One thing I love about how we have been playing is that hardly anyone in the media is talking about Onana’s injury. Normally, losing a player of his quality would be a major talking point, but we have been performing so well that the discussion has barely been there.

Credit to Gomez, Barkley, Kamara and the other players who have stepped up and ensured we haven’t felt his absence as much as we might have expected.

Honestly, I’m glad we haven’t had to rush Onana back into the team. Let him recover properly and return when he is ready. We need him for the long term, after he comes back from injuries. Having players capable of stepping up in his absence is a testament to the squad Emery has built.

Then there’s Kamara, who remains criminally underrated. It’s almost funny how little attention he gets despite how important he is to the way we play. Long may it continue, because the last thing I want is for the Red and Blue Cartel to start noticing what we have. We need to keep our Lamborghini safe in Birmingham!

And speaking of people noticing what we have, the obsession among Manchester United fans with Unai Emery is becoming ridiculous. They talk about him as though they could get him anytime they wanted. The entitlement is unbelievable.

What they fail to understand is that Emery has influence, autonomy and a genuine voice in how Aston Villa are run. He is building something meaningful within a structure that supports him. Why would he leave that behind for a United side still struggling with deeper problems beyond the manager?

Old Trafford has become a graveyard for managers. One by one, some respected coaches have arrived such as Mourihno, Moyes, Van gaal with big reputations and ambitious plans, only to be swallowed up by the club’s dysfunction, pressure and constant turmoil. The problem has not simply been the coach in the dugout. It has been the environment around them.

Bayern Munich have been linked with Emery before they sign Kompany, yet even their stature and resources could not tempt him away. So what makes United fans think they can get him and some of them is quite funny saying he is only good in small club and can’t manage big team citing PSG where he achieved everything except champions league and Arsenal where he was not given half of the chances they gave Arteta. Why would Emery trade a stable, ambitious project at Villa for a club that has become known as the graveyard for managers?

Manchester United fans need to understand that Emery isn’t just another manager they can add to their wish list. Aston Villa have a project, a structure and ambitions of our own. We are not simply a stepping stone for bigger clubs, and our manager is not automatically available because another fanbase has decided it wants him. I think the statement from Tielemans at the beginning of the season may have delude them. No disrespect to Tielemans, it just so annoying seeing those rumours ngl.

Looking to swing by the club shop one morning next week. Can you still access any parking spaces in front of the shop, or do the North Stand building works mean that there is no parking available on site at the moment? Thanks!

Been here through highs and lows in my opinion the most impactful player since God. Hope he had a nice day with his family after a well fought win.
Hope he stays till the end of his career he is Mr Villa in my eyes.
Captain, Leader, Legend
UTV💜💙

All jokes aside wishing Emi a speedy recovery 💪

With all the injuries at left back, besides activating youngsters, are there any other players who could possibly switch and play that position in an emergency situation?

I read that a few years back, Germany considered moving Goretzka to fullback. Clearly that didn’t occur. Just wondering if there was talk that I missed with any of our other players.

Unlucky that the kid got a 911 style strike on his ankles. But i feel like hes the only one with lungs and pace to naturally play there with so much open space with buendia and manzambi going more central. Makes me think both our back ups for him pulled a hamstring trying to cover it a full 90 . Gotta hope we see him again soon. Otherwise i think playing with a classic winger might be better for our left backs hamstrings.

Are they selling any for any of them still? Looking to get a away goalie kit in particular

was yesterday the lowest number of English qualified players to start a Villa game? Mings the only English player (on the basis that Cash represents Poland)? two Brazilian starters was the highest nationality represented.. a truly diverse lineup!

Continuing to try to reach out to fellow Villans in Northern CA (I run the official Lions Club in Northern CA (based in San Francisco). Goal: to support the connection of Villa supports living in Northern CA in the SF Bay Area and beyond. Who are out there? Give a shout and/or use this form to reach out to us. Let us know which county you currently reside in. https://forms.gle/u8Zc43frovcNGrqD9

"'Running distance, sprints, ball possession, expected goals... We were superior to our opponent in all of them. We weren't overwhelmed. 4-5 chances in the first half... It didn't work out, we couldn't score, they did. These things happen in football."

