English Premier League:

Villans and the Light Brigade

SAMAHA ISMATH ALI

Aston Villa: Manager Alex McLeish indeed knows how to rule a mob of villains-he has the talent to manage Aston Villa Football Club. Formed in 1874, the club has a playing record in their stadium Villa Park since 1897. Aston Villa are one of the oldest clubs in the Premier League, and it is amazing to find out that the then spluttering side always get a large gathering at their Stadium.

Villa Park is the most used Stadium in FA Cup history, having hosted more than 55 semi-finals. A proposed suggestion is that the North Stand be 'Expanded'. This means that construction of the North Stand will take place to further increase accommodation, and the stadium already has a seating capacity of 42,785 seats.

Aston Villa Manager Alex McLeish has worked with Motherwell, Rangers, Hibernian, Birmingham, and has also managed the Scotland National Side. His playing career includes spells with Aberdeen, and he has also formed the Scotland National Side, therefore being the third most capped player. His vast fields of experience in being both a well-known International player and a Manager is now making Aston Villa climb up the Premier League ladder, and they now stand as a stable 11th position team.

The team is led by Captain Stiliyan Petrov, a Bulgarian International midfield striker. The strong willed player was the most suitable candidate for Aston Villa's spirited side, and was thus declared the Captain for the Villans. 'Stan', as the 32-year old pro is famously called, wrote his autobiography 'You can call me Stan' in the year 2005, just before he joined Aston Villa. He was purchased from Celtic in July 2006, and has received a satisfactory amount of exposure to the football world as he played with such a highly reputed side as Celtic.

Aston Villa's best player list is quite difficult to compose, indeed. Their most amazing players so far, however, have been Darren Bent and Emile Heskey. Daren Bent is an English International Striker who was bought from Sunderland in January 2011 for a bid of £24m. His passes are extraordinary and the player indeed displays some exceptional goals which turn out to be match winners for the Villans. His contract has been declared for four-and-a-half years. He has found a quick way to settle with the side and seems to have learnt about the tactics of excellent football, as his playing for Villa has been graciously accepted as a 'Godsend'.

Emile Heskey is another one of Villa Park's most recognized footballers. The English International Striker joined the team in January 2009 for a fee of £3.5m for three and a half years. Heskey is an excellent goal scorer and has many football tricks up his sleeve. The player has a rich history of football, being brought up in Leicester City, Birmingham, Liverpool and Wigan Athletic. He has played as striker for the above mentioned reputed sides, and has been praised by many football Legends and pundits as an incredible footballer.

Pundits predict that the game will be a tough one, as both teams have had one loss and one victory for the past few games. However, the best scorers of each team and their defence will speak up when the referee blows the whistle, and Manager Alex McLeish indeed has a master plan in helping the Villans on their way during this game...

Sunderland

The Red-and-White Stripes have similar rivals, the Black-and-White Stripes. The Light Brigade are not in very friendly terms with Newcastle United, and have been traditional rivals since the time the teams have been playing professional football. The team was founded in 1879 and has a reputed history of playing quality football. Sunderland are known by another famous name, The Black Cats. This name can be owed to the fact that the side really portrays some slinky football on the field, in accordance with their quick feet movement. They entered the Premier League in the year 1999, and are old members of the Premier League playing in a high standard.

Steve Bruce was the Manager of Sunderland, but he was shown the exit doors of the Stadium of Light the week before the last after a series of unlucky games for Sunderland. Fans, critics and pundits stated that the problem about the former Manchester United Captain and Legend was that he was not 'Into' tactics. He seemed to be a man of the past as he did not make it an attempt to use the Internet to find out about the latest tricks in the football field, whereas his fellow peers were doing it all the time.

With Bruce gone, the team was without a Manager, and was in dire need of one for the side. This was where the former West Ham United Manager Martin O'Neill entered to be the mentor and Manager of the Light Brigade. O'Neill received a warm welcome by all Sunderland fans last weekend as the side faced Queens Park Rangers. His very first game with the side was a lucky one, as Queens Park Rangers suffered a 3-2 defeat and Sunderland were the stars of the day. This game also showed that O'Neill is the ideal Manager of 2011 for the side, who suffered one and a half years reliving the past with Steve Bruce.

The Black Cats had many successful games with Darren Bent, a pro whom the side would not dream of surviving without. However, it is upon fate to decide on what has to take place for the club, and Bent was sold in January this year to Aston Villa for a sum of £18m.

Though Sunderland's Star player was sold, Steve Bruce had already lit up enough damage in the club by signing up 30 players from different clubs. This fact infuriated many, as buying so many players not only changes club performance, but there will also be a clash of ideas and no unity among the players.

Among the signed were two of Manchester United's best-bred players-John O'shea and Wes Brown. O'shea was always United Striker and offered excellent services to the club through his incredible playing.