The Birmingham Mail yesterday evening has Stiliyan Petrov maintaining that Villa are a Top 5 team and need to regard themselves as such. "Top 5 teams don't have amateur players, they have top class players and to get in the team you have to work your socks off and I am prepared to do that".

I have been mighty impressed by Stan's determination and work ethic ever since he came to Villa. After an impressive start at Upton Park, his performances went through a long lull but he has stuck at his task, not moaned when dropped (even from the bench) and worked hard to reclaim and keep a first team place. We're only in early September, but Petrov is the player of the season for me so far...

Something else is interesting, too - is Petrov revealing that the target in the Villa is a 5th place finish. That would make sense - an improvement on last season, automatic UEFA Cup qualification but an acknowledgement that the Big 4 is a step too far at the moment. 

You may have seen my post on the mother blog this morning about Baron Bombasts and trophy signings. I'm tickled to have heard on the lunchtime news today that Robinho has given a press conference in which he has expressed his delight at joining Chelsea. How we tittered! First of all his agent gets him all excited about joining a big club in Manchester, and now he can't even figure which club it is that he's ended up playing for. If it wasn't so excrutiatingly obvious that these billionaires are ruining our game, this would be hilarious. And if anyone was jealous of Robinho's signing, you might want to think about that all over again...

I've got a confession to make. I grew up a QPR fan.  For a large part of the eighties and early nineties, I spent my Saturday afternoons on The Loft. You know what - I've even sat in the Lower Doug Ellis a few times and supported QPR against the claret and blue. Even worse, I've wildly celebrated a Trevor Francis hat-trick for the Superhoops against the Villa. Please forgive me....I have sinned....

The kids chose B6 when they were very small, and the family has been claret and blue ever since. It's been easy with QPR never in the top flight - but this is BAD NEWS.

 I'm hoping both sides lose and can concentrate on the league.... 

Forgive me, but I thought that Craig Gardner was a  third rate right back? Isn't that why we bought Luke Young for £6.5m?

O'Neill seems to have put him in to cover for Petrov in central midfield this evening and he looked pretty damned good and also even scored a goal!

 Wow! Maybe we didn't need Sidwell after all! One thing I'm sure O'Neill has learned from tonight is to give everyone a chance all over the pitch. My shout is for Friedel at centre forward next up.

 (On the other hand, errm, maybe Craig Gardner was always a pretty damned good central midfielder, Martin??!!??)