put something together.

Even though the Villa got blown out early, we all kept talking about putting a group together right there and then. We all agreed something should happen. So after the game I bought us all a round. By that time Dave's girlfriend Kira Winters showed up. It was a quorum! So myself, Danny, Kaite, David and Kira founded the Aston Villa Supporters Club, Seattle right there. It was our initial meeting! The next day I put together a Facebook page and also applied with the official Lions Club website and was approved a few days later.

How big is the Villa following in Seattle?

Never big enough! Honestly our club right now is mostly full of great Villa fans I've met along the way in the US and also during my travels in England. Their support has been incredible. But right now there's around 10 solid Seattle-based Villains that we've come in contact with and I know there are more out there. We already have three Brum exPats in the group - Danny Thrasyvoulou, David Hewat and Rob Beddard - and we know there are others out there! We're just

64 The Villa Times Magazine

trying to do what we can to spread the word in a town that has become soccermad. The Sounders have games that bring in over 60,000 fans at times - so I know there are young minds out there ready to follow the Villa. And honestly, I hope a lot of American soccer fans getting immersed in the EPL right now think the same way I did when I made my decision for the Villa. Following the top teams is easy, there's no challenge in it.

Obviously I'm saying that as someone that had no tie to any Premier League club until I made my choice. If you find out you had family members that followed this club or that - whatever. But for those that have no direct link to any team and have to go through the process of finding a club to support and follow faithfully through thick and thin, I hope they do their homework - because I honestly can't see another team out there with the things on and off the pitch that the Mighty Villa have. I'm biased of course, but if I had to state my case to a fan looking to be sold to a particular club, I wouldn't have any problems selling the Villa as a massive club, a club - to quote our owner - that has a proud history and a bright future.

Onto footballing matters now. Which Villa game is the best one you've seen

tso far?

The best Villa game I've seen so far? Without thinking too much about it, I'd have to see the second leg of the 2010 League Cup Semifinal against Blackburn. How often do you see 6-4 games under those circumstances? That was just a wild one to watch, and that was also the first time I had really heard the 'Que Sera Sera' chant and understood what it really meant. But I know I'll also remember fondly the 6-1 thrashing over Sunderland, especially given the circumstances and just how important it was at the time. I think the stature of that game will certainly grow over time. At least that's my expectation. I would also say it's hard not to watch the videos available online of the '82 European Championship and not go gooey.

I swear my allergies act up every time I watch that game!

Bearing in mind how difficult this season has been, if you were Paul Lambert, where would you strengthen the squad?

Well to start, I believe Shay Given, Richard Dunne, Stephen Ireland and Darren Bent will probably be let go. I have no inside knowledge to back this up, just intuition. I just don't get the sense Lambert sees them

Lions Interview

in Villa's plans next year and don't justify the wages they are receiving. So with those departures as a foundation, Villa would probably need to either bring up one of the Academy keepers (is Ben Siegrist ready? I don't really know). Or maybe search Europe for an up-and-coming keeper. With Joel going down for Wigan and Alex McCarthy doing the same at Reading, they were two keepers that impressed me late in the season and might be good pickups at value.

It was hard watching the back four going through their growing pains, and there's no question that group needs strengthening.

Is Ciaran Clark a center back or a center midfielder? Frankly I've always been impressed when he's moved up from the back four, but I have no idea if PL feels the same.

Either way, even if Clark stays as Villa's third option at CB, they need a fourth desperately to compete with Ron Vlaar and Nathan Baker. I see a solid partnership between the skipper and Nathan in time, but it might be another year or two away from really becoming the product everyone is hoping for.

And there's no question Lowton and Bennett can't go through another season playing as much as they did. What Lowton did in terms of his fitness playing as much as he did was incredible, especially considering it was his rookie season in the EPL.

And Bennett needs help, plain and simple.

He's too lightweight for me at times to go through a full season at left back. I have every hope that he'll develop into the left back of the future for the Villa, but in the

short term he needs someone pushing him for playing time. With the addition of Sylla and a healthy Gardner full-time into the midfield, I don't know if Lambert needs to strengthen there. I'm still not sure how he views our wingers like Marc Albrighton, for instance. In some circumstances, it was like he wanted to go three in the back and really push Lowton upfield more as a wing-back.

