QPR managed to take control of the match in the first half and scored two brilliant goals to give them a 2-0 lead at the break. It looked like being enough to send Aston Villa to yet another defeat this season, but Alex McLeish made some crucial changes to the side’s formation and personal.

It paid off in the end when Aston Villa recover from being two goals down to equalise the match. The 2-2 final score may not be pleasing for both managers, but it is a point earned for Alex McLeish nonetheless. A Cisse goal in the first half coupled with the Stephen Warnock own goal ensured that Alex McLeish has a lot to say during the first half break. All the things Alex McLeish has said during the interval paid the right dividends, as Darren Bent and Charles N’Zogbia scored in the second half to equalise the match.

The point secured at Loftus Road is probably leased is necessary for McLeish given that there’s a real need of three points at Villa Park. Aston Villa have been struggling this season and find themselves closer to the relegation zone than the European qualification places. The football betting markets make Villa evens to finish in the mid-table places.

It is something that Martin O’Neill never allowed Aston Villa to go down to, but new manager Alex McLeish has been unable to cope up with the fans expectations especially having come from the wrong side of Birmingham. QPR also find themselves extremely close to the relegation zone, despite spending heavily in the January transfer window.

Following the permanent move, his form has shown a tremendous increase, as he has been one of the best players for Aston Villa this season. Despite struggling down at the bottom of the table, Aston Villa do have some bright players in their squad and Alan Hutton is one of them. Recently, there has been a lot of talk surrounding the call-up of players for the Team GB Olympics. There have been some managers to have who have opposed to the prospect of their players playing in the Olympic tournament. However, it seems that Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish is not one of them, as he said that he will not be in the way of Alan Hutton if he is called up for the Team GB Olympics.

“I know everyone is worried about the dates of the Olympics and players being taken out of your squad for the build-up to the new season. But how can you deny players that opportunity?” Alex McLeish said in a recent interview given regarding the Olympics. Alan Hutton could also be joined by the likes of Nathan Delfouneso, Gary Gardner, and Nathan Baker. Aston Villa also have Barry Bannan on the provisional list of players.

Movie Rating: 5 / 5

A lot has been targeted towards the former Birmingham city manager Alex McLeish, but Alan Hutton says that everyone is at fault for the poor results that Aston Villa have been getting this season. Even though they remained unbeaten in the league during the initial part of the campaign, the huge defeat suffered at the hands of Manchester City has now extended to a number of games.

Aston Villa are currently in the 13th position in the table. They recently suffered heavy defeat at the hands of Liverpool and Arsenal at home, which have only increased the animosity from the fans. They find themselves only a few points above the drop zone and it becomes extremely crucial for manager Alex McLeish to get some games under his belt to relieve the pressure. Alan Hutton has come under intense criticism of late for his performances and also for his temperament. He has received a number of yellow and red cards this season, which have compounded the misery for Alex McLeish. However, the player has said that he will certainly improve in the future once he gets regular game time at Villa Park.

“I think it can happen where supporters forget players are human beings and think we’re just mechanical. They pay their money and they want to come and see the players on a Saturday playing to the best of their ability. For different reasons, it doesn’t happen every week. But at this club, at this level,” Alan Hutton said after the match. He is expected to be dropped for the Chelsea match.

Alan Hutton made sure he put in his word as well, as he wasn’t going to stand all the blame. Redknapp hit back by saying that Hutton has been performing terribly for months now and it was time that he was told of how desperate his performances have been. This didn’t go down well with Hutton.

This clash of thoughts between these two individuals means that they both can’t survive, and, as Redknapp is manager, Hutton is making a play for a transfer away from the club. If I were you I’d be placing a Premier League bet on Hutton leaving Spurs in the January transfer window. Leaving all this aside, the team are getting ready to fly down to Dubai for an intense training program organized to ensure that such a poor performance does not occur for a second time.

The event between Redknapp and Alan Hutton might have sparked quite a number of rumors, and Hutton has plenty to consider now that he has made up his mind to move away from Tottenham. He now need to focus on his playing to ensure that he gets a move to the best team possible.

Even though Darren Bent has been a prolific scorer elsewhere, there has been a lot of doubts regarding his future at Aston Villa. The striker was pictured shopping during the defeat against Liverpool and it has put his Aston Villa future in doubt. Further, it seems that Darren Bent does not have the required physique to play as the lone striker for Alex McLeish. So far, Darren Bent and Gabriel Agbonlahor have taken the mantle of scoring the goals for Aston Villa, with five goals each. After suffering a poor run of form just ahead of Christmas, Aston Villa have dropped out of the top 10, with teams like Norwich and West Brom going ahead of the Midlands club.

Aston Villa have been defeated by Arsenal and Liverpool just before Christmas, while they could only manage a draw against Wolves, shunting them down the Betfair Premierleague betting index.

“Emile Heskey couldn’t go on with his ongoing Achilles problem. He might be out for a while now,” Alex McLeish said when asked about the injury situation with Emile Heskey. “We thought he was ready for this one. He will have a scan in the morning,” McLeish said when asked about any possible return for Darren Bent in the future. He said that Darren Bent could feature in the match against Newcastle United, who have recently been tipped to attack United and Villa in their next few games.

Video clip Rating: three / five

Alan Hutton’s tackle made Shane Long ineligible for the international match in the Euro 2012 play-offs, which was heavily criticised by the Republic of Ireland manager and West Brom manager Roy Hodgson.

However, Alan Hutton has defended the tackle he made on Shane Long saying that he never tackles with the intent of hurting anyone. Tackles have been extremely criticised in the Premier League since the huge number of tackle related injuries started happening in the last few years.

A two-footed lunge now is given a straight red card with no option to appeal against the red card. Such stern actions have meant that the number of injuries resulting from extremely hard tackle has decreased a lot. However, there have been a lot of instances where it is continuing to take place and the latest one is the tackle by Alan Hutton on West Brom striker Shane Long. Aston Villa recently defeated their arch rivals West Brom 2-1 in the Premier League. This match saw the extremely tough challenge put in on Shane Long by Alan Hutton.

“Things happen in football matches, but whatever state of mind I might be in, I would never go out and try to hurt anybody. I hope the video shows that I clearly went to win the ball. The follow-through wasn’t great but I didn’t mean to injure him. It has happened to me before and I just have to get on with it,” said Alan Hutton.

He also said that he does not read too much into the comments made by Roy Hodgson. Many regard it to be a 50-50 challenge that turned out to be bad for Shane Long.

Video Score: five / 5

Video clip Ranking: / five