7500 To Holte - All Posts

Watch Goals: Aston Villa safe as Arsenal demolish Wigan Athletic

2013-05-14T20:40:34Z

ASTON VILLA ARE SAFE! Thanks to an outstanding second-half performance from Arsenal (really, outstanding final 30 minutes), Wigan Athletic have lost and will be playing next year in the Championship. It's been fun having you in the league, Wigan, but enjoy the lower levels. As a result of the match the relegation battle is settled and Aston Villa and Sunderland are safe. Sunday's match at Wigan is one purely for the record books now.

Here's how it happened. In the first half, Arsenal took an early lead when Wigan failed - miserably - to defend a corner that Lukas Podolski deftly headed in for the 1-0 lead:

Up to that point, it had been all Arsenal. But Wigan picked things up and were granted a dubious free kick on a Shaun Maloney dive. I'd like to be unbiased, but I can't be. It was a dive. But the free kick was wonderfully taken, leading the teams to head in to the half even at 1-1:

In the second half, Wigan came out as the superior team, but Arsenal eventually took control and put the match away with three goals in eight minutes. The first was from Theo Walcott:

The second was Podloski's brace:

And the third came off of the boot of Aaron Ramsey:

Wigan were just hopelessly outdone, and there was no way they'd win it.

But for Villa fans, all that matters is this: SAFETY IS ASSURED. Aston Villa will finish the season on Sunday and look ahead to the 2013-14 season shortly thereafter. We can all breathe again.

Arsenal-Wigan: Open match thread. Come panic with us!

2013-05-14T18:39:08Z

Well, after 37 matches played by Aston Villa, it's all come down to this. A match played in which the claret and blue won't even be present. Wigan and Arsenal are just about set to take the field in London at the Emirates. As we are all abundantly aware, an Arsenal win or draw will mean that Villa are safe. If Wigan somehow win, we all get to become raging alcoholics as we panic int he lead-up to Sunday's season finale.

So come and join us in the comments! We'll be panicking here and - of course - on our twitter account. I'm not really sure what else to say. I've spent my day trying to convince myself that Arsenal have it in them to win, but I'm not sure if I really believe it. The only ray of sunshine is that even if Wigan win, Villa control their own destiny. But let's not let it get there.

Up the Gunners!

The Prince of Fullbacks

2013-05-14T12:00:06Z

The current fullbacks on Aston Villa's roster tend to divide opinion. Well, some of them do. Everyone seems to agree that Matt Lowton is a good player. While on the other hand, Joe Bennett and Eric Lichaj both have had their ups and downs. But, I think we can all hope that our fullbacks can one day come to be as respected as Howard Spencer.

Howard Spencer was born on August 23, 1875 in the Edgbaston section of Birmingham. He signed for Aston Villa in April 1892, and made his debut for the club in October, 1894, in a 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion. He was just 18 years old when he made his first appearance. It's no coincidence that Aston Villa came to be one of, if not the dominant club of this period when Spencer came along. He was a major part of Aston Villa's dominance in the 1890s and early 1900s.

During his period at the club, Spencer became known as one of the most well-known and well-respected players around, due to both his skill and his demeanor, both on and off the pitch. He was given the nicknames "The Prince of Fullbacks" and "Gentle Howard" because of these qualities.

Spencer was a part of four league-winning Aston Villa seasons, and three FA Cup winning sides.

Spencer's first trophy at Villa was the 1895 FA Cup, which they won, defeating West Brom 1-0 in the final. The next season saw Aston Villa win the league championship by four points over Derby County. (Same season saw a club then known as Small Heath get relegated, hehehe.) Spencer was part of a quality defense including James Cowan, Jack Reynolds, and Jimmy Crabtree.

The next season is arguably one of, if not the most successful Aston Villa season ever. Aston Villa retained their league title, winning by 11 points over Sheffield United. (Remember, just two points for a win back then, so this is a pretty large margin to win the league by.) And they defeated Everton 3-2 in the FA Cup final, to be the first ever English team to do "The Double". Spencer and the defense were again strong, allowing just 38 goals in the league that season.

In the opening month of the 1897-98 season, Spencer suffered a serious leg injury which kept him out the whole season. Aston Villa struggled to a sixth place finish that season, as the defense allowed 51 goals in the league. You can't say that all of that was due to the absence of Spencer, but that does show how important of a piece he was to Villa's team.

