Aston Villa FC!

Blogging about a football team hasn’t been my wont, but following yesterday’s pilgrimage to Villa

Park I feel compelled to share my thoughts.

I have only visited Villa Park a handful of times in the last few years but it has been a long time since

I approached the ground from the Aston Expressway, the ‘Spaghetti Junction perspective’. The last

time was coming from the M6 on a Monday night in anticipation of a guaranteed win against QPR.

The fact that Martin O’Neill’s team was in a higher league and he finally decided to play his ‘big

guns’ in the second half did not detract from the fact that, at least on that night, QPR were the

better team. The game created excessive mental tension which converted to a full-blown headache

as I tried to explain to my sons on the way home that Aston Villa is actually a great team.

What struck me yesterday, however, especially on a sunny March afternoon, was the fact that the

stadium, despite its age and grandstand set-up, really looks very impressive as you approach the

city of Birmingham from the perspective of the A38 (M). After parking the car my partner and I set

off for the stadium and nostalgia began to impact. The fact is, despite my dad being a Blackpool fan,

I was the proud owner of a full Villa kit at the age of eight. In the case of growing up in Birmingham

without being born into a Blues or Villa family, becoming a Blues or Villa fan is something that is

determined by chance. If I’m honest I’m not sure how it happened but I loved the kit, the annuals,

the badge, the names and many years later I disclosed to my mum how I would play Scrambler

‘down the caf’ by the Villa ground with my dinner money and save 20p for chips with lots of tomato

sauce. For this reason, Villa Park and Aston Park were my dinner time play ground as I grew up at

secondary school and confirmed my identity as a Villa fan. If you’re not a Brummie you have to

understand that when you meet a fellow Brummie for the first time they ask you your name then

who you support. The answer you give probably determines the quality of your relationship with

that person from that moment on!

So, back to the game, after three wins on the trot I really believed that yesterday was the day that

fortunes would continue to turn and an afternoon of live football was the order of the day. Well,

they lost and there’s no denying that. However, it was an absolute pleasure to see Villa play well

even though they didn’t score. Swansea did not look like a team on fifteen points above Villa.

Highlights included the ‘almost scored’ moments, some stunning ball control and game-making, but

the overall pleasure for me was my first live game with Christian Benteke on the pitch. Almost,

without fail, prior to his injury, Benteke’s contribution was outstanding – an example of world-class

football.

Overall then, I don’t know what will happen to Villa over the next eight matches, but after my

general feelings about the proud history of the club, its significance for Birmingham and the quality

of the players, I think it would be tragic if they let any more games go the way it did yesterday.

So was it worth the eighty sick squid? Definitely, but there really needs to be some more goals.