Our Man in Malaga’s Daily Diary

Villa correspondent Brendan McLoughlin brings you his daily diary from the Peace Cup in Malaga – starring the early supporter, a dodging quartet of players and a returning Martin Laursen.

While Villa have deemed last week’s ‘Bullring to Bullring’ drive a resounding success – the much-publicised unveiling was almost ruined by a drive of an entirely different kind.

With the new strip safely navigated through London, Paris, Perpignan and Benidorm to arrive at the club’s Marbella hotel what could possibly go wrong?

But a wayward shot from the adjacent golf course left Villa quartet Brad Friedel, Ashley Young, Stiliyan Petrov and Carlos Cuellar ducking for cover in the middle of their photoshoot.

While on the subject of last week’s launch, historically the race to snare a new Villa shirt first has been hotly contested among the hardcore following – not least for the prize awaiting the winner.

So imagine the glee one fan must have felt when he rolled up to Villa’s club shop last Friday with not even a sniff of competition in sight.

Sadly for the supporter he was two weeks too early.

Although Villa’s players were showing off the new claret and blue home strip from the club’s Spanish base on Friday afternoon, it is not available to purchase until August 13.

There was a first-rate defender spotted making a surprise visit to Villa’s Spanish training base earlier this week.

Sadly it was not Sylvain Distin arriving to tie up a transfer from Portsmouth, but the very player whose departure has left the huge hole currently blown the heart of Villa’s defence.

Retired skipper Martin Laursen popped in to catch up with his old team-mates and wish them well for the new season, before he heads back to Denmark to begin his career as a TV pundit.

What Martin O’Neill would give to have the Great Dane leading out his team next season.

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This article was posted on Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 at 12:05 pm.