Author: Alex Othon

Aston Villa gave their supporters a Bank Holiday Monday to remember by finally securing promotion back to the Premier League after three years in the wilderness. It is important that Villa build on our current squad, rather than rebuild. With reality just about starting to sink in after a heady day at Wembley, the magnitude of the achievement and what it means for the club is still difficult to comprehend. The outlook for this club now is so bright. The outlook wouldn’t look this bright in UK Casinos after a big win. We are at a pivotal stage of our…

For the second successive year, Aston Villa’s season all boils down to yet another Wembley showdown. The heartbreak of the 1-0 defeat to Fulham one year ago took some getting over. It’s not like losing a one-off cup final. Defeat in what is dubbed ‘The Richest Game In Football’ means that the whole season’s toil and hard work has ultimately all been for nothing. And seeing the other side of the stadium celebrating makes it hit home just how close you were to being back in the big time. In due course, losing that game was actually a massive blessing…

Aston Villa kick off another playoff campaign this Saturday lunchtime against near-neighbours West Bromwich Albion and there are plenty of reasons to feel optimistic heading into this season’s final few fixtures. Personally, I think the two games against Albion are the most dangerous of all the teams we could’ve faced. Coming up against local rivals in this sort of fixture is not ideal. I’m not particularly happy at having to go to the Hawthorns for the second leg. That home advantage, when teams know exactly what needs to be done, could ultimately prove to be telling. The other semi-final from…

Aston Villa’s winning run may have come to an end, but the club still managed to stretch their unbeaten run to 12 games, albeit in bizarre fashion. The fiery encounter with Leeds United will be remembered for the controversial goals scored in the game which finished 1-1. The Yorkshire club dominated the closing stages after Villa were unfairly reduced to 10 men. Whilst the eyes are drawn to the towering Tyrone Mings for praise in preserving a point, huge credit must go to goalkeeper Jed Steer. Villa’s goalkeeping situation this season has been farcical quite frankly. After Sam Johnstone’s departure…

Aston Villa’s historic winning streak has been rewarded with confirmation of a guaranteed playoff spot with two games to spare. Even making the top six at all seemed a tall order at the beginning of March. The incredible haul of 30 points in ten games has propelled Villa skywards and alleviated any sense of nerves going into the final couple of matches. It’s easy to feel that its job is done now for the Villans. The remaining games against Leeds and Norwich look tough on paper. There is a feeling among some supporters that there is no need to risk…

Aston Villa powered through yet another opponent on the way to securing a playoff position with a dominant 2-1 victory over Bristol City. With defensive injuries and suspensions beginning to mount, many supporters including myself had a feeling that the Robins could leave Villa Park with at least a share of the spoils. And when Jack Grealish was announced as being unavailable through illness, then that possibility seemed even more likely. As we know, the team stepped up though to record a historic eighth straight win. The second half performance especially was seriously impressive. A key component of the team…

An incredible amount of sports journalists spent way too much time trying to build up Aston Villa’s visit to Sheffield Wednesday into a pantomime story revolving around Steve Bruce last week. This, in turn, saw a hefty swell of bad will towards the club on social media. Karma was mentioned by so many. The desperation from so many people to have Bruce exact his revenge on the club which dismissed him earlier in the season was almost tangible. The media continues to perpetuate the notion that Villa is a club with delusions of grandeur, who dumped the kindly uncle Steve…

The international weekend came at the wrong time for Aston Villa who was enjoying a four-game winning streak which propelled them into the top six of the Championship going into the break. The lack of club football is always depressing during these breaks, but Villa supporters may also be bemoaning the comments made by ex-Villan and England manager Gareth Southgate when asked about a certain Jack Grealish. In a nutshell, Southgate’s comments indicated that Grealish should not be expecting a call up as long as he is plying his trade in the Championship. “You see certain parts of the game…

Four straight wins have propelled the Villans into sixth position. Whilst Derby County and Bristol City lurk just outside with games in hand, Villa are only looking upwards right now. One of the most pleasing aspects of the winning run has been the way the defence has suddenly tightened up. Villa has conceded just once in those four games. And that was somewhat of a freak goal against Nottingham Forest which was clearly intended as a cross. Before this, Villa had kept just two clean sheets since the reverse fixture at the Riverside back on December 1st, which Villa also…

Aston Villa’s 1-0 victory over Birmingham City last Sunday lunchtime will be remembered for being all about Jack Grealish. The still unbelievable, moronic fan attack and then his winning goal. However, the game could hold underlying significance for the remainder of Villa’s season. The three points were obviously vital to having a late push at getting into the playoffs. With two wins on the bounce, confidence has clearly been boosted. But the Blues game seemed to see a real team spirit being forged and that could be vital heading into the final part of the campaign. I think there are…