November 2008 Archives

FORGET all that stuff about United positively loving Villa Park.

Forget the fact that they haven't been beaten, apart from their kids in the League Cup nine years ago, since August 1995.

Forget the fact that Wayne Rooney somehow got away with being rested for England duty because they didn't play against Stoke City last weekend.

Forget the fact that United, missing a few stars, still steam-rollered Stoke City last Saturday.

Forget the fact that United are eight points behind not just the leaders but the runners-up and therefore desperately needing to win at Villa to keep in touch.

Yes, forget the stuff of defenders legs in claret and blue almost without exception turning to jelly when bamboozled by a Giggs, van Nistelrooy, Solskjaer or nowadays Ronaldo- oh come on, even the likes of Jesper Blomqvist used to turn grown men into babbling babies.

If you can forget all that (and I realise I am asking you to forget about as much as canooist John Darwin had when he reappered in the West End Central police station in Savile Row, Central London, years after making a new life for himself in Panama)...

Then you'll see that Villa, on the back of that masterful performance at Arsenal, have got a blummin' good chance tomorrow.

Indeed, in so far as the international break goes, they may well have the edge on Manchester United.

You see Stiliyan Petrov played only the first 65 minutes as Bulgaria were hammered by a Savo Milosevic-inspired Serbia.

Martin O'Neill also got his wish with John Carew completely rested from Norway's trip to the Ukraine.

Martin Laursen was likewise rested from Denmark's trip to face Wales. "A sore knee", as Morten Olsen put it. That was before Laursen played with the head of a veteran and legs of a 19-year-old at The Emirates.

With Curtis Davies remaining on the bench in Berlin it meant that apart from Petrov only the English trio of Gareth Barry, Gabby Agbonlahor and, albeit for just the last 13 minutes, Ashley Young, saw any international action of Villa's likely starters tomorrow.

It gets better. Bulgaria's demise in Belgrade also saw Dimitar Berbatov pull a hamstring.

But if Villa, already likely to be without Carlos Cuellar, were rejoicing in Berbatov's injury then they might think again as it merely opens the door for Carlos Tevez.

The Argentinian might have played 90 minutes against Scotland for Argentina on Wednesday and is likely to keep his place in attack alongside the recalled Rooney, who missed the 5-0 win over Stoke, but Tevez is positvely itching with a point to prove.

With his future in the melting pot he'll want to show Sir Alex Ferguson that he's still worth his salt.

It has been a frustrating few months for the striker who has started just five league games this season, scoring one goal against Liverpool back in September.

He also has just a little history with Villa.

Tevez played 90 minutes and scored the second goal in the 4-0 trouncing United dished out to Villa in March, and he played the first 73 minutes of the 4-1 league defeat they handed out at Old Trafford last October.

It gets better....

Rio Ferdinand is "unlikely" to return in defence because of a back injury, according to Sir Alex Ferguson today- (although such promises are rarely kept by managers keeping everyone on their toes).

There's also no Wes Brown, although Gary Neville or John O'Shea can step in at a moment's notice.

And there may be tired legs and battered egos elsewhere for United.

Ronaldo, Nani and Anderson were only due to report back today after Portugal lost 6-2 in Brazil.

Ji-sung Park captained South Korea against Saudi Arabia in midweek, that's quite a trek, whilst Patrice Evra played a full 90 minutes as France drew 0-0 at home to Uruguay.

And Michael Carrick, you never know, could have blisters from all that work for England in Germany.

My point is this: yes, it will be tough, damn tough. United, like Chelsea just a few weeks ago, will be fired up because they'll want to put some pretenders to the top four establishment firmly in their place.

But Villa were terrific last week. Gabby and GB were terrific in Berlin.

A little belief from players and supporters could go some way to ending one of life's puzzles- 13 years of misery.

THERE is always a danger with getting carried away.

You can always read too much into one good performance, or conversely one bad.

But when did Villa last record as important a result as winning 2-0 at Arsenal?

Not in my ten years in the midlands or over eight in covering the club.

They were supposedly out on their feet going into it. They'd lost two on the bounce, the long European nights were kicking in? They faced being dragged into mid-table by next weekend.

Arsene Wenger was almost gracious in defeat- well, not quite: "I don't have a rational explanation.... Maybe it's down to the quality of Villa's performance, I don't know."

