George Best: He played for Villa you know...I know, I was there

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

In 1985, the sport of football was not what you could call in good shape. A combination of escalating terrace violence, economic malaise, and frankly, poor quality football played in decaying stadiums had left the national game in deep trouble. Attendance figures were dropping through the floor.

May 1985 would see the situation get even worse but in the true spirit of the phrase “every cloud has a silver lining” tragic events in Yorkshire would lead to a true one-off.

George Best would play football for Aston Villa.

As Villa's 1984-85 season petered out into mid-table mediocrity, there was little to shout about. We'd lost our last home league game of the season to Luton Town by a single goal and were playing away at a Liverpool with one eye on The European Cup Final on the last Saturday of the league season. Not being that bothered about the game and with Dennis Mortimer's Testimonial looming on the Tuesday, I'd decided not to go.

Saturday afternoon would be spent glued to the radio.

11th May 1985

We didn't have Jeff Stelling back in those days, so I was taking part in the tradition of the time, switching between George Gavin on BRMB and whoever was in charge of the goals klaxon on Radio WM (probably Tim Russon) and tellingly on this day, Sport on 2 because they always mentioned Villa a lot more if were playing the red half of Merseyside. The telly was switched to the Oracle teletext service to keep up with the latest scores.

Fire halts the Bradford-Lincoln game

Towards the end of first half, a Radio 2 reporter announced that there appeared to be smoke and a few flames coming from the stand at Bradford and the game against Lincoln had been halted. It was fairly unusual for the BBC to mention Bradford at all, so it must, I reasoned, be a significant happening. As it was just before the interval I was, as a matter of course, turning off the teletext to catch the half time reports on the BBC's Grandstand and ITV's World of Sport. Yorkshire TV's cameras were at Valley Parade and World of Sport quickly abandoned their half time reports sequence to show the unfolding scene.

There only seemed to be a few flames at first, but just as commentator John Helm said that it looked serious, the small fire became a major conflagration. As fans began streaming onto the pitch, the roof caught a blaze. In less time than it takes to make a soft boiled egg, the whole of the roof was ablaze, raining fiery debris down on those making their escape. Helm put into the words the terrible thoughts of those us around the country witnessing agape as the tragedy unfolded and people began to emerge from the stand, some white with burns and even, in some cases, still on fire.

Valley Parade - the whole stand went up in minutes

The speed and fury with which the fire claimed the stand and with it the lives of dozens who had just gone out to cheer on their football team was truly frightening. Bradford had just gained promotion and this was supposed to be a day of celebration. The joy had turned to abject horror in little more than the blink of an eye.

For us football fans, used to standing or sitting in many ramshackle stands no better or safer than the one whose destruction we were gaping at, there was a real feeling of “there but for the grace of god go I”. 

It really hit home.

It was devastating. Horrible. Gruesome. Tragic. And one more word. Avoidable.

Yes avoidable and anyone who knew anything about how football was being run and fans were being treated knew it only too well. If we'd been cattle the RSPCA would never have stood for it.

Villa lost 2-1 at Anfield that day but I'd never been less interested in how my team had got on in my life.

As the extent of the afternoon's events began to become clear, the football family was dealt another kick in the teeth. A twelve foot wall had collapsed during severe crowd trouble between Birmingham City and Leeds United and a 15 year old boy had died as a consequence.

It's probably difficult for those who weren't around at the time to understand just how dire things had become for the game but it really felt at the time as if football was dying too. The events of that horrible day felt like nails in the coffin.

This was of course the era of Band Aid and so the reflex response of a shocked public to the fire was to start fund raising. Gerry Marsden would resurrect his hit “You'll Never Walk Alone”. The football world responded with benefit matches, but it seemed such a game featuring Villa would be unlikely.

With Villa Park booked for Dennis's game in midweek and with many potential opponents still having League fixtures to fulfil, it seemed we wouldn't be getting a game at all. The Express and Star had other ideas and it seems to have been their drive that got the game to happen. Saturday was a no-no as this was FA Cup Final day and the cup was treated with the utmost respect in those days. It was still the jewel in the crown of the football calendar. 

14th May 1985

The Mortimer testimonial took place on the Tuesday. Many of us were of the opinion that these sort of friendlies were all rigged and a high-scoring draw was on the cards. Wrong!

