Editorial

There's been a lot happening at the Villa since last we met, and not all of it good. In fact, much of September and October was the first time during the reign of Brian that things started to go wrong and it gave us a good few talking points.

Not least was the team's form. The Uninagnificent Seven matches from Arsenal to Spurs saw the team playing some good football which didn't get the results it deserved, but also some absolute garbage.

Biggest disappointment of all was the UEFA Cup result. Getting knocked out of Europe's always a blow, but to go out to a team described by most as Swedish no-hopers was particularly galling. Yes, our team were awful on both nights, but let's at least get something out of the debacle. To call them part-timers was deceptive - there's only four of their team who have other jobs and I suspect that these are the kind of careers 'amateur' rugby union players used to have prior to the game going professional. In further defence of the team, Heisingborg went on to beat Neuchatel Xamax 2-0 in the first leg of the next round, and the Swiss team bad previously beaten Dynamo Kiev, themselves no mugs.

Yes, we should have beaten them. But to give Helsingborg credit they had a plan and stuck to it for a hundred and eighty minutes. We had a plan and stuck to it for eighty minutes at home. Rather than go into an orgy of recrimination, we should make sure that the lesson is leamt that Europe demands total concentration and even the smallest teams rarely get thrashed anymore. That way we'll be even more ready for the next time.

Hopefully we've got over our dodgy spell and are about to get back up amongst the front runners at the top of the league. It must be obvious to everybody that our defence are among the best in the business and if we had a goalscorer then we would be capable of winning the title. In fact, if we had such a player we might still be unbeaten this season - there aren't that many teams who can claim to have got the better of the Villa over ninety minutes. It should also be equally obvious that, unfortunately, Savo isn't that goalscorer. While writing this it looks like he'll be moving, so apologies if it's out of date but topicality was never our strong point,

If we had a regular thirty goal a season player alongside him, then Milosevic could have been a luxury we could afford. If our style of play allowed it then there could alternatively be a place in the team for him in a Le Tissier/Cantona free role.

Unfortunately that's not the Villa way. Savo has also been rapidly using up all his last chances and the excuses are arting to wear a bit in. He's always had a bit of a reputation for moaning if things don't go his way, but his histrionics at White Hart Lane in particular and his reaction after being dropped showed that Savo isn't particularly interested in playing for the Villa. Savo was a gamble, but I think if he hasn't already gone by the time you read this, then it's time for Brian to hold up his hands, admit it didn't work out and look elsewhere.

Day by Day

13th September: Fat Ron says he'll take Paul McGrath "off the wage bill". He won't pay a transfer fee for him, though. Can any of our supporters still have any vestige of respect for such a clown?

15th September: Chelsea 1 Villa 1. A real game of two halves - we were great in the first but really against it in the second. Andy Townsend showed a new trick, Sasa should have wrapped up the game with half an hour gone, but we refused to play for any longer than forty five minutes again and after letting in an injury time goal let Chelsea take the initiative. A point here's a good one, although we could have got all three, Our defence is back to its best, our attack is, well, lacking.

21st September Villa 0 Manchester United 0. We didn't play as well as we could in the first half, but improved in the second. Another eccentric refereeing performance, we have players booked for dissent, they have them booked for assault. We had most of the play but yet again were woefully inadequate in front of goal. All the approach play in the world, and a lot of it was very good, counts for nothing if you can't put the ball in the back of the net. After all, we ran the game in the second half but it was them who hit the woodwork twice. If we could get a regular goalscorer we could be in with a chance of winning the league. Whether or not Savo's the man is a question that will have to be answered soon. There's trouble at Maine Road, where Small Heath are up to their old tricks. I wonder what the excuse will be this time.

22nd September: It's a good one. The away end was overcrowded (in an all seater ground! so that's why it went off. Stands to reason doesn’t it? There's somebody standing in a gangway naturally you have to smash your seat and punch a steward.

24th September: Helsingborg 0 Villa 0. The most disappointing result for years. They defended, we couldn't get past their 10-0-0 formation. We've got to learn from this and make sure we're back again next season.

