Well, the season has returned and I, for one, think that it is already compromised. Taking the crowd out of some games whilst not for others does leave the league in a place where one can question its integrity. I don’t think it was the right thing to do, but then I can’t honestly say I can remember the last time football did the right thing.

So we play against a team that are the complete opposite of us. Sheffield United are well organised, have players that work for the team and are hard to beat. Ultimately they are superior to us in every department including attitude.

There has been a long break for Dean Smith to fix things. He has had time to watch the videos, train with the players and get a new perspective on something that obviously was not working. He also has time. Time can be a dangerous thing if one is left with too long to think about it. I just hope he gets it right and we see some changes. However, I am a realist. I just cannot see it. So I suppose that only leaves my prediction:

Aston Villa – Sheffield United 6:00 pm

It all starts again, but things continue in the same vein. A well organised team are simply too much for us and tactically out-think us. I think we shall score, but defensively we won’t be prepared.

Aston Villa 1 – 4 Sheffield United

When the news of our defeat comes through, then we can truly accept that we are relegated.

As the news of Covid 19 spreading around the world hits us, it was only logical that the football season, like most other sports, should be suspended. There are far more important things out there than sport – human lives being one of the most important ones.

Seeing as this is the misery of Aston Villa blog, I shall share my thoughts on the matter. I actually agree that the season should be cancelled. That’s it. Rip it up entirely and start again. Obviously this won’t please Liverpool supporters, but how can we play it out?

Playing behind closed doors is awful and I don’t think that the country is even remotely close to getting to that stage yet. We are, for all intent and purposes, in lockdown.

People that believe the season will continue in April are dreaming. They are like the Villa fans that think we shall survive and that Dean Smith is the right man to take us forward. We won’t and he isn’t. Simple as that.

Sadly this pandemic (because that’s what it is) is going to last some time. In order to not ruin the next season, we must cancel this one. That would mean keeping every team in the same division and starting again.

Like the country, like Aston Villa, this blog is probably going to go into lockdown.

• 

I was so close, ever so close with my prediction. I went for four one and perhaps I must say that I was guilty of showing too much optimism there. As usual we have been let down again. We have no fight, no spirit and no guts, let alone a will to win. The league table never lies and I suspect that we shall find ourselves bottom soon. Norwich look like they are going to pull a run of games together and we are not.

I am well aware that we have a game in hand, but that will make little difference to our pathetic plight. We are going down without a fight.

And please don’t blame Var. Everyone knows it is a poor system, but it is not the reason we lost the game. We were already trailing by a goal and there was no way we were going to score. We simply couldn’t live with the higher level of football that Leicester were playing. They would have scored more regardless of the penalty decision.

So now it’s over to the club. At present we are down and here is a spoiler for you. Chelsea will beat us with their game in hand and it will be comfortable.

The club must act. Dean Smith has had his opportunity and it is time for a change. Can anyone come in and rescue us? Will anyone even get the chance?

I hope so. I really do.

The League Cup Final was heartbreaking wasn’t it? For once we played well. We actually looked good for small periods and it was clear that we are capable of being teams in the Premier League.

The problem is we don’t.

The fact that there should never have been a corner for City to score their second was an irrelevance to me. That’s modern football. The big teams get every decision regardless. This happened to us against Manchester United in the 2010 League Cup Final when Vidic should have been sent off, but wasn’t. That’s the modern game where the rich get richer and everyone else is left to rot.

We still can’t defend. From that Manchester City corner we simply did not defend – as usual. People were saying that they were proud. Why? We didn’t win the trophy. Nobody gets a cup for trying hard. You get a cup for winning.

Sadly that is something that Villa don’t do – win.

So tomorrow night we play away to Leicester and then we play Chelsea next Saturday in the evening kickoff. I am a traditionalist and would much prefer that everyone played at three o’clock on a Saturday afternoon, but that’s just me.

I’ve read some interesting points where people have spoken about us getting six points form these two fixtures. Well that is laughable.

Tomorrow we shall see the usual Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Yesterday every result went our way. Will we capitalise on this?

Leicester City – Aston Villa Tomorrow 8:00 pm

They hammered us at home, yet we beat them over two legs in the league cup and played well at their ground. Leicester are homing in on finishing in the top four this season. I just can’t see it going well for us and we shall, as always, concede. I do think we’ll score though. I mean we’ll try hard and that’s enough for some Villa fans.

Leicester City 4 – 1 Aston Villa.

Dreaming is a good thing generally. It’s what inspires us and motivates us to go out and accomplish things. It’s important to set goals, but at the same time, it is important to remain realistic – grounded even.

It’s great that we have made it to a cup final. It’s a free swing and we can have a go. I hate those expressions if I’m honest. I was going to write a lengthy post about expectations, but I feel it is easier to simply advise people to forget about optimism and get into realism. We shall lose today and it will be a heavy loss.