Well, Arsene old fruit. It WAS as much down to Villa as anything.

Sure Villa have played better. Even this season. That opening half an hour at Tottenham they produced far more scintilating, fast-flowing stuff.

There have been far more enjoyable wins. 5-0 over Blues springs to mind.

But taking into account the opposition, taking into consideration the successive defeats beforehand and the fact Manchester United were next on the horizon- well, there's no question it was Martin O'Neill's finest hour at the club.

And I'm struggling to think of anything to rival it since Villa reached the 2000 Cup Final by beating Bolton on penalties.

Chelsea away in May 2002? A great win but the final game of a long season where they had ultimately fallen short.

Three wins over Chelsea in 2003, 2004 and 2007? All hugely enjoyable, against the odds and well-deserved. But all at home.

Chelsea at home in the League Cup in 2003? Terrific win. But Villa went out to Bolton.

Anfield in September 2001? An unbelievable win. And the closest thing to what happened at The Emirates, for sure.

Seven years ago Villa had also started the season in impressive fashion.

They'd just won the InterToto Cup, like this year, had opened with a draw at Spurs and had held Manchester United.

But following the win at Liverpool they were soon sent crashing out of the UEFA Cup by Croatian no-hopers Varteks.

The difference this time is that I can't see the Arsenal win going to their heads.

On Saturday everything that could have gone right, apart from a poorly hit penalty, clicked.

The centre-halves Curtis Davies and Martin Laursen were imperious, the full-backs Carlos Cuellar and Luke Young aggressive and sharp, the midfield two of Steve Sidwell and Gareth Barry were trojans with or without the ball, whilst Stiliyan Petrov closely patrolled nearby, eating possession as if it were a jam doughnut.

The wingers Ashley Young and James Milner were a threat. Young more so, Milner though with a tenacity when the opposition have the ball.

I am convinced Young was close to tears as I interviewed him after the game in the 'mixed zone', such was the euphoria of the occasion and perhaps relief after he had messed up from the spot.

Then there was Gabby Agbonlahor. This was a fella struggling for form and goals and subsequently confidence in a run of games following his quick-fire hat-trick against Manchester City.

But his goal at Arsenal, almost a carbon copy of his breakaway solo at Albion, was evidence of a player very much at the height of his powers and enjoying the spotlight.

There cannot now be any changes now for the United game. The system worked a treat against a side you knew would try to pass them to death.

And the positives are that now Villa have a special player on the bench, in John Carew, who can change games.

With Carew out of the side there is not the temptation to play it long down the middle. Without him Sidwell, Barry and Petrov were always looking to play their way through the middle.

Carew will hopefully come back into the team. Fulham at home is tailor-made for him.

My concern is that that saga of the late night curfew has left its mark. I'm hoping there is no hangover.

As for Nigel Reo-Coker and Nicky Shorey, the two other fall-guys, can they have hope?

Yes, both will be back before too long, although neither will want their recall to be in the UEFA Cup against Zilina with the Villa boss surely then looking to field his 'midweek' side.

As for Villa's chances against United?

Three things make me uneasy:

Firstly, United's 5-0 win over Stoke City; secondly, United's incredible love affair with Villa Park, and thirdly the fact that only Michael Carrick is in Berlin with the England party whilst Young, Agbonlahor, Davies and Barry all face a midweek trek.

Petrov, Carew and Laursen are also away on international duty.

Ideally Villa would have had a free week to prepare for what is now unquestionably the biggest game of their season.

Expectations have just been sent soaring. They'd shoot through the stratosphere if they ended a 13 year wait for a win against that lot.

Time to get carried away.

GO ON then. You try and predict his team for Arsenal.

I'll have a go. But this ain't like last season where only a broken limb would mean a change to the team.

Brad Friedel in goal. No problems there. After a shaky start he has more than come to the fore in recent games.

Now the problems start. Luke Young and Carlos Cuellar? Or Cuellar and Curtis Davies?

I'll plump for the latter just now.

Luke Young has started to find his feet, but crucially only returned to training today. And can you really send out a message to Davies that he is good enough to skipper the side in Prague, but no longer in the first team?

I think that would be a hammer blow. Not than the manager has ever shirked from big decisions in the past (Unlike the last one who dropped Peter Crouch and then Gabby Agbonlhaor whenever Juan Pablo Angel was fit).