But losing Bent means Villa definitely need to find another striker to partner up with Christian Benteke, who I think will be a marked man next year. He won't surprise anyone any more, so players like Gabby and Weimann will become even more important. I believe Bowery has a bright future, but like Bennett I still think he's a couple years away at least from being the player they need now. I was very impressed with Kone from Wigan, for instance. I really am just speaking for myself, but if Lambert can get another young, dynamic striker that is willing to put in a Weimann-like shift and also has a nose for goal I think that should really be all Villa needs going forward in the short term. I would add Loic Remy to the list of strikers with Kone I would be intrigued with.

I'm sure he'll want to play Premier League Football and we all know he's got a shot on him. He might be a great partner with Benteke.

“With the addition of Sylla and a healthy Gardner full-time into the midfield, I don't know if Lambert needs to strengthen there�

The Villa Times Magazine 65

SHOPPING

www.shop.avfc.co.uk

WEAR

TRAINING

1

The new Aston Villa training range is out now and we have picked a few favourites.

Avaliable in both adult and kids sizes, the new range can be purchased online at www.shop.avfc.co.uk and any official AVFC club store

NEW LOOKS FOR 2013/14

4

5

3

2

1 Matchday Anthem Pitchside Jacket £40 The Aston Villa matchday anthem jacket is the perfect way to show your support when around Villa Park. The players will be wearing this jacket as they emerge from the tunnel and make their way to the centre-circle for the customary pre-match handshake.

4 Matchday Warm Up Top White £30 As worn by the players before kick off, get focussed and in the zone with our Aston Villa matchday warm up top white.

5 Training Sweatshirt - Navy £39 The Aston Villa Training Sweat is the ideal top for wearing during warm ups and cool down.

2 Travel Polo Shirt - Navy £30 With it's comfortable fit the Aston Villa travel polyester polo is ideal when trav- 6 Sleeveless Training Top £23 elling to and from training.

The Aston Villa sleeveless training 3 Training Rain Jacket - Purple top is ideal for train£47 ing with its lightKeep dry when putting yourself through the paces with our Aston Villa weight and comfortable fit. hooded rain jacket.

6

All featured products are available in official club stores and online at www.shop.avfc.co.uk 66 The Villa Times Magazine

Readers Interview

Jay Averill Villa Times Subscriber

A Serving Soldier in Afganistan

Jay and his daughter Molly

Subscriber and Villa fan, Jay Averill is a serving soldier and is getting his Villa fix from the Villa Times. Jay has taken the time to answer a few questions

What's your rank and squad?

Warrant Officer, Class Two

past players are Gordon Cowans, Dennis Mortimer and Gary Shaw.

How old are you?

41 years old

Are you able to watch any of the matches on the internet or TV? I get to watch most of the villa matches online, depending on my shifts.

How long have you served in the Army and where are you currently serving?

Have served in the Army for 23 years, currently serving in Afghanistan.

How log have you been in the country where you are now and do you know how much longer the tour will be for?

Have been based in Afghanistan for 3 months. Unsure how long I will be in Afghan, possibly return home at Christmas.

Also have a month leave at the end of August.

Have you been a life-long Villa fan?

I have always been a Villa fan, my grandad took me to my first home match in 1979 and from then on I was addicted to all things Villa!

Jay with his magazines in Afghanistan

Who is your favourite current player?

Favourite current Villa players are Stan Petrov and Gabby Agbonlahor. Favourite

Where in Birmingham are you from?

I am originally from Erdington, but now have family in Yardley and Rubery.

Favourite villa match?

Villa 5 Birmingham City 1 and last home match before the Holte End was turned all seating (Villa 2 Liverpool 0) Worst Villa match?

Birmingham City 3 Villa 0 for obvious reasons. 2000 FA Cup Final - After a magical journey to get to the final, we didn't turn up on the day.

Gabby: One of My Fav Players

The Villa Times Magazine 67

J Leyfield ames

Villa Showbiz News

Mad Villa fan James is TV Editor at showbiz news agency BANG Showbiz, who he joined as showbiz reporter in 2011. His diverse music taste – ranging from Slipknot to Taylor Swift, with a bit of N-Dubz thrown in – is the envy of his colleagues.

