Marcus Aims To Smile Away The Blues

Marcus Allback does not have an answer to the season-long mystery of Villa¡¦s poor away record ¡V but the Swedish international ace is determined to give the travelling Claret and Blue Army something to smile about this afternoon.

And he believes Villa can laugh their way to success at Goodison Park, if they relax and forget about a return of just one Premiership win on the road.

Allback, who looks certain to start his fourth successive match, commented: "I don't know why our away record is so poor. We started out and suddenly we had two or three games when we hadn't won away. Then all of a sudden it was 10 games. Then, of course, you start to think about it.

"The problem is that the media keep asking you about it and then you start to think about it even more.

"We've had a few really good games away from home, especially at the beginning of the season against Tottenham and Bolton, but we didn't get any points. That's tough when you really think you deserve at least a point.¡¨

The striker continued: "But we've had other good games away. The Manchester United game was a turning point at 1-1, and we went on to get a win at Middlesbrough. It's something that we definitely need to change for next season.

"The key at Everton is to relax and have a laugh - that's what it's all about. When the team is in good form you are supposed to enjoy it and play with a smile. When everyone is doing that, everything seems to work out fine."