Young guns need to start firing otherwise it will be another long year at Villa Park

Despite a continuous flow of comings and goings at Villa Park, the club has always maintained a youthful core to the squad.

Whether it's a case of the club being financially astute, sometimes interpreted as stingy, or harnessing the potential to build a very competitive squad for the future is open to debate.

However, when you consider the likes of Lee Hendrie, Peter Whittingham and Steve Davis were all bred through the Aston Villa academy, it's difficult to disagree with the fact the club has been keen on the involvement of younger players in the past.

Of the three mentioned, Hendrie was the one to make the biggest impact at Villa Park, making over 250 appearances over seven years. He was a player who played hard, noted by the fact he was sent off on his professional début.

But despite this, he was a great example of a young, raw talent wanting to make the most of his chance, playing beyond his age, if you will.

Looking at this Villa's squad this year, you notice the likes of Gabriel Agbonlahor, Barry Bannan and Marc Albrighton as a crop of talented youngsters yet to convince at the highest level.

This might seem harsh but take Agbonlahor as a good example. He worked well with John Carew, an experienced striker able to lead the line and bring others in to play, however he has yet to gel with Darren Bent with the same ease.

From the 2007-08 to the 2009-10 seasons Agbonlahor scored 40 goals in 109 appearances. In the last two seasons he has scored eight goals in 59 appearances. What is the significance, you ask? 2007-10 were the three full seasons Carew played for Aston Villa. The previous two seasons, Agbonlahor has been relied on heavily to lead the attack, particularly when Darren bent has been injured.

Now I suppose you could blame the Managers for not accommodating for Agbonlahor's pace and talent however there needs to be some output from the player also. He needs to become the kind of player who can adapt to different situations, different formations and different line-ups. Too many times I have watched him play and repeat the same runs, turns and passes to no avail.

The same also goes for Bannan and Albrighton. They are getting to a stage in their career's where they are looked to make impacts and change games.

This looks like it could be a tough year for Villa, however if the stars of tomorrow can flourish into consistent and adaptable stars of today, it could prove a very different story.

Richard Elkins @richelkins

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