My Old Man Said — An Aston Villa Podcast

Villa beat Nottingham Forest 4-0 at Villa Park to reach the Europa League final in Istanbul. Freiburg await. One more job to do to end 30-years of hurt.Some nights you have a feeling about before a ball is kicked. On a European night, not many English grounds can hold a candle to Villa Park on a European night. The atmosphere was electric and the players on the pitch also made sure they made it an unforgettable night, as well — four goals, a complete performance, and a European final earned in the most emphatic fashion possible.In this episode the show breaks down a night that had everything. Buendia's unpredictability unlocking the tightest defence in the Premier League's last six games. Watkins aggressive, physical, the version of himself that makes Villa a different team. McGinn having the time of his life, as the autumn of his career is hitting its highest notes. And the Victor Lindelöf decision, questioned beforehand, vindicated completely.There is also a broader conversation about what this moment means. Also, we look at Freiburg, Villa's silverware drought, and the prospect of a Super Cup, if all goes to plan.Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Before the biggest night at Villa Park in years, a solo My Old Man Said show, with some personal memories and reflections back to 1994, and an honest assessment of what the second leg of the Europa League semi-final requires.In 1994, Villa were three-nil down at Tranmere in a League Cup semi-final first leg. The fanbase were feeling angry that the club were squandering a real good chance of silverware to put them back on the map, after a difficult decade. The build up to the second leg has parallels, as does the build-up to the final against Manchester United, when Villa's league form had dropped off a cliff before the trip to Wembley.It was all an example of what a team is capable of when it decides to be.Recorded in the hours leading up to the Europa League semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest, the show sets out what tonight requires — from Watkins, from Rogers, from McGinn and Tielemans, from the crowd, and from a manager who has four of these trophies already. The Onana absence. The Bogarde question. Whether Forest come to shut up shop or play with the freedom that has defined their recent form. And what it would mean - for the club, for its European legacy, for everything - to be talking about Istanbul tomorrow morning.No rally call. No clichés. Just the honest picture before the biggest night of the season.Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

What happened against Spurs on Sunday night? Unai Emery elected to shuffle his pack, and there were seven changes, but the line-up wasn't too dissimilar from the one that beat Fenerbahçe away 1-0 in the Europa League. The back four was the same apart from the left-back; the base of the midfield was the same with Bogarde next to Tieliemans, with Sancho and Rogers further forward, and Barkley and Abraham in instead of Watkins and Buendia (who both did come on), but they have been patchy at best anyway. At least against Spurs, you also had Martinez in goal, as Bizot played in Turkey.Nobody complained about the line-up as they tackled a tough trip to Istanbul.It was the effort and application of the players that let the team down, not the team sheet. The performance was indefensible, regardless of Thursday.Conor Gallagher, who had not scored for Spurs all season, scored. Richarlison, who had never scored against Villa, scored. When Buendia's consolation header arrived in the ninety-fifth minute — it was Villa's first shot on target of the entire game.In this episode the show does not dress it up. The performance was an embarrassment. The team that started was good enough, every player a full international bar one and they put in absolutely nothing. Emery's programme notes talked about laser focus and determination. His body language on the touchline told a different story.The harder question is what it means for Thursday. With Forest a goal up from the first leg. Villa need to score at least twice at Villa Park to win without penallties. The crowd that was asked to put up with ninety minutes of nothing against Spurs is now being asked to roar the team into a European final.Everything on the line on Thursday night at Villa Park and only a win can banish what happened against Spurs before it.Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Some Villa supporters have spent the week since the Fulham defeat getting increasingly pessimistic about the Europa League semi-final tie against Nottingham Forest. Especially after the Tricky Trees tonked Sunderland 5-0 in their own backyard. Have they forgotten about Unai Emery's record in this tournament?In a first impressions solo preview, My Old Man Said host David Michael takes a clear-eyed look at the reasons for genuine confidence, and what Villa actually need from the first leg at the City Ground to set up Villa Park for the occasion it deserves.UTVListen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Villa are building a bigger stadium… but as the age profile of the current Aston Villa squad suggests, they will soon need to build a new team too.With the Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest bubbling away on the horizon for Aston Villa, the main show of My Old Man Said gets up to speed on a series of key issues like Villa's aging squad and the North Stand development, while also looking at the BBC's decision to cancel Football Focus. Need a ticket to the City Ground for the first leg of the Europa League semi-final? We may have a solution for you too.Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

