The Three Dads' Football Season Wonderland

The season is getting into its swing now and Villa are perplexing along the way.  Since I last wrote, the Anfield game panned out as I feared, then we bounced back with a mad comeback against Palace, before losing narrowly to a very impressive Legia Warsaw. Yet even with 3 noteable away defeats (2 in the league) Unai Emery has us gliding along at 2 points per game, pretty much on a par with his record last season, and this despite some big injuries, a team that isn't really in form, and with only 2 of the 6 games played so far being at home. It is tricky to work out what happens from here. For old/normal Villa, this defensive fragility and seeming lack of form would be the prelude to a disastrous run. Results would gradually reflect displays and we'd swirl around the lower reaches of the league.  But with Emery things are different. You get the sense that any setback only serves as useful intel for the next improvement. The clean sheet at Stamford Bridge, though, does not mark...

Well, Gameweek 4 has been and gone, and it already feels like the Prem was never away. What a rollercoaster few weeks and add into that another mad transfer window and it’s just as unpredictable as ever.  So, I hear you ask, what’s your take on the season so far Kev? I’d have to say that Man City look as unstoppable as the second half of last season, already setting a pace for the others to strive for. Elsewhere Man Utd are lucking their way into points, thanks in large parts to debatable referring in both games they have won.  Newcastle have disappointed me so far, albeit with a tricky few opening fixtures so the jury is still a little bit out on them. I’ve been really impressed by Spurs post-Kane, they are an entertaining team to watch and they are playing decent football.  I’m really looking forward to seeing how Brighton continue to progress, especially with the addition of Fati to the ranks. He is a very exciting talent and will hopefully deliver in the worlds greate...

Since I last posted, Villa have notched up wins vs Hibernian (twice) and Burnley away, meaning we've won 4 of the 5 games we've played so far. On the face of it very strong, yet I still fear a beating up at Anfield tomorrow.  I'm hoping this fear is a result of a decade-long conditioning to poor results vs decent teams, rather than something I see in this latest iteration of the Villa team. Certainly Newcastle exposed a weakness, and I fear Liverpool are adequately equipped to do the same. Villa have looked more solid since the capitulation on opening day, but it is hard to judge when the quality of our opposition's attack has been several levels below what we will face at Anfield. Even if it does turn out that we are flat track bullies, its actually a recipe for a good placing in the Premier League, as typically there are 12 'non-elite' teams to dispatch (aka 24 wins and 72 points for the taking). Now that Mings is crocked, we've seen much more of Torres an...