Scott Hogan moved across town from Aston Villa to Birmingham on loan in January.
Scott Hogan moved on loan from Aston Villa to Birmingham City in January and has been named the Championship’s Player of the Month for February.
Hogan spoke to Sky Sports about why moving across town between two clubs who are bitter rivals didn’t really matter to him.
He said: “I’m not from the area so I’m not in with the rivalry as much, but it doesn’t matter about the rivalry, it had to be about myself, my decision and this is the one I made. In all fairness, you get the odd little bit of stick but I know a lot of Villa fans and players and they wish me luck every week. The Blues fans have welcomed me really well, too.
“I was speaking to my agent and there weren’t many clubs after me, just due to the fact that I hadn’t played. But when Birmingham came in, they guaranteed that, as long as I was fit and doing well, I’d play every game. I’d not had that for about three years. It felt right just to do it for myself, to get back playing again and it’s been working well so far.”
Hogan has struggled badly with injuries at Villa and getting regular football has clearly helped him rediscover his mojo after a tough spell at Stoke earlier this season.
Villa have struggled to find a reliable striker this season and at the same time, they have loaned one out to their fiercest rivals.
Some fans may retort that the Championship is a very different level to the Premier League and while that’s true, a fit and firing Hogan would be an effective weapon for Dean Smith, as a Plan B at the very least.
Hogan is absolutely flying and if he carries on this form until the end of the season, he will have a decision to make over his future. Villa must hope they are a Premier League club by then.
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