O'Neill wants extra bodies

16 August 2009 15:14
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is looking to strengthen his squad after seeing them comfortably outclassed by Wigan on the opening day of the season. A below-par Villa slumped to a 2-0 home defeat by the impressive Latics and O'Neill is desperate to add options to his squad as they aim to embark on another successful season. "We're going to try and get some extra players in if we can, and in our own way," he said."It's a lengthy season, and I'm going to have to try and look after the players. "Certainly from this performance, we've got a lot to do. We were poor, and the fans would be disappointed with our performance." The loss of midfield talisman Gareth Barry to Manchester City and the retirement of defensive leader Martin Laursen has left Villa a weakened outfit from the one that battled so gamely for a Champions League berth last season, but O'Neill vowed to set the team back on the right track. "Gareth Barry didn't don a shirt here for the first time for 10 or 11 years, and no Laursen," he said. "This is a new team, we've got to get ready. We played well enough last season to overcome a lot of obstacles on our way to finishing sixth, and that's what we intend to do again."

Source: Eurosport