Hendrie vents frustration

Hendrie has struggled for first-team football since the arrival of James Milner on loan from Newcastle and admits his frustration is reaching its peak. "Am I getting to the stage where I might have to leave? Possibly," said the midfielder, who has been linked with a switch to Portsmouth. "I don't want to waste a season. That's my main issue. I don't want to go a full season, look back and think I've made six or seven appearances.

There have been rumours of a falling out with Tubbs but Hendrie brushed them aside. "We've not had a fall-out. I've never had a rift with the gaffer, but I don't want to be a back-up option at 28," he continued, before hurling a dart at a familiar snub-nosed face on the dartboard. "I've said from day one that I need to be playing. I've looked at the last few seasons and I've played 20-plus games all the time."

With the transfer window now half closed, Hendrie realises that all he can do to try and force his way back into the reckoning at Villa is keep impressing Tubbs in training. "There is nothing I can say to the manager," he said. "I can't go in and say 'play me' because the gaffer is going to make his decisions. All I can do is keep giving him a headache and let my football do the talking."