Author: John Byng

Another week into the closed season and the rumour mill has been rife with transfer gossip. The biggest transfer story regarding Aston Villa of the summer so far has arrived this week though. After being photographed playing golf with Steve Bruce there’s now reports from various media outlets that John Terry could sign for Villa. The former Chelsea captain is available on a free transfer after being released by the club after their title-winning 2016/17 season. Since then there’s been plenty of talk of where the 36-year-old defender could end up plying his trade next season. The positives As many…

Before I get going, make sure you have read part one of Summer Transfer Expectations. As I have already stated, this summer’s transfer window needs to be a massive improvement to the ones we have seen in previous seasons. We can’t just base whether a window has been a success or not based on a number of players we’ve bought in. This window the focus needs to be on quality. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the player is a good player, obviously, that’s what you want, but they have to have the quality that we need to have on our side. We…

As is always the way in the transfer window, there’s lots of gossip and lots of rumours a strife. This summer, however, the big talking point regarding Aston Villa’s business during the window is the buy-to-sell policy the club looks set to follow. With some fans, this will come as a bit of a shock given the how to smash and grab Villa’s last two windows have been under Dr Tony Xia. Really it should come as no shock though. You can’t run a football club by just bringing players in and not transfer any out. Also, the owner has…

As Steve Bruce’s first full week as boss of Aston Villa Football Club comes to an end, I can definitely say it’s been an eventful one, with one particular event standing out. I can’t quite believe it myself yet but, finally, the Villans won away! The good Well it’s pretty clear what this segment is going to be all about – that away win. After four hundred and thirty-seven days without seeing our side win a match away from home, our ever brilliant away contingent travelled to Reading on a Tuesday night hoping this would finally be the day they…

Dr. Tony Xia’s search for a permanent manager is over. The only question that remains is will this one finally be a long term appointment? The good Steve Bruce has been named as the new manager of Aston Villa Football Club. Bruce’s managerial record boasts a number of Championship promotions, which is of course the club’s and owner’s primary aim. With this in mind, it is clear to see why he was Xia’s first choice and topped the list of potential candidates. He’s a manager who will hopefully stabilise the club and stop the poor run of results that see…

When a weekend of international football is coming up, I tend to look forward to the following week, when club football returns. This is usually down to international games being somewhat meaningless and very boring, making for a mundane weekend. Well, in typical Villa style, the club has given us all something to concentrate on and discuss this weekend with the sacking of Roberto Di Matteo. The good Whether you were a fan of his or not, I think most supporters of Aston Villa believed it was time for the club and the manager to part ways. After a constant…

Yet another week of Championship football has passed and it has been yet another week of mediocrity for Aston Villa. For the Villa supporters, it’s been yet another week of disappointment as the long wait for an away win continues. There are, however, some positives to take from the week that was. By some, I actually mean very few but, if you look hard enough, you can dig them out. The good In all honesty, it does feels though I’m somewhat clutching at straws here but the biggest positive of the week for me was the final half an hour…

In what has been a busy week for Aston Villa, with two games taking place at Villa Park, Villa fans have been reminded of both how great supporting the Villa can be and how infuriating it can be at times. The good: The side looked very impressive going forward against Nottingham Forest last Sunday, creating so many clear cut chances. When one didn’t come off, the players didn’t give up but went straight back up the pitch and tried to create another one with no hesitation. This was brilliant to watch and really got those in the stands on the…

Due to the first international games of the 2016-17 season taking place this week, it has been relatively quiet on the Villa front. The lack of Villa news was almost as dull as many of the international matches that took place this week. The good Despite there being little action, there was some Villa based news for supporters to get excited about. This came in the form of left sided midfielder Jack Grealish being offered a new deal. To see a fellow fan, who feels the same love for this club that those in the stands do, living the dream…

In a week that’s been very testing of Villans’ patience regarding matters on the pitch, it’s also been fairly rewarding with events that have taken place off it. The past seven days have provided yet another reminder that following Aston Villa Football Club is a journey that is always full of ups and downs. The good Ahead of the season, Jack Grealish was a player who split opinions, with some people questioning how seriously he took his career following media reports of off the field shenanigans and other saying he’s just young and will soon live up to his potential.…