Aston Villa News 24/7Writer: J P Fear 
Date:Thursday November 30 2006
Time: 11:48AM
UK time is: 01:09:10
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Liam Ridgewell The Striker?
Ridgewell the Striker
Villa are in real need of more width and something different in the box to complement Angel.
Earlier in the season Barry at full back, Luke Moore on the left and Gabby on the right provided three widish players but the right back position remains a problem. Certainly Mellberg is poor going forward and top teams need to start their football from the back.
Put Mellberg back in the middle with Cahill, put Barry back to left back, and magic a good right back from somewhere please in January (a fit Delaney would have been fine, but will he ever get back?).
Up front Sutton wins everything in the air but I really think Ridgewell deserves a go. Unlike most centre backs he has a striker's instinct and has scored a few 2 yard drives that our strikers rarely manage. He also heads the ball like a striker rather than a centre half's looping headers over the bar.
We are too light weight up front and give the ball away with too little momentum going forward.
Give him a try. It might not work, but it is worth a go. Angel and Baros don't work, but a big man with strength in the air and an eye for goal on the floor is what is needed. He just could be the solution??!!!
Article submitted by stennyvilla
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Your Comments
One of the more bizzare suggestions to our striker problems. Football manager stuff. Sod it, why not!
murph
If we continue to get stuffed by average teams then why not?
BodyButter
Square peg in a round hole. We definitely need another striker and we need rid of Baros, but I can't see how playing a centre half up front is the answer!
Geordie_Villa
bodybutter- how are we getting stuffed by average teams all of a sudden??! We were beaten by a team who played better on the night- I can't recall us getting "stuffed" by anyone other than Chelsea this season, so why the negativity?
Geordie_Villa
Smacks of desperation. I remember (damn, I forgot his name, the manager before Docherty) playing Charlie Aitken up front once...that didn't work either.
jonah
Hasty little knee jerk I think. We are all talking about Keane, Defoe, Nugent. I am talking about Luca Toni. But the answer was there all along ....... Ridgewell. Who'd have thought ............??
voiceoftheholte
Very strong rumour that Bellamy will jion us from liverpool - the very instant the window opens. The deal is as good as done.
qKing
Championship Manager has a lot to answer for.
mackaavfc
'and heres Ridgewell bursting through the defence, beats one, beats two......'
tylervilla
Luca Toni... That would be some signing! Fernando Torres at 1/3 of the price. "Slightly" older, though..
nikkersen
tyls ...... he beats three and puts a screamer in the top corner. lol
voiceoftheholte
......that completes Ridgewell's hatrick.....
mackaavfc
GOOOOOOAAALLLLLLL RIDGEWELL. lol
tylervilla
Your avin a laff, agree Baros and JPA dont work one of them has to go, MON must have wanted to see the crack was, I bet he wont do that again.
col8
......"and the winner of the Golden Boot season 2006-2007, please put your hands together for....... Liam Ridgewell"
mackaavfc
qKing:...and the source of the rumour is??
jonah
England Captain, star striker and top scorer ...... Liam Ridgewell proudly leads the England team up the steps to collect the famous Jules Rimet Trophy and shows it to a watching audience of billions as they, thanks to Riddgers being the World Cups top scorer, lift the trophy for the first time since 1966. He lifts his shirt to show a vest on which is written ...... "Stennyvilla, it is all thanks to you".
voiceoftheholte
I don't know if Ridge could provide a temporary answer but it's not without president. Anyone remember a former Villa Hero by the name of Dion Dublin? Started as a center-half, moved to striker where he was also capped for England and then finnished his career at center-half, showing great composure and a fantastic ability to read the game, especially having learned how a striker thinks. If Ridge and O'Neill are even concidering this then it should be now while he is still young enough to "learn new tricks" Personally I can't see it happening but I am open to all sensible suggestions.
Villain Of The North
don't know about striker but I think he is a future Villa captain.
The Fear
I can't name the source (but its from within AVFC) - but from what I heard - I would be extremley surprised if our first move come Janaury isn't for Bellamy.......
qKing
If MON wants to sign Bellamy then that is enough for me, however i think he is a complete disgrace as a person. This said if he does the business on the pitch who cares?
mackaavfc
My own preference would be for a new Peter Withe or Andy Gray, but they are not available - and neither is anyone else until January!
Beats one beats two is an easy put down , but I never remember Peter Withe beating anyone on the run My suggestion of give Ridgewell a try is as a big man who can head the ball up front and possibly feed off scraps too. Charlie Aitken was a full back and an unfair comparison - a more obvious comparison is another big man - for example the one and only Chris Sutton himself started as a centre half at Norwich.
Whatever the solution up front temporary or otherwise we also need more width width width.
stennyvilla
Alan Evans 'Pyscho Evans la la la la la. He played at centre half but played up front at times. Remember being down a packed Villa against Liverpool where he scored 2 and we won 3-1. Ridgewell for forward wouldn't work. Part of the problem is being creative and getting the ball to them. He be starved just like Angel and Baros.
Gazvilla
Aww c'mon guys, is nobody gonna put me out of my misery and remind me who the gaffer before Docherty was?...Tommy somebody, its on the tip of my tongue...
jonah
Tommy Cummings
The Usual Suspect
The phrase clutching at straws imeediately springs to mind. Plus why would you want to move him when he's in the form of his life?
DeanoVilla
Would be a sign of desperation and would shatter the confidence of the other strikers. We need a new striker in my opinion in January.
Tierney
Didn't Liam Ridgewell arrive at VP as a striker, a winger or something similar. Plus let us not forget, Chris Sutton started out as a centre-half.
glensider
Will Liam still be at Villa Park in twelve months time? He's going to be facing stiff competition for places in the months ahead, and he may yet prove to be one of the unlucky ones.
glensider
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