My Old Man Said — An Aston Villa Podcast

The international break debrief — fixture analysis, form tables, and the stat that puts the West Ham win in optimistic context.Two wins. Momentum restored. Six points clear of Chelsea, five of Liverpool, with seven games remaining and destiny firmly back in Villa's own hands. The question now is simple: can they do it themselves and not have to rely on others?In this episode the show takes stock of where Villa are, where their rivals are, and what the fixture list actually looks like for the final stretch. We take a closer look at Chelsea's home form, with a double-header of Manchester City and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in their next two games. Liverpool are juggling the FA Cup and a two-legged PSG tie. United have been the form team since Christmas but face both Chelsea and Liverpool before the season is out.Elsewhere: injury updates including the new recruits to sickbay and a Viking manuscript that has absolutely nothing to do with Aston Villa.Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The West Ham game was a non-negotiable. Once again, Chelsea and Liverpool had handed Villa the opportunity to take control of the Champions League race and unlike previous fumbles, this time they took it. A McGinn free-kick, a much-needed Watkins' goal, twenty-three shots, and a performance that looked more like the team that had won eleven games in a row than anything seen in the previous two months.In this episode the My Old Man Said podcast show we break down what actually changed — why the tempo was different, why Sancho suddenly looks like the player clubs have paid six figures a week for, and what McGinn's return means beyond the obvious.There is also a discussion of whether this is sustainable or whether it took a relegation-threatened West Ham side, forced into an unplanned formation after a warm-up injury, to make Villa look this good.Elsewhere: Watkins dropped from England and what that means for his remaining season, Tielemans' neat twenty-minute cameo, the Digne versus Madsen question, and why Villa have scored more goals from outside the box than any other team in Europe's top five leagues.Destiny is in Villa's own hands and it's time for them to do it themselves.UTVListen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A controlled first half, a second half that finally came to life, and two goals that sent Aston Villa into the Europa League quarter-finals 3-0 on aggregate. Martinez's pinpoint clearance, Sancho's backheel, and McGinn's composed finish, the elements of a great opener, before Leon Bailey finished the tie off. We look back at the Villa Park conclusion to the Lille two-legged Europa League tie — including a first half at Villa Park so deliberately passive that even those in the ground were losing the will to watch — and discuss the highlights of a much improved second half performance.There is also a look at the quarter-final draw. Bologna are the opponents, but Porto, currently crushing the Portuguese league, having won 22 of 26 games, loom as the most dangerous side left in the competition. Nottingham Forest face them in the other quarter-final in Villa's side of the draw.Elsewhere: there's talk of croissant mutations, the Premier League £30 away ticket cap being extended, the Bologna quarter-final pricing that brought on a familiar fury, Lindelof's Batman mask and the case for him being the signing of the season, and a tifo poem that nobody is claiming authorship of.It's West Ham on Sunday, with an international break following straight after. Then the final chapter of a twin-prong attack for Champions League football begins in earnest. UTVListen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A third consecutive Premier League defeat. Eight league games left. And a set of questions about structure, recruitment and ambition that will not wait until the summer.Villa's 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford was not a shock. It was, as this podcast noted immediately, an expected result, an expected performance... and an expected xG. What makes it significant is the context and manner of it - three consecutive league defeats, a Champions League place that is now being held by inertia rather than form, and a set of structural problems that are becoming harder to attribute to bad luck.In this episode, the show dissects the latest misery inducing trip to Old Trafford, including the moment that may have defined Villa's entire season. Then the post-mortem episodes broadens out into the harder questions about what has gone wrong, whose responsibility it is to fix it, and whether there is still time.The structure versus creation argument reaches crunch time. It's Lille in the Europa League second leg next, but then relegation threatened West Ham and Forest back-to-back mean it's do or die time.UTVListen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

France Has Fallen. Now for Old Trafford.Villa win 1-0 in Lille to take control of the Europa League tie — but the harder test arrives Sunday.In this double-header episode, the show analyses Villa's controlled but unconvincing win in France — the goal, the Watkins miss that should have killed the tie, and the moment John McGinn walked off the bench and immediately reminded everyone what Villa have been missing.Then it's forward to Sunday and a trip to Old Trafford, where the show sets out exactly why this fixture matters beyond three points, and why, despite United's impressive form under Carrick, this may be the moment Villa's season turns.Plus the MOMS panel prediction for Old Trafford, and a Tim Sherwood comparison that will not be retracted.UTVCheck out the best current deals on Aston Villa Merchandise

Aston Villa's Europa League last sixteen first leg against Lille on Thursday arrives at a critical moment in the season. With Villa sitting seventeenth in the Premier League form table over the last six games, the show discusses whether the Europa League now represents the most realistic route back to the Champions League, and whether the Lille tie can do for this season what the Bologna win did back in October.The show discusses the injury latest, with McGinn edging closer to a return, the squad selection dilemma for Thursday given the trip to Old Trafford follows days later, and whether Emery should rