This season has seen the real start of the Randy Lerner-Martin O’Neill revolution and the future looks bright for Aston Villa.

Regardless of whether Villa keep Gareth Barry the club is on the way up and with a little patience (a rare commodity in modern football) we could witness it returning to its previous position as one of the biggest clubs in the country.

Having taken Everton to the last day of the season in the battle for fifth place and a guaranteed place in the UEFA Cup, some termed Villa’s season as a disappointment. But they have secured a position in the InterToto Cup and due to the shorter form of this tournament all they have to do is beat a European minnow over two legs to qualify for the UEFA Cup in July.

'To challenge on potentially four fronts Villa need a much bigger squad than the current one, which lacks depth'


This should be a formality and with the strength of the Premier League at an all-time high Villa could well make a mark in European football.

There were some impressive results over the campaign and when choosing the best, opinion would be split between the 2-0 win over Chelsea and the 5-1 victory over great rivals Birmingham. The mauling of their city rivals probably wins out as it was a major factor in Alex McLeish’s side going down but their games against Chelsea proved Villa could compete with the Big Four.

Roman Abramovich was so disappointed with defeat at Villa Park that he stormed out and the 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge was one of the games of the season. Although they were comprehensively outplayed by Manchester United in three meetings they came close to winning at Anfield and the Emirates and these results should give much hope for the coming seasons.

Probably the worst result of the season was the home defeat to Championship side Leicester (who were eventually relegated) and O’Neill’s side need to make an impact in the cup competitions next season, not least because they have a great chance of winning silverware.

But to challenge on potentially four fronts Villa need a much bigger squad than the current one which lacks depth and has not been aided by Olof Mellberg’s decision to jump ship and join Juventus.

O’Neill can be trusted to spend Lerner’s money wisely. After a season and a half at the club Ashley Young is developing into one of the best attacking players in the Premier League. The former Watford winger was named as player of the month for April and deservedly grabbed a place in the PFA team of the year.

O’Neill’s other signings have also come good. John Carew has led the line and made his physical presence count against some of the lighter teams in the division. Marlon Harewood has established himself as a super sub and a fans' favourite whilst Nigel Reo Coker has surprised everyone by leading the table for most tackles won in the Premier League this season. And Stiliyan Petrov finally showed form in the latter part of the season.

So, the headlines currently centre around Gareth Barry, one of the main reasons for Villa achieving sixth place in the Premier League. His work rate and dead-ball skills could grace any team in the league. For those hoping to see the team break into a Champions League spot it is clear that Villa need to hang on to their captain.

Perhaps Barry has had his head turned but Villa look like they are going places, O’Neill is a proven manager and the young players at the club, including Gabriel Agbonlahor, who didn’t succumb to second season syndrome, suggests the O’Neill revolution still has some way to go.