Backwards again today, mostly because well, I like it that way. Oh, before I forget, morning all. I have a good feeling about today and we start with some good news. Martin O'Neill has appointed Brian Doogan as Head of Media at Villa Park.
Brian who? Well, he is a journalist and he has written articles published in The Daily Express, The Mirror, The Times, The Sunday Times and News of the World and Charles Sale has written about it.
But, before we believe what Chuck Sale has to say, we have to just hope that a new appointment in a position like this can only be a good thing, because for all we know Brian Doogan could come in, see that having relationships with blogs and supporter sites as a positive thing and he could want to embrace what I am sure is still perceived at the club as something that that can't be good or positive.
Charles Sale
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill, who likes total control of his managerial environment at Villa Park, has decided to appoint his closest contact in the press, Sunday Times freelance Brian Doogan, as the club's new head of media, starting on Monday. The Doog, an excellent sports journalist, is however the most unlikely choice possible for a senior PR position.
I hope Mr Doogan does embrace this blog and other supporter sites as we've had interviews with players turned down by the club in the past, after having them agreed with the players. I can only imagine it is out of spite and instead of them embracing the power of the internet, they appear to see it as a hindrance, but I've always said the media department at the club, while they are trying to put it right now, are stuck in the previous decade.
Anyway, moving on to Gary Cahill. Seeing as he has been picked for the England squad, he is in the public eye and instead of me just picking out one line of what he has said and blowing it completely out of context, I hope I am putting everything down he said about his time at Aston Villa.
This way, you can take from it what you want and while he is insinuating Martin O'Neill made a mistake, well, some of us think that too and even Gary Cahill might find it difficult getting into the team at the moment were he still here.
Gary Cahill
It is a shame I had to move on but I knew I had to get regular football. I made the decision, and once you have made it, you just go forward. Of the Villa boss’s decision to allow him to walk Cahill said: “He is a great manager and you would maybe have to ask him that question. But everybody makes mistakes sometimes.
Villa have two great centre-backs now who are doing well and I wish them every success. There are no hard feelings between me and him. Maybe if I had bided my time there a bit longer it might have been different. He never for one minute pushed me out of the door. It was just a decision I made to go because he couldn’t guarantee me playing week in, week out which is what I needed to do. It is nice to hear the fans say nice things about me but I am happy now and settled at Bolton.
It was a good decision to go there, It could have backfired but it has worked out really well and I am happy now.
Right, I'm off and I will be regularly checking my inbox for an email from Brian Doogan and if he needed telling, you can get it by clicking on the contact link in the main menu at the top and seeing as it is Friday, I'm having a poet's day.