Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill: We have entertained the fans

May 25 2009 by Mathew Kendrick, Birmingham Mail

VILLA manager Martin O’Neill hailed his entertainers for a dramatic season despite his disappointment at their failure to finish fifth.

Villa’s 1-0 win over relegated Newcastle at Villa Park yesterday meant they ended the season on 62 points, two more than last year.

But they were pipped to fifth spot following Everton’s victory at Fulham and must settle for the same sixth-placed finish as last term.

“I’m disappointed we ended up with more points than last season and still weren’t able to achieve fifth,” said O’Neill.

“But, and I’m not just saying this for effect, I’m absolutely delighted with the team.

“We made a few changes in the summer time, but eventually one thing that was proved was that we didn’t have the size of squad to cope with February and March and parts of April, which is a crucial time in the season for teams chasing.

“We will try and have a look at it again, but overall I’m delighted with the team.”

O’Neill accepted it had been a topsy-turvy season for Villa, whose lofty Champions League hopes were dashed when they tumbled out of the top four.

But the manager maintains that the claret and blue faithful have received value for money in terms of entertainment, citing regular Villa Park sell-outs as his proof.

“We play very openly indeed, maybe that’s why we get 39,000 people coming here every fortnight,” said O’Neill.

“I think they’ve had plenty of entertainment.

“We haven’t won the requisite number of matches here at Villa Park but having said that we’ve only been beaten three times.