Uno
ial Villa News…
Villa Youth need your backing at Villa Park on March 19th in the second leg of the semi Fa Youth Cup. We drew 1-1 with Chelsea at their gaff last week: Click Here
The Aston Villa Old Stars kick off their 2008 campaign this afternoon (March 9) when they take on a Mickey Buttress XI at Hollyfields Sports Club, Woodacre Road, Erdington (2.30pm).
I meanwhile am going for roast beef in Stratford Upon Avon… which is nice. Well, nice for me, not so nice for the cow I guess, or you. Then again, I’m a ‘me’ person, so tough… hopefully the beef won’t be tough though, then it wouldn’t be nice for me either would it? I am now facing a dilema once again. Damn.
Martin O’Neill is in confident mood according to an interview he has done in the Evening Mail and he adds that he believes the club are ‘getting there’ in their ambitions to restore us to competing at the top. He told the paper ‘Aston Villa – the whole place needs re-igniting. That’s what we need to try to do. This club needs to be in the upper echelons of the Premier League, but it will take time. My own view is that we are getting there.’ Full quotes + Bryan Jones on O’Neill: Click Here
According to one of the gossip sites Villa are amongst a host of Premiership clubs interested in Wolfsburg goalkeeper Simon Jentzsch.
According to the People, we are in the race, along with Newcastle and Arsenal, for St Etienne’s Senegal striker Bafetimbi Gomis. According to the paper Villa had him watched last week and will join the bidding, expected to start at around £8million, if he decides he wants to move to the Premier League. Other transfer gossip: Click Here
More talk from Stiliyan Petrov. Hopefully one day he’ll translate that to regular good performances on the pitch? Petrov admitted ‘I haven’t produced my best form for Villa but I haven’t been complaining, I just get on with it and the manager picks the team. Sometimes it doesn’t go well for you but you still do your best for your team-mates and that’s the way I’ll carry on. I’ll never give up. I will be back playing for Villa. To be honest, a few people have asked what I want to do. But I’m not a quitter and I’m not thinking about a transfer.’ Full article: Click Here
Martin O’Neill has set Villa forward John Carew a target of 20 goals this season and says that he is a nightmare for defenders to handle when on form. The former Lyon man is currently on 9 goals for the season but as O’Neill explains, the early part of his season was spoilt by injuries. ‘To see John up to the nine-goal mark is great – and there’s no reason why he shouldn’t go on to become a 20-goals-a-season man. John had a knee injury earlier in the season, and to be a 20-goals-a-season marksman you have to play the requisite number of games. But he should be able to do that and also reach that number of goals, no doubt at all.’ He has also scored off the field as he is reportedly seeing Alesha Dixon who used to be in Misteeq (no, I don’t remember them either to be fair) Full article: Click Here
Nigel Hokey-Cokey and Olof Mellberg are both back to full fitness and could feature in our home game v Middlesbrough next Wednesday night. Meanwhile Stephen O’Halloran, who returned early from his recent loan to Leeds having picked up a cruciate ligament injury says he is still hungry and will return despite the prospect of up to nine months out of the game. And unfortunately another youngster, midfielder Jonathan Hogg, has picked up a nasty long term injury. Full round up: Click Here
Vital Villa asked, in a poll suggested by Benham, who is your player of the season for Villa so far this season? The poll, in my ever so humble opinion came out spot on with Martin Laursen the clear winner on 55% and Ashley Young a deserved second with 18%. Full results: Click Here
Our fantastic weekly column, Something For The Weekend: Click Here
Manchester City have joined Aston Villa and Everton by applying for the Intertoto Cup in case they don’t qualify for Europe via a league place.
Gareth Barry says he is determined to bring European football back to Villa Park. ‘We last qualified for Europe via the league 10 years ago and it has been too long. Hopefully this year we will get back where we want to be. Aston Villa has got to be back up there getting automatic qualification and finishing top six or seven in the Premier League on a regular basis. European football should be part of this club again and it has been a long time since the club has been consistently up there challenging.’
Thought for the day: One hundred percent of the shots you don’t take don’t go in. Wayne Gretzky
