September 2008 Archives

If Villa keep up their wonderful start to the season and do remain in strong contention to finish 4th in the Premier League would you, given the choice take the 4th place on offer and the riches of Champions league qualification or would you rather see the club win it's first trophy since 1996 and first FA Cup since 1957!?

It's a wonderful choice to have and I am the first to admit we are a million miles from either at the moment but if it came to it I would have to say 4th place and with it a potential ticket to making the club great for the long term.

Here's hoping we have such a wonderful dilemma.... We could always do both! Now I really am getting carried away!

MARTIN O'Neill returned to his Premier League routine to ensure Villa's familiar faces remained in the all-important top four.

The Villa boss has stuck with the same starting line-up for every league game this season, the only top flight manager to do so.

And once again his tried and tested formula proved to be a winner as Villa overcame an early Sunderland opener to keep the claret and blue Premier League bandwagon rolling.

Dijbril Cisse fired the Black Cats into the lead after nine minutes as an out-of-sorts Villa struggled to get going.

THERE'S little consolation for Villa fans after last night's cup calamity against QPR.

But thanks to Brighton's humbling of megabucks Manchester City, Martin O'Neill's men seem to have managed to slip out of the League Cup on the quiet.

While the old 'now we can concentrate on the league/Europe/FA Cup (delete as applicable)', argument can be trotted out, last night's result does mean that the pressure is on Villa to push on in the other competitions.

Granted, Villa only made the odd change last night with the likes of Brad Guzan, Isaiah Osbourne and Marlon Harewood coming in, but does the result mean that Villa's strength in depth isn't what it needs to be?

MARTIN O'Neill drew a definitive line under the Gareth Barry transfer saga by naming him as Aston Villa captain in the 1-0 Carling Cup defeat by QPR - but insisted a third-round defeat was more important than the destination of the armband.

Barry, Villa's talisman for so long, endured a difficult summer as he vied for his dream move to Liverpool and it seemed at one stage he had played his last game for the club.

But the transfer never materialised and, after being dropped as skipper in favour of Martin Laursen in the summer, he led the team out once again in a Villa side showing six changes.

And it is the result - courtesy of Damion Stewart's powerfully-headed goal in the 58th minute - that O'Neill was keen to focus on.

GARETH Barry endured a miserable return to captaincy duties as QPR's Damion Stewart dumped Aston Villa out of the Carling Cup with the only goal at Villa Park.

Stewart headed home after 58 minutes to put the Coca-Cola Championship side into the fourth round as a reshuffled Villa side struggled to find any fluency.

Barry was one of only five survivors from Villa's Premier League victory over West Brom and was asked to lead the side for the first time since his dream move to Liverpool fell through.

But despite a lively display from Ashley Young, Villa could not find the goal they needed to force extra-time.
Carlos Cuellar was handed a first home start alongside Zat Knight in a reshuffled Villa defence, while Isaiah Osbourne and goalkeeper Brad Guzan, on debut, were given chances to impress.