And so it's come to this.
Aston Villa have notched so many injuries--Fabian Delph disappeared before the season even started, and now we're down Andreas Weimann, Stiliyan Petrov, Emile Heskey, John Carew, Steve Sidwell and Nigel Reo-Coker--that the Villa have invited supporters to play in the Blackpool match.
I realize that the Seasiders are a recently promoted club. I get that they needed a playoff round to get to the Premier League. But they're sitting above Villa in the table. It's probably not the time to get cocky and start allowing random fans to run around the pitch. Plus, I've seen the shots of the home crowd. They might not be Geordies, but they're not exactly the epitome of athletic fitness, either.
Remember, Houllier, we've still got the kids. Marc Albrighton may sometimes be a spazz and concede free kicks in dangerous areas, but hey, Stilliyan Petrov does that too and you let him wear the captain's armband. Ciaran Clark may miss the target, but at least he's willing to run full tilt into Ben Foster. Do you really think fans are going to smash themselves up on Matt Gilks? Some of us have standards.
So just take a deep breath and try to find your happy place. Gabby's back on the bench. Stephen Ireland may have listened to you. John Carew's stopped spouting off his mouth. Barry Bannan leaves crowds breathless after his passes. If the team could just find the net, this squad could really be something.
And really, if we're going to be inviting any fans to play against Blackpool, it really should be this dude.