And so it happened: promotion after a hard battle (particularly
in the last 15 minutes) versus Derby. But lack of shooting skills
were again evident, the first goal coming off a shoulder and the
second off a head after their keeper flapped and presented the
chance. But they all count, don't they, and, overall, the Villa looked the
better team. I wish Derby well for next season.
This has been a season of miracles really. One minute (last summer) we were on the verge of bankruptcy and in the next minute new owners had come in. The old manager did not last long and was dealt a rather harsh card, although I can see the reasons why.
Dean Smith arrived in October as a known Villa fan and with a record of applying good footballing principles at his former, smaller, clubs. But could he get his head around a big club and get promotion for the first time in his career? He's proved he can certainly do that and has shown great acumen in dealing with the horrendous injury situation in defence at the end of 2018, as well as the lengthy absence of Grealish.
What did we end up with? A record 10-match winning spell to create a new club record and propel us from mid-table to a promotion play-off spot. Not only did we then gain promotion but, for the first time in Villa's history, we actually have boyhood supporters as both manager and captain!
It was good to see the resurrection of players like Elmo and Taylor, and in Mings, El Ghazi and Abraham we also gained first-rate helpers for Jack and McGinn. But since those three players were brought in on loan we wait to see whether they can become permanent Villa players.
And after all the messing around with goalkeepers from outside, we found that the custodian we needed had been at the club the whole time! It took a long time to steer in the right direction on that matter!
The owners say that now "the sky is the limit". Well, we'll see. There will certainly be player comings-and-goings in the summer, but it's going to be yet another interesting ride.
The main thing for now is that we're UP. Also that the horrible period between 2011 and 2018 is behind us.
Well done to everyone concerned!
UTV!
This has been a season of miracles really. One minute (last summer) we were on the verge of bankruptcy and in the next minute new owners had come in. The old manager did not last long and was dealt a rather harsh card, although I can see the reasons why.
Dean Smith arrived in October as a known Villa fan and with a record of applying good footballing principles at his former, smaller, clubs. But could he get his head around a big club and get promotion for the first time in his career? He's proved he can certainly do that and has shown great acumen in dealing with the horrendous injury situation in defence at the end of 2018, as well as the lengthy absence of Grealish.
What did we end up with? A record 10-match winning spell to create a new club record and propel us from mid-table to a promotion play-off spot. Not only did we then gain promotion but, for the first time in Villa's history, we actually have boyhood supporters as both manager and captain!
It was good to see the resurrection of players like Elmo and Taylor, and in Mings, El Ghazi and Abraham we also gained first-rate helpers for Jack and McGinn. But since those three players were brought in on loan we wait to see whether they can become permanent Villa players.
And after all the messing around with goalkeepers from outside, we found that the custodian we needed had been at the club the whole time! It took a long time to steer in the right direction on that matter!
The owners say that now "the sky is the limit". Well, we'll see. There will certainly be player comings-and-goings in the summer, but it's going to be yet another interesting ride.
The main thing for now is that we're UP. Also that the horrible period between 2011 and 2018 is behind us.
Well done to everyone concerned!
UTV!
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