Aston Villa Premier League season review 2009-10

10 May 2010 13:49
Manager: Martin O'Neill[LNB]Even though there will be those left unsatisfied by another season finished in sixth place, O'Neill has taken Aston Villa to their highest points tally since finishing runners-up in 1993, as well as Wembley for a Carling Cup final and an FA Cup semi. [LNB]Best player[LNB]It is too hard to call between James Milner and Richard Dunne, so I'll defer to Villa's players, who chose Dunne as their player of the season. The deadline-day signing transformed Villa's defence into one of the best in the division, and for a fee of just £5m represented excellent business. [LNB]Worst player: Habib Beye [LNB]The former Newcastle man has failed to give any sort of return on his £2.6m transfer fee, and his salary (believed to be £40k-a-week) must be hard for less fortunate team-mates to swallow. Perhaps most annoying is that he drives the flashiest car, a jet-black Ferrari, in the club. [LNB]Moment of the season[LNB]Pessimists will pick out the day that Chelsea beat the living daylights out of Villa at Stamford Bridge, 7-1; optimists will choose Villa's 1-0 win at Old Trafford in December. I think the decisive moment was Fernando Torres' 90th minute winner at Villa Park.[LNB]Big issue[LNB]Simple: will O'Neill stay? The latest signals coming from the Irishman are positive, but much will depend on whether Randy Lerner, the Villa owner, agrees to fresh spending to compete with the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and even Everton. [LNB]Verdict: 7 out of 10 [LNB]-- [LNB]Read more of Telegraph Sport's Premier League season reviews: [LNB]Arsenal | Aston Villa | Birmingham | Blackburn | Bolton | Burnley | Chelsea | Everton | Fulham | Hull | Liverpool | Man City | Man Utd | Portsmouth | Stoke | Sunderland | Tottenham | West Ham | Wigan | Wolves[LNB]

Source: Telegraph