Aston Villa - end-of-season report
Monday, 02 Jun 2008 19:04
Aston Villa - fan's 2007/08 end-of-season report
Good, bad or just the same old, same old? What the fans made of the 2007/08 season.
An inconsistent start to the 2007/08 term gave way to the emergence of an exciting, attacking-natured Aston Villa side, who showed themselves capable of taking points from all but the very best the Premier League had to offer.
That a sixth-place finish has not proved good enough to take an automatic Uefa Cup place will not phase Martin O'Neill's men, who will attempt to gain entry to Europe via the Intertoto Cup.
It is no shame that the only time Villa have looked out of their depth this season was against the eventual European and English champions Manchester United, whose title challenge was greatly assisted by the five points taken off runners-up Chelsea by Villa themselves.
While the likes of Manchester City and Portsmouth saw sparkling starts to the season wilt away, Villa picked themselves up from defeats and retained a near-constant place in the top half of the table, playing with collective enthusiasm and an eye for goal.
It is a credit to Villa that many of their prized players will become transfer targets this summer and in that respect, the greatest challenges may lie ahead.
Grade: B+
High Point
After a humbling 4-0 defeat away to Manchester United at Old Trafford, Villa embarked upon an April run which saw a finely-tuned outfit knock in 15 goals in three matches, culminating in the 5-1 mauling of local rivals Birmingham City – without a doubt the Villa fans' high point of the season.
The end-of-season sprint finish was a pleasure to watch, with Gabby Agbonlahor and Jon Carew combining to devastating effect up front.
Captain Gareth Barry came into the kind of form which has made him an England regular while Ashley Young confirmed his status as one of the Premier League's most exciting talents whether employed on either the left or right flank or in a free role.
Low Point
A 4-0 loss to champions Manchester United was a sobering demonstration of how far Villa have to go to dent the dominance of the country's top four clubs. While Sir Alex Ferguson's side were firing on all cylinders that day, Villa were shown the need to shore up a defence which has lost wholehearted centre-back Olof Mellburg to Juventus.
The Midlanders will be disappointed not to have beaten Everton in a tight late-April fixture at Goodison Park – a win which would have set them up to grab the fifth spot needed for automatic Uefa Cup qualification.
The manager
Many pundits appear sure that boss Martin O'Neill can perform miracles and the big four's domination of the Premier League means that a sixth-place finish for Aston Villa this season can be regarded as something of an unexpected achievement, if not quite living up to the god-like status afforded to him by some.
An improvement from 11th spot last year poses the question – how far can O'Neill take Villa? If owner Randy Lerner doesn't stump up the funds needed for a serious assault on the top four, O'Neill may be tempted to look for a job away from Villa Park in a bid to achieve his own goals in management.
Fan's Player of the Year
- Martin Laursen –
Six goals for a centre-back is no mean feat and coupled with the valiant and assured displays he has churned out this season, it would hard to look further than Laursen for this season's best player. Should current club captain Gareth Barry leave in the summer, it would be a surprise if Laursen were overlooked for the role.
John Carew, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Barry and Ashley Young made up an able supporting cast in a season which highlighted the effectiveness of the team over the individual, although Laursen will take deserved plaudits not least from the Villa fans.
Needs for Next Season
Villa face the tricky task of retaining their most players while adding wisely to a medium-sized squad.
If the likes of Barry and Agbonlahor can be kept hold of, another quality striker to compliment the sterling work of Carew would be helpful, as would reinforcements to the backline.
Stilian Petrov was one of the few Villa players not to have enhanced his reputation after a patchy season. Another creative midfielder in keeping with O'Neill's insistence on a tireless work ethic could prove a productive buy.
Richard Garside