Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast My Old Man Said — An Aston Villa Podcast

Can Unai Emery take Aston Villa deep in the Champions League? Is that the question people should really be asking, rather than nonsense about Manchester United? With the first of two stiff tests passed, we look at what's different this season from last. Some of the data is a surprise, while other insights are encouraging for the season ahead.

The show begins with a prologue, a clip from a 1978 documentary on Villa's last opponents, Manchester City, with sentiments that eerily echoing their recent endeavours. While we reflect back once again to the recent game at Villa Park, we also look at the main differences already forming between this season and last.

The Three Points takes in the Independent Football Regulator's State of the Game report and football's latest adventures in technology. While Emery's Clipboard belongs to Nicolas Jackson, who is faced off against Ollie Watkins in terms of their active sprints in a game.

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Credits:

David Michael - @myoldmansaid  | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame

This Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT

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Aston Villa beat Manchester City 2-1 at Villa Park to earn their first home league win of the season. Nicolas Jackson scored twice, either side of Erling Haaland's header, and ended City's winning start under Enzo Maresca.

The post-mortem begins with the atmosphere: City booed on every touch, inflatable bananas that were soon deflated, and a first half the show calls a delight. Then the three points of the game. First, how Villa matched City across the pitch, with Matty Cash and Ian Maatsen both excellent at full-back and Cash's duel with Jérémy Doku a highlight. Second, Zion Suzuki, who has made Emiliano Martínez's departure feel like a distant memory. Third, Unai Emery's substitutions, with the show's theory of Villa 2.0 in the starting line-up and a potential Villa 3.0 on the bench.

The show also looks at Jackson's finishing and how different he is from his predecessor, the refereeing and the physical battle, and what the win says about the level Villa have reached already. There is talk of the Champions League, Barcelona away as the real test, and Speed Demon, where the show suspects the numbers are wrong.

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Credits:

David Michael - @myoldmansaid  | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame

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Aston Villa's Champions League campaign under Unai Emery has been built on control, and the league-phase win over Viking FK at Villa Park may be the clearest example yet. Villa held the game for the first half with a shape few expected: a back three and no full-backs, with Tyrone Mings, Victor Lindelöf and Pau Torres alongside a hybrid right-back in João Gomes.

"We played a very serious match, disciplined, organised, and then tried to impose ourselves and dominate with our capacity, both collectively and individually," said Emery.

Villa won 3-1, their third victory from three, with Ross Barkley's near-post header, Emiliano Buendía's penalty and an effort from Alysson Edward given as an own goal. The show calls the first half the most controlled it has seen under Emery, and asks how much was his plan and how much was Viking's lack of threat.

Then we look at the individual contributions and the bigger questions, as Villa surprise a few and begin their Champions League in confident fashion.

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Credits:

David Michael - @myoldmansaid  | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame

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Aston Villa host Viking FK at Villa Park in the Champions League league phase, after the weeks back-to-back wins - a 6-0 win over Fenerbahçe and a 1-0 win at Newcastle United on Saturday. The show's warning is simple: this is the kind of game Villa are expected to win, and Scandinavian sides have a history of punishing complacency.

The team news is a mess on the left. Matteo Ruggeri is out for around two months, Aaron Wan-Bissaka for several weeks and Johan Manzambi sits this one out as a precaution. Ian Maatsen is back in training and touch and go. Taylor Harwood-Bellis is now registered in the Champions League squad under UEFA's 60-day injury rule, so the show asks who plays left-back: a managed Maatsen, Tyrone Mings or Pau Torres, or even Lamare Bogarde.

Viking, the show argues, are not a makeweight. A well-drilled side who like to play on the front foot, score freely and will offer a test for Unai Emery's recent work on his defensive unit.

Empty seats and the club seemingly dumping tickets on the secondary market, prove that they were wrong to have prices up to £99 for members for such a game. Plus there's December fixture changes, and the latest press reports on Manchester City's sanction.

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Credits:

David Michael - @myoldmansaid  | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame

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Two away wins in a row and two clean sheets in a week raise the question this episode asks: has Aston Villa's defence turned a corner, or has it only met two weak sides? Villa beat Newcastle United 1-0 at St James' Park, showing plenty of resilience, as Johan Manzambi’s header from a João Gomes cross in the first half gave them the win.

The show weighs the evidence as to whether Unai Emery has fixed his defensive issues: Matty Cash's late recovery to stop a clean-through forward, Zion Suzuki's save, Victor Lindelöf's growing seniority, Tyrone Mings against the high balls, Boubacar Kamara looking like himself again and a calming cameo from Leon Goretzka.

It also marks where it still frays. Ross Barkley's timing, despite positive displays, Ibrahim Mbaye and Nicolas Jackson both failed to square for a teammate, and the left side is thinning with Aaron Wan-Bissaka's hamstring, Matteo Ruggeri out and Ian Maatsen only just back in training.

Speed Demon and Lazy B*stard return, with a new Villa season record. Unai Emery has his 100th Premier League win, and the show makes its case that the rebuild is ahead of schedule, before Viking and Manchester City ask harder questions.

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Credits:

David Michael - @myoldmansaid  | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame

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Aston Villa beat Fenerbahçe 6-0 at Villa Park in the Champions League league phase. It was Villa's biggest European win and Unai Emery's biggest as Villa manager. Johan Manzambi opened the scoring on his 21st birthday, Nicolas Jackson added two, Ross Barkley scored twice inside a five minute spell, and Tammy Abraham made it six at the death.

The post-mortem starts with the clean sheet. After weeks of worry about how Villa defend at home, Emery's own half-time talk about the mid and low block is a good place to begin, and the show asks why this team looked so much better in transition once the second half got going. It also looks at Fenerbahçe's lively start, the saves from Zion Suzuki that kept it goalless, and why an older side faded.

Jackson gets the attention, his brace supporting the argument that he is the replacement Villa hoped Ollie Watkins would be. Plus, Manzambi's role and his impact as a hybrid forward who can move between positions is covered.