With so many England regulars playing for their clubs that week though, the England XI of fringe players must have seen it as an opportunity and took the game seriously and we got thumped 4-1, Peter Withe getting ours and our very own Paul Rideout scoring against us! Garry “Bruno” Thompson found the net twice with Sunderland's Nick Pickering getting the other one. A crowd of 5,451 turned up to see it and word started to get round that we were playing a game for the Bradford fire fund after all, against West Bromwich Albion and that one George Best was going to turn out for us.

"Yeah. Right" was the reaction of many of us.

At this stage of his life, George had managed to pick up a reputation for being less than reliable and for being three sheets to the wind on TV chat shows so most of us took George's potential involvement with a pinch of salt. Mister Dependable he wasn't.

17th May 1985

The attendance at the Mortimer match probably influenced the decision not to open the Holte End and so it was that on Friday 17th May 1985, most of us in the crowd of 5,663 were packed into Trinity Road Stand. Despite its beautiful brick façade, much of the Trinity's structure was wooden, an irony that wasn't lost on us on the night.

So hastily had the game been organised that there had been no time to print a proper programme so a four page newspaper type document from the Express and Star provided the pre-match reading material. Players who weren't taking part in the game were mingling around the refreshments stands and I clearly remember really struggling to decipher Tony Morley's thick accent. By this point, Tony was plying his trade for the opposition.

Then came the team news: Kevin Poole in goal, full backs Gary Williams and Tony Dorigo, Evans and Ormsby at the heart of defence, Ray Walker, Stevie McMahon and Sid in midfield, Peter Withe alongside Paul Rideout up front and in the number eleven shirt...oh yes! George Best!

Yep!

George in a Villa shirt!

Nicky Cross dazzled by George's brilliance

Legend has it that the only stipulation George made was that Villa provide the footwear. Incredibly, one of the most skilful players ever to grace the planet no longer owned a pair of football boots!

It is absolutely true to say that George wasn't in prime physical fitness, being just shy of his 39th birthday at the time, but all the skill was there and his every touch was greeted with yelps of delight from the assembled Trinity Road throng. The first half may have been goalless, but it was joy to watch the ball control, brilliance and cheeky back heel passes of a true maestro at work.

He made Albion's awestruck players look ordinary, which probably didn't do much for their self esteem.

I was certainly awestruck, so much so that I couldn't find it in my heart to sing the old classic "Georgie Best. Superstar. Looks like a woman and he wears a bra." Mind you, the emerging middle-aged spread and the full beard made the song somewhat redundant anyway.

Tony Godden keeps Peter Withe at bay

In the second half, we even got some goals to cheer. Paul Rideout combined well with Steve McMahon who put Villa one up as a consequence before a corner from Mister Georgie Best himself found Allan Evans and we were coasting.

Or at least I thought we were.

Albion stormed back into it, Steve Mackenzie scoring a penalty before Tony Grealish levelled it. Garry Thompson continued his week of being a thorn in Villa's side by putting the Baggies ahead.

George managed an hour in a Villa shirt and what a wonderful hour it was, but it was the player who came on for him, Didier Six, that netted Villa's equaliser. The game finished 3-3. We'd got the high scoring draw we'd expected on the Tuesday.

Didier Six fires home Villa's equaliser

It was a true honour to witness a player of George's calibre wearing a Villa shirt and the night would also prove to be the last chance of seeing Peter Withe, Paul Rideout and Didier Six in their Villa colours.

The local press reckoned we raised about £10,000 for the disaster fund on the night.

It was a special night, one to treasure, but we should never forget the reason we were there... and if football people thought things couldn't any worse, the Heysel Stadium disaster was less than two weeks away.

