http://oi42.tinypic.com/aelcap.jpg <-- Two weeks ago http://oi44.tinypic.com/30ianlt.jpg <-- Now

That's impressive to be honest.

Our team has shown great character winning all these games against teams around us. Stoke, Reading, West Ham, QPR, Sunderland and now Norwich.

If we stay up I think we can be a very good team.

Final score: Spurs 1, Saints 0

I'm gutted!

Good result for the Arse.

The battle for 4th is actually a lot closer than I thought. Arsenal are 3rd, but will drop if Spurs and Chelsea win their games in hand.

But one of those is Spurs/Chelsea isn't it?

Yep. And Chelsea have to play United.

Great work by the boys, and surprisingly NOT on the back of Benteke goals! Good old Gabby! Mind you, Norwich were pretty bad really: had they not got that penalty it's unlikely they would even have scored. We always looked the ones most likely to take the points.

Agree about Bennet though: ffs! How he didnt get sent off I will never know, and when you need every player at this crucial time in the season it's no time to be playing the percentages and hoping you'll get away with it. I mean, how many warnings did he get?

Have to laugh at commentator on Spurs game: "When you've had the season Bale has had, you're allowed an off day." Next minute, BANG! He wins it for Tottenham with another wonder goal!

Bad news for us on WIgan: thought their number was up today for sure. Fair play to them though: they ain't goin' down without a fight!

He has really stepped up this season, to be honest I didn't see it in him but he's proved me wrong. Those finishes today were brilliant.

The Baggies are twats, the fans cheered when they lost ffs. Remember Sunderland against United last day of last season? Small time comes to mind. And I like West Brom, they're a Birmingham team but ffs, cheering against your own team.

Really pathetic.

TH how do you rate Benteke compared to Yorke? You've been supporting Villa longer than I have. Is he as good?

Well Benteke is the first Villa player ever to score 18 goals, so on that alone you'd have to say he was better. Dwight was on fire in his day though, one of the ones who helped us scale the heights in the mid to late nineties. However considering how he left the club he wouldn't be on my top list of players, and also considering where he went! I think he really let Gregory down that time, and after that most people were glad to see him go.

Although not strikers, Andy Townsend and Paul McGrath were better, more loyal servants to the club. During his day, McGrath was seen as one of the best defenders in either country.

The trouble with Villa is they've never been big enough to keep the better players. Bent is surely on his way (wouldn't blame him, wasted talent) and Benteke will soon hear the call of the bigger clubs. If we want to keep our players we need to be assuring them a reasonable place in the table each season, not a relegation dogfight or mid-table obscurity, and Champions League football has to be a target too. We won the European Cup AND the UEFA Super Cup in 1982 and were top of the Premiership for a few weeks back somewhere around 2006/7 I think. We can do it if we believe, cliche though that may be.

Mind you, we have to survive this season first! :shycouch:

Saints lost to Spurs, conceding a goal from former player, Bale, while another alumnus, Adkins, at Reading, managed to beat Fulham.

The Bottom

Precarious
14. Southampton
15. Norwich
16. Newcastle
17. Sunderland

In trouble
18. Wigan Athletic
19. Reading
20. QP Rangers

Eh, Reading and QPR are in trouble when they're already relegated? I'd take Wigan out of that list as well because after dodging those two penalty calls against the baggies they will now save themselves as usual....I think its between Newcastle and Sunderland. They have the easier fixtures too.. **** this season.