Brian Little has faith in Aston Villa and West Brom

Jan 9 2009 by Mathew Kendrick, Birmingham Mail

FORMER Villa and Albion manager Brian Little reckons both clubs will ultimately achieve their aims this season regardless of tomorrow’s result.

Little, who was in charge of Villa from 1994-1998 and Albion for just eight months in 1999-2000, is predicting a home win.

But he believes the outcome of the match will have little bearing on Villa’s hopes of breaking the Premier League top four or Albion’s prospects of staying up.

Little is convinced Martin O’Neill’s Champions League hopefuls can maintain their lofty position and Tony Mowbray’s strugglers will preserve their top-flight status.

“Villa have got a manager that almost every club in the country would like to have,” said Little.

“The team’s blossoming and they’ve now got the ability to buy nearly any player they like. Maybe they’re ahead of schedule but you can’t plan when the upsurge will come.

“Most people think Doug Ellis hung on a year or two too long but he set the club up with the right person in charge of the team and the right person at the very top.”

Little cites Villa’s team ethic as the secret of their success, but hails Gabby Agbonlahor, Ashley Young, James Milner, Martin Laursen and Gareth Barry as their key players.

And the former Holte End hero is confident Villa can maintain their grip on a top-four place at the expense of Arsenal, providing their star names are fit and available.

“I feel that Villa’s best team is better than Arsenal’s best team