Milner's Merry Christmas

R James (yes I know bad Peter Kay joke) has been a busy boy lately on the official site, he has thanked everyone other than God.

The first article that caught my eye, what else would it catch, is Milner's response to Fabio Capello's earlier comments that he and Aston Villa will be important 'players' in England's future.

Whilst us lot are out panic buying last minute stuff for Christmas, Milner has taken a few moments to thank his colleagues and all at Aston Villa as without them he would never have received such praise.

'The England manager's comments gave me a lift. It was great to hear those.

'But I can't just rest of my laurels. I need to be playing well every week and put in solid performances on the pitch.

'In all honesty, I feel lucky to be at a great club like Villa. I am playing with some tremendous talent - with a great mix of experience and youth.

'We have the likes of Ashley, Gabby and Curtis who are getting better all the time and experienced pros like Gareth, Martin and Stiliyan.

'I am lucky to have young English talent around me but also the experienced lads. I can learn new things in training and become a better player.'

There certainly is a feel good factor surrounding our club, well there has been since Randy Lerner took over and Martin O'Neill began his rebuild. We are sitting pretty in third place in the league, through to the next round of the UEFA Cup and Fabio Capello is a regular visitor now.

We aren't there yet, but boy am I enjoying the journey.

The second article was Milner thanking the fans, specifically those who continue to travel away to games, but also those who carry on turning up at Villa Park given our current financial climate.

He didn't comment on the jammy nature of his goal, but he did say:

'It was great to score in front of the Villa fans.

'They were out in force again and that was fantastic for us. They are terrific and their support really does make a difference.

'Times are good for the club on the field and it's a great time to be following Villa.

'Financially, it is tough at the moment with the credit crunch and also the festive period around the corner - so their support is even more valued.

'It is great to see so many fans turn up to watch us. Hopefully, the three points will provide them with some good festive spirit and sent them home happy.'

It may seem ironic that any player would comment on the credit crunch given the massive wages few earn, but most receive compared to most fans but credit has to be given to Milner and the club in general for acknowledging that times are hard for most fans even if they aren't feeling it themselves.

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