Aston Villa News 24/7Writer: AstonVillaFC 
Date:Friday February 20 2009
Time: 4:28PM
UK time is: 07:50:16
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The Villa Squad?
With the close of the football season slowly but surely creeping upon us, and Villa still haunting the big boys nightmares, does anyone actually buy into this idea that O'Neill has been at fault for not
strengthening the squad enough. I am so fed up with hearing *Villa are gonna fall away because their squad is too small!*. I have been hearing it since well before Christmas.
Well guess what, we are still here and there are no real signs that we are going anywhere. Yeah sure, we got knocked out of the FA cup and drew in the UEFA in midweek. These were against very very strong sides, and we presented ourselves fairly well on both accounts. I am and have always been a pragmatist. There is no shame whatsoever at been beat by a very good Everton side. And the CSKA game...well that is one of the best performances i have seen in a while (especially in the second half) and we should have won. Crisis!? I think not.
Even if we were to slip up against Chelsea tomorrow, we are still in the running for a Champs league place, against 4 of the top club sides in Europe. The same 4 sides that we have competed with and bettered for much of the season. That, my compadres' is something we can all be VERY proud of, whatever the outcome at the end of May!
O'Neill has done everything humanly possible to strengthen where he can, and if I'm honest if feel that it is partly down to a smallish squad that we have been able to enjoy as much success as we have, same as our European cup winning team. While we do not have the likes of Teves or Drogba warming our benches, many teams would love to have talent such as the Fonz or the quality of Sidwell (most certainly excluding the Everton game!! ) sat alongside their gaffers.
Our squad, for the level we are at is pretty damn solid. It is clear to see that we are not able to sign an established international to sit on our bench, it just isn't gonna happen! In time hopefully we will compete with United and Liverpool for the blockbuster players and be able to call upon internationals in the later stages of games, but *to quote Gladiator* 'Not yet...not yet'
Now lets get well and truly behind Martin O'Neill and his CLARET AND BLUE ARMY, and cheers them past the finish line!
UTV
AstonVillaFC
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Your Comments
i think you can beat chelsea tomorrow actually time for villa fans to BELIEVE big time?
dannybhoy46
I certainly hope so dannybhoy46.... C'MON VILLA!!!
bazzah
Me too, and for once I am feeling relatively confident that we won't get turned over by one of the big boys, which is a sign of how far we've come! Think we've got the team, and even the squad to keep this up, and lets hope im right. :D
AstonVillaFC
it'll be an interesting spectacle - dull 0-0 draw anyone :-)
merlin
We win 6-0, Liverpool lose 5-0 we go second. Dead cert.
evoflash
Sounds like a good call there evo! :D Just need to put in a performance, and i think we'll be good for a win. Think that Gabby needs a well taken goal to get him back on the trail!
AstonVillaFC
Great article. I've never been so proud to be a Villa supporter. Small is beautiful. Up The Villa!!
Adam Deuce
Couldnt agree more ... Lets get that CL position then confirm Laursen, Barry, Petrov, Ashley, Gabby and Heskey ... as our nucleus to push on... I think we have a lot to see from Delfouneso and Gardner yet ... and without the small squad these boys would have left.. We all slagged Zat off but he has proven his worth .... and lately Shorey is looking better too... i think we have a good squad - even with the injuries ... but Sidwell and Carew need to watch their back .... sadly we might lose Reo, Harewood and Salifou ... over the summer ... but as long as we replace them with better quality - im all for the small squad being kept happy
tvrwhitey
i missed the most valuable Friedal in that Nucleus - to push on/.. he for me as been our difference this season
tvrwhitey
What a complete load of Horlicks! We can't attract established international? Spuds can. "O'Neill has done everything humanly possible to strengthen where he can, " except for buying more players. Now I'm totally behind MON and agree with his policy of only buying the players he wants rather than any to fill the squad but in the short term a few squad players would be very useful and at the end of the day we do have a squad lacking quality. Yes the first 11 are up there but where are the options on the bench? They are few. is the answer to that question. When all is said and done MON has done a great job so far but the holes in the squad are are 100% his responsibility and I really have heard enough defence of this, the fact is he has spent money so we know it's there but he hasn't spent it, at least bot correctly to address the lack of strength in depth.
Villan Of The North
It is true that established internationals would not come to Villa park to sit on the bench! And would you be happy if MON went out and spent 6 million on an aging player, that we do not need? We have many players who can play in various positions, and we have younger players that can come in to cover! O'Neill has got his policy SPOT ON, and the proof in the pudding is the fact that after 26 games we are sitting 4th in the table. It really is just that simple!
AstonVillaFC
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