It's so nice that proper football is back and I think after the farce of the last two England matches I can confidently write proper football. I mean, some sides didn't even take it seriously so why should we have to. And that was not a question.

But football is back and it's Club football and it's Europe on Thursday in Italy at Bologna. They are currently eighth in the table and not on the best run. That said they've won three of the last five and they are at home and they will know what to expect.

But it's not just about this for us. Yes, Europe is very important but it's just that it's back and things feel good at the moment. I might be overly optimistic but with Youri and McGinn back it does feel like things are heading in the right direction, even though if you look at the form table, we are not in as good a position as our opposition on Thursday night.

It's amazing how one result and a couple of players can make you feel different about the matches coming up. Not that I thought it was end of the world stuff, but it was a struggle at times. But I think we all recognised that it was that we had our three first choice midfielders out. And that isn't me knocking the players that came in, but there is a reason why they are called first choice.

And I think this international break would have helped us. We had a trip to Spain, the players that went away did well and I don't think we've had any injuries coming back. This is good. And it sets us up for Thursday and Nottingham Forest on Sunday. Sunday will be tough too but three points and we are going to feel quite confident going into the remainder of the season.

So, this is sort of the match post, but there will be another on Thursday, but I can't leave this post without a little mention about Arsenal and Arteta asking for perspective. They are nine points ahead of Manchester City but City have a game in hand and Arsenal have to go to City. Will Arsenal bottle it?

Right, that's it. The kids are off school this week so I've got a plan to only work mornings, followed by a liquid lunch and in bed at a reasonable time all week, apart from Thursday. Who's joining me?

I was reading some comments the other day, one in particular stood out and I can't find it, but it was along the lines of others commenting that they just want us to play with some heart or a decent level of football, but the commenter had never seen comments to back that up when the football has been decent or the heart was in the game.

And it got me thinking (not deeply) that we are in fourth place for a reason. And while we haven't had the run of results we might have liked of late, I think most people would put that down to losing our midfield three. We've also got quite fortunate that sides around us haven't done as well as maybe they would have liked and for that, we should be grateful.

But McGinn is back and Tielemans is back in training. If we can just get past West Ham tomorrow with three points and it will be tough, we could find ourselves in a very good position with seven games to go.

And I know we all know this, but the season is about 38 matches. And it's also that every other side have to play 38 too. It's when you add up all the results from all that count. We had a bad start and we've had a recent run of late that is reminiscent of the start, but we got out of it and I have a feeling we are going to get out of this one quite soon too. It's what it looks like at the end of the season that counts.

And I'm feeling optimistic.

That doesn't mean the Premier League don't go and make it the way the Premier League want it to be and that's why I picked the header image on the homepage. What the Premier League have done to the likes of Everton and Nottingham Forest and not Chelsea just stinks. Chelsea cheated and they have gotten away with it and it's the cheating that allows them to operate where they do.

Manchester City cheated and they're setup to get away with it too. Although a part of me thinks the reason it's taking so long is because they're searching for reasons for why they can't be relegated. 

But nothing will change as supporters will keep spending their money and that is all the Premier League care about. That and the money they get from overseas TV deals. The Premier League are laughing at supporters because they have a grip and there is little anyone can do. 

Third quarter final in three years

And I can't write a post today without mentioning Lille. It was a great result and overall, a very good performance. And, third season in a row we get to the quarter finals. This time against Bologna and not the first time we've played them recently. Our record is good but that doesn't mean it stays that way. 

This will be a tough couple of matches and they're going to start to come thick and fast now, especially the longer we stay in this tournament. It's why the break coming up after tomorrow is coming at a good time. 

And on that, three points against West Ham would be a perfect gift ahead of that break. I'll be back then.

Match facts from the BBC

• Aston Villa are looking to complete the league double over West Ham for the first time since 2010-11, the last time the Hammers were relegated from the top-flight.

• West Ham are winless in their last six Premier League games against Aston Villa, alternating between a draw (3) and defeat (3) each time.

• Though they’re unbeaten in six Premier League games overall against West Ham, Aston Villa have won just one of their last seven against them at Villa Park (D3 L3).

• Aston Villa have lost three consecutive Premier League games, as many as their previous 17 beforehand (W11 D3). The Villans last suffered four consecutive league defeats in April 2022 (a run which included a 1-2 defeat to West Ham), while Unai Emery has never done so in his entire managerial league career.

• West Ham have earned 15 points from their last nine Premier League games (W4 D3 L2), one more than they had in their first 21 this season (W3 D5 L13).

• No side has scored fewer Premier League goals so far in 2026 than Aston Villa (10). The Villans were the joint-5th highest scorers between August and December this term with 30.

• Despite using a league-high 32 different players in the Premier League this season, no team has had fewer different goalscorers than West Ham this term (10).

• All eight of Morgan Rogers’ Premier League goals this season have either put Aston Villa ahead (5) or drawn them level (3) in the match, the highest 100% such record in the competition this term.

• Jarrod Bowen has been involved in seven goals in his last eight Premier League games (2 goals, 5 assists), providing an assist in each of his last three. The only West Ham player to assist a goal in four consecutive appearances is Vladimír Coufal in October 2023.

• West Ham’s Callum Wilson has scored four goals from 16 shots away from home in the Premier League this season (25% conversion), averaging a goal every 125 minutes on the road. At home, he’s scored one goal from 16 shots (6.3% conversion), averaging a goal every 501 minutes.

While it is a great time to be an Aston Villa fan, with one win in the last six in the Premier League, many could be forgiven for feeling a little nervous. 

But tonight isn't the Premier League and we have done quite well in Europe. And it's important to mention, while our Premier League run hasn't been great of late, the teams chasing us are also dropping points, albeit doing a little better.

I write that because we can get better, they wont and they may drop off. And we have a nice break coming up, so that could give us an opportunity to get players back and will give us a chance to rest up.

But this post is about tonight and even thought we start the match with a lead, it's only one goal and that suggests we need to score. This means, we can't just sit back and hope for a 0-0 draw. Lille will come out and they will go looking for a goal and that momentum can carry them.

We need to stop that first and we need to remind them that they're at Villa Park. I'm not entirely sure how we do that but I could write that we need to approach this game as if we're chasing a 1-0 deficit. It's so important we score tonight and dare I say it, I think we might need to score more than once or twice.

get through tonight and we'll find ourselves in a much better place for the next round. Tonight and West Ham on Sunday are important matches to win. It will settle things down. And that said, I'm in London, so if there are any recommendations for pubs in central London where I can watch the match, please let me know below. 

Match facts from the BBC

• Aston Villa’s only previous time hosting Lille in major European competition came in the 2023-24 UEFA Conference League, winning 2-1 in the first leg of a quarter-final tie; the Villans lost 2-1 in the second leg but did eventually progress on penalties. 

• Lille have never won on nine previous visits to England in major European competition (D1 L8), losing their last seven in a row since a 0-0 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford in the 2005-06 UEFA Champions League group stage.

• Aston Villa have won each of their last six UEFA Europa League games and the only English team to put together a longer winning streak in the competition are Chelsea between April 2013 and November 2018, an eight-match run which encompassed the 2012-13 final.

• Lille have lost six games in the UEFA Europa League this season, their outright most defeats in a major European campaign – they have also lost three of their last four away matches, but did beat Crvena Zvezda 2-0 in the previous round.

• Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins will be looking to score in back-to-back major European appearances for the first time since April 2024, when the second goal came against Lille in the UEFA Conference League; four of the Englishman’s last five goals in Europe have come in the knockout stages, with Lille one of two sides he has netted more than once against (also AZ).

What is really more important, the League or Europe? For me, it's Europe because it's our only chance of silverware. That written, what are the chances of winning it, when you think about our form of late.

But we've just won our first match since Brighton over a month ago and I'm thinking today could be the day when we start another little run. And if our form suggests winning silverware is going to be tough this season, isn't winning what we can to get top four the target. 

And if we accept that that should be target and I think we really should, then I have to change my mind and say the League is most important. At this moment in time.

And the game, I seem to be writing about this a lot these days, is designed in such a way that we should be happy. Winning silverware is the target but getting to a place where you can compete for silverware on a regular basis comes from playing in the Champions League and generating more money.

But both options still exist for us and I'm fairly confident this manager is not going to take it easy with either route. And this manager fixes things. And this manager knows what is required to win. And this manager has his captain back. Will he start today?

Today is important. We just beat Lille and winning today would put us back into third and give us back the gap to the team in fifth that we used to have. It will also give us a little confidence ahead of Lille and that I feel is going to be needed.

What today comes down to will be the eleven on the pitch. They'll know what they need to do, it's very much if they deliver. We need to want it more than the eleven from Manchester United. That and thinking before passing and sometimes just shooting. 

And I've woken with the idea in my head that watching at the pub might be a good idea, so I think that's where I'm heading.

Match facts from the BBC

• Manchester United have lost just two of their last 37 home league games against Aston Villa (W28 D7), going down 1-0 both times in December 2009 and September 2021.

• Following their 2-1 win in December, Aston Villa are looking to complete the league double over Manchester United for the first time since 1954-55.

• Manchester United have kept 30 clean sheets against Aston Villa in the Premier League – only Arsenal have kept more against a single opponent in the competition (31 vs Newcastle).