When he's not stalking Caroline Flack, he's reading about what Tulisa and Taylor have been up to and longing for the day NDubz and B*Witched get back together. Follow him on Twitter @JamesJourn

Dynamo says sorry for Bradford battering Vlaar gives van Gerwen birthday cheer

Ron Vlaar surprised his fellow countryman and darts player Michael van Gerwen recently as he paid him a visit on his birthday.

The Dutch centre-back went to see the arrows specialist in Birmingham, but not even a visit from our rock at the back could inspire van Gerwen to victory on his 24th birthday.

Celebrations were cut short as he went down 7-5 to Simon Whitlock.

However, Vlaar cheered up his compatriot by going backstage to present him with a Villa shirt emblazoned with his surname and the number 180.

68 The Villa Times Magazine

Magician Dynamo has apologised to us all on behalf of his home team - Bradford City.

We all know what it's about and nobody wants to be reminded of that terrible loss, but it's nice of the illusionist extraordinaire to show us some respect after his team dumped us out of the Capital One Cup at the Semi-Final stage last season.

Speaking exclusively to me just one day after he pulled off that incredible illusion on a London bus - if you haven't seen it yet then you have to check it out, he somehow levitates across Westminster Bridge while holding onto a number 543 - he said: "Bradford didn't need my help on that night - no offence to Villa! Sorry to all the Villa fans!

"But I think even the Villa fans can appreciate Bradford have had a great season.

"We're very deserving, I'm just proud to be from Bradford."

He's a got a point about Bradford to be fair.

They showed a lot more determination than us and did deserve to go through over the two legs.

While he says he didn't need to perform any tricks to help them out, he might need to if his next prediction is to come true in the near fu-

ture.

It all sounds a bit hocus pocus to me, but the 30-year-old magician thinks the Bantams are nearly good enough to be playing teams like us week in, week out in the Premiership!

He added: "They're my home team, we've had an incredible season. We're up to the next division and I think if I can work some magic and they can work some magic then we can get back up to the Premiership."

It's a nice thought, but I think the players might need A LOT of what you were drinking before you levitated on that London bus, Dynamo!

As for us, we will just have to rely on our own magician - Paul Lambert.

The gaffer has conjured up some cash from Randy Lerner's pockets enabling us to bring in a decent sized haul of players already! And if our new Danish defender Jores Okore is anything like his nearly namesake, psychic Derek Acorah (well, sort of) then he will know exactly what to expect in his first season in the Premiership.

Having said that, Derek's powers could well be on the wane as he recently had to cancel a show due to "unforeseen circumstances". Didn't see that coming did you, Derek?!

Travel

Drayton Arms, The traditional pub for away supporters

Saturday 17th August Kick Off 15:00

Arsenal moved the short distance to the Emirates Stadium in 2006, after 93 years of playing at one of the most historic grounds in the country; Arsenal Stadium (better known as Highbury). The stadium was designed by HOK Sport (who also designed Stadium Australia in Sydney, which was used for the Olympics) and built by Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd. The stadium cost ÂŁ390m to build. With a capacity of over 60,000 the stadium is huge in comparison to Highbury and is the largest football ground in London. It is the only stadium that I know of, in this country that is four tiered. The lower tier, is large and shallow, set well back from the playing surface as a cinder track surrounds the playing area. A small second tier, which is called the Club tier, has seating, but is only eight rows high. Inside it has a number of lounges/restaurants, earning it the nickname the 'prawn circle'. This Club tier slightly overhangs the bottom tier.

The third tier is even smaller, being entirely comprised of executive boxes, some 150 in total and fits entirely under the large fourth tier. This fourth tier, known as the upper tier, has been designed in a semi circular fashion and is topped by an impressive looking roof, that includes a lot of visible white tubular steelwork and perspex panels to allow more light to get to the pitch. The roofs though do not follow the semi circular shape of the stands but in fact run across the top of them and even dip down towards them giving them a strange look.

Two excellent looking large video screens situated in the North West & South East corners, below

the roof line, complete the stadium.

Away fans at the Emirates Stadium are housed in the lower tier of the South East corner. The normal allocation for away fans will be 3,000 tickets, but this can be increased for cup games. Although fans have big padded seats and plenty of leg room, the lower tier of the stadium is quite shallow (unlike the upper tiers which have plenty of height between rows), meaning that the view might not be as good as you would expect from a new stadium.

