Villa act swiftly to appoint a manager this time

A Special One before the Special One

Aston Villa's board have acted decisively in appointing Paul Lambert as their new manager. After a brief flirtation with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Norwich boss was identified as the man to replace Alex McLeish, putting to an end any repeat show of the problems this time last year.

Back then, indecision, rejection and fudge proved costly as the board were forced to appoint Alex McLeish. Flipping Eck, who crossed the city to Villa was fifth-choice. After weeks of rumour and fruitless negotiation, hundreds of angry fans protested at Villa Park as the man who'd relegated Blues twice was unveiled.

Gerard Houllier quit before the season's end citing more heart problems, leaving Gary McAllister to caretake. Villa finished 2010-11 with a flourish: a 2-1 win at Arsenal was followed by a final day 1-nil win over Liverpool. Window signing Darren Bent's goals helped secure a ninth placed finish after a springtime dalliance with the wrong end of the league. Randy splashed £24m on the Sunderland striker to insure against the unthinkable.

So there was cause for low-level optimism: after all, McLeish was inheriting a better squad than he had at St. Andrews, he could call upon on an enlarged squad crop made possible by Houllier's faith in youth - and he had won Blues some silverware (so ruining Villa fans "one hundred years and won f*** all" Blues tribute song).

Lambert takes over from Alex McLeish at Villa Park

Instead the footballing fair all season was lamentable. McLeish had a reputation for setting up defensive teams and he took his confidence-sapping pub-team mentality and placed it upon the shoulders of a good team built by Martin O'Neill.

I deliberately took a seat next to the bench for Villa's home game with Wigan, so I could see how McLeish managed during game time. While clapping the flicks and tricks of Barry Bannan, he seemed to exchange a negative comment immediately afterwards with his coaches. I'd heard talk from another reporter that he didn't think the youth were good enough; a real kick in the face for the likes of Albrighton, Clark, Herd and Delph, who'd figured largely in Houllier's plans.

McLeish never looked assured in the job.

But it could've been all so different if Villa had appointed a boss with less panic and conjecture. No less than five names were in the frame in advance of the surprise link to the Birmingham City manager.

David Moyes was the early rumour. I had it on authority from a former Villa player now connected in the world of agents that the Everton boss had had two meetings with a representative from Villa's board. To the disappointment of many (including me), that's as far as it went; whatever issues Moyes had at Goodison were settled without the story emerging from the shadows.

Then suddenly and without any advance warning, Mark Hughes quit Fulham. The Welshman had just completed an eighth-placed finish at Craven Cottage, a place, a point and a seventeen goal better goal difference than Villa. The betting exchanges took this as a definitive job offer from Villa Park. How wrong that proved: in fact, owner Randy Lerner was said to have been spooked by Sparky's Cottage walkout.

Matters then got a little out of hand: Villa set their sights on Champions League winner, Rafa Benitez. But he gave short shrift to the Villa opportunity and swiftly rejected Randy's overtures.

Former England manager and umbrella model, Steve McClaren was called for interview - within 24 hours, he was told by Paul Faulkner not to bother turning up. No explanation was given and the disappointed McClaren, who wanted a return to England after disappointment at Wolfsburg, had a short-lived spell at Forest.

The spotlight then fell on Wigan's Roberto Martinez: a last day Premier League survivor with a win at Stoke. The Spaniard had cultivated a reputation for playing good football at both Swansea and the DW Stadium. But his special relationship with Dave Whelan put paid to Villa's chances.

Meanwhile, the close-season clock was ticking: other clubs had completed their summer signings, pre-season preparations were well underway. Still, no one was at the helm.

When Alex McLeish's name started circulating on Twitter, I originally thought it was a joke. Birmingham City had already mailed out Season Ticket renewal cards with his picture, autograph and spiel to get behind a promotion push.

Two days and £2million pounds in compensation later, the Blues boss was wearing a claret and blue tie, aiming to placate angry fans and win them over! Frankly, it was a terrible way to kick-off a new regime.

The only relieved people must've been Messrs. Lerner and Faulkner, but even they must have hoped beyond hope to a bit of good fortune: McLeish's arrival was nothing like they'd chosen.

This time, the board acted quickly, decisively and boldly: hiring a man who the fans are behind and with a fighting chance in the transfer market, with both time and available finance.

Lambert speaks of energy, vigour and ambition: he's reawakened Norwich City with commitment and organisation. Villa represents a step up.

He believes in Villa's potential and arrives from a place where he couldn't have fulfilled those dreams previously.

More games, more goals

Recent competitiveness in the Premier League has been a breath of fresh air - and the main reason is belief.

Rory Delap's long throw. No one can stop it!

While money still talks and Manchester City's elevation to the big-time shows it, clubs with less resource go into 90 minutes against bigger opposition with larger stature; both mentally and physically.

Birmingham's Carling Cup victory over Arsenal and Bolton and Stoke's FA Cup semi-final berths show more than ever that graft and experience can undo clever gameplans and squad depth. I thought Koscielny and Szczesny's mistake gifting Martins his Wembley winner was made of Blues second half pressure.

Fergie's "Men Win Matches" approach is even more applicable in 2011. Tactics and beautiful play just don't count as much as they did three seasons ago. Arsenal are the main fall guys of this. Yes, they're in the title race but they'll have to play with more force and individual leadership if they're to topple United to vindicate Arsene Wenger's ideals.

And more goals are being scored because manager's are more open to winning matches than sitting on leads. There are definitely less clean sheets around. Isn't it Bloomfield Road where every match has resulted in at least one goal for both teams?

