Why 90 per cent of fans need Aston Villa to beat Arsenal and win the FA Cup

• When I was growing up, Aston Villa were always regarded as being firmly part of football’s establishment 
• The ‘big five’ in the 1980s used to be Liverpool and Everton, Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal
• There were other clubs who always commanded respect and Villa were right in there, along with Nottingham Forest
• To put it bluntly, the clubs I grew up associating as being able to compete for trophies aren't doing it anymore
• Football is also about creating memories and that is why I want Villa to win

By Jamie Carragher for the Daily Mail

Published: 15:59 EST, 29 May 2015 | Updated: 18:14 EST, 29 May 2015

Where is the hope? I’ve been thinking about what the future holds for the traditional big names of English football and asked myself that more and more.

It seems a particularly relevant question as the FA Cup final takes centre stage. When I was growing up, Aston Villa were always regarded as being firmly part of football’s establishment, boasting a history that stood up to the closest scrutiny.

The ‘big five’ in the 1980s used to be Liverpool and Everton, Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal but there were other clubs who always commanded respect and Villa — the European Cup winners of 1982 — were right in there, along with Nottingham Forest.

Nigel Spink (right) came on as substitute keeper and Peter Withe hit the only goal as Villa beat Bayern Munich

Brian Clough (right) and Peter Taylor guided Forest to a first European Cup in 1979 and defended it a year later

Neutrals will want to see Aston Villa, featuring the likes of Jack Grealish and Scott Sinclair win at Wembley

Arsenal vs Aston Villa: Facts, Stats and Betting odds

Take Arsenal and United out of that group, though, and look at where those clubs stand in the modern game. They might all have distinguished pasts but what chance do they have of replicating former glories in the future? What hope do their fans have?

To put it bluntly, the clubs I grew up associating as being able to compete for trophies aren’t doing it anymore. Everton’s last silverware came in the FA Cup of 1995. Villa’s most recent triumph was the 1996 League Cup, while Tottenham have only won the League Cup twice in the past 20 years.

Liverpool, meanwhile, are slipping towards those levels. It was the 10th anniversary of Istanbul this week but, since then, the only additions to the Anfield trophy cabinet have been the 2006 FA Cup and the 2012 League Cup. I fear there is a danger that my old club’s best days are behind them.

I love the Barclays Premier League and I think the Champions League has been fantastic for football but there has been a cost, and the sad side effect of both those competitions has been how the new elite have become so strong they are making it virtually impossible for the rest to win a trophy.

Jamie Carragher leads the cheers after Jerzy Dudek saved Andriy Shevchenko's penalty in Istanbul

Everton's last silverware came in the FA Cup with Paul Rideout's (centre) goal seeing off Manchester United

Spurs won the League Cup in 1999 and again in 2008 thanks to Jonathan Woodgate's (second right) winner

The FA Cup puts that into sharp focus. Between 1975 and 1988, there were 10 different winners of the competition and they included Wimbledon and Coventry. West Ham, meanwhile, were in the Second Division when they shocked Arsenal in 1980.

That is what everyone loved about the FA Cup. Even when you were having a poor league campaign, as a fan there was always the belief that a Cup run would turn it all around. It was so difficult to win that it even eluded Bob Paisley during his glorious nine years as Liverpool manager.

Sadly, we can’t say the same thing now. Of course there have been shocks in the recent past, most notably Wigan in 2013, but it increasingly seems as if the FA Cup has become property of the top four and that view will be reinforced if Arsene Wenger’s side retain the prize. Since 1996, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United have won the FA Cup 14 times between them. Ashley Cole, meanwhile, collected seven winners’ medals in that period. To give Cole’s tally context, it is the same amount of wins as Villa have managed in their 140-year history.

So you can see why I wonder where the hope lies in the future. There will be young Aston Villa fans going to Wembley for the first time dreaming that this will become the norm for them but the harsh reality is that they might not get another chance for 20 years.

The streets outside East Ham Town Hall were packed in 1980 after West Ham's Wembley win against Arsenal

Keith Houchen's magnificent diving header restored parity as Coventry won the FA Cup for the first time in 1987

Lawrie Sanchez nodded past Bruce Grobbelaar to help the Crazy Gang beat the Culture Club a year later

Ashley Cole (centre) collected the third of his seven FA Cup winners medals a decade ago with Arsenal

That is the way the game has gone. Lots of people has been raving about how Southampton and Swansea, for example, have had good seasons because they have finished seventh or eighth in the Premier League. They are winning most weeks and playing good football.

We now hear clubs talk about how well they have done for getting record points hauls in the Premier League and obtaining their highest ever finishing positions. With the money involved, has that become more important than a trophy?

It might please supporters but outside their clubs will anyone remember that in 10 years?

No.

To make people sit up and take notice, you need to parade silverware. I’ve said this before but make no apology for repeating myself: football is about winning.

