By Ryan Ghee
September 10 2005

Aston Villa boss David O'Leary is hoping that his new-look Villa squad can bring about a new era at the club - starting with Monday's match against West Ham. O'Leary has been busy throughout the summer and he has made it clear that he believes Villa now have a strong enough squad to compete for a place in the top-six of the Premiership.

Speaking to the club's official website, O'Leary said, "There are plenty of other clubs bigger and better who are chasing the same dream. In my first season here at Aston Villa we missed out on Europe on goal difference but we are now better equipped than at that time.

"We have been in the mix for the last two seasons and it would be lovely to achieve this ambition...I do not want to do it once and be celebrating for the next couple of years. If you are going to be a big club you have to be in Europe consistently. I want to take it for granted that Aston Villa will be in Europe year after year."

The Villa manager is expected to hand debuts to both James Milner and Wilfred Bouma on Monday night. Hughes, Phillips, Berger and Baros are also expected to start, making it six out of the eight summer signings in the starting line-up.