Leading figures from West Midlands football have agreed to answer the questions of Row Z readers.*
 This week it's the turn of new Villa manager and former Leeds United boss David O'Leary to take his place in the hotseat: Hi David! Soooo happy you've come to Villa! Realistically, what are your hopes for next season? Linda, Acocks Green. DoL: Thanks for the warm welcome, Linda, I'm very happy to be here. What are my hopes for next season? Well the situation we're in here reminds me very much of when I was at Leeds. The whole club was in the doldrums. I had to go in... shake things up... make things happen. If I can do the same thing here and enjoy the same results I think we'll all be happy, Linda. But without the crippling debt, boardroom infighting and player thuggery, obviously. Several Villa players were involved in well-publicised disputes with the previous management. Do these players have a future at the club under you? Andrew, Redditch. DoL: I've wiped the slate clean, Andrew. This is a fresh start for everyone and anyone who is willing to join in what I'm trying to do here will be considered for selection. I am not frightened at the thought of managing strong characters. When I was at Leeds we had strong characters; Batty, Kewell, Viduka, Bowyer. Ellen McArthur - she's a strong character. I wanted to sign her but the board nixed it. That's one of the reasons, possibly, why David O'Leary is no longer at Leeds. I'd love to see Villa compete in Europe again. Can you give me some hope? Dennis, Sutton Coldfield. DoL: We're at the start of a long rebuilding process here, Dennis, but if you're looking for hope, look at David O'Leary's track record. When I was at Leeds, nobody gave us much of a chance but David O'Leary took that club to the semi-finals of the Champions' League. We were, in effect, one of the four best teams in Europe. So hopefully it won't be too long before you have a chance to dust off your passport like the Leeds fans did when David O'Leary was at Leeds! Villa have been pretty quiet in the transfer market so far this summer. Has that been frustrating? Dan, Shard End. DoL: The transfer market's always frustrating, Dan! At the moment we're still identifying players that could come in and do a job but David O'Leary won't be rushed into making signings. When I was at Leeds, we were very active in the transfer market but we bought when the time was right. Like on any day that had a 'y' in it. Last season we were embarrassed by our city rivals - twice. Please tell me things will be better next season. Raj, Coleshill DoL: When I was at Leeds we were always up for the crunch games. There were a lot of crunch games when David O'Leary was at Leeds. It was great. And the David O'Leary who was always up for it at Leeds is the same David O'Leary who is now in charge at Aston Villa. We've got some promising youngsters on the fringes of the first team. Are you going to give them a chance? Alison, Shirley. DoL: When I was at Leeds one of the girls in the canteen was called Shirley. She used to bring me a hot pork batch in the morning - and some soup if it was cold. David O'Leary remembers when it was his birthday, the canteen girls used to make David O'Leary a little cake with a sparkler in it and everyone used to sing 'Happy Birthday to you' - Sorry, where were we? Oh yeah, young players. If they're good enough, they're old enough. Just like at Leeds. You seem to refer back to your time at Leeds an awful lot. Are you sure you've come to terms with your departure from the club? Joe, Stirchley. DoL: David O'Leary is the Aston Villa manager. To be honest, the really fantastic, life-changing times David O'Leary had when David O'Leary was manager of Leeds rarely cross David O'Leary's mind. Row Z: That's all we've got time for. Thank you, David O'Leary. DoL: David O'Leary says it's a pleasure. * No they haven't. We've made the whole thing up. | 
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