Aston Villa star Tony Morley insists Villains can be the best of the rest
European Cup winning hero Tony Morley has commended Aston Villa and Everton for daring to disrespect the Premier League’s Big Four this season.
The top flight’s fifth and sixth-placed teams meet at Villa Park on Sunday with Morley convinced they have now proved themselves as the best of the rest.
Just one point separates Villa and Everton going into the Easter Day encounter with David Moyes’ men closing in on Martin O’Neill’s team last weekend.
Morley would relish seeing the stranglehold of Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal broken by his former club or his boyhood team.
However, even if they miss out on the Champions League, Morley reckons O’Neill and Moyes deserve credit for challenging the established elite.
“It’s going to be a big game, a six-pointer for the two teams,” said Morley.
“I can’t see anybody else jumping up above them.
“I think Everton are very similar to Villa. They are massive clubs with tradition and great managers who don’t give a monkey about the big four.
“They want to get into the top four and think ‘Why should we worry about the teams already there?’ and that’s the right way to go.
“There’s only a couple of clubs can challenge and I think Villa and Everton are certainly in that category.
“It’s going to be very interesting towards the end of the season. I certainly haven’t written Villa off at all.”
Villa and Everton enter their third meeting of the season with honours even after a victory for each side in the two previous clashes at Goodison Park.
O’Neill’s men snatched a dramatic 3-2 victory in the league in December before the Toffees exacted revenge with a 3-1 FA Cup win in February.
Villa have failed to win in eight games since their cup exit, a dip which Everton have exploited to move within touching distance in the league table.
The alarming sequence has resulted in Villa tumbling out of the top four and putting O’Neill under intense pressure for the first time in his reign.
However, the Villa manager points to a Villa Park transformation against Everton just over two years ago as an example of how to win back the fans.
His team were booed off by supporters on April 2 2007 after trailing 1-0 to the Toffees at half-time, only to produce a rousing response to earn a 1-1 draw.