One Eye on Fulham, Both Eyes on ForestA 1-0 defeat at Craven Cottage that was never really about Fulham.Villa lost to Fulham on Saturday. Ryan Sessegnon, who has made a habit of tormenting Villa over the years, scored the only goal. Rogers and Watkins missed big chances within thirty seconds of each other that, on another day, would have settled the game before half-time. The four substitutions made simultaneously at the seventy-fourth minute told you everything about where Emery's priorities lie this week.In this episode the show dissects a passive, lethargic performance and asks the honest question: was this always going to happen in the lead up to the Europa League semi-final first leg at the City Ground? As well as the usual post-mortem proceedings, it also touches on the clash with Forest as it goes along.Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The most chaotic win of the season. And potentially one of the most significant.Three-one up and coasting. Then Sancho came on. Then it was three-three. Then Martinez stood up when it mattered most. Then Abraham scored the winner from a Digne cross that could have been measured with a ruler. Ten points clear of Chelsea. Champions League football confirmation is getting closer.The latest episode of the My Old Man Said podcast show unpacks the full emotional spectrum of a game that had everything — brilliant team goals, inexplicable defensive gaps, a substitution that nearly cost Villa everything, a goalkeeper save that may define their season, and a winner scored by the man whose bench time has been one of the running debates of the past three months.There is also a wider conversation about what this result means beyond three points. Spurs losing. Chelsea crumbling. The Premier League landscape potentially transforming. If Villa finish fourth and win the Europa League, two of the so-called top six miss out on the Champions League next season. Will it be potentially transformative?Plus: Emery admitting he expressed all his emotions and needed a rest day to full Match Club meltdown in real time, and the definitive answer to whether Emery's "control" buzzword can survive the Sunderland game.Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A 4-0 win on the night, 7-1 on aggregate. Aston Villa dispatched Bologna with comfortable ease to set up an all-English Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest. Villa were three goals up before half-time, Buendia was the player of the night in what may have been his most complete performance in a Villa shirt, and the second half became an extended exercise in managing minutes ahead of Sunderland on Sunday.In this episode of My Old Man Said, the show breaks down a night that confirmed Villa as legitimate Europa League favourites, and what it revealed about this team when everything clicks. The Bologna captain said after the game that his side simply could not lay a glove on a far superior team. That tells you everything.There is also a reassessment of the semi-final draw. How Porto flunked their quarter-final against Forest — missed chances, a man sent off inside ten minutes, hitting the woodwork twice despite being down a man. So are Forest lucky to be there? Plus: We discuss Villa's missed spot-kicks in Europe, the 1897 group getting the whole Trinity Stand on their feet, the Bologna fans buying Villa merch and Sunderland, a proper test this weekend with their two away wins on the bounce and nothing to fear at Villa Park.UTVListen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

After Villa's first leg 3-1 win in Bologna, the second leg at Villa Park seems to be a formality, but Unai Emery will take in the lessons of Bologna's win in Roma in the previous round. Champions League football isn't quite in touching distance just yet.In this Europa Vision episode of the My Old Man Said podcast show, we take in the full picture: the Bologna second leg and what Emery needs to do tactically to see it out, the Forest versus Porto quarter-final that is poised far more delicately than expected, and what the rest of the draw means for Villa's route to Istanbul.On the other side: Freiburg dismantled Celta Vigo 3-0. Betis face Braga. Neither represents the sort of obstacle that has stopped Emery winning this tournament before. Villa's analysts were already spotted at the Braga versus Betis game. The show's read is clear - if Villa get their league business done in the next four games and arrive in Istanbul without Champions League anxiety, this could be the performance everyone has been waiting for all season.Also: the Champions League maths, the surprising points target, Victor Lindelof dragging Sweden to the World Cup despite Graham Potter, the warehouse that was sold back to the club for millions and Albert Adomah's impressive milestone in the EFL.UTVListen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.