It’s Brighton this week. It’s a long way.
Another midweek match and although it’s not in Europe it’s on the way. Off we go to Brighton and while it would be good to be going there on a bank holiday Saturday at least the hotels will be cheaper midweek in December. The traffic will still be shite though. There probably won’t be many of us on the beach but don’t bet on it. You should never ignore the Brummie fascination with the sea.
Right then, Brighton and Hove Albion. They do keep going in the Premier League, to the point where you might start to think they belong here. Maybe they do, but not as high up it as they are now; they’re interfering with our rightful place and that will never do.
As for the rest, it’s the same old stuff. The ground is as easy to get in and out of as ever, and about as eye-catching. They should have stuck a few chimneys round the sides; all the big clubs are doing it these days. They’ve got the same manager as last season, which is impressive, and he was the youngest-ever in the Premier League. He’s also seven years younger than one of their players; go on, guess which one.
When James Milner made his Villa debut David O’Leary was manager and we lost; some things are just inevitable. Still, fair play to the ol’ fella. He’ll be forty next month. Brighton have had a fairly nondescript history and spent most of it trying to find a rival. They did beat us in the 1910 Charity Shield, though.
We’ve got a good record here. There’s been another serious midfield injury for a change and we must be doing something right because the media are starting to say we score the wrong type of goals. We’ll be getting a few more of them tonight. There, an entire preview without mentioning sixties youth cults and back alleys. There’s hope for us yet.
