It’s Leeds on Saturday at three. Don’t get used to it.
If you want to know just how much football has changed, look at the biggest talking point around the weekend’s festivities. It isn’t Villa needing to get back on track, or the other clubs at the top doing their best to help us, it’s the fact that we’re playing at home on Saturday at three o’clock. It’s the first time in over a year and so much of a big deal is it that Villa have reacted in the time-honoured fashion of putting the prices up. Then again, whatever the time they’d think of some excuse – Chris Heck might have gone but his spirit remains.
It wouldn’t be so bad if the opposition were much of a draw but it’s Leeds. They’re good at making themselves out to be a big club back from years in the wilderness but as with a few others, the reality doesn’t match up. As many league titles as Huddersfield, as many FA Cups as Bury and less top-division seasons than Birmingham City. They do, though, have a history of thuggery, corruption and bribery unparalleled in English football, so they have got one thing to be proud of. At least their supporters are a bit better behaved than they used to be, which is a low bar admittedly.
After a spell of manic owners who went through eleven managers in six years the one they’ve got now is incredibly in his third season, despite looking like an Iron Maiden roadie. Their Pretentious Staff Title is Performance Nutritionist, although Head of Emerging Talent runs it close. They don’t have any particularly psychopathic players anymore, which is just as well given our recent tendencies.
Speaking of which, Matty Cash might be back and we might not have any training injuries. If we’re lucky there could even be a sighting of Alysson. And there should not, under any circumstances be any pissing about. Just lately Fortress Villa Park has looked like one of those forts the US Cavalry arrive at to find the Apaches have burnt it down and killed all the soldiers so it needs to be rebuilt. Satursday three o’clock is where we start.
