Tic toc tic toc tic toc

IT'S almost time for that cheeky looking chap on Sky Sports News to start waffling on about making late check calls to Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson as he lets the cameras pan down on his three mobile phones.

Yes ladies and gentleman we are almost there again... transfer deadline night (or in this case, afternoon).

After 5pm Monday that's it folks.

One or two in, one or two out... that's my prediction with three days and an hour to go.

In: one or two from Sturridge, Johnson and Richards at Manchester City.

Out: Nicky Shorey or Marlon Harewood, or both, to whom I know not. And care even less so.

Martin O'Neill will do well to get two players in. I think he will be pretty ecstatic at one.

Shorey I think is the more likely to leave. Harewood may have to wait until the summer.

Then it will be a matter of getting out as quickly as he can because by which time Villa's striking options may well include Michael Owen and Peter Crouch, the latter dependant on precisely which direction John Carew finds his career going come the end of the season.

It's great to see that Carew is in the squad for tomorrow's game against Wigan.

He will be on the bench at best, but it would be great to see him for five or ten minutes at the end.

Easily one of Villa's most influential players from August through to October, but the side haven't missed him one bit... well, I lie. They'd have beaten Fulham at home because Carew wouldn't have missed all the chances that came Villa's way that afternoon.

Wigan at home is a tough one to call.

Villa will play Emile Heskey and Gabby Agbonlahor up front and that will make for an open game.

The difficulty there is that Wigan have players to benefit from that too. Anyone who saw new signing Hugo Rodallega's impressive debut against Liverpool as a substitute in midweek will know that Wigan feel they have come out of the Emile Heskey saga with full value, lust like Martin O'Neill clearly does.

Thankfully Antonio Valencia is sidelined.

And they also have Amr Zakim, a player whom Martin O'Neill clearly believes could be an interesting player in the top division. We're going back a couple of months here, but it was interesting to see Wes Saunders - the man credited with taking Zaki to Wigan, up at Bodymoor Heath.

I have no idea on what sort of business. Perhaps as he is also Matt Elliot's brother-in-law he was getting a shirt signed by Martin O'Neill?

Interesting times for Villa. Another win tomorrow and they'll be joint-top of the pile.

Incredible. Absolutely incredible.

Although I notice that Mark Lawrenson has tipped Villa for a win on the BBC web-site and his tips never help!

Villa have not registered five Premier League victories in succession since defeating Crystal Palace (h), Everton (a), West Ham (h), Coventry (a) and Southampton (a) between 14 March and 18 April 1998.

But this Villa side are a far, far better side than John Gregory's ever was- even with Carew, Ashley Young and Martin Laursen on the sidelines.

On another matter my cheque has already been posted to the Aston Villa Former Players' Association.

Not that I ever played for Villa, of course.

But I'm chuffed to have been asked to have become an Associate Member.

Neil Rioch and Karl Court are taking the best Former Players' Association in the country to another level altogether.

And I am proud to become a very small, insignificant part in an ever-expanding association that has not only served the interests of the former players so well but has also raised £4 million for charitable causes.