• Having lost three of their first six Premier League games this season (W2 D1), Manchester United have since lost just three of their last 23 (W13 D7), though they did slip to a 2-1 loss at Newcastle United last time out.

• Manchester United have scored in their last 17 Premier League games, since losing 1-0 to Everton in November. They last had a longer scoring streak between November 2012 and April 2013 under Alex Ferguson (23).

• Aston Villa have won just three of their last 11 Premier League games (D3 L5); since the first game in this run (1-4 defeat to Arsenal on Dec 30th), only four sides have accrued fewer points than Unai Emery’s side (12) in the competition.

• Michael Carrick has won all five of his Premier League home games as Manchester United manager (1 in 2021, 4 in 2026); only three managers have won each of their first six home matches in the competition: Sven-Göran Eriksson (first 9 in 2007), Carlo Ancelotti (first 7 in 2009), and Manuel Pellegrini (first 11 in 2013-14).

• Bruno Fernandes’ goals and assists have been worth 23 points to Manchester United this season. In Premier League history, only three players’ goal involvements have been worth more to the Red Devils in a campaign – Robin van Persie in 2012-13 (38), Eric Cantona in 1993-94 (26) and Cristiano Ronaldo in 2007-08 (25).

• Of the 150 players to have had 1000+ touches in the Premier League this season (coming into this weekend’s games), Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers has had the highest percentage of them come while under pressure (83.7% - 1190/1422).

• In six Premier League games this season in which none of Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn or Youri Tielemans have started for Aston Villa, Unai Emery’s side have won just once (D2 L3), averaging 0.8 points-per-game. By contrast, the Villans have won seven of 10 league matches in which all three have started in 2025-26 (D2 L1), averaging 2.3 points-per-game.

It would be very easy to moan about our recent run of form. It was also easy for me to write that when we lost to Wolves, unless we saw an immediate change in how we approach games, we probably wouldn't get top five.

But these things are not just easy to write they are not the right approach. I reacted. I should have known better.

When Aston Villa appointed Alex McLeish, it was easy to write it was a dark day for Aston Villa. When we got relegated, it was easy to write that we should have appointed Steve Bruce that very day. And it’s also very easy to write that as Aston Villa fans we haven’t had it this good in the Premier League era. And that our decline began when we lost our three best players.

Those things were easy although I suspect many will disagree on the Steve Bruce part. But under Unai Emery, we've never had it this good. We shouldn't forget that. We shouldn't forget where we are. And we certainly shouldn't forget the conditions in which we are operating and I don't just mean financial, I mean VAR.

So we have to remember. And not try to make it easy.

And the players have to remember that they are part of a squad that got to where we are and for some of them, they have to find a little extra. They have to move a little quicker. They have to look up and think before playing that pass and they have to do all of this sometimes before the ball has even come to them and in a split second.

I could make a joke about what I can't do in a split second, but I think you could all make a list.

No, it’s not great at the moment and this squad of players, missing 30% from the preferred starting 10 have to do this on Thursday, Sunday, Thursday and Sunday again. And if they don’t get six points and through to the next round of Europe, they have to deal with everything else also.

But we have to trust the manager, he knows what he's doing. We have to trust the players, they know what they are doing. And we have to believe. There is no point going into a match thinking it's over before it is or if we don't get the right result, venting on social media. And there is no point because we don't have Alex McLeish, we don't have Steve Bruce, we don't have the fake Doctor. 

We have two of the best owners in the League and Unai Emery. And we have four matches in ten days to look forward to. There are many things I couldn't do four times in ten days.

Back on Thursday, keep the faith. 

Losing to Wolves was tough and I wrote before the match that there can't be any excuses and I had to stop myself from publishing a post after the match and the day after. It was tough and I've got to tell you, even though Liverpool lost to them last night, it shouldn't have happened.

And I'm fairly sure that I left a comment about that match as the match that told me we were not going to get top five. In the exact same paragraph I can write that winning tonight would have me believing we could again, but we have looked flat for a while now and I'm not feeling that inspired.

And nobody at the Club is to blame, it's the game and the rules and restrictions that are in place for us but apparently not others. It's also the refereeing this season. We've had decisions go against us that have cost us points and we've had decisions not given to us, that you see given in other matches, not given to us. 

I could take the decisions with no VAR, but when we have VAR it simply shouldn't happen. There aren now too many people upstairs making the game difficult. And some of the decisions getting made or not made could easily make people outside the game think that the game stinks.

It's just so frustrating. But we move on and it is Chelsea tonight and if we win tonight, guess what, I'll be all over it. But if we win tonight it will be down to the players giving a little extra and the manager getting it out of them. And maybe it will be just a little less of passing or flicking the ball when they're not confident of the ball getting to one of our players. 

And a win tonight would give us a nice cushion to Liverpool and take us a little closer. If the players wanted to show they're capable and they want it, tonight is the match. But tonight is one of 10 matches they have to do this. Playtime is over.

Match facts from the BBC

• Following their 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge earlier this season, Aston Villa are looking to complete a league double over Chelsea for the first time since the 1989-90 campaign.

• Chelsea are winless in their last two Premier League visits to Villa Park (D1 L1), having won five of their previous six games there prior. The Blues haven’t lost consecutive away league games at Villa since losing in 2002-03 and 2003-04 under Claudio Ranieri.

• Having won their last two Premier League matches against Chelsea, Aston Villa are looking for three league wins in a row against the Blues for the first time since a run of four between 1978 and 1984.

• Aston Villa have only won one of their last four Premier League home games (D1 L2), this after having won eight in succession beforehand. The Villans have scored just two goals from 76 shots (2.6% conversion rate) and 6.0 expected goals in their last four at Villa Park.

• Chelsea have lost eight of their last 10 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) away games in the Premier League (W2), including both in 2025-26 so far, going down 3-1 at Leeds in December and 2-1 at Fulham in January.

• Aston Villa have won just two of their last eight Premier League games (D3 L3), netting just five goals in this run (0.6 per game). The Villans had won 13 of their previous 15 before this (L2), averaging 2.1 goals per game.

• Aston Villa average 16.5 shots per 90 minutes when losing in the Premier League this season, almost double the amount they average in a winning game state this term (8.8).

• Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins has scored four goals in his last six Premier League games against Chelsea, though all have come at Stamford Bridge. He netted both goals in their 2-1 win in the reverse fixture in December, with Anwar El-Ghazi the last Villa player to score home and away against the Blues in a league season (2020-21).

• Tammy Abraham, who scored 21 goals in 58 Premier League appearances for Chelsea, is looking to score in back-to-back home games in the competition for the first time since December 2019 when he was a Blues player – the second game of which was against his current side Aston Villa.

• Chelsea’s João Pedro has been directly involved in five goals in five Premier League appearances against Aston Villa (2 goals, 3 assists) – against no side has he been involved in more in the competition.

Football is a funny old game. Just a few weeks ago many thought Manchester United would struggle for European football this season, now they're top four and three points behind us. I understand why the manager spoke about looking at who is chasing us the other week.

You see for us, the most vital thing to achieve this season is Champions League and the chances of us winning the Premier League are so slim it's almost comical to write about it. It's not impossible, Leicester did it but we need all our players to be fit and to not be distracted by other things.

So making sure we keep the gap between us and the teams below is probably the most sensible and pragmatic thing to do.

And I like sensible and pragmatic. And I think both of those words mean the same thing. Maybe I should come up with a third word. I mean, three is the magic number. I'll think of one.

And we need to be sensible tonight because we are playing the team bottom of the table and they are effectively relegated. And it's a local derby. And it's at their place. They will be up for it and they have a manager that will want to get the most out of his players. This is their FA Cup final tonight and we know what can happen in finals.

Today isn't about taking risks but it is a about imposing ourselves, about winning every ball and showing why we are the biggest side in the area and why we deserve to be in the Champions League next season. Tonight is not about going into the match assuming we're going to get three points, we need to show we want them and for 95 minutes.

There can be no excuses. There are no excuses.

Match facts from the BBC

• Wolves have won four of their last six Premier League home games against Aston Villa (D1 L1) and are unbeaten in four since a 1-0 loss in December 2020.

• Aston Villa have won three of their last four Premier League games against Wolves (L1), as many as in their previous 15 (D6 L6). They’re looking to complete the Premier League double over them for the first time since 2003-04.

• Wolves have failed to score in a league-high 15 different Premier League games this season. Only in 2009-10 (17) and 2021-22 (16) have they failed in more in a single campaign.

• Since a run of eight Premier League wins in a row between 9 November and 27 December this season, Aston Villa haven’t had a repeated result in any of their last nine games (LWDLWLDWD), last drawing consecutive games in September against Everton and Sunderland.

• Each of Wolves’ last seven Premier League wins (dating back to March 2025) have been against teams in the bottom seven of the table, with those sides having an average position of 17th. They’re winless in 17 against sides in the top half (D5 L12) since a 1-0 win at Bournemouth in February 2025.

• Wolves have conceded the first goal in 22 different Premier League games this season, more than any other side. In fact, of the 40 teams to play 200+ games in the competition, Wolves have conceded first in the highest percentage of them (59.6% - 266/446).

