Premier League? I'd struggle to get into a pub team, says Villa's £10m man

The excuses are as varied as they are frequent: a variety of ailments, tiredness or lack of match fitness are routinely forwarded.

But Aston Villa's deadline day £10million signing Curtis Davies clearly has something to learn now he has joined the elite.

After swapping Championship West Bromwich Albion for their Midlands rivals, the England Under 21 defender had been looking forward to his Villa debut.

However, a dismal personal performance as Villa were dumped out of the Carling Cup by Leicester left the candid Davies admitting he had been rubbish.

There was no plea in mitigation as the 22-year-old defender likened his performance to a "pub player", adding: "Basically, I was awful. I've no excuses.

"I've been training well. I feel fit. I've played well in the reserves. I know that's different to the first team — but I just wasn't any good today. Everything I did was wrong.

"It just didn't happen for me — and I don't know why.

"I was substituted near the end — and that was the first time I've ever been substituted for playing reasons. I can't blame our manager Martin O'Neill. If I wasn't so poor I wouldn't have been taken off.

"It doesn't matter that this was my first game for six months. I've been talking myself up in the press, saying I was ready. By that performance, I'm far from it.

"I've given the manager no selection headaches whatsoever. Martin Laursen will play against Tottenham on Monday — and I'll be lucky to get on the bench.

"I don't expect anything more. I can take absolutely nothing from what happened out there.

"You're only as good as your last game. And I wasn't up to the standard of a pub game. I was that poor. If you get a chance like I did and blow it then you can't go complaining to anyone.

"I need to go back into training and take a look at myself. I set my standards high. That was not the real me. I need to go back to square one and hopefully I'll get the nod again sooner rather than later.

"Then I want to show everyone the real Curtis Davies and not his evil twin who played against Leicester."

Davies' move from The Hawthorns on August 31 has not gone down well.

There is still a bitter rivalry between the clubs, even though both look elsewhere for their main local enemies, with Villa counting Birmingham as their current traditional rivals and Albion's eyes fixed across the Black Country at Wolves.

And the fact that the centre half is getting it in the neck whenever he steps out of his front door probably is not helping his mood either.

He added: "I haven't had a good response from my old fans at all. I think I'm public enemy No 1 in West Bromwich but it's one of those things. Football is my life. I could have been in the comfort zone at The Hawthorns and played every game. But I wanted to play in the Premier League.

"West Bromwich fans may feel a bit aggrieved but I was honest from the beginning. The problem was I didn't get out early in the summer. Others did.

"I never tried to hide behind anyone or sneak out of the back door. I've spoken to a few Albion fans in Birmingham and they've wished me all the best. But the majority don't really like me.

"I wanted to play in the Premier League and I've played in it before. But that counts for nothing if you play like I did.

"I've just got to impress Villa's fans better than I did against Leicester. I'm hoping it's a one-off. But I need to pick myself up and improve because that was just dreadful."