Aston Villa

Goals from Luke Moore and Juan Pablo Angel lifted Aston Villa into second spot in the Barclays Premiership.
Billionaire and new majority shareholder Randy Lerner was given a rousing reception when he took his seat in the directors' box after flying in from America to watch the game - and within two minutes Moore had broken the deadlock.

Martin O'Neill's made sure of victory with Angel’s second goal of the campaign before half-time to move within two points of leaders Manchester United and ahead of Everton on alphabetical order.

To add to Villa’s joy, new skipper Gareth Barry signed a four-year contract before kick-off which will keep him at the club until the summer of 2010.

But Newcastle United’s misery in losing their 12-game unbeaten run was compounded when new signing Obafemi Martins was carried off on a stretcher after the interval with a leg injury.

Moore gave Villa the ideal start after Barry was brought down by visiting midfielder Scott Parker.

The Magpies failed to deal with the captain's floated free-kick from midway in the Newcastle half.

The ball eventually broke to Moore on the edge of the box and he steadied himself before planting a low drive past Shay Given into the corner of the net.

It was the first goal of the campaign for Moore, who is playing with a shoulder problem.

Former Villa player Nolberto Solano nearly set up a equaliser for James Milner who had also spent last season on loan at Villa Park.

Solano’s corner found its way to Milner at the far post but after turning sharply he was unable to keep down his shot, which flew over Thomas Sorensen’s crossbar.

Barry became the first player to be yellow-carded for a challenge on Damien Duff and Emre followed him into the book for shoving Gavin McCann.

Newcastle enjoyed more than their share of possession and Damien Duff was not far off target with a 20-yard drive from the left of the Villa area.

But after 38 minutes a clinical piece of finishing by Angel - his second goal of the campaign - doubled Villa’s lead.

The Colombia international timed his run perfectly to seize onto a pass from Gabriel Agbonlahor and get in behind Titus Bramble before slotting the ball into the corner of the net.

Newcastle had a rare effort on target from Duff but his 20-yard drive was comfortably dealt with by Sorensen.

Magpies boss Glenn Roeder opted for a double half-time substitution, bringing on Albert Luque and Charles N’Zogbia replacing Solano and Celestine Babayaro respectively.

Sorensen went down to cling onto a low drive from Duff after Martins had found him in plenty of space to the left of the Villa area.

But the home side retaliated and a floated pass from Barry picked out the run of Angel only for his touch to let him down and enable Titus Bramble to make a vital interception.

Roeder made his third substitution after 56 minutes, Nicky Butt taking over from Emre in midfield, but the visitors found themselves having to play the final half hour with 10 men.

Martins, signed for £10million in midweek from Inter Milan, landed awkwardly after an aerial challenge with Liam Ridgewell and he was clutching his knee before being carried off.

That effectively signalled the end of Newcastle’s challenge and in injury-time Moore came close to grabbing a second goal when his cross-shot hit the bar

Martin O'Neill feels he is now in a better position to decide which areas of his Aston Villa squad need strengthening.

The Northern Irishman took over at Villa Park earlier this month and has taken a studious approach to the transfer market.

He will shortly have funds available to bolster his ranks after American billionaire Randy Lerner bought a majority shareholding in the club.

Though O'Neill is unsure how much he will have to spend on new players, he believes he can now make informed decisions on his squad.

"It was one of those situations where you don't know the strengths and weaknesses of a team," O'Neill told Sky Sports News.

"Obviously I think every single manager comes into a club and wants to try and strengthen the team,it's almost automatic.

"People become very sceptical of it at first and think a new manager coming in wants to change the side around.

"I didn't want to be able to impose anything on anyone until I got to know the strengths and weaknesses. What was the point of doing that?

"We have played a couple of games, and a couple of friendly games, and that has given me a much, much better indication to what I would have had three weeks ago.

"So, I am in a better position to be able, for want of a better word, advise and try and do something. Then it's up to us to do it."

O'Neill has briefly met the club's new owner Lerner and offered a positive outlook on his first impressions.

He added: "I wouldn't pretend to know him too well at all.

"If you've had a two-hour meeting with someone over a spot of dinner, it will not give me a fantastic insight into them, nor them to me.

"At the end of it all, he wanted to do something about the football club and that was very, very encouraging."

Meanwhile, O'Neill has reiterated his optimism that club captain Gareth Barry will sign a new contract with Villa.

"At this precise moment I would say I am more optimistic about events regarding Gareth Barry than maybe two or three days ago," continued O'Neill.

"Things have gone pretty well. There are still some things to iron out, but as things stand, I am more hopeful.

"I am always guarded and until someone actually signs a contract, you can't be certain of things, but I am more hopeful Gareth will stay.

"It is really important to us that he stays. He is a popular lad and we have all told him that we want to keep him."

Aston Villa midfielder Eric Djemba-Djemba says the arrival of Martin O'Neill has created a better atmosphere in the squad.

The Cameroon international was less than complementary regarding the reign of predecessor David O'Leary, with the former Nantes and Manchester United player having been out of favour with the former Leeds United manager.

O'Neill formally succeeded O'Leary as Villa boss last Friday and the 25-year-old thinks the appointment has breathed fresh air into the squad.

"It is a new chance for everyone, a new life. It is so much better now. The atmosphere is better," said Djemba-Djemba.

"There were some players like me who had no chance of playing. Zero. It didn't matter what I did, I was not going to play.

"Before it was so hard for me. In my head, it really hurt me. It was a bad time. Now at last we have an opportunity for Aston Villa to move forward.

"The club was not moving before. Things were not going well. Now I feel I have a chance to play again.

"Before, it was up to the manager. Now, it is up to me. If I do the right things and play well in pre-season, then I have an opportunity. Before, I had nothing."

Villa captain Olof Mellberg echoed the sentiments of Djemba-Djemba, saying there is real optimism for the new season.

"I think we have all got a new spring in our step," Mellberg said. "We start from scratch, that goes for everyone.

"I spoke to my Swedish team-mates Henrik Larsson and Johan Mjallby and asked them what the manager was like from their time with him at Celtic.

"They only had good things to say about him and he has a very impressive track record."

Martin O'Neill has been officially announced as Villa's new manager. He's a top draw manager and possibly the greatest catch Deadly has ever made. Now he can sweeten the deal and leave!
It's now official, Martin O'Neill is our new manager - following a fortnight of constant press sepeculation.

Hopefully this will be Doug Ellis' final act whilst in the managers chair. O'Neill can only have signed in the knowledge that Ellis was leaving soon and if Doug truly loves the club as he often claims then helping to deliver Martin O'Neill to the managers hotseat would be a fantastic last 'gift' before he leaves.

The press conference is only minutes away from starting - so expect a raft of quotes soon. His arrival at VP was greeted by a chorus of chanting from the assembled fans and he has already said that we are a sleeping giant, and having won the European Cup so many years ago he hopes to be able to deliver something close to that.

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