There was a story somewhere yesterday about the stewards at Villa Park pushing children aside just to get to a banner that a couple of young girls were trying to unfurl at the end of the Sunderland match. Actions speak louder than words but I guess under this regime, even that is not allowed.
This isn't the first time this has happened this season either. There have been many reports of supporters trying to put out a banner and the stewards are quick to take it down. The club don't want you to do it for many reasons, but when the club start telling fans they can not show displeasure and they start taking away what is a right, it's time to show them that actually, this is our club.
This is just another example of the inmates are running the asylum I wrote about the other day. You can not take away the ability of the football supporter to unfurl a banner inside his stadium.
But it will happen
And people should still try and tonight is a great chance but I am still quite angry that the club have taken away free speech at Villa Park and in doing so, have charged stewards with pushing people aside to get to the banners. I say, if you want a banner at Villa Park, get it in and unfurl it when you want. If they manhandle you in anyway, press charges, chances are you will have witnesses.
Bolton tonight
But forget about the people that are telling you how to act as a supporter. Tonight is about Bolton and I'm on record as saying several times we will not drop into the bottom three and more recently I've said we will get five points from our remaining four matches.
But if we win tonight, I think you can be fairly certain that we will not drop into the bottom three and that is quite possibly why we will not win tonight. Alex McLeish is getting sucked lower and lower. He just has this uncanny ability to suck any hope or optimism from the players.
I mean, they're not even doing it for Stan anymore. This manager has sucked the belief out of them.
But we will get five points but through luck more than anything and only because if we don't, his statistics at Aston Villa would actually be worse than what they were at The Clowns, not only for his first season, but also his entire time. This was why he was the wrong decision from day one.
But, we could win tonight and if we do we would be eight points ahead of Blackburn and nine points ahead of Bolton with three games to play and it isn't about the teams below us. It is about the teams in the bottom three. It always has been.
So, more to come later. Odds below. They tell a story. And any one care to make a prediction on the game and attendance tonight? I'm going for draw and 25,000.