July 2008 Archives

THERE must be something about the Midlands and former Villa players.

Kevin Phillips, Luke Moore, Scott Carson and now Thomas Sorensen are the latest batch of players to sign out of Villa Park and check straight into one of the club's near rivals.

Quite what sort of season awaits Sorensen at Stoke City is open to debate. He's likely to spend most of it picking leather out of the back of a net whatever happens, but will he be a gallant hero or a scapegoat?

HE MAY be 10 years his senior but Brad Friedel only managed to beat Gareth Barry to the Premiership punch by the small matter of three months when, ironically, he made his Liverpool debut against Villa in February 1998.

Now, with 20 years' top-flight experience between them and having been team-mates for just three days when Friedel was eventually unveiled to the press at Bodymoor Heath yesterday, the 37-year-old American quickly found himself having to deflect a potential hot potato.

Thankfully for Villa, Friedel - rather more like a South African batsman so far this summer than an Englishman - saw the delivery coming and dead-batted it straight back to the bowler.

"Gareth? He's a tremendous player,'' he said offering hopes of a swashbuckling Freddie Flintoff or an AB de Villiers response.

IT WAS quite a day for Villa, who lost a player, gained a player and saw their fans do more to keep another in 90 minutes than any talking - or lack of it - has managed all summer.

And at the end of it all those supporters were still able to dream of an extra 20 matches on the road to Istanbul.

Friday's second qualifying-round draw won't pair Villa with the likes of AC Milan, Tottenham, Seville, Valencia, Everton, Deportivo La Coruna, Hamburg or Ajax.

But it is a small measure of Villa's advancement under Martin O'Neill that even with a squad as thin as Victoria Beckham's midriff, that only those eight teams currently lie ahead of them in the early betting to lift the famous trophy on May 20.

THE Aston Villa Old Stars will play a Sutton United FC X1 on Sunday in support of former Villa and Wolves midfielder Paul Birch who is fighting bone cancer.

Five members of the 1982 European Cup winning squad- Gordon Cowans, Des Bremner, Nigel Spink, Colin Gibson and Pat Heard are to be joined by Mark Walters and Phil King whilst Tony Morley and Steve Staunton will be in attendance.

Birch enjoyed a 19-year professional career making 462 first-class appearances until his retirement in 1999.

He played more than 200 games for Villa, which included the European Super-Cup Final against Barcelona.

THE arrival of Brad Friedel from Blackburn is imminent.

The American was spotted at the Belfry earlier today and will be holding talks over personal terms as soon as he has finished his sandwich!

Anyway, it is a cracking signing. He may be 37 but how old is David James?- the best keeper in the Prem last year.