00:00Birmingham World reporter Charlie Haffenden has outlined some of the key issues and errors faced by Aston Villa in the Premier League last season that they will be hoping not to repeat in the upcoming Premier League season, which gets underway in August.
00:15Yeah, I think there's kind of three periods or moments that stand out. There was one period where Villa kept two clean sheets in 23 matches.
00:23Emi Martinez was not in form of that period. The defence not in form at all.
00:27Pau Torres was out for two and a half months with a broken metatarsal.
00:30But then they managed to keep many clean sheets towards the end of the season.
00:33They went on such a great winning streak and they very nearly clinched that Champions League football at the last moment.
00:38I think if you look at 10 games to go in the season, you wouldn't have expected them to be in the fight for the top five.
00:45But they got into that position. And if they just managed to get one point against Manny Nice to Old Trafford, they would have got into it.
00:51And that is kind of the second of the three moments I'm talking about, is that game at Old Trafford.
00:55Such a disappointment. All they needed to do was their own job because the other results elsewhere ended up going their way.
01:01However, that red card for Emi Martinez, that controversial refereeing decision, Morgan Rodgers' goal not standing, really costing Villa.
01:08And Haffenden has also spoken about West Bromwich Albion's recruitment this summer with Ryan Mason now in charge of the club.
01:16The baggies will be looking to bring in plenty of new faces to the Hawthorns with the aim of being promoted or at least in amongst the playoff contenders next season in the Championship.
01:28The recruitment side of things, it's going to be a big squad overhaul in the summer.
01:34Grady Dean Garner, John Swift, Semi Ajayi all leaving at the end of their contracts.
01:38They all need to be replaced. Lots of low knees leaving. They all need to be replaced as well.
01:42I think one positive is top-Jorn Hegem and how good of a signing he's been, being the player of the season, signing for peanuts and playing at left back, playing at centre back, being brilliant.
01:52I think he's a Premier League standard player. So if you can get a couple more of those through the door, bargain deals, create a decent core on the team, then I think that's all you need, really, to go and push on and get that playoffs again.
02:02So West Bromwich might feel like they're miles away from the Premier League right now.
02:06And quite frankly, they were at the end of the season, but all it takes is a few adjustments and getting the buzz back around and they can go and do it next season.