With Spencer back from injury, Aston Villa won the league again in both 1898-99 and 1899-1900. Ho hum for that Villa team, though. The final trophy Howard Spencer won with Aston Villa was the FA Cup in 1905. Spencer lead his team out as captain on cup final day, as Villa defeated Newcastle 2-0 thanks to two Harry Hampton goals.

Howard made just six appearances for England, which is a paltry amount for the caliber of player that Spencer was. However, in one of those six appearances, he captained England, becoming the first Villa player to do that.

Spencer was known as a fair and sportsmanlike player. The book "Who's Who of Aston Villa" says that Spencer was "was scrupulously fair - never known to commit a ruthless foul."

In the book "All in the Day's Sport", Roland Allen says this of Spencer:

"He was the outstanding example of what Aston Villa tradition on the football field came to mean. I shall never forget the neat-looking, scrupulously clean-playing, solid, safe-looking, full-back, tacking crisply, confidently, side-tapping the ball into place for the long, low, raking, perfectly placed clearance."

One story says of Spencer, that in one match he had suffered from a bad foul from an opponent. He went up to the player and, in a wonderfully 1800s way, said "Now, don't do that again! I won't have it! I won't have it!" Spencer had no further trouble in that match.

The Villa News & Record from 1906 said that Spencer was "the type of player worthy of emulation by all young players."

Spencer retired after the 1907 season, but continued training with the team and offered his services if the club ever needed him. They would. Spencer made three further appearances for Villa, with the last coming on November 30, 1907 against Newcastle.

Spencer was elected to the Aston Villa board in 1909 and remained there until 1936. After his football career, he came a very successful coal merchant. He died on January 14, 1940 at the age of 64.

He made 295 appearances in claret and blue, scoring two goals. But if you include his time as a director, he was associated with the club for 42 years.

Howard Spencer is the type of player you want playing for your team on the pitch, and the type of person you want representing it off the pitch.

Sources

http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~2808139,00.html

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ASTONspencer.htm

Preview: Arsenal v. Wigan - the most important match of Aston Villa's season

2013-05-14T07:00:07Z

I cannot think of a single match that had not involved Aston Villa and yet has so steadfastly held the fanbase's rapt attention. And it's not just Villa, either. Sunderland fans will be as transfixed as their claret and blue counterparts. At 1945 GMT, Arsenal and Wigan Athletic will take the pitch at the Emirates in London to potentially determine Aston Villa and Sunderland's status as Premier League clubs. True, Aston Villa cannot be sent down by the result of the match. Nor can Sunderland. But an Arsenal win or draw will assure Aston Villa of safety. Sunderland are safe with a Wigan loss, and safe in all but a purely mathematical sense with a Wigan draw. With so much riding on the midweek tilt, I thought it might be useful to preview the match.

Who: Arsenal v. Wigan Athletic
Where: The Emirates, London
When: Tuesday, May 14, 1945 GMT (1445 Eastern, 1145 Pacific)
SB Nation Coverage: The Short Fuse (Arsenal) - preview, Pie Eaters Footie (Wigan)

Arsenal come into the match on a tremendous run of form that has seen them unbeaten since a 2-1 loss at Tottenham on March 3. That was one of only three losses the club has suffered in the EPL in the calendar year. As a result, the squad that began the season looking shaky by their lofty standards now sits in 5th, with a game in hand. Since Tottenham won on Sunday, Arsenal will be looking to get a win to claim the final Champions League spot up for grabs. Doing so would put them one point up on Spurs with an away clash at Newcastle to end the season. It's fair to say that in their current form, Arsenal are one of the best clubs in England and would be a hard match for anyone.

Wigan have obviously been a bit more down than Arsenal. They need two wins to close out the season in order to remain as members of the Premier League. That's their only option. A loss or a draw in either match means they'll spend next year in the Championship. I'm really intrigued to see what style of play they'll adopt. In Saturday's FA Cup final - a massive highlight in a poor season for the club - Wigan rode out a defensively minded match to eventual victory. There, they could afford the luxury of playing a war of attrition. If they enter the second half today even with Arsenal, one would think they will have to start playing desperate, throwing everything forward. While that has a chance of working, Arsenal are the second stingiest team in the league, allowing only 36 goals this season. And of course, that all-out style of play will leave Wigan - who aren't know for their defense, having conceded 67 goals - open to the counter. We also have to remember that Wigan are playing on short rest, after the aforementioned Cup final on Saturday.

