Alan Curbishley has hailed the "terrific effort" of his players after they signed off the 2007/08 campaign with a 2-2 draw that confirmed the club's tenth-place finish.
The achievement was no less than West Ham United deserved after a season that saw the spirit and strength of the squad rise to the fore, even when the odds were against. "The players have done fantastically," the manager said. "We have let ourselves down on a couple of occasions - we know that - especially that bad week we had. They have had all sorts of problems to contend with - we had another one today when we brought Ferdinand back after four weeks out - and it has just been constant change. I have asked people to play out of position and they have just got on with it.
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"It has been a terrific effort and I now know my squad is stronger than when I started last year. But we have been missing an awful lot of players. My big hope is we get them back for the start of the pre-season and I know i will then have the competition that I hope will make us better for next year. Some of the [attack-minded] players like Julien Faubert, Kieron Dyer and Craig Bellamy have not played any football. The one thing about Villa today was that pace on the break and the way it has worked out is a lot of my pace players have been injured for most of the season. I am hoping they all get back and we can push on from this year."
The manager, who had to replace George McCartney and Mark Noble during the game with hamstring problems with the latter also feeling a back complaint, contrasted his fortunes with that of high-flying Villa who more than contributed to an entertaining encounter that saw Nolberto Solano's opener cancelled out by Ashley Young and Gareth Barry before Dean Ashton's late equaliser. Martin O'Neill used just 22 players this campaign, compared to the 29 deployed by Curbishley. "Martin's managed to keep it very consistent and week in, week out that they are playing they get to know each other, get into a settled shape. I think they have done fantastically well this year Villa.
With Villa making it to sixth and only just missing out on Europe, after finishing eleventh last season, Curbishley said that example could be followed in east London as well. "I think that is where we have got to attack. I came in 18 months ago and obviously we had to stay up. I said that was the short-term brief and the long-term brief is to break into the European spots. I am delighted with what we have done this season considering the problems we have had. I know the squad is that much stronger now because a lot of the players have played football that they perhaps didn't think they would be getting."
Ashton's piledriver underlined how he in particular finished the campaign on a high with eleven goals overall. Even though he is on a run of five strikes in eight games, the manager expects even more next season as he looks for even more from his key men. "He needs a good break - I hope he gets it and comes back and ploughs through the pre-season," Curbishley added. "I think he will be a lot sharper." While Ashton is raring to go and could even be in the frame for England later this month, the likes of Dyer and Bellamy are also looking good for the July start of pre-season.
Reflecting on the season overall, the manager concluded that he was more than happy with a finish that left the team looking up rather than down, and ahead of illustrious rivals like Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United. "The Premier League has been the most competitive league I have been involved in and I am sure it is going to get stronger next year. We have all got to move forward and push on."