Entrance to the stadium is by a 'smart ticket', whereby rather than giving your ticket to a turnstile operator, you enter it into a ticket reader to gain entry. This always confuses the away fans, as although more clubs are installing this type of apparatus, it is still in the minority. On my last visit, after being searched on entry, the steward took my ticket and inserted it into the ticket reader for me, which speeded up the process (which made sense as it is not clear on the ticket as to which way it should be inserted).

Where To Drink?

The traditional pub for away supporters is the Drayton Arms, which is located near to Arsenal tube station and Drayton Park railway station. This Courage pub overlooks the new stadium and is only a few minutes walk away. However as you would expect it can get extremely busy on matchdays, with drinkers spilling outside onto the pavements.

The Villa Times Magazine 69

Travel

On the whole Stamford Bridge is a pleasurable day out.

The ground is quite impressive looking, having had three new stands built since the mid-1990's. The developers have taken advantage of the fact that the 'old' Stamford Bridge was oval shaped and have stretched the new stands right around the ground 'filling in' the corners, so that the stadium is totally enclosed. The latest addition to the stadium is the attractive looking West Stand, which was opened in 2001. Located on one side of the pitch, it is a superb three tiered affair having a row of executive boxes running across its middle, the type of which you are able to sit outside. Its roof is virtually transparent, allowing more light to reach the pitch and gives it a unique look. Opposite is the older East Stand. Opened in 1973 this towering stand is also three tiered and has the team dugouts situated at its front.

Both ends are smaller being two-tiered. One of these is the Matthew Harding Stand, named in memory of the man who did so much to transform the club. Opposite is the Shed End which has a Police Control Box suspended below its roof.

There are two large video screens located in opposite corners of the stadium. Outside the ground, behind the West Stand is a statue of former playing legend, Peter Osgood.

Away fans are located on one side of the Shed End lower tier (towards the East Stand side), where the normal allocation for league games is 3,000 tickets.

For cup games the whole of the Shed End can be allocated. The view from this area of the ground is pretty good and the refreshment areas are modern looking. There are televisions on the concourses, showing amongst other things at half time, highlights from the first half. A range of pies and 70 The Villa Times Magazine

pasties are on offer, including the Chicken Balti Pie (£3) and roll over hot dogs (£3.50). Alcohol is also available with Heineken & Guinness on offer at £3.50 a pint. There is also a 'meal deal' available for a pie and a pint (£6).

On the whole Stamford Bridge is a pleasurable day out. There was a good atmosphere within the ground and even though there wasn't a lot of space between the home and away fan sections, in didn't feel intimidating. The stewards were also pretty laid back. I was seated in the Shed End and I did find a little difficult to go up and down the steps of the stand, due to the stand itself being quite steep and the steps between rows quite small. The only ‘real hassle' I had was trying to get through the lines of stewards situated outside the stadium at the entrance to the away section. They seemed to assume that I was a Chelsea fan and kept ushering me towards the home end. Only after showing my ticket for the visiting section for a third time did I finally made it inside!

Where To Drink The pubs near the ground can be quite partisan, so I would recommend getting a drink somewhere on the journey there. A number of away fans drink in the pubs around the Earl's Court area, which is only a couple of tube stops away from Fulham Broadway station. The Courtfield Tavern, which is almost opposite the main entrance to Earl's Court Tube Station, is a particular favourite with away supporters. This pubs serves real ale, offers hot food, but both at what can be described as 'London prices'.

Wednesday 21st August Kick Off 1945

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71 The Villa Times Magazine

Gemma Duah at Villa Park

Gordon Cowans and Brian Little with their copy of the Villa Times

Proud Grand dad Peter Lowe with his firs grand son Jacob

Charlie Brennan with his Dad’s (Simon) old Villa Shirt on

Jason Quek on his vist Mark Walters and Ke

V illa W o rld....

