By Paul Brown

Stan Collymore believes Villa's sixth place finish should not be underestimated - given the spending power and competitiveness of the Barclays Premier League elite.

Collymore thinks supporters should ignore Villa's fall from grace in the final months of the season and delight in the overall progress made under MON.

He said: "I'm sure Martin will be busy in the transfer market again this summer, striving to improve his squad in a bid to break into that elusive top four.

"But we should all bear in mind just how difficult that is going to be, given the spending power of the clubs already in that elite group, as well as the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham.

"Some supporters might feel that finishing sixth was a disappointment after Villa looked capable of even finishing third at one stage - but in this ultra-competitive environment that's quite an achievement.

"Although things didn't go so well in the past couple of months of the season, the campaign overall has to be regarded as a success.

"Just look at how well some of the individual players performed. Ashley Young was recognised by his peers as the PFA Young Player of the Year.

"Brad Friedel enhanced his reputation as one of the best goalkeepers in the country while Stiliyan Petrov showed what a great midfielder he is.

"John Carew has been a colossus despite his long injury lay-off while Gabby Agbonlahor has learnt a lot."