Right, that's got those 3 matches behind us...

Disappointing against Man City. Having fought so hard and then to weaken at the end - it was a bit disheartening. Villa could have got a draw out of that but the last two subs were particularly weak. Grealish is not yet experienced enough to change a game like that and he made very little contribution.

Zoggy should have stayed on the pitch and Sanchez brought on for Richardson i.m.o.

So the results from the last three matches are leaving quite a few fans disenchanted. There is no doubt that the policies and events that have occurred over the last 3 or 4 years have taken their toll, and that no doubt has had its adverse affect of the attendances at Villa Park. To me it has been ludicrous that we have had to endure what has transpired these latter years.

But though the fact is that we seem to be imposed with the situation as it is there is (in my view) no need to think that the future is so bad. But on the other hand those steeped in past hope for a leap forward from the early 1980s will be shocked if we keep on developing as if we are some mid-table side of the ilk of Stoke or some such side. That’s not to denigrate Stoke, but we know full well that Birmingham deserves something a lot better to represent it in the world of sport. Thank goodness for Birchfield Harriers.

Unless the club is taken over by its support base (and I can’t see that happening), we are in the hands of people who are disconnected from the Villa’s past. Only a decade or two ago we still had Eric Houghton and Johnny Dixon around to remind us of the love that once existed within and around the club, but though the likes of Peter McParland, Charlie Aitken and Denis Mortimer are still with us, they have kept strangely quiet about the state of affairs.

And the truth is that no matter what anyone else says, the ownership wants to do it his way. We have to sit and watch.

As I said at the start, there’s no reason to think the future will be so bad. I still feel that Villa will not be fighting relegation this year for starters, and there is an indication that the team structure is on the way up rather than in further reverse. Just as well – it couldn’t have got much worse, could it?!!

But the key thing is that as long as the Villa support is showing its discontent by staying away, the more chance that the owner will try harder to improve matters.

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