It seems simpler to just allow Young an extra few days to get back into the groove and play Cuellar on the right.

Martin Laursen. Definitely. Every time.

Now here's another: Nicky Shorey or Gareth Barry. Shorey is taking his time to adjust to Martin O'Neill's way of playing. He has done okay so far, but not at the price that was paid last summer.

Barry is without doubt the better left-back, but taking him out of midfield would leave a gaping hole- as we saw against Portsmouth.

But that is precisely what I would do tomorrow. Because Villa need energy and lots of it at The Emirates.

Midfield now. Nigel Reo-Coker, Stiliyan Petrov, Steve Sidwell and Ashley Young would be my picks for Arsenal- that is if John Carew has no reaction overnight to his first training stint today.

Otherwise James Milner would come in.

The front two? Well, for the first time in 20 years they pick themselves. It's not that Carew and Agbonlahor have formed an electric partnership.

They are certainly no Withe and Shaw. It's not that they gel together like tea and biscuits.

But there's no one else.

There's less competition up front at Villa than at any time since managers could pick from more than one substitute. And even then Villa had David Geddis.

What about Marlon Harewood, I hear you say? Quite.

It'll be Harewood out to whoever can dare take him in January. And two strikers in. Roque Santa Cruz? Don't rule it out. Amir Zaki? Emile Heskey? Watch this space.

Michael Owen? Can't see it.

But come January 10 and the home derby with West Brom and O'Neill should have some real selection issues to deal with.

Can Villa bring Arsenal back down to earth? Possibly.

Their counter-attacking football will certainly come to the fore. And the Gunners will be ever so vulnerable to set-plays, especially if Carew makes it.

But the smart money will still be on Arsenal making it 15 years and more since Villa's last league win on their patch.

November 1993 has so much to answer for.

KENNY Swain has added his name to the illustrious list of former stars attending the dogs this Friday.

There hasn't been a lot of pre-publicity about one of the more enjoyable and popular nights in the Former Players calendar.

But Neil Rioch and the boys again appear to have pulled out all the stops for the annual trip to Perr Barry Stadium.

It's unfortunate that a clash of commitments have meant Steve Staunton, Colin Gibson and Ian Taylor have had to pull out.

But Charlie Aitken, Des Bremner, Frank Carrodus, Gordon Cowans, Jim Cumbes, Mark Delaney, Chico Hamilton, Brian Little, Peter McParland, Tony Morley, Alan O'Neil,
Leighton Phillips, Gary Shaw and Bobby Thomson will all be lending their support.

A dinner only ticket costs just £35.

But there are only around 20 places left in a capacity of around 250- so hurry!

For further information, telephone Aston Villa FPA on 0121 628 3274 or e-mail: info@astonvillafpa.org

I seem to recall a little bit of fuss about ticket sales at Villa in the summer.

I had suggested sales were lower than expected.

Well, there are statistics and there are statistics.

Have Villa bucked the general trend by registering an upturn this season?

The answer is yes, I mean no.... I mean it just depends which way you want to spin it.

The first six Premier League home games of last season brought in crowds of 42,640; 36,638; 37,714; 38,747; 40,842 and 42,640.

That's an aggregate of 239,221 at an average of 39,871.

This season the first six home league games have attracted crowd of: 39,955; 41,647; 38,706; 37,660; 35,985 and 36,672.

That's an aggregate of 230,625 at an average of 38,438.

By my mathematics that's a fall of 1,433.

There are many reasons for this: the fact that least season's figures included games against Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United. This year's only include the game against Liverpool.

The fact that we are all struggling with higher food and energy prices, and that this year's fixture programme has seen Saturday games switched to less popular Sunday or even midweek dates at a time when supporters have already shelled out for a number of European games in a congested calendar.

Anyhow, a reporter I know called the club today to ask if sales were up or down and was told that in fact they were up by nine per cent.

'How could that possibly be?', I hear you enquire. Well, the club are taking into account all eleven home games played so far this season as opposed to the eight games played up to this point in the calendar last season.

That's their business. It just proves that numbers can do anything you want them to.

And it might also prove that Peter Mandelson, the Godfather of Labour Party spin, may also have secured a job in Villa's press office.

Reminds me of the time under David O'Leary when the management asked for match reports not to be carried in the official programme if Villa had lost.

