Can someone actually confirm if this is the worst ever start to a Premier League season for Aston Villa? I'm only asking because I don't know and I've heard people referencing it and I think I might even have on the back of someone else, but I'm holding my hands up, because I don't really know.
I was also chatting to a fellow blogger the other day, someone that writes about another Premier League club and he asked a clear out question; have you lost interest? I've got to hold my hands up and tell you that I haven't, but the owner has sufficiently lowered all expectations, so you could say that I don't really care that much anymore.
I don't think I'll ever lose interest. Football is a game I love to watch and Aston Villa is my team, but I am finding myself following other sports.
The game today is all about money and how much you are willing to spend. Manchester City won the Premier League last season based on how much they spent and they might very well win it this time too, but I'm not convinced, because I don't think they spent enough to secure the win like they did last season, even if it came down to the last day.
But I wont lose absolute interest, because there is always a chance and that chance for us comes in the form of League or FA Cup. Then there are games like today, but lets be clear, win, lose or draw; it really doesn't matter for us.
Feels good though
But it would be nice to win. It certainly isn't nice to lose although it's something we have come to accept easily as Aston Villa fans. If we lose we'll find some great excuses, we'll accept it and we'll move on. We'll do this because that is how our club have trained us and how they've set expectations for us. If we win, we'll all of a sudden start to believe that the corner has turned and actually, so what if it's the worse ever start to a Premier League campaign; look at QPR and Norwich.
But it will just be false optimism, but again, the club will feed it out, because that's how they manage to set expectations. That is how they get us to accept that defeat is part of the process but victory is us turning the corner and that a point was hard fought and deserved, even if it wasn't.
But even if I am watching the game of football die, it's games like today and the stupid blind optimism, even though a win means absolutely nothing to us, that makes it fun and makes the weekend have a point, because we can win today and at least we can see the bigger picture. Spurs fans think a victory means something for them. They still think they have a chance. Here is a prediction for you; Spurs will never win the Premier League.
To the match
So winning today would be nice and I'll have a cheeky fiver on it happening because that's what happens on the day of the match; blind optimism takes over. And don't hate me for writing this, it's just the way it is. Only three, maybe four clubs have a chance of winning the League right now and only five have ever won it, in it's current form and one of those isn't even in the League anymore and the other four; they're the only clubs that stand a chance of winning it again this season.
So, as Aston Villa fans, the game is a little different. It isn't about the season, it's about ninety minutes and for ninety minutes today we need blood and guts. We want to see a performance. We don't really care if we lose, as long as we see they've tried. If they've tried and we lose, we'll accept it and move on. We want blood. We want something to happen that will make me believe, for a few minutes, that we're moving in the right direction and we'll write about it and convince ourselves that is actually what is happening.
Updates, team news and odds
So, the match kicks off in just under four hours, which means it all starts to kick off in about two. I do believe we can win this match today. I believe it because anything can happen and if you don't believe your team can win on the day of the match, what is the point? I know it is blind, but I'd love to tell you after ninety minutes that I was right and we won. I'd hate to write I was right and we lost, but some like that.
So, as and when we have the team and as soon as we hear anything of interest, we will post it and just for fun, I'm predicting a 2-3 win for us today, because I'm blind and optimistic all at once.