Wilfred Bouma admitted he was flattered to be the first Villa icon to take part in our new 'Cult Heroes' Q&A series.

When we put the request in to the former defender, his response said everything about his esteem for the claret and blues.

"It's nice to hear that I'm still popular at the Villa - the club and the fans are always in my heart," he said.

Supporters sent in questions to the PSV Eindhoven left-back via Twitter using the #AskBouma hash tag.

Bouma spoke at length about his best moments at Villa, the horrific injury that blighted the latter part of his five-year stay and the club's new Eredivisie recruits.

Check out the transcript of the Q&A session with the former fans' favourite.

And don't forget you can nominate which claret and blue icons you would like to see take part in the monthly feature - just tweet us using the hash tag #CultHeroes.

Dave Rule ‏@DRule91
Any chance you can recreate your goal against Newcastle for me? The only home game I've missed in 12 years - gutted!
I've hit a couple of those since but only in training! In Holland I scored a lot as I always went forward for set pieces. But at Villa I always played at left-back so it was harder for me to score. I am just glad I scored one at least and it was a great memory. If I look back it is certainly one of my best Villa moments. I think we were losing 1-0 and if I remember rightly I equalised and we went on to win the game. It was my only goal but definitely one I will always remember.

Eoin Doyle ‏@Dylow
Were you as surprised as you looked when you scored against Newcastle with, of all things, your right foot?!
I was really surprised! I was a bit lucky as well because it had a slight deflection and the sad thing about it was I think Shay Given got injured and had to come off. For me it was good luck and for him it was bad luck.

Samuel Tighe ‏@stighefootball
How is the ankle?
It will never be the same again - sometimes in the morning it is stiff - but it won't affect me. I can still play three games a week and do every session with the group. I don't have to hold back.

Perry Cox ‏@jakeybayliss
How does it feel knowing that despite your injury you were still able to continue your career in the way that you have?
In total I was injured for two years and I was lucky that Aston Villa gave me the chance to get back to full fitness. I was unlucky it took me so long that I couldn't play for the Villa again. But thanks to Aston Villa I am still capable of playing. Now I'm back to full fitness and I'm playing 40-odd games back in Holland. I was back in the Holland squad for the Euros. Unfortunately I didn't play but it was great to be back in the squad. One of the things that meant I could come back was the support I had from the fans and the medical team at Villa. Because it took so long I was a little bit scared that I wouldn't even play football again. In the first year the only thing I could do after training was sit on the sofa at home - I wasn't even able to play with my kids or anything like that. Then you wonder in the back of your mind if you can continue with all this pain. Luckily I had a second operation and everything came back again. I was really lucky that I was able to come back. Some players aren't that lucky. I'm now 34 and still going strong!

Kevin Crampton ‏@super_kev1993
Who was the best player that you played with at Villa?
It is hard because we had a lot of good ones but one player in particular was GB [Gareth Barry]. He was really, really good. Actually, I'm going to call three - there was Gareth Barry, Ashley Young and Stiliyan Petrov. For me those three had something special. When they were on the pitch they gave you a little bit extra. The awareness of all three of them was really important. I've always stayed in contact with Stan via Blackberry. I haven't been back to Birmingham since I left but my plan is to visit him when I have some time. We have always been friends and when I heard he was ill it shocked me. I'm glad that now things are looking more positive.

George Blackbee ‏@GeorgeBlackbee
What was your favourite game in a Villa shirt?
Maybe the 2-0 win at home against Chelsea. There were a lot of games that I will always remember because the Premier League was always a dream for me to play in. When we played Spurs away and drew 4-4 and Chelsea away which finished 4-4 as well.

Nathan ‏@GreavesAVFC
How does the Eredivisie style of play compare to the Premier League?
The Premier League is more physical and it is a lot faster. Everything is going a lot faster and there are no easy games.

