Aston Villa

• Aston Villa have won just one of their past 12 Premier League games against West Ham and are winless in eight against the Hammers.

• West Ham have won their past two league games at Villa, as many as in their previous 19 visits.

• Steven Gerrard's Villa side have lost three of their past five Premier League matches when scoring first.

• West Ham remain the only Premier League side to have both failed to score a goal and not picked up a point yet this season. In English top-flight history, only four sides have lost their opening four matches of a campaign while also failing to score in each defeat.

Image source, Aston Villa

Aston Villa have released their third kit for the 2022-23 campaign.

The club said the strip features a "dynamic graphic on a rich black base with punches of blazing yellow to present an electrifying look".

Villa will wear it for their trip to Arsenal on Wednesday.

Aston Villa: Richard Sutherland, The Villa Park podcast, external

If social media reactions were anything to go by, then both David Moyes and Steven Gerrard would have been sacked after last weekend's results.

West Ham, after two fantastic seasons - admittedly with a drop off towards the end of last year - have started this one with something of a hangover. They are bottom of the league after three defeats and no goals scored, while last season's top performers Declan Rice, Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen are all struggling for form. The heat is ramping up.

Gerrard's Villa have been equally as unconvincing - a marginal win over a struggling Everton sandwiched between woeful away performances at Bournemouth and Crystal Palace. Fans have pointed to a distinct lack of style and cohesion, and three league wins in 15 has put the scrutiny firmly on Gerrard.

Pressure-wise, I think Moyes just shades it. While Gerrard is under his fair share, he has received total backing from the board and will be given time. For Moyes though, If he loses on Sunday that will be four league defeats in a row and, combined with the end to last season, I can see the passionate Hammers natives becoming extremely restless.

West Ham: Mia Claydon, Green Street Hammers, external

The Premier League's two claret-and-blue teams have struggled to get their campaigns under way and both are already under immense pressure.

At West Ham, fans are restless about the lack of quality Moyes' players are showing, and the Hammers are the only team across the top four divisions yet to score a domestic goal. He has spent a great amount of money to bring in quality players across the pitch, but it appears the team have not yet gelled.

Gerrard faces a different kind of pressure. Villa have spent over £150m on new signings across three transfer windows and haven't finished in the top half of the table since their return to the Premier League in 2019. I believe Gerrard has been told by the board that a finish lower than the top six would be a failed season, which highlights the pressure the former Liverpool player faces. Although they have a win over Everton under their belt, they got no points from games at Crystal Palace and newly promoted Bournemouth.

However, West Ham will need to pick up points in the West Midlands, as they go into a run of difficult games. Tottenham, Chelsea, and Newcastle are on the horizon, so the intensity will only grow should the Hammers again fail to take anything this weekend.

Read the rest of this week's debates here

Image source, Getty Images

Aston Villa are submitting their planning application to redevelop Villa Park and the surrounding area.

As reported in June, Villa hope to push their stadium capacity beyond 50,000 by building a new North Stand and improving the Trinity Road Stand.

The consultation process with fans has now concluded with Villa's website, external reporting more than 10,000 responses.

If planning approval is secured by the end of this year, they hope to begin construction in early 2024 and expect the work to take between 18 and 24 months.

Aston Villa CEO Christian Purslow said: “Following a successful consultation period, we are pleased to announce that we will be submitting our proposals for the redevelopment and expansion of Villa Park at the end of the month.

“We have received a hugely positive response from the local community, our supporters and other stakeholders and are confident that this project will transform both the stadium and the local area."

Aston Villa have paid tribute to their former winger Dave Rudge, who has passed away at the age of 74.

Rudge made his debut for Villa in a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at Highbury in 1966 after joining the club from school and graduating from the youth ranks.

He made a total of 60 appearances in claret and blue, scoring 10 goals.

In a statement, Villa said: "The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Dave's family and friends."

Aston Villa have lowered their asking price for Frederic Guilbert as they look to sell the defender. (L'Equipe, via BirminghamLive), external

Meanwhile, RB Leipzig are interested in signing Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah on loan, with Villa, Inter Milan, Roma and Tottenham also keen on the 23-year-old. (Mail), external

Want more transfer news? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Mike Taylor, BBC Radio WM

A second stumbling defeat in the first three League games has created some unwelcome tension among Villa’s supporters. The only consensus among the fans, though, appears to be in the collective disappointment at the way Villa have started after all the pre-season expectations.

