*Villa’s disguise wears thin*

Being a favourite it would have been sung no matter the colours of the opposition, but when Blackburn Rovers’ followers burst into ‘Are you Burnley in disguise?’ shortly after Ashley Ward had made the scoreline 2-0 with his first goal since his A4 million signing from Barnsley, Villa Park’s claret and blue connection made the chant more appropriate than usual.

It was not overwhelmingly apt, it should be said Aston Villa will have a long fall before meeting Burnley but given that this was Rovers’ first away win of the season the jibe was understandable. Villa are going through a change and, on an afternoon when Manchester United and Arsenal registered emphatic away wins and Chelsea maintained their title challenge, Villa’s slip showed all the more.

Each week more is revealed: this was Villa’s third losing Saturday, and two consecutive league defeats leave them out of the top three for the first time since the season’s opening day. The quartet of credible championship contenders now sounds like a trio and suddenly the thought is of how far Villa have come under John Gregory’s spirited leadership rather than how far they can go.

Gregory’s hangdog demeanour suggested wilting self-belief, but Brian Kidd said he thought it premature to write off Villa. He cited ‘the many twists and turns’ to come, and in an attempt to justify that remark and boost Villa he said of his former club United: ‘I know they’ll not be complacent.’ It was a flattering gesture Kidd had just heard the score from Nottingham yet deep down he must know that if his old club are the yardstick then Villa are half a yard short.

That is a realistic assessment, not a cruel one. Indeed, a year ago when Villa were wallowing in 15th place they were a full yard off the pace. So progress is undeniable, it is just that their next four games, Leeds and Coventry at home and Wimbledon and Derby away, appear less winnable than they did a fortnight ago.

Gregory, though, has 10 days before Leeds arrive and hopes to make a couple of acquisitions to re-establish momentum and enthusiasm. He has done this admirably through the season, bringing in Dion Dublin, Paul Merson and Steve Watson to sustain the push, but Juninho’s equivocation has been a jolt. As for Stan Collymore, when Gregory was asked if he had a part to play he replied: ‘Don’t waste my time.’

Kidd meanwhile could not hide his delight at having some forwards to choose from for the first time. ‘We’ve got all these strikers like Kevin Gallacher, Kevin Davies and Nathan Blake out injured and we’ve never had three fit at the same time before Saturday,’ the Blackburn manager said.

‘Everybody keeps telling me I will have problems when they are all healthy but the day can’t come quickly enough because I want that competition for places.’

Gregory lamented that Blackburn have been able to spend ’20 million alone’ on strikers this season he must wish Collymore was one of them but it is Villa’s defence which needs bolstering. Gareth Southgate’s 32nd-minute own-goal was just one of those things, but Riccardo Scimeca’s dithering allowed Chris Sutton to muscle the ball away and supply Ward for the second after the hour.

The third, from the promising Blackburn-born 19-year-old David Dunn, came via a cross and a headed scramble two more opportunities to defend the ball. Sutton, playing his first game for six weeks, was present again and his overall contribution led Kidd to mention an England recall for the man who once refused the call.

In Sutton’s international absence men such as Dublin have prospered but none of his deft touches or powerful headers unnerved Blackburn’s Australian keeper John Filan, the only foreigner on the pitch. Only Julian Joachim’s blistering drive beat Filan, but it was too late for Villa. The Burnley question had already been asked, now it is time to see if Villa are Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester United in disguise.

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*The Guardian*
Saturday, 6 February 1999

*Kidd’s men vault Villa*

There has been much discussion about Aston Villa’s shape this season, in terms of their formation as well as their fitness for a Premiership title challenge. That shape is now in danger of resembling a pear.

Villa’s third defeat in a row, at the hands of a Blackburn Rovers revitalised by Brian Kidd, left their season looking decidedly sick and their championship ambitions in need of swift repair. Only belatedly did they come to life after Rovers, whose own hopes of avoiding relegation are improving by the week, had stretched into a three-goal lead.

Rovers came to Villa Park having lost only one of 10 matches since Kidd assumed the manager’s post and, with the home side badly needing a victory to maintain a title challenge after having shown signs of flagging in recent weeks, it should have been a good time to face them.

Though Villa were themselves without a clutch of players, the latest ones missing being Ugo Ehiogu, who fractured an eye socket in a collision with Alan Shearer in the 2-1 defeat at Newcastle last week, and the suspended Lee Hendrie, Rovers’ condition was more serious. Jeff Kenna and Stephane Henchoz - two of their 10 red cards this season - were suspended from the defence, which thus assumed a makeshift look, while further forward, Kevin Gallacher and Keith Gillespie were missing through injury.

At least they had Chris Sutton back after a month’s absence, but then again, Villa had their own touchstone striker Dion Dublin - scorer of nine goals to Sutton’s four - making his return after a stomach strain to tip the balance further in their favour.

After a tentative start as they came to terms with Rovers playing three up front and thus forcing the Villa wing-backs to drop deeper, Villa began to create chances that should have seen them take the lead. Julian Joachim played a neat one-two with Ian Taylor and stabbed in a shot which John Filan saved with his feet before the goalkeeper then held well a 20-yard drive by Paul Merson. Soon after, Merson volleyed just over the bar from Dublin’s headed flick.

Out of the blue, though, came a fortuitous Blackburn goal that illustrated how the fates have turned on Villa of late. Rovers’ only opportunity of the game hitherto had come early on when Matt Jansen miskicked into Michael Oakes’s arms after Darren Peacock had headed on Jason Wilcox’s corner.

But it hardly counted as a chance when David Dunn crossed from the right, except that Gareth Southgate interrupted the flight of the ball into his goalkeeper’s arms and headed into his own net. Villa Park groaned.

Moments later, Sutton almost doubled the lead when Oakes came for Wilcox’s corner and failed to gather but the header was wide. Now Villa were stung and Marlon Broomes had bravely to head clear Alan Wright’s fierce shot.

Villa were probably stung, too, by their manager John Gregory’s words at half-time, for they emerged with more vigour and purpose. The increasingly impressive 21-year-old Broomes blocked Steve Watson’s shot on the turn and when the ball fell to Dublin, his powerful shot grazed the top of the bar.

When an equaliser did not immediately materialise, however, Villa’s desperation grew and Rovers showed how they might profit on the break when Jansen juggled the ball and shot on the turn in the fashion that brought him a goal on his debut against Tottenham last week. This time it sailed wide.

No matter. On 62 minutes Sutton got the better of Riccardo Scimeca on the Villa right and crossed low for Ashley Ward to touch home his first goal for the club since his £4.5 million transfer from Barnsley. Two minutes later came a third. Jansen crossed from the left and Gareth Barry, under pressure from Sutton, could only head to Dunn, who volleyed crisply home from 12 yards.

Now Villa had no choice but to throw everything at Rovers, and it bore fruit on 69 minutes when Joachim beat Broomes to Dublin’s ball, eluded McAteer’s tackle and drove home from 20 yards.

That move signalled a furious assault that saw the redoubtable Filan claw away Dublin’s header, save Thompson’s free-kick and block Taylor’s rebound. Too litte, too late, however.