Portsmouth were told yesterday that they would not be allowed to represent England in the Europa League next season, which is an entirely correct decision in my opinion. I know, I would say that, wouldn’t I? Let’s be frank; reaching the FA Cup final is a fantastic achievement and the fans deserve their day at Wembley, but the way the club has been run should not be rewarded with a jolly to Europe.
If I were in any way
In short, no.
Then again, maybe it is… eventually.
Maybe no one really remembers the runner-up, but they’re rightly rewarded with cold hard currency which is needed to help finance next year’s campaigns. I’ve never made a secret of my opposition to the rich benefactor approach or my pride at the Villa way of doing things right now. I’m pretty certain that I’m not in the minority there.
I want to see Aston Villa challenging for titles at home and abroad as much
Last season, possibly around this time of year, Aston Villa were looking fairly solid in the top four and, by contrast, Arsenal were really struggling to show their quality. We all know how it turned out, so no need to go over old ground, but one particular piece of banter from a section of the Arsenal support stuck in my mind. On a number of occasions I stumbled on a Gooner opining that Aston Villa would not be
It was another Europa League night without Aston Villa tonight. I know, I know, I should be over it by now.
I’ve just finished watching a fine, battling performance by Rapid Vienna at Celtic Park earning a 1-1 draw. Although Celtic certainly went at the visitors, especially in the second half, in fairness it was a defensive error from Rapid that allowed the hosts to get back on level terms.
This Rapid Vienna side comfortably beat current top of Bundesliga
Today is Match Day 1 in the Europa League and it’s a massive shame that Aston Villa won’t be taking part. It’s ironic that a strong, balanced squad has finally been assembled just in time to miss out on a major competition that would have stretched the squads of the past.
I was reading Martin O’Neill’s reflections today and he is equally sad to be missing out and also recognises the opportunity to utilize the squad that’s slipped through his
I find an inherent beauty in simplicity and truly believe that the best solutions to most of the world’s problems are naturally simplistic. However, I must confess a sinfully lustful attraction to the occasional bit of complication on the side. And if it’s complication that you’re after, you need look no further than a European football tournament administered by UEFA.
Have you ever stopped to ponder why England, Spain and Italy all get to send 4 teams each to
The good news is that Aston Villa won, making two on the trot now. The bad news is that the 2-1 scoreline wasn’t enough and the Villans have been knocked out of Europe at the first hurdle on the dreaded away goals rule. Actually, it’s not so much a crash as a whimper.
The reality is that we’ve witnessed 6 hours of competitive football from Villa in 2009/10 and we’ve seen one solitary goal from open play. Pretty
The mood going into this game is markedly different from a few days ago. Funny what a little victory at Anfield can do, isn’t it?
On a serious note though, Martin O’Neill has voiced his confusion at the half-time boos the team received during the opening day match at home to Wigan. ‘Confusion’ is probably the wrong word – to quote the manager; he was “staggered” at the fans’ reaction, as was I.
However, Villa go into this game needing
The fourth round and final round of qualification for the Group Stage of the Champions League was completed tonight, with the 10 losers being dumped down into the Europa League.
Sheriff, København, Celtic, Timişoara, Sporting, Panathinaikos, Levski Sofia, Anderlecht, Salzburg and Ventspils with be entered into the draw for the Europa League Group Stage along with the 38 winners from Play Off Round, which will hopefully include Villa.
It’s looking likely that Levski Sofia will also be a Pot 3 team with