• Aston Villa had 66.8% possession in their 1-1 draw with Leeds last time out; Villa won their first three games when having 65%+ possession under Unai Emery but have since won just five out of 17 games when dominating that much of the ball (D8 L4), winning just one of five games in 2025-26 (D2 L2).

• Three of Aston Villa’s last four Premier League goals have been scored in the last five minutes of normal time (88th, 86th and 88th), while they have netted 63.2% of their goals in the second half of games (24/38). Only in 2015-16 (70.4%), 1999-00 (69.6%) and 2007-08 (66.2%) have they scored a higher share of second half goals in a Premier League season.

• No Wolves player has scored more than twice so far in the Premier League this season. With 27 games played, it’s the latest into a season a team has had to wait for a player to score at least three goals, overtaking Southampton from last season (MD24).

• Aston Villa striker Tammy Abraham has scored more goals against Wolves than any other opponent in English league football (6), netting a hat-trick in his first Premier League game against them with Chelsea in September 2019.

It feels like it was such a long time since we played, but it was the FA Cup that makes me feel that way. And it wasn't a nice result against Newcastle and quite a surprising performance, but I've written about that, so we move in.

It's Leeds at Villa Park tomorrow and it's a big match.

It's big because we are three points behind Manchester City and if Arsenal bottle it again this season and we can stay close to Manchester City, we might just get quite close to Arsenal too.

Not that I think Arsenal will bottle it, but it does feel a little like that is written already. And if they don't get three points against Spurs at the weekend and Manchester City do, it's going to have many continuing that narrative.

And there is a need to not allow the other side from Manchester catch up with us and while some might believe that the bounce they have had with Carrick has bounced and they're going to default to what Manchester United have become, I'm hoping that he wins a few more and gets offered a contract and spends money in the summer.

And if that happens, we need to be picking up all the points we can and it feels like we've dropped a few recently when we shouldn't have, so three points tomorrow is important, for many reasons. Mostly, it's about getting the players on the page that this is real.

I'll be back tomorrow and tomorrow is all about three points. It's starting to feel very real and we don't want to do an Arsenal. 

Match facts from the BBC

• Aston Villa are unbeaten in their last six Premier League games against Leeds (W4 D2) and are looking to complete the double over them for the second time in the competition after 1999-00.

• Leeds have lost their last two Premier League games against Aston Villa, last losing three in a row between January and December 2000.

• Aston Villa are unbeaten in all 18 of their Premier League games against promoted sides under Unai Emery (W14 D4).

• Since the start of December, only Manchester City and Manchester United (1 each) have lost fewer Premier League games than Leeds United (2), although the Whites have the most draws in that timeframe too (7).

• Leeds have won just one of their last 18 Premier League away games (D5 L12), beating Wolves 3-1 in September. Though they’re winless in their last 10 on the road, five of the last six have finished level, with the Whites coming from 2-0 down to draw at Chelsea last time out.

• There has been just seven goals scored in Aston Villa’s last six Premier League games (4 for, 3 against), an average of just 1.2 per game. In their previous six games, more than treble the number of goals were scored in Villa’s games (23 – 3.8 per game).

• Since December, Leeds United rank first for long throws into the box (62), shots following long throws into the box (20) and xG from shots after long throws into the box (3.03). Captain Ethan Ampadu has also made the most long throws into the box in that time (55).

• Aston Villa have 50 points in 26 Premier League matches this season (W15 D5 L6) – it’s the third time they’ve reached 50 points in as few games, after 2008-09 (51 in 25 games) and 2023-24 (52 in 26 games).

• Lukas Nmecha has been involved in three goals in his last two Premier League appearances (2 goals, 1 assist) and is averaging a goal every 115 minutes this season – the best of any Leeds United player in Premier League history to play 500+ minutes for the club.

• Morgan Rogers scored both goals in Aston Villa’s 2-1 win over Leeds in November – he leads all Villa players in the Premier League this season for chances created (33), big chances created (10), assists (5), take-ons (101), touches in the opposition box (131) and has the joint most goals (8).

I'm not a fan of the video assistant referee and never have been. It goes against the spirit of the game and accepting it means the game would and has changed. 

And football was never supposed to be about technology in a room somewhere else, it's about the 22 players on the pitch and the 3 referees.

It's about the cheeky pull of the shirt, it's about moving before everyone else does and a millisecond before the ball is kicked. It's about having referees making the decisions. It's not about the opinion of two guys in a room who get to see something in slow motion fifteen times and still get it wrong.

And VAR is making our referees worse because they don't need to be aware of what is happening on the pitch any more, much like reports tell us children are going to be more stupid than their parents because of tools like Chat GPT, Claude, Grok and Gemini. 

But the match yesterday was a fantastic advert for what football could be like again and I have nothing but praise for the referees that were able to get an entire season into one match. This may be lost on many, but yesterday showed us what football could be again.

Why was this match an advert for the game?

I read a comment at about 40 minutes yesterday about how quick the half had passed. That was because there was no VAR and decisions were made more quickly.

Sir Alex Ferguson

“Over the course of a season, these things even themselves out.”

Arsène Wenger

“Maybe today we were unlucky, but over a season the decisions balance out.”

José Mourinho

“At the end of the season, normally the mistakes compensate.”

Harry Redknapp

“You get some, you lose some. By May it all evens out.”

Alan Hansen

“Managers will tell you it evens out over the season."

Yesterday, we had a player sent off when it should have been a yellow card. Yes, that's subjective but so is the reading of the rules and VAR. Yes, Newcastle should have maybe had a penalty, but people make mistakes and guess what, they got a goal from the free kick, so it worked out.

These things usually work out over a season, but yesterday they worked out in 90 minutes. And the game was so much better to watch and as part of me wrote yesterday, not winning means at least one less game now, so we should use that free time for our benefit.

I also feel quite confident in writing that we wouldn't have lost if we didn't go down to ten men so as Aston Villa fans we should probably feel more aggrieved than Newcastle fans. But I'll accept that Newcastle maybe had more things go against them than us, but going down to 10 men is bigger than any decision that went against them.

So we have to take it on the chin, because it was a great game and I'm confident that without VAR, it would have evened out over the season. It was a better match to watch and the weekend itself has been better across all the matches.

What Bizot was doing thinking he needed to defend that high up is something only he knows and I don't think he'll be doing anything like that again, but it's done. It wasn't the result any of us wanted, but most would agree, it was a better match without VAR.

We need football without VAR, this weekend has shown that. And we need to put more money into on the pitch referees. Leeds next weekend, lets move on. 

It's FA Cup Saturday and we're playing Newcastle and that sort of makes it feel like a regular Saturday and not as interesting. But it is the FA Cup and it's a route to silverware, so there has to be some optimism and a part of me is excited because of that.

However, another part of me puts the FA Cup in bottom place of what is important right now and if we were to go out today, it would probably increase our chances in the other two, and that part of me sort of thinks that would be a good thing.

The hidden and not often aware of what's going on third part of me wants us to go all the way in this tournament and thinks playing twice a week is what we should expect and if we can't compete on three fronts with the players we have, we're not ready.

And the FA Cup is special and it should be respected. So, it's Newcastle later today and we should want to proceed in this tournament so I expect us to approach it that way. 

I also expect to see a change or two, but we are used to seeing that now. And as I wrote recently, it will take time for the two new players to get caught up, but there are others also. And I think if we approach today in the way we all know we can, we can expect to see our names in the hat for the next round.

That written, this competition is the best chance Newcastle have this season and because of that, they'll be up for this match. I'm expecting a good game. And as always, I'll take a scrappy 1-0 if it means progressing. Back a little later.

Match facts from the BBC

• Aston Villa have knocked Newcastle out four times from the FA Cup (1894-95, 1896-97, 1904-05, 2000-01), losing the other two ties in the 1923-24 final and third round in 1951-52.

• In five of the previous six seasons Aston Villa and Newcastle have met in the FA Cup, either Villa (1895, 1897, 1905, 1924) or Newcastle (1905, 1924, 1952) have reached the final that year, with two of those seasons seeing the sides meet in the final (1904-05 and 1923-24).

• Aston Villa knocked out Spurs in the FA Cup fourth round last season but haven’t gone beyond this stage in consecutive seasons since doing so between 2008-09 and 2010-11.

• Newcastle United have won six of their last 11 away games in the FA Cup (D2 L3), having gone 15 without a win on the road beforehand. The Magpies have lost 10 of their last 13 away from home at Premier League opponents, however (W2 D1), failing to score in eight of their last nine.

• Morgan Rogers has been involved in four goals in five FA Cup starts for Aston Villa (3 goals, 1 assist), scoring in their third round win over Spurs this season, while he scored and assisted against Spurs in last season’s fourth round.

Things seem to have stalled of late and it's easy to see why. That said, it's not going to stay like this and it's why we all love the manager. He has this ability to start a stalled car. He did it when he joined, he's done it every season since and he even did it at the start of this season.

And I expect we will soon be back to where we have been, or close. I think it's hard to get exactly back to where we were when you consider the parts of the engine we are missing. But with a little hope, we'll be firing on all cylinders and we'll start to feel a little better.

