Since Randy Lerner appointed Martin O'Neill as Aston Villa manager, the club's fortunes seem to have changed. No, Villa haven't realistically competed for any silverware yet, but there are certainly promising signs at the club. Villa have recently appeared to be a club who are a solid top 6 team, with some promising talent on their books.

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The England squad to play Brazil next Saturday in an International friendly has been announced. The main news for Man United is that Michael Owen has yet again not been included in the squad. This isn't much of a surprise, he hasn't played that much for United, so why would he get into the England squad? Click to continue reading...

There are several international friendlies on Saturday, November 14, 2009 while the final 2010 World Cup Final spots are determined. One of the more high profile friendlies is England v Brazil which will be at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar. Both nations have qualified for next summer's world cup and are two of the favorites to advance far into the tournament.

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Fabio Capello has named his England squad for the November 14th friendly vs Brazil in Qatar. There was a bit of complaining in the run up, with Fergie suggesting the whole thing was a waste of time, and Rafa Benitez asking that Steven Gerrard be excused.

Capello ignored Fergie and selected as many Man Utd players as he wanted (including Wes Brown, who I'm glad to see back in the squad).

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Steven Gerrard believes there are several exciting prospects at the Academy who could one day take the Premier League by storm.
Not since Gerrard broke on to the scene in 1998 has Liverpool produced a world-class star.
The skipper, though, thinks all that could soon change as the new-look Academy led by Frank McParland and Kenny Dalglish looks to get players into Rafa Benitez's first team. Click to continue reading...

Everton will be looking to reverse their downward spiral on Saturday when they host Aston Villa at Goodison Park. For me, this is that match of the week as we will watch two normally exciting clubs battle to move up the table. Aston Villa will be looking to keep up with the title chase, while Everton will be looking to move back to the part of the table they are a lot more accustomed to.

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"There is a massive difference in money but we have better fans than United."

I don't know whether I'd describe the difference as 'massive', but yes, Rafael Benitez has spent more money than Sir Alex Ferguson.

Money
Liverpool
2004/2005
In:
Djibril Cisse £14m
Xabi Alonso £10.

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There was one midweek English Premier League match as Aston Villa hosted Manchester City. Both teams are looking to break into the top 4 and earn a UEFA Champions League spot. Here's a recap and video highlights of the match from Monday, October 5, 2009.

Manchester City draws with Aston Villa 1-1 Video Highlights

1st Half

Aston Villa had a good first five minutes as they had most of the early possession and chances.

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There have only been 46 games so far this season but already there are some notable - or perhaps anomolous - statistics. Courtesy of Football365, here are the most salient in a club-by-club format...

Arsenal
*Tomas Rosicky's first outing in 20 months also included a goal.

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. Image via Wikipedia Aston Villa have won the Midlands derby 1-0 against Birmingham at St Andrews. It turned out to be a quiet game with both sides looking like they didn't want to make a mistake. The game lacked clear cut chances. Villa keeper Brad Friedel and opposite number Joe Hart were not troubled until [. Click to continue reading...

Arsenal

What they wanted

Arsène Wenger admitted he was looking for defensive cover and a defensive midfielder, along with 'half the managers in the Premier League'

What they got

Arsenal have made an impressive start and that may have convinced Wenger that the squad he has - with the addition of Thomas Vermaelen - will suffice

Pleat's verdict

Maybe a talented big man to replace Emmanuel Adebayor would have given them variations.

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England international Shorey to Portsmouth

• Follow all the transfer deadline day dealings live as the clock ticks away [Telegraph]

• Aston Villa defender Nickey Shorey will be loaned to Pompey. The left back would have been pushed down the pecking order with Villa's capture of Stephen Warnock from Blackburn [Goal]

• Portsmouth wins one, but loses a bigger one.

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Lots of transfer activity appears to be going on on the final day of the transfer window, with some very interesting deals rumoured to be going ahead...

Probably the most interesting (or surprising) transfer rumour is that Manchester City are trying to sign Tottenham's out of favour midfielder David Bentley.

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Lots of transfer activity appears to be going on on the final day of the transfer window, with some very interesting deals rumoured to be going ahead...

Probably the most interesting (or surprising) transfer rumour is that Manchester City are trying to sign Tottenham's out of favour midfielder David Bentley.

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A move that could help stuttering career.

Sky Sports sources understand Portsmouth are close to signing Aston Villa full-back Nicky Shorey on a season-long loan deal. (Sky Sports)

Things have never quite worked out for Nicky Shorey at Villa Park.

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This summer may have seemed a bit boring as far as transfers go, but things are finally heating up. Manchester City and Real Madrid were the overwhelming big spenders during the blistering hot summer months, but with only a few days remaining the "smaller" clubs are working hard to fill out their squads for the fall and winter.

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The big clubs have been relatively quiet recently, but it looks like things are picking up on that front as the end of the summer transfer season edges nearer.

Another long-running transfer saga has bitten the dust, as Wesley Sneijder's future has been resolved, and though it may not be the ending that he wanted in the beginning, it's the one that works out best for him.

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The dominos are really starting to fall now.
Villa close to Dunne deal
Villa clinch Warnock deal
Dunne will offer them experience in the heart of defence, something they've been missing since Martin Laursen retired. Not the Dunne is the same player, but they can't rely on Davies and Cuellar all season. Click to continue reading...

