An Intertoto postcard from Odense - at last

I'm sure I wasn't the only one that couldn't help staring at every person who boarded the flight, in the hope of catching a glimpse of a multi-million pound signing - or a right-back of any description.

At one stage I even I mistook a baggage handler for David Bentley, and the pilot for Brad Friedel, although I must admit there was an altogether different reason for checking out one of the trolley dollies.

Another talking point was the obvious absence of fallen hero Gareth Barry. When the pilot announced "Good morning, this is your captain speaking" I could have sworn O'Neill threatened to dock him two weeks wages and ban him from the flight!

But even with Barry at home and star signings remaining the figment of Villa fans' imaginations' there were still plenty of prime targets for the autograph hunters on board - including a handful of under-16s.

Their patience was tested when they were told that the players needed rest and relaxation and didn't want to be disturbed on the flight, but would oblige at the terminal when we landed in Scandinavia.

All very well and good, except that there wasn't a terminal. Upon disembarking in Denmark the Villa squad were herded on to a coach on the tarmac while the fans and press were kept out the way.

For a club renowned for PR masterstrokes during the Randy Lerner era (Holte Hotel, Acorns, free scarves etc) it was an own goal of Steve Sidwell proportions.

While our media requests for a 10-minute chat at the 'terminal' were also thwarted by the waiting buses, we were granted access to O'Neill at the team's Radisson hotel, where we found the manager in a relaxed and chatty-ish mood.

From a quick glance around the hotel reception it seemed that Villa's recce the previous week had found them a plush base befitting a Premier League club.

The scribes and supporters travelling with the official party had slightly less salubrious surroundings. If anybody thought O'Neill's team-building was a work in progress, then they should have seen our hotel!

Whether it was press privileges or luck of the draw the Sunday Mercury could at least boast a room with carpet and a working shower.

The sleeping quarters of some of the fans left a lot to be desired. In fact, it's doubtful whether any of them have been THAT upset since Blues' first season back in the Prem.

Anyway, after filing our preview stories at mid-afternoon on Friday, the press corp enjoyed the next day or so sampling the culture of Odense - the exact details of which can be found on several expenses forms (only joking, boss!).

The Scandinavians were a welcoming bunch, dishing out smiles, receipts and friendly banter about the game ahead, all in perfect English.

With a 8pm kick-off, Danish time, there was plenty of opportunity to wander around Odense square with all roads leading helpfully back to our base, the Grand Hotel.

A quick coach trip and in the time it takes to say Eric Djemba-Djemba we were at our destination, the Fionia Park stadium, a pleasant average sized-stadium with a capacity of about 15,000.

Around 500 of those spaces had been bagsied by dedicated Villa fans, who, like me, could not quite believe the rapturous reception Odense's new signing from Cameroon was getting.

It clearly did the trick because Djemba-Djemba had the game of his life after coming on as sub and is sure to be a marked man at Villa Park on Saturday (by the Birmingham bailiffs at least).

The match itself has been well-documented elsewhere, so let's skip to the return flight.
With a late kick off, putting those of us with Sunday deadlines up against it, Final Word was filing O'Neill quotes with one hand, while checking in its bag with the other.

Fortunately, in the way the Danes rescued a last gasp draw, Villa avoided a PR defeat right at the end by allowing the fans on the private flight to mingle with the players and get autographs and pictures in the departure lounge.

The Scandinavian goalscorers, Martin Laursen and John Carew, repeated their impressive feats on the pitch by charming the punters off it.

Sadly the same could not be said of some of the others, who didn't even remove their ipod headphones to greet their adoring fans.

But the manager's walk to the back of the plane to have a quick chat with fans and thank them for their support - and outlay - made it more than worthwhile for most.

Perhaps that's what we were all toasting with Tuborg in Ryan's on Friday night!