Aston Villa vs West Ham

Aston Villa V West Ham United

Saturday, 14th August – 15:00 GMT

Aston Villa

Just how important is a manager to a team? That is what pundits will be asking themselves over the weekend as Aston Villa prepare to take on West Ham United without Martin O’Neill’s encouragement on the sidelines. The former Celtic manager walked out on the Villains just 5 days before the start of the new season following a dispute with Randy Lerner, the clubs owner, over the direction at which the club was heading. Kevin McDonald will now take over as caretaker manager, but O’Neill has effectively left the club in the lurch, with speculation rife over who his replacement will be and it’s these talks which are shrouding Villa’s preparations ahead of the new season.

So how much of an impact will O’Neill’s departure on the Villa team? Quite a bit we would say, although there are a number of wise heads inside the Villa camp which should steer the team through their opening game at least. In goal you have arguably the most experienced player in the Villa camp in American Brad Fridel, whose seen situations like this before and won’t be one to lose his cool on Saturday despite the lack of O’Neill’s presence on the touchline. John Carew, Richard Dunne and captain Stylian Petrov have all been through sticky patches in their career and will be unphased by the recent turmoil at the club, while some have even speculated that many inside the club will be ecstatic now that Martin O’Neill has left as it means many will be entitled to a fresh start and will be chomping at the bit to impress the new manager, whoever that may be.

Don’t get us wrong, Martin O’Neill did a tremendous job with the club, guiding them to a Carling Cup final and an FA Cup semi-final last season before eventually falling off the pace for fourth spot. He invested whatever money his American boss made available wisely, too shrewdly in fact as many of his purchases have attracted what O’Neill would deem unwanted attention, the sort of attention which led to him and owner Randy Lerner having a conflict of opinion. For some they will struggle not having O’Neill’s presence on the sidelines, but in fairness the Northern Ireland born manager had taken the club as far as they could go and it is perhaps time for a change anyway. The one thing I will say, he should have left much earlier than he did as 5 days before the start of the season is always going to disrupt the team and have an adverse affect on morale.

It remains a difficult situation for team nonetheless but as we said before, there’s enough experience and calming presence inside the Villa team to ensure they don’t go missing in their first game of the season. There’s only so long they can cope without a manager, that goes without saying, but by the same token we don’t expect them to turn up on Saturday and play poorly. They may well be a tad disjointed at first but the quality will eventually seep through.

West Ham United

The Hammers were victorious when recording a 2-0 win over Wolves on the opening day of last season and will be looking to take full advantage of Aston Villa’s recent turmoil by putting some valuable away points on the board at Villa Park. The club narrowly avoided relegation when finishing 17th last season, but with a new manager at the helm in former Chelsea & Portsmouth manager Avram Grant, and a few new and exciting players being drafted in by the Israeli, there’s room for optimism at Upton Park which fans hope will be converted into a winning start this Saturday.

Avram Grant has been a busy man over the summer and any one of his summer recruits could start on Saturday against Aston Villa at Villa Park. The Hammers conceded 66 goals last season, not the worst defensive record in the league but still not ideal, and Grant moved quickly to reinforce the defence with the capture of Tal Ben Haim on loan from Portsmouth. A compatriot of Avram Grant, Ben Haim has played at some big clubs in England, none more so than at Chelsea & Man City, but he was used as a bit-part player for the most part and will be looking for a more stable role at West Ham. The Israeli international is likely to start alongside Matthew Upson at Villa Park but it’s the midfield signings of Pablo Barrera and Thomas Hitzlsperger which interest us the most as the Hammers were lacking a great deal of forward thrust last season. Barrera played for Mexico in the World Cup, with his highlight being the penalty he won against France, and at 23 years-old is a player for the future. Everyone knows what Hitzlsperger is capable of, boasting one of the most powerful strikes in the modern game. We’re all expecting a few thunderbolts from him this season, while the same should be said of Frederic Piquionne, who will be looking to better the 5 goals he scored while at Portsmouth.

