Houllier taking Villa flops on holiday

Gerard Houllier is taking his under-pressure Aston Villa squad away on a morale-boosting bonding trip.

Villa have suffered back-to-back losses, crashing out of the FA Cup at Manchester City and losing at Bolton in the Premier League.

The 3-2 defeat at The Reebok Stadium, where Ashley Young had a penalty saved when Houllier's men were leading 2-1, has left Villa in relegation danger once more.

So boss Houllier is organising a midweek trip to a hotel and spa, where the players can enjoy activities such as paint-balling.

Houllier has also arranged for his squad to watch tomorrow's Spurs-AC Milan game on TV.

Former Lyon manager Houllier, 63, is a big fan of Champions League matches and hopes the game will inspire his squad.

Villa's next match is a huge derby at home to fellow top-flight strugglers Wolves on March 19.

Houllier's men are in a need of a tonic after star winger Marc Albrighton admitted the Bolton defeat left Villa "all devastated".

"The boys can't believe we lost the game," he said. "We had chances to win two or three games.

"We can't really understand how we didn't get the three points. I still can't get my head around the fact we didn't win the game, let alone draw it."