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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,...
The Villa Rant: Bruce’s Villa Continue To Climb
Just a couple of weeks ago I had a bad feeling that the international break may stunt Villa's growing momentum and slow our rise...
Five Reasons to be Cheerful as Villa Fans After Top Six is in Sight
On The Up
It's a bit odd talking about wanting to be top six in the Championship. Such top six talk in terms of the...
The Villa Influence: Villa Continue Fine Form With Win Over Bluebirds
Right Man, Right Time?
It’s hard to ignore the sudden sense of optimism that now surrounds Villa Park on a match day. Now under the...
Five Reasons to be Cheerful for Villa Fans After Heading South
Since the arrival of Steve Bruce a new solidity to Villa's play has systematically been introduced making the team hard to beat, which finally...
What We Learned From as Villa Fans From a Friday Night Out In Brighton
Seaside Rendezvous
A Friday night trip to promotion-chasing Brighton AFC was always going to be a stern test for Villa, considering the Seagulls solid home...
What We Learned as Villa Fans From The First Third Of The Season
High expectations turned to despair, winding up with some optimism for the first time in some time. What did we as Villa fans learn...
The Good, Bad and Ugly of Aston Villa’s Season so Far
The G, B & U has been on a bit of a hiatus after being a three-year regular column on My Old Man Said....
The Villa Rant: International Break Provides Time To Review
I rarely welcome international breaks but with so much chopping and changing at Villa Park this year this week has been a welcome respite....
‘We Go Again’ Was Drivel, Admits Paul Lambert
Bore Off
There was nothing more boring in the Aston Villa universe, since My Old Man Said came into existence, than a Paul Lambert press...
Five Reasons to be Cheerful as Villa Fans After Rovers Comeback
It was a game that most Villa supporters, considering Blackburn's league position, hoped for three points from. The fact that such expectations are now...
Five Reasons to be Cheerful as Villa Fans After St Andrews Stalemate
St Andrews Stalemate
The 1-1 draw at St Andrews wasn't exactly the result Villans wanted or needed, but after the Blues scored their equaliser they...
The Villa Rant: Kodjia’s Birthday Goal Is Perfect Gift For Villa
Back to back wins for the first time since May 2015 and the feelgood factor is finally returning to Villa Park.
Making The Right Calls
Once...