On the face of it, a 0-0 draw away at a side with genuine top four ambitions isn't such a bad deal especially if your best two players are out injured. Such justifications may be easy to find yet it is wrong to find comfort in them for the truth is that Liverpool could have won at Villa Park. For all the hype surrounding them, with their hyped up wide players being kept quite Aston Villa didn't show anything special. Click to continue reading...

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In the Carling Cup Third Round Draw, QPR will play Aston Villa (at Villa!)
Matches will be played the week of September 22.

Could you be tough, depending who Aston Villa actually play on the night: - Aston Villa's Current First Team Squad!
1 Brad Friedel Goalkeeper
2 Luke Young Defender
3 Wilfred Bouma Defender
4 Steve Sidwell Midfielder
5 Martin Laursen Defender
6 Gareth Barry Midfielder
7 Ashley Young Striker
9 Marlon Harewood Striker
10 John Carew Striker
11 Gabriel Agbonlahor Striker
13 Stuart Taylor Goalkeeper
14 Nathan Delfouneso Striker
15 Curtis Davies Defender
16 Zat Knight Defender
17 Moustapha Salifou Striker
18 Wayne Routledge Midfielder
19 Stiliyan Petrov Midfielder
20 Nigel Reo-Coker Midfielder
21 Nicky Shorey Defender
22 Bradley Guzan Goalkeeper
26 Craig Gardner Midfielder
27 Isaiah Osbourne Midfielder
29 Stephen O'Halloran Defender
48 Nathan Baker Defender


Complete Round Three Draw

Arsenal v Sheffield United
Brighton & Hove Albion / Manchester City v Derby County
Burnley v Fulham
Portsmouth v Chelsea
Blackburn Rovers v Everton
Rotherham United v Southampton
Swansea City v Cardiff City
Ipswich Town v Wigan Athletic
Stoke City v Reading
Leeds United v Hartlepool United
Watford v West Ham United
Manchester United v Middlesbrough
Liverpool v Crewe Alexandra
Aston Villa v Queens Park Rangers
Sunderland v Northampton Town
Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur
- Complete Third Round Draw Click to continue reading...

Picture from The Telegraph via Getty Images. Maybe Tony Pulis was right. Mamady Sidibe's header gives Stoke City a shock 3-2 win at the Britannia Stadium. If you heard me this week on The Third Half, I pretty much mocked the fact I pulled this game out of the hat to do as one of my two full [...] Click to continue reading...

Picture from The Telegraph via Getty Images.

Maybe Tony Pulis was right.

Mamady Sidibe's header gives Stoke City a shock 3-2 win at the Britannia Stadium.

If you heard me this week on The Third Half, I pretty much mocked the fact I pulled this game out of the hat to do as one of my two full match reviews.

Click to continue reading...

In the wake of England's disappointing performance against the Czech Republic, Premiership Talk takes a look at the five players who have proven themselves in the English Premier League and deserve a call-up. Nominate your players by joining the Premiership Talk Forum.

1. Gabriel Agbonlahor. Click to continue reading...

• I was disappointed to see how many empty seats there were at Hull City's KC Stadium. I know this was only a friendly, but come on. These players are the future of England's national team, and the already small stadium wasn't even half-full to watch them.

• I liked the 4-3-3 employed by Pearce. Click to continue reading...

Soccerword's Premiership Team of the Week - 01

Goalkeeper: Shay Given, Newcastle

Defenders: Jose Bosingwa (Chelsea), Vedran Corlucka (Man City), Andre Ooijer (Blackburn), David Wheater (Middlesbrough)

Midfielders: Mikel Arteta (Everton), Deco (Chelsea), Jonas Gutierrez (Newcastle), Samir Nasri (Arsenal)

Strikers: Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Dean Ashton (West Ham)

Honorable Mention: Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), David Dunn (Blackburn), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Julian Faubert (West Ham), Darren Fletcher (Man United), Obafemi Martins (Newcastle), Fernando Torres (Liverpool)

Click to continue reading...

The opening weekend of the English Premier League saw many surprise results as well as many disappointments. Here's a rundown of which players, teams, managers, and fans won or lost:

Winners
- Middlesbrough. Gareth Southgate and his men were faced with the tough task of going up against a rejuvenated Spurs side to open the season. Click to continue reading...

England have been missing a rampaging forward ever since Alan Shearer retired from national duty in 2000.  Gabriel Agbonlahor has the physique, the skill and the attitude to finally replace Shearer at the center of England's attack. A potted history of England's strikers since 2000: Michael Owen has continued to shine whenever he's pulled on the England [. Click to continue reading...

The first weekend of the Premier League is over, and what an entertaining weekend it was. Thirty two goals and an average of 3.2 goals per match, and a few surprise results. Who said the Premier League was boring?! Here are some of the highs and lows from this past weekend, as well as my two [...] Click to continue reading...

