Football: Villa lean on Collymore to conquer Vigo

John Gregory's table-toppers must rely on Anglo-Saxon virtues in Spain tonight.

ON THE day he discovered that he had become manager-elect of England, at least in the eyes of the national press, John Gregory arrived in Spain with a Dennis the Menace badge pinned to his lapel and Aston Villa's hopes of Uefa Cup progress pinned on another all-English line-up.

In the absence of five first-choice players, Villa's second round first- leg match with Celta Vigo should go some way towards telling their manager whether he has the strength in depth necessary to last the pace at the top of the Premiership. Since their hosts can call on 11 nationalities, the tie is also a struggle between fashionable cosmopolitanism and an Anglo-centric philosophy, which Gregory believes may even be helping Stan Collymore find his form.

For what is arguably Villa's hardest match to date, against the side lying third in the Spanish League, Gregory will be without Paul Merson and Steve Watson, who are ineligible, as well as the suspended Ian Taylor and Alan Thompson. Mark Bosnich did not make the trip because of a shoulder injury.

Michael Oakes retains his place in goal after Saturday's shut-out at West Ham. Mark Draper returns in midfield while Julian Joachim is restored to the attack. The other vacancy, for a ball-winner to duplicate Taylor's underrated contribution, rests between Simon Grayson and Riccardo Scimeca.

"The structure is much the same," Gregory said. "The lads coming in are all aware of their jobs and "know exactly how we play. It's a big chance for them to try to keep the others out on Saturday [against Leicester]."

The likelihood that Bosnich will leave under the Bosman ruling next summer means that Oakes is playing to clinch his place as the Australian's successor. "Bozzie trained on Sunday but he wasn't quite right," Gregory said. "If he's fit for the weekend, I'll have a bit of a decision to make because Michael is a good keeper and did very well at West Ham."

Collymore's performance will also come under particular scrutiny for, although he hit a hat-trick in Villa's 3-0 away win over the Norwegians, Stromsgodset, in the first round, he has yet to score in the Premiership.

Nevertheless, the Villa manager revealed that the pounds 7m misfit was becoming "a real cheerleader" in the dressing-room, swept along by the enthusiasm of his team-mates. Last season, said Gregory, Collymore felt that some of those around him "did not give a toss".

No names, no pack drill, although it is a fair bet that he was referring to the foreign players such as Savo Milosevic, Sasa Curcic and Fernando Nelson, who have all since departed. Whatever the truth, Gregory claimed the Collymore had come "almost full-circle" in his attitude.

"Stan made certain promises and assurances to me, and he has kept them," Gregory said. "I think he looked at himself and thought maybe he hadn't done himself justice. I know that what happened in the summer [Collymore's assault on Ulrika Jonsson] was the lowest point of his life".

Gregory expects the match to be more like Villa's quarter-final in Madrid last spring, when they lost to Atletico in a volatile atmosphere, than their recent Scandinavian stroll. Just as nine League games without defeat equals their strongest start since 1943, in the war-time Football League North, Celta's opening sequence of six unbeaten games is their best in nearly half a century.

No less an authority than Johan Cruyff, now a television summariser, described Celta as "the best team in Spain at the moment" after Saturday's 3-0 rout of Real Betis. As if that result was not sufficient warning, Celta also netted seven without reply at home to Romanian opposition in the last round.

Lubo Penev, a burly Bulgarian, scored three times on that occasion. However, the Celta coach Victor Fernandez - who was in charge of Real Zaragoza when they beat Arsenal in the "Nayim from the half-way line" Cup-Winner's Cup final of '95 - will have at least one notable absentee himself.

Haim Revivo, an Israeli playmaker, known in this Galician port as "The Magician", was watched by Tottenham's director of football, David Pleat, in his country's defeat by Spain last week. But a groin injury has flared up again and he flew home for surgery yesterday.

Fernandez can still call on players from France, Argentina, Yugoslavia, Russia, Zaire and Brazil, with whom Mazinho gained a World Cup winner's medal four years ago.

There is even the odd Spaniard, such as Michel, the right-back who was responsible for Juninho missing France 98 with a broken ankle. The former Celtic striker Jorge Cadete, from Portugal, scored as a weekend substitute but is expected to start on the bench.

Celta Vigo (4-4-2, probable): Dutruel; Michel, Caceres, Djorovic, Berges; Makelele, Mazinho, Mostovoi, Tomas; Penev, Sanchez.

Aston Villa (3-5-2): Oakes; Ehiogu, Southgate, Barry; Charles, Draper, Hendrie, Grayson or Scimeca, Wright; Collymore, Joachim.