The Misery of Supporting Aston Villa Entry I

Aston Villa – Tottenham 2:00 pm Sunday 16th February 2020

Having looked at a variety of blog posts, social media entries and general banter from Aston Villa fans, the general outlook for today’s game is positive.

This baffles me. I understand that there should be some optimism as we are in a cup final, but let us not forget the fact that we just lost to Bournemouth. Incidentally they have now taken six point from us this season and are supposed relegation rivals.

Sometimes I think we forget that we are Aston Villa. If something is going to go wrong then it will.

Aston Villa are a club that build expectations and then attempt to crush them. I understand the enthusiasm about the cup final, but what’s going to happen in that? I can tell you and it will be worse than the six one home defeat. Manchester City will destroy us.

So that brings us to today’s opponents – Tottenham. Spurs are better than us in every department. They have a better defence, midfield and attack. Now please don’t get me wrong. Jack is a wonderful player and he would get in the Spurs side, but that is all. He alone is not going to be enough.

I am predicting a four nil win for Tottenham. It will be comfortable.

So let’s please keep the optimism down. We are Aston Villa after all.

Prediction: Aston Villa 0 – 4 Tottenham

Well after yesterday’s less than thrilling game at Carrow Road I am back with my next predictions. If you would like more information on my take on Aston Villa then please see my misery of supporting Aston Villa section.

Aston Villa – Tottenham 2:00 pm

This is the easiest pick of the bunch for me. Villa can’t defend and Tottenham can. Spurs have also won their last two games so will be brimming with confidence. A Tottenham victory for me and a convincing one.

Aston Villa 0 – 4 Tottenham

Arsenal – Newcastle 4:30 pm

Newcastle have surprised me this season and I think they’re better than most had expected. Initially I had them down as relegation fodder, but they will survive without doubt. Steve Bruce has done a good job there.

Arsenal still look weak and I still believe they have a fragile mentality. With a touch of bullying Newcastle could well get something here.

For me this will either be a draw or a battering by Arsenal. I’m going for the draw.

Arsenal 1 – 1 Newcastle

So until tomorrow night. Enjoy the games! I know I shall, except for the Villa one of course.

Well this will just be a short post. I’m going to write my predictions for today’s games in the Premier League. As there are only two games today that won’t take long.

I’m not going to rant about the evils of modern football because my opinions on the matter are well known. I find it incredulous that there is not a three o’clock kickoff on a Saturday afternoon, but that’s just me.

Everton – Crystal Palace 12:30 pm

I can see Everton just winning this. I think it will be a very close game, but Ancelotti will expect and take three points from this game.

Everton 2 – 1 Crystal Palace

Brighton – Watford 5:30 pm

So the afternoon’s fixture is a relegation battle plain and simple. I think that there will be goals in this and quite a few. As far as I am concerned there are two relegation spots left with Villa essentially down – see the misery of supporting Aston Villa section of the site for more information on this. I can’t separate them though, so I’m going for a draw.

Brighton 3 – 3 Watford

Well it didn’t take long before Christian Eriksen started taking pot shots at Tottenham. I’m surprised it didn’t happen whilst he was at the club, but one has to say that he has really shown some class by not criticising the club whilst he was still a Spurs player.

Eriksen is a wonderful talent and deserves to be at a club where he has the opportunity to win things. Inter, themselves, have been on a barren run since 2011 when they lifted the Coppa Italia. Tottenham have not seen silverware for twelve years – 2008 being the last occasion they lifted the league cup.

It’s a shame for Tottenham because they had a squad that really should have won something. They went close to the league title when Leicester were unstoppable and getting to the Champions League final was an impressive feat.

The trouble is, nobody remembers the runner-up.

People remember the winner.

I have to say I do agree with Eriksen that he has a greater chance to lift silverware at Inter. History tells us of Inter’s great history of honours and, as a a club, they won’t accept anything else.

Then we move to Spurs. Daniel Levy allowed Eriksen’s contract to run down until he had to cash in for £16.9m – cheap for a player of his calibre. He went through an entire transfer window without signing a single player. He made a derisory £3m plus Josh Onomah offer for Jack Grealish – something that insulted Aston Villa and himself. Chelsea dislike to do business with him as do a growing number of clubs. I’m sure one could add Villa to that list.

