Columns
Regular My Old Man Said columns
Five Reasons To Be Cheerful As Seagulls Drop One on Depleted Villa
Five Reasons to be Cheerful as Villans after Brighton LossIt's hard to remember a more dramatic pre-season at Villa Park, and after today's heavy defeat to Brighton, Unai Emery could be forgiven for wishing he had a few more weeks of it. Unfortunately, the season is already up and running and Villa have made just about the worst start imaginable with the core of...
Are Aston Villa Going Into the New Season Without a Spine?
The Good, Bad and Ugly as The Winds of Change BlowThere we are then. Aston Villa are about to embark upon another season under Unai Emery, all preseason games are done, and everyone is set and ready to go, aren’t they?The GoodThe European Super Cup Final against new nemesis Paris Saint-Germain was a genuinely enjoyable game.Despite Aston Villa entering the game as heavy underdogs,...
The Good, Bad and Ugly: Aston Villa’s Summer Transfer Window So Far
The Good, Bad and Ugly Summer Transfer UpdateNew faces in, old faces going or gone, minutes in the tank and a new great hope,...
Five Reasons to Be Cheerful as Aston Villa’s Preseason Begins
Five Reasons to be Cheerful as Villans - Preseason BeginsAfter arguably the best season Aston Villa have enjoyed in a generation, Unai Emery's squad...
World Cup Villa Reflections – Konsa Scapegoating, Villa Injury Woe and Ex-Villa Hero
The Good, Bad and Ugly of World Cup 2026 So FarWhile Aston Villa fans are either enjoying a summer off or worrying about UEFA...
What We Learnt From the Villa’s Immediate Post-Season
Aston Villa are Europa League winners, Champions League returnees, and already three weeks into the summer transfer rumour cycle. Here are the three observations...
Why Nobody Linking Morgan Rogers to a Move Has Done the Maths
Those Morgan Rogers Transfer LinksAre you bored of the Morgan Rogers transfer rumours yet?How many times have we seen this situation before?Over the years,...
The Curse of the Claret Sleeves — Aston Villa’s New Kit Has a History Problem
The Curse of the Claret SleevesAston Villa and Adidas have unveiled the new 2026-27 home kit, describing it as inspired by 'the club's designs...
Five Reasons to be Cheerful as Villans After “Fantastic” Week
Champions League football earned through a fourth-place finish in the league and a Europa League trophy in the cabinet, Aston Villa's end to the...
The Good, Bad and Ugly of SC Freiburg
Europa League Final Preview: SC Freiburg vs Aston Villa - Are we the Bad Guys?After 44 years, Aston Villa have reached a major European...
What We Learnt from That Night at Villa Park
What Villa's 4-0 Night Against Forest Actually Taught UsWe'll get on to Villa's demolition job of Liverpool at Villa Park in the last home...
What We Learnt as Villa Fans in a Transformative Week
What We Learnt from West Ham and Lille WinsMcGinn back, Sancho released, twenty-three shots and a team that finally remembered who it was.1. Tempo...
Villa Receive Boost on the Pitch before Fans get Pricing Pain on the Way Home
The Good, Bad and Ugly Adrenaline Shot SpecialJust when all seemed lost, the return of Captain John McGinn and Unai Emery’s adopted son Youri...
Five Reasons To Be Cheerful as Villans, as Villa Bounce Back
"Just when we thought we were out, they pull us back in!" To loosely paraphrase Michael Corleone. Aston Villa's double-digit points safety net for...