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Regular My Old Man Said columns
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 has returned to Bodymoor Heath after a well-earned summer break. They've barely had time to unpack the sun cream before the squad has already undergone some serious surgery, and there's every chance more arrivals and departures are still to come.With...
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 cost spreadsheets, there's a World Cup on. It's a good chance to remember what football was like before the Premier League made it a product, or is it?The GoodUp to the quarter-final point, it's been a surprisingly entertaining World Cup,...
Five Reasons to Be Cheerful as Aston Villa Head into Crucial Phase of The Season
Fiver Reasons to be Cheerful as VillansWith Villa sitting in fifth place and approaching a run of winnable games; there are many things to...
The Good, Bad & Ugly of Aston Villa’s Week – the Grind, Inspiration and Weakness
The Good, Bad and Ugly of HŠK Zrinjski Mostar and WolvesSome weeks watching Unai Emery's Aston Villa is a joy, the 90 minutes pass...
Five Reasons to Be Cheerful as Villa Enjoy Seagull Feast
On Saturday, Villa have fans had six reasons to be cheerful. After five wins from seven league games and a home fixture in Europe...
Six Education for Brighton as Unai Emery Banishes Cup Blues and Commercial Woes
The Good, Bad and Ugly of Chelsea, Everton and BrightonThere’s a popular meme of Gennaro Gattuso, ‘Sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe…' You know the...
Stevenage Syndrome Still Haunts Emery’s Aston Villa, as Club Gets Heckless
The Good Bad and Ugly of Crystal Palace and Legia WarsawAn exciting week for sure for Villa fans, that is, if they weren't being...
Five Reasons to Be Cheerful as Undercooked Aston Villa Hit Par After Convincing Defeat
As the Aston Villa squad heads into an international break, the opening four games have exposed fans as either glass half empty or glass...
Aston Villa Relish Proper Away Trips in Europe After Anfield No-Show
The Good, Bad and Ugly of Burnley, Hibernian and LiverpoolWhat a couple of weeks it has been for Unai Emery's Aston Villa on the...
Five Reasons to be Cheerful as Aston Villa Fans After Impressive Week
Five Reasons to be Cheerful After Impressive WeekThree wins, twelve goals and Lee Johnson evicted from the Hibernian dugout, it's been quite the week....
Aston Villa Bounce Back, As Hostilities Grow Over Terrace View
The Good, Bad and Ugly - Week 2Lift back the velvet ropes and step into a brave new world. No, it's not The Terrace...
Five Reasons to be Cheerful as Aston Villa Run Riot This Week
NEW: Five Reasons to be Cheerful as Aston Villa Run Riot This Week#AVFC
Injuries Compound Aston Villa Optimism Crash but Removes Complacency
The Good, Bad and Ugly - Newcastle AwayA week is a long time in football, Yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away, or...
Five Reasons to be Cheerful for Aston Villa After a Week of Setbacks
Five Reasons to be Cheerful as Villans"It's fascinating how quickly sentiments can change in football. Just a week ago, everything felt rosy at Villa...