Villa blogger Dave Bytheway found himself not that fussed at the lack of incomings in the transfer window – even with it all to play for in the coming months.

The transfer window has come and gone and, unlike my learned friend Nathan Lloyd over on the Wolves side of the bloggers communal common room, I can honestly say I wasn’t too surprised or disappointed for that matter with the lack of activity at Villa Park last month.

We have a much stronger squad this term, and more strength in depth. Our manager Martin O’Neill stated in the summer that gambled using his whole season budget before the season started, bringing in some top quality additions who are versatile as well as better than we had.

Adding players purely for the sake of it could have gone against us. It can show desperation, as I think it has done down at Molineux with the gamble signings they have made. For the record, I can understand the way the fans are feeling, as we Villa fans have been there for many a window ourselves!

But we now go into the business end of the 2009/10 season now, still in both domestic cups and where want to be in the Premier League, still challenging for the coverted fourth place.

I was asked by a friend the other day what I would prefer to finish this season as. The choice was fourth in the division and qualification for the Champions League, or to with both domestic cups.

My answer was simple, as a football fan you want to win honours. A cup goes down in history as a great achievement and to win something is the name of the game.

But, when I actually thought about it in more depth, the Champions League is the main body of football. It’s where the money is made, claims to hold the biggest and best clubs and players around, it is purely the elite.

Gaining qualification means a major breakthrough financially, giving provision for extra team building, more media coverage to enhance fan bases. Once these foundations are in place THEN you can go on and think about winning cups again. Opinion changed? Not a chance!

It’s the way football has unfortunately gone, and i’m sure many old football veterans would turn in their grave knowing that a team would rather finish fourth than win a cup or two. For me, it’s the Wembley date every time.

If we can go to London at the end of the month and beat regular champions, cup winners and seasonal Champions League veterans Manchester United, then then it will make a little point to football – money is not everything.

We are not in crippling debt, unlike our cup final challengers, and to win this will probably mean a lot more to our fans than theirs, bit I know for sure that i’m going to have a great day, we have earned it!