The Sunday Times: Premier League Preview 2008/9

Aston Villa

2007-08 RECORD League 6th FA Cup3rd round Carling Cup3rd round

Manager Martin O’Neill. Had a difficult summer, paying £5m for a Chelsea reserve and £2m for a 37-year-old and handling the Gareth Barry situation with less than his customary aplomb. Benefits from a kindly owner, but could do with a trophy, hence Villa’s Intertoto entry
Chop rating Martin O’Neill 1/5
New faces Curtis Davies (West Brom, £8m), Brad Friedel (Blackburn, £2m), Steven Sidwell (Chelsea, £5m), Luke Young (Middlesbrough, undisclosed), Nicky Shorey (Reading, undisclosed)
How they play At times last season (4-4 at Chelsea, 4-0 win at Blackburn), they looked like real contenders. At others (0-2 at home to Wigan, three hidings by Manchester United) they were exposed by their naive, thin squad, but if Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor keep flowering, they may make the great leap forward
Player to watch Ashley Young. A sluggish start after joining from Watford suggested the Premier League was a step too far. Once he found his feet and his footballing soul mate in John Carew there was no stopping his rise to the England squad
Tabloid favourite Ashley Young. Here’s a piece of advice: if you’re a nationally known footballer, it’s probably not a good idea to pleasure yourself whilst chatting to a woman you’ve never met. Especially if you’re communicating via webcam and it’s the night before an England game. The tabloids might just be watching.

In an ideal world Champions League
In the real world Uefa Cup
Official website www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk

SQUAD ANALYSIS
Goalkeepers1 Brad Friedel, 13 Stuart Taylor, 22 Brad Guzan Defenders 3 Wilfred Bouma, 5 Martin Laursen, 15 Curtis Davies, 16 Zat Knight, 29 Stephen O'Halloran, Luke Young, Nicky Shorey Midfielders 4 Steven Sidwell, 6 Gareth Barry, 18 Wayne Routledge, 19 Stiliyan Petrov, 20 Nigel Reo-Coker, 26 Craig Gardner, 27 Isaiah Osbourne, 28 Shaun Maloney Forwards 7 Ashley Young, 9 Marlon Harewood, 10 John Carew, 11 Gabriel Agbonlahor, 14 Nathan Delfouneso, 17 Moustapha Salifou
Players in Curtis Davies (West Brom) £8m, Steven Sidwell (Chelsea) £5m, Brad Friedel (Blackburn) £2m, Luke Young (Middlesbrough) undisclosed, Nicky Shorey (Reading) undisclosed
Players out Luke Moore (West Brom) £3m

IF THEY WERE A POLITICIAN THEY WOULD BE. . . Margaret Thatcher The glory years are increasingly sepia-tinged LOVEJOY’S PREDICTION 7th stronger for the acquisition of Friedel and Sidwell

TITLE ODDS 200/1

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