Dib dib dib At Villa

Dib dib dib, dub dub dub at Aston Villa as the scouts are out in force.

Martin O’Neill is reportedly working his scouts hard across Europe as he looks for possibly January targets.

There are whispers that a massive signing is being lined up, but as I can get no more than that whisper, I guess we’ll have to wait and see. I’ve not been approached yet, put it that way (WHAT? Where there is life there is hope, I keep saying I am a mean left-back-in-the-changing-room!).

Martin O’Neill told the official site: ‘I’ve got Ian Storey-Moore and a couple more scouts all over England and Europe at the moment. Ian has the reports on my desk and he’s really enthusiastic, as you’d expect. They’re recommending players to me at this minute and I want to go to games they’re playing in. They’re ringing me to go and see these boys myself and I’m trying to get to see them to fit in with our games.’

And as ever, Martin has a worry or two………! Great to see a manager who lives and breathes his job isn’t it!? ‘Part of me is worried because trying to concentrate on our own games is the most important issue. For instance, we play Sunday, and there’s some really big games I’d like to see on the Saturday. But the danger is getting stuck over there and can’t get back and the next thing you know you haven’t attended your own game. So there’s a problem. But there’s a couple of things that may materialise which you get excited about one day, and then the next you get knocked a bit.’

‘I definitely want to improve the squad because I won’t get another opportunity until the summer.’

‘I’d only generalise and it’s pointless me saying I need a full-back, a centre-half, a midfielder, a wide left, a wide right and a centre forward. Then the boys would look round to me to say ‘Isn’t he happy with me?’.’