Villa boss won't forget stars

Villa manager Martin O'Neill insists that he will bear in mind what his core starting line-up did for him last season when beginning his summer spending spree.

O'Neill led the club to sixth place in 2007/08, despite having one of the smallest squads in the top flight. That squad has now been depleted further with the departures of Olof Mellberg, Luke Moore, Patrik Berger and Thomas Sorensen.

The Villa boss knows he needs to bring players in but believes that the squad is not as threadbare as people may think. In fact, he may have plenty in reserve.

He said: "When you reflect on things, you realise how brilliantly the lads did last season. It was really remarkable. They finished sixth when we used 21 players in total, but I bet we have gone to the well with maybe 18.

"When you consider that Wayne Routledge is yet to make his full debut and Moustapha Salifou likewise. Neither started a game. Isaiah Osbourne played only a handful of games as did Stuart Taylor.

"Nine played 32 games or more which is incredible. That is something that I think has been overlooked in all of this, the big effort that those boys have put in."