The rest is about depth: Barkley, Abraham, Alysson, Aaron Wan-Bissaka at left-back and Leon Goretzka's Villa debut.

A great night at Villa Park

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Aston Villa drew 2-2 with Brentford at Villa Park in the Premier League, leaving them still without a league win at home this season. Unai Emery went with Tyrone Mings over Pau Torres to deal with Brentford's set pieces, which seemed the right move in the first half, as the long throw-ins rained in, until a misplaced pass put a question mark over Villa's ability to play through Brentford's press.

Brentford certainly arrived with a plan to rough Villa up, the referee let it happen, and Villa's attempts to fight fire with fire keep looking petulant. Nicolas Jackson and Johan Manzambi impressed despite being up against it, as Brentford swamped them, before Ibrahim Mbaye's pace off the bench hinted at a better balance.

Most of the worry though sits further back: Boubacar Kamara still looking off the pace after injury, an Ezri Konsa-shaped hole in the defence, no fit left-back and Taylor Harwood-Bellis not even on the bench. Leon Goretzka, still absent, could be the answer to the defensive balance of the team or a complete red herring - hopefully, we'll get a chance to find out soon.

There is also the Speed Demon and LB segments, and North Stand musings.

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Aston Villa host Brentford at Villa Park in their first game after the extended international break, still looking for a first home league win of the season. With the Bees currently fourth in the Premier League table, built on set pieces, and with a decent recent record against Villa, it'll be a good test of where this new Villa team are at.

There's a look at how the break went for Villa's new signings and who is still missing: Matty Cash's dead leg for Poland looks like a scare rather than a problem, but Leon Goretzka remains absent and is ruled out for this one.

Champions League ticket pricing takes a proper hammering, as the price point fails to sell out to members for the first two home games. Emery's Clipboard turns to EA FC 27, where Villa's squad rating has dropped off, but the metrics involved tell several other stories.

The Three Points cover the Football Leaks whistleblower still waiting on his crowdfunder, a Highland League club's thank-you to Stephen King, and a Concacaf Nations League match in which a footballer's hair took two opponents with it.

The show also gives its verdict on Manchester City's guilty finding, with firm opinions on the punishment, and the MOMS Pools panel disagree three ways.

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Aston Villa's international break has produced progress on some fronts and raised a few new questions, and this catch-up takes stock before a full main show lands ahead of Brentford at Villa Park. The headline event was a 3-1 friendly win at Sevilla in the Antonio Puerta Memorial Trophy, played in honour of the Sevilla midfielder who died in 2007 and also a tribute to Unai Emery's three straight Europa League wins with the club.

The friendly offered something a friendly rarely does: a strong midfield, a proper trip, and goals from Garnacho and Barkley plus an emphatic third from Max Jenner. Brian Madjo is back and the show wonders if Emery will make provisions to use him alongside Nicolas Jackson, when suitable to. Leon Goretzka remains a ghost-like figure in terms of the Villa set-up, he has trained with the group but hasn't played with his teammates yet in any friendlies.

There's also the question of Zion Suzuki and the Asian Cup, with the Japanese international potentially missing eight games in the new year.

The second half of the catch-up turns to Manchester City, found guilty on all charges bar one by an independent Commission and are now appealing. It covers what the verdict means for Villa in practice, why punishment that only arrives retrospectively can't repair a decade, and why Villa's own history means the grievance has a ceiling.

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The Mad Few Listener Q & A is back in the first of a planned recurring format: 30 minutes, no more, answering listener questions from Match Club and the Mad Few Facebook group.

The questions range wide: who succeeds John McGinn as captain once his generation moves on, with no obvious heir yet established among the new arrivals; how last season's alumni have fared since leaving, and why Zion Suzuki's long passing is being read as a deliberate tactical answer to high pressing rather than a novelty; and where Alejandro Garnacho actually stands in the pecking order, with his contract's exit route still unclear.

There's also a proper run through Villa's identity: a case for a long-overdue club museum built around the fact that Aston Villa effectively founded the Football League, a debate about renaming the new North Stand, and the surprising origin story behind the "Crazy Train" walkout song. Plus: the Emery-to-Manchester-United speculation gets tackled....two-footed.

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With the international break in full swing and there still being two weeks until Aston Villa return to action, this main show takes stock of the potential upside to the squad that Unai Emery was actually built. Six of the summer's ten signings started together for the first time against Tottenham, and this episode digs into what that means going forward.

There's a proper look at Zion Suzuki, whose passing range is framed by Emery himself as a specific tactical response to how Premier League teams are evolving.

There's a closer look at the Manzambi-Jackson combination that clicked against Spurs, and the search for a third attacking outlet to turn a promising pairing into a genuine front three. Johan Manzambi is also compared to a late Villa great.

There's also a considered look at where Leon Goretzka actually fits once he's fit and why this young, multilingual squad is being framed as an all new fresh start rather than a repeat of last season.

Villa news covers the Carabao Cup fourth-round draw away at Bournemouth, injuries, Champions League ticket pricing, and Villa reaching a new top flight milestone. Three Points brings a shirt withdrawn over an unfortunate design coincidence, a Pope gifted a Sunderland shirt, and a Benfica falconer's alleged double life.

Also, My Old Man Said joins Jürgen Klopp in sponsoring the home and away shirts of Hout Bay United in South Africa.

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Aston Villa won 3-2 away at Tottenham Hotspur for their first Premier League win of the season, after leading 3-0 and then conceding twice late. It came at a timely moment: three weeks of international-break stewing would have felt a lot longer stuck in the bottom three.

This post-mortem starts with Johan Manzambi, whose first Premier League start brought a goal and an assist in a free role behind Nicolas Jackson. Jackson also bagged his first Premier League goal for Villa, while Emiliano Buendía returned to scoring bangers (again, against Spurs) to make it 3-0.