The first weekend of the Premier League is over, and what an entertaining weekend it was. Thirty two goals and an average of 3.2 goals per match, and a few surprise results. Who said the Premier League was boring?! Here are some of the highs and lows from this past weekend, as well as my two [...] Click to continue reading...

Something funny to start our post. For this, we'll go to Nicolai V. Gogol and his story, Ivan Fyodorovich and His Aunt. The setting: how will a newcomer recognize Stepan Ivanovich? "You will recognize him at once for he is the only one to wear printed cotton trousers and a yellow cotton coat. And here is another sign by which you may recognize him: when he walks he always waves his arms about. Click to continue reading...

Premier League football is back, and the goals were flying into the net this opening weekend. Where to start?

Chelsea 4 - 0 Portsmouth
How about with Scolari's Blues as Chelsea thrashed Portsmouth 4-0. Joe Cole, Nicolas Anelka, Frank Lampard, and Deco all scored as Chelsea soared to the top of the table on goal difference.

Click to continue reading...

Portsmouth have signed Jerome Thomas From Charlton on a season long loan deal, and will probably sign him on a permanent deal if he impresses at the club. Thomas was sold by Arsenal to Charlton for £100,000 a few seasons ago, but has impressed in the Championship. I'm not convinced how well he will do [. Click to continue reading...

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill insists Gareth Barry "knew the consequences" of his decision to play in the UEFA Cup on Thursday night.

Barry scored the opening goal as Villa cruised to a 4-1 victory over FH Hafnarfjordur in Iceland in the second qualifying round match, a result which home boss Heimir Gudjonsson admitted has killed the tie off at the halfway stage. Click to continue reading...

Arsenal's no 14. Theo Walcott has been selected in a England Under 21 squad set to take on Slovenia Under 21's next Tuesday. Stuart Pearce has selected a side full of England first teamers with the likes of Micah Richards, Tom Huddlestone and Gabriel Agbonlahor looking to get a run-out. Pearce said: "It is a very strong [. Click to continue reading...

Arsenal's no 14. Theo Walcott has been selected in a England Under 21 squad set to take on Slovenia Under 21's next Tuesday. Stuart Pearce has selected a side full of England first teamers with the likes of Micah Richards, Tom Huddlestone and Gabriel Agbonlahor looking to get a run-out. Pearce said: "It is a very strong [. Click to continue reading...

Aston Villa

2007-08 RECORD League 6th FA Cup3rd round Carling Cup3rd round

Manager Martin O'Neill. Had a difficult summer, paying £5m for a Chelsea reserve and £2m for a 37-year-old and handling the Gareth Barry situation with less than his customary aplomb. Click to continue reading...

Aston Villa's brigade of young English players looks set to expand with the transfer of Nicky Shorey and Luke Young into the club. Martin O'Neill seems to keen to build success on a group of English talent with players such as Gareth Barry, Nigel Reo-Coker, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ashely Young, Curtis Davies and Zat Knight to name but a few. Click to continue reading...

In one of my recent poll questions, which you can find on the left-hand side of the homepage underneath the blog archive, I asked which story you believed to be the biggest so far this summer. One of the choices was Gareth Barry and his desire to leave Aston Villa for Liverpool, and although I can't remember the exact number, it got its fair share of votes. Click to continue reading...

One of the most interesting headlines to come out of today's newspapers was the story that head of the London 2012 committee Sebastian Coe has offered the job Team Great Britain's football coach to Sir Alex Ferguson. Now the idea of having a Great British football team has long been suggested but the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish Football Associations feel the idea would threaten their independence within Fifa.

Click to continue reading...

After yesterday's posts, I'm sure you all know how much I hate the "silly season" and how I can't stand to hear the constant gossip and rumor mill concerning player transfers during the summer. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean I don't hear or read any of it; it's everywhere and practically impossible to avoid. Click to continue reading...

Steven Taylor has talked about the upcoming season with the Evening Chronicle today. Steven Taylor - holding off Villa's Gabriel Agbonlahor Click to continue reading...

England Provisional Squad vs. France (30) Goalkeepers (3): David James (Portsmouth), Scott Carson (Aston Villa), Chris Kirkland (Wigan). Defenders (10): Wayne Bridge (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), David Wheater (Middlesbrough), Rio Ferdinand (Man Utd), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), John Terry (Chelsea), Wes Brown (Man Utd), Joleon Lescott (Everton), Matthew Upson (West Ham), Jonathan Woodgate (Spurs). Click to continue reading...

Aston Villa youngster Gabriel Agbonlahor is one of the most promising and rising strikers that England national team coach Fabio Capello has at his disposal at the moment and the Villa striker knows that already. The youngster is playing superbly in the English Premier League this season and after missing this month's friendly international against [. Click to continue reading...