So the odds are stacked against the visitors. However, if Wigan somehow miraculously take the lead, you can expect to see them park every single player in the box and defend like mad. It's hard for me to envision this match ending in a draw. Either a desperate Wigan will score, or they'll give up two or three in their attempt to do so. To me, the latter seems more likely.

For the neutrals out there, I know the prospect of Wigan making another miraculous late-season push to stay in the top-flight is tempting. It is, admittedly, a great storyline. But ask yourselves: do you really want another year of Dave Whelan in the Premiership? The blowhard owner of a small always-on-the-fringes-of-massive-failure club who thinks that he'll be able to keep his manager because teams like Everton simply aren't big enough? Whelan is genuinely one of the most deplorable people in football, and the Premier League would be better off without him. Let that sway your rooting interests.

But remember, if you're an Aston Villa fan, all you want is for Arsenal to draw or win. Sunderland fans? You're the same. Today, we're all Gunners. Up the Arsenal, or whatever it is you people say. Let's make sure that Sunday is a totally meaningless day for Aston Villa.

Relegation scenarios for Aston Villa, Wigan, and Sunderland after Sunday's matches

2013-05-12T17:08:33Z

Yesterday I outlined everything that Villa fans should cheer for in Sunday's matches. For the most part, nothing went as we'd all like. Norwich, who we would have loved to have seen lose, absolutely demolished West Bromich Albion (AN Albatross) by a final score of 4-0 at Carrow Road. The Canaries now have 41 points and are guaranteed to be back in the Premiership next year.

At Loftus Road, QPR gave us hope by taking an early 1-0 lead on a dubious penalty, but promptly gave Newcastle a penalty back and then conceded a second. Despite going down to 10 men for the final 10 minutes, Newcastle managed to hold on for the win. That's not saying much though, since QPR's attack relied on the creative skill of one Jermaine Jenas. At 41 points the Magpies, too, are safe for the season.

That leaves seven teams sitting at the 40-point or below mark. In order from worst to best: QPR, Reading, Wigan, Sunderland, Aston Villa, Fulham, and Southampton. QPR and Reading are already gone, and barring some freak incident in goal differential, Fulham and Southampton are safe. (And by freak, I mean Fulham would have to lose by 11or more and Southampton would have to lose by 13 or more. Remember, before you cry foul on this math, the only way goal differential would come into play is if Villa lose, so you have to add on -1 to theirs. Also, the next tie-break [goals scored] would likely not break in Villa's favor.)

So all of this leaves three teams eligible for relegation: Wigan, Villa, and Sunderland. Let's look at the scenarios:

Wigan lose to Arsenal on Tuesday

This would be it. They'd be able to get no more than 38 points on the season, and would be the final team relegated from the Premier League.

Safe: Aston Villa, Sunderland
Out: Wigan

Wigan draw Arsenal on Tuesday

This, mathematically, would keep Wigan alive. Unfortunately for Roberto Martinez' team, they'd only have a chance if crazy goal differential things happened in the final weekend. Realistically, a draw ends the race too:

Safe (Mathematically): Aston Villa
Safe (Realistically): Sunderland
Out (Realistically): Wigan

Wigan beat Arsenal on Tuesday

Well this would put a wrench in everything, wouldn't it? If Wigan win on Tuesday, all three teams are still absolutely in danger heading into the weekend. Wigan would be sitting at 38 points. So if this happens, nothing changes from now. So let's be officials with our Safe and Out and then take a look to what would happen on Sunday.

Safe: n/a
Out: n/a
In danger: oh god, why is this happening!?

If Wigan beat Arsenal on Tuesday: Sunday scenarios

Were Wigan to win on Tuesday, we'd come into the weekend with Wigan and 38, Sunderland at 39, and Aston Villa at 40. Giving us:

Villa's Road to Safety:

Villa would be able to assure themselves of safety with a win or a draw at Wigan. Regardless of what happened elsewhere, this would be enough. If, however, they lost, Villa could still be safe if Sunderland lost at Tottenham, who will be looking to try and sew up a Champions League spot.