West Ham’s owners promised a lot when it came to summer signings but I’m not convinced with what Avram Grant has purchased with their money. With the exception of Pablo Berrera, who does look to have plenty of potential, no-one really stands out from the rather large Premiership crowd. It was apparent for a long time last season that West Ham were desperate for a makeover, and they got that to some degree with the likes of Franco and Ilan leaving The Hammers over the summer, but they’re still a million miles off having a complete team and that concerns us. The core of the team is as strong as ever, with Green in goal, Upson at centre-half, an-favourite Scott Parker in midfield and Carlton Cole hopefully scoring the goals up front. But these four need assistance if West Ham aren’t just to avoid the drop once again but to push on and become a stable Premiership club, like the owners promised when completing a takeover deal midway through last season.

On any other weekend a trip to Villa Park would be a daunting experience especially for a club which survived by the skin of their teeth in the previous season, but there’s now a perfect opportunity for West Ham to snatch some points out of a fixture which would of seemed extremely difficult a few weeks ago. With Martin O’Neill resigning as Villa manager earlier in the week, Villa have been left without their inspirational leader, and what it all means is Aston Villa are vulnerable heading into the weekend. The Hammers will feel they have something to prove this season, as well as feeling the need to repay the fans for their loyalty and support throughout a difficult last campaign, and if West Ham play their cards right they could jot down a win in what should have been one of the hardest games of the season for them.

Match Verdict: Aston Villa to WIN – 2.00 StanJames

You could be forgiven for leaving this game completely alone, but because of O’Neill’s walkout it may be worth taking a chance on Aston Villa picking up their first win without a manager which has led them through thick and thin over the years at attractive and appealing odds. Just because Martin O’Neill is no longer at the club doesn’t mean you can just disregard the amount of quality and experience that remains, and against a West Ham side which has been strengthened since the summer but probably won’t have enough to thwart Villa’s charge for an opening day win, we feel the home side are worth taking on.

Match Odds:

Aston Villa – 2.00 StanJames
Draw – 3.40 Boylesports
West Ham United – 4.50 WilliamHill

SoccerBetting Value Bet: Aston Villa to Win by 1 Goal – 4.00 Bet365

Aston Villa V West Ham United

Sunday, 17^th January – 13:30 (Sky Sports 1)

Aston Villa

League Position: 6th

Recent Form: WWWLL

Martin O’Neill has some restoration work on his hands with this Villa side as, although they started the new year in style with a 3-1 win over Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup, they ended 2009 in drab fashion by losing back-to-back games with Arsenal & Liverpool, teams which should be Villa’s main rivals for a top four finish. However, a visit from West Ham should bring about a change in fortune as a victory looks likely and the three points would keep Villa at least in the hunt for that fourth spot.

It’s becoming a busy time of year for Martin O’Neill and Aston Villa what with FA Cup, their two-legged semi-final tie with Blackburn in the Carling Cup and their pursuit of Champions League football next year. The number of games are beginning to mount up and with the weather causing havoc with the fixtures, Villa’s fixture list is becoming more and more compact. If their tie with Blackburn does go ahead on Thursday, 14^th Jan, then Villa will be expected to play this game just three days later in what will probably be another gloomy day at Villa Park. That’s got to take it’s toll at some stage and Villa’s squad isn’t as big as you might think… in fact we think it’s quite brittle. 

Villa may well get away with it in this game as West Ham haven’t been excelling of late but sooner or later all these games will have a drastic effect on the fitness levels of the players. For now, though, the players should be fit and raring to go, although this isn’t taking into account their match on Thursday with Blackburn. A game which could be a lot tighter than the bookies expect. Still, if the players do manage to recover in time then they should be able to see off West Ham at Villa Park in a game they have to win in order to keep up with the pacesetters at the top.

