VTID – Gary Shaw and Improving Form
By Jonathan Northall
It feels like the Villa family are together at the moment. The passing of Gary Shaw is deeply saddening, but we have seen so much togetherness in remembrance and celebration of one of Villa’s finest. Add to that the on-field results and performances, the Villa faithful are as one. Well, as one as we ever will be.
HEITS Gary Shaw
Losing Gary Shaw at just 63 years old is heartbreaking. His passing, on the eve of Villa’s first Champions League match in 41 years, made it particularly hard to take. The thought of him not being at the Bayern Munich game is difficult to accept. Older fans, like me, remember him fondly and feel the weight of his loss because of what he meant to us—and still does. I was a blonde-haired kid in a knock-off Villa shirt, running around the garden with a ball, dreaming of beating defenders like my hero. Sure, I was a cheap imitation of number 8, maybe the kind you’d buy at Birmingham Market, but having a young talent like Gary Shaw on our team made it special. He was Villa through and through.
Bern Test
On the pitch, Villa isn’t playing like the Villa of old. Even when we were 2-0 down against Everton on Saturday, there was little panic from the players or fans. That’s the kind of game we would have let slip in the past—but not anymore. The first 15 minutes against Young Boys were tricky, but soon enough, we wrested control and dominated. Aston Villa, powered by Unai Emery, is certainly a different prospect now. This season’s squad feels like an upgrade on last year. Whether that translates to better results—like league position or cup wins—remains to be seen. What’s clear, though, is that we’re playing with positivity and intent, and that can only lead to good things.
Goal Spread
It’s also encouraging to see Villa finding the back of the net regularly. Ollie Watkins seems to have regained his form and should have three goals in two games, but a certain Bulgarian referee had other ideas. Still, in my book, Watkins is a form player, and this will do wonders for his confidence. On the other end of the confidence spectrum is Jhon Durán, a young man brimming with self-belief. Just ask Jordan Pickford. Durán’s goal on Saturday is already a contender for goal of the season. Would you be against him scoring one equally as good, or better, before the season is out? I wouldn’t.
We’re seeing goals come from all over the pitch, too. Amadou Onana has already netted three times—a fantastic return and likely more than Emery would have expected. His strike against Young Boys capped off a superb performance. Goals from Youri Tielemans and Jacob Ramsey show that we have firepower in midfield as well. For Tielemans, it was a deserved reward for several brilliant performances. He’s become so instrumental to Villa’s creative flow that I’m already worried if he doesn’t start. Am I just judging Villa based on their past? Maybe. Did anyone else think Ramsey was channeling his inner Peter Withe when he scored? Celebrating 1982 is how I squared off almost missing the chance.
Tests to Come
Some critics say Villa has only played one good team—and lost to them. I don’t buy that narrow perspective. Winning is the main currency, of course, but Emery’s Villa is on a path toward making that a regular occurrence. Our performances have been a joy to watch, and they show we’re a particularly good team. Right now, we can only play the teams in front of us, and we’re doing pretty well in that regard. With Wolves, Wycombe, and Ipswich coming up, we have some very winnable games on the horizon. The next major test for our trajectory will be matchday two of the Champions League. The visit of Herr Kane und Freunde will be a different prospect. But the gap between the two teams is much smaller now than it was on that famous night in Rotterdam—and look how that turned out. I’m looking for plenty of venturing down the left on October 2nd
Until next time…UTV!
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