"as for Villa they will always be also-rans, O`Neill needs rich backers otherwise it is a mad scramble for the leftovers."

They are consistently in the top three of Premier League B and O'Neill does his best with what's available. Considering they have one of the smallest squads in the league they show tremendous tenacity and stamina, But there's the rub; by the end of the season they're knackered whilst the top four can rest their best players in not-so-challenging matches and that's all about money.

As for Heskey, the mind boggles. What managers see in him is beyond me.