Interview with Villa fans

We caught up with Damian who runs the excellent Aston Villa blog to ask his views on the season so far. Our thanks to him for his help.

Q. You’ve had a great season - are you happy with everything so far?
A. Am I happy with 5th? Yes, absofuckinglutely!

Q. What are your chances of getting a champions league slot?
A. I like to call it the Chumps League - only because it’s not really about the champions any more. When we won it in 82 it was about Champions but when Liverpool got in for finishing 5th it became all about the Chumps. But to answer your question, our chances are above average. We need a good run and for Liverpool and Everton to drop a few points.

Q. Who have been your best players this year?
A. Best players in no particular order; Olof Mellberg (who is leaving at the end of the season - last home game is Mellberg Day), Ashley Young and Gabby Agbonlahor - both have developed under O'Neill.

Q. What's your assessment of Zat Knight?
A. Knight is solid but he tends to switch off.

Q. Where could you improve your team?
A. I want to give you an opinion, but I'll leave that to Martin O'Neill!

Q. What do you make of Tom Hanks being a Villa fan
A. Me and Tom go way back. He asked me one day what team I supported and I told him about the Villa. After that he was a convert – he’s a very intelligent man!

Q. What do you make of Fulham so far?
Fulham have gone backwards this season and unless you start something soon you’re going to struggle. I expect Fulham to stay up but mostly through luck - Sanchez was a huge mistake.

Q. Who do you think will be relegated?
My gut tells me Derby, Wigan and Birmingham City.

Q. Who should we look out for this weekend?
A. If I had to pick one player I'd say Wayne Routledge because it’s going to be his debut and we've not got Ashley Young, who we normally try to channel stuff through. If Martin O’Neill can do for Routledge what he has done for others he could be a super star.

Q. What do you reckon the score will be?
Sorry, but 3-1 to the Villa.