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,...
Good, Bad & Ugly of Aston Villa’s Week: Perspective, Creating Chances and Armchair Strikers.
https://giphy.com/gifs/applemusic-vJ5k7KP2Dfi9SJQzSuThe Good, Bad and Ugly of Leeds United.What’s that you say? An unbeaten three-game run? It must mean there’s nothing Ugly in the in-tray...
John McGinn’s Ugly Aston Villa Position and the State of Points Over Performance
The Good, Bad and Ugly of Southampton and the International Breakhttps://giphy.com/gifs/WinningTimeHBO-PTjuFGUyTVWj9Wvvg5After another mini 'pre-season' for Steven Gerrard with the majority of his Villa squad,...
Gerrard’s Choices, The Pointless Flag and Knife Edge Fixtures
The Good, Bad and Ugly of Manchester Cityhttps://giphy.com/gifs/30-rock-sme-how-do-you-1Qdp4trljSkY8By Phil ShawI can’t believe it, there’s a good performance to write about. Let’s not waste any...
High ‘Profile’ Deadline Signings and an ‘Ugly’ Week to Come for Aston Villa?
The Good, Bad and Ugly of West Ham and Arsenal.https://giphy.com/gifs/fight-Tim0q7zolF3faBy Phil ShawI didn’t see myself writing depressing stories after I left the local newspaper,...
Anxiety Villa, Set Piece Show-offs and Passive Aggressive Managers
The Good, Bad and Ugly of an Average Aston Villa Weekhttps://giphy.com/gifs/adultswim-l378BzHA5FwWFXVSgYou can tell how well Aston Villa’s week has gone by how long it...
Aston Villa’s Need to Fix Tactical Bubble and Avoid Manchester United Style Transfers
https://giphy.com/gifs/sun-ctGFLebG1AqK4The Good, Bad and Ugly of Everton WinOnce again Aston Villa needed a result against Everton to kickstart their season, once again they got...
Aston Villa’s Set-Piece Issues and Villa Park Meltdown
What we Learned as Villa Fans from the Everton WinBy Nick Price-ThompsonYou know what they say, a win is a win…It was hard for...
What We Learned as Aston Villa Fans After False Start
It's been five years since My Old Man Said last ran the 'What We Learned' column on site. Maybe that's how long it takes...
Gone in 90 Seconds, Villa’s Set Piece Shambles and Mings Meltdown.
The Good, Bad and Ugly of Bournemouth and the RestUsually, it takes 90 minutes for early season hope and optimism to be checked, Aston...
Opinion: Villa’s Need for Malcolm in the Middle, Carney Cash in and Preseason Verdict
The New Season Good, Bad and UglyNice to be back with a Good, Bad and Ugly for Aston Villa’s 22-23 season. Has it really...
Terrible Hot Take on Aston Villa, With Club Accused of Being ‘Strategic Rule Breakers’
Aston Villa 'strategic rule breaking'...really?The Media Muppets department has unearthed another cracker from the cringeworthy Football Insider, with the clickbait website blatantly trying to...
The Case of John McGinn’s Tackle – Faux Outrage for Clicks
The Outrage Clickbait FormulaIs it that time already? Two sets of tribal supporters at each other’s throats? Old scars reopened and the ceasefire broken?...