Martin O'Neill will arguably have his hardest season as Villa manager this term with expectations going through the roof in the Second City. After finishing eleventh in his first year at the helm and then sixth last year, supporters will be looking for yet more improvement from one of the top managers in British football.
Villa were second top scorers behind Manchester United last season but with other clubs spending heavily it will be a big ask for Villa to improve on sixth position. Olof Mellberg has left for Juventus and the Gareth Barry Liverpool transfer saga has cast a shadow over Villa's pre-season preparations.
Villa have rejected three bids thus far for their club captain but he is still expected to leave Villa Park despite being allowed to return to training. Steve Sidwell is their first major summer signing from Chelsea and goalkeeper Brad Guzan will join from Chivas in the USA subject to a work permit.
A bid is on the table for David Bentley and Curtis Davies has signed permanently after his loan deal from Albion last terms. O'Neill will be looking to bolster his squad still further though and they have the little matter of trying to negotiate their way past Danish side Odense in the Intertoto Cup this month to ensure a passage into the UEFA Cup.
A pre-season defeat at Lincoln on Tuesday has given O'Neill a warning that the squad needs strengthening with the impending departure of Barry, but he will back himself to produce more diamonds. Ashley Young fully vindicated his £9m price tag last season as he forced his way into the England squad whilst Gabby Agbonlahor terrorised defences with his pace.
Along with John Carew they formed a potent three-pronged attack and O'Neill is trying to add to two or three more top quality players in certain areas to make Villa more formidable. It will be a good test for the former Celtic, Leicester, Norwich and Wycombe manager to see if he can push Villa yet further.
PLAYERS IN/OUT:
In:
Curtis Davies (Undisclosed/West Bromwich Albion)
Steve Sidwell (£5m/Chelsea)
Out:
Patrik Berger (free)
Olof Mellberg (Juventus/free)
Luke Moore (West Bromwich Albion/£3m)
Thomas Sorensen (free)
PREDICTION: Villa will finish in the top ten once again but will find it difficult to match the achievements of last season and finish eighth. However, they are due a good cup run and O'Neill will guide them to the semi finals of at least one major tournament.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF ASTON VILLA FC
Villa's trophy cabinet and list of honours makes impressive reading but it has dried up in recent years. They have won the old first division title (Premier League) seven times but only once since World War II and that was back in 1981.
Seven FA Cup wins is also an impressive tally but, once again, they have only won it once since the Second World War and that was in 1957 against Manchester United.
However, they are one of the few English clubs to have won the European Cup and they lifted the title in 1982 on a famous night in Rotterdam against Bayern Munich.
Peter Withe scored the only goal of the game as Villa upset the odds to beat the Germans and complete their most successful post-war period. That was followed by a European Super Cup triumph the following year whilst the League Cup has brought more recent triumphs with the trophy winding its way back to Villa Park on five occasions since the 1960s.
The last occasion was back in 1996 when Brian Little's side demolished Leeds 3-0 but the trophy cabinet has been bare since then. Villa have the potential to be a real force in football once again now that Randy Lerner is at the helm as there is a feelgood factor at Villa Park.
The later years of the Doug Ellis era saw resentment building amongst supporters but that has all been cleared and the next step is for Villa to achieve something they have failed to do since the 19th century. That is to consistently win trophies at the top level and be a major force in the English Premier League
Did you know? Villa cult hero, Ian Ormondroyd, who left Villa Park in 1991, was the inspiration for Indie band Ormondroyd. The five-piece, containing two Villa fans, encourage fans to wave Villa scarves during their gigs!
