Angry Savo in mood to prove the critics wrong
ASTON Villa's misfiring Yugoslav striker, Savo Milosevic, is determined to prove he's not a GBP3.5 million misfit.
The 23-year-old Milosevic, a League Cup-winning hero with Villa last season, is in danger of losing his place for tomorrow's home game with Leeds United as the proud Midlands club struggle to keep in touch with the Premiership pace-setters.
With only two league goals to his name this season, Milosevic knows the pressure is on - but also feels he can win over the merciless Midlands critics who have dubbed him 'Miss-a-lot-evic'.
In an exclusive interview with Premier Soccer this week, the former Partizan Belgrade striker said: 'I think I can do a lot more in English football and I want to show the people here what I am capable of.
'The Villa supporters believe in me and are helping me on and off the pitch; now I have to give them something back.
'I know I can play a lot better than I did in the last couple of games and I hope to get the chance against Leeds on Saturday - but that's the manager's decision. I just have to prepare myself as much as I can do.
'Before the season started I thought we had enough quality to be champions but now it's going to be very hard because we have lost so many points.
'As a team we feel we are playing well but that counts for nothing if you don't get three points - that's the most important thing.' Milosevic became Villa's record signing in June 1995 when they paid Partizan Belgrade GBP3.5 million for the young international forward - before Villa boss Brian Little had seen him play.
A videotape of Milosevic's goals - 80 in three years, including 50 in 67 league appearances - persuaded Little to break the club's transfer record and now Milosevic is hoping to push the rewind button on his career.
Tomorrow's Premiership opponents, Leeds, were Villa's victims in the Coca-Cola League Cup final at Wembley last March, when Villa won 3-0 after Milosevic had put them in front with a spectacular strike, the most memorable of his 14 goals in league and cup last season.
'I was in the right place at the right time to do it - and it was the most beautiful goal I scored since I came to England,' recalled Milosevic.
'We were brilliant as a team on the day but now we must learn how to win again.' Despite the summer signing of Milosevic's former Partizan Belgrade teammate Sasa Curcic from Bolton Wanderers for a new club record fee of GBP4 million, Villa stand ninth in the table with 12 points and are already out of the UEFA Cup, losing to Helsingborgs, of Sweden.
'It's hard to explain why we lost against the Swedish club because we were clearly the better side; it just happened.
'In fact it's been a bad month for the club, losing at Newcastle and Tottenham, so three points are very important against Leeds to get our season going again - and because we play them again next week in the League Cup.'