Martins winner was a deserved one

Money is still the decisive factor and the longer the Champions League pays such huge bounty (together with being top of the Premier League of course), the cartel will be tough to break. It's where the cream of star players want to play. But the clutch of Europa League wannabe clubs believe the gates aren't shut to them. 

And with UEFA Financial Fair Play coming into force in two years, expect an even bigger impact on competition in the coming seasons.


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Significance this weekend at Wembley and in the Premier League

4-nil. The two most emphatic scorelines of this Premier League weekend carry a weight of significance and destiny for both the winners and losers.

Manchester United didn't even play well at Wigan, but it's a win which hoists them above the chasing pack in the title race and consigns the journeymen and mercenaries of Wigan to life in the Championship (or an impending transfer to a German or Turkish club, more like).

And Wolves' thrashing of fellow strugglers Blackpool shows Mick McCarthy's men can produce results when they apply themselves, while showing up the Tangerine's inability to defend. The Kingson Cops, you might say!

Wolves fans will be dreaming of kicking off next season at home to Arsenal rather than away to Bournemouth or Brighton. Blackpool will surely be making travel arrangements to those other seaside resorts.

The other noteworthy result unrolled at Wembley as plucky Birmingham City showed grit, determination and muscular resolve to beat off pretty Arsenal, 2-1.

Blues deserved their trophy (and I say this is an Aston Villa fan who's spent his 43 years laughing at their constant failure). They deserved it because despite being outclassed in quality, possession and creation, Arsenal couldn't compete with them in terms of their gameplan; one cut of desire, of physicality - and of threat.

Make no mistake, Arsenal are a team of great quality who play their football the right way. In Jack Wilshere, England has a player fluid of movement and fluent of mind. Arsene Wenger's team will pick themselves up from this. They have to. One minute Blues, the next Barcelona in the Camp Nou.

But the misunderstanding between Koscielny and Szcezny which gifted Obafemi Martins his last-ditch tap-in, was borne of Birmingham's bullying rather than of their own making; an above board piece of gamesmanship as muscle crushed craft.

Their victory is also affirmation of the glory of winning silverware. Newcastle and Manchester City aside, there's no club who've failed more than Birmingham City. Fourth is no longer the new first as those joyous Wembley celebrations showed.

I've been to many games at the new stadium and I can honestly say, this was the best one played there since it was rebuilt.

The weekend's action demonstrated application, fitness and unity overcomes all. It's not great news for the football purist; but it is a rebirth of why the English game perpetually keeps us on the edge of our seats.

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Houllier's still at the drawing board at Villa

I'd like rooom to sort out le Villa, s'il vous plait!

While Aston Villa extended their unbeaten run to seven against Birmingham City, there wasn't much ease and flow about their game.

Part of it was down to the tactics of Alex McLeish, who very effectively stopped Stewart Downing and Ashley Young in midfield.

But it was mostly about Gerard Houllier's inability to stamp his authority on the club. He's preparing and fielding Martin O'Neill's squad. Houllier has to fashion Villa to his mould.

A goalless draw is probably a fair reflection of a game full of bluster and effort, but there were no thoroughbreds in this derby.

Blues had a penalty claim, so did Villa. Ciaran Clark, Barry Bannan, Ashley Young and Nigel Reo-Coker might've snatched it.

What a good defensive unit Villa have. If you remember how James Collins, Richard Dunne and Stephen Warnock all made their debut in a 1-nil derby win at St. Andrews last year, they've never looked back since. No worries there for the new administration.

But Houllier is not yet a big figure at Villa Park. He needs to impress his personality on the team for them to rise again.

Saying things like "they will finish somewhere between seventh and twelfth" hardly echoes around the halls of Villa Park like the words of Churchill. And he's repeated that phrase.

All this after inheriting the baton from Martin O'Neill, who steered Villa to three sixth-placed finishes in a row.

Villa need to maintain the momentum of the last few years if they're to keep pace with Spurs and Manchester City. Liverpool's stunning decline affords clubs like these a great opportunity to gatecrash the Big Four Party.

Villa should take the initiative but it starts with Houllier cutting a bigger figure.

Burnley's Fair Play League hopes dashed

As quickly as hopes were raised for Burnley, they were dashed! UEFA's decided to award Fair Play places in Europe to Sweden, Denmark and Finland next term, so ending the relegated Clarets hopes of joining the Euro elite from August. But Soccermongery says the Fair Play League is distinctly unfair - to deserving clubs:

Why should Burnley manager Brian Laws have been incentivised by Europe's governing body to send out his team urging careful challenges in their last game of the Premier League season? Because that's what Laws would've been mindful of as he prepared his Clarets for their last (ever) game in the top flight, at home to Tottenham. A place in Europe via this contorted route was still up for grabs at the time.

It’s not as if they were a particularly clean team anyway. Burnley were just the highest up the Fair Play table who'd not qualified for Europe.

In fact, they finished as low as seventh. Incredibly, the six teams above them didn’t need a back door to Europe like this; they'd already qualified. Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea and Villa among them.

What the Fair Play League shows year after year is that successful teams are usually disciplined enough to play the game the right way, leaving struggling hoofers like Burnley to earn this ridiculous route into the Europa League.

I suppose it might've stopped an exodus of players from Turf Moor following their relegation to the Championship. That and the parachute money, of course. But it’s still a European-style fudge and nonsense.

If UEFA awarded a Europa place to the most improved side in the Premier League, it might help that club to develop further. Stoke or Birmingham would drink to that suggestion.

Birmingham City Transfer Swoop!

BREAKING NEWS! Birmingham City have made a £100million offer for Mr. Messi.

If successful, owner Carson Yeung's also promised to follow up with bids for Mr. Bump and Mr. Tickle!

Click here for Jose Mourinho: Motorway Man and Fergie's missed his chance to quit at the top.