56 people died in the fire at Valley Parade:

ACKROYD, John Douglas 32 Baildon
ANDERTON, Edmund 68 Bingley
BAINES, Alexander Shaw 70 Bradford
BAMFORD, Herbert 72 Bradford
BULMER, Christopher James 11 Burley-in-Wharfedale
COXON, Jack Leo 76 Bradford
COXON, Leo Anthony 44 Halifax
CRABTREE, David James 30 Bradford
CRABTREE, Harry 76 Bradford
DEMPSEY, Derek 46 Morley
FIRTH, Muriel 56 Baildon
FIRTH, Samuel 86 Bradford
FLETCHER, Andrew 11 East Bridgford, Nottinghamshire
FLETCHER, Edmond 63 Pudsey
FLETCHER, John 34 East Bridgford, Nottingham
FLETCHER, Peter 32 Gildersome
FORSTER, Nellie 64 Bradford
GREENWOOD, Felix Winspear 13 Denholme
GREENWOOD, Peter 46 Denholme
GREENWOOD, Rupert Benedict 11 Denholme
HALL, Norman 71 Bradford
HALLIDAY, Peter Anthony 34 Bradford
HARTLEY, Arthur 79 Bradford
HINDLE, Edith 79 Bradford
HINDLE, Frederick 76 Bradford
HODGSON, Moira Helen 15 Oakenshaw
HUDSON, Eric 72 Bingley
HUGHES, John 64 Bradford
HUTTON, John 74 Bradford
KERR, Walter 76 Bradford
LOVELL, Peter Charles 43 Bradford
LUDLAM, Jack 55 Bradford
McPHERSON, Gordon Stuart 39 Bradford
McPHERSON, Irene 28 Bradford
MASON, Roy 74 Silsden
MIDDLETON, Frederick Norman 84 Bradford
MITCHELL, Harold 79 Bradford
MUHL, Elizabeth 21 Leeds
NORMINGTON, Ernest 74 Shipley
ORMONDROYD, Gerald Priestley 40 Bingley
ORMONDROYD, Richard John 12 Bingley
ORMONDROYD, Robert Ian 12 Bingley
POLLARD, Sylvia Lund 69 Bradford
PRICE, Herbert 78 Shipley
ROBERTS, Amanda Jayne 20 Bradford
SAMPSON, Jane 18 Leeds
STACEY, William 72 Sleaford, Lincolnshire
STOCKMAN, Craig Albert 14 Bradford
STOCKMAN, Jane Ashley 16 Bradford
STOCKMAN, Trevor John 38 Brighouse
TURNER, Howard Malcolm 41 Bingley
TURNER, Sarah Elizabeth 16 Bingley
WARD, Simon Neil 18 Shipley
WEDGEWORTH, Robert 72 Guiseley
WEST, William James 78 North Hykeham, Lincoln
WRIGHT, Adrian Mark 11 Bradford.

Villaparkaphobia

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. It was all going so well wasn't it?

A crop of fresh bright talent bought from across Europe, complimenting the players who emerged from last season's nightmare with credit, a promising pre-season in which established first teamers dovetailed well with the rising stars of the development squad, all topped with a glorious three points in the season's opener at the Emirates; what could possibly go wrong?

Of course it can all go wrong. This is Aston Villa. There is always a point in the season where the phrase “wheels off everywhere” comes into play. Mid-September and we're there already. We're not quite crying like a gaggle of One Direction fans, but there is cause for concern.

The summer signings did add quality, but potential quality is probably a fairer phrase. The newbies are a skilful bunch and no mistake but you can't buy experience. (Actually you can buy experience but either Paul Lambert doesn't want to or Randy Lerner won't let him.) What we have spent a fair few millions pounds on are players that hopefully will realise their potential really quickly and the only way they can do that is by playing regularly. Snag is, they will have to force their way into the team first.

Even Spidey couldn't catch everything in time

What's stopping them then? After the Newcastle game that probably is a pertinent question.

Let's start at the back. Right at the back because a fair bit of criticism has blown Brad Guzan's way for Newcastle's second goal after the plucky American could only parry Ben Arfa's rasping shot. I think it's fair to say that a fair amount of that criticism has come from people who've never pulled on a pair of keeper's gloves in their lives.

People should remember that Brad is made of flesh and blood and is not a gaming avatar. Unless you've fingers like Peter Parker (Spiderman not the former head of British Rail) you can't hold everything, sometimes you just have to keep the ball out of the back of net as best you can and hope your defence is alert and agile enough to deal with the consequences. Alert and agile are words seldom used to describe our back line.

Peter Parker, Chairman British Rail

The tragedy of Okore's injury is that he has all the tools to be a great defender, needing in my view just a solid first season in the Premier League to add some better decision-making to his undoubted talents. Even having said that, we looked more solid at the back with him than without him, and with us seemingly unable to get through a match without a central defender going off injured, it's surely only a matter of time before we see Chris Herd pressed into service at the heart of our defence.