Dan Bennett ‏@DanRBennett_
What do you miss the most about playing for Villa?
Definitely the fans. I had a difficult first year because I had to adapt to the English style. But after that I became popular with the fans and that is something I will always remember - how much the fans appreciate me. Even though I was injured for a long time, they were always chanting my name when I was at the stadium watching the games while I was injured. One of those things in my career that I will always remember is that I played for the Villa. Villa and PSV are my two clubs. They will always be in my heart.

Rich ‏@MrHamAVFC
What are your plans when you've retired?
Obviously I'd like to play on for a few more years! I'm not thinking about it a lot but sometimes in the back of your mind you will think about it a little bit. Maybe something to do with youngsters, with the academy, over in Holland. To do that would be good. But, first of all, for one year after my career I want to just do nothing and think a little bit about what I want to do afterwards. But at the moment things are going really, really well so hopefully I can still play another two seasons - that is my goal.

Thom ‏@ThomIsMe
Whose tackles hit harder - yours or Mellberg's?
My tackles were always on the ball! I think it was Olof who tackled harder! Yes, definitely. It was definitely Olof who tackled harder. But my tackles were good as well!

Martin Harper ‏@buggy1989
What do you feel is a realistic target for Villa this season and what do you make of Paul Lambert as a manager?
I always follow the Villa and the Premier League so I have seen what he has done with Norwich City as well. He was a good football player and he is a good manager. I don't think he will remember but I actually trained with him a couple of times when he was over in Holland. He had a trial at PSV before he went to Borussia Dortmund. I think he will do well from what I've seen of how he wants to play with Villa and the players who are there. I'm looking forward to this upcoming season as I always watch Match of the Day to see how the Villa are doing.

Declan Bradley ‏@DB6TT
What are your thoughts on Villa's latest Dutch signing Ron Vlaar?
I think he will do really well because he is a really good player. He will be someone who his fellow defenders will like playing alongside and the fans will like him too. It will be nice to follow his progress.

Jason Chalifour ‏@JChalifour
What are your thoughts on the club's recent signings from Holland?
I've already mentioned about Ron. Brett Holman is someone I have played against a lot of times. He is a quality player as well. He was looking forward for a long time to playing in the Premier League and now he has got his chance. Hopefully he will be a big success like the other Australians who came to the Premier League. El Ahmadi - I think he was one of the best players in the Dutch league. He is a really, really good player and I think he is going to do really well as well. Ron and Karim were huge for Feyenoord in helping them reach the Champions League. Ron was the best defender in the Dutch league and Karim was doing it in the midfield. They both had really good seasons and that is why they can make the big step to Villa.

New York Villans ‏@NewYorkVillans
If you could give one piece of advice to players like Holman and El Ahmadi switching from Holland to Villa what would it be?
The only advice I can give them is to try and cope as quick as possible with the tempo because it is 90 minutes at a high tempo. Sometimes in the Dutch league you can take a little breather but that won't happen in the Premier League. So your mindset has to be right. You always have to be focused.

DeReiss Gordon ‏@DeReisssGordonn
Who was your favourite player when you were younger and why?
That was always Ruud Gullit. In '88 we were Euro champions. Back then I was 10 and he was captain of the Dutch team. I always followed him afterwards when he, Rijkaard and Van Basten were playing for AC Milan. He was always my favourite player. His physique, his pace - he was just a monster!

Green Villan ‏@Green__Villa
Who was your toughest opponent/player that you have played against?
I've got two - Cristiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry. Henry had amazing pace but he was skilful as well. Cristiano - he's got quick feet, pace, he's good in the air. It was hard to play against them. My son is now nine and he is a big Cristiano Ronaldo fan, so it is nice that you can say 'I played against him!'

AVFCKenny RB ‏@KennyRB23
Being as you are my favourite ever left-back, who is your favourite player to play in the same position?
In England I only ever played left-back but in Holland sometimes I played centre-back. For those two positions I would say Maldini and Roberto Carlos are my favourites.

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