The Villa Week #5: Crippling the Veretout narrative

Are you sure you’re capable of keeping up to date with Villa. To be blunt, I don’t think I am. I’m using this column as a learning exercise. Can James Rushton digest everything that happened to Villa in the last week? The answer - maybe, and this column is my test.

I would very much like to seriously start off this column by stating that safe standing is a very good thing.

There.

Safe Standing

Next week on the blog, we’ll be talking a lot more about this topic. Why? Because it’s something we need to talk about. It’s 2018, the Government are being odd about it and fans are starting to demand it.

All points considered, why are we not trusting clubs to deploy safe-standing sections? So let’s use this soapbox, and try and settle the debate (there isn’t one). Still, if we can raise a little bit more awareness about the issue, and get people talking - then I’ll consider that to be job done.

I’ll talk about it more next week, so stay tuned. If you care.

Villa Ladies

If you want to see a Villa side constantly fighting, check out Aston Villa Ladies. AVLFC were just about beaten by an under-fire, yet 2nd placed, Millwall side by two goals to one. Still, they gave it a good go, and were truly unlocked by their opposition. Can’t argue about that, and you certainly can’t argue about this lot giving their all. 9th place, and there’s a bit of time to kick on for the Villa Ladies from here on out.

The team are back home (finally) at The Lamb in Tamworth this Sunday to face Durham Women. 42 days without a home game!

#AVFC

Let us enjoy a brief interlude to check in on a popular tweet in #AVFC world.

Oh. Well not to cripple anyone’s narrative, but Veretout did manage to set-up five goals in an all-time bad side. That’s got to count for something, especially when they came in 25 appearances for Villa (fewer than Jack Grealish has managed this season), but that’s ok, let’s stick to this bitter narrative and ignore the fact that Jordan Veretout is actually VereGood.

Let’s ignore the fact that the Frenchman is wrecking shit in Serie A and instead focus on the time when he failed to inspire the pub-side Villa put out to Premier League safety.

Leeds

Aston Villa’s male team had a game in the past week, and I’ve already forgotten it. I know we won, I know we got a play-off place with victory. I still, for the life of me, can’t remember any game action taking place. Maybe that Cardiff game was too much for me? Maybe.

Six points in a week, bouncing back from a loss again? I’ll take this Villa side.

Ipswich

On the Holtecast this week, me and Dani were surprised to hear about the reactions of Ipswich fans to their former manager, Mick McCarthy. Fans of the club booed the decision of Mick during a game, which caused the manager to turn his back on the club and leave.

I find it extremely hard to sympathise with Ipswich fans in this circumstance. They’ve not done badly out of Mick’s stint at the club, and he’s spent about £4.50 in transfer fees in the five or so years he has been there. How can you expect anything other than 12th or 14th place in the league?

Still, they are more than entitled to their opinions, and one can hope that their instincts are guiding them in the right direction.

That being said, I hope Villa smash them, 6-1.

KIT NEWS

Cheeky tidbit here for you - we’ve heard that AVFC, Nike and Birmingham-based fashion brand LUKE1977 are partnering on Villa’s new kits for next season.

Innovative? Yes. Groundbreaking? I guess. Works for the fans? Maybe? It ticks the boxes and should be good.

The designs are rumoured to be claret and blue stripes for the home shirt and a white away shirt. We’ll keep digging on that though.

Also, for the thousands of you who flocked to this site because our our kit news, why? Why do you feast on this like rats to a corpse? Why? I demand to know? Release me from this. I rolled out of bed when I heard of the leak to write this news up a few days ago. FREE ME.