Villa Bouncing Back

When Martin O'Neill resigned from his post as Aston Villa manager just five days before the start of the season, many fans feared the worst. Change is always unsettling, especially when it takes place high up the organisation, and the timing was obviously less than perfect. Add to that, star player James Milner's transfer to Manchester City just one game into the new season, and you could be forgiven for thinking that Villa were perhaps a club on the slide. The Aston Villa betting certainly reflected this.
 
However, when a door closes, another often opens and O'Neill's departure gave Premiers League fans another opportunity to become acquainted with Gerard Houllier – a supreme tactician and scholar of the beautiful game. He's already familiar with the Premier League, and as his former number two at Anfield, Phil Thompson, will testify, his list of contacts throughout world football is astounding.
 
His resume speaks for itself - manager of European heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain, RC Lens, Liverpool and Lyon, coach of the French national team, assistant to Aime Jacquet in the 1998 World Cup, part of UEFA's and FIFA's Technical Committee in the 2002 and 2006 World Cup finals. He also acted as Technical Director for the French Football Federation during the 2010 finals. In short, Aston Villa have landed a real footballing man. The Premier League betting suggests he should do well at the club.

And an ambitious man too. Despite jumping into a league which is a far cry from the one he left in 2004 - with Roberto Mancini’s big-spending Man City looking nailed-on to qualify for the Champions’ League this season, and Harry Redknapp already going on record saying that a top-four finish is his priority - but he is not letting these things dampen the Villa fans' dream of dining at Europe’s top table.


“There is a vision for gradual improvement. We won't achieve things overnight but we want silverware. Everyone wants Champions League football or Europe and we are saying one step at a time," Houllier said.


And Villa's battling draw against Chelsea last weekend was an indication of how much they've grown, both in terms of playing as a cohesive unit and self-belief since their humiliating 6-0 defeat at St. James' Park back in August under caretaker manager, Kevin MacDonald. The true test starts now though - if the dream of a top-four finish is to become reality, then consistency will be essential. With three winnable games coming up, we'll know more after their derby against Birmingham City on October 31st.