Adam Keeble from New York and his family with the Villa Mascot

72 The Villa Times Magazine

Eugene O’Rielly with Villa legend Brian Little

Christe

Villa World

Life long Villa fan David Lawery with David Wagstaff and Villa Legend Gordon Cowans

t to the UK with en McNaught

Kayleigh Micklewright with Stan

en Dooley of the Sacred Heart with her copy of the Villa Times

Emer Brennan with Bella

Villa Fans last year on the US tour

Jeromni Rodgers with fellow Villa Lions in the US

Beverly Butler outside Villa Park

Danny Brown getting a telling off from Villa Legend Gordon Cowans

Send us your pictures to be in next months magazine and be in the chance to WIN great prizes

The Villa Times Magazine 73

Lions

Welcome to the Lion family

Great Weekend in Carrickfergus This years International Lions Club meet was hosted by The N.I. Lions in Carrickfergus home of Paul and Lisa McCusker who put on a spectacular show for Villa Fans...

Villa fans worldwide descended on Northern Ireland for a weekend never to be forgotten in The Brown Cow Inn from Friday morning until Sunday night.

Paul said he couldnt believe it when he turned up to do his pre open duties at the pub and there were Villa fans everywhere waiting to be let in for an early morning pint!

The pub was full all day and then again in the evening as Karaoke Disco, exceptional food and an evening with former Villa star Shaun Teale unfolded.

Saturday Carrick Rangers was the venue for a friendly in aid of Stan Petrovs Charity saw Villa legends Sid Cowans and Alan Wright guest for the English X1, and Ken McNaught managed by Shaun Teale appeared fior the Irish X1. English Lions were victorious running out 5-2 winners in this very "lively" friendly game which saw the Irish keeper go off injurted early in the first half, and lose one of their star players to a ankle injury.

The Brown Cow was where the entertain-

ment was for the evening again with a full live bnand and auction raffle in aid again of Stiliyan Petrovs charity again - a framed Christian Benteke boots prize fetched an handsome ÂŁ350 alone for the charity by one very generous Irish member.

Sunday was a lighter day with a two piece live girl group and outside bar b q second to none, again with the former Villa players mixing with the Villa Lions from far and wide making everyones weekend a dream come true.

Paul McCusker said he was delighted to host such an event, deemed it a huge sucess and said that many new friends were made over the course of the weekend. Its the fourth year in a row that Northern Irish Lions have hosted an evening together buit never on a scale as large as this.

Former Villa favourite Alan Wright said if anyone ever had any doubts about how big this football club is then this proved it. He has never seen so many Villa fans together in one place where there was no first team game playing.im honoured to of been invited and cant wait to return...

Successful evening for the Bromsgrove Lions The Annual Supporters' Club Awards Evening was held in the Holte Suite, Villa Park, and proved to be a highly successful evening for the Bromsgrove Villa Lions.

The Bromsgrove Villa Lions were triumphant against exceptional competition in achieving the UK Supporters' Club of the Year Award for 2012-2013.

To top off a wonderful evening Duncan Kemp, Club Secretary, achieved the Clubman of the Year Award.

A thrilled Phil Gardner, Club Chairman, said "I remember starting up the Bromsgrove Villa Lions over 7 years ago and running just one

74 The Villa Times Magazine

mini bus to the matches. Since then we have made tremendous strides from a club that was close to folding a few years back to finish with the awards we received on Saturday evening, UK Supporters' Club of the Year and Clubman of the Year for Duncan Kemp."

"My personal congratulations to him, as without his help and support it would have been difficult to carry on and develop the club into what it is today. We will continue to build on our growing reputation and make the Bromsgrove Villa Lions great in all things Aston Villa."

Atherstone were first up this week, then after all the transfers we were inundated with new Lions Clubs waiting to open around the globe.

Chris Fetters opened Seattle Lions in the USA, Ian Mason with Hertfordshire Lions, Tony Tristy Dakota and Dave Farris complete the USA trio with a branch for Queen City in Cinncinatti.

The Lions Club network continues to go from strength to strength and with such an exciting season ahead we hope to pass the 200 barrier by the end of season 2013/14.

We now boast 104 European Branches with 62 of those made up in the United Kingdom. 14 Branches proudly represent the United States of America with rest scattered across the world as far as Australia and New Zealand who provide 5 Branches.

All in all it looks like a Bright Future for Aston Villa Supporter Clubs!

Lions 5 a side Charity Event

The annual Lions Club 5 a side competition took place before the Chelsea game last season, and run this year by Steve Gough of Cannock Lions raised a phoenominal amount of money for Cure Leukaemia.

Steve organised the end of season 5 a side competition this year with aking place on Sunday 12th May. The event was in the Academy at Villa Park and the competition was dedicated to former club captain Stiliyan Petrov and his battle with Leukaemia.