After pointing out Zion Suzuki's distribution in previous shows, it's time to turn our attention to his shot-stopping, as Tottenham tested him throughout the first half, and the Japanese international ultimately laid the foundations for the away win.

The show also does't ignore the late wobble, as no doubt Unai Emery won't: two avoidable goals from a 3-0 lead, substitutions that felt like changes for the sake of changes, and the game-management theme that links this the game to the Forest one at Villa Park.

There's also this week's Speed Demon and Lazy B, a look at what "Emery 2.0" actually means with six of the ten summer signings starting together for the first time, and a reframing of a stodgy start: three away wins in three competitions, perfect starts in the Champions League and Carabao Cup, and out of the bottom three in the Premier League.

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Aston Villa travel to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Saturday for the early kick-off, with both clubs still chasing a first league win of the season. Both teams will want to be heading into the international break outside of the bottom three, with Villa needing the win to achieve that.

The preview looks at Tottenham's big-spending summer: a squad of ready-made signings, an ownership that has chosen to back its manager after Daniel Levy's departure, and a side that keeps creating chances without finishing them. It sets that against Villa's very different rebuild — younger, higher-ceiling, and still without a settled first XI due to various fitness and availability issues.

With Ian Maatsen out for six to eight weeks and Pau Torres missing, the full-back positions and the balance of the midfield could decide the game, and there's a case for João Gomes' defensive bite being essential against Spurs' new midfield set-up.

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Also, a light is shown on the reality of Villa's Champions League league-phase ticket pricing, not having any impact on bridging the gap with the Sky Six, including Tottenham.

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We look back at a fairly routine Carabao Cup win against Coventry City, but a game nonetheless that was important in the scheme of things for the season to come. Also, will the Carabao Cup play a more important part to Villa's season than first expected?

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Aston Villa lost at home to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, a result that leaves Unai Emery still searching for a first win in his career against Oliver Glasner. This post-mortem show of the My Old Man Said podcast starts with the moment that shaped the whole second half: Nicolas Jackson hooked off at half-time as a yellow-card precaution, with Alysson brought on ahead of Alejandro Garnacho and Johan Manzambi — a change that left John McGinn shunted out to the left and the team's shape compromised before Forest had even sensed the opportunity.

There's a look at exactly how Forest bullied their way through Villa's midfield and defence in the second half, and why MOMS think Villa's longstanding reluctance to match physicality is a structural and attitude issue rather than bad luck on the day.

Elsewhere, this week’s Speed Demon stats reveal some surprises. There’s also a frank discussion about what this heavily rebuilt squad can realistically be judged on at the moment. Gomes’ return remains the only genuinely positive development heading into the Coventry City cup game and the trip to Spurs in the final league game before the international break.

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Aston Villa host Nottingham Forest at Villa Park in the Premier League on Saturday, looking for a first league win of the season. The game comes off the back of Villa's first win of their Champions League campaign, a 3-2 victory away at Club Brugge. This week's Villa News starts with the additional benefits of the win beyond the three points.

There's a proper look at Forest under new manager Oliver Glasner, who inherits a back-three system and a Villa Park record that has been anything but kind to visitors from the City Ground in recent seasons. Yet, Unai Emery has faced Glasner seven times in his managerial career — every one of them against Glasner's Crystal Palace - and has never won, losing five. No manager has played Emery more often and stayed unbeaten. Saturday has added motivation for the Villa boss to get Villa's first three league points of the season.

Elsewhere: the distance-covered numbers that explain why Boubacar Kamara keeps getting substituted for Ross Barkley, whether or not the online reaction likes it; the ongoing case of George Hemmings starting ahead of three considerably more expensive summer signings; and two stories that have nothing to do with Villa at all but earned their place anyway - Manchester City's baffling influencer-marketing push and a non-league goalkeeper who's about to become an actual king.

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Aston Villa have finally scored a goal(s) and got their first win of the season, beating Club Brugge 3-2 away in their Champions League league-phase opener. Villa raced into a 3-1 half-time lead, before holding out in the closing stages in a genuine test of nerve.

This post-mortem covers a landmark night for John McGinn, who scored his twelfth European goal to become Villa's all-time leading scorer in continental competition, and a complete performance from Pau Torres, who set up two of Villa's three goals before digging in defensively as Brugge pushed for an equaliser. It also covers the growing case for Zion Suzuki's distribution as a genuine tactical weapon rather than a novelty, and an unconventional piece of game management from Emery that worked out, even if it broke a few unwritten rules along the way.

With Nottingham Forest at home up next in the Premier League, this is a show that celebrates the official start to Villa's season and dares to look at the seeds of hope that might evolve into a big surprise for anyone who isn't a Villa supporter.

Now, has anybody seen Johan Manzambi? It's time for him to join the party.

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Aston Villa open their Champions League league account away at Club Brugge, a fixture Villa know well from their run to the competition two seasons ago and a genuine litmus test after an underwhelming start to the Premier League season. Europavision — the podcast's dedicated European show— returns to look at what has changed with Club Brugge since Villa's last encounters with them.

This preview covers Bruges's recent record as one of European football's most consistent Champions League "gatekeepers," a rebuilt attack led by a new-look front three, and the kind of two-way trading model that's kept them competitive on a fraction of the budget of Champions League sides in the bigger leagues.

It also covers a genuine surprise: Unai Emery's omission of both Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Brian Madjo, from Villa's Champions League squad entirely.

Expect a look at Villa's likely lineup, the case for and against throwing in some of the summer's more attacking new faces, and where this fits into a season still waiting for its first properly convincing performance and result.

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Guest appearance: Armen Mirzoian - @VillanArmen

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Aston Villa were held to a goalless draw away at Hull City in the Premier League, a result that flattered the hosts on the day. Villa finished with the better expected goals (1.74 to 0.58), thirteen shots to Hull's four, and three big chances missed to Hull's two — but only one shot on target across the whole ninety minutes was enough to explain the scoreline. it's the same one shot that they've had in all of their three games so far this season.