27th September: Foreign news. Fernando's in the Portuguese squad and Franz Carr's off to Reggiana for trials.

29th September: Macca says he's so desperate leave that he'll pay back his signing-on fee, Greatness, sir, I think that you're the Ultimate Footballer. We'll never see your like again. But this behaviour isn't doing anyone any good.

30th September: The Macca Saga reaches its inevitable conclusion. He's dropped for the trip to Newcastle and it looks like we've seen the last of him. Newcastle 4 Villa 3. Trouble with this team is they can't score. Good defence, Then we kicked off. Dwight scored, they scored. Then they scored another couple. Then Dwight scored again. Then they scored. Then Dwight scored again and had another disallowed. In between Mark Draper got sent off and Dwight hit the post. It could have finished up six each and if you're going to lose, this is the way to do it. Last time Newcastle were on Sky in a 4-3 it was called Match of the Century. Was it any better than this one?

2nd October McGrath goes on the transfer list, Everybody's blaming each other. The Evening Mail, as usual, has been whipping up the drama. It's not a pretty sight.

4th October: But it could be much worse. Small Heath broke the law so they got took to court. David Sullivan says it means the council and supporters are against him. The rest of us have to obey the rules, but not the mighty Mr Sullivan, oh nosireebob. Anyway, he's selling up. Billy Smart and Chipperfields are interested,

7th October: Cancel that previous bit In the most dramatic U-turn since David Sullivan last changed his mind about selling Small Heath, David Sullivan changes his mind about selling Small Heath.

10th October: It's Derby, it's £100,000 and more depending on appearances and that's all you can say.

12th October: Spurs 1 Villa 0. Another three points dropped for the want of a goalscorer, For at least the first half hour we were well in control and should have gone in at half time three or four goals up. The second half was notable for a Spurs goal, what was possibly the first ever triple substitution, involving Milosevic, Draper, Townsend, Johnson, Joachim and Tiler, and a debate on whether Spurs space-age away seats are worth twenty quid. Bosnich got booked for acting like a prat but it was nothing to get worked up about.

13th October: However, some people spend their entire lives looking for ways they can be offended.

16th October: Despite apologising to Alan Sugar and everybody else he can think of, Bosnich is I charged with misconduct by the FA.

17th October We think we've got problems. Compared to the deaths of 83 people at the Guatemala v Costa match they're not much.

19th October: Villa 2 Leeds Utd 0. Another typical performance. We had almost all of the play, but still struggled to score. Staunton went off injured and the defence looked more secure with Riccardo Scimeca in his place, giving us three natural central d4efenders in the team. The goals went in through sheer weight of chances created rather than any act of genius, although Sasa Curcic showed yet again that he's getting better with every match. Dwight and Super Tom were the only goal scorers, although with a decent striker we could have got half a dozen. Leeds are a poor team, they look bad enough to get relegated but although it wasn't a vintage performance a win's a win and very welcome it was too. The most heartening point of the day was the crowd - a sell-out to see Villa who are in a bad spell against poor opposition. That's the kind of support we can command and it knocks the puerile boasts about potential from the other club in this city into the next universe.

21st October: Reports indicate that Savo's off to Italy for £5 million and Pierre van Hooydonk or Stan Collymore are arriving.

22nd October: John Gregory joins Wycombe as their manager, and good luck to him

23rd October: Leeds 0 Villa 1 took place in a ground that was barely a third full, and the match equalled the low-key atmosphere. Leeds did their best work in the first fifteen minutes, but after that there was only ever going to be one winner. Even when they scored we knew that a goal was inevitable, and lan Taylor got one a minute later. Dwight got a winner and as a reward we might be going to Selhurst Park. Sasa is fast becoming a Superhero and the rest of the team didn't have much to do to beat a team who are in serious trouble, but they did it well enough. With luck our bad spell is over and we can look forward to the next stage of the season, meanwhile, reality kicks in when Perugia say they're not paying £5 million for Save, who according to Brian isn't leaving anyway.

25th October: Franz Carr leaves for Reggiana on a free transfer. And good luck to him.

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