Aston Villa boss forks out £15k on party to reward angry UEFA Cup fans

Martin O'Neill has splashed out £15,000 of his own cash to lay on a lavish banquet tonight for disgruntled Aston Villa fans - and even hired a comedian to cheer them up.

Villa boss O'Neill has received a lot of flak from supporters over his controversial decision to field a severely weakened team as they crashed out of the UEFA Cup.

O'Neill has responded by personally buying a three-course meal and drinks for all fans who purchased a ticket for their last 32 second leg at CSKA Moscow.

Many of the 300 supporters who made the trip to the Russian capital in February and braved freezing temperatures paid £1,000 for the privilege. And several voiced their dismay at seeing a virtual reserve side lose 2-0.

O'Neill justified his decision by declaring his intention to prioritise a push for Champions League qualification via the Premier League.

But Villa have not won a game in nine matches and have slipped from fourth to fifth - six points behind Arsenal. Yet O'Neill, who earns £2.5million a year, has not ducked his detractors and has invited them all to dinner at Villa Park's Holte End suite.

The evening kicks off with a drinks reception from 7pm and there is a free bar until midnight and a free raffle.

O'Neill has also hired comedian Adger Brown to lift spirits, which is probably a shrewd move after Villa's brave but futile 3-2 defeat at Manchester United.

The Villa manager's backroom staff and several first-team stars, including skipper Martin Laursen are expected to attend. O'Neill has helped organise the event and plans to address the fans as he is sticking by his decision in Russia.

And O'Neill hopes cash from club owner Randy Lerner will enable him to strengthen his squad this summer to avoid a repeat scenario.

O'Neill said: "With a couple more wins we are going to have qualified for Europe again, and by this time next year hopefully we will be able to cope with all the fixtures you have."

Yet O'Neill may still face a backlash at tonight's knees-up.

Dave Woodhall, editor of the Heroes and Villains fanzine, said: "People are still a bit upset about the trip but Martin will explain his reasons.

"Moscow was probably the first thing he has done which didn't meet with overall approval, which says a lot about a manager in his third season." However some former Villa stars have been more outspoken.

Dion Dublin said: "We plainly know now that it was the wrong decision to go about it as he did.

"I would have gone for the trophy. When you get so close to something why would you fob it off and then go for the league?

"The league is very important but if you can get a bit of silverware or get into a final, that's got to be good."

What jokes should Adger Brown tell at Martin O'Neill's party? Let us know over on the Football Banter blog .

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