The Villa Squad?

With the close of the football season slowly but surely creeping upon us, and Villa still haunting the big boys nightmares, does anyone actually buy into this idea that O’Neill has been at fault for not
strengthening the squad enough. I am so fed up with hearing *Villa are gonna fall away because their squad is too small!*. I have been hearing it since well before Christmas.

Well guess what, we are still here and there are no real signs that we are going anywhere. Yeah sure, we got knocked out of the FA cup and drew in the UEFA in midweek. These were against very very strong sides, and we presented ourselves fairly well on both accounts. I am and have always been a pragmatist. There is no shame whatsoever at been beat by a very good Everton side. And the CSKA game…well that is one of the best performances i have seen in a while (especially in the second half) and we should have won. Crisis!? I think not.

Even if we were to slip up against Chelsea tomorrow, we are still in the running for a Champs league place, against 4 of the top club sides in Europe. The same 4 sides that we have competed with and bettered for much of the season. That, my compadres’ is something we can all be VERY proud of, whatever the outcome at the end of May!

O’Neill has done everything humanly possible to strengthen where he can, and if I’m honest if feel that it is partly down to a smallish squad that we have been able to enjoy as much success as we have, same as our European cup winning team. While we do not have the likes of Teves or Drogba warming our benches, many teams would love to have talent such as the Fonz or the quality of Sidwell (most certainly excluding the Everton game!! ) sat alongside their gaffers.

Our squad, for the level we are at is pretty damn solid. It is clear to see that we are not able to sign an established international to sit on our bench, it just isn’t gonna happen! In time hopefully we will compete with United and Liverpool for the blockbuster players and be able to call upon internationals in the later stages of games, but *to quote Gladiator* ‘Not yet…not yet’

Now lets get well and truly behind Martin O’Neill and his CLARET AND BLUE ARMY, and cheers them past the finish line!

UTV

AstonVillaFC