Stiliyan kindly allowed to put his name to the trophy and all the proceeds for the Cure Leukaemia charity, to encourage extra sponsorship Stiliyan also donated a shirt which he personally signed and this was awarded to the team that raised the most sponsorship and this was presented to Great Barr Lions at the awards evening.

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The Restaurant Now Open for Bookings call 0121 241 1724 or for more infomation The Villa Times Magazine 75

News

Villa old boys take on Bankers

Flares and fireworks are banned for a reason POLICE are warning about the dangers of setting off pyrotechnics at football matches after a teenager was taken to hospital with lung damage from a smoke bomb at an Aston Villa match.

The 15-year-old lad had travelled to Wigan’s DW Stadium to watch Villa’s final game of the season on Sunday 19 May during which a number of flares and smoke bombs were set off among the away fans.

At one point a smoke bomb was even thrown onto the pitch − resulting in a short delay to the match.

The youngster affected was close to where one was set alight and immediately struggled to breathe and felt burning to his eyes. The following day he continued to feel ill at school and was taken to hospital.

Chest x-rays revealed he was suffering the effect of smoke inhalation and had suffered damage to his lungs. Doctors were also concerned that he could have been affected by toxins in the flares. He was released from hospital later the same day.

Two other Villa fans, women aged 22 and 24, also received treatment having breathed in smoke at the ground.

A pair of teenage boys, both aged 16 and from Birmingham, were arrested in the ground after being spotted by police in possession of smoke bombs. They are currently on police bail pending further investigation.

PC Stewart Bladen, from West Midlands Police, said: "The lad was stood in the middle of the stand when someone just behind him set of a smoke bomb − he described not being able to breath, feeling a burning in his chest and became very panicky.

"I was in another stand some 200 metres away and when the wind blew smoke towards us it was choking - so to have been stood directly beside it must have been suffocating."

The teenager’s mum added: "My son has followed the Villa away quite a few times this season, he isn’t afraid of the hustle and bustle and the jostling and the banter that goes with being in an excitable

76 The Villa Times Magazine

crowd of fellow supporters.

"However, this nasty experience has left him very dubious of being surrounded by large numbers of fans.

"The panic he felt when he couldn’t breathe; the fact he couldn’t see and his lungs and throat were burning will no doubt stay with him for a long time.

"As parents, we want him to continue to enjoy following football however, we want to know that he is safe and isn’t going to be in danger of this happening again.

"The fans who − in their minority − need to understand the lasting physical and mental effects that they are putting their fellow supporters through, just for a few minutes of mindless stupidity."

Independent expert Dr Steve Frosdick said: "Pyrotechnics are very dangerous inside a football stadium - especially amongst large crowds of people.

"Bengal flares, which are often used, burn at extremely high temperatures, risk serious injury and can easily cause fires.

"Smoke bombs give off toxic smoke and can, as in this case, cause respiratory problems and even an arrhythmia."

Earlier in the football season two Chelsea supporters were sent to prison for a month after being arrested for possessing smoke bombs at an away match against Swansea in the Capital One Cup. The pair were banned from attending football games for six years, while a third supporter involved was also banned for the same length of time. Chelsea have also barred the trio from Stamford Bridge for ten years each.

PC Bladen continued: "Flares and fireworks at games are banned in the UK for a reason - they have the potential to cause harm and distress, and are a serious fire risk.

"We have seen them used on the continent for many years but this is a relatively new trend for English football.

"Anyone found trying to smuggle in any pyrotechnic devices can expect lengthy football banning orders keeping them out of all British grounds and from travelling to matches abroad."

1982 European Cup winning legends Dennis Mortimer, Nigel Spink, Gordon Cowans, Kenny Swain, Ken McNaught and Pat Heard played in a five-a-side tournament along with Steve Staunton and Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner.

Gary Shaw also attended the event to offer his support, along with McNaught’s son Gregor and the players’ families.

They were invited by the outgoing Governor of the Bank of England, Sir Mervyn, a staunch Villa supporter, and played in the final against the winner of the Bank of England’s in-house tournament.

Villa win with top two gongs at Football Hospitality Awards Villa have the very best hospitality in the Barclays Premier League - and that's official.

