O'Neill, Friendlies & Villa Rumours!

Martin O'Neill has spoken to the official site about the pre-season tour saying:

'Overall the trip has been very good for the players. The hospitality has been first-class and we've had some very good sessions out here. The new boys have quickly integrated into the squad and the players have worked very hard. It would be nice to end the trip with another victory tonight (v Columbus)'

He is also interviewed today in The Mirror, I'm not totally sure what the article achieves really, nothing that we've not already been told and some of it seems to go over very old ground about his break from the game, HOW BOSS WILL WAKE SLEEPING GIANT

O'Neill, speaking to the fawning Oliver Holte, says: 'Randy Lerner wants to bring the good days back to Villa. He wants to keep the old traditions but he wants to move things on, too. The new training ground, for instance, is magnificent. He doesn't expect overnight success and he doesn't expect to be challenging for stuff until there is an infrastructure in place. He wants to build a football club here. I think he has a trust in me and I want to repay that. I have a driving ambition to make the football club successful.'

Cool, all sounds good, now buy some players to make these dreams come true!

The press recently have gone fairly quiet on links with Alan Smith a supposed target according to the Daily Mail (can't see it, we've enough strikers surely and the likes of Luke Moore and Gabriel Agbonlahor are much better, younger prospects?).

According to the gossip today we are also apparently in a tussle with Newcastle United for 24-year-old Porto right-back Jose Bosingwa, reportedly worth around £3million and 6ft 4inch FC Copenhagen central defender Brede Hangeland rated at £4m.

A right-back at Villa? What a good idea! ;o)