Sid Leaves

Gordon Cowans, a legitimate club legend if ever there was one, has left his coaching role at Aston Villa. We’re assured it’s nothing to do with the arrival of new technical director Steve Round, and there’s no reason to think otherwise.

From Sid:

All good things must come to an end someday and it is right to make this change at this time.

Although I will no longer be turning up to work for this great club, I will remain a lifelong supporter.

Under the guidance of the new owner and his management team, I look forward to many years of supporting Aston Villa from the stands as we start the climb back towards our rightful position as the area’s premier football club.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to our wonderful fans who have given me such tremendous support over the years and helped me through the more challenging times in my career. You will always be in my heart.

Even though we don’t often get to see coaches like Cowans in action too often, it’s satisfying to know they’re there behind the scenes, continuing some connection with Villa’s past. Especially a particularly successful period in Sid’s case. He’ll be a big miss for sure.

Jack’s New Deal

Jack Grealish signed a new four-year contract, taking him through to 2020. The old one would have expired in 2018, so it’s basically a two-year extension. And a tasty pay increase I’d imagine.

This season should be a major step forward for Grealish. One benefit of dropping down a division is the slightly lower quality and greatly less media pressure will allow him to really grow into his role in the side. It’s like going out on a long term loan without leaving your club. A win-win if you ignore the ignominy of second tier status. And the massive reduction in revenue. And… no, let’s leave it there.

Let’s just say that a promotion winning campaign in the Championship will be massively beneficial when we’re back where we ought to be. But we’re all hoping it’ll be just the one campaign, obviously.

2016/17 Squad Photo

I enjoy the annual squad photo probably more than is warranted. Looking at the same picture at the end of the season often solicits very different emotions than at the beginning. Right now, I think most of us fans are feeling good about this squad. And we should. It looks like it’s built with this season in mind much more than future seasons. It’s small and manageable, but stacked with experience, character, and a fair bit of quality.

The results haven’t matched the performances thus far, but the performances are encouraging. If it all clicks into place and this lot gel, we have to be a strong contender for automatic promotion.

Related: The newest arrivals, Kodjia and Adomah, got their squad numbers. 26 and 37 respectively. All updated on the squad page.

Aston Villa 2 Nottingham Forest 2

So speaking of results not matching results, “frustrating” was the word most used to describe Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Forest at Villa Park. That’ll happen when you out-shoot your opponent almost 9:1 and still split the points. Especially when your opponent is limited to just three efforts and manages to put two of them in the net.

But we’re leading the league in chance creation, albeit at a very early stage. It looks like we’ve got the talent to finish those chances, it’s hopefully just a matter of time before they start putting them away.

It can’t be too long though. It might be early days, but challenging at the top of the table generally takes a consistent performance over the season. We’re currently averaging a point a game; that needs to double, pronto.

Other Matches

Upcoming Games

14th September: Brentford (H)
17th September: Ipswich (A)