The_Steve ponders the new season.
Is it me... Or is there a renewed sense of togetherness in the squad? After the departure of Kersa and Culverhouse. Lambert giving the squad a clean break and bringing some leaders to the squad, we are seeing the fruits of that labour.
When our senior players like Guzan/Senderos reassure or celebrate at full-time with our younger players (e.g. Baker/Grealish) it makes a world of difference from last season.
For a squad often bereft of confide
With the relegation battle in full swing, both Aston Villa and Crystal Palace will be desperate to put real distance between them and the pit of abyss floating menacingly below them. The pair are locked on 34 points, seven clear of Fulham in 17th, with a win for either side practically ensuring Premier League survival for another year.
For that reason, this weekend's match is one of the most important for both sides, and you can be sure it'll be a close encounter. Villa have been struggling i
Premier League leaders Chelsea will travel to Villa Park on Saturday, with Paul Lambert's side out to avenge their controversial defeat to the Blues back in August.
Villa went down 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in a feisty encounter that left the players feeling mightily aggrieved following a number of questionable decisions from referee Kevin Friend.
Now with only 6 points separating them from the relegation zone, Villa need to keep up their good form following the 4-1 win over Norwich at the be
It's because they always do the right thing. It took a lot for us to be relegated, no investment for years (remember everyone excited at potentially signing Houlihan for £1 million), and god awful ownership and direction at CEO level, terrible recruitment of management staff, using the club as a proving ground for new managers. The academy seemed to dry up between 2008-2014 bar Grealish who was too young, keeping poisonous, useless freeloaders like Gabby around for way too long. And it took years of this to come to a head.
Eventually it took selling the whole spine of the team, Vlaar Delph Benteke and replacing them with League One standard players or French youngsters who couldn't integrate that got us relegated.
Everton always seem to keep their players as much as possible to limit disruption, make largely logical management recruitments, and get a bit of luck. If they sold DCL, Pickford and Onana and gave Zola the job they'd be in the same boat as we were.
Its the 75th anniversary kit of when the team was all killed in a plane crash. They were apparently one of the greatest teams in history and reigning champions