Of course Levy will always hide behind the stadium which is a great venue to watch football.

Levy now needs to invest in the team. Tottenham need to start buying big if they are going to maintain the pace with the clubs around them. At this point it looks unlikely that Spurs will make the top four. Will top players stay without the draw of the European Cup?

I don’t know.

The trouble of all this is that if Tottenham’s best players leave, will it have all been worth it? It’s easy to slide down the table into mid-table mediocrity or worse.

Eriksen didn’t think so.

It’s over to you Mr. Levy. It’s just a shame I don’t think you’re going to address this.

Today the Jacksonville Jaguars announced that the team will play back to back home games in London next year. Whilst this is great news for London based fans, it certainly doesn’t suit those back in Florida.

The interesting fact here is that it will be two home games. Not a home and then an away game which had widely been speculated for a number of years.

There will be a 15% discount for current Jacksonville season ticket holders, but is that a fair price cut? It is two games after all.

Of course the real issue that this brings up is the direction in which this franchise is going. We know Roger Goodell wants a London based team to leave as his legacy to the sport. Will it be the Jaguars?

In 2018 Shahid Khan (the Jaguars owner) attempted to buy Wembley Stadium. Is this all just a slowly, but surely, approach to move the team to London. Next year will it be three home games and more the following year?

I don’t think anyone would be surprised if we did end up with the London Jaguars.

Today I was at work and as I passed many of my cisgender female colleagues something strange hit me. It occurred to me that if I were to walk into work wearing makeup I’m sure I would get sent home.

We still have such horrible stereotypes ingrained within our society and this ‘perfect’ view of what a man should be and what a woman should be. I don’t fit into either of those categories. It just doesn’t make sense to me.

That isn’t the issue for me though. I frequently meet with clients as part of my job and there is an expectation in regard to the way I dress. It got me thinking that our whole dress code system has become absolutely ludicrous.

It degrades everyone.

Why do guys have to wear ties when women can simply wear a T-shirt?

Why are some women expected to wear heels and makeup?

Why can’t a guy wear makeup?

Why can’t a guy wear a dress?

There is such a stigma surrounding clothing and we need to break the barriers down. Ties are always an interesting one. From my experience the majority of cisgender males don’t like them, yet wear them. Every time you see a guy from work enter a pub he loosens it or takes it off. They aren’t comfortable. Just because King Louis XIII of France liked them and made people wear them, does not mean we need them today. We have discarded many 17th century items of clothing and surely it is time to do away with the tie.

It just cannot be sensible to tie things arounds one’s neck.

So why don’t we lose the ties, lose the heels, lose the stigma and let everyone wear makeup if they want to!

So a while ago I was in a public house in a small town outside of London and had to go to the toilet. Needless to say, like the majority of current establishments, there are no gender neutral toilets. That’s fine with me, no problem.

As a feminine-of-centre person, I decided to use the male toilets. The logic here being that to look at me, whose who do not understand my gender, would refer to me as male (although some would have a few more derogatory comments I’m sure.)

I entered the toilet and there was one other man in there. He was using the urinals. I went into the cubicle and did my business. I came out and went to wash my hands. The man had waited for me.

“Oi mate you wanna get your hair cut mate.”

“No actually I don’t. I like it this length.”

“You look like a girl.”

“How can I? I’m an adult.”

“Well a woman then.”

“I don’t. I look like me.”

It was this line that really stumped him. I have to say that by this point I was starting to enjoy myself. I could feel that some physical violence was on the horizon as, in my experience, those who can’t settle something with words automatically revert to their fists.

“Fuck off.”

That was all he could muster.

Pathetic.

So I asked him.

“How does it affect you? What difference does it make to you if my hair is long or short?”

Hey couldn’t answer.

He left. His mind had run out of thoughts.

This brings me to my next point. Have we really brainwashed people to the degree that there is a certain expectation regarding appearance?

I’ll answer it: Of course we have.

So keep on being you. Keep on looking like you and keep on doing whatever you want. The sad folk that can’t accept that aren’t worth bothering about anyway.

If you’ve had a similar experience I’d love to hear about it below. We’re all in this world together after all. The more we support each other, the better.