By the way the above is not meant as a criticism of Head of Consumer Sales Nicky Keye or anyone at Villa.

Those attendance figures are buoyant in the face of challenging times and still represent a club on the up and up.

A HOME defeat to Middlesbrough is not exactly what the doctor ordered. Not unless you go by the name of Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen.

Arsenal and Manchester United next up. Crikey.

If John Carew's hip injury isn't too bad, and it at least required a scan today, then Villa can win at The Emirates. Just remember he terrorised their diminutive centre-backs at Villa Park last season.

Villa go to north London unbeaten on the ground.

Luke Young should be fine and Stiliyan Petrov can't be far away from full fitness. He was initially supposed to miss a fortnight's action after damaging his hamstring against Blackburn.

I should have some idea tomorrow morning after a chat with the manager.

I'll not bother whittering on about woeful defending against Boro. It's swings and roundabouts. Villa could have lost to Blackburn, could have beaten Newcastle, could have lost to Wigan, could have beaten Stoke......

Narrow margins indeed in the tighest of divisions.

My worry is Newcastle.

Not the Newcastle of 2008 and Joey Barton. (What exactly did he say to Gabby Agbonlahor? And was it cowardice by Agbonlahor not to want to pursue it? Or the warmth of human kindness?)

No, my worry is Newcastle 2006/07.

Why?

Check out their league results as they blazed a trail in Europe to the last 16 of the UEFA Cup.

Like Villa, they'd started way back in the early summer in the InterToto Cup. And around this time of year they hit a brick wall.

They'd not been the first club playing in Europe to do so either.

Having defeated Lillestrom in July then then saw off Ventspils and beat Wigan on the opening day of the season.

Ok, Villa then got the better of them at Villa Park and then they lost at home to Fulham.

But after seeing off Levadia Tallinn they won away at West Ham in mid-September.

Then came the rot: a 2-0 defeat at Liverpool, home draw to Everton, away defeat at Man Utd, home defeat to Bolton....

Then in Europe a win over Fenerbahce.

Surely a turning point?

Nope. Back to the Premiership and a derby defeat at Middlesbrough and a home draw with Charlton...

Back in the UEFA Cup and an away win at Palermo....

Back to the league and a home loss to Sheff Utd, a goalless draw at Man City and a creditable draw at Arsenal- but still no league wins.

Back in the UEFA Cup and a home win over Celta Vigo.

Then finally a win over Portsmouth in the Premier League at home in late November.

Villa's form is never that bad, although a third defeat on the trot in the league has not happened since March (following a home draw to Middlesbrough that was more than a tad fortunate).

No time for alarm bells just yet though. Still fifth in the table. And Manchester United will come to Villa Park and be beaten one day.

The law of averages says so.

With Prague now behind Villa they go in search of a vital three points against Boro today looking to disprove the theory that teams are susceptible to falling on their faces in the days immediately after a mid-week European trek.

The win at Slavia taught Martin O'Neill many things. It taught him that Brad Guzan is not far away from league action, although he will surely have to wait a while with Brad Friedel in such good form.

It taught him that Moustapha Salifou could finally be emerging from the shadows.

It taught him that Curtis Davies, despite the captaincy, and Zat Knight have gone backwards.

And it taught him that Steve Sidwell is well and truly knocking on the door.

I'll be suprised if the former Chelsea man is not in the middle of midfield against Boro, although whether Nicky Shorey (with Gareth Barry dropping back), Nigel Reo-Coker or James Milner is the fall-guy remains to be seen.

As everyone saw, Villa were excellent before the break at Slavia and relatively poor after it. Still it was a tremendous win. Forget seven points, qualification is now guaranteed.

Expect another six changes - at least- when Zilina are in town.

It was a pity that a spot of trouble on the terraces marred an otherwise excellent trip.

In the dying minutes of the game, a Villa fan broke a seat. He had climbed on it as he was trying to untie his flag from the perimiter fencing.

Unfortunately he'd had a little to drink and started waving the broken seat above his head.

According to some fans I spoke to after the game some extremely heavy-handed stewards then came onto the scene. They tried to forcibly eject him, he resisted and other fans joined in.

A fight broke out before the Czech Police came flooding in to sort out a crazy minute of madness.