Sends shivers down my spine that.

It's more than fair to say that both full-backs were poor against Newcastle. Loic Remy had a field day against Matthew Lowton, in part because our right back needs to go back to school when it comes to positional play, often showing the tactical nous of a primary school defender. You certainly can't afford to give the likes of Loic a head start.

Tony Moon, meanwhile, was gaining a whole new education from the feet of Ben Arfa. The worrying thing here is that the rest of the team could clearly see what a torrid time our left back was having but did little or nothing to help him. It's a team game guys. Where was the support from midfield? Indeed what were the midfield doing for much of the game?

When a team mate is getting torn a new one, HELP HIM OUT!!!!

Against Arsenal and Chelsea, we looked impressive because our midfield three pressed the opposition on the ball, giving them no time to settle or find any kind of rhythm, hence forcing the mistakes which enabled us to counter with stunning pace. 

Back at Villa Park, we seem content to stand back and let the opposition pass as they please. Then when we do have possession - and believe it or not we had the lion's share of the ball against Pardew's men - there is a disconnect between the midfield and the attack, with hopeful rather than thoughtful balls pumped forward in the manner that made the Villa faithful turn venomously on Barry Bannan. When we have the sense to pass to feet accurately instead of playing aimless or speculative balls, we look something like a good side.

Against Newcastle, the midfield finally got it's collective arse into gear at the start of the second half, and for twenty-odd minutes, we were creative and dangerous. We were. Honest. It seems many people have forgotten this decent passage of play due to the direness of the rest of our performance, but things were swinging in our direction at one stage. Don't forget that if Gabby hadn't missed a sitter and Tony Moon hadn't crossed when it was ten times easier to score, we could have actually nicked all the points.

The decision by Lambert to bring on Kozak at expense of a body in midfield was a poor one and killed our period of dominance stone dead, though it could be said that the bouncing Czech's very presence in the box made it harder for their defence to deal with Big Chris for our goal. Sadly, we barely got a look in after that, Karim's exit leaving us totally overrun in the middle of the park and the move to swap the ineffective Weimann for the two-footed Tonev came far, far too late to have any impact.

It's interesting to note that Weimann was one of the names Paul Lambert mentioned when pressed on our lack of an attacking midfield playmaker. There's been precious little evidence of him looking like he could fulfil that role in the Villa Park games.

Against Liverpool of course, Lambert had tried something different in midfield by dropping El Ahmadi in favour of Bacuna. Here came proof positive that Villa Park isn't an easy arena in which to ply one's trade because the young Dutchman made an excitable and error strewn start. Shockingly, sections of our own support failed to realise that this was the young lad's competitive Villa debut in front of a packed Villa Park and instead of giving him chance to find his feet, wrote him off as "rubbish" straight away. Lunacy. This is one very talented player and even though he'd stopped making the silly mistakes long before the first half had even finished, many had picked him out as a whipping boy by then.

We really can be our own worst enemy at times.

So where do we go from here? The situation at Villa Park is likely to get worse before it gets better, with Manchester City looming, while the newbies at Spurs will undoubtedly have started to bed in by the time they rock up, and they have enough quality squad players to give us a tough time in the League Cup too.

The answer is not going to be an injection of new expensive talent in January either. The Okore situation may force Lambert into another defensive purchase, but certainly don't expect it to be the old head we need to steady the ship. It goes against his ethos and this worries me greatly.

The only way through the tough times is going to be hard work. The players that were rewarded with new shiny lucrative contracts have got to show that they are worth them. This means getting their heads down in training and striving to improve their games. With Bacuna prepared to play anywhere just to get into the team, no one should feel they are untouchable. If I was picking the team, I'd make abundantly clear to the likes of Lowton and Westwood that their places are in jeopardy if they can't find it in themselves to improve.

It's hard to judge how much the fringe players are pushing those selected when we can't see them play. The likes of Bennett and Albrighton aren't being given run outs in the Under 21s so we as fans have no way of gauging their form. Mind you, gauging the form of anyone in the Under 21s is difficult when games are played in far off Burton. It's a great pity that AVTV aren't providing live TV pictures from the games at the Pirelli, but will provide pictures from the Villa Park games that are far easier for most fans to attend.

