Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill welcomes success of local rivals Birmingham City
Dec 19 2009 by Mathew Kendrick, Birmingham Mail
MARTIN O’Neill today credited in-form Blues with spurring Villa on after saluting the Second City’s seasonal success story.
Both sides of Brum’s football divide are full of festive cheer with Villa in the top four and Blues seventh going into this weekend’s fixtures.
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And while O’Neill’s men have won their last three Premier League games, Alex McLeish’s team are the top flight’s form team with five straight victories.
Villa hope to keep their winning sequence going at home to Stoke today while Blues are looking for another victory away at Everton tomorrow.
O’Neill risked the wrath of the claret and blue brigade by praising their fierce rival’s recent run and admitted Blues were keeping Villa on their toes.
“Birmingham City’s run has been really exceptional,” he said.
“Great credit must go to Alex and his staff – it is a really great effort and well done them. Five straight wins in the Premier League is absolutely remarkable.
“While it might not please every single Aston Villa fan, it’s positive news for the city that Birmingham are doing remarkably well.
“Can it spur us on? I think that is exactly right. That’s the sort of rivalry that can only help us.”
O’Neill is also delighted that Villa Park has been chosen as a potential venue for the 2018 World Cup if England’s bid is successful.
The Villa boss insists it is a coup for the city and revealed that Randy Lerner is planning to further develop the stadium ahead of the tournament.
Plans are being considered to improve the North Stand which was always traditionally split between an upper tier for home fans and a lower tier for visitors but was made an all Villa area upon the Villa manager’s arrival three and a half seasons ago.
O’Neill felt that his team would benefit from having partisan fans at both ends of the ground behind both goals and, as a result visiting fans were pushed out into the wing of the Doug Elllis stand.
“I am really delighted with the Birmingham bid and to hear we’ve been included. I think Randy is hoping to improve Villa Park even more still,” added O’Neill.
“Hopefully the country will be successful with the 2018 bid because it would be fantastic to host a World Cup. It would give everyone a lift.”
Stoke will be this afternoon’s visitors to Villa Park - the team who turned Villa’s season on its head last year after coming back from 2-0 down to steal a sdhare of the points.
Villa’s season unravelled from that point and it cost tje side their palce int he top four.
O’Neill is adamant however his side can make amends this afternoon having built up some confidence from their recent winning run and those impressive results over Manchester United last weekend at Old Trafford and then against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in midweek.
The Villa boss has a virtually fully fit squad and says confidence is high in the team.
“We’ve got a couple of players who have picked up bumps and bruises but most of the lads have trained and we will see how everybody is,” the Northern Irishman said.
“I think that other being sore from Tuesday night’s game I think we are pretty ok.”
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