Villa might be struggling in the bottom three, but that hasn't stopped David O'Leary tying down JLloyd Samuel to a lucrative new deal at Villa Park. DIY fanatic, Samuel might have put pen to paper, but don't expect him to put down his hammer and power drill just yet. The Trinidad born former England Under 21 international has pledged his future to the club for a further three and a half years and you might expect the self confessed jack-of-all trades around the house to put his feet up and watch 'House Invaders' and let builders do the hard work, yet there is no danger of Samuel changing his philosophy on life. In fact, he is more than aware of the pitfalls of having too much spare time and insists it will be as you were in the Samuel household as he explained to givemefootball's Ian Clarkson.
Q:SIGNING THIS NEW DEAL WON'T PUT YOU IN THE COMFORT ZONE WILL IT?
A:Signing a new deal is not going to change me at all. I will still be doing the DIY around the house and a new contract won't change that at all. I don't want to fall into that category where you are just sitting in the comfort zone as I think that would reflect in your game and you can become lazy. I am going to stay exactly the same as I have always been.
Q:HOW HAVE YOU ENJOYED PLAYING AS A LEFT BACK THIS SEASON - YOU SEEM TO HAVE MADE THAT POSITION YOUR OWN?
A:I am really enjoying my role as a left back as it enables me to get forward a lot more and that is something I have always enjoyed doing and have been able to do so all season. The manager has helped me a lot as he has given me a lot of confidence and told me to express myself. He was also a top class defender himself and I have been able to draw on his experience.
Q:YOU REPRESENTED ENGLAND AT UNDER 21 LEVEL - ARE YOU HOPEFUL OF MAKING THE NEXT STEP AT SOME STAGE IN THE FUTURE?
A:It would be nice to get myself into the frame for England, but my first priority is Aston Villa and I want to make sure everything is okay here before I start worrying about anything else. However, because there aren't many left sided players then there could well be a window of opportunity for me. If the manager did decide to give me an opportunity then it would be great.
Q:A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE SAYING THIS VILLA TEAM IS TOO GOOD TO GO DOWN - WHAT DO YOU THINK?
A:It has been very tough for the team so far, but there is a lot more to come from this side as we all know. A lot of individuals have more to offer so I am confident we can start picking up some results. We need to turn the defeats into draws and the draws into wins, but we aren't looking over our shoulders just yet because I don't think you can do that. It is a case of being positive and looking forward and what we need to do is start digging in.
Q:YOU MANAGED TO BAG YOUR FIRST CAREER GOAL THIS SEASON AGAINST CHARLTON - IS THERE A GOAL BONUS IN YOU NEW CONTRACT?
A:I think it is safe to say I haven't included a goal bonus in my contract!
Q:TALKING OF CHARLTON, YOU LEFT THERE TO SIGN FOR VILLA AS A SCHOOLBOY. WITH THE ADDICKS NOW IN THE TOP SIX AND VILLA IN THE BOTTOM THREE HAVE YOU ANY REGRETS?
A:I was really pleased to sign a new contract at this club because this is where I want to be. I didn't think that we would be in the relegation zone and Charlton in the top six, but that's what happens in football. What we need to do is get better each week.