Better because it's possible tonight we drop a place and if that happens, we are going to need something against Brighton tomorrow. I'll actually say scrap that, we need something against Brighton tomorrow or some are going to be reporting that the wheels are falling off. They're not and context is really important here.

We've not had it this good in a generation. But that's also easy to forget, I get it. But we need to take a breath sometimes and remember how we got here. And I think that's going to be the message the manager is trying to get across.

It's the little things and doing them properly. Every single second on the pitch should be about focus and attention to detail. We get back to that and we'll get our mojo back or to continue where I started, we'll start to hum. 

And before this descends into something else, I'm off. I fancy a burger for lunch and then maybe a little walk. Lets see where I end up. 

Match facts from the BBC

• Aston Villa have won seven of their last nine Premier League games against Brighton (D1 L1) and are looking to complete the double over them for the third time after 2022-23 and 2023-24.

• Brighton have won just one of their six Premier League away games against Aston Villa (D1 L4), conceding at least twice in each of the five games they failed to win.

• Aston Villa have won just two of their last seven midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) Premier League games (D2 L3), though both of those victories were against Brighton (3-0 in April last season, 4-3 in December this season).

• Brighton have won just three of their 26 Premier League games played on a Wednesday (D11 L12), the lowest win rate on this specific day of any of the current 20 sides in the competition (11.5%).

• Aston Villa have lost their last two home Premier League games, having won eight in a row beforehand. The Villans haven’t lost three in a row since November 2020 under Dean Smith, the third game of which was against Brighton.

• Brighton haven’t won any of their last five away Premier League matches (D3 L2) since a 2-0 win over Sean Dyche’s Nottingham Forest. That win is their only one of their last seven away wins against a manager currently in the competition – the other six were against Kieran McKenna, Ruben Amorim, Ivan Juric, Vitor Pereira, Ange Postecoglou and Enzo Maresca.

• Aston Villa are looking to avoid becoming the first English top-flight team in history to lose three home games in a row having won their previous eight (or more) beforehand.

• Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins has scored more goals (9) and has more goal involvements (11) against Brighton than he does any other opponent in the Premier League. Indeed, he averages a goal or assist every 76 minutes against the Seagulls, the best rate of any player to play 600+ minutes against them.

• Morgan Rogers has been involved in four goals in his last five home games for Aston Villa in all competitions (3 goal, 1 assist), while he’s been involved in four goals in his last three against Brighton in the Premier League (1 goal, 3 assists).

• Brighton’s James Milner – who could equal or break the all-time Premier League appearance record in this match – played 100 times in the competition for Aston Villa between 2005 and 2010. He already has the record for most Premier League games played against former teams (61).

The League table doesn't tell fibs. We are third in the table with a chance of going second this afternoon. And all the pressure is on us. It's meant to be also, this isn't an accident and if you want to play the game, you've got to take all it throws at you.

And with Manchester United playing before us, it could even add a little more pressure. And I'd like to think that would be good for us. You see if Spurs, United fans will be two points behind us and they'll probably give Carrick a long term contract. It could, in days gone by, impact on us. 

But I'd like to believe we've moved past that and today we do need a win. We've lost three of the last six and only won twice. If we are to believe we are going to finish in the top four, we can't really afford another defeat. Behaviour breeds behaviour. 

And that's why in the title of this post, I've written that we need to put things right and by that I mean, I guess, it's time to get things back on track and have everyone a little settled. Yes, we've lost a few players to injury and that would impact any side, but it's not about individuals, it's about the team. 

Today we need to show that and because I'm at home for what feels like the first time in a while, I'm thinking about heading to the pub and that's why this is a short post. I have things to do. Back in an hour or three.

Match facts from the BBC

• Having won four of their first five Premier League games against Aston Villa (L1), Bournemouth are now winless in their last six (D2 L4).

• Following their 4-0 win at Villa Park in November, Aston Villa are looking to complete the league double over Bournemouth for the first time.

• Bournemouth have won three of their last four Premier League games (D1), after a run of 11 without a win (D5 L6). Meanwhile, the Cherries have also won five of their last seven league games against sides starting the day in the top three of the table (L2).

• Aston Villa have lost three of their last six Premier League games (W2 D1), as many as they had in their first 18 this season (W12 D3 L3).

• Last season in the Premier League, only four teams’ games saw fewer goals scored than Bournemouth’s (104 – F58 A46). So far this season, the Cherries’ games have had more goals than any other side (83 – F40 A43).

• Aston Villa have conceded 26 goals from an xG against of 33.9, meaning they’ve conceded 7.9 goals fewer than expected. Only Everton (8) have a better figure so far this term (27 conceded, 35 xGA).

• Bournemouth have conceded more goals from set piece situations than any other side in the Premier League this season (16, excluding penalties). Only in 2022-23 (21) have the Cherries conceded more from set pieces in a single top-flight campaign.

• Only the top two scorers Erling Haaland (360) and Igor Thiago (314) have applied more pressures in the opposition penalty area than Bournemouth’s Evanilson (292) in the Premier League this season.

• Bournemouth teenager Junior Kroupi has the best shot conversion rate of any player to have 10 shots in the Premier League this season (38.1%), while he also the best minutes-per-goal ratio of anyone to score more than once this term (one every 98 minutes).

• Morgan Rogers’ seven Premier League goals have been worth 11 points to Aston Villa this season – no player’s strikes have been more valuable to their side so far (Igor Thiago also 11).

So, it's the day after what turned into a decent night of European football at Villa Park, maybe more in terms of result than anything else, but also a couple of days before another big Premier League match.

And as I've written on maybe two or three occasions of late, we are very much in the business end of the season, a lot earlier than normal and that's why it's another big match.

We simply can't afford defeats. And that is a bit bold to write, but defeat could bring the Club below us to within five points and that would likely mean we are closer to them to the top and that feels like a slippy slope. But if we did lose and the team below us did win and Arsenal lost, the team below us would start believing they could win the League. 

Football is a funny old game.

And a serious one. Ollie went off last night and I'm not sure if we've had any news or not as I write this at the airport with my second beer, but it's another injury and while I hope it's not as bad as it could be, what if it is? Sure, we have Tammy now but what happens if he gets injured?

And this is another pointer to us very much taking part in the business end of the season. But I'm happy that Tammy and Douglas are back. Tammy is a striker, so the process of him learning what is expected, I'd imagine is easier because of the role. Douglas should know or remember and it should be quicker. I suspect they'll both be involved on Sunday, in one way or another.

And on that, I'm going to wave to the man walking around and see if he can get me another pint. Just over two hours to sit here. 

Match facts from the BBC

• Aston Villa have never lost in 10 previous home league games against Brentford (W4 D6), the most they’ve ever faced a side without defeat.

• Brentford won the reverse fixture against Aston Villa 1-0 in August – they’ve never won consecutive league meetings with the Villans before.

• Aston Villa were winless in their first five Premier League games this season (D2 L3), scoring just one goal. However, since the start of MD6 (27th September), the Villans have won more points (43) and more games (14) than any other side.

• Following an eight game winning run at home in the Premier League, Aston Villa lost 1-0 against Everton last time out at Villa Park. They’ve not lost consecutive home league games since February 2024.

• Brentford have lost their last two Premier League games, going down 2-0 against both Chelsea and Nottingham Forest. They last lost three consecutive league games without scoring in March 2012 in League One.

• Aston Villa have scored a league-high 13 goals from outside the box in the Premier League this season, with the Villans only netting more in a campaign in 2007-08 (16). They’ve also scored the highest share from outside the box this term (37%), with only QPR in 2012-13 netting a higher share from distance across a full campaign (40% - 12/30).

• Only bottom side Wolves (9) have lost more Premier League away games than Brentford this season (8), with the Bees the only side without a draw on the road so far (W3).

• Only Bruno Fernandes’ goals and assists have been worth points (17) to his side in the Premier League this season than Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers (15).

• Brentford full back Michael Kayode has made 101 long throws into the box in the Premier League this season, more than any other player. He’s created eight chances from these throws, with no other player in the division creating more than two.

• Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins has scored six goals in his seven Premier League starts against former side Brentford, only netting more against Brighton (9) and Arsenal (7). Watkins is just two goals away from being only the second Englishman to score 10+ goals in each of his first six Premier League campaigns after Ian Wright (1992-93 to 1997-98).

So, it's match day but it's like that match you play at the end of the season and it doesn't actually matter. Although winning is important and I suspect we will go into this game with a strong side and we will look to win it.

And I believe, I might be wrong here, there is a little bit of extra money the higher you finish. And cash is king!

So tonight will be fun and for tonight, I'll be in a London bar somewhere. If there are any suggestions, reach out. But in other news, we have some new players, sort of. I mean, they're new but they're not new.

And I'm not usually a fan of going back but in Douglas Luiz and Tammy Abraham I think we've done good business. First, we are short in midfield and Luiz knows what is expected of him and class is permanent. It might not have worked out for him in Italy or at Forest, but was he given enough time to shine, so to say. 

Luiz should be able to fit in quite quickly and if he can get to the levels we saw of him before, he'll be a very good player for us and a valuable asset. 

In Tammy, we've got a proven goal scorer and someone that I imagine enjoyed his time with us in the Championship. The Premier League as we all know is a different level, but he will want to prove himself. And if talk is true, the manager wanted him here before and that's a good sign.

