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FPL collapse

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 Happy New Year all - an age since I posted here, but its good to be back. I've just come back from a long walk with the kids around Bristol Harbourside, to the backdrop of the Cardiff City fans chanting as they walk the same route en route to Ashton Gate for their game at lunchtime. Now I quite like most Welshies, and it was a bit of a laugh hearing my 4 year old daughter saying loudly "we don't want them to win, do we daddy"  as we walked past them; and exchanging a wink with them; but there is also the massive scrote factor never far from the surface. One of them asked me whether I believed the entirety of England was, in fact, "a shithole" - which seemed a bit odd on a gorgeous morning, as we walked along the harbourside, water glistening, with the backdrop of the stunning Clifton Suspension Bridge and the colourful housing aside the hill. Hey ho.

Much has occurred since I last posted, and I think most significantly from my perspective is the 5 game losing streak that Villa went on, the subsequent sacking of Dean Smith, appointment of Steven Gerrard and now the signing of Phillippe Coutinho. So much to process and actually now is a good time to do so, with the dust very much settled. Dean Smith wise, I had felt the 'homegrown magic' palpably dissipate as soon as Grealish left. He and Smith were very much a duet, the two Brummie lads at the forefront of our recovery to former prowess. But without one, the other was never going to be enough. Smith played about with a back 3 (which is of course a back 5; because unless your full backs are Liverpool's fullbacks, they are not wingers) and did so with such stubborn and repeated failure that he basically trashed our chances of being in touch with the prospect of European football long before Christmas. For this reason I was at peace with the decision and also pleased it was made early and decisively rather than letting him flounder and become less popular. Most Villa fans now, I expect, are very happy to see Norwich rallying (especially because of what that does to the Newcastle regime). And I think now we have Gerrard we have that taste of what we were missing before. Gerrard has a ruthlessness and drive that Smith never transmitted. An utter impatience and intolerance of anything less than winning, and winning well. We have players doing ok, that he wants to improve or move on right away. This fella isn't hanging about; and because of this, we line up with Coutinho today. Wild.

In non-Villa news we've had the inevitable indestructable sequence from Man City, being able to field billion pound squads irrespective of Covid absences or injury. They will surely win the league at a canter now; and saddeningly with only a bit part contribution from Grealish. This is my number one objection to modern football - is the way talent like Grealish get harvested so ruthlessly, that they actually no longer grace our screens. They get signed, used sparingly, but primarily to prevent rivals from being able to field the talent. I would love to know whether sitting on a bench earning £200k+ each week is more satisfying than being the main main earning £100k + and the adoration of your hometown each week. Usually we could rely on the biography to tell us; but nowadays the biography is written at career peak (because money) rather than as a postscript - so we can look forward to "My journey to the Blue Moon" in all good bookstores soon.

There looks to be a super intriguing battle for the 4th Champions League spot, with West Ham, Spurs, Arsenal all in strong contention, and Man United a background threat; and the relegation battle is keenly fought too, with Leeds and Everton threatening to join the other four fighting it all out. Newcastle have evolved from everyone's second team to the one everyone wants to fail terribly. They really do have a phobia of winning, and surely their hopes rest entirely with St Maximan. 

I will toddle along now, as Villa take on Big Duncs rejuvinated Everton. I'll check my FPL team along the way - but Friday night football put paid to that months ago....

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