Author: Alex Othon

In the midst of yet another unwelcome international break, all things Aston Villa have taken a back seat and made way for the rather less interesting Euro 2020 qualifiers. However, Villa supporters do have a little more of a vested interest in these games right now. Especially where England is concerned. Tyrone Mings has made his Three Lions debut against Bulgaria on Monday evening. And with England’s midfield floundering in the previous loss against the Czech Republic, the clamour for Jack Grealish to be included in the next squad is growing. Even the NZ online pokies have been calling for…

Last weekend, Conor Hourihane wrote himself into the history books, as well as becoming part of some fabled football trivia; name the, now eight, players to have scored in each of England’s top 4 divisions. For those of you playing along, here comes the big reveal. Incredibly, for such a select group of players, Hourihane has become the third man to join this list already during this season. Sheffield United duo Billy Sharp and John Lundstram both notched during the opening week back in August. Journeyman Steve Claridge is, of course, present, as are fellow strikers Robert Earnshaw and Gary…

Aston Villa’s 3-2 surrender to Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday evening prompted a wide range of emotions, theories and outbursts from Villa fans on social media after the game. Obviously losing a game in that fashion is always going to create heated opinions in the immediate aftermath and as fans, we didn’t disappoint. But should Villa look at our mental weakness and possible fitness issues? Supplements such as Biotox Gold might help you. Sunday was particularly frustrating though. Being 2-1 up, with 10 minutes of the game remaining, against 10 men, yet still somehow losing the game is only…

The summer of spending which saw a wave of optimism sweep through Villa Park is slowly giving way to an autumn of apprehension as we begin to make inroads into our first season back in the Premier League. There have been some positives though, one of those being our defence. The 0-0 draw with West Ham last Monday evening felt disappointing, with our captain Jack Grealish even admitting that the result felt like a loss. Being unable to take advantage of Arthur Masuaku’s sending off after 67 minutes certainly made it harder to see the result as a point gained…

It’s difficult to tell whether the international break came at a good or bad time for Aston Villa. The infuriating denial of a last-minute goal against Crystal Palace which saw Jack Grealish booked for a dive certainly created a despondent mood. For some, getting back out onto the pitch as soon as possible may have been the best fix, but I can’t help but think that a couple of weeks to get it out of the system may not be a bad thing. Tyrone Ming’s inclusion into the England squad, along with Tom Heaton, is pleasing for everyone connected with…

Aston Villa will go into the international break reeling from what is universally being acknowledged as one of the worst refereeing decisions in Premier League history. Kevin Friend’s cock-up cost the Villan’s a precious points at Selhurst Park which would’ve seen the club resting nicely in midtable rather than languishing in the bottom three. Of course, the fact that only a point separates us from midtable highlights why there should be no signs of panic so early into the season. The league table is in its infancy. But it still would’ve been nice not to have another ‘L’ in the…

Despite a couple of early losses, Aston Villa’s early form has shown a lot of promise for the season ahead. Encouraging signs against Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth came to fruition for brilliant victories against both Everton and Crewe Alexandra. Much has been made of Dean Smith’s spending this summer, with an array of new signings arriving in B6. But if ever there was a sign of the cohesion he is building within the club it was Tuesday night’s hammering of Crewe. Crewe Away Making ten changes for the League Cup tie at Gresty Road set up the potential for Villa…

It’s fair to say that Aston Villa’s return to Premier League football has been met with a fairly large dose of reality. The club is still waiting to register their first point on the board. One topic on the tongues of supporters is our striker options. Whilst it is obviously far from panic stations after a mere two games, the pre-season optimism that filled so many supporters has taken a bit of a hit and concerns are beginning to sneak in for some. Whilst the game against Tottenham Hotspur, Champions League finalists no less, provided almost a free hit in…

Welcome to the latest edition of the Maverick Series. This time we look at Dwight Yorke’s transformation from a rookie plucked from Caribbean obscurity into one of the most feared strikers in the Premier League. Like most young kids just starting out going to the football, getting into the ground early and seeing the players have their pre-match warm-up was a huge part of the occasion. I used to love this for one reason in particular, however; to see Dwight Yorke juggle the ball all the way across the length of the pitch. He’d balance it on his head, do…

With the dust beginning to settle on Aston Villa’s return to Premier League football, now is probably a good time to reflect on the 3-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. Especially now as I have a  clearer head after getting wrapped up in the emotion of the occasion last Saturday. I think the majority of Villa fans can agree that overall, the performance showed real signs of encouragement. Villa led the game for just over an hour, but inevitably, once Spurs made the breakthrough it was then always going to difficult to shut them out and hold on for that precious…