 Thursday, 1st Nov 2007 19:29 Among all of the doom and gloom, there’s one person besides Billy Davies who thinks we can stay up; Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill. Aston Villa V Derby County In an interesting article on the official Villa site, O’Neill compares the Rams current plight to his time managing newly promoted Leicester. He said: "The similarities are there (between Leicester and Derby) because we came up through the play-offs, and we had no time whatsoever to prepare.” O’Neill was widely rumoured to be a target for the Rams prior to the arrival of Davies and is widely regarded in the game. He went on; "I don't know the ins and outs of Derby, but that is the sort of feeling we had at Leicester early on. As it turns out we hung in the League Cup for a while, and by Christmas-time things were turning for us.” Also on the official site, O’Neill remembers the famous 4-1 thrashing that Derby gave to European Champions, Nottingham Forest in 1979. O’Neill was an integral part of Clough’s team at the time. He said; "Brian Clough was not happy! He was not happy! I remember that more than I remember anything about the game. He was not happy with any of us.” The same article also remembers the 4-0 Leicester victory at Pride Park but Rams fans might want to gloss over that bit. Villa’s form has been patchy so far this season. A late goal by Luke Moore at Bolton last week saved a point – much to the annoyance of Gary Megson. He felt that Villa got away with two clear penalties. Martin O’Neill blamed an experimental line-up for the problems. He said; “We tried a different system, it wasn't working and it was up to us to change it. Things were better in the second half without being terrific.” Villa’s best result this season was probably their 2-0 win over Chelsea while the 4-4 with Spurs and the 4 conceded at ald Trafford points to some defensive frailties. Current Villa Squad No. Position Player Last 5 games Aston Villa 0-1 Leicester Danger Men Villa have score 13 league goals this season and the main man on target has been Gabriel Agbonlahor. The product of the Villa Youth team, Agbonlahor has pace and a keen eye for goal. He’s been developed as a player under Martin O’Neill and despite being only 21, is a regular in the Villa team. Midfielder Shaun Maloney has weighed in with 3 goals. An Attacking midfielder, he played under Villa boss O’Neill at Celtic where he scored 37 times in just over 100 appearances. John Carew is a big threat in every sense of the word. At 6’5” he will be difficult to mark on set pieces. He’s only netted once so far this season. He is however rated doubtful for the game. Last week's scorer Luke Moore could well start. Martin O’Neill hopes that last weeks goal will galvanise the striker into rivalling Agbonlahor. Nigel Reo-Coker and Scott Carson are available after suspension while new signing Moustapha Salifou is building his fitness in the reserves. The Rams Billy Davies in the DET; “It is disappointing because we had done quite well in previous home games but we had no spark anywhere on the pitch against Everton, I cannot fault the players. They are working as hard as they can but they just need to show a bit more quality.” I’m sorry but there can be no excuses for that performance last week. One shot in 90 minutes and not even a single corner? I don’t think I’ve ever been so bored at a match. We made it easy for an Everton team that played the Thursday before. It now transpires that our box to box midfielder, Pearson was suffering from a virus – so why was he on the pitch? If Dean Leacock was fit, why was he sitting on the bench? We now read in the DET that Davies is considering playing Leacock as a defensive midfielder against Villa – why? He’s a centre half. Ot wasn’t working at Fulham when he got injured so why do it again? Barnes was played as a striker and out wide. He spent most of the time showboating. He’s talented but we need team players. Craig Fagan barely provided anything and yet Teale wasn’t even on the bench. When Davies bought Steve Howard on as a big target man, he promptly took the wingers off! The game last week was simply unacceptable. We need to regroup for the visit to Villa. NO excuses. Mick’s team: Bywater, Mears, Leacock, Davis, McEveley, Oakley, Pearson, Fagan, Barnes, Miller, Earnshaw What the bookies think The Bookies think this is an easy day out for the Villa. You can only get 2/5 on a home win from William Hill. The draw is at 11/4 while a Rams victory is an outside chance at 6/1. Driving: At 50 miles, this is one of the shorter trips for Rams fans. The best route is to take the M1 south to J23a with the A42/M42. At J4a with the M6, take the motorway towards Birmingham and at J6 take the A38 NE. At the roundabout, take the A5127 exit onto Lichfield Road until the junction with Aston Hall Rd (B4137). You should be able to see the ground from here. A poster on Popside.com warns that a stretch of the A38 is going to be closed for roadworks around Lichfield. Expect delays if you go the A38 route. Parking: There is parking to be had in the streets around Villa Park if you arrive early enough. Apparently there are now several residents’ only parking schemes in place around the ground. There is a large main car park on the left hand side of Witton Lane. Drinking: Most of the pubs around Villa Park are members only on match day however the former Witton Arms (now called the Cap & Gown) is very near the ground and welcomes away supporters. Footballgroundguides.com recommends the Harriers on Broadway which is around ten minutes from the ground and handy for street parking. It also recommends the historic Barton arms on Aston High Street. Note: there is no alcohol available to away supporters at Villa Park. Train: Get the train to New Street and then change to the local service to Witton. This is only few minutes walk from the away end. Note: Away fans are no longer housed in the North Stand. We are now located on one side of the Doug Ellis Stand. Mick’s Prediction I don’t care if we win, draw or lose. We just have to get back the pride we surrendered last week. NO excuses.
Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
You need to login in order to post your comments |
   Derby County Polls[ Vote here ] |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.We in turn value your personal details in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
