The ineptitude of Aston Villa scouts continued as the club opted to sign Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas on a loan deal in 2011. By then, the 31-year-old had built up a reputation for being an injury-prone player, while his form took a massive hit with the Londoners too prior to the move. But then Villa have never let logic get in the way of signing a player, and Jenas joined the Midlands outfit on a season-long loan deal at the end of August with an eye on a first-team slot. Typically on his first start for Villa, the England international tripped on the Villa Park pitch and ruptures his Achilles, ruling him out of action for six months, and he ended up returning to Tottenham after a largely wasted loan spell, having made just three league appearances in total for the Claret and Blues during his time in the Midlands. Had Villa done their homework, they would have surely known that Jenas was a gamble considering his injury record, and would have steered well clear.
Crippy Cooke, 23, is a freelance Football Writer contributing to What Culture. He's had work featured on Zoo, MSN, London 24, The Telegraph, The Huffington Post, and was recently named Writer of the Year on FTBpro - while also a nominee for Best Male Blog in the Football Blogging Awards.