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Aston Villa are being hailed as the best of the rest of the clubs in England, not quite good enough to break the top four but better than the rest of the pack. Whether they can improve on this situation now that they have a talented manager and a more balanced squad is a matter of some speculation, although they are certainly getting better.

Their recent league form has improved a lot, and they have gone from a mid table club to being right on the heels of the big four. Although they haven't cracked the top four yet, if one of the teams above them were to have a bad run of results, Aston Villa would be poised along with a few other clubs to take their place in the so called big four.

Aston villa also have the other asset of currently being managed by Martin O'Neill, who is universally regarded as one of the better managers in the league. Although it has been several years in the making, the Aston villa squad that he has assembled is now making headway into the league, and finished 5th last year. Whether he stays with the club in the long term is an important question however, as it has been rumored that he is set to join Manchester United after Alex Ferguson retires.

If Martin O'Neill does switch clubs, then it will not only destabilize the progression that Aston Villa have made so far, but might actually send them back to the middle of the chasing pack where they once were. Although the club will try its best to keep O'Neill, it will be difficult to stop the lure of the biggest job in football, particularly as winning honors with Manchester United is a lot easier than it is with Aston Villa at the moment.

The progression of the other teams around Aston Villa will also play a role in whether they achieve any lasting success as well, as there are several other teams which are at a similar level to them. The likes of Manchester city, Everton and West Ham are at about the same level as Aston Villa right now, and whether they can keep themselves getting better will also determine how well Aston Villa can possible do. Manchester City especially might pose a threat because of the fact that they have very wealthy owners and can essentially sign any player that they want.

In the past Aston Villa have had success in some of the league cups although lasting league success has so far eluded them. Long before the rise of Chelsea and the current big four, Aston Villa were for a time the fourth best team in the country. However eventually they like Newcastle above them slipped

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