It's also a crying shame that our young lads have been denied the opportunity to defend our NextGen crown due in no small part to the new ludicrous UEFA Youth League. While the Next Gen invite teams to play based on the quality of their academies, Michel Platini's new baby simply invites youth teams from those clubs that have qualified for the Champions League. Daft really.

Just another example of UEFA ensuring that the chosen few get all the gravy. 

The loan-outs of Burke, Carruthers and Grealish not only give them valuable first team experience but also allows some of the other lads their chance in the Under 21 league. Clearly the development of the players is more important than having success in this league but it's impossible to watch a team in Villa colours without being desperate to see them win.

Keep an eye on Kevin Toner and Riccardo Calder. Could be a big season at this level for those two.

Benteke: The Musical. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

"Music has charms to soothe a savage breast" -  William Congreve

When the news broke of  Christian Benteke's transfer request late on Monday evening, there were many reactions. I'll admit that mine was initially one of rage and vitriol, though I had to rein this in somewhat because I was flying the villamad Twitter account at the time, so I was biting my tongue to a large extent and reserved my most rage filled comments for texts to mates or responses on Facebook.

It soon become clear that Villa fans were in mood for levity either. When I posted a jokey tweet that we'd missed out on Grant Holt too, more people than usual actually took it seriously. You always get the odd "Margo" who doesn't get the joke, but this was different.

Villa tweeps were losing the will to laugh collectively, possibly by a combination of the "shock" of the Benteke news and being desensitised after several days of poking Julie Bayley with sharp sticks.

(If you're not aware of the Julie Bayley saga, you are better off out of it to be honest.)

As we headed in to the wee small hours, the extent of the Benteke bombshell was evident by the fact that the angry mob of Villa fans on Twitter hadn't gone to bed. Tweeting pictures of severed heads didn't seem to help calm everyone down.

Might make a similar pic with Lambo and Benteke tomorrow...RT @dekhogan: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned... pic.twitter.com/9pKvNBVifQ
— Dek Hogan (@dekhogan) July 8, 2013

So I wrested control of the villamad Twitter account back from the overnight Minions and began tweeting break up tunes:

villamad spinning the choons to get you through this long dark night of the soul #Benteke #Deserter
— villamad.co.uk (@villamadtweets) July 9, 2013

Now I see no reason why ONLY people  who were sitting up reading Twitter at two in the morning should get to wallow in misery, so I've Spotified the playlist.

So kick your summer shoes off, pour yourself another Pimms and have a thoroughly miserable time, while Benteke tries to come to terms with the fact that Villa support in Germany has already moved on and adapted Seven Nation Army for Nicklas Helenius:

Stan Petrov: Gold Standard

When I was a kid, one of the things that got me interested in football was all the lovely football paraphernalia that you used to to get from the likes of newspapers, packets of tea and of course petrol stations.

I loved my Daily Mirror Goal Action Replay flick books, my Mobil map of the football grounds with club badges to collect and stick on, the collectable cards in PG Tips and I used to love the old football coins you could get...and of course the infamous Panini sticker albums.

We've sort of done the "vintage cigarette card" thing to death this season (and we will do next) so when I was trying to come with suitable graphics to liven up our somewhat predictable villamad.co.uk awards article, it was the old football coins that I revisited to draw inspiration.

Now, I did knock these up fairly quickly, so, pleased as I was with the positive feedback, it came as no massive surprise that some trolls decided they were about as lifelike as the waxworks at Great Yarmouth (at least we know where the trolls were before the Norwich game).

However, even some of the positive feedback was tinged with criticism. "Where was the coin of Stan Petrov?" was the cry. Why no award for our popular and outgoing captain?

It's a good point. We shouldn't have left Stan out!

So, just in time for Petrov Day, I've knocked up a Petrov coin design...and with no expense spared (or spent, I just fiddled with the hue and saturation), it's a gold one!

So here it is:

Stilyian Petrov becomes the first player in our Gold Standard Hall of Fame Gallery, a truly inspirational captain who has won as many plaudits for his conduct and demeanour off the pitch as he has done for his industrious performances on it.

To say that Stan will be missed is an understatement, but as so many former players have discovered in the past, once you're Villa, you're Villa for life and I'm positive we'll still see plenty of Mister Petrov in the future.

