O´Neill aims to prove Villa doubters wrong

After leading Aston Villa to their best season in recent memory, Martin O’Neill could be forgiven for feeling harshly treated if he tuned into the sports shows on local radio this close-season.

He has been cruelly branded ‘Martin No-Deal’ in recent weeks by increasingly disgruntled Villa supporters and it is difficult to believe that only months ago the Ulsterman looked the most likely manager to gatecrash the big four.

Now seasoned observers fear that O’Neill is facing his toughest test at Villa Park after another pre-season of alarming transfer inactivity.

After building so much optimism last campaign, when they eventually finished sixth after holding a top four position for several weeks, it was only the sheer lack of numbers in their squad that resulted in Villa’s hopes of a Champions League spot fading away so spectacularly.

But to date only Stewart Downing – who will not play until December – and teenage Leeds midfielder Fabian Delph, who despite his undoubted talent remains very much a gamble at Premier League level, have been recruited.

If waiting for the notoriously hesitant O’Neill to move in the market is becoming something of a theme, Villa supporters are now torn between wanting action soon and avoiding a growing list of transfer bloopers that have done little to improve the quality of the squad over the last two seasons.

After missing out on the free transfer of Michael Owen, who understandably chose Manchester United instead, O’Neill knows signing a striker of proven pedigree is of crucial importance.

John Carew, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Emile Heskey are the only experienced forwards in his squad.

But a whopping 27 million pounds has been spent over the last two seasons on Marlon Harewood, Steve Sidwell, Nicky Shorey, Zat Knight and Carlos Cuellar and all are now viewed with, at best, suspicion and, at worst, downright derision.

Knight has already been packed off to Bolton while Harewood and Shorey are expected to be casualties in a bid to raise further funds.

In Randy Lerner, Villa possess one of the most sensible chairman in the game and he will continue to back O?Neill, though not at the level of recent spending.

But there is a serious need for Villa to be more pro-active, with mega-rich Manchester City threatening to pass them by this season.

City have already robbed O’Neill of his most effective player, Gareth Barry, while the loss of Martin Laursen, forced to retire with a degenerative knee injury, will arguably be even more acutely felt by the club.

O’Neill, however, is under no illusions that he needs to strengthen a squad that fell away so lamentably over the last two months of last season.

He said: “We are looking forward to the new season very much and I am fully aware that I need to strengthen and supplement the squad to make it stronger this season.

“We have lost a couple of key players so there are obvious and immediate replacements that we are looking to bring in. I am hoping that we will be able to add to the squad over the next couple of weeks.

“It is not that easy to do. We want to bring in quality players to make sure we improve. There is money to spend, but it will have to be spent correctly and not just for the sake of it.”

He appears to have won his battle to retain Ashley Young but O’Neill sorely needs to find another quality signing like the England winger to continue his steady progression.