Right, I've got to run. I'll set this to publish at about 10am. 

Match facts from the BBC

• Aston Villa and FC RB Salzburg have never faced before in a European match – the Villans’ only previous games against an Austrian side was in UEFA Europa League qualifying in both 2009-10 and 2010-11 against SK Rapid, going out both times.

• FC RB Salzburg are winless in all eight major European meetings with English teams (D2 L6), losing both previous games in the UEFA Europa League against Man City in 2010-11 (0-2 home, 0-3 away).

• Including qualifiers, Aston Villa have won 14 of their last 16 home matches in European competitions (D1 L1), winning each of their last six in a row. The Villans are aiming to win seven in a row at Villa Park for the very first time in European competition.

• FC RB Salzburg have lost their last five away matches in major European competition – they’ve never previously lost six in a row.

• All five of Aston Villa’s UEFA Europa League goals at Villa Park this season have been scored by players whose surname begins with M (x1 McGinn, x1 Maatsen, x3 Malen), although Donyell Malen has since left the club. Players whose surnames don’t begin with M have had 29 shots and scored with none.

Newcastle is always a tough place to go and I read a comment yesterday that the pitch slopes from one goal to another. Is that true? I think it matters, but it doesn't matter for this post.

You see, this is a post about what needs to happen today and there is an element that goes in our favour today and that's that Newcastle played Champions League this week and it would have taken something out of them. But Fenerbahçe took something out of us too.

I was nervous for the Fenerbahçe match just because I thought we were starting to look a little tired in the matches ahead of the game but it turned out we approached the game a little differently and we managed to keep our composure. It wasn't the most exciting of matches, but we got the result that enables us to take it a little easy next week.

But it does mean we have to go again today and because the approach will be different at Newcastle, I'm nervous again. I'm nervous, because and I've written this before, we have entered the business end of the season a lot earlier this season and that's because of where we are competing.

And there needs another post on this, about where we are and why things are different now and I'll start that, but it's why every match now is as important as the one we just had and the one coming up. That we have an opportunity to rest a player or three or approach the Red Bull Salzburg match a little differently is a bonus we should be very grateful for.

And we only get to that opportunity because we did the work ahead of this game and that's probably because we've treated this season as if it's all business. I'll be back later, but it's a big game and three points today and I'll start to believe.

Match facts from the BBC

• Newcastle are unbeaten in their last 17 home league games against Aston Villa (W11 D6), winning the last four by an aggregate score of 13-1.

• Aston Villa have taken four points from their last two Premier League games against Newcastle (W1 D1), more than they had in their previous six (3 – W1 D0 L5).

• Newcastle United are unbeaten in their last eight home Premier League matches (W6 D2) and have started 2026 with consecutive victories at St James’ Park, beating Crystal Palace and Leeds. The last time the Magpies won their first three home Premier League games in a year was in 2012, the third game of which was against Aston Villa.

• Having scored in 10 consecutive Premier League games between MD11 and MD20 this season – scoring the joint most goals (24) and having the best conversion rate (18.9%) in that time – Aston Villa have failed to score in their last two, having 33 shots without success.

• In the last two seasons, only Man City (70) and Brentford (63) have scored more home Premier League goals than Newcastle (62), with the Magpies scoring two or more goals in each of their last eight. They last achieved that in nine consecutive home top-flight games between December and March in the 1931-32 season.

• Only Arsenal (21) have won more away Premier League points this season than Aston Villa (18), despite the Villans having a minus goal difference on the road (15 scored, 16 conceded). Their 1.64 points per game on the road in 2025-26 is their best in any campaign since 2009-10 (1.68).

• Newcastle have only lost two of their last nine Premier League matches against sides starting the day in the top three (W4 D3), while manager Eddie Howe has 12 overall victories against sides in the top three (4 with Bournemouth, 8 with Newcastle). The only English manager with more is Sam Allardyce (13).

• Newcastle’s Eddie Howe has won 135 Premier League matches and needs one victory to level with Roy Hodgson on 136, putting him joint third for wins by English managers. Only Harry Redknapp (236) and Sam Allardyce (178) have more.

• In his final two Premier League games before Christmas, Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers scored a brace in both games against West Ham and Man Utd. Since Christmas, however, he’s had the most shots without scoring of any player (15).

• Bruno Guimarães has been involved in nine Premier League goals at St James’ Park this season (7 goals, 2 assists), the most of any Newcastle player. The last Magpies central midfielder involved in more in a season was Georginio Wijnaldum in 2015-16 (11 goals, 2 assists).

Wouldn't it be nice if we could win every game and not have the lows, or the highs for that matter. I mean, it's a simple game and we've spent a fair bit of cash, we should be beating Everton. Losing to Everton was a low and I quite liked it.

Not losing to Everton, I wanted to win. But the feeling made it seem real. It started to put things into perspective. Football isn't supposed to be easy. It's not just about the money spent. It's about a season of 38 matches and not knowing, but wanting. Football is about desire, passion and above all else not knowing what is going to happen.

And it's the little things that matter. Sometimes the big things, but mostly the little things. But when you put all these little things together, they become big. McGinn going off and not having Kamara or Onana was why we lost against Everton. Some might even say not having Malen had a part to play. 

But it's what happens in football. And we're still seven points ahead of the team behind us and and it's a great place to be. But some might also be saying we have 16 games left and a lot can happen in that time. And they wouldn't be wrong and with the loss of Kamara for the season, an unknown amount of time without McGinn and no backup for Ollie now, it does feel a little like we are not on solid ground.

And that ground isn't controlled by anyone at the Club. It's the rules put in place to support the larger clubs. That written, rules are meant to be broken, or at the very least pushed to the absolute limit. How about we just go and break 115 of them in one go and see what happens?

On that for a moment I want to write it so I can reference it, Manchester City are not breaking rules at the moment because they have the revenue and success now. But if they didn't break the rules in the first place, they wouldn't have what they have now. I'm sure this is the reason why the decision to relegate them to League Two is taking so long but it has to be factored in.

But, enough. We have to move on and tonight it's Fenerbahçe and it's not really tonight, more later this afternoon as kick off is early again. But this is an important match, as they all are now, but it's important because Fenerbahçe are within touching distance of the top eight. If they win tonight, the chances are they will be in it and you want to finish in the top eight if you can.

That's why it's a big match. And I trust the manager will do what he has to and I believe the players will give it their all. They know better than us what tonight means and for some, it might be a way to claim a place or make it harder for the manager to drop them when players are back or maybe if we see a new player or two arrive.

A win tonight and we'll all feel a little better after Everton at the weekend. But then we have to go prepare for Newcastle on Sunday and I have a feeling that is going to be a tough game. But we need to get back on the horse and we need to demonstrate that last weekend was just a freak. Or there will be some writing we look tired and our squad is too thin. And writing like that tends to spread and have people believing it.

Right, I'm back later. Someone said something about work.

Match facts from the BBC

• Fenerbahçe have lost both of their previous major European meetings with Aston Villa, losing 4-0 in the first leg and 2-0 in the second leg of the first round of the 1977-78 UEFA Cup.

• Aston Villa’s last European match against a side from Türkiye saw them beat Trabzonspor 2-1 in the UEFA Cup in November 1994, although they were eliminated on away goals rule in that tie after a 2-2 draw on aggregate.

• Across MD5 and MD6 of this season’s UEFA Europa League, no player scored more goals than Fenerbahçe’s Talisca (4). He’d only scored two goals in 13 Europa League games before this.

• This will be Aston Villa manager Unai Emery’s 100th match in the UEFA Europa League (since 2009-10), becoming the first manager to reach that milestone. Indeed, the nearest manager to Emery in terms of games in the competition is Jorge Jesus on 68.

• Among players to play 20+ matches in the UEFA Europa League (since 2009-10), Victor Lindelöf has the best passing accuracy (93.1%); the Swede has only misplaced 13 of 271 passes in this season’s competition for Aston Villa (95.3% accuracy).

It's confirmed that Donyell Malen has left Aston Villa and I don't think this will split opinion, but he will be missed. What will divide opinion is his importance. Me, I liked him and thought he was valuable and I'd have liked to see him at Villa Park longer.

That said, I have absolute trust in the manager and I'm sure we will have a player coming in to replace him and I'm sure that player will contribute just as Malen did and possibly even better. I'm not convinced the Tammy rumours are true though and it's only because of something I saw on Twitter from our Director of Football Operations about not believing the rumours.

That said the Malen one was doing the rounds for a few days, so do I believe or not believe. If Tammy comes, he'll be competing directly with Ollie and I guess that can't be a bad thing, but is he going to want to come to be second fiddle or are we going to start playing with two up?

All that written, I'd not be surprised if someone came in that we haven't heard a thing about. Someone big!

So, thanks Don but this post is about Everton on Sunday and yes, it's a big game as they all are these days because we need to keep the gap or make it bigger and this is a good opportunity. And an important one because Liverpool have Burnley and I fancy that's going to be a party.

And we've had a nice little break. The players should be ready and I fancy if we approach the game as we should and we give the necessary 100% for 95 minutes, the result will take care of itself. That said, Everton have done well away from home since Moyes returned, so it wont be a walk in the park.

