Columns
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 Villa Fans Despite Being Out Foxed
Five Reasons to be Cheerful Post Leicester LossBy Armen MirzoianThese Five Reasons columns have been writing themselves during the first eight games of Emery’s...
Villa Learning to Punch Down and an Ugly January Transfer Window?
The Good, Bad and Ugly of the January Transfer WindowNothing like a good deadline day to rile up the Aston Villa fans online and...
Five Reasons to be Cheerful as Villa Fans as Team Eye Europe
Five Reasons to be Cheerful After Saints WinBy Armen MirzoianThis column was started over a decade ago as an antidote to Villa misery, but...
Five Reasons to be Cheerful as Villa Fans Entering the Second Half of the Season
Five Reasons to be Cheerful at the Season's Half Way PointBy Armen MirzoianIt is getting easier and easier to find reasons to be cheerful...
League Position Now Takes Priority for Emery’s Unacceptable FA Cup Flops
The Good Bad And Ugly Beginning to 2023Welcome to 2023, the year of Aston Villa’s epiphany and enlightenment from the dark age just passed....
Five Reasons to be Cheerful as Aston Villa Start 2023
Five Reasons to be Cheerful for 2023By Armen MirzoianA Happy New Year to Villa fans across the globe. With the World Cup over and...
Martinez Magic, Five Star Media and History’s Winners
https://giphy.com/gifs/argentina-martinez-emiliano-oosqY3FwE0aVcehzi8The Good, Bad and Ugly - Qatar 2022 World Cup SpecialWhile the Premier League is now back up and running, it would be remise...
Villa Lifting the Curse and Closing Things the Ugly Way
The Good, Bad and Ugly of Unai Emery’s First Three Games.As tempting as it was to fire out a GBU as soon as the...
Five Reasons to be Cheerful as Villans After Emery’s Winning Double
Five Reasons to be Cheerful as VillansBy Armen MirzoianAfter back-to-back league wins against teams in the upper echelons of the Premier League, it should...
Five Reasons to Be Cheerful as Aston Villa Fans Prior to World Cup
Five Reason to be Cheerful as VillansAston Villa are currently in 15th place in the Premier League table, just two points off the relegation...
No Excuses: Unai Emery Arrives to Help Aston Villa Find Their Character
https://giphy.com/gifs/uefa-S7P9wg5Z4yWqGcWiCeThe Good, Bad and Ugly of Brentford, Newcastle and Unai EmeryThe eagle-eyed among you will notice, there was no GBU after winning against Brentford....
Fear is the Mind-Killer for Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa
The Good, Bad and Ugly of Nottingham Forest and ChelseaBy Phil ShawThings seem to be coming to a head for Aston Villa and Steven...