Good solid dependable signing.

Aston Villa have completed the signing of Stephen Warnock from Blackburn Rovers on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee. (Sky Sports)

Martin O'Neill looks to strengthen his options across the back and the signing of the former Liverpool full back is a very good one.

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After giving you a rundown of the latest transfer news and rumors earlier today, I'm back this evening with another fresh batch of signings and speculation.

Despite an extremely impressive performance in holding Liverpool to a solitary goal in their surprise win at Anfield on Monday, Martin O'Neill is making it a priority to bolster Aston Villa's defense before the close of the summer transfer window, and he's close to making at least one new back line signing, if not more.

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Martin O'Neill closes in on Rovers man.

Villa can confirm they are in discussions with Blackburn Rovers over the transfer of Stephen Warnock. (Official Aston Villa Website)

This would represent a very decent signing by Martin O'Neil but one wonders if this spells the end of Nicky Shorey's bumpy ride at Villa Park.

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O'Neill looks to add more stability to his back four.

Aston Villa are weighing up a £7million move for Blackburn Rovers defender Stephen Warnock.

Villa boss Martin O'Neill has already splashed out on Stewart Downing and Habib Beye and wants owner Randy Lerner to finance a move for a centre-half and left-back.

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Birmingham City could look to address their need at left-back by taking Armand Traore on loan from Arsenal. Aston Villa could look for some full-back help by bringing in Blackburn's Stephen Warnock

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Martin O'Neill has said he wants to make five more signings this summer for Aston Villa. Could former Liverpool left-back Stephen Warnock be one of them? The 27-year-old could bring his tackling skills to Villa Park and help bolster the...

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So, now that John Terry's staying at Chelsea, surely there's nothing to fill up the transfer pages, right?

Far from it, as Monday saw plenty of money change hands (or get ready to). We've got a few big-money deals to add to the latest updates to our summer transfer lists, and there are a few more that are not too far behind, according to this morning's roundup of transfer tidbits.

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1. As previously reported, the Ibramavic/Eto'o deal has been completed with Zlatan Ibrahimovic signing a five-year contract at Barcelona and Samuel Eto'o moving in the opposite direction as part of the deal plus £40million for Inter. Eto'o signed a 5-year contract with the Milan club.
Ibrahimovic issued a parting shot at Italian football, claiming he was leaving Inter Milan for Barcelona because he was "fed up" with life in Serie A. Click to continue reading...

Many fantasy games don't allow more than a couple of players from the same club, so I've limited this list in a similar way. Here are my solid-gold fantasy selections for the 2009/10 Premier League season (one player per club only):
Arsenal - Nicklas Bendtner
There are many Arsenal players with excellent fantasy credentials, but I would choose perhaps a slightly less obvious option. Click to continue reading...

Hair like Tugay, Hopefully Better Stamina than the Turk
If at first you don't succeed signing one of the greatest living footballers, try again. Seems to be Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce's train of thought.
Just a few weeks ago, big Sam was linked with a move to bring Ruud van Nistelrooy from Madrid to Blackburn. Click to continue reading...

Blackburn have signed experienced Danish defender Lars Jacobsen on a two-year deal.
Jacobsen, 29, spent last season at Everton but made only four starts for the FA Cup finalists.
He becomes Blackburn's third signing of the summer following the arrivals of midfielder Elrio van Heerden and left-back Gael Givet.

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On the pitch, Blackburn were thoroughly outclassed last Saturday but off it they have set themselves a very high standard. Before the game kicked off, Stephen Warnock placed a bouquet of flowers in memory of the 96 who died at Hillsborough. As I said, class.

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Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez's gut reaction was right, his side were good enough to beat relegation-haunted Blackburn without Steven Gerrard.
The club captain was left on the bench as Liverpool cruised to a victory that keeps their title hopes alive.
They wiped away the bitter memory of the midweek Champions League defeat by Chelsea, thanks to a couple of top-line goals from Fernando Torres, taking his total to the season to 14. Click to continue reading...

Commemorations to mark the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough stadium tragedy began Saturday with a minute's silence before Liverpool's 4-0 victory over Blackburn.
Before the kickoff at Anfield, Blackburn's former Liverpool player, Stephen Warnock, carried a wreath on to the pitch and laid it in front of the Kop. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool have handed young striker Nathan Eccleston a new, two-year contract to stave off interest in one of Anfield's brightest prospects from a number of their Premier League rivals, with Blackburn and Everton thought to be among those tracking his progress.
The club's youth system has come under fire in recent weeks for not producing a single first-team player since Stephen Warnock, now at Blackburn, despite millions of pounds of investment. Click to continue reading...

As Liverpool fan, by matter of routine, the familiar tune of Sky Sports News tells me of the latest bust up or disagreement between Rafa, who may or may not like Rick, but doesn't like George, although he definitely likes Tom (not sure if he likes George or Rick, as it goes). Sounds silly, [...] Click to continue reading...

Yesterday, I reported on Blackburn's interest in a couple of January targets, but today, Blackburn are on the other side of the line, as Newcastle are once again stepping up their interest in Rovers‘ left back Stephen Warnock. Newcastle have been interested in Warnock for some time, and they tried their hardest to snag [. Click to continue reading...