This My Old Man Said post-mortem episode centres on Unai Emery's approach of not throwing new signings in, Buendia's missing out on his chance to be a main man, and how Ross Barkley, at least, is giving Villa some semblance of control in games.

The show also looks ahead to a Champions League trip to Club Brugge, and explains a squad-registration decision that's raised eyebrows: why Taylor Harwood-Bellis, one of Villa;s deadline day's headline signings, isn't in Villa's European squad at all.

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With the transfer window shut and 10 new summer signings now on the books, this week's Main Show turns its attention to one man in particular: Taylor Harwood-Bellis. The centre-back needs to be quietly competent rather than spectacular if this rebuild is going to hold together. The show works through his winding route to Villa Park — loan spells, a relegation at Southampton, an England call-up earned along the way, and the awkward parts of his reputation.

Villa News covers deadline day itself, including Leon Bailey's move to Olympiacos finally getting the wages off the books, and the Three Points segment takes in UEFA's new Champions League debut-patch trading cards, a Lazio supporter boycott, and the yearly tradition of playing football in a Gloucestershire river.

The show closes by looking ahead to the trip to Hull City and the aim of trying to avoid being mauled by the tigers, who currently sit third in the Premier League.

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Aston Villa lost 1-0 at home to Arsenal in the Premier League, a game settled by one clinical moment from the league's most functional side. It's a result that leaves Villa without a shot on target for the second match running, but there's plenty of mitigating circumstances for the season's slow start.

Zion Suzuki made his full Villa Park debut in goal and was the standout performer with his distribution impressing. Nicolas Jackson also started, similar in profile to Ollie Watkins but still finding his feet after a couple of training sessions. In the stands were Villa's two deadline-day transfers, Ibrahim Mbaye and Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who sat next to Leon Goretzka and Johan Manzambi, who both weren't at full fitness yet. Hopefully, some of the new boys will be in the squad for the trip to Hull City, though.

This Post-Mortem covers the contentious penalty decisions, a familiar team structure, checks out who the Speed Demon was, and builds the case for why a repeated no-shots-on-target scoreline doesn't yet mean what it might look like from the outside — a squad still waiting for the version of itself that's actually finished being built.

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Aston Villa's great big summer rebuild continues as nine new incomings have been confirmed as the transfer deadline approaches. The latest MOMS main show catches up on the latest news, Three Points and Emery's Clipboard, before looking at the centre-forward and goalkeeper position, which could be key to the season ahead.

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Aston Villa's Champions League league-phase opponents are confirmed: Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, Fenerbahçe and Viking all visit Villa Park, while Villa face trips to Barcelona, Club Brugge (again), Galatasaray and Slavia Prague.

We assess what lies ahead for the rebuilt Villa team, fixture by fixture: from the reality of an away day at a two-thirds-rebuilt Camp Nou to the banana skin potential of an organised Viking side at Villa Park. Could another European away day to Brugge actually be a blessing in disguise? There's also a third trip this year for Unai Emery's boys to Istanbul. 

None of it is straightforward to call. This is a Champions League campaign where it is hard to judge expectations of a team we haven't seen play yet, as the players are still being signed and coming through the door. Despite that factor, we judge the difficulty of what lies ahead and what's needed to progress.

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Aston Villa's 2026/27 Premier League season opened with a 4-0 defeat away at Brighton, a result that owed as much to what wasn't on the team sheet as what happened on the pitch. No recognised striker started. Ezri Konsa was long gone, while Emiliano Martínez remains missing, training alone and potentially bomb squaded along with Leon Bailey. And Ollie Watkins — absent from training, his locker cleared at Bodymoor, and deep in talks with Al Hilal — was nowhere near the squad at all.

This post-mortem covers the collapse in detail: the mix-up that gifted Brighton their opener, four goals conceded in twenty-three first-half minutes, João Gomes seeing red, and a Villa side with no shots on target across the 90 minutes. It sets out why the Watkins situation looks unrecoverable, what three years of dismantled combinations actually costs a squad entering the Champions League, and what's genuinely needed before the international break arrives.

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Aston Villa may have lost their 100% run in European finals in their Super Cup loss to Paris Saint-Germain in Salzburg, but it provided an insight into the actual starting line-up for the upcoming Premier League season, despite most fans thinking it was a one-off changed line-up in terms of a competitive game. Brian Madjo's goal was the night's one moment of real distinction, making the 17-year-old the youngest player ever to score in a Super Cup final. This week's episode is a catch-up recorded before the season proper begins, working through what is actually happening and what it means.

The decision to name Emiliano Martínez, Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins in the squad but not play any of them is picked apart directly, alongside the individual performances that did go well — Madjo's redemption arc after missing earlier chances. We also look at the goalkeeper saga that's reopened: the move for Zion Suzuki from Parma and Juventus playing footsy with Martinez, only to do the dirty on him.

It closes on the bigger picture — the scale of this summer's overhaul, described on the show as bigger than anything seen under Unai Emery at Villa so far, and the uncertainty it brings for the season ahead.

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Aston Villa face Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup final at Stadion Salzburg on Wednesday 12 August — Europa League holders against Champions League holders. An unlikely win will lift Villa up a tier in English teams in terms of European royalty, as not many can boast two Super Cup wins to their name. This week's episode asks the question the squad list can't quite answer yet: is Emery's side actually ready, with the transfer window still open and noticeably weaker than in recent seasons due to injuries and World Cup returning player doubts.

The team-news picture is complicated. Lucas Digne's move to PSG has finally been made official, weeks after it was widely reported as done. Johan Manzambi is a confirmed absentee, having knee treatment with no return date given. And the three World Cup finalists — Emiliano Martínez, Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins — are only just back in training (we hope) after three weeks off, leaving Unai Emery to decide how much to risk from the opening whistle.

Villa have five players missing from the XI who started Villa's last competitive meeting with PSG — Marcus Rashford, Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Amadou Onana and Digne - and there hasn't been an upgrade on any of the positions. If nothing else, the game will provide an unflinching assessment of where the squad actually stands with just over two weeks to go to the new season. At best, Villa, with a bit of luck will carry on their proud unbeaten European final history.

