Author: isport

Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill is looking at the prospect of bringing his former defender James Collins to the north-east. The Welsh defender has grown frustrated about the lack of action at Villa Park and it is thought that he is prepared to move on.

Aston Villa have not been competing for the top honours in the league anymore after the departure of Martin O’Neill. Martin O’Neill has recently taken over at Sunderland and it is thought that he is keen to raid his former club Aston Villa for a number of players. James Collins has emerged as that transfer target.

James Collins was signed by Martin O’Neill when he was the Aston Villa manager back in 2009. He has since made 91 appearances for the Premier league club. Even though the new manager Paul Lambert is not willing to let James Collins leave, he is thought to have prepared replacements in case if he decides to bring an end to his three-year stay with Villa. Aston Villa used to be one of the teams mentioned as the likely to break into the top four when Martin O’Neill was in charge, but they have fallen a long way since those days.

The 28-year-old has also been linked with a move to newly promoted West Ham United, but it is thought that he would favour a move to Sunderland to be reunited with his former manager Martin O’Neill. It is thought that a transfer fee of just £ 5 million will be enough to secure his services due to the fact that he has only two seasons left on his current deal. Should West Ham United also enter into the frame for signing the Welsh international, then it would certainly increase the price of the defender because it would start a bidding war between the two clubs.

Former Blackburn Rovers midfielder and BBC pundit Robbie Savage has said that he expects Welsh defender James Collins will return to the first-team action with the national team soon.

James Collins has not been part of the international setup with the Welsh national team since March. He played in the 2-0 defeat at the hands of England in the Euro 2012 qualifiers. However, Robbie Savage expects his former teammate to return to first-team action sooner rather than later. Wales manager Chris Coleman has once again omitted him from the squad that will play friendlies against Mexico in the month of May.

It is also very likely that he will be omitted for the squads that will be up against the World Cup 2014 qualifiers in September. James Collins’ Aston Villa future is also under a huge cloud of doubt after being involved in a nightclub brawl with a few other teammates. Even though he has since apologised for the incident, it remains to be seen if the Aston Villa board and the fans will be able to forgive him for the incident. Robbie Savage has also said that Aston Villa should focus on spending more money if they are to avoid a relegation battle once again.

“He’ll play for Wales for many years to come. It’s been a difficult season for him but he can recover. James hasn’t got anything to prove in the Premier League. They’ll be in the bottom half definitely – unless they spend some money. Look at the promoted clubs,” said Robbie Savage speaking at the event organised by the English Football Association. Robbie Savage has been working as a pundit ever since retiring from his professional football career. Aston Villa finished the season in the 16th position with just 38 points on board.

Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has said that Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp missing out on the England managerial position will have no impact on the weekend’s match with Tottenham at Villa Park.

Aston Villa go into the match just three points above the relegation zone. Due to the fact that Bolton Wanderers will be playing a manager less West Brom during the weekend, there is every chance that Villa could be dragged into the relegation zone this weekend. There has been a lot of pressure for Alex McLeish to deliver the results, but a lot of injury problems has meant that he has largely been handicapped in terms of the squad.

Tottenham will be coming into the match on a relatively good run of form, which saw their side scored four goals against Bolton in the midweek action. As a result of this victory, Tottenham are back in the fourth position, which will effectively bring them Champions League football next season. When Harry Redknapp was linked with the England manager job, their form dipped to such an extent that they were looking at the sixth position at one time. However, Roy Hodgson has now taken the England job, which has consequently resulted in the improvement in the form of Tottenham.

“I think it’s just a natural feeling for Harry to want to finish the season with a swagger, just as we all want to and win any game that we participate in. I don’t think he’s got anything to prove, really. Didn’t his missus come out and say something the other day? I think she said something like she didn’t fancy him making the six-hour journey up to Burton where they’re going to be based,” said McLeish ahead of the match. Tottenham’s hopes of finishing fourth is in their hands now.

Aston Villa defender James Collins has said that he needs to work hard in order to get back into the Welsh national team.

James Collins has been on the fringes of the Welsh national team, and with the Euro 2012 coming up, he says that he needs to work hard in order to get back into the team on a regular basis. James Collins recently lost his place to Cardiff City’s Darcy Blake after being injured for one of the crucial matches. Since then, he has been playing as the second fiddle for the Championship player.

Now, the 28-year-old has said that he needs to work hard in order to get back into the reckoning when it comes to the Welsh national team. They are expected to be one of the favourites to qualify for the 2014 Brazil World Cup given the way they have been performing in recent friendlies.

Even though the Euro 2012 is going to be conducted without Welsh national team, James Collins says that he has a great chance of making it into the 2014 Brazilian World Cup squad if Wales qualify. Wales have been unable to qualify for the recent major tournaments, but they are expected to put up a major fight for the Brazilian World Cup.

There’s a buzz about the Wales team and Welsh football again. We’ve had some great results, Swansea are in the Premier League and then you’ve got talents like Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale. But I do feel a bit lost because I haven’t played or been in the squad,” James Collins said when asked about his chances for making it into the squad for the World Cup qualifications. James Collins was recently criticised for his poor performance against Tottenham, but the defender feels that it may not be the decisive factor when it comes to the selection.