Villa didn’t end the year on a high after two successive defeats but are capable of going on another positive streak. Villa Park should hopefully be the setting for another lengthy point-baring run as Villa Park has been a happy hunting ground for O’Neill’s men this season, 6-2-2. Only Liverpool & Wigan have beaten Villa at home this season, while they beat Chelsea back in October, which just goes to show what they can do at home. Villa are a much better outfit at home, perhaps not in an attacking sense but certainly all round. In ten home fixtures, Villa have conceded just seven goals whilst taking their own scoring tally to a respectable 17. This is solid form and Villa should will be too tough for West Ham to break down we feel.  

West Ham United

League Position: 17th

Recent Form: LLDWL

West Ham’s accumulation of four points around Christmas time may have helped them escape the bottom three but they are still a club in deep trouble in terms of their position and form. Wins have been at a premium, just four since the start of the campaign, while their defence is looking far too weak and lightweight for this league. It’s a scary time for all you West Ham fans but let’s hope a fruitful new year is in store for you all.

The year, though, didn’t get off to the best of starts as West Ham crashed out of the FA Cup at just the first hurdle. Gianfranco Zola’s side were beaten 2-1 by Arsenal at Upton Park in a game where The Hammers did hold their own for the best part of 80 minutes before crumbling near the very end, conceding two goals late in the match. Perhaps it was a lack of concentration or their adrenaline ran out but the players have had a good two weeks or so to digest their FA Cup demise and at least now they can focus their full attention on the biggest task at hand – fending off relegation.

West Ham are currently sat in a precarious position in the table of 17^th, and were they not to win at Villa Park then they could fall straight back into the bottom three. However, to avoid that they will need to do something they’ve only managed once this season and that’s win away from home. In ten away outings thus far, West Ham have just the one lonesome win to their credit but even that came on day 1 away at Wolves. They have since gone on a nine match away rut without a win, losing six and drawing three.

In such a daunting fixture such as this it’s always ideal if you have some solid form and some confident players to build around, or even a decent result, but West Ham don’t have that luxury after their last outing was a miserable one in the FA Cup. To dampen spirits even further, West Ham have lost their previous three away league games of which two seen West Ham fail to score. Their last appearance in the league came just before the new year when they lost 2-0 at White Hart Lane. A defeat which ended a two match unbeaten run for the Hammers.

In the most gruelling and physically demanding league in Europe, form and confidence is paramount and what you’re getting with this West Ham team at present is a distinct lack of either. Wins have been rare, just four in all, while those unbeaten runs which often turn a struggling sides fortunes right around have been non-existent at this London club. However, West Ham have some big games coming up in the forthcoming month and beyond, with their following four games after this trip to Villa Park all being very winnable outings.

Head-to-Head:

Aston Villa W: 3 West Ham United W: 3 Draws: 4

•  West Ham won the first meeting of the season, a 2-1 victory at Upton Park, and are now on the verge of completing their first league double over Aston Villa in four years.

   

•  West Ham did hold out for a 1-1 draw in last seasons contest at Villa Park, but the Hammers had previously failed to score in two visits to Aston Villa.

   

•  Villa have won two of the previous three matches between the two at Villa Park, both of which   were to NIL and 1-0.

• West Ham’s last victory at Villa Park came back in January, 2006, winning 2-1.

Match Verdict: Aston Villa to WIN – 1.57 SkyBet

West Ham have had all their confidence sapped from them this season, even more so after their exit from Europe’s most prestigious domestic cup competition. The Hammers have a terrible away record this season of 1-3-6 and haven’t won on their travels since the opening day. Their away fortunes won’t get any better with a trip to Villa Park at a venue where Aston Villa have been immensely strong this season despite losing there in their last league fixture of 2009. Villa’s squad packs so much more mature quality than that at West Ham and, although Villa have one of the youngest squads in the league, this match really could be men against boys. Aston Villa for us in a game they should enjoy themselves in.

Match Odds:

Aston Villa – 1.57 SkyBet

Draw – 3.80 Bet365

West Ham United – 7.50 BlueSquare

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Over 2.5 Goals – 1.82 Expekt.com