At least they have had a good League Cup win to celebrate – with over 5,000 Villa fans present in Bolton.

Villa appeared to have succeeded in getting the majority of their transfer business done early in the summer, giving Steven Gerrard an advantage no doubt coveted by other managers.

On the whole, Villa have been remarkably stealthy in making transfers in recent times, but news of the attempt to sign Ismaila Sarr emerged over the weekend, before the deal apparently fell flat.

He would probably have been a handy addition, but it was surprising news in view of the apparent top priority now being to cover for Diego Carlos in defence.

Gerrard was non-committal last week when asked if Villa would move to sign more cover for Carlos, but the departure of Kortney Hause on loan to Watford surely implies that they intend to do something. The fact that they bought Carlos in the first place indicates Villa weren’t content with the options in that area.

But whatever squad he is left with by the end of next week, Villa fans will expect to see some concrete progress in the next few months. Barely a fortnight after starting the season with optimism that they would now be a much slicker unit, there is little evidence at the moment that Gerrard is any nearer to solving the puzzles that laid Dean Smith low last autumn.

Image source, Getty Images

Stephen Warnock says Aston Villa's Carabao Cup win over Bolton showed a statement of intent from Steven Gerrard.

The Villa boss named a strong starting XI after two defeats from the opening three Premier League games of the season.

Warnock told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily Gerrard's selection paid off.

He said: "You only have to look at Villa’s team they put out to know their position in the league and what Steven Gerrard is after.

"He needed a reaction, he needed players gaining something more from a victory and I think it was more evident tonight that Villa were trying to do something in this competition to turn their league form around."

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Image source, Getty Images

Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard says he wanted to show "how serious" his side are taking the Carabao Cup this season in the win at Bolton.

The 42-year-old fielded a full-strength side, with the likes of Philippe Coutinho, John McGinn and Danny Ings playing a part in a 4-1 win.

"I showed our fans the respect rather than Bolton," Gerrard told BBC Radio West Midlands.

"My focus was Aston Villa coming into this tie. We were drawn against Bolton, the cameras decided to come here so I think you have got to always respect your opponent and the environment.

"I wanted to respect the supporters because they have travelled in their thousands. They were extremely motivated and behind the team tonight so I wanted to show that with the team I put out and how serious we are taking this competition."

Listen to the full post-match interview here

Image source, Reuters

Steven Gerrard says Tuesday's 4-1 win over Bolton in the Carabao Cup will give his players the lift they need to kick on in the Premier League.

"You are always looking for the right reaction and response," said Gerrard, who has seen his side win one of their three Premier League games this season.

"The players and I know that the performance and result at the weekend were not good enough.

"We set them a challenge to qualify for the next round and put themselves in the best possible place for West Ham.

"That is a huge game for us now at the weekend but we can go there now with a bit more confidence and belief.

"We're at home with our fans behind us and if we manage to achieve what we want to achieve, it will settle a few things down.

"We expected Bolton to be extremely motivated.

"We knew they would come out of the blocks really fast but I always believe in the quality we have got. We knew we would have big moments and 4-1 was a good reaction."

David Michael, My Old Man Said, external

With Aston Villa’s aspirations to be a top-eight side this season, most Villa supporters would have taken being above half of last season’s top eight in the Premier League table after three games.

Zoom out, though, and Villa are floundering.

With only three wins in his past 14 Premier League games as Villa boss, the lustre of the Steven Gerrard name is starting to fade within the fanbase.

The main concern is that performances have been largely abject. There’s a lack of identity and, despite having a squad of talented individuals, there’s little semblance of a team.

Before Villa’s 3-1 loss at Palace, Patrick Vieira spoke in his programme notes about the importance of "player animation", meaning, in his words, players "knowing their role and responsibilities… to have a clear philosophy".

"That’s more important than the system we use," reasoned the Eagles boss.

The Villa players certainly lack clarity on the pitch - from what their defensive duties are to their confused state when it comes to set-pieces.