Three points is big, this is business and our eyes are on the prize. Lets go.

Match facts from the BBC

• Aston Villa are unbeaten in all 13 of their Premier League games against Everton since their return to the division in 2019 (W9 D4).

• Everton have lost each of their last four Premier League away games against Aston Villa, their longest losing run at Villa Park since between October 1995 and April 2001 (6).

• Aston Villa have kept more Premier League clean sheets against Everton than any other opponent (25) and have shut the Toffees out in eight of their last 10 meetings.

• Everton have won three of their last five away games in the Premier League (D1 L1), keeping a clean sheet in four of those five outings – as many as their previous 18 on the road beforehand.

• Aston Villa have won their last 11 home games in all competitions. They last had a longer run between March and October 1983 (14), while they last had a longer run in the same season between October and February in 1971-72 (12).

• Since David Moyes returned to the club last year, Everton have won nine of their 19 Premier League away games (D4 L6). Their previous nine away wins had come over a 65-game spell (D21 L35) across three different managers (Rafael Benítez, Frank Lampard and Sean Dyche).

• Everton have kept a clean sheet in four of their last five Premier League away games, and are looking to keep three consecutively on the road for the first time since May 2021 (4 under Carlo Ancelotti).

• Emiliano Buendía has been involved in 10 goals in all competitions this season (6 goals, 4 assists), his joint-best return in a single campaign for Aston Villa along with 2021-22 (4 goals, 6 assists).

• Morgan Rogers has more goals (8) and more assists (6) than any other Aston Villa player in all competitions this season, having a hand in 10 goals (7 goals, 3 assists) in his last 12 starts.

• Only Jérémy Doku (39) has created more chances from open play than Everton’s Jack Grealish (36) in the Premier League this season. Grealish has also been fouled more often than any other player this term (52).

This is going to sound strange, but I'm not that interested in the FA Cup match at Spurs today.

Don't get me wrong, I'll be watching and I want us to win and you all know my views on silverware, but if we don't win and that gives us a 1% better chance in the League or Europe, I'd move on very quickly.

It's six extra matches, very much at the business end of the season. Does this make me a bad person?

Has not playing in the League Cup helped us? It hasn't hurt us not playing in it so the chances are it has helped. And I'm just taking that view today. It's a little like England at the World Cup for me and well, there I've written it.

I think for sure we will see a few changes today as it's an opportunity for the manager to rest a player and put some players on the bench that might not always get the chance. It's a good thing for everyone, if this happens.

So that written, what else do we have? Apparently we've agreed a £10mn deal for 16 year old Brian Madjo. Yes, I've not heard of him either but apparently he's a big prospect. I guess at that price he must be.

We're also apparently interested in bringing Conor Gallagher back to the Premier League. Lots of talk and a fair bit of money getting spent if all this happens. This means there must be a player or two leaving. And there is also talk that Bailey might be coming back but I suspect the Club are doing all they can to not allow that to happen.

We'll see, but the window is open, we have acted and I suspect more will happen. On that, it's 27 degrees below zero where I am, so I'm going to get my skis and hit the slopes. Nothing like a couple of runs in these conditions to wake you up. Back later.

Match facts from the BBC

• Tottenham have lost two of their last three FA Cup ties against Aston Villa, going out against the Villans in the fourth round last season. The last team to eliminate Spurs from the FA Cup in consecutive seasons were Manchester United in 2007-08/2008-09.

• Aston Villa have already won 2-1 at Tottenham in the Premier League this season. As a top-flight side, the last team they beat twice away from home in a single campaign was Norwich City in 2012-13.

• Tottenham have progressed from 18 of their last 19 FA Cup third round ties, doing so in each of the last 11 campaigns since a 2-0 loss at Arsenal in 2013-14.

• Aston Villa have won their last two FA Cup third round ties, having been eliminated at this stage in each of the seven campaigns before this.

• Morgan Rogers has been involved in five goals in four appearances against Tottenham in all competitions (3 goals, 2 assists), scoring and assisting in Aston Villa’s 2-1 win against them in the FA Cup last season.

It's nearly a week since I posted and after three weeks off for Christmas, I'm back in the office for a few hours today but the football continues and tonight it's another trip to London, this time at Crystal Palace.

And it feels a little like Palace are our current bogey team and that's down to how they line up and the manager getting the most out of their players.

There can be little debate that they surprised everyone last season and Oliver Glasner rightly got a lot of praise for that. But right now they sit fourteenth in the table. But that, as we all know isn't the full story. They might be 14th, but they are only four points from fifth place.

It's a very interesting season and I guess the way Glasner is getting this team to play is one of the reasons he's apparently quite high up the list to take over at Manchester United. I say high up on the list, the manager at the top of their list is currently our manager and that is probably the single reason why I have a little confidence about tonight.

This isn't me getting carried away. It's me saying I have confidence that on our day we can beat anyone and it doesn't matter who we are playing. That said, it's Palace and like I wrote above, it does feel a little like they are our bogey team. So, call it nervous confidence.

But we need to maintain the cushion we have and the only way we do that is by winning and we've had a few days off now, so we should be firing on all cylinders and with the managers usual approach and the 100% commitment from the players, I'm sure we'll get the right result. See what I did there? 

Match facts from the BBC

• Following their 3-0 win at Villa Park in August, Crystal Palace are looking to complete their first league double over Aston Villa since 2013-14.

• Aston Villa have lost three of their last four Premier League games against Crystal Palace (D1). They’ve conceded 14 goals in these four games, as many as they had in their previous 15 against the Eagles in the competition.

• Crystal Palace have won nine of their 13 Premier League home games against Aston Villa (D2 L2), including six of the last seven and the last three in a row. It’s their most home wins against any opponent in the competition.

• This is Aston Villa’s fourth consecutive away league game in London (W2 L1 previously), the first time they’ve played four in a row in the capital since between December and February in the 1989-90 campaign, a run from which they took three wins and a defeat.

• Crystal Palace are winless in their last five home Premier League matches (D2 L3), their worst run without a victory at Selhurst Park since going seven between September and December 2023 under Roy Hodgson.

• Crystal Palace have lost four of their last five Premier League games (D1), more than their previous 21 beforehand (W9 D9 L3).

• Aston Villa have picked up 42 points in their 20 Premier League games this season (W13 D3 L4), while a win here would have them on 45+ points from their opening 21 matches of a league campaign for just the third time (assuming 3 pts/win all-time), after 1895-96 (45) and 1898-99 (48), both seasons in which they won the top-flight title.

• In all competitions, Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has never lost against Aston Villa’s Unai Emery in six meetings (W5 D1). It’s the most Glasner has faced another manager without losing, while as a top-flight manager it’s the most Emery has faced another manager without winning.

• Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta has been involved in more Premier League goals against Aston Villa than he has any other opponent (9 – 6 goals, 3 assists), with eight of these coming in his last five appearances against the Villans.

• Since the start of December, no player has scored more Premier League goals than Ollie Watkins (6, level with Dominic Calvert-Lewin). The Aston Villa striker is looking to score in 4+ consecutive appearances in the competition for just the third time, and first since April 2023.

They say, the hardest part about getting promoted is staying in the new division. I think they are probably right. And the hardest part about going on a winning run like we have, is going to be the first match after defeat.

Nottingham Forest is that match and the result on Saturday is going to be the most important part. Not the performance, but getting three points. If we don't get three points, we know the narrative, but if we do get three points I think some will be looking at Aston Villa a little differently.

Playing at home will help us too. We've looked a little tired the last couple of matches and I think Villa Park will help. But after Saturday, we have two more matches in London. I'm not suggesting that London is the issue but playing away doesn't make it easier and playing at Villa Park does.

It's not just about home support, although I think that plays a part, it's the recovery and the ability to prepare. In this day and age, these aspects of a match day are important. So, onto Saturday, but before that a little on Arsenal.

It was always going to be tough and as I wrote above, we didn't look 100%. That written, Arsenal also had a home match before us, so they were going to be in a better position. But and this isn't sour grapes, I don't think they'll win the League and I think they'll bottle it again.

There is something about them that looks about to break. And Arteta, a little like Maresca who has just left Chelsea, are not Pep. And Pep looks like (I'm writing this before City play later) he's got Manchester City looking right up for this second half of the season.

Match facts from the BBC

• Aston Villa are unbeaten in their last six Premier League home games against Nottingham Forest, winning the last five in a row. Their last defeat was in October 1994 under Ron Atkinson (0-2).

• Nottingham Forest have won two of their last four league games against Aston Villa (L2), as many as they had in their previous 18 (D7 L9).

• Aston Villa beat Leicester 2-1 in their first Premier League game of 2025. They’ve not won their opening league game in consecutive calendar years since 2008/2009.

• Nottingham Forest have won their opening league game in five of the last seven calendar years, including a 3-0 win at Wolves in 2025. The exceptions in this run were a 1-1 draw with Chelsea in 2023, and a 2-3 loss at Brentford in 2024.

• Aston Villa have won their last 10 home games in all competitions, last having a longer run between October 1989 and January 1990 (11).

• Aston Villa’s 4-1 defeat at Arsenal ended their eight game winning run in the Premier League (11 in all competitions). Only twice since the start of 2023-24 have they lost consecutive league games, doing so in November 2024 and August this season.