As I say it was a pity. A few hundred Villa fans had been the centre of attention, impeccably behaved as they sang outside the George and Dragon, the "traditional British bar" in the main square in the hours leading up to the game.

Back to today, Villa go in as favourites to beat Middlesbrough as they attempt to get their league programme back on track.

The prize on offer for Villa is reasonable enough: fourth place ahead of Manchester United with almost a third of the season gone. Not many teams will be ahead of United with two thirds gone, fewer still at the league's completion.

Despite three poor performances at Stoke, Chelsea and Newcastle (after half-time) that's not a bad statistic at all.

George Boateng will not be around to spoil Villa's afternoon. He invariably has a cracker at Villa Park, like he did last season when Boro should have won.

The 1-1 draw last March was one of Villa's poorest displays of the whole season and a repeat today will more than likely see Villa come unstuck.

Gareth Southgate will come in for a heap of stick again. That's always something I cannot understand. He was a terrific captain for Villa, still the only one to lead them to the FA Cup Final in 51 years.

A section of Villa supporters will never forgive him for leaving for Boro and claiming he wanted to win things. Eventually he did. The Carling Cup.

But the point is this: Southgate fell out with John Gregory. It was personal and nothing to do with Villa.

Part of that was down to Gregory ending Southgate's chances of returning to London when Chelsea came knocking 12 months earlier. Part of it could best be described as a clash of personalities.

You have the articulate, well-mannered, ultra professional Southgate. And you had Gregory, as brash as they come.

Often a tabloid writer's dream. Who could forget the Dwight Yorke saga, or that which followed his remarks that David Ginola was "carrying too much timber"?!

JG spent millions and millions at a time when Villa were up there with Arsenal with the Premier League just half a dozen years old. Delivered just that Cup Final.

And yet such were the depressing years that followed under Graham Taylor and David O'Leary, Gregory is held in high esteem by many.

Anyway, Southgate still speaks incredibly highly of Villa, what they did for him both as a player and person and what they have achieved under Martin O'Neill and Randy Lerner.

Had he put his foot down in the summer- like Gregory did- then Luke Young would never be at the club now.

Southgate knew Boro would struggle to replace Young. But he also knew that he could not stand in the defender's way when a bigger club came along.

Ah- that old chestnut. "Bigger" club. I seem to recall Boro were such when Southgate, Ugo Ehiogu, Boateng, Steve Harrison and Paul Barron all moved north. I actually think Boro were back then, albeit briefly, when Steve Gibson's millions were out-shining Doug Ellis'.

There's no doubting who is the bigger now.

Here's hoping for a decent match and three points.

Villa will need them. With Arsenal and Manchester United next up. If ever there was a test of whether Villa can seriously threaten the top four it is then.

The pre-match press conference was the stuff of Morecombe and Wise.

Marttin O'Neill took great delight in teasing the Czech journalists, particularly when they asked him if he could remember Slavia's last game against Villa.

The question was, after a pause, amended to did 'he remember them facing Tottenham?'

"I was going to say", O'Neill chirped. "I can't remember when Villa were last in Europe."

Brad Friedel took centre-stage as he sat between O'Neill and the interpreter.

"As a 37-year-old how much longer do you intend to carry on playing?", came one enquiry from the floor.

Friedel looked at O'Neill, who giggled like a schoolboy and answered the question for him: "One Month!"

It's a cracking modern stadium. New but with a touch of character, if that is possible.

Friedel likened it to Bayer Leverkusen's.

Built in May, the local journalists took great pride in pointing out to Friedel that no foreign er has yet scored here. It is their first UEFA Cup game after all.

"Do you agree with the Slavia coach that you are favourites?", O'Neill was asked.

"If there hasn't ever been a foreigner score a goal here, what has he to worry about?", O'Neill said.

Friedel mentioned looking forward to locking horns with former Liverpool team-mate Vladimir Smicer.

"Have the English public heard of Slavia Prague?", was probably as heated a question as was ever delivered.

"Yes, they've heard of Slavia and Sparta Prague", said O'Neill- perhaps forgetting the song about the Dukla Prague Away Kit by Half Man Half Biscuit.

"They've also heard of Patrik Berger- who was a fine player for Liverpool", said O'Neill who infamously fell out with, fined and banned Berger from his final match away at West Ham after comments about Gareth Barry joining Liverpool.

Another O'Neill one-liner then fell on hollow ground.

