Editorial

We may as well not bother with an editorial for this issue. Instead we'd do just as well with two blank pages and "same as last time" written across them.

Defence is solid, Steve Staunton has helped us to forget Pail McGrath, and the midfield is performing well. Up front we've got Dwight back to his best and the whole world knows we need another striker.

Indeed, so long has the Collymore saga been going on that it's become a profound embarrassment - yet another occasion when the club's been held up to ridicule with Doug Ellis in the middle of the inaction. What was said last time round is still true - why should we be saying that we can't afford players and looking to sell to balance the books when other, lesser, teams are spending millions? For once in his life, Doug should take a risk and if necessary go into debt. The results are showing that we've got the makings of a great team and the final touch just needs to be applied. It's obvious that Ellis is deeply envious of the success enjoyed by the club when he wasn't here. Well he'll never have a better chance to emulate his predecessor.

Writing this just before playing Wimbledon we're fifth in the table and a few points off the leaders. That's despite not playing well, and for all the talk that our recent good run has come against lower opposition, we've played every other club in the league except Liverpool and haven't got anything to fear from any of them. But still we're ignored when the 'Race for the Title' ( Match of the Day) gets mentioned.

And why should we be surprised? The city of Birmingham, and the whole of the West Midlands for that matter, is the most criticised, put-upon and ignored area in the country. The best thing going for our club is that nobody mentions us when possible champions are discussed. It keeps the pressure off, means nobody feels like raising their game when they play us and long may it continue.

But enough of the team, what about news of your favourite publication? As you've probably noticed, we've redesigned the front cover. There are a few reasons for this. First, the old design was so old that Coventry had put in an offer for it. Second, surely everybody will know whether or not they've bought this issue. And third, it reflects the changing emphasis in the contents. As we rapidly approach our half century, there's been some serious navel contemplation and asyou can imagine, that wasn't a pretty sight.

Basically, we know that at this stage of the game we're never going to convert the people who won't buy anything if it's not official. Given a choice between value and enjoyment, or a club crest, then they'll go for being a Reebok advert every time. Neither are we going to get much joy out of the businessmen who walk down Trinity Road with a bad smell under their nose at half one on matchday. So we may as well concentrate on you, our loyal readership. The people who, to quote the bloke who sits six seats away from me, and who would still be standing next to me if there was any justice in football, "take the Villa seriously. So seriously you can only laugh at them." The people who regard the club as a big thing in their lives, but manage to keep a sense of proportion.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, There are forty thousand regulars watching the Villa and that's forty thousand different views. Maybe half of them have been supporting the club all their lives and it's not just a ninety minute thing. It reflects in your friends, outlook, behaviour, Tell us your views, your memories, the things that make Aston Villa what it is. The most historic, magical football club in the world.

Day by Day

23rd November: Coventry 1 Villa 2. It's getting beyond a joke to write about coming here. Their hatred is just pathetic, although I suppose it's a sign of the times that we're starting to respond and regard this game as a bit more than the non-event it always used to be. Julian Joachim scored one of the most, err, bizarre goals ever seen. He has his critics, but there's not much difference between Julian and the pre-Little Dwight Yorke. They equalised, attacking quite a bit until Steve Staunton scored. For once we had the luck, and thanks for the points. Staunton at sweeper was a success, enabling Gareth Southgate to move back to his favoured left side position and the returning Mark Draper looked better than for some time. We say this every year, but hopefully this was the last time we have to come to Highfield Rd. Coventry are a petty, small-minded club who develop three sides of the ground but don't touch the away section and charge £18. We'll be better off without them.

26th November: Wimbledon 1 Villa 0. Talking about redevelopments, how about demolishing Selhurst Park? Back to the usual problem - lots of good approach play, nobody scoring. Yet again we lose to a team not because they've got better players, but because they're better organised. We've been knocked out of two cups in the early rounds by two teams who have had a grand total of two shots on target in three games. The conclusion is obvious to anybody. As Doug's so obsessed with our money, no doubt he'll have worked out how much these games have cost us-

30th November: Villa 1 Middlesborough 0 was another step back towards full recovery. In the first ten minutes we played some of our best football of the season, but the game got bogged down as it progressed and we were lucky to have a dodgy penalty decision go our way for a change- Yorke did enough, although the new Milosevic looked like the old one to rue. Our midfield had more shape than it has for a long time, but the real star was in defence. Steve Staunton plays at sweeper like he's been doing the job all his life, perhaps we've finally found his best position. Riccardo Scimeca also had a good game and within a fortnight we've gone from gloom and despondency to wild optimism again. That's about par for the Villa. As for today's opponents, if anything sums up the absolute stupidity of football 1996 it's the fact that Ravanelli and Juninho between them earned more this week than you or I will probably pick up in five years. They'll be off at the end of the season, but Middlesborough’s supporters will be paying for them until the end of the century and beyond.

4th December: West Ham 0 Villa 2. Another typical away performance - soak up the pressure and hit back on the break. It might not be pretty, but it's effective and all great teams do it. Ugo finally scored, Dwight gets another to continue the hottest run in the league - nothing like the fuss that Ravanelli gets, but that's expected, Steve Staunton again looks world class, Andy Townsend is performing like he could go on forever. We're now fifth in the Premiership despite rarely playing well and if we finally sign the goalscorer who is now taking on mythical dimensions, anything's possible,

5th December: The Express & Star says that Doug's talking to investment bankers with view to a possible flotation. It doesn't get picked up elsewhere, and naturally gets denied by all concerned, but at least they're thinking about it,

7th December, Southampton 0 Villa 1: The opposition are a bad team in a bad spell but this was another good one. In fact, we should have scored five or six rather than hanging on towards the end. Savo gave a typical performance laying off the ball superbly, but the further upfield he went, the more his innate Savoness was apparent. Our defence is looking impregnable again, we witnessed the usual Townsend and Staunton masterclasses and Fernando has come on well in the last few games. Just how well the team could do if only the one player than everybody knows we need was signed.? As for Southampton, it's hard to have sympathy for Souness, but there are more deserving candidates for relegation. Nobody would miss their ground, though. It's a dump/death-trap and an expensive one at that.

9th December: Brian says there's plenty of money available for him to buy anybody he wants. So what's he waiting for? I hope he isn't relying on the receipts from a home FA Cup 1 draw, An ex-Albion player is pulling out the away balls, so what did you expect?

10th December: A £4 million pound ground improvement is announced, new boxes, restaurants and banqueting suites. You and I will I be able to use them. if we can afford it, that is.

11th December: Two FA Cup ties in Nottingham on the same day, ours gets moved to Sunday at 12. I've only been supporting the Villa for twenty-odd years, can somebody older tell me if we've ever been the team who wasn't messed about.

13th December: We're not going public, but you will shortly be able to buy shares in one football club in the city. Which share would you want? The supporters? Karen? Beelzebub Mike Newell?

15th December: Gareth Southgate is offered a new five year contract worth 12k. a week.

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