MON On Moscow Dinner

Martin O'Neill has hit back at newspaper claims he has funded this evening's UEFA Cup 'thank-you' dinner from his own pocket.

The Daily Mirror claimed MON has splashed out £15,000 of his own money on tonight's Holte Suite event.

But the Villa boss was keen to stress the dinner was simply a "club function" to reward loyal supporters who made the journey to the UEFA Cup clash with CSKA Moscow.

O'Neill said: "It was an idea I had on the way back from Russia and, after it was cleared by the chairman, we both decided to go ahead with it."