Odds, history, and one very specific plan for Alejandro Garnacho — this week's episode has the full build-up before kick-off.

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Just over a fortnight out from the Premier League opener at Brighton, this week's episode asks the question Villa's midfield can't avoid: is it actually good enough for the Champions League and this season? Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers are both gone. João Gomes and, everyone hopes, Johan Manzambi are meant to replace them — not like for like, but as a different way of playing altogether.

The conversation works through the practical questions first. Is Gomes the same kind of deep-lying orchestrator Tielemans was, or something with more bite and less silk? Can Boubacar Kamara handle a full season without breaking down again, and would shifting him fractionally further forward protect him or just expose someone else? Where does Manzambi actually play — box-to-box eight, wide left, or as the ten Villa haven't reliably had since Rogers' best form — and does Alejandro Garnacho's arrival settle that question or complicate it further?

It broadens from there into the harder conversation underneath all of it: whether this is a refresh or a genuine rebuild, and whether a club can safely attempt one of those in the same summer it returns to the Champions League. There's also the cautionary tales of clubs like West Ham and Spurs, and indeed historic Villa, in terms of what can come on the heels of European glory.

No predictions or certainty — just an honest account of how much of this squad remains genuinely unknown with the season weeks away.

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The preseason catch-up show returns with the foundations of Villa's summer transfer business largely settled — Johan Manzambi, João Gomes and Alejandro Garnacho in, Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne, and Morgan Rogers out. Also we reflect on Villa player's impact on the summer's World Cup.

From there it's Villa news — the North Stand rebuild, injury concerns and Brian Madjo's registration appeal success. The Three Points has a shirt theme, while Emery's Clipboard tries to unearth more Buendia's.

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Aston Villa's summer took another turn this week: Morgan Rogers completed a British-record £117m move to Chelsea rather than Arsenal, João Gomes' switch from Wolves was announced, while João Palhinha's loan from Bayern Munich is less straightforward than it looked.

This week's episode goes back over the week that was and explains why Chelsea, not Arsenal, always made more sense once the pieces were on the table — Johan Manzambi's arrival, the timing of the announcement, and what it signalled about who Villa expected to be negotiating with. There's a breakdown of João Gomes' fit alongside Boubacar Kamara, an honest look at where the Palhinha deal actually stands, and the developing left-back competition between Pervis Estupiñán and Ian Maatsen.

There's also a proper explanation of Squad Cost Ratio, the rule that has replaced PSR this season, and why it changes the calculation on every sale Villa make from here. Plus: Emiliano Martínez's finger and Ezri Konsa's situation.

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Aston Villa's transfer window has gone from silent to frantic inside a week. Youri Tielemans has had his £35m release clause triggered to join Manchester United, Lucas Digne has had his release clause triggered to, as he's heading to join Paris Saint-Germain, and Johan Manzambi is arriving from SC Freiburg.

We look at what frames it all, the restrictive UEFA settlement Villa have in place and the fact they desperately need to refresh an aging squad, that is one of the oldest in the Premier League.

This week's episode gets into why Villa are moving on two influential, well-liked players in the same week, and why that's a rational response to the situation rather than a sign of panic. There's a breakdown of the numbers behind the Tielemans exit — the release clause nobody outside the club knew about, the pure profit it books, the wages it clears — and why Digne's move to PSG might be the cleanest piece of business Villa do all summer.

Then we get into what the incoming Johan Manzambi is all about.

There's also time for the parts of the summer that aren't about the pitch: the Visit Rwanda shirt sponsorship and the ethics around it, and progress on the North Stand rebuild.

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The main show is back. Pre-season friendlies have forming on the horizon, there's a Super Cup to be won, and we know the Premier League fixtures, well, until Sky Sports changes them. The World Cup is on, and while the transfer window is in stasis until the knockout rounds begin in earnest, there is a lot to get through.

We catch up with all the latest news - a positive update on Boubacar Kamara, Villa's key FIFA appeal, progress on Aston train stations, and more.

The Three Points section covers everything from FIFA causing a hotel crisis with a "vacuum of availability" in World Cup host cities to the pitch that caused Boubacar Kamara's injury being under the spotlight.

Emery's Clipboard has a World Cup theme and Villa's English player's impact on the Premier League. 

In the main section of the show, we look at the often forgotten UEFA financial settlement — year two of three — that has not gone away. Most Villa fans understand there is something called PSR that clubs have to navigate. What is less well understood is that UEFA operates its own separate set of rules, and those rules are considerably harder. This is the lens through which everything happening this summer has to be read: the Rogers noise, the Martinez whispers, the quiet on incoming signings.

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The Mad Few is back. For the uninitiated: the name comes from Steve Bruce's affectionate description of Aston Villa supporters who weren't particularly happy with his management. It stuck. So when the questions for MOMS pile up, they become a Mad Few episode.

Part one of at least two covers the season just gone, the questions it raised, and the conversations it opened. It starts where the season ended: relief, disbelief, and a growing suspicion that what just happened might be the best sustained run of results in over forty years.

Was the last week of the season the best since 1982? And where does Istanbul sit in the long history of Villa nights?

The transfer market has already woken up. The Morgan Rogers noise is in full swing — the clickbait farms have him going to every club with a large international fanbase, and the media framing has been, to put it politely, somewhat disrespectful of what Villa are now. The sell-on clause reality and the contract length tell a rather different story to the headlines.

The episode also works through listener questions on Villa legends, statues, redemption arcs, the best non-goal moment of the season, kit history, and a proposed updated closing line of Rise of the Villains.

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The season is done. The trophy is in the cabinet. The top-four finish is banked - literally. And now — with the confetti swept and the open-top bus parked — it's time for the honest debrief.

This week's episode is a free-form end of season conversation covering everything from the new 2026-27 home kit to Ollie Watkins' late-season renaissance, from the tipsy final day at Manchester City to the question that will define next season before it has even started: does this summer's transfer window signal genuine ambition or cautious consolidation?