Good luck Stan, you'll always be loved at Villa Park

Tales of the Unexpected

It's a bit of a short rant this time because I don't want to keep going over the same ground.

But..

I'm not sure what surprised me most on Saturday. Was it Britain's World Heavyweight hopeful David Price lying in a crumpled heap while serial loser Audley Harrison was launching yet another comeback? Or was it the stunning realisation that the Arsenal game had left me happier with Joe Bennett's performance than the one that Christian Benteke had seen fit to put in?

Can't say I was expecting either event, but having spent much of the week in startled disbelief at the way the South African legal system works, and with the way their police deal with crime scenes, nothing should surprise me.

I suppose the least said about the Pistorius situation the better at this stage, but if they ever make CSI: Pretoria, they'll surely cast The Chuckle Brothers as the lead detectives.

Back to the Benteke question though. Quite why he didn't put in his usual shift is open the question. Fair play, every player can have an off day, however this particular one came after a week of fevered press speculation over the young Belgian's future and against a team that is rumoured to be his childhood favourite. Maybe I should have seen it coming after all.

That said, even a below par Benteke offers more to the team than Darren Bent would have done, had he been fit. He's crocked yet again though, rapidly becoming the modern day equivalent of Dalian Atkinson.

So why am I praising Joe Bennett? Well I'm not really, but you have to give credit where it's due and he certainly seems to be trying harder, putting a foot in and bearing in mind I'd started the game thinking he'd get a complete roasting, I thought he stood up rather well. Indeed, the defensive efforts of our youthful back four even brought praise from John Motson's commentary on Match of The Day. Motty was in admiration of our “stout defending”. Usually when someone mentions stout in connection with our defenders, it's because Dunne's been at the Guinness again.

Arsenal are no great shakes at the moment though. In our situation, plucky displays that garner no points are as much use as a chocolate fire guard. That game was there for the taking yesterday. Yes, Cazorla impressed and Wilshire was good in patches, but The Gunners were tentative at the back and ragged in midfield while Giroud was firing blanks. We should have taken something and we didn't. It was the sort of game that some our fellow relegation strugglers would have taken by the scruff of the neck and wrestled something out of.

And we didn't.

We played some nice stuff going forward again, but we need to start scrapping now too. Fighting tooth and nail for everything.

And we can't.

We don't have the personnel.

When the going got tough, we went into retreat, invited Arsenal on and it cost us big style.

It would be easy too to point the fickle finger of blame at Andi Weimann for losing his man for the Arsenal winner. Except the plucky Austrian had spent fair chunks of the afternoon shredding them down the other end. Plus, in my view, our right back Matt Lowton was getting back with all the urgency of a small child who is being forced to kiss his maiden aunt, the one with the facial hair problem.

So are we doomed? It's going to be a close run thing and I can see the likes of Sunderland getting sucked into the mix but it may actually come down to the last away at Wigan.

And they do know to scrap.

Stop I Don't Love You Anymore

On Texas songstress Sharleen Spiteri's 2008 solo album Melody there's a track I was particularly fond of entitled Stop I Don't Love You Anymore, the title of which pretty much sums up how I'm feeling about Paul Lambert at the moment.

So what has led to this sudden epiphany? What has caused me to stop seeing the man who rode into town to save us from the misery of McLeish through eyes misted by hope and optimism?

Is it our continuing defensive failings? No.

Is it our habit of constantly capitulating from winning positions? No.

Is it our slide to inevitable relegation humiliation because we've been incapable of conjuring a win for a month and half? No.

Is it his inability to strengthen his defensive squad during the window? No.

Is it the fact that he seems to have forgotten how to shave properly? No (but it does seem indicative of a lack of discipline that leads to players slipping out of formation or getting needlessly booked for dissent).

Is it Rosemary, the telephone operator? No

No gentle reader, the straw that broke the camel's back for me was a throwaway comment in the post match presser, when our "leader" was asked inevitable questions about our ability to defend from set plays.

Lambert was quoted as saying 'I am sick of talking about conceding goals from corners'.

Are you Paul?

Are you really?

Well I tell you what sunshine, you're not half as sick of talking about them as we are at having to watch them go in!

You (swear word redacted but it began with “c”)!

