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A regular alkaline battery

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So this is it. Shit or bust for Villa tonight, not mathematically but in all reality. And the irony that the fixture pits my team up against co-contributor Steve's beloved Everton. Probably not one for the neutrals this, with Everton seemingly already on the beach and Villa well, just being Villa. That said, it does actually promise to be quite exciting, not least because the threat of Villa's imminent relegation seems to have finally registered with the players, who showed a level of urgency against Palace at the weekend last seen on Monday 20th Jan when we beat Watford with a last gasp goal. 

Today I expect them to play in a way that recognises their dire state; so expect either a pumped up fight until we die approach, or a full implosion accompanied by abandonment of all standards, discipline and hope. So that means either a glorious 3-1 win and a surge of Birchy hope, or an abject 4 or 5 nil drubbing, players arguing amongst themselves, fans booing-from-home on Zoom.

For the former to happen, Villa need to find energy otherwise absent this season. It has been a weird campaign, one that hasn't felt like a relegation threatened one. We are the equal of so many clubs in the league, but only for about 70 minutes of each game. We're like an Argos own brand battery turning up to a Duracell party; looks fine on the face of it, is fine for a while, but slowly and surely we run out of steam and are left exposed. 

Other games have been getting played, and, all the 'relegation candidates winning' aside [I don't want to talk about that] it is interesting to see the Champions League race hotting up after everyone discovered there's one less place to play for after Man City [presumably] brown paper bagged their way out of trouble. 

I don't have time to write more, because I need to start nervously pouring ale into myself. See you on the other side. 


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