There's also the numbers. A set of statistics on Emery's Clipboard that reframes the entire 2025-26 narrative, and they're not entirely comfortable reading despite the trophy and the top-four finish. When you look at how Villa performed against the teams they should be beating, the picture is rather different from the one the league table tells.

On pricing, the annual conversation takes a sharper turn. The normalisation of a 5% rise — supporters beginning to treat it as expected — is identified as the real problem, not just the percentage itself.

And the summer. What kind of signing changes the trajectory? What does a catalyst look like? Why does it matter for the players already in the building, not just the ones arriving?

Europa League winners. Fourth in the Premier League. A UEFA Super Cup against PSG on the horizon. The MOMS end of season conversation has a great starting point.

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Aston Villa are Europa League winners. Three-nil against SC Freiburg on a rain-soaked Wednesday night in Istanbul, that ended in the early hours with a trophy cabinet that finally has something new in it.

This post-mortem covers what actually happened — and what it means. From Youri Tielemans' opening volley, which settled every nerve in the ground the moment it hit the corner of the net, to a second-half of focused control. Three picture-perfect strikes. A goalkeeper who broke a finger in the warm-up and played on regardless. A fanbase that spent two seasons fluent in PSR and amortisation getting to remember what football is actually for.

The show also gets into the detail: the jeopardy that never quite materialised, the Freiburg threat that had been flagged and was effectively nullified, and the moments where the game could have tilted differently — and didn't. There's a longer conversation about what winning a second major European trophy does to the meaning of the first one, why this squad's achievement is more improbable than it looks on paper, and what the summer now looks like through a completely different lens.

Thirty years is a long time to wait. Istanbul was worth it.

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Aston Villa face SC Freiburg in the Europa League final in Istanbul on Wednesday — and this week's episode is a full lowdown on the opponents, covering their history, their identity, their key players, and the tactical shape of what awaits. It's everything you need to know.

The episode opens with a verdict that captures the problem succinctly: Villa have to shoot Bambi. Freiburg are 100% fan-owned, operate on a fraction of Villa's transfer budget, have the lowest squad turnover rate in the Bundesliga. The rest of the world will be rooting for the virtuous underdog.

Freiburg have been shaped over three decades by two long-serving managers and a philosophy that puts sustainability at the foundation of their success. Going into the final though they have been hit by a key injury after Suzuki, their Japanese attacking midfielder broke his collarbone earlier this month and is out of the final. His absence strips away the dimension that made Freiburg genuinely difficult to track in the Europa League and makes them a more straightforward proposition. Still, their set piece threat is real.

The show also lands on a clear position going into Wednesday: there is no alternative to winning. Champions League is confirmed. The pressure is gone. This one is for the trophy, and for the supporters who have waited thirty years.

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Aston Villa beat Liverpool 4-2 at Villa Park on Friday evening, sealing Champions League qualification through the league and sending supporters into the Istanbul week in exactly the right frame of mind. The game that looked like a distraction turned into the best possible preparation.

This week's My Old Man Said Post-Mortem opens with the moment that changed everything: the teamsheet. When Emery named the side that beat Nottingham Forest 4-0 in the European semi-final — essentially the expected starting lineup for Wednesday — the game instantly became something else. Not a Premier League fixture to be survived before the main event.

The version of Ollie Watkins that turned up against Liverpool needs to be sent First Class to Istanbul. The aggressive one who fires up the crowd from corners, gives teammates a dressing-down when they get something wrong, and is sharp in front of goal. The version Villa supporters have been asking for all season. He produced a brace and an offside goal that said as much as the goals that counted.

The main difference between the two teams was seen in the attitude of Alexis Mac Allister compared to John McGinn - one was cheaply rolling around feigning injury, while the other gave everything in a commanding performance.

Champions League football is now sealed for Villa and Istanbul is set up nicely. The mood is right. The squad is sharp and firing.

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Aston Villa face Liverpool at Villa Park on Friday evening — the last Premier League fixture before the Europa League final in Istanbul on Wednesday. Champions League qualification still isn't mathematically confirmed through the league.

It should already be wrapped up. It isn't. And that shapes everything about how the Liverpool game needs to be approached — not as a send-off but as unfinished business. The reality is though, Unai Emery and his players will rest up, but will there be at least enough application to make a fight of the game?

This week's main show of the My Old Man Said podcast covers the ground before and after the game. Amadou Onana is touch and go off for Istanbul, Victor Lindelöf likely steps in again, and there's a brief but unavoidable discussion of the Wes Edens extortion story that's currently generating more headlines than any transfer activity.

Emery's Clipboard goes long on Ollie Watkins — who has just been named Aston Villa's Player of the Month for April, a month where he bagged his 100th Villa goal. The show sets that form against a wider argument: where have all the English strikers gone? The numbers go back to 1992-93, and the conclusion is pointed.

The Liverpool preview is the centrepiece. An aging squad, Mohamed Salah's dramatic decline in output, the Trent departure mismanaged, and a team that doesn't work hard without the ball.

The show finishes on the Aston Villa Existential Question: how many new players does this squad actually need in the starting eleven next season?

Istanbul might be a full stop, for this team, with a new era to launch afterwards.

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Burnley away. The home team had only one win during 2026 so far and hadn't scored at home in months. Villa needed a win to pretty much secure Champions League football. The 2-2 draw was bordering on predictable. The My Old Man Said post-mortem dissects a performance that tells you more about the bigger picture than the result: two goals from a corner and a long punt, a performance spectrum throughout this year that drops to low.

Also, we take in Amadou Onana's latest injury and the familiar availability pattern that's plagued Villa across four seasons, Emery's recurring problem with complacency against the bottom three, and why those Forest highs only make the lows feel worse. With Istanbul eight days away, the league campaign is limping to a close. The floor needs raising.

