Villan Of The North is first up for this summers interviews.
Villan Of The North is the first for this summer’s Vital Villan interviews:
1) When did you become a Villa fan and why?
When I was about 8 or 9 I saw a picture up on the wall at school, drawn by one of my fellow students, it was a globe on top of a football with some date on a banner. I realised that I was standing next to the kid who’d drawn it and seeing that it said Birmingham City at the top I asked if that was the date they won the FA cup (my Dad was never into football so my knowledge was limited to what I saw on TV back then, mostly the FA Cup finals). I was informed that they had never won the FA cup but that it was the date the team he supported was founded. Asking around I found out that most of the kids at my school were nosers but, given their abstract failure to ever win anything, this did not appeal. I asked a friend if there were any other local teams to follow and he said that he was a Wolves fan. I soon found out that Wolverhampton was soooooooo very far away from Solihull (well I was only 8) and asked if there were any other local teams. When I was informed that there was one called Aston Villa I decided to stick with that. A couple of years later we won the European Cup. All was good!
2) Best moment/moments as a Villa fan?
Stuffing MUTD in the Coca-Cola final, I don’t remember too much about the Rotterdam final as I was not allowed to stay up and watch it when it happened (could this be classed as child abuse?)
3) Worst moment/moments as a Villa fan?
Seeing MON capitulate in last season’s UEFA Cup
4) Best and worst away ground visited?
Never been to an away match, well not for Villa anyway. I have been to Ullevål for an away cup match with my local team in Norway (where I now live) but as this is the stadium usually used to Norway’s international games it should be ok (although I expected better)
5) What did you think of last season? Good, bad or indifferent and do you think we progressed?
Results – fine. Playing style – good until the end of November/mid-December, crap after that. Progress in terms of team, future outlook and squad levels – I’d rather not comment as I’ll just go on a rant!
6) Which player/s should Villa sign this summer? And do you think Villa will spend enough this summer to progress?
I’d like to see Bent and Bentley at VP, other than that I’m unsure. There are many options but most of the players I see as being possibly available to us and good enough are in positions that I would not prioritise. I doubt we will get in enough quality to progress but it’s possible we might get in enough to stand still.
7) What do you expect next season?
Premier League: As things stand, 10th-12th If we gert players in – I’ll let you know when I see who they are.
FA Cup: Which ever round we draw MUTD lol Seriously, I’d like to think we could go for it but based on MON’s prioritising I reckon 4th or 5th round.
Europa League: Last 32
Carling Cup: Last 16
8) Your opinion on Martin O’Neill now he is approaching his 4th season in charge?
Results have been good enough on paper but I really lack faith in his ability to take the team further forward. I believe that unless he has a really good transfer window we will struggle next season. Now is his chance to prove me and many others wrong and restore some of the faith we had in him.
9) Your opinion on Randy Lerner and his board?
Just what the club and Premier league needs. He’ll spend when appropriate but trys to look at the bigger picture, both on and off the field. The only weakness is the lack of football knowledge when it comes to making footballing appointments.
10) Favourite current player?
I want to say Laursen (sheds a tear) but as he is now officially and ex-player I’ll have to go with Luke Young.
11) Favourite former player/s?
Laursen is an obvious one, other than that Deano, Magic, Townsend, Savo and (just for his Villa days, I try to forget his behaviour when he went to the scum) Yorkie
12) Gareth Barry, will he stay or go and do you care?
I think he’ll stay but I don’t begrudge him a move as long as it’s to a CL team. If he wants to go elsewhere it really needs to be on very good terms for us.
13) Right, lets lower the tone… which celebrity would you most like to bang?! (Nicked from Vital Forest!)
Being a married man i think my wife should become a celebrity, then I can have a good conscience. Failing that, Scarlette Johanson.
With thanks to Villan Of The North
How to join in on the interviews: http://www.astonvilla.vitalfootball.co.uk/article
