it’s better to build a new table than get a seat at a rotten one.

Running for over a decade now, My Old Man Said has upheld high editorial and ethical standards as both a podcast and website, acting as an antidote to the typical clickbait and ‘churnalism’ approach of most football media. Back by two decades of journalistic experience across leading national and international publications, My Old Man Said aims to put the supporter front and centre, in terms of providing them with insights and transparency into key issues to how their club Aston Villa is run. While, of course, entertaining them along the way.

MOMS was the winner of the 2012 Best New Football Blog of the Year award and the Judge’s Award for the Best Established Football Blog of the Year in 2014. MOMS was also nominated for ‘Blogger of the Year’ in 2016 and ’Best Fan Media’ in 2018, in the Football Supporter Association Awards.

After a regular slot on national radio on Talksport’s popular Sportsbar program, where My Old Man Said was always mistakenly referred to as being a podcast show, it was only natural there should be one created for real.

Now in its seventh year, the My Old Man Said podcast show’s emphasis is to provide listeners with an informative and entertaining ‘show’ rather than being just another replica shirt wearing fan boy podcast.

The show regularly features in both Apple and Spotify’s Sport & Recreation charts with the ever-growing podcast having gained a strong devoted following. It was nominated in the Best Club Podcast of the Year category in the Football Supporters’ Association Awards 2019.

Things turned full circle recently, when Talksport invited My Old Man Said to be its Aston Villa podcast on the Talksport Podcast Fan Network, which represents all 92 English league clubs and launches in 2023.

More details on the Podcast

MOMS is a founder member of the Aston Villa Fan Advisory Board (formerly Fans Consultation Group) and sat on the inaugural National Council of the UK’s largest supporter body, the Football Supporters’ Association. MOMS was also credited in recent Government’s Fan Led Review of Football Governance and sits on the West Midlands Police Football Unit Independent Advisory Group (IAG).

MOMS is both an affiliate member of both the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) and Football Supporters Europe (FSE).

Through its network of contacts in the game, My Old Man Said exists to provide Aston Villa supporters with the best access to information and provide a rational voice on supporter issues at club and national level.

MOMS campaigned successfully to get Villa Park granted as an Asset of Community Value to give Villa supporters a symbolic guardianship over their home.

In the belief that football should be affordable to all, MOMS has actively supported the FSA’s Twenty’s Plenty campaign and was active in helping obtain the £30 price cap for Premier League away tickets.

MOMS was also behind the idea of the @AVFCsupport Twitter account to improve the club’s communication with supporters, the marking of restricted view seats on the club’s ticket site, the introduction of a clearer communication protocol for rearranged games, the introduction of free tampons in the toilets for female supporters, and one season prevented a compound season ticket increase of 200%+ for sections of supporters. MOMS has also helped other Villa groups have a voice with the club by getting them on the club’s Fan Advisory Board.

MOMS also directly contributed to a key facet of the latest club crest while being involved in its design consultation.

The common sense solution of safe standing is also a prime concern (we’ve been to the House of Commons twice in relation to it), as is the need for structured club-supporter communication in football.

With the help of our followers and members, MOMS also created the biggest and most notorious Villa supporter flag – based on the Sex Pistol’s infamous album cover design ‘Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols’. As the album cover was banned on its release, the flag was banned by the FA, for the 2015 FA Cup final at Wembley, to much national and international press outcry.

MOMS been asked to cover Villa matters in national newspapers such as The Times, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, Independent, Sunday Mirror, BBC Sport, and also on the radio, including BBC Five Live, BBC WM and Talksport, as well as contributing to the BT Sport, BBC TV and Premier League’s TV channel.

MOMS currently has a weekly BBC Sport column on Aston Villa published on Tuesdays.

For an overview of our activity see the MOMS wiki page

Further press coverage