SIGNING - Holman

So we have our first summer signing and it is one that I guess most people won't have guessed.  We have agreed to sign Brett Holman from AZ Alkmaar on a free transfer at the end of the season.

He is an Australian international and can play on the wing or behind the striker.  Perhaps this is paving the way for a departure, possibly Ireland as his wages are rather large.  I hope this is not the case but it wouldn't surprise me one bit.

Nevertheless I welcome you Brett Holman to Aston Villa Football Club and hope your stay here is a successful one.

Who Is The Mystery Bosman

Mat Kendrick suggesting today that we are close to announcing the signing of a Bosman/Free Transfer. Gregg Wylde is the obvious name and rumours are that he has been spotted at Bodymoor Heath so it looks like Mcleish is on the verge of another signing.

Lets hope this one is a bit better than the previous ones!

EDIT

It appears it is NOT Gregg Wylde after all! Mcleish keeping his cards close to his chest, but my money is on Ivica Olic.

Has The Defence Turned A Corner?

After conceding just once in our last 3 games, has our defence finally sorted itself out?

There is no doubt that the injury to Richard Dunne has been a blessing in disguise due to the fact it has forced Mcleish to play King Carlos in his favoured position. Since he has been there he has been virtually MOTM every game. Lets just hope we offer him a new contract very soon!

Collins alongside him seems to have cut out the silly errors which were costing us vital points which is another bonus. Perhaps that is down to playing next to a calming influence for a change!

Also our full backs seem to be turning their form around. Warnock seems to have recovered after a horrendous couple of months and Alan Hutton has actually been looking pretty decent in the last few games. Both could be better going forward but seem to have at least cut out the mistakes at the back.

Im not going to go overboard and say we have a top defence but we certainly do not have a poor one at this moment in time. I still believe we need to replace Warnock in the summer, or perhaps try out Lichaj, but maybe we dont need the massive defensive overhaul we thought we did earlier in the season.

Massive Win - A Star Is Born

I will admit I got it wrong! I didnt see this coming today but im absolutely thrilled it has. There is no greater feeling than a last minute winner and the fact Weimann got it made it all the better. I along with many others have been calling for him to get his chance and he has become an instant hero with a winner at the Holte End.

This result puts to bed any lingering doubt of relegation, it seems as though Wigan, Wolves and QPR are destined for that after todays results. Now we can look to the future and start to try a few things differently.

I think today will be the making of Andi Weimann, its what he has dreamt of for years and the celebrations were just a joy to watch and be a part of! He must start next game, although I doubt he will. We need to start giving the likes of Weimann and Gardner starts rather than cameos because they are the future of Aston Villa and the more they play, the better they will get.

Hopefully today is a turning point, but it definately highlighted one thing, the youngsters hold the key to our success.

SPECULATION - Pogrebnyak

On the day of the Fulham game Mcleish has come out snd stated that he has been looking at their in form striker Pavel Pogrebnyak for the past few years.

There is no doubt that if we could get him on a free in the summer it would be fantastic but I cant see him joining us above Fulham. Surely Fulham will be in for him in the summer so why would he join us ahead of them? I just cant see it happening, but at least we are looking at quality!

A Tough Game - The Run Will Go On

So on the eve of the Fulham game and I cant help thinking that they will rip us apart.  In recent weeks they have started to look very decent, with the Pogrebnyak and Johnson partnership starting to flourish with Dempsey just behind.

This doesn't bode well for us as we struggle to find that elusive victory.  With Fulham on fire I can only see a comfortable defeat and another miserable weekend.

Still I will go to the game tomorrow ready to cheer on our brave Villa boys and believe that anything is possible.  Lets end this horrendous record asap!!!

SPECULATION - Lukimya-Mulongoti

Another link to a defender, it seems the press have picked up on the fact we need to strengthen in that area. This time we have been linked with Dusseldorf's Lukimya-Mulongoti who i s a Congo international with ambitions of playing in the EPL.

He has welcomed the link with AVFC but as I know very little about him it is hard for me to judge him. Lets hope he's another Chris Samba!

Gabby Admits Fans Affect The Team - Time For Support

As if we didn't know already, Gabby Agbonlahor has come out and said that the fans negativity is affecting the players.  This almost seems like a cry for help off one of Villa's most loved players.  The fact that the fans have become so negative towards the team it has required the players to come out and almost beg the fans to get behind the team is very sad.

We have all been very negative this year, including myself, and there have been valid reasons for it.  However it's got to the stage now where we are having a major impact on the team and that is unacceptable.  As fans we are supposed to be the '12th man' but instead we appear to be the oppositions '12th man' in some games.  So now I am calling for the fans to put their agenda's away for the time being and sing louder than we have ever sung before because god knows we need too now!

Lets drive the boys over the winning line against Fulham on saturday and show them what true support is!

SPECULATION - Wylde

Obvious link today from the Daily Mail saying we are the front runners to sign Greg Wylde who left Rangers this week.  I hope it's not true and just lazy journalism but somehow i can just see this being true!

Another Hot Prospect Tied Down

AVFC today announced that 17 year old winger Jordan Graham has signed his first professional contact at the club which will keep him here until 2014.  I've seen this kid play for the youth and reserve teams and there is no doubting the fact that he is something special.  A bag of tricks and someone we must keep hold of.

Yet another name to add to the list of AVFC graduates! Lets hope he can make it to the first team before too long.