The organisation that Vieira - and Eddie Howe at Newcastle - have instilled into their teams in a similar time frame to Gerrard's has not gone unnoticed by Villa fans.

With tougher fixtures ahead for Villa in the next fortnight, including Arsenal and Manchester City, he needs to find some structure fast.

We asked for your thoughts on the Ismaila Sarr deal falling through and what else Aston Villa might need to do in the transfer market.

Here are some of your comments:

Matthew: On his day, Sarr is a devastating winger. But it's hard to feel any disappointment that the move has fallen through. Gerrard doesn't play with wingers. He insists that our width comes from full-back, with central midfielders then asked to cover defenders. It's a bit of a shambles, truth be told. What we need is a change of tactics.

Pip: This is good news! We don't need another wide forward. We need a centre-back or central midfielder, particularly if Luiz won't sign a new contract we'll need someone to challenge McGinn.

Shak: Sarr would have been a good addition but I didn't think it was totally what the team needed anyway. We need another centre-back option but the midfield is a problem. McGinn has hit his level and Ramsey needs consistency. Villa need a strong and nasty midfield general. As good as he has looked, Kamara can't do it on his own.

Harry: Not overly worried by it falling through. Priority has to remain focused on a centre-back for the season to cover the massive loss of Carlos. Sarr would’ve made a welcome addition but give Cam Archer a shot, expect to see him against Bolton and deeper into the season as squad depth becomes vital.

It's another busy week of commentaries on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, with live coverage of games across the Premier League and Carabao Cup.

Tuesday, 23 August

• Fleetwood v Everton (19:45)

Wednesday, 24 August

• Tranmere v Newcastle (19:45, Sports Extra)

Saturday, 27 August

• Liverpool v Bournemouth (15:00)

• Arsenal v Fulham (17:30)

Sunday, 28 August

• Aston Villa v West Ham (14:00)

• Wolves v Newcastle (14:00, online only)

• Nottingham Forest v Tottenham (16:30)

All times BST

Watford will "not entertain any bids" for Senegal forward Ismaila Sarr and are ready to offer the 24-year-old a new long-term contract after his proposed move to Aston Villa fell through. (Mirror)

Want more transfer news? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Image source, Getty Images

Steven Gerrard says Aston Villa will treat their Carabao Cup tie against Bolton with "serious importance".

Villa will make changes to the side beaten by Crystal Palace on Saturday when they travel to the League One outfit on Tuesday.

Gerrard has come in for criticism after the loss to Palace and says he feels some are expecting his side to face an upset.

"When the TV cameras come to games like this, we know what the outside world are after so we need to respect that and protect ourselves from that," he said.

"And we need to bounce back from this result (at Palace) and put ourselves in the next round.

"That's the challenge for the players and we'll treat this game with serious importance. We'll dust ourselves down and be strong."

We asked for your views following Aston Villa's loss at Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Here are some of your thoughts:

Ian: Villa keep doing this. Get a lead and give it away! Need to work harder at defending and definitely a need for inventive midfield attacking play.

Daniel: What on earth was that?! Our defence was non existent, and why on earth have we become a hoof and run team? Am I the only one looking at John McGinn thinking he's actually struggling since being given the armband? Well played both Emis [Buendia and Martinez] - but nothing from the others.

Alex: We're no better than we were under Smith; capable of great moments but inconsistent and likely to crumble. Not one player has been improved since Steven Gerrard was at the club. We don't know our best starting 11 or formation, and Tyrone Mings now has to play when Gerrard doesn't fancy him. Don't understand where we're going. Another struggle this season.

Keith: Same old Aston Villa. The defending is terrible and we need a good goalscorer. Poor performance all round. Just goes to show good players don't necessarily make good mangers - Gerrard needs to buck his ideas up or he could be looking for work elsewhere.

Chris: Usual excuses, I’m afraid. Sadly, displays like this will be repeated throughout the season - prompting the same old response from manager and the odd honest player. It's going to be a long, hard season if this match and result is anything to go by.

Martin: Not good enough again. Our goal was well taken and Bailey's effort was a good strike - he is definitely going to come good soon. But everything after that... awful. Gerrard needs to get into their heads and get them focused because performances like that will never get us where we want to be. On to next week!