Fair play, a lot of us would have taken a draw at the start of the game, but we are not in a position to enjoy that luxury any more. We have to scrap for every single point on offer because with our frightening goal deficit, it could well be that factor that leads to our Premier League demise. We have to scrap and fight from the very first second to the very end of the ninety-sixth minute if that's what it takes.

There were some lovely moments in the match as we counter attacked with aplomb. Matt Lowton seems to have recaptured his joie de vivre, tearing down the right; our Gabby seems to have remembered how to be a striker after a couple of lacklustre seasons under Houllier and McLeish (I suppose we should give Lambo some credit for that); the Beast of B6 struck such fear into the heart of the Everton defence that a clearly traumatised John Heitinga seemed to be a quivering wreck by the time he was withdrawn.

But we know all about quivering wreck defenders don't we?

David Moyes master-stroke was including Anichebe in his front line. Oh, how I wished he'd picked Jelavic. Ciaran Clark was bossed by the big man all afternoon. It would have been a situation that would have been quite easy to rectify. Was there no-one on the pitch to tell Ciaran where he was going wrong? Two words would have been suffice.

“Too tight!”

I was shouting them, if you're astute enough to be reading this blog then you were shouting them, half the pundits in the country were shouting them. Did Ron Vlaar, Villa's captain and Clark's defensive partner shout them? He bloody well should have done! Perhaps he did and Clark thought he was complaining about the size of his jock strap.

I doubt we'll ever find out.

Ciaran's inability to deal with the big man and the constant threat of Fellaini meant that we were on tenterhooks all afternoon. Even with a two goal lead, only the most optimistic Villa fan – or one who hasn't seen us play much this season – would have been confident that we'd close the match out. They don't seem to know how.

When Everton pulled it back to 2-3, the alarm bells should have rung. Keep possession, run it into the opposition corners, make it awkward for the home team and let the clock run down. Simple. Not Lambert's Villa. We seemed intent on bagging a fourth of our own, no matter how reckless the attempt and ignoring the fact that each failure would lead to yet another menacing Everton attack. Ironically, I'd have applauded this cavalier behaviour if we were happily ensconced in mid-table. We're not. We're deep in the sweet and sticky.

Having seen Fellaini's equaliser several times, I wonder if I've been a tad harsh on Ron Vlaar for losing his man. My initial fury that yet another victory had been snatched from our grasp by a late leveller – and from a set piece at that – fogged me to the fact that it had been a bit of deft play from the talented Belgian that enabled him to give Concrete the slip. Credit to the opposition sometimes but it really hurt.

It would have hurt even more if Everton had pulled off a winner and yet again, Villa heads dropped and we looked like rabbits in the headlights as the Toffeemen came a gnat's breath away from nicking all the points.

So where are we now?

Well whatever the deficiencies of Paul Faulkner and Randy Lerner during January, we are where we are. There's nothing an emergency cheque book can do to resolve the situation now. They could get rid of Paul Lambert of course, but anyone coming in would have to work with the same squad of players and admitting they'd got yet another managerial appointment so terribly wrong would be tough to do.

What they could do is bring in someone with a bit more football nous at boardroom level to make these ongoing rickets a bit less likely, pick up some of the slack between the board and the manager and take some of the pressure off a visibly greying Lambert. Not necessarily an ex-footballer but at the very least an administrator steeped in the game. A Steve Stride like figure if you will. Someone like, well, Steve Stride.

Realistically though, Mister Lerner needs to decide whether he really wants to continue with Project Aston Villa. If he does, then he needs a new strategy because the current one doesn't work and is diminishing the value of his investment. If he doesn't, he should be actively seeking a buyer.

As for the on the pitch side of things, even if our trust in Mister Lambert has been tested to the extreme, I think we have to persist in the short term. What even he must see though is that something has to change and the future of his coaching staff must be under review. The problems at the back can't be that hard to fix.

I can sum it up no better than Richard Jolly in The Observer: “Until they can defend a corner, they are unlikely to turn one”.

Critical Condition

Our team will run out at Goodison Park tomorrow to the strains of the Z Cars theme tune. When we run out at Villa Park eight days later, the theme to Casualty may be more appropriate. The patient is critical. Straight to re-suss.

Paul Lambert knew we were short.

Paul Faulkner knew we were short.

Randy Lerner knew we were short.