• No team have failed to score in more different Premier League games this season than Nottingham Forest (10), while only Wolves (11) have scored fewer goals than the Tricky Trees (18).

• Having been unbeaten in his first three Premier League away games against Aston Villa (W1 D2), Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche has lost his last two at Villa Park by an aggregate score of 7-2.

• Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has scored three goals in his last two Premier League games, as many as he had in his previous 19. However, his last five league goals have come away from home, last scoring at Villa Park in September against Fulham.

• Callum Hudson-Odoi and Morgan Gibbs-White are Nottingham Forest’s top scorers in the Premier League this season with three goals each. Only Wolves have a lower scoring top scorer in the competition this term (2).

I want to start with talk of challenging for the title and I'm not going to write about this again because I think it's quite ridiculous that there is even talk about this at the moment. But I understand why.

It's the oldest form of clickbait there is. The media want to get supporters excited. They need to create content. So before we've even reached the halfway mark in the season, the media start to talk about it and all it serves to do is create disappointment. 

And this is why supporters start talking about it, but as the manager has said, if we are 34 games into the season and we find ourselves this close, then we should probably start to talk about it and like with many things, he isn't wrong. There is a long way to go and talking about it now, just makes us look a little too excitable. 

Lets just take it one game at a time and enjoy the journey. And that journey continues tomorrow against Arsenal in London.

And every single game in this League is tough and they don't get much tougher than the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City but we have beaten both of them already this season so we know we have it in us. And how we approached Chelsea the other day demonstrated yet another approach from the manager to get the three points.

I don't doubt we can win also, but like I wrote, it's going to be very tough. It does feel a little like we've rode our luck a little this month, but could you imagine if we did. Could we find what we need one last time this year?

Because that it is what it comes down to. It's all about the match in front of us. What worked well against Chelsea, how did we find it against Brighton and Manchester United. We need to put that all together again or maybe the manager has another approach for Arsenal tomorrow, it would be an impressive end to the season.

And just because the manager says it doesn't mean it's gospel. If we're in the same place or close enough my match 30, I'll be talking about it as possible, but it's tosh to talk about a title challenge while you are not even in the year the title is won.

Match facts from the BBC

• Arsenal have lost three of their last five Premier League matches against Aston Villa (W1 D1) and could see Villa complete a league double over them for the third time in six seasons (also 2020-21 and 2023-24), something they’d done so just once previously in the competition beforehand, in 1992-93.

• Aston Villa are unbeaten in their last two away league games against Arsenal, beating them 2-0 in April 2024 and drawing 2-2 in January last season. They last had a longer run without defeat the Emirates between 2006-07 and 2008-09 (3).

• This is the third time Arsenal have faced an opponent twice in the same month in the Premier League, previously beating Wolves twice in February 2022, and beating Bolton twice in January 2010.

• This is the fourth time Aston Villa have faced an opponent twice in the same month in the Premier League, after May 2022 (W1 D1 v Burnley), May 2021 (W1 D1 v Everton) and March 1996 (W1 L1 v Sheffield Wednesday).

• Arsenal have won their final league game in four of the last five calendar years, with the exception being a 2-1 defeat at Fulham on New Year’s Eve 2023.

• Aston Villa have won their final league game in just two of the last 13 calendar years (D6 L5), beating Middlesbrough 1-0 in 2017 and Burnley 3-2 in 2023.

• This will be Unai Emery’s third away Premier League match at the Emirates since leaving Arsenal, winning one and drawing one with Aston Villa. No former Gunners boss has ever gone three away league games in a row without losing after leaving the club.

• Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze has scored in his team’s final Premier League match of the calendar year in each of the last three years, all for Crystal Palace (2022 v Bournemouth, 2023 v Brentford, 2024 v Southampton). The only players to achieve this in four years in a row are Dimitar Berbatov (5 from 2007 to 2011) and Harry Kane (2016 to 2019).

• Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze has been involved in five goals in four home Premier League starts against Aston Villa (2 goals, 3 assists), all for former side Crystal Palace between May 2021 and February 2025, registering at least one assist in three of those four starts.

• Ollie Watkins has scored four goals in five away Premier League appearances against Arsenal, the most any Aston Villa player has netted away at the Gunners.

We can't stop the changes that are coming and we accept them and it's like we want them to happen. I'm writing this because someone posted a comment yesterday about how it might be that the 3pm matches on a Saturday may be broadcast in the UK at some stage in the near future and that news came out on the day when we used to have a football schedule.

I don't know how to write and make this funny, we're just all accepting it now.

Don't get me wrong, it doesn't bother me that the 3pm blackout might be ended. I've not lived in the UK for years and outside of the UK, you can get pretty much every game shown live, but there is a reason why the 3pm blackout was put in place and the only reason why they are thinking about ending it is for the money.

They've created a monster and they don't actually care about the supporters attending the match, they're more interested in making the money from the supporters, like me, sat at home watching it on the screen. Have I gone to far by saying they don't care? I don't think so, but this doesn't really impact the supporter that attends and wants to, this just generates more money. But what comes after this?

Truth is, it doesn't matter what it is, if they want to do it, they will. But it wasn't a proper Christmas this year not having a Boxing Day schedule. But, Aston Villa are playing later and it's Chelsea in London and that's what this post should be about. 

And because we are doing so well at the moment, every match is more important than the last, but we have to lose or not win at some stage in the near future and today and next Tuesday are tough matches. And if we lost them both, we'd still be third. It's that easy get out of jail free card again.

It's not something the manager has or I suspect most of the players, it's just the way it is and I expect it to happen. I'm not saying it's going to be today or next Tuesday, but I'm preparing myself for it. It's something I am allowing to happen, even though I'll be disappointed.

But imagine for a moment you were an Arsenal fan. You're convincing yourself you are going to win the League, but deep down, maybe too deep to recognise it because you have convinced yourself, you know you're going to bottle it again. Or maybe you're a Bluenose, convincing yourself you will one day be supporting a Club that can be thought of as a real Premier League side.

There is delusion and there is having to accept you are not going to win every game. I don't know what will happen today, but this is going to be tough. But we do well in tough situations. 

I think also at some stage in the past I had a soft spot for Chelsea. There are many things about the Club I like, like the location and stadium. The supporters are nice (the ones I know anyway) and as a Club, albeit they have purchased all their recent success, they've not had it easy. 

But they are sitting on 70+ charges from the FA that they'll ultimately get away with, just like Manchester City will. And it's because it's a game. To you and me whatever happens might seem tough, but they'll both still be playing the game and that is ultimately what matters for them.

And yes, it was a late night and I did have too much to drink and I today, I have some shelves to put up. I'll be back in a bit, but remember, whatever happens later, we're good. 

Match facts from the BBC

• Chelsea have lost two of their last three Premier League home games against Aston Villa, though they did win this exact fixture 3-0 in December last season.

• Aston Villa have won three of their five Premier League games against Chelsea under Unai Emery (D1 L1), as many as in their previous 20 against the Blues before the Spaniards arrival (D3 L14).

• Having scored in 21 consecutive Premier League home games against Aston Villa between December 1998 and September 2021 (50 goals in total), Chelsea have now failed to score in two of their last three at Stamford Bridge against the Villans.

• Aston Villa have won each of their last 10 matches in all competitions and could equal their all-time club record of 11 consecutive victories, set in both September 1897 and March 1914.  

• Chelsea have already suffered two home defeats in the Premier League this season (W4 D2 L2), losing to Brighton in September (1-3) and Sunderland in October (1-2). If they lose here, they will have lost more home league matches this term (3) than they did in Enzo Maresca’s first full campaign in 2024-25 (W12 D5 L2).

• Chelsea are unbeaten in the three Premier League games they’ve played this season against teams starting the day above them in the table, beating Liverpool 2-1 (October), Tottenham 1-0, and drawing against Arsenal (both in November).

• Aston Villa have won their last seven league games, last having a longer run in the top-flight between October and December 1910 (9). The Villans have also won 12 of their 21 Premier League away games against London sides under Unai Emery (D4 L5), more than they had in their previous 59 (W11 D10 L38).

• Chelsea’s top scorers in the league this season have netted just five goals (Pedro Neto and João Pedro). After 17 games of a Premier League campaign, only on three occasions has Chelsea’s top scorer(s) netted fewer at this stage – 4 in 2022-23, 3 in 2015-16 and 4 in 1995-96.

• Enzo Fernández has created more chances from open play (24) and made more passes breaking the opponent’s defensive line (17) than any other Chelsea player in the Premier League this season.

• Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers has been directly involved in more Premier League goals than any other English player across the opening 17 matchdays this season (10 – 7 goals, 3 assists); he could the third Villan to net 2+ goals in three consecutive appearances in the competition after Dean Saunders (1992) and Dion Dublin (1998). 

It's been a long year so booked a last minute trip and that's the reason for no post recently. I've found myself on Gran Canaria, sunburnt and hungover. But it's match day and a post is needed. But because of where I find myself, it will likely be a short one and while it might not start how you want it to, it will end well. 

And it's not going to start well, because are due a defeat and Manchester United are due a win. And if we have ever had a bogey team, it's them. Realistically, what are the chances our run continues today?

