Pigs In Mud Preview

Following on from last weeks sheep-themed preview, we're moving onto pigs as Aston Villa take on arch-rivals Birmingham City.

The official websites have gone quote-crazy as the build up to the match has gone on all week with some mention of the 'pigs in mud' scandal.

Villa manager Martin O'Neill has certainly been in a positive mood when asked about his views on the squad as they go into the second-city derby.

Villa welcome Scott Carson into a Villa/Blues match for the first time and unlike his predecessors, O'Neill is confident that Carson can cope: 'He can cope with that. He's a young kid growing up, he's enjoying it and he's playing really well. There are parts of his game he wants to improve on all the time, but he's got the youth, determination and drive to do it.'

Captain Marvel Gareth Barry is looking to try his hardest to give Villa fans value for money on Sunday, if value for money can be taken from a whopping £48 a ticket: '£48 to see a game is a lot at any time, but with Christmas just around the corner, it takes real dedication from the fans.

'All we can do is promise the fans 100 per cent commitment and hopefully we can get a result to make the money they've spent worthwhile.'

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On the flip side, Liam Ridgewell, having made what has historically been a rare cross-city move is looking forward to the game.

However with the fixture falling on Remembrance Sunday the former Villa defender is fully aware of the sacrifice made by those who lost their lives for our freedom today.

Ridgewell met up with ex-teammate Gareth Barry to highlight the work of the Royal British legion and said: 'Fans have been looking forward to the derby game for a long time and we know emotions can run high, but I'd like to encourage fans to remember it is Remembrance Sunday and give the representatives of the Royal British Legion, a warm welcome to St. Andrew's.'

Now we move on to quotes of a more pathetic kind. Birmingham City director David Gold has been stirring up the pig poo poo once more following General C.Krulak’s written apology over the now famous ‘pigs in mud’ comments.

Now we must remember that, as his own website says, Mr Gold’s story is told as: ‘From beginnings of extreme poverty, shrugging aside numerous setbacks along the way, David Gold is now one of Britain's most successful businessmen.’

Anyway, when quizzed about the apology sent from The General, Gold was less than complimentary: “To be honest, what this General wrote to me was not an apology but a load of waffle.”

“To be perfectly frank, I’m fuming even more after what Randy Lerner said. “I’m not saying I should be sent 12 red roses.

“I just think this General was totally wrong to use me in that analogy. It was nothing like an apology, more like a justification. If General Krulak had apologised to me then I’d have said ‘OK, fine, let’s move on’. But he hasn’t.”