Video Highlights: Aston Villa Vs Manchester City, Job Dunne!!

Manchester City got more than they had deserved when Craig Bellamy scored the crucial 70th minute equalizer to draw at Villa Park. The points arrived at the end of a negative City performance. Personally, I am expecting a lot more from a £120m ++ team.

This was Gareth Barry and Richard Dunne's first meeting with their former clubs. And it was the Irish defender who shone the brightest.

A Stephen Warnock's cross saw Dunne out-jump Gareth Barry before planting a firm header into the net.

Video: Peterborough V Aston Villa 0-3, Easy Win For Villa

Peterborough v Aston Villa

No matter the personnel, Villa meant business. Despite fielding a weakened team mainly of reserve players, Aston Villa still beat Peterborough 3-0 in their pre-season game.

On the 25th minute, Andreas Weimann headed home from a Barry Bannan cross. According to AVFC, Weimann is a 20 years old forward from the Villa reserve team.

Curtis Davies and Steve Sidwell were the other goal scorers.

Peterborough: McKeown, Martin (c), Williams, Morgan, Pearce, Diagouraga, Howe, Coutts, Wright, Boyd, Rowe. Subs: Day, Frecklington, Lee, Green, Gaughran, Torres, Andrew, Rendell, Crook.

VILLA: Friedel, Cuellar, Knight, Davies, Shorey; Bannan, Sidwell, Reo-Coker (c), Albrighton, Weimann, Harewood. Subs: Parish, Lowry, Lichaj, McGurk, Roome, Hofbauer, Herd, Clark, Osbourne, Collins.

Video:Miguel Veloso Signs For Villa, Fact Or Rumour?

Miguel Veloso is heading to Aston Villa? I reckon the rumour should have some substance since it has been circulating for a while now.

The fact that Veloso is renowned as being a fine reader of the game and only 23 should make him the perfect replacement for Barry in midfield.

The Sporting Lisbon star midfielder is the son of ex-Portugal star Antonio Veloso.

Aston Villa are ready to match Sporting's asking price, as they seek a replacement for Gareth Barry. Veloso is keen to sort out his future soon, saying, "I am prepared to move abroad - but I don't want things in doubt for the entire summer."- The Mirror

Most Villa fans will be hoping that Martin O'neill will sign him to bolster the midfield and pick up where Barry left off. Sporting Lisbon are demanding €13.8million for Veloso.

Full Name:Miguel Luis Pinto Veloso
Birth Date:May 11, 1986
Birth Place:Portugal
Height:1.80m
Weight:79 kg
Age:23
Position:Midfielder
Squad Number:24
Club:Sporting Lisbon

Video: Brazilian Michel Bastos Villa Bound?

Michel Bastos scores from a corner in the video.


Michel Bastos scored 14 goals and made 11 assists for Lille in French Ligue 1 in 2008/09 season.-ESPN Lille is willing to sell their midfield maestro for £12 million.

Martin O'Neill wants to sign him in order to reinforce Villa's squad for next season.-VillaMAD

Bastos, 25, is keen to move to the Premier League as he aims to secure a World Cup place for the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

According to reports, Brazil coach Dunga is willing to include him in his squad should he be able to secure a regular starting place in an EPL team.



Full Name:Michel Fernandes Bastos
Birth:Date:August 2, 1983
Height:1.79m
Weight:73 kg
Age:25
Position:Midfielder
Squad Number:8

Video: Luis Garcia Linked With Aston Villa

Aston Villa have set their sights on Espanyol's Luis Garcia. -The Sun.

Luis Garcia is a versatile player and can play on the wing or as a striker. Espanyol will consider offers in the region of £5m.

His 2008/09 form had not been exceptional and Espanyol are reportedly willing to let Luis Garcia leave to balance their books.

Full Name: Luis Garcia
Birth Date: February 6, 1981
Birth Place: Spain
Height: 1.80m
Weight: 68 kg
Age: 28
Position: Forward
Squad Number: 10

Video: Tim Borowski, From Munich To Aston Villa?

Despite starting only 6 in 26 games for Bayern Munich in 2008/09 German Bundesliga season, Tim Borowski managed to scored 5 goals and had 1 assist.-ESPN

The Bavarians’ fringe player is an adept attacking midfielder but had found playing time hard to come by. A loss of form after the winter break cost him his place in the starting eleven.

Borowski is a player in the mould of Villa legend, Ian Taylor. A tenacious tackler and the perfect embodiment of a box-to-box footballer. He has the uncanny ability of finding the right time to continue into the area and net a crucial goal.

A £5 million bid will be sufficient to prise him from Bayern.

Martin O'neill will surely try to sign him.



Full Name:Tim Borowski
Birth Date:May 2, 1980
Birth Place:Germany
Height:1.94m
Weight:84 kg
Age:29
Position:Midfielder
Squad Number:24

Video: Is Sol Campbell Good Enough For Villa?