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Villa beat Nottingham Forest 4-0 at Villa Park to reach the Europa League final in Istanbul. Freiburg await. One more job to do to end 30-years of hurt.

Some nights you have a feeling about before a ball is kicked. On a European night, not many English grounds can hold a candle to Villa Park on a European night. The atmosphere was electric and the players on the pitch also made sure they made it an unforgettable night, as well — four goals, a complete performance, and a European final earned in the most emphatic fashion possible.

In this episode the show breaks down a night that had everything. Buendia's unpredictability unlocking the tightest defence in the Premier League's last six games. Watkins aggressive, physical, the version of himself that makes Villa a different team. McGinn having the time of his life, as the autumn of his career is hitting its highest notes. And the Victor Lindelöf decision, questioned beforehand, vindicated completely.

There is also a broader conversation about what this moment means. Also, we look at Freiburg, Villa's silverware drought, and the prospect of a Super Cup, if all goes to plan.

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This Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT

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Before the biggest night at Villa Park in years, a solo My Old Man Said show, with some personal memories and reflections back to 1994, and an honest assessment of what the second leg of the Europa League semi-final requires.

In 1994, Villa were three-nil down at Tranmere in a League Cup semi-final first leg. The fanbase were feeling angry that the club were squandering a real good chance of silverware to put them back on the map, after a difficult decade. The build up to the second leg has parallels, as does the build-up to the final against Manchester United, when Villa's league form had dropped off a cliff before the trip to Wembley.

It was all an example of what a team is capable of when it decides to be.

Recorded in the hours leading up to the Europa League semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest, the show sets out what tonight requires — from Watkins, from Rogers, from McGinn and Tielemans, from the crowd, and from a manager who has four of these trophies already. The Onana absence. The Bogarde question. Whether Forest come to shut up shop or play with the freedom that has defined their recent form. And what it would mean - for the club, for its European legacy, for everything - to be talking about Istanbul tomorrow morning.

No rally call. No clichés. Just the honest picture before the biggest night of the season.

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Credits:

David Michael - @myoldmansaid  | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame

This Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happened against Spurs on Sunday night? Unai Emery elected to shuffle his pack, and there were seven changes, but the line-up wasn't too dissimilar from the one that beat Fenerbahçe away 1-0 in the Europa League. The back four was the same apart from the left-back; the base of the midfield was the same with Bogarde next to Tieliemans, with Sancho and Rogers further forward, and Barkley and Abraham in instead of Watkins and Buendia (who both did come on), but they have been patchy at best anyway. At least against Spurs, you also had Martinez in goal, as Bizot played in Turkey.

Nobody complained about the line-up as they tackled a tough trip to Istanbul.

It was the effort and application of the players that let the team down, not the team sheet. The performance was indefensible, regardless of Thursday.

Conor Gallagher, who had not scored for Spurs all season, scored. Richarlison, who had never scored against Villa, scored. When Buendia's consolation header arrived in the ninety-fifth minute — it was Villa's first shot on target of the entire game.

In this episode the show does not dress it up. The performance was an embarrassment. The team that started was good enough, every player a full international bar one and they put in absolutely nothing. Emery's programme notes talked about laser focus and determination. His body language on the touchline told a different story.

The harder question is what it means for Thursday. With Forest a goal up from the first leg. Villa need to score at least twice at Villa Park to win without penallties. The crowd that was asked to put up with ninety minutes of nothing against Spurs is now being asked to roar the team into a European final.

Everything on the line on Thursday night at Villa Park and only a win can banish what happened against Spurs before it.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Credits:

David Michael - @myoldmansaid  | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame

This Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some Villa supporters have spent the week since the Fulham defeat getting increasingly pessimistic about the Europa League semi-final tie against Nottingham Forest. Especially after the Tricky Trees tonked Sunderland 5-0 in their own backyard. Have they forgotten about Unai Emery's record in this tournament?

In a first impressions solo preview, My Old Man Said host David Michael takes a clear-eyed look at the reasons for genuine confidence, and what Villa actually need from the first leg at the City Ground to set up Villa Park for the occasion it deserves.

UTV

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Credits:

David Michael - @myoldmansaid  | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame

This Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Villa are building a bigger stadium… but as the age profile of the current Aston Villa squad suggests, they will soon need to build a new team too.

With the Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest bubbling away on the horizon for Aston Villa, the main show of My Old Man Said gets up to speed on a series of key issues like Villa's aging squad and the North Stand development, while also looking at the BBC's decision to cancel Football Focus. Need a ticket to the City Ground for the first leg of the Europa League semi-final? We may have a solution for you too.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Credits:

David Michael - @myoldmansaid  | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame

This Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One Eye on Fulham, Both Eyes on Forest

A 1-0 defeat at Craven Cottage that was never really about Fulham.

Villa lost to Fulham on Saturday. Ryan Sessegnon, who has made a habit of tormenting Villa over the years, scored the only goal. Rogers and Watkins missed big chances within thirty seconds of each other that, on another day, would have settled the game before half-time. The four substitutions made simultaneously at the seventy-fourth minute told you everything about where Emery's priorities lie this week.

In this episode the show dissects a passive, lethargic performance and asks the honest question: was this always going to happen in the lead up to the Europa League semi-final first leg at the City Ground? As well as the usual post-mortem proceedings, it also touches on the clash with Forest as it goes along.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Join the show’s listener Facebook group The Mad Few.

Credits:

David Michael - @myoldmansaid  | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame

This Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The most chaotic win of the season. And potentially one of the most significant.

Three-one up and coasting. Then Sancho came on. Then it was three-three. Then Martinez stood up when it mattered most. Then Abraham scored the winner from a Digne cross that could have been measured with a ruler. Ten points clear of Chelsea. Champions League football confirmation is getting closer.

The latest episode of the My Old Man Said podcast show unpacks the full emotional spectrum of a game that had everything — brilliant team goals, inexplicable defensive gaps, a substitution that nearly cost Villa everything, a goalkeeper save that may define their season, and a winner scored by the man whose bench time has been one of the running debates of the past three months.

