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BOTHAM BACKS PETROV

Cricketer Sir Ian Botham has said that Aston Villa captain Stilian Petrov can successfully recover from the leukaemia he has been recently diagnosed with due to the fact that he is an extremely strong person, and due to the fact that he has fitness of his side.

Stilian Petrov was recently diagnosed with leukaemia and it has brought together the entire football world in support of the Bulgarian. Even those from other walks of the professional game have also expressed their sadness at the Bulgarian being diagnosed with leukaemia. Sir Ian Botham has been one of them. The former England cricketer has said that even though it is a sad news, he remains hopeful that Petrov can successfully fight the cancer.

Petrov was identified with leukaemia only three weeks ago and he has begun intensive treatment. Sir Ian Botham has been one of the regular supporters for people diagnosed with leukaemia, and he has been doing the same since 1985. He has said that he has seen many people successfully fight this cancer, and says that Petrov is probably one of the best equipped to deal with this problem. This is because Petrov has an amazing attitude and is one of the fittest players in the game today.

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IRELAND WANTS TO STAY

Aston Villa midfielder Stephen Ireland has said that he is hoping to remain as a Aston Villa player next season. Stephen Ireland has been criticised by current boss Alex McLeish for not being professional enough. The midfielder arrived in a swap deal involving James Milner from Manchester City a few seasons ago. However, he has not been able to stake a claim in the first-team due to his regular problems off the pitch. He recently dismissed suggestions that he is looking for a move to the United States to play with former Aston Villa striker Robbie Keane, who is currently with MLS side LA Galaxy.

Robbie Keane made the great impact with Aston Villa during his short term loan spell from LA Galaxy. He has also seem to have affected the future plans of Stephen Ireland after that have been recent speculation that the Ireland midfielder is looking for a move to the United States in order to escape the constant attention from the media over his private life. Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish recently said that watching Ireland play is a great pleasure, and he hopes that the midfielder will soon become a regular part of the first team.

“My objective now is to be the best I can and to keep entertaining the fans. Things are going brilliantly for me at the moment and that’s a massive relief. I’ve put 100 per cent into my game, tried to express myself and work hard for the team. It makes it even more satisfying when you feel you’ve ‘earned’ your shirt,” said Ireland ahead of the match with Arsenal during the weekend. Aston Villa will be taking on one of the inform teams in the Premier league in the form of Arsenal. They can put their relegation worries to the bed with a win at the Emirates.

MCLAISH CONFIRMS CLEAR-OUT

Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has confirmed that the club will be having significant transfer funds in the summer in order to overhaul the squad, which has become stale in recent seasons. Ever since the departure of Martin O’Neill a few seasons ago, Aston Villa have been struggling in the table.

They have not only been able to get into the top half of the table, but they have been struggling with relegation since then. The arrival of Alex McLeish was not expected to change things a lot, and it certainly has not done anything. Hence, Alex McLeish has said that a significant portion of the profits made by transfers will be reinvested in the squad in the summer.

A number of players including the likes of Stewart Downing and Ashley Young have been sold for a combined profit of around £ 40 million. James Milner has also recently left the club for around £ 24 million, but so far, Aston Villa’s best investment came in the summer when they signed Wigan winger Charles N’Zogbia for around £ 10 million. As a result, Alex McLeish has confirmed that Aston Villa will have significant transfer funds in the summer in order to refresh the squad.

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MCLEISH TO LEARN US WAY

Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has been asked by club owner Randy Lerner to spend time with the head coach for Cleveland Browns, another sporting team that Lerner owns, in order to receive some tips from a coach of a team from overseas which Lerner hopes will provide McLeish with some inspiration and new, fresh ideas.

McLeish’s tenure so far at Villa Park has been fairly unsuccessful, with the side sitting at the wrong end of the table and being far too close to the relegation zone for a team with Villa’s quality and history. McLeish’s decision to sign Irish striker Robbie Keane on loan proved to be a masterstroke, with the player hitting sensational form for a team that was relatively short on goals.

The only downside of the deal is that he returns to LA Galaxy for pre-season next week, which will mean one of McLeish’s most important players will leave for the rest of the season. With strikers of the quality of Darren Bent and Gabby Agbonlahor, Villa should be pushing for Europa League places, but sadly ever since Martin O’Neill resigned, the villains have been in a steady decline.

Lerner has come across as a fairly good owner, by allowing his manager’s time and space to settle into their role, but McLeish will know the side’s form will need to pick up towards the back end of the season if he wants to be in the Villa hot seat this time next year.

With Villa only having won one of their last 6, their game against Wigan after the break for the FA Cup is a game that will be seen by McLeish as a must win to provide a catalyst for his team’s poor season so far.

N’ZOGBIA MUST WORK HARDER

Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has said that his midfielder Charles N’Zogbia must work much harder in order to be successful.

N’Zogbia arrived at Aston Villa in a £ 10 million deal in the summer, and was signed as a replacement for wingers Ashley Young and Stewart Downing, who left to Manchester United and Liverpool respectively. N’Zogbia was one of the most promising wingers in the previous season for Wigan Athletic, and was responsible for helping Wigan stay in the Premier League.

As a result of it, a lot was expected of him from Aston Villa. However, N’Zogbia has been disappointing of late. Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has said that one of the reasons for Charles N’Zogbia struggling at Aston Villa is due to the lack of high work rate.

Alex McLeish, being a defensive minded manager, has said that Charles N’Zogbia should first develop his work rate in order to become successful at Aston Villa. The French winger made his first great performance in the match against Newcastle United during the weekend. Even though Aston Villa lost the match 2-1, Charles N’Zogbia provided the crucial assist for Robbie Keane to score.

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VILLA GET KEANE ON LOAN

Aston Villa have completed the loan signing of former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane from MLS side LA Galaxy. Darren Bent has praised the management at Aston Villa by saying that it is one of the best deals for the club over the short-term.

Robbie Keane has been one of the prolific scorers in the Premier League, but found opportunities very limited at Tottenham. He has since moved on to MLS side LA Galaxy where David Beckham also plays. Landon Donovan is also part of the LA Galaxy set up and the American International recently signed a loan deal with Everton.

Aston Villa has snapped up Robbie Keane on a similar deal, which will see the Republic of Ireland striker spend the next two months on loan at Villa Park. This comes as a major boost for the club, which has been suffering from a number of issues of late most importantly the amount of injuries. One of their most important strikers – Darren Bent – has missed the a lot of the season due to the hamstring problem. He returned to the first-team action by scoring the final goal against Chelsea recently, but Alex McLeish does not want to depend on one striker alone. Hence, the arrival of Robbie Keane has been praised by Darren Bent.

“He will bring experience which will aid a few of the younger lads who are breaking through into the team and the other youngsters in and around the place. He also brings that competition to the striking department. And he will bring goals too, hopefully,” Bent said when asked about the importance of signing Robbie Keane. Even though Aston Villa have a number of strikers like Gabriel Agbonlahor, they have not been able to score the required number of goals to take them into the top half of the table.