Villa favourite Ian Taylor is urging the team to be ruthless without remorse when the claret and blues square up to Manchester United in the Carling Cup final on Sunday.

First and foremost, a win is a win and it’s great for Villa to be in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the first time in a decade, but they will have to up their game from last night’s showing if they want to lift some silverware on Sunday.

They pummelled Crystal Palace for the first half and to only enter half-time with a one-goal advantage was a big disappointment. Then, after missing further chances, Palace gave them the shock of their lives when they equalised from the spot.

With Manchester United just around the corner, extra-time would have been disastrous so for John Carew to stick away those two penalties came as a huge relief.

Ashley Young put in another promising performance but, despite getting on the scoresheet, Gabby Agbonlahor will have to be more ruthless on Sunday after missing two sitters. Hopefully we can pull a big performance out of the hat when we need it.

While it’s a shame we won’t be playing Albion in the last eight of the FA Cup, Reading have less chance of causing an upset.

You never quite know what you’re going to get from a derby – as the old cliche goes the formbook goes out of the window – and a trip to what would have been a raucous Hawthorns would have had its dangers.

Now we have a very real chance of making it to Wembley twice in a matter of weeks.

On the big stage, Jose Mourinho will always divide opinion but I’m certainly a fan of the ‘Special One.’

Mourinho worked his magic once again last night in masterminding an excellent Inter win against a more-talented Chelsea side in the Champions League.

It was a timely reminder for anyone starting to forget what a class act he is – a born winner who might have talked the talk but walked the walk too.

There are plenty who dislike him but the fact is his players always love playing for him – you still hear John Terry and Frank Lampard speak so fondly of him – and that, above all else, matters most.

It’s only now, over two years on, that Chelsea really look like they have gotten over his departure – and I’m sure there’d be plenty of Blues fans who’d take him back in an instant.

There is no question the Premier League is a poorer place without Mourinho, hopefully we will see him back on these shores before too long.

I have a funny feeling that could be sooner rather than later – because he has unfinished business.

Speaking of Terry, I fear the actions of England’s players off the field could be seriously wrecking their chances of success on it in South Africa this year.

The circus that has surrounded Terry might have died this last week or so, but now him and Wayne Bridge have been thrust right back into the spotlight with Bridge making himself unavailable for selection today.

Now there will be more conspiracy theories about dressing room splits. There is always pressure at a World Cup, but now there’s going to be even greater scrutiny this year.

Make no mistake, If I were an England player right now I’d be watching how I conduct myself very carefully.

Fabio Capello is not a man to be messed with – just look at the way he stripped Terry of the captaincy – and when the England coach says something he means it.

So yesterday’s warning that they must be on their best behaviour from now on was more than just a threat. Any more misdemeanours could even cost players their World Cup places.

We will need all the help we can get this summer as it is and, combined with injuries and poor form for key figures like Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Cole and Steven Gerrard this season, I fear the worst.

Fingers crossed, they the players can prove me wrong and start making headlines for the right reasons.

Another who has earned some uncomplimentary headlines is Carlos Tevez, but the stick the Manchester City forward has taken for his extended stay in Argentina is a complete joke.

So what if he’s been away a bit longer than everyone expected, his child was born prematurely. He’s just doing what any father would and should do.

Unfortunately for Tevez, he finds himself in the extraordinary position of having his family on the other side of the world in Argentina – and people should remember that.

So much is expected of footballers these days, sometimes they don’t seem to have the rights everyone else takes for granted.

Of course there are sacrifices you expect them to make for the huge wages so many of them now earn but even having all the money in the world, a big house and flash cars doesn’t make you exempt from life events which seriously impact on the rest of us.

On that note, Villa’s players might have had a hectic schedule in the build-up to Sunday’s Carling Cup final, but they will struggle to beat mine!

As you may have seen in yesterday’s paper, I was at Express & Star HQ to be reunited with the League Cup trophy I won in 1996. It was great to see it again and it brought back some fantastic memories of that day we beat Leeds.

That is not all – tomorrow I’ll be in the BRMB studio co-presenting the breakfast show with Tom Ross to continue the countdown to Sunday.

Then, on Saturday, it’s the Soccer AM studios to be among the guests on the sofa to chat over Villa’s chances. Then, of course, Sunday when me and the lad will be at Wembley to, fingers crossed, roar us on to victory!

Not that getting a seat has been easy. Trust me, even I’ve had a job laying my hands on some tickets!

P.S. Make sure you get tomorrow’s Express & Star for my views on Villa’s Carling Cup hopes.