For the second year running, the club scooped the two top gongs at the Football Hospitality Awards, held at Reading's Madejski Stadium.

Villa beat off all clubs in England and Scotland as well as national venues such as Wembley, Hampden Park and Croke Park to the Overall Matchday Hospitality Experience and Premier League Matchday prizes.

We also took home gold in the media choice award, where journalists rate the quality of food and service on a matchday across the country.

Villa also won bronze in the green hospitality category for a sustainable approach.

Meanwhile, Carly Watton from our catering team also won a Star of the Future merit award.

Alison Plant, head of hospitality and events, said: "What a night!

"We started the evening by winning the media choice award and finished it by emerging successful once again with the overall hospitality prize.

"We really couldn't be happier. To win the main gong once is fantastic. To win it twice and two years in a row at that - is terrific.

"We work really hard behind-the-scenes to make sure our standards are always immensely high. We also attempt to break new ground and always strive to be pioneers in our industry.

Save The Date

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FIXTURES 2013/14 SEASON Date

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10th Aug

Villa are set to host Champions League quarter-finalists Malaga in a pre-season friendly at Villa Park. The clash against the Spanish outfit Will take place on Saturday August 10th with Kick off at 3pm.

11th Aug

September 14 Sat 21 Sat 28 Sat

Newcastle Norwich Man City

Aston Villa v Malaga, Villa Park

H A H

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A H H

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A H A H

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Villa Old Stars v Bromsgrove

Villa Old Stars take on Bromsgrove Sporting at the Victoria Ground Bromsgrove, Kick off at 2pm, Come and enjoy a great day and see some of your all time favourites.

October 5 Sat Hull 20 Sun Tottenham 26 Sat Everton

November 2 Sat 9 Sat 25 Mon 30 Sat

West Ham Cardiff West Brom Sunderland

17th Aug

Villa Kick off the season at the Emirates Stadium v Arsenal on Saturday the 17th, lets get down there and support Paul Lamberts men get off to a winning start.

18th Aug

December 3 Tue 7 Sat 14 Sat 21 Sat 26 Thu 28 Sat

Southampton Fulham Man Utd Stoke Crystal Palace Swansea

A A H A H H

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A H A H

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January 1 Wed 11 Sat 18 Sat 28 Tue

Sunderland Arsenal Liverpool West Brom

February 1 Sat 8 Sat 11 Tue 22 Sat

Everton West Ham Cardiff Newcastle

A H A A

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Norwich Man City Chelsea Stoke Man Utd

H A H H A

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March 1 Sat 8 Sat 15 Sat 22 Sat 29 Sat

Arsenal v Aston Villa, Emirates

Villa Old Stars v Abbi XI

at Redditch Utd FC, Bromsgrove Road, Redditch, Abbi (pictured left) is 5 years old and has Ullrich Congenital Muscular Dystrophy, Help the Villa Old Stars to help Abbi and her parents..

24th Aug

Aston Villa v Liverpool, Villa Park

Aston Villa take on Brendan Rogers Liverpool for the first home game of the 2013/14 season, with Paul Lambert showing a few in faces for the campaign it’s a must to be there.

30th Sept

AVFPA Golf Day & Dinner

Join a host of former Aston Villa players and special guests for a day of golf and a fun-filled evening of excellent food, top-class comedy and musical entertainment. Book your tickets

AVFC Golf Day for Acorns Tuesday 1st October, Forest of Arden Charity Fundraiser in support of Acorns 25th Anniversary

April 5 Sat 12 Sat 19 Sat 26 Sat

Fulham Crystal Palace Southampton Swansea

H A H A

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May 3 Sat Hull 11 Sun Tottenham

H A

*All fixtures subject to change

Join the Villa Stars for the Aston Villa golf day at a new venue – The Forest of Arden. Enjoy a days golfing on the Championship Arden Course followed by a celebratory dinner.

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Pricing Team: £825 + VAT per team, Individual place: £225 +VAT per person, Individual place bookers will be teamed with other individuals to make up teams.

To book your team call 0800 612 0960 The Villa Times Magazine 77

Picture of the Month

The Huddle Taken from a series of 'Fans Fotos' in and around The Stadium. This photograph was taken from the Trinity Road stand on the 30th September 2012 a 1-1 draw against West Brom.

Picture By Michael McCafferty

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