*Carbone ups the ante*

John Gregory put the onus on his players by declaring that FA Cup semi-final places were at stake in this game and his Villa team responded with a comfortable victory.

There was a bonus for Gregory with the return of England striker Dion Dublin, who was given a run-out for the last 10 minutes. Relegation-threatened Derby had plenty of possession but none of Villa’s cutting edge and their plight is looking more perilous.

Eight days before their FA Cup semi-final against Bolton at Wembley, Villa fans greeted the return of Dublin to the substitutes bench with warm applause. His return came just three months after he suffered a broken neck in a horrific incident against Sheffield Wednesday. The brave striker came into a squad much changed from the one that surrendered a 12-match unbeaten League record feebly at Southampton.

David James returned in goal after missing six games because of a thigh injury but J Lloyd Samuel, a 19-year-old central defender, made his first Premiership start in the continued absence of club skipper Gareth Southgate, sidelined with an Achilles tendon injury and rested for next Sunday’s match..

Derby made one change from the team beaten by Liverpool, stiffening their midfield with Stefan Schnoor to the exclusion of Malcolm Christie up front. It meant that Georgiou Kinkladze operated just behind the lone striker Branko Strupar.

It was Strupar who had the first sight of goal, but he mis cued his volley from 20 yards.

Villa took time to piece together anything productive, Horacio Carbonari halting their first genuine raid as Joachim tried to profit from a link-up between Gareth Barry and Paul Merson.

A flying header from Julian Joachim that flew just over from Merson’s corner signalled a brighter period for Villa which resulted in a goal by Benito Carbone five minutes before the interval.

Carbone has been the subject for unrest among supporters, annoyed that the club have yet to complete his £1million move from Sheffield Wednesday.

The player himself urged them not to make protests towards chairman Doug Ellis as the Italian believes contract talks can be finalised by the end of the season.

Here, there was no disguising Carbone’s delight as he accepted a pass from Merson, manoeuvred space 22 yards out and then beat Derby goalkeeper Martin Poom with a shot into the bottom corner.

Two minutes later Merson almost added a second goal, but his shot hit the bar.

Stefano Eranio drove Derby’s best second-half chance straight at James, and his miss was punished when Merson, out on the left touchline, delivered a peach of a cross with the outside of his right boot straight onto the head of George Boateng for the midfielder to net the second.

Two minutes later only a splendid one-handed save by Poom from Carbone prevented Villa going further ahead.

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*The Guardian*
Monday, 27 March 2000

*Carbone strikes, kisses the crest, then calls Villa ‘a joke’*

Aston Villa’s manager John Gregory could be forgiven for wishing it had been as easy to get Benito Carbone to sign a long-term contract as it was for the Italian to autograph the pieces of paper pushed under his nose as he sat by the dugout after gracefully giving way to Dion Dublin for the final 10 minutes.

However, there followed a post-match outburst from Carbone, who has reportedly reduced his wage demands to a tax-free £1m a year and a £1,000-a-week rent allowance rather than £40,000 a week. “I thought we were getting very close to tying things up,” he said. “Now I find the club have changed everything we have been talking about for the last few weeks. Perhaps they think it is a joke for them. It’s not funny.

“The club is a joke. I am ready to break my legs for this club. But with the club having changed everything again, I don’t know what is going to happen.”

Gregory, having pronounced the parties to be near agreement and his confidence in concluding a deal at the end of the season, is sure to find this latest distraction particularly unwelcome in the run-up to Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final with Bolton.

Earlier the manager had expressed his delight at the Italian’s badge-kissing antics after running the length of the pitch to celebrate with the Holte End after scoring with a low shot into the corner from outside the area.

“The more Beni scores the more he can push the price up,” he said. “He’s our player until the end of the season; the longer it goes on, the greater the risk [of missing out on him]. He will not lose out whatever happens.”

Quite so. “Are you watching Doug Ellis?” and “Sign him up” was the response of the faithful, who are becoming increasingly annoyed with the wage structure imposed by the chairman, which has previously cost Villa the services of Robbie Keane and Juninho and leaves them as a top-seven club with a nice ground.

It was a pity that this latest spat overshadowed an imperious performance from Paul Merson, Villa’s captain for the day who, as well as making Carbone’s goal, also hit the bar with a deft chip and then superbly found the head of George Boateng for the second.

“That’s what I’m in the team for, to make goals,” said Merson. “I think [playing for] England’s a bit beyond me now, though. I’ll just concentrate on winning the FA Cup for Villa.”

So it is eyes down for Sunday and with Dublin likely to begin on the bench but keen to play a full part after making a first appearance since breaking a neck vertebra in December.

Derby, who began to play only when the rested Malcolm Christie came off the bench at 2-0 down, have less to look forward to and the manager Jim Smith has set a safety target of 38 points. Their next two away games, at Watford and Bradford, should prove to be decisive.