Vital Villa Summer 2011 Interviews: HH2
Vital Villa Summer 2011 Interviews: HH2
How do you do one I hear you cry? Click here and find out! YOUR TURN: The Vital Villa Interviews..
1) When did you become a Villa fan and why?
I became a fan in 1977 when my Father took me with him to Villa Park, aged 3! I was very lucky as right up to 1982 I had largely wonderful years of successful football with some fabulous icons like Brian Little, John Gidman, Andy Gray initially and then the fantastic Championship/European Cup winning team of Withe, Shaw, Mortimer, Morley, Cowans, Bremner, Evans etc.
Sadly that is as good as it has got to date! In fairness that era will take some beating!
2) Alex McLeish? Your opinion please?
Initially could not and almost refused to contemplate Mcleish… However the more I thought about it I could see he could do a good job. It was never about him being Ex Blues for me, it was all about him taking them down twice with ugly football. However he did very well at Rangers and Scotland and in fairness did guide Blues to a trophy and a 9th place finish which is quite miraculous work and won’t happen again for a very long time at the Sty!
Given the right support from the board and the fans he can and will do well. I am sure he will be popular and motivational with the players.
3) Best and worst moments of last season?
All in all last season was very frustrating and disappointing. I don’t think Houllier is a bad man or indeed perhaps a bad manager but he was a poor appointment as he was the wrong man at the wrong time for the wrong club… A bit like Roy Hodgson at Liverpool…He should really have been let go, like Hodgson at Liverpool in Jan after the Sunderland game..
In direct answer to the question there were many low points and too few high points.. A high was definitely our performances against the top 4 and if I had to pick one it was the 2-2 draw with Man Utd at Villa park.. Yes we threw away a two goal lead but we hammered them with a bunch of kids and our football for the large part was scintilatting and brave.. Everything I want from a Villa team.
The low point were the two dreadful, pathetic performances at Manchester City IE The League 4-0 drubbing and the 3-0 pathetic surrender in the FA Cup… A competition I have never had the privilege of seeing us win… To go out the way we did, especially as the draw had opened up so nicely for us was unforgivable.
4) Your opinion of Randy Lerner?
Total and utter supporter. How on earth could anyone be any different? He has invested fortunes of his own personal wealth in an attempt to improve my beloved club… I really don’t think I can be anything other than supportive unless I can match or better his investment or have an alternative who can do better ready to go.
I like his style and think he is not an ego and only wants what is best for Aston Villa.. Have mistakes been made? Yes of course.. Would have I made similar mistakes like allow MON to waste fortunes… More than likely! I have every faith he will continue to be a fine custodian of our great club until he feels he knows of someone who could do better.. I am sure there are precious few out there who could do this so lets be very grateful and supportive of this fine man’s contribution to the proud history of Aston Villa FC.
5) Which player/s should Villa sign this summer?
Well we have let go of 8 first team squad members.. IE NRC, Carew, Bradley, Walker, Friedel, Downing, Ashley Young and soon Cuellar. These need replacing and would want the following: Given, N’Zogbia, Hutton, Defoe, Parker and Dann… So six for eight but with youngsters coming through like Albrighton, Bannan, Lichaj and Clark that’s fair enough.. The wage bill will have been adjusted accordingly and we will have a quality squad of hungry players to move forward with.
6) Stewart Downing, now he has gone, were the Club right to sell or should have they made him see out his contract and lose the £20m?
Well Downing has gone and at £20 million its excellent business in my opinion. He was a good player but a bit like his personality when the tough got going Downing went hiding… Not a likeable man and not one I want representing Aston Villa.
7) Favourite current player?
Has to be Darren Bent.. So wonderful to have an out and out goalscorer at the club who is sheer class at what he does!
8) Favourite all time player/s?
Tough question… Loved Yorke, Brian Little, Gordon Cowans, Dennis Mortimer, Juan Pablo Angel, Ashley Young and many more but my all time favourite has to be Ooh Aah Paul Mcgrath! Just the best player I have ever seen in a Villa shirt.
9) What do you expect us to do/finish this season?
I think anywhere between 7th and 10th. 7th has to be realistic if the summer transfer window goes well.. Anything above will be hard but you never know! Any talk of a struggle I believe to be wide of the mark.. Is 7TH where we want to be? Ultimately no but there is a major rebuild going on and would represent a good start.
FA CUP- 55 years since we last won it… This will be our year and Mcleish/Lerner doubters will be all forgotten!
Carling Cup- QF
10. Why do we not believe in ourselves as a club? We always think we are much smaller than we are.. This club can be as big as it wants to be.. Its all there.. The fanbase, the ground, the heritage just not the belief… Dean Saunders summed it up perfectly in my opinion… ‘ I have played for both Liverpool and Aston Villa… In my opinion Aston Villa is just as big a club as Liverpool… They just don’t know it!
10) You can ask yourself any question you want to about Villa and what is your answer?
‘Would we have won the league in 1992/3 had the ref not played 7 extra minutes at Old Trafford allowing Man Utd to beat Sheff Wed 2-1 when they were losing 0-1 in injury time… Mr Potato Head obliged with both! Man Utd went on to win the first of many league titles and we have only won 2 league cups since… If we had gone on to win what would have happened to both Man Utd and more importantly Aston Villa???
11) Right, lets lower the tone… which celebrity would you most like to bang and which (male I would think) celeb would you most like to thump!?!
That’s easy.. Cheryl Cole just to p*ss off Ashley!
Ed Miliband- He just makes me want to hit him everytime he opens his mouth! The other one has to be Cristiano Ronaldo… What a steaming turd!
Other interviews:
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Draig Cymraeg
GvillaG
Villainatplay
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alanfgee
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Virginia Villan
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Mr Saxon
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Villa Verde
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Chelt Villan
beduff villan
richiain
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Greenday
Melski
CA_Villa
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Young Jonah
Ricardomeister
2big4seatswannastand
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1958 villain
gmvillan
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