The press hereby request a player interview- don't shoot them!

VILLA can go joint-top of the Premier League tomorrow night.

(I say "can" because that rests on an Albion side without six defenders beating Manchester United's albeit reserves).

You'd think Villa would be jumping through hoops behind the scenes, shouting from the roof-tops about their best season - points-wise - ever at this stage (22 games).

They are averaging two points a game, with exactly the same record as the title winning side of 1981 (having scored a few less and let in a few more).

But no, there is no "whooping for joy", no back-slapping. And that's fine.

Luke Young today is the first person to admit that the words "title" and "Villa" can be used in the same sentence.

There is a danger, as for as Martin O'Neill is concerned, that his players would lose focus and if they start believing some of the hype.

He will carry on drilling the message into them that they are the best team on the planet within the confines of the dressing room. But as far as the message out to us all from within goes: "We are a million miles away".

All clever man management.

Which brings me to the substance of this article.

Apparently O'Neill has asked for a tightening up on the number of player interviews given to all sections of the media.

That's his decision and one I am loathe to quibble with it as he gives my paper more than enough of his own time.

But are the sponsors happy with that? Is Randy Lerner? Shouldn't they be aiming to knock Arsenal, Chelsea, United and Liverpool off the back pages? Shouldn't they want a bit more of the Radio 5Live, Talksport pie?

Over the last two years things have undoubtedly improved so far as the rest of the media are concerned. That's because Claire Huggins in the press office will do her upmost to meet player requests from the papers, radio and TV. Before then they'd go no chance unless they wanted to stand in the car park for hours on end like I did back in the late 1990s.

But recent away games have thrown up just one player, James Milner, who spoke to the entire media (nationals, TV, locals) following that win at Sunderland. One player: Zat Knight, did likewise at Doncaster.

Two players: Milner and Gareth Barry spoke to the club's own TV station after Sunderland. A third, Brad Friedel, did so at Bodymoor Heath on the Monday whilst Milner did a combined local paper and local radio interview on Thursday.

Two players: Steve Sidwell and Knight spoke to the club's TV station on Saturday.

I haven't the foggiest how the rest of the week will pan out, although I do know that we are not permitted, as yet, to speak to John Carew, Martin Laursen or Wilfred Bouma. Those requests have been flatly denied.

I do find this player unavailability thing slightly worrying, not that it will really impact on my job at all. This is not a selfish outcry. More an appeal for reason at a time when Villa might just be shooting themselves in the foot.

This latest "clamping down" all corresponds with a colleague of mine who just happened to be ticked off by the club over what was seen as a negative match report from the recent win at Sunderland.

I think the gist was that the reporter had the audacity to suggest that Villa had got lucky with one or two key refereeing decisions.

I think Match of the Day showed that the officials got the equalising goal and the sending off right, and the two hand-ball shouts - however "luck" probably did have a part to play when Gabby Agbonlahor was fouled (and somehow ended up on his shoulders after being kicked in the face).

Former referee Jeff Winter had this to say on his web-site:

"The foul on Agbonlahor was just outside the box, so no penalty should have been given."

Another national journalist on this patch, who I have a deal of respect for, has recently been ticked off over a comment on an internet blog where he suggested that the Villa manager has two sides to his personality - charming and witty on one hand, and perhaps moody on the other.

I would have thought every person on the planet had many sides, if you got to know them well enough? (Or two sides if you have Schizophrenia). Anyway, I am surprised the well-written piece was worthy even of mention.

O'Neill has enjoyed a very healthy relationship with the local press pretty much since the day he walked through the door in August 2006.

He has chosen to look after the Birmingham Mail.

There have been moments when the relationship between O'Neill and the local media, I mean myself, has been less than smooth. And of course my reporting of one aspect of the Gareth Barry situation did not please him.

But that was quickly behind us. And he probably now fills 50- 75 per cent of my written work.

O'Neill does much less interviewing with me immediately after matches than he once did.

But once a week, almost without fail, either on the telephone or in his office, he will give me 20 minutes to half an hour of his time when a range of topics can be covered.

Gone are the days when a Premier League manager can be contacted on the telephone every morning at 9am without fail. But compared to some clubs, and compared to past Villa managers, well one at least, who was ignorant to the demands of the local press, it is a system that has worked.

The manager will more often than not see me on a Tuesday which means you will quite often get an injury update on a Tuesday afternoon in later editions of our paper, or perhaps on a Wednesday if the club haven't decided to do their own thing and release the injury news on a Tuesday evening on the web - which again is their prerogative.

"It's a give and take" relationship, as one club official told me last week. Relationships between clubs and papers can be strained at times, particularly with the onset of their own TV stations and web-sites which demand an audience.

But papers undoubtedly do serve as a valuable tool for clubs. That's why we are still contacted from time to time when the club wants to sell extra tickets, or for example when a club wants to promote a flag day as you will soon see when Villa play against CSKA Moscow.

The only interviews I can remember from current players which have caused offence with O'Neill have been those from Thomas Sorensen where he questioned the wisdom of the arrival of Scott Carson whilst away on international duty with Denmark.

The other was Patrik Berger's assertion that Gareth Barry would be crazy not to sign for Liverpool, which was said to a large collection of reporters at Villa Park directly following the home defeat to Wigan which led to his non-appearance at the final game of the season at West Ham.

That's two interviews - one done by the Danish press- that have caused offence to the manager.

So in these heady times where all sorts of media organisations are trying to jump on the bandwagon having realised that Aston Villa do exist, I do not think it remiss to urge the club not to forget the local media.

I do not think that two, three or even four players a week is asking for the earth at a time when information out of the club is like getting blood from a stone.

"News to me" was the text I received at 6.30pm on Thursday when I approached a club official after hearing Emile Heskey, was signing.

My reply should also have been three words: "Give and take".