The transfer window has now closed and guess what? We're still short.

There was no need for panic, but there was definitely a need for action and quick action at that. Put simply, there is now not a snowball's chance in hell that Aston Villa can retain their Premier League status with the defensive staff at Lambert's disposal. Bringing in at least one, but more realistically two experienced Premier League defenders wasn't a “nice to have”. It was a necessity.

That's not to decry the two players that Lambert has brought in. Yacoubu Sylla could well develop into a great Premier League player but that's the key point really. Even if he's the best thing since croissants for breakfast in Ligue 2, he'll need to time to adapt to life in the Premier League and ideally, confident defensive and midfield players around him to help him adapt. We haven't got that time and we haven't got those players. So brittle is our back line at the moment that any mistakes Sylla makes – and with the best will in the world, he's bound to make some – will likely lead to goals against. Some of us will turn on him.

We do that.

Simon Dawkins does look to be an exciting flair player looking to get his career back on track. I've not got a problem with that but Lambert doesn't seem overly keen on playing with width and in any case, I think we already had plenty of flair of going forward. If Dawkins works out he gives another option but I think this is a “nice to have”. I've had a butchers at some of his goals on You Tube and I'm looking forward to seeing him in the claret and blue, but the Earthquakes were a confident high flying, table topping outfit. Poor Simon may find it difficult to display his undoubted talents in a side under the cosh.

There was duty in January for the custodians of Aston Villa Football Club to take appropriate action to safeguard our Premier League future. As for as I can see such action has not been taken.

And now, dear readers, a confession.

I really enjoyed the second half against Newcastle. Okay, the penalty should never have been given and we didn't actually score in open play, but seeing wave upon wave of Villa attacks towards a highly emotional and increasingly noisy Holte End is how I got hooked in the first place.

I'm sick of using the phrase “game of two halves” in these columns but it keeps happening. The reason it happened this time was Lambert's inexplicable first half team selection. In the first half it wasn't a back three supplemented by wing backs, it was a flat back five. Against Newcastle? A team that hadn't won away all season? REALLY?

Barry Bannan in an overrun midfield was particularly bad, but every player goes through a run of bad form and at least he didn't try to hide. Unfortunately, Barry was subjected to negative chanting from a section of our own support. I'd be lying if I said I didn't concur with the sentiment of some of the chanting but I completely fail to see how it could possibly have helped the situation. Somehow, we need to suppress our anger while the game is going on and offer encouragement rather than derision when the ball is in play. If ever there was a need to pull together it's now.

I was also dismayed to see that Darren Bent had been selected. I really like Darren Bent but we need to select our forward line on current form and I'd have picked either Gabby or more preferably Andi Weimann ahead of him. Darren Bent is great in a confident flowing team but a liability in a backs-to-the-wall one. The ball watchers amongst you will have missed this, but have a look next time and see how Andi harries and works defenders when he's off the ball, depleting their energy while Bent just stands there like he's waiting for a taxi.

The second half changes, removing Bent and the risible Joe Bennett were just what the Doctor ordered. Nathan Baker did as good as job any of other players we've tried at left back this season, while the introduction of Gabby's  pace and Weimann's tenacity gave Newcastle all sorts of problems at the back.

Better still though, we had loads of the ball. Had it not been for the two goals we'd conceded in the first half (and to be fair, one of them was a cracker), we'd have had a chance here.

Hang on though. This was Newcastle. A struggling side trying to bed in a load of new signings. A side that never wins away.

And they won.

Away.

Paul Lambert spoke of a standing ovation. We tend to stand up at the end Paul. It's because we're on our way home. I don't blame the players for this one (stop jumping up and down and shouting “but Bannan was shit”) I blame Lambert pure and simple. Not for the first time this season he got his tactics totally wrong and by the time he moved to rectify the situation, it was too late.

The frustrating thing is that I can still see what he's trying to do and when he gets our offensive play right, it's still a joy to watch.

The bottom line is that his defence just isn't good enough.

Not good enough for Aston Villa.

Not good enough for the Premier League.

Paul Lambert's double failure to fix it either on the training pitch or in the transfer market will no doubt be his B6 epitaph because frankly, this state of affairs shows that he's not good enough for Aston Villa either.

Please prove me wrong Mister Lambert.

For all our sakes.