This isn't just my view, look at the numbers. We are the best team in the Premier League on current form, even after the two teams above us won yesterday and Manchester United have only won two of their last six. That's the same as Leeds and half as good as Nottingham Forest. I ask again, what are the chances of us continuing this today?

Well, I can tell you they are better than they were before Emery came to the Club. We've also have had a nice little break since the last match and we are at Villa Park under the lights. And Manchester United are not the side they were.

But they are still Manchester United and statistically speaking the chances of us winning again today are not great. And we do have a little comfort zone if we don't win. We'll still be four points above everyone below us and that scares me. That is a reason for the players to think they're in a good place. And that's something that has haunted us in the past.

But that was before Emery and while it's not just him, it's the eleven players on the pitch, I think he's rubbed off on them. I think the players know why this match is important. They know they've got the four point cushion if we don't win, but they also know a win takes us to three points off Arsenal. 

They also know we have Chelsea and Arsenal in London coming up. Winning today gives us a realistic chance of finishing the year on the same points as Arsenal. And every single match in this League is important and we are better than we were.

For all the pundits questioning if we have the depth of squad or the mindset, today is one of those days where we get to demonstrate we are good enough and we have what it takes. And what was it Ron Saunders used to say?

Match facts from the BBC

• Aston Villa have won just one of their last 26 Premier League home games against Manchester United (D9 L16), beating them 3-1 in November 2022 in Unai Emery’s first match in charge.

• Manchester United have won 41 Premier League games against Aston Villa, with 18 of those coming away from home. Only the Red Devils themselves have beaten an opponent more both overall and on the road (42 overall, 19 away vs Everton).

• Only Manchester City (46) have won more home Premier League points in 2025 than Aston Villa (40), while the Villans have lost the fewest home games of any ever present side (1). Should they avoid defeat here, it’ll be their fewest home top-flight defeats in a year since 1983 (1 in 22 games).

• Manchester United have won their last two away Premier League matches, last winning three in a row in February 2024. The Red Devils have netted at least twice in their last five on the road, last doing so in more consecutively between June and December 2020 (11).

• Aston Villa have won their last six Premier League games, and their last nine in all competitions. As a top-flight side, they last won seven straight league games between December 1989 and February 1990, while they last won 10+ in all competitions between January and March 1914 (11).

• Manchester United have dropped 10 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season, just one fewer than they did in the whole of 2024-25. Coming into this weekend’s games, only Brentford (13) and Newcastle (11) have dropped more.

• In all competitions, Aston Villa have won their last nine home games. They’ve already had one winning run of 10 home games in a row under Unai Emery (March – September 2023) and the Spaniard could be just the second Villans manager to have two separate runs of 10 wins in a row, after George Ramsay (five different ones between 1888 and 1905).

• Bruno Fernandes has assisted in each of his last five away Premier League appearances for Man Utd – should he get one in this game, he’ll be the first player in Premier League history to assist in six away games in a row.

• Morgan Rogers has been involved in eight goals in his last 11 Premier League games for Aston Villa (5 goals, 3 assists). However, each of the last six of these have come away from home.

• Bruno Fernandes has both scored and assisted a goal in his last two Premier League appearances. The only Man Utd player to do so in three in a row is Ryan Giggs in April 2003.

I've seen Aston Villa win silverware and I've seen us lose finals. I've seen us compete at the top of the league and I've seen us relegated. But right now, in this very moment, I don't recall such a good run and overall positive feeling. 

That doesn't mean West Ham tomorrow is in the bag. I'm probably more nervous because we're on such a good run, but that's what the difference is. It's that the players and manager are taking this in their stride and managing each match as it comes and doing the business.

Nothing has really changed for me, but how the team are approaching and getting things done looks better than it has for a long time. And we have to accept that is down to the manager and the players as a group.

And I don't think anyone doubted the manager. I certainly didn't.

But I'm seeing reports and hearing conversations that some were questioning the manager earlier this season and some even suggesting he would be replaced. I don't recall seeing any of that. Have I missed something and why are people writing this now?

It doesn't matter and I don't think it will bother the manager that much, because he's been in the game long enough to know that people need to write something and in the UK, if they've nothing to write, they'll make it up. But enough about that, it's West Ham on Sunday and it's a massive game and three points would be huge for us.

And even though we are nearly half way through December and we have three games to go after tomorrow, we do have time to rest and it's not a match every three or four days. Win tomorrow and we're in a very good place, even though it's United, Chelsea and Arsenal coming up in the final three matches of the year.

The game is broken

I can't not write about the World Cup and maybe this should be on Footballocracy or maybe I just delete that experiment. Actually now that I write it, I know I'm not going to, I will write something there, but the ticket prices for World Cup just goes to show that the people running the game have forgotten what the game is all about.

Don't get me wrong, I'll watch, but this is just pushing it a little further away for me. It's all getting pushed just a little further away. Something has to change. But as long as the money is there, they will do what they want to get a little bit of it.

It's almost as if, if they're not exploiting their position they think they're doing it wrong. And that it wrong, just like FIFA were wrong 15 or so years ago when they threatened legal action against me with made up allegations. It's like they think they can just do whatever they want and because they get away with most things, it becomes a habit.

But the game is broken and it's never going to get fixed. Not in this form. But this isn't about FIFA, it's about us because we keep buying the tickets, so we only have ourselves to blame.  

Match facts from the BBC

• West Ham are winless in their last five Premier League games against Aston Villa (D3 L2), having won five in a row against them before that.

• Having been winless in nine consecutive away league games against West Ham between August 2012 and March 2024, Aston Villa won this exact fixture 2-1 last season. They last won consecutive visits to the Hammers in December 1996.

• West Ham have just 13 points in 15 Premier League games this season (W3 D4 L8), their worst start since 2017-18 when they had 10 points. However, in their last three campaigns when they’ve had 13 or fewer points at this stage, they’ve avoided relegation – 13 in 2013-14 (came 13th), 13 in 2016-17 (11th) and 10 in 2017-18 (13th).

• Aston Villa have won nine of their last 10 Premier League matches (L1), winning the most points in the division in that timeframe from 28 September onwards (27). They are the first team in any of the top four divisions in the history of the Football League to win none of their first five games of a season and then win as many as nine of their next 10.

• Only Leeds and Newcastle (6 each) have conceded more 90th minute goals in the Premier League this season than West Ham (5), while the Hammers have faced both the most shots (30) and most shots on target (14) in the 90th minute of matches in 2025-26.

• Aston Villa were the only side not to score in any of their first four Premier League games this season, but since MD5 only Man City (27) have scored more goals than Villa (22), with the Villans enjoying the third-best conversion rate in that time (15.9%), behind Spurs (17%) and Man City (16.3%).

• West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo has gone 21 consecutive Premier League matches without seeing his side keeping a clean sheet (11 with Nottingham Forest, 10 with the Hammers). He’s the first manager in Premier League history to fail to keep a clean sheet in any of his final 10 games at a club and then any of his first 10 games in his next spell at another club.

• Under Unai Emery, Aston Villa have won the fourth-most points in the Premier League (213), winning 63 of their 116 games under the Spaniard (D24 L29). In the timeframe of the previous 116 Villa matches before his first game (November 2019 – October 2022), Villa won the joint fewest points of any ever-present side in that time (136).

• Jarrod Bowen has 99 goals and assists combined in the Premier League for West Ham (60 goals, 39 assists) and could be the second player to get to treble figures for the Hammers, after Michail Antonio (68 goals, 33 assists).

• Ollie Watkins could make his 200th Premier League appearance in this match – the Aston Villa frontman has 78 goals and 34 assists in 199 games so far, with only 11 English players involved in more goals in their first 200 games, most recently Jamie Vardy (97 goals, 28 assists).

Right, there is going to be little I can write about last weekend that hasn't been written since. That said, I can point to things I wrote before we started the month and highlight the importance of winning the first two matches.

And beating Brighton and Arsenal has meant we have started December in the best way possible but it's only two matches and we have five more, starting tonight with a trip to Basel. And European football is very important, but having an eye on the four Premier League fixtures isn't a mistake.

We are very much in the mix at the moment and it is the result of every single match that will keep us there. And the mix isn't just the League, but some might say it's the most important. I think we can all agree, that Champions League is where we need to be. Champions League means more money and money makes the world go round.

And it's not nice that that is that, but it feels like we've embraced it and it's a great time to be an Aston Villa fan. Yes, I'm churning out the classics.

This is where I contradict myself because while needing to finish in the top four is the target, winning the Europa League gets us into the Champions League next season and it means silverware and football is all about silverware. Winning tonight, against a tough opponent that need a win in this competition will put is in a very good place.

And we know that our manager loves this competition. And ask me at any time and I'll tell you I'd prefer silverware over finishing top four. It's all about silverware. But, because we're playing the game, we do need Champions League football and right now we have two routes. What is the harm in getting both?

So, we go out tonight and we get the three points. It doesn't matter how we get them, we get them. Then we look to West Ham at the weekend. Three points on Sunday is massive. Three points tonight is just as big. Three points for every other match this season are just as big. There are no unimportant games this season.

This is the season that counts, but I now have work. Back later, maybe I'll be at the pub also.