Six left, and the one up tonight is a real banana-skin. Rotherham, bang in the middle of the relegation fight, are not going to roll over meekly, and certainly not at home. And Villa, sitting sixth, have little room for error. Which is a bit harsh after six wins in a row. But that’s how it is when you go on a late run.
Villa return to league action at Portman Road, facing an Ipswich Town side who were shown the League Cup door by Exeter and have not exactly gotten off to a flyer in the league. Though Villa fared better in terms of their result, it was hardly vintage stuff, and Villa were rather lucky to keep a clean sheet, never mind advance. Paul Hurst and Steve Bruce will both be looking for more from their teams.
After a dizzying summer, all of a sudden Villa’s first match is upon us. And it seems almost like an afterthought, even thought it’s hugely important for any number of reasons. This is why a traditional season preview just hasn’t been working for me right now. So here’s the crap version.
Negotiating tactic, statement of intent, or both? The big talk for Villa late in the week was that now apparently no one’s for sale. Then, of course, there was the surprising tidbit that Villa had been under a transfer embargo. Which, in retrospect shouldn’t all that surprising. Since we couldn’t afford anyone anyway, doesn’t seem to have done much damage.
As luck would have it, Villa’s aim for eight straight features us away to the Cottagers and potentially missing two of our brightest lights. I don’t know why, but when things are going well, it sort of always seems that someone important gets injured. Which isn’t to say that Villa can’t win without Jack Grealish and/or Albert Adomah.
