FULHAM v ASTON VILLA - ROY’S NEW BOYS VANQUISHED BY THE VILLANS?
Roy Hodgson has been a busy boy in the transfer market and is pinning all his survival hopes on Scandinavian footballers by the look of it. The Cottagers have secured the signings of Danish midfielder/defender Leon Andreasen, towering Norwegian centre-half Brede Hangeland and his fellow compatriot striker Erik Nevland. There has been little transfer activity at Villa Park as Martin O’Neill looks set to sell rather than buy despite possessing the smallest squad in the Premier League.
Young Villa centre-half Gary Cahill moved to Bolton on Wednesday in a reported £4.5million deal. Former captain Olof Mellberg has also agreed a pre-contract deal this week with Juventus but will remain with the Villans until July. O’Neill has signed Tottenham misfit winger Wayne Routledge. A player who couldn’t even get on the bench at struggling Spurs so the Villa fans won’t be too excited. So the rumour mill is relatively quiet on the Villa front. Then again, apart from a lack of numbers, what do the Villans need the way they’ve performed this season?
The Second City club are unbeaten in the last 8 Premier League games (3 wins). They have been in fine goal scoring form as 14 goals in the last 6 League matches will testify. Unfortunately the Villans are also leaking goals at the other end and haven’t kept a clean-sheet since November, 10 matches ago. O’Neill’s side have a superb away record this season with their only defeat in 11 away matches this season coming at Eastlands in September. In fact, including the tail end of last season, Villa’s away record is 1 defeat in the last 17 away games. The Villans currently remain unbeaten in their last 9 matches on the road (4 wins) and Fulham hardly look like a side that can stop them.
The Cottagers have not won a Premier League match for over 3 months, that’s 12 games without a win. Since Hodgson’s arrival they club have picked up a single point from 4 League games and been knocked out of the FA Cup by a League One side. They have a poor recent record against Villa as failure to win in the last 9 encounters home and away would suggest (4 defeats). Its been 5 years since Fulham last beat the Villans so don’t expect that run to change against O’Neill’s away day specialists.
Pundit’s Pick: It’s O’Neill’s day as Villans win away (away win)
Tags: Aston Villa, COttagers, Fulham, Martin O'Neill 02/02/08, Roy Hodgson, Villans