Football is also about creating memories and that is why I want Aston Villa to win. I’d even say go as far to say 90 per cent of fans should want Villa to win to show there is hope for all the clubs outside the elite for the future.

Southampton had a memorable Premier League campaign, racking up a best-ever seventh-place finish

Eighth-placed Swansea also recorded their highest points tally in the Premier League era with 56

Villa have had a dreadful time in recent seasons, fighting against relegation. What has gone on has not been good enough and it was interesting to see chairman Randy Lerner admit this week he takes responsibility for how the club have failed so badly since Martin O’Neill left in August 2010.

Given their size, their stadium — there is no FA Cup ground quite like Villa Park — and fanbase, Villa should always be in and around the top eight, vying to get into Europe every season with the option of having a good crack at one of the cup competitions too.

Many at the club hope that victory over Arsenal will be the start of a new era for them but what chance do they have of making that reality? If Tim Sherwood can get them to play as they did against Liverpool in the semi-final, there is no reason why they cannot win.

They thoroughly deserved that victory. They were full of energy and aggression with the excellent Fabian Delph and Tom Cleverley setting the tone, harassing Liverpool’s midfield and disrupting their play. To beat Arsenal, they have to do exactly the same.

Tom Cleverley (second left) and Fabian Delph (second right) were in electric form against Liverpool

Tim Sherwood (right) helped steer Villa to safety and can cap a memorable season with an FA Cup final  victory

This weekend I'm looking forward to seeing Benteke live up to the hype

No striker finished the season in better form than the Belgium international and Aston Villa’s hopes of success will depend mainly on how he fares.

This could be Christian Benteke’s final game for Villa. Any club wishing to take him away from the Midlands knows it will cost £32.5million to invoke his release clause; when you consider his age (24), his record and the fees that some other strikers command, it would be a fair price.

But he is thriving at Villa Park and manager Tim Sherwood is right when he said no other side would provide him with the service from crosses that his side currently do. They have been playing to his strengths and that has been shown with 12 goals in his last 12 games.

An injury-free Christian Benteke was rejuvenated at the business end of the season, firing Villa to safety

On his day, Benteke is unplayable but the big Belgian's form has prompted interest from other clubs

Sherwood has coaxed the best out of Benteke with the striker scoring 12 goals from as many games

Sportsmail's Star Man Stats: Christian Benteke - Aston Villa...

In the semi-final last month, Benteke bulldozed his way past Liverpool’s defenders and there is no doubt Sherwood will ask him to prey on Per Mertesacker, as the Arsenal man struggles against strikers who have pace and power.

How that battle unfolds will have a significant bearing on the outcome of this year’s FA Cup final. If Benteke delivers, he will not only alert a raft of clubs to his ability — he could also give Villa’s fans the perfect going-away gift.

Madrid was always the job Benitez dreamed of 

A life’s ambition has been realised for Rafa Benitez, who will become Real Madrid’s next manager.

When he started out his career in management, this was the job he always dreamed of getting and I know how much it means to him because he used to come up to me every couple of months at Melwood and say ‘Madrid have made me an offer’!

There has been surprise in some quarters that Madrid have turned to Benitez but, really, he should be thought of more highly within the game, considering his impressive c.v. Never mind what he did for Valencia and Liverpool, he’s won trophies for Inter Milan, Chelsea and Napoli too.

Before landing in Liverpool Rafa Benitez won two La Liga titles and the UEFA Cup in three seasons at Valencia

Benitez continued his success at Liverpool, winning the Champions League in his first season with the club

Perhaps it stems from his persona and the cryptic quotes he gives to the media; Benitez has political tendencies when he gets in a club and there is little doubt that will be tested to the maximum by Madrid’s hierarchy!

It has been said that he is too defensive to be in charge of Madrid’s fortunes but I don’t agree with that. He likes to have the right balance between defence and attack and that, essentially, is what all managers should want.

Already we have seen reports saying he is going to build his team around Gareth Bale. There is no doubt Madrid need to get more from Bale but it wouldn’t be too clever to concentrate on him instead of Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been scoring between 50 and 60 goals in each of the past five seasons.

Benitez was in charge as Chelsea won the 2013 Europa League to further bolster his trophy cabinet

Benitez has said he will build his Real team around Gareth Bale (left), despite the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo

He is following Carlo Ancelotti, who guided Real to La Decima and had the backing of Ronaldo, so, in some ways, there are parallels with the situation he went into at Inter Milan in 2010 when he succeeded Jose Mourinho, who had just won the treble.

What happened at Inter was the only blip on Benitez’s career, where he was sacked after less than six months. With Real Madrid, every manager ends up sacked, so the only issue for Benitez is how many trophies he can collect before the inevitable happens!

Comments (7)

Share what you think

• Newest
• Oldest
• Best rated
• Worst rated

 View all

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

 View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Add your comment

Enter your comment

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Submit Comment Clear

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now