Newsgroup: it.sport.calcio.estero
Titolo: Birmingham City

Aston Villa
Monday August 11, 2003
The Guardian
Club class
Last season - texted: grhm nt gr8 & ptr crch ABsmal. no cr8Ivty, no pntr8n &
no 3dom of xprs1. 2 mny 4lts, esp v. Brum.
This season - predicted: Another solid if unspectacular season awaits,
likely to be remembered for the sheer quantity of strikers who fail to hold
down a starting place: Dion Dublin, Juan Pablo Angel, Peter Crouch, Markus
Allback and Stefan Moore are all scrapping to start alongside Darius
Vassell.
Best-case scenario: David O'Leary discovers a magic pace potion which allows
the rest of the team to keep up with Vassell and the souped-up side
obliterate opponents with their power game, winning the league by the end of
March.
Worst-case scenario: O'Leary's decision to improve a team that finished 16th
by adding players from Sunderland, the team that finished 20th, reaches its
natural conclusion with the team finishing 18th.
Matchday song: Players run out to a cunning medley of the Thunderbirds
theme, a random fanfare and We Will Rock You by Queen. No wonder they look
so confused when the match starts.
Matchday song should be: Add a quick blast of Billy Idol's Kiss Me Deadly to
that medley to get the chairman in the mood, then you'll be talking.
Heroes and villains
Love to hate: There's plenty of bad blood boiling up in matches against
Middlesbrough, who have a habit of stealing Villa's best players at
inopportune moments - although a 5-2 win at the Riverside last season,
Villa's first away from home, sweetened the situation.
Drama queen: Among the many let-downs of Graham Taylor's second spell in
charge was that Villa's fans were too often denied the chance to catch
Moustapha Hadji's spectacular diving prowess.
English passport to Portugal: Quite how Gareth Barry remained out of the
England side despite a string of excellent displays last season must remain
a mystery but a repeat performance might finally force Eriksson's hand.
Who's their Rooney? The midfielder Steve Davis, 18, is ready to clear up
having found his progress snookered under Taylor. The Northern Ireland
Under-20 international was called up for the pre-season tour of Scandinavia,
hinting that a place in the squad could be on its way.
Power and money
Battle for control: Deadly Doug's tenure might be coming to an end, with
rumours of a Venezuelan with a Chelsea-esque fortune waiting in the wings,
but for the time being he's still the undisputed king of Villa Park.
Boom or bust: With no major debts and a handy portfolio of property around
Villa Park, there's about as much chance of Villa going bust as there is of
them winning the league.
On sale in the club shop: Check out the Aston Villa pogo stick - the only
thing known to man that goes up and down faster than Leicester City, and
just £19.99.
Odds for title: 250-1
Relegation: 8-1
In a previous life...
David O'Leary was PT Barnum. The entrepreneurial Barnum, a supreme
self-publicist, made his name with his touring freak show (featuring the
likes of Siamese twins Woody and Bow, never seen apart). When that became
unpopular he moved into the circus business, where he put together a team of
clowns and found surprising and lasting success in England.
Odds on going first: 14-1
The facts
Ground: Villa Park, Trinity Road, Birmingham, West Midlands B6 6HE
Capacity: 42,602
Telephone: 0121 327 2299
Ticket office: 0121 327 5353
Credit card line: 0121 607 8000
Adult ticket prices: £16-£28
Ticket availability: A reasonable number go on sale to the general public
for every match
Disabled facilities: Contact Linda Jones on 0121 326 1518
Creche: None
Public transport: Train to Aston or Witton station; bus No7 from Birmingham
city centre
Parking: Limited in surrounding streets; public transport is recommended
Guardian Clubcall: 09068 121 352
Club shop: 0121 326 1559
Official website: 
www.avfc.co.uk
Form 02/03
League: 16th (W12, D9, L17)
FA Cup: 3rd round
League Cup: quarter-final
Most league games: Olof Mellberg 38
Top scorer: Dion Dublin 10
Discipline: Y63 R4
Fixtures
August
16 Portsmouth (A)
24 Liverpool (H)
27 Arsenal (A)
30 Leicester (H)
September
14 Man City (A)
20 Charlton (H)
27 Chelsea (A)
October
5 Bolton (H)
19 Birmingham (A)
25 Everton (H)
November
1 Newcastle (A)
8 Middlesbrough (H)
23 Tottenham (A)
29 Southampton (H)
December
6 Man Utd (A)
13 Wolverhampton (H)
20 Blackburn (A)
26 Leeds (A)
28 Fulham (H)
January
7 Portsmouth (H)
10 Liverpool (A)
17 Arsenal (H)
31 Leicester (A)
February
7 Leeds (H)
11 Fulham (A)
22 Birmingham (H)
28 Everton (A)
March
13 Wolverhampton (A)
20 Blackburn (H)
27 Charlton (A)
April
3 Man City (H)
10 Bolton (A)
12 Chelsea (H)
17 Newcastle (H)
24 Middlesbrough (A)
May
2 Tottenham (H)
8 Southampton (A)
15 Man Utd (H)
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2003
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 Aston Villa
Mmmmm, questa l'hai cannata !
:-P
-- 
Fabio5 [ICQ 175236943] Fondatore it.sport.calcio.estero * Gestore TotoISCE
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