Villa blogger Dave Bytheway assesses December and beyond while drawing up the wish list for new blood at Villa Park in the mad month of January.

Happy New Year, let’s hope 2009 brings as much joy as 2008!

What a way to enter the year as well. A run of nine domestic games unbeaten, fourth in the Premier League, the last 32 of the Uefa Cup and the fourth round of the FA Cup. Can this year prove a fruitful one? Well the oppurtunity is there, that’s for sure!

Summing December up, after beating Bolton 4-2 at Villa Park we made the long trip over to Hamburg for the UEFA Cup tie, only to learn the day before that Martin O’Neill was to field our second string and rest many key players.

We set off early on the day of the game and flew from Birmingham to Dublin. After a few hours in the aiprort, sampling the Guinness of course, we then headed back on a plane to Bremen.

On landing in Bremen the weather was abysmal, so instead of attempting to find the tram station, we jumped in a taxi and headed off to Hamburg.

It was another great city to watch a football game, with good beer and good food, but most of all, as in Prague previously, good people. OK, we lost the game, in fact we got hammered, but after the game back in Hamburg we drank with the HSV fans until the early hours.

Many of them plan to visit a Villa game next season. It’s this kind of experience that makes football worthwhile.

After the long trip back, and still questioning O’Neill’s decision to rest so many key players, which meant we ended up being third and drawn against CSKA Moscow, who I believe will win the Cup, we headed to the Boleyn Ground to face the Hammers.

Would O’Neill be proved right bringing back eight regulars? Yes he would, albeit somewhat fortunate to say the least. We looked good in patches, so to come away with three points was lucky.

We then hosted Arsenal, our main challengers to the coverted fourth spot this season. What a way to prove our claims, being 2-0 down two minutes into the second half!

But it was a great comeback, showing the character to come back to 2-2. Special praise for that game has to go to our defender Zat Knight, not just for the goal but for his overall man of the match performance.

Then followed controversial wins at Hull and Gillingham. The big question on fans lips home and away afterwards, were they penalties or weren’t they?

Obviously yes in Kent and no on the Humber but again, we were fortunate in both games. We seem to be catching the lucky streak that Liverpool and Man Utd always seem to have, not that i’m moaning now of course!

This run brings us into the transfer window, something that brings mixed feelings amongst Villa fans. Martin O’Neill seems to use a strange approach, normally leaving things late.

As a fan, it’s quite bemusing. We’re short of strikers at the moment, so much so Nathan Delfouneso is starting currently. At 17 years old, he is not quite ready.

I do hope we sign a few stars this window, I think it will push us on the extra bit we need to continue on all fronts. I expect signings such as Reading’s Kevin Doyle or Wigan’s Emile Heskey, maybe even someone like Tottenham’s Darren Bent.

The type of player O’Neill goes for is not the ready made star with finesse, more the rugged rock he can polish into a diamond. But does he have time to polish in January? I don’t know, but we desperatley need numbers.

In closing, want to give a warm welcome to Albion on Saturday for the lunchtime kick off. I predict a tight game, a really good game to watch with good attacking football played. It will be close, and if Gareth Barry is out as expected, I think it might be a draw.

Have a good weekend. Up the Villa!