"The problem with you lot is that you have the same sense of humour as Patrik Berger", O'Neill added. "None at All!"

All very entertaining. A pity that underneath it all the row over Gabby Agbonlahor and Joey Barton rages on. That is the only thing the English media seem interested in here tonight.

It is a story that has grown arms and legs. I'm hoping to join it for a beer later.

There you have it. The good news.

It's been a good few days for the Stevenage Two.

Ashley Young has signed a new four year deal, tying him to the club until 2012.

I would not like to speculate on exactly what that means to the financiers.

You could probably guess that he's right up there with the Gareth Barry's, Martin Laursen's and John Carew's of the dressing room now.

There is no denying his ability. He is fast, can deliver the best dead ball in the Premiership and has a trick or two.

But be warned. With extra money comes extra responsibility.

Not all that Young touches turns to gold. Too inconsistent, too prone to take a tumble, too prone to sulk, too light-weight when a defender sticks to his backside.....some of these arguments ring true. Although not all the time.

Without Young Villa can look toothless.

Player of the Month for September and a member of the team of the season last year as named by his fellow pros, Young certainly divides opinion. Fabio Capello obviously feels he needs time.

One thing's for sure. The black-gloved one will have to play a lot better than at Newcastle last night if he is to earn his new rich pickings.

BOOKS, books and more books. All of a sudden I can't move for books.

I spotted Frank Skinner's latest on his year back on the comedy circuit.

I couldn't miss it in the supermarket. Not because of the cover but more for the big yellow sticker on the front that boasted it was now £10 and not the recommended price of £18.99. It's only been out a fortnight.

That was over a week ago. And I'm one page in. Still, I've never been a quick reader and it will be in my travel bag for Prague.

I've also been sent two books in the post. For free.

Believe me, one would have been an oddity. I've never courted books.

I remember my last read: "Enid Blyton: Don't Be Silly Mr Twiddle".

It was so long ago, I've just googled it out of curiosity.

"Twiddle is a kind old man who means to do his best, but he is often forgetful, a bit lazy and sometimes very silly. Poor Mrs Twiddle is driven to distraction by his muddles.

"This time he brings a sheep and a goat into the kitchen, cleans his teeth with glue and loses his railway tickets"....

"Age 6+"- explains it all.

Anyway, on the kitchen table infront of me is a book about a centre-forward whose name needs no introduction- suffice to say he was once shot in his office by a mystery gunman, and lay in a coma for several weeks.

The culprit was revealed to be Elton Blake, an actor.

Yes, he's back. (Roy Race not Blake).

"The Bumper Book of Roy of the Rovers" (Titan Books £12.99) collects together the first 20 years worth of classic material from Annuals between 1958-1971.

It even includes a cartoon of Jonny Dixon in his 1957 kit.

Unfortunately it is too bulky to take to the Czech Republic tomorrow, but one publication well worth inclusion in my travel pack is "Demolition Derbies and Other Delights"- the first literary offering from Stephen Whitehouse (Heroes publishing £5.99).

I've known Steve for some years, although never intimately. He isn't just a staunch supporter, he lives and breathes Villa. But he is also astute enough to not drop them into every conversation.

Many Villa suppporters will have seen him about. He sticks out like a sore thumb, to coin the old expression, or as the book itself describes his 6'6" appearance: "He reckons on being able to tell the age of fellow fans by whether they call him Ormondroyd or Crouch".

I do not believe that is because he has a penchant for pulling gorgeous women, although he may well have that trick up his rather long sleeve too.

His book, one that recounts the ups and downs of the 2007/08 season in all its glory, is one that promises to be extremely popular with Villa supporters.

And probably not those who support Birmingham City.

I'll leave you with the beginning of his entry under the headline 21st April:

"Alex McLeish overslept this morning so his wife had to wake him up. "Alex, Alex wake up it's 6...Alex", to which he replied: "Bloody hell, they haven't scored another one have they?".

Then they was the one about Agent Ridgewell acting for the defence.

People like Steve always amaze me. The level of their commitment to the club win, lose or draw. And you'll never hear him boasting about such devotion on the message boards.

Well worth the cost of two pints of lager around Villa Park- or 12 bottles of the same stuff in Prague.

PS. Steve lives and works in Coventry. And no, the book is not written in crayon.