Prediction below:

Aston Villa – Man City 4:30 pm

I think it will be the heaviest cup final defeat of all time.

Aston Villa 0 – 8 Manchester City

Well I think my prediction was a touch optimistic. I only had us down to lose two one. We managed a measly four shots in the game and only one of those was on target.

Pathetic.

I do hope now that we can move on from the ludicrous optimism that engulfs some of our supporters. It is time to get back to reality.

We are going down.

I really don’t want to hear people talking about picking up points here and there because we won’t. We will take nothing from any of the top six teams in this league and we don’t cope when we play against those who are in and around us. I’ve looked at the remaining fixtures and I’m struggling to see where we will get anything.

Next weekend we have the embarrassment that will be the cup final. That is a game where we will be destroyed. I really think that if City kick into gear they could have eight or nine.

All of this, sadly, leads to the question of the manager. I’m not one for sacking managers too quickly, but I feel that now is perhaps the time. Smith seems clueless at the moment and I feel sorry for him as I would love for him to succeed.

The tactics, the insistence of sticking with certain players is harming us terribly now. Dare I say it, but we need someone who is tough and up for the fight. Essentially the opposite to any of these players we currently field on the pitch.

Well Saturday certainly comes around quickly doesn’t it?

After last week’s new low where we conceded a late goal to lose (again) it’s amazing how time heals a broken heart. Not that my heart was broken last weekend. Villa have done so much damage to it that it’s in pieces most of the time.

After last week’s loss I read a lot of posts saying that we would be fine and that we shall definitely take three points today. This surge of optimism troubles me for many reasons. Firstly, we let in three goals last weekend. Secondly we have the worst defence in the Premier League. Thirdly we have been through this before. People were saying the same thing before we last played Southampton and look what happened there. Another defeat.

When are people going to wake up and smell the fact that we are a poor side. We are not good enough for this division. The league table never lies. Looking at our remaining fixtures I just cannot see us getting the required amount of points to survive.

One thing that is a miracle though is that we finally have a three o’clock kick off on a Saturday. I saw yesterday that a lot of our games have been moved again to fit in with television schedules, but that’s modern football for you and warrants an alternative post.

Anyway here is my prediction:

Southampton – Aston Villa 3:00 pm

Whilst may Villa fans are optimistic about this I am realistic. We shall concede. We always do. I know Southampton have injuries, but I still feel they’ve got enough to get it done here.

Southampton 2 – 1 Aston Villa

Chelsea – Manchester United 8:00 pm

The picture is ironic isn’t it?

I remember the days when Chelsea vs Man United were a table topping affair. It was the two best teams going head to head with major title implications on the line.

Not anymore.

Now it’s a shadow of the fixture it once was.

For Chelsea it’s about getting in the top four. For Man Utd – I don’t know. I really don’t.

It seems modern football is even turning the screw on those it once most cherished.

Here’s my prediction. Not that anyone really cares anyway.

Chelsea 2 – 1 Manchester United

They say that time is a great healer. In some cases that is right and in others not. In the case of football it most definitely is. As I mentioned yesterday, supporting Villa is similar to having a partner who cheats on you every weekend. That post is available here.

Having had some time to recover after our latest heartbreak yesterday afternoon, it has been a very interesting time to chat to fellow Villa fans.

There seems to be two sides to the argument. One half of us has accepted that we simply can’t defend well enough and that it is all about points. The other feel that we are playing well and that yesterday’s game was just a blip.

I find the latter opinion incomprehensible.

It wasn’t just a blip. It has never been about blips. It has always been about consistently losing games, constantly conceding goals and not being good enough. It really is that straightforward.

I even saw one person post about the fact that he cares more about performances than points. That for me is absolutely ludicrous. At this point in time I would happily take 1 – 0 boring wins over 2 – 3 heartbreaking losses. It begs belief it really does.

The points aren’t coming. We won’t beat Southampton next weekend because we shall concede too many goals. We always concede too many goals. We have conceded the most goals in the premier league therefore logic would dictate that we have the worst defence in the league.

It’s time to be realistic and to stop this deluded and quite frankly ridiculous, unfounded optimism.

I am happy to debate this with whomever would oblige. Just post your retorts below.

Well it’s happened again hasn’t it? I really thought that my Tottenham prediction of winning by a few goals was going to come to fruition with the absence of Tyrone Mings.

I was wrong.

Villa managed to find a way to punish and hurt us far more. A last minute winner for Spurs to really put the boot in to the fans.

In my opinion we are going down. Even when we play well we concede too many goals.

Supporting Aston Villa is like being in a relationship where your partner cheats on you every single weekend. On each occasion you forgive and believe them when they say it won’t happen again.

Then it does.

When will it stop?

In the Championship I think.