I’m an American who didn’t inherit a Premier League club, and I’ve recently decided I want to follow the league seriously and find a club I can genuinely invest in.
I’ve been trying to choose based less on current success and more on the qualities I already value in my other teams: history and tradition, strong local identity, competent team-building, development and good scouting, and being competitive without success feeling automatic or purely driven by having the deepest pockets.

My American teams are the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, Purdue University, and FC Cincinnati. Between them, I’ve always gravitated toward tradition and continuity, smart roster building and player development, disciplined/structured teams, and the feeling of watching something meaningful being built.
The more I’ve read about Villa — the history, Villa Park, the supporter culture, the European Cup, the fall and rise, and the current ambition — the more it feels like the best fit for me.

I also plan on dragging my wife and newborn son into this with me, so hopefully there’s room for a few more Villans.

So for those of you who have followed the club for years: what do I need to know that won’t show up in the Wikipedia/history-page version of Aston Villa? What was the moment that made Villa your club?

What should I know about this current squad and its personalities? Which players are especially loved by supporters? What traditions, songs, rivalries, inside jokes, old grudges, or bits of club culture should a new fan learn?

And most importantly: who am I supposed to start hating immediately?

Bad photoshop > AI memes

Since god has anyone had nearly the same impact on our club as unai? Only person close is mcginn

Even if we leave out the (friendly) Sevilla win:

Our last 8 games: W5 D2 L1

Our last 5 games: W4 D1 L0

5 games in a row unbeaten. Lookin' good...

The last time I saw a team that dirty was when the shit beat us 2-1 in the League Cup back in 2010.

I remember Liam Ridgewell booting Ashely Young in the back and the ref and linesmen doing nothing.

Back then there was no VAR.

Today there was no excuse for Gillet not sending off Botman at the very least. I don't understand prem refs at all. Talk to the captain and say enough is enough when players are deliberately trying to injure other players.

It always feels like referees bottle it at SJP. They always seem to bow down to the crowd.

I am very happy we beat them today, hopefully we are turning a corner and beating highly physical thug teams.

Hey - Liverpool fan coming in peace! I just had to share in case you’ve never thought of it that you have an opportunity for a qualityyyyy chant. Jealous you even have the opportunity to belt this.

Sung in the tone of Zombie by the Cranberries

“He’s in your heaaaaad, in your heaaad
Manzambi, Manzambi, Manzambi-bi-bi-bi
He’s in your heaaaaad, in your heaaaad
Manzambi, Manzambi, Manzambi-bi-bi-bi-bi”

First Maatsen, then Ruggeri, now AWB… hopefully it’s nothing to bad for AWB because at this rate we’re not going to have enough players to fill in that position…

I would do anything for this man.

Very dirty game. The theme of the game was just fouls, predominately from the Newcastle team as 6 yellows were shown to the Newcastle players as they commited 14 fouls or so. A big decision came in the early minutes as VAR reviewed a potential red for Botman for what looked like a two foot challenge on Jackson, but he escaped with just a yellow. Villa's goal came in the 36th minute as Manzambi headed in from Gomes's cross. In the second half it was more about control, but that is not to say that Villa could not have scored a second, had better decisions been made by Jackson and Mbaye in attack, where they often went alone instead of selecting the free options. Regardless, very mature display by Villa, especially shown by the experienced players of McGinn, Lindelof, Mings and Goretzka. Their control and movement of the ball at times contributed to us holding on to the 3 points.

MOTM easily goes to Lindelof. He absolutely commanded the defensive area today, constantly instructing the players around him, cleared everything that came in or around the box and was solid all game. Kamara as well was elite in midfield, winning the ball and distributing it forward. Manzambi once again had a good game, not at the same level as on Wednesday but was vocal and involved in every attack when he was on the pitch.

We push up the 12th place in the league now, 5 points off of Champions League. Still early days.

Results around us:

Man. City 3-2 Ipswich

Fulham 1-0 Hull

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