Aston Villa are rumoured to be chasing former England defender, Sol Campbell, who is out of contract at Portsmouth.

Martin O’Neill believes that Campbell is still capable of playing at the highest level for a few more years and Villa is hot favorite to land the powerful defender.

Sol Campbell is still one of England's most commanding centre-halves and possesses impeccable tackling skills. His addition will add depth to Villa's backline.

The question is, will O'neill match his £100000 per week salary demand?

Sol Campbell had played a total of 43 matches in 2008/09 season.


Full Name: Sol Campbell
Birth Date:September 18, 1974
Birth Place:Newham
Height:1.88m
Weight:89.5 kg
Age:34
Position:Defender
Squad Number:23

Video: Portsmouth Star Glen Johnson Set To Be Sold

4 clubs have made bids for Portsmouth's England right-back, Glen Johnson.

Portsmouth executive chairman Peter Storrie has confirmed the rumor. Johnson will be have to choose from Chelsea, Liverpool Manchester City or Aston Villa. The 24 year old is valued between £15m and £18m.

Storrie told Sky Sports, "I've know Glen a long while, from my West Ham days. When I re-signed him (at Portsmouth) we talked things over.

"He said, 'If one of the big four come in with Champions League football, would you stand in my way?'

"I told him I couldn't do that. Providing the deal is right for Portsmouth and Glen then we will look to try and do something in the right way.

"It is very hard to try and hold people back when they have a chance to play in the Champions League. I accept that."

Will Glen Johnson pick money or ambition? Be rich or obscenely rich?

Watch Glen Johnson's Video

Video: Aston Villa in 2 million bid for Kyle Noughton

Will Kyle Noughton move to Villa Park and become Martin O'neill's first summer signing?

According to Daily Express, Sheffield United rejected Villa's 2 million pounds initial bid. The Blades wants 6 million pounds..

See him in action. In the video, Kyle Noughton scored a 'sensational' own goal.

Video Report: Aston Villa Vs Newcastle 1-0, Goodbye Shearer

Newcastle never looked like scoring throughout the contest and their failure to find an equaliser for a Damien Duff own goal meant that the Toons were relegated.

Video: Is Mane Of Almeria Moving To Villa Park For 9 Million Pounds?

This transfer rumour refuse to go away. With question marks remaining over Nicky Shorey's future and the fitness of Dutch international Wilfred Bouma, it is imperative that Villa signs a new left back.

When asked about where his future lies, Mane said he would love the opportunity to play in the EPL.

"I'm an older player now with great ambition, and the challenge would be special to me," he said.

"I am proud that several clubs are looking at me and that's a sign that things are going well."

He seems like a good player, but is 9 million pounds too steep for Martin O'neill?

Video:Cash Strapped Valencia Selling Nikola Zigic To Villa?

Nikola Zigic is rumoured Villa target. He has scored 12 goals in 18 games for Racing Santander this season.

Valencia is heavily in debt and will be very motivated to sell its available assets-players.

The situation was so dire at one point that the players had went two months without being paid. The situation had only been rectified when a short-term loan was agreed upon with local businesses.

With Valencia $725 million in debt, Zigic is definitely up for sale when the transfer window opens. A 5 million Euro transfer fee has been mooted but it is going be significantly lesser given Valencia's lack in bargaining power. My guess is 3 million Euro.

Nikola Zigic should be a value for money buy for Villa.


Full Name:Nikola Zigic
Birth Date:September 25, 1980
Height:2.02m
Weight:96 kg
Age:28
Position:Forward
Squad:12

Video of Tom Hanks Professing His Love For Crap Aston Villa

"Aston Villa, that sounds like a pretty little place" says Tom Hanks. Hollywood A-lister Tom Hanks claimed he was a supporter of the Birmingham team in 2005.

In a TV chat show hosted by Jonathan Ross, Tom Hanks revealed that he knew next to nothing about the club.

This is a travesty because Villa is a Great team and deserved more respect.

Video Report: Marcos Angeleri Heading To Villa?? Or Tottenham?

Is Estudiantes fullback Marcos Angeleri moving to Tottenham? Villa? It is a yes according to his agent. Fernando Hidalgo, said: "We are working on the situation of the player.

"There is a very important offer on the part of Panathinaikos and another from England. In Italy there are 2-3 teams of the first level that takes a great deal of interest in him ... Who knows ...?"

He is a handsome guy and reminds me of former Holte End hero Juan Pablo Angel.
So he is probably going to Villa than ruin his career at White Hart Lane!

I have attached a video of him in action..

Video Report : Villa Vs Hull City 1-0

A long awaited win for Villa. A 1-0 win that snaps a 12 match winless streak. John Carew 34th minute strike lifts Villa to 5th spot on the league table and guaranteed the club a place in next season's Europa League.