There is also a wider conversation about what this result means beyond three points. Spurs losing. Chelsea crumbling. The Premier League landscape potentially transforming. If Villa finish fourth and win the Europa League, two of the so-called top six miss out on the Champions League next season. Will it be potentially transformative?

Plus: Emery admitting he expressed all his emotions and needed a rest day to full Match Club meltdown in real time, and the definitive answer to whether Emery's "control" buzzword can survive the Sunderland game.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Credits:

David Michael - @myoldmansaid  | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame

This Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A 4-0 win on the night, 7-1 on aggregate. Aston Villa dispatched Bologna with comfortable ease to set up an all-English Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest.

Villa were three goals up before half-time, Buendia was the player of the night in what may have been his most complete performance in a Villa shirt, and the second half became an extended exercise in managing minutes ahead of Sunderland on Sunday.

In this episode of My Old Man Said, the show breaks down a night that confirmed Villa as legitimate Europa League favourites, and what it revealed about this team when everything clicks. The Bologna captain said after the game that his side simply could not lay a glove on a far superior team. That tells you everything.

There is also a reassessment of the semi-final draw. How Porto flunked their quarter-final against Forest — missed chances, a man sent off inside ten minutes, hitting the woodwork twice despite being down a man. So are Forest lucky to be there?

Plus: We discuss Villa's missed spot-kicks in Europe, the 1897 group getting the whole Trinity Stand on their feet, the Bologna fans buying Villa merch and Sunderland, a proper test this weekend with their two away wins on the bounce and nothing to fear at Villa Park.

UTV

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Credits:

David Michael - @myoldmansaid  | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame

This Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After Villa's first leg 3-1 win in Bologna, the second leg at Villa Park seems to be a formality, but Unai Emery will take in the lessons of Bologna's win in Roma in the previous round. Champions League football isn't quite in touching distance just yet.

In this Europa Vision episode of the My Old Man Said podcast show, we take in the full picture: the Bologna second leg and what Emery needs to do tactically to see it out, the Forest versus Porto quarter-final that is poised far more delicately than expected, and what the rest of the draw means for Villa's route to Istanbul.

On the other side: Freiburg dismantled Celta Vigo 3-0. Betis face Braga. Neither represents the sort of obstacle that has stopped Emery winning this tournament before.

Villa's analysts were already spotted at the Braga versus Betis game. The show's read is clear - if Villa get their league business done in the next four games and arrive in Istanbul without Champions League anxiety, this could be the performance everyone has been waiting for all season.

Also: the Champions League maths, the surprising points target, Victor Lindelof dragging Sweden to the World Cup despite Graham Potter, the warehouse that was sold back to the club for millions and Albert Adomah's impressive milestone in the EFL.

UTV

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Credits:

David Michael - @myoldmansaid  | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame

This Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Villa drew 1-1 at the City Ground. The result was frustrating. The context is encouraging.

Villa came away from the City Ground with a point that felt like less than they deserved. An own goal. A Morgan Rogers chance that clipped the bar. A Watkins one-on-one that should have been buried. A McGinn effort that forced a brilliant save. The xG may have said 0.98 to Villa, but the show's assessment is it should have been three or four.

This Post-mortem episode of the My Old Man Said podcast show breaks down the three pivotal moments of the game — Rogers' contribution to Forest's equaliser, the recurring clinical edge problem, and the Emi Martinez situation that is becoming harder to ignore after a third warm-up withdrawal of the season.

There is also a broader assessment of what the draw means in context. Meanwhile, in the Europa League, Porto's unconvincing performance against Forest in the other quarter-final has shifted the Europa League picture.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Become a MOMS Member for ad-free & extra shows -  MOMS Membership

Join the show’s listener Facebook group The Mad Few.

Credits:

David Michael - @myoldmansaid  | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame

This Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The international break debrief — fixture analysis, form tables, and the stat that puts the West Ham win in optimistic context.

Two wins. Momentum restored. Six points clear of Chelsea, five of Liverpool, with seven games remaining and destiny firmly back in Villa's own hands. The question now is simple: can they do it themselves and not have to rely on others?

In this episode the show takes stock of where Villa are, where their rivals are, and what the fixture list actually looks like for the final stretch. We take a closer look at Chelsea's home form, with a double-header of Manchester City and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in their next two games. Liverpool are juggling the FA Cup and a two-legged PSG tie. United have been the form team since Christmas but face both Chelsea and Liverpool before the season is out.

Elsewhere: injury updates including the new recruits to sickbay and a Viking manuscript that has absolutely nothing to do with Aston Villa.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Become a MOMS Member for ad-free & extra shows -  MOMS Membership

Join the show’s listener Facebook group The Mad Few.

Credits:

David Michael - @myoldmansaid  | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame

This Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The West Ham game was a non-negotiable. Once again, Chelsea and Liverpool had handed Villa the opportunity to take control of the Champions League race and unlike previous fumbles, this time they took it. A McGinn free-kick, a much-needed Watkins' goal, twenty-three shots, and a performance that looked more like the team that had won eleven games in a row than anything seen in the previous two months.

In this episode the My Old Man Said podcast show we break down what actually changed — why the tempo was different, why Sancho suddenly looks like the player clubs have paid six figures a week for, and what McGinn's return means beyond the obvious.

There is also a discussion of whether this is sustainable or whether it took a relegation-threatened West Ham side, forced into an unplanned formation after a warm-up injury, to make Villa look this good.

Elsewhere: Watkins dropped from England and what that means for his remaining season, Tielemans' neat twenty-minute cameo, the Digne versus Madsen question, and why Villa have scored more goals from outside the box than any other team in Europe's top five leagues.

Destiny is in Villa's own hands and it's time for them to do it themselves.

UTV

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Become a MOMS Member for ad-free & extra shows -  MOMS Membership

Join the show’s listener Facebook group The Mad Few.

Credits:

David Michael - @myoldmansaid  | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame

This Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.