Martin O'Neill tells Aston Villa players to keep quiet ahead of Birmingham City derby

Apr 16 2008 By Bill Howell

MARTIN O'Neill has told his players to 'button it' as he takes a careful approach to Sunday's derby by gagging his squad.

Only skipper Gareth Barry will join O'Neill in speaking publicly about the derby with both set to face the media on Friday.

O'Neill has been made aware that certain comments from Olof Mellberg were taken a little out of context five years ago, with the Swede then repeating them in a TV interview some years later.

Even a newspaper cloumn in a weekly paper by Zat Knight has been pulled.

O'Neill said: "Nobody will be doing anything. All it needs is a silly little line mis-placed or whatever the case may be- especially from players.

"They'll maybe think nobody will ever read it, but in this day and age there is no point in inflaming anything.

"We are well aware of how important the game is."