Video Report Aston Villa 1 West Ham 1

Emile Heskey looked set to lead Villa to its first win in 11 games until a late West Ham equaliser by Diego Tristan on 84th minute.

Aston Villa had been dominant throughout the match, but they were not able to convert the many chances created.

It means Villa are still seven points adrift of fourth-placed Arsenal who also have one match at hand.

Virtually impossible for Villa to qualify for Champions League football next season now.

Aston Villa's Hot Shot Gabriel Agbonlahor

I got this from Birmingham Mail- exclusive interview.
Agbonlahor, once mooted as the next big thing in England football is playing more like a pub player these days. His current poor performance on the pitch coincided with Villa's faltering club form. Villa have lost almost everything since their Chelsea game on 21st February less an emotionally draining draw against Stoke where they conceded an injury time equaliser.

21-Feb-09 H Chelsea L 0-1 (0-1)
01-Mar-09 H Stoke D 2-2 (1-0) Petrov 45 Carew 79
04-Mar-09 A Man City L 0-2 (0-1)
15-Mar-09 H Tottenham L 1-2 (0-1) Carew 85
22-Mar-09 A Liverpool L 0-5 (0-3) Friedel s/o 64

Agbonlahor's form: 6th on Barclays Premier League Top Scorers with 10 goals.

He was booed by Villa's supporters at Villa Park against Tottenham and did not start against Liverpool.To add further insults, he lost his international place against Slovakia and the Ukraine and will be playing for the Under-21 in friendlies against Norway and France.

This is what he has to say:

“It has been a long season,” he admits of the 39 starts and three substitute appearances already behind him at club level.

“Starting right back in July, playing in countries in the heat, I’m happy with the number of games I have played, because it means I have been injury-free and getting a long run.

“It can get mentally tiring but we’ve got the right people at the training ground to make sure we get the right amount of time off to recover.” But you still feel it in some games.”

It is understandable given that the players had an early start to the season having to qualify for the UEFA Cup through playing the Intertoto Cup.

There is a lot of criticism on the Martin O'neill and the players on the recent form. But let us not forget that this is the club's best point haul after 30 matches in 13 years.

He adds that,“ It would be good to be in the European Cup again. Despite this run these are still interesting times.

“There’s still a quarter of the season to go and we’re still an improving young team who are going to get better.”

“There is a lot of pressure involved,” admits Agbonlahor.

“It has not been like other seasons when we have just been playing to stay around the top half. You have to put more than 100 per cent into every match to try to get results.

“And it’s going to be even tougher in the games remaining.

“The truth is that we wanted to push on from last season.”

“Maybe we didn’t expect to get that many points ahead of Arsenal but when we were confident and flying we were picking up a lot of results,” Agbonlahor says.

“Everton finished fourth and Spurs went very close a couple of years ago but it is a huge ask to crack the top four when you look at their squads.

“Arsenal has got a lot of players coming back and with the players they have it’s going to be really tough.

“But we’ve done really well this season and we’ve still got a chance of making the top four.”

Villa would appear to have it all to do but all is not lost, particularly when you consider Arsene Wenger’s side have yet to travel to Anfield and Old Trafford and must also play Chelsea at The Emirates.

If Villa can just kick-start their season with a flukey goal, who knows?"

Gabby views will strike a chord with any Villa fan. As long as there is a strong belief in the players' quality, there is every chance that Villa can nip that 4th spot from Arsenal.

Benitez Thinks 5 Goals Is Too Little

A defeat of this score line is hard to swallow. It had dented Villa's chances of a top 4 finish. Although there are still many games to play for, but the pyschological damage is immense. I did not see the entire process since I shut the TV off at half time.

As well as Gerrard's hat trick, Albert Riera and Dirk Kuyt were also on the scoresheet.

Benitez said: 'We scored goals but didn't play particularly well.' Villa keeper Brad Friedel was sent off in the build-up to the penalty which saw Gerrard seal his hat-trick.

Gerrard said: 'It always sends a message when you win convincingly. Everyone knows confidence is high here.

'It's important we just focus on what we are doing, keep on United's shoulders and keep piling that pressure on them.'

Benitez's comments had been very insulting. But there is really little you can defend yourself with when you lose 5 nil.

Liverpool Won Convincingly

Liverpool won 5-0.

Bring On Villa, I Want The Title Says Benitez

Benitez can't wait for the Villa match to kick off. And he is voicing his confidence in the team's chances against Villa.

He also believes that Liverpool are strong contenders for the title now given Man Utd earlier falter at Craven Cottage.

“Everyone wants to talk about us and Chelsea [in the Champions League], but we know, if we want to stay close to United, we need to concentrate on Aston Villa,” the Spaniard told The Guardian.

“If we want to remain in the title race, we have to beat Villa.”

“A few Premier League teams play long ball, so we're used to it,” he said.

“We have to maybe change two or three movements of certain players, that's all.”