The Doc's Late Diagnosis: Blackburn Rovers vs Villa

I didn't get back to Gloucestershire from Blackburn until late yesterday afternoon, so - given that you've all read Damian's comments, most of the media response and probably seen the highlights, it's probably best if I give some reflections on the game rather than a match report.

I want to concentrate on one element of Villa's performance, and that is "character".

Blackburn are a good side, well led by Mark Hughes. They played well in the first half - probably shading it, for my money - and might well consider themselves unlucky to have gone in one down at the break. They played good, creative attacking football - with the ball on the floor and often spread wide. But they got nowhere.

And the reason they got nowhere is the amazing character of the Villa side Martin O'Neill is slowly and patiently building.

Like I said, it's too late for me to write a match review. So instead, and under this banner of "character", let me single out some performances - in adversity - which I think made the difference and which attest to the extraordinary qualities of our manager and his staff.

Let's begin with Scott Carson. Once again relentlessly booed by the home fans, he kept a second clean sheet in a row since his misfortune with England and, in the first half, made two or three saves which gave Villa the platform to move forward and win the game.

Lesser mortals would have been destroyed by such a Wembley experience, but Carson, buoyed by stunning Villa support - our fans drowning out the boos with chants of "England's, England's Number One!" - and presumably expert mentoring from the coaching regime at Bodymoor Heath, has just got better. I take my hat off to him.

Let's then continue with Zat Knight. Knight was given such a roasting in the space of little more than ten minutes by Rooney and Tevez a few weeks ago that he really must have wondered about himself. I would still be having nightmares now. But Zat has picked himself up to such a degree that he gave a performance last night of cool, commanding composure in the face of two very, very good strikers in McCarthy and Santa Cruz. Zat was utterly excellent.

And now I need to move on to Stiliyan Petrov. If Carson has been the target of the opposing fans since the Croatia game, Stan has had to endure the bitter hell of being booed by your own fans at your own home ground. I'll tell you what, Collymore or Anelka would have put in a transfer request as fast as you can say "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here". But Stan to his eternal credit, has battled away, swallowed his pride, and started to put in some real performances.

Petrov's first half display at Ewood was superb. Off the ball, he never let Rovers settle - running, closing down and tackling his heart out. On the ball, there were - perhaps for the first time since Upton Park last season - moments of skill and inspiration. Stan tired, understandably, in the second half - especially as he was still carrying a knock from the first 45 - but his contribution to this victory should be in no doubt. Real character.

I'll single out one further performance for special mention, and that is Freddie Bouma. For some time, Bouma has been unrecognisable from the porker who sometimes replaced Jlloyd Samuel under O'Dreary. But for me, this was his best performance yet. Fitter and faster than I've ever seen him, no doubt buoyed by his recall to the Dutch first team and retention of his place since, he looked determined and sharp. He's actually getting better with every game. We don't need a new left back - Bouma is the real deal.

In many ways, this is an unfair summary - because in truth there wasn't a poor performance on the pitch from any Villa player. It was a genuine and excellent team effort.

Carew was troublesome, Laursen was immense, Gabby and Ashley terrified Rovers with skill and pace whenever we got forward, and Reo-Coker never stopped biting ankles. Mellberg, never to my mind his most comfortable at right back, looked the most composed I have ever seen him in this particular role and can be proud of a fabulous jinking run forward in the second half.

But I save the biggest plaudits, as you may have guessed, for our own Captain Marvel.

For me at least, Barry looked like a real captain last night. He gave one of the best box-to-box performances I have seen for a long time from a Villa midfielder - sweeping up coolly in front of his own back four and creating space and opportunity time and time again going forward.

Barry out-thought Brad Friedel - one of the best shot-stoppers in the game - when he took his penalty. Friedel would surely have known that Bazza tends to drive his penalties high and in the middle. But Barry coolly went for the corner and, though he went the right way, Friedel could only react too late.

It is a "truism" in football that it can be very hard to play against a side reduced to ten men. Okay, Blackburn needed to chase the game, but you still need a player with the skill, composure and intelligence to create and expose the resulting space. Barry ruthlessy did that, and - in the second half - punished Blackburn for their haste in going forward too eagerly.

<>He stretched the game with pinpoint passing, and hurt Rovers by using width at the time Blackburn were least equipped to cope with it. Martin O'Neill's description of him as "majestic" after the game was no exaggeration. It was the best I have ever seen him play. Quite superb.

We may have expected an England hangover from Gareth Barry, too. Not a bit of it: like Carson, he's bounced back with a vengeance.

Twelve months ago, Villa were being carried by fight alone. Now, we see confidence, determination, fight - but also intelligence and creativity. We see a side brimming with confidence and stuffed full of character.

I'm glad this isn't a match report, because then I'd have to select a man-of-the-match.

The character that we are now seeing from these 14 or 15 Villa players shows us that there's only one real man-of-the-match at the moment. And that, categorically, is Martin O'Neill.

Hands off England, he's ours. And Sparky - look up in awe and wonder: you're not in the same league.