Villa are Safe if: they win or draw and/or Sunderland loses
Villa Drop if: they lose and Sunderland draws or wins

Sunderland's Road to Safety:

If Sunderland can get a win or a draw at Tottenham they will not only make themselves a guaranteed member of the Premier League next season but they'd put some real pressure on Spurs. But for us, we only care about what happens to Sunderland. If they draw at Tottenham and Wigan do the same with Villa, Tottenham would have the goal differential advantage. Should Sunderland draw and Villa lose, Sunderland would have the edge on differential.

Sunderland are Safe if: they win or draw and/or Aston Villa do the same.
Sunderland Drop if: they lose and Wigan wins

Wigan's Road to Safety:

As much as this has us all worried, even if they win on Tuesday, the only way Wigan can be safe is by following that up with a win on Sunday. This one is simple. I suppose if Tottenham just absolutely demolish Sunderland in an unprecedented fashion (by eleven goals, to be precise), Wigan could stay up with a draw. But that's not happening.

Wigan are Safe if: they win
Wigan Drop if: they lose or draw

* * * * * *

So there you have it. Aston Villa are still very much in the best position of the teams eligible for relegation. They only way they drop is if Wigan wins on Tuesday and beats Villa on Sunday AND Sunderland manages a win or a draw at Tottenham on Sunday. As much as today's results didn't go how Villa fans wanted, things aren't as bad as they seem. Bottom line: let's all cheer like crazy for Arsenal on Tuesday. That'd put this all behind us.

Let me know in the comments if you find any mistakes here! These sorts of things are always trickier than they seem.

Pictures from Aston Villa's 1-2 loss to Chelsea

2013-05-12T14:00:08Z

View this gallery here.

Watch goals from AVFC's 1-2 loss to Chelsea, including Lampard's record-breaker

2013-05-12T07:00:02Z

Aston Villa weren't able to secure safety or a win in the season's Villa Park finale. Nevertheless, there were a couple of Villa highlights and two goals that - while they made us all sad - were historical. Let's get right to the gifs.

In the early going, the match was a back-and-forth affair. Chelsea seemed to be in control, but it would've been foolish to think they had the upper hand. Villa, as they are wont to do, were not breaking in the back and mounting some vicious counters that left the London club on their heels. It didn't take too long before one of those counters paid off, and Christian Benteke scored what will be his final EPL goal of the season, his 18th

It was another typical Benteke effort. He created his own opportunity with a combination of pace, strength, and a deft finishing touch. Here's another angle of the 14th-minute strike:

Sadly, that would be Benteke's lone highlight in a day that saw him be an absolute idiot. Shortly into the second half, the Belgian got himself his second yellow of the day for an absolutely senseless tackle. Second later, Frank Lampard tied the Chelsea club record for goals by scoring his 202nd:

It was a lovely shot, and there really wasn't much anyone could do about it. The same could be said for Lampard's 203rd for his club, just a touch over 20 minutes later:

That's some fantastic passing that went exactly where it needed to. To be fair, the Villa defense shouldn't have let things get that far, but what can we do? Congrats to Lampard on an auspicious record. I only wish it had come next week.

But, I don't want to leave us with a bad taste in our mouths. Stiliyan Petrov was in attendance today after having announced that he will be retiring from football. The 19th-minute applause that has become tradition was especially moving this week with Stan in the house. Here is an absurdly long gif that may take a bit to load (apologies) that captures the reaction around Villa Park, and may put a tear in your eye with a cameo by Stan himself:

Best of luck, Stan. Get better soon, and thank you for everything you've done for Villa.

Relegation Update: Villa Fan Rooting Interests

2013-05-11T15:22:20Z

Aston Villa came into today's match with Chelsea knowing that if they won, they'd guarantee safety for next season, making next weekend's match at Wigan entirely irrelevant. Despite a lead that held up for a good chunk of the match, Villa finally succumbed to a Chelsea equaliser, which meant that safety wasn't in the books. I saw plenty of irritated people after Lampard netted his second, but really, it was academic at that point. The only way Wigan could have ever sent Villa down was to win both of their matches and see Villa not get three points this weekend.

But here we are, feeling mostly safe, but still mathematically eligible to join the Championship. So, to help everyone as you watch the remaining matches this week, I'm updating Gareth's post from earlier. Here's the way Villa fans should like to see things break tomorrow and Tuesday. Please let me know in the comments if I've gotten anything wrong!

Everton vs. West Ham (May 12)

This match has absolutely no bearing on us, so you might as well root for Everton to spite West Ham fans.

Fulham vs. Liverpool (May 12)

Here's a match that looked like it might have relegation implications, but doesn't any more. Had Villa gotten any points today, Fulham would still be in the fray. Now, however, the worst both teams can do is tied with one another, and Fulham has an 11-goal lead in differential. That said, with the way they played against Reading (Reading!) last week, maybe Fulham could lose 1-12 and make things interesting. Doubt it, though. That said, root for Liverpool because them winning will sow confusion for at least a few minutes on twitter, and that'd be fun.

Manchester United vs. Swansea (May 12)

Does not impact the relegation battle. Root for Swansea to help spoil Sir Alex's final matches.

Norwich vs. West Brom (May 12)

Now here is a peach of a game for Villa fans. If Norwich lose this, they'll be sitting at 38 points - two below Villa - with a match at Manchester City on the final day of the season. At that point City wouldn't have anything to play for (except perhaps the money that comes with 2nd vs. 3rd), but it's still hard to envision the Canaries winning at Ethiad. This is one of the prime candidates for a team who could save Villa even if the worst-case scenario (Wigan wins out) happens. Root like crazy for West Brom to get some sort of a result, and thus keep Norwich below Villa.

QPR vs. Newcastle (May 12)

If Newcastle lose or draw this match, they're below Villa with a home match against Arsenal to end the season. At that point, Arsenal will still likely be trying to clinch a Champions League spot, so they'd be a tough opponent. That said, it's hard to envision QPR getting any sort of result from anyone at this point. Nevertheless, root for QPR. Newcastle vs. Arsenal would be a nice buffer for Villa.

Stoke vs. Tottenham (May 12)

A seemingly meaningless match, but root for Tottenham to win so that...

Sunderland vs. Southampton (May 12)

This is a tricky one. Both teams sit below Villa right now, but if Southampton get any sort of result, they've got 40 or 42 points and if it's the former, a better goal differential than Villa by far. Sunderland can secure safety with a win. But! If Southampton win (and they've got a not-terribly-hard home match against Stoke to close things out), Sunderland go into the final day having to beat a hopefully-still-in-the-Champions-League-hunt Tottenham in Tottenham to climb above Villa. So yeah, while either team could theoretically stay below Villa and drop, I think we ought to root for Southampton to get a result here, since that'd give Sunderland a massive bit of work to do. (Also, to reiterate, root for Tottenham.)

Reading vs. Manchester City (May 14)

Eh, tough to care about this one. I suppose root for the unlikely in Reading, that way Manchester City will potentially have the incentive of second place to play for against Norwich on the last day.

Arsenal vs. Wigan (May 14)

This is it, ladies and gentlemen. While all of the other results above would help Villa in the worst-case scenario, this match could assure safety on Tuesday and make Sunday's affair purely academic. If Arsenal can get any result - a draw or a win - Aston Villa are safe. Wigan will be coming off of an FA Cup final, and Arsenal are still trying to sew up a Champions League spot. It's hard to envision Wigan getting a win, but Wigan always surprise us at this time of year. So on Tuesday, root like hell for Arsenal fans. For 90 minutes, we are all Gunners.

(As an aside, it'll be interesting to see what Wigan do in the FA Cup final. The trophy would be neat, but it would exhaust their players before an Arsenal match that is do-or-die to stay in the league for them. Should they win the FA Cup and lose to Arsenal, they've got to put resources into Europe and deal with the Championship money drop. I feel like the smart thing to do would be to punt the Cup match, but their fans would never forgive them. What a conundrum.)

* * * * *

The good thing to realize is that Villa still look mostly safe. Even if Wigan win on Tuesday and beat Villa, there are still plenty of other chances for other teams to go down. Let's just hope it doesn't come to that.