Remember when we were playing The Clowns and Dennis Mortimer said he wanted them to win? It was in April 2006 and the exact quote was "A win for Villa would make them safe, while Blues would still be battling. But me, I'd like to see Birmingham win."
Well, this time, he has started in on Stiliyan Petrov and it isn't going to make him very welcome at Villa Park. Now, we all have views on Petrov but as things stand, he is club captain and as a former captain, Mortimer should know that you don't come out like this.
But, he was always a Liverpool fan and wanted The Clowns to beat us and he probably feels he hasn't had everything he should have had out of Aston Villa, so if he is a bit bitter, would you really be surprised?
What did he say?
To be honest, I’ve never been a fan of Stiliyan Petrov – I think he is just a ‘Steady Eddie’ as it were. I, personally, wouldn’t have him in the team. I don’t think he has the right capacity or the right style that I would want him in my team.
At the top level, you need someone who is a bit more than a ‘Steady Eddie’ and especially as your captain. To me you need to generate momentum in games by the quickness of play and of mind and, for me, Petrov takes half an hour to pass the ball. OK, so that is an exaggeration, but you get my point.
Now, I'm just a blogger, but if I was talking about anyone at the club where I won all my medals and made my name, I'd talk with humility and respect. But I'm an Aston Villa fan, it appears he isn't, but I'd sincerely request that if he is going to talk about the club again or any players, he thinks first and ponders on those two words for a little while.
State of the Villa address
News, hot off the press, or forum to be more precise, is that Randy Lerner is going to make a statement about the club. This is from General PR and it is notice, so this is going to be well written, well thought out and probably good PR. The exact quote from General PR is 'Randy will be putting out a "state of Villa" statement'.
It will probably also will be 'just' a statement - you wont hear from him or see him, it will just be words and in all likelihood, they are not going to be his words. But why he has decided to talk now, I think, should be the question.
If you remember, when Mr Lerner bought the club, Randy was adored and while that adoration was because whoever bought the club, for most, was going to be a step up from Doug Ellis, a lot of it was because of the work done by General PR. But General PR isn't spending as much time on the forums (possibly sick of the abuse he is getting) and some supporters are starting to get a little frustrated at what appears to be a lack of investment from the owner and what appears to be a very good way for Mr Lerner to make money.
The truth is, Mr Lerner was always here to make money and that was and is going to be his priority. We should actually hope and pray he isn't looking to sell up, because we could end up with chicken farmers or a crooked about to be sent to prison businessman. It might not be the best scenario, but Mr Lerner will also know that the best way to make more money out of a football club is to be successful.
So expect the 'state of Villa address' to be an open and honest, maybe even heartfelt, in that American way, message to the supporters and because we are so desperate to hear from him - expect many to realign their expectations on the back of it. One thing you wont read in it though is something about a five year plan or a secret plan.
We've had one and the other is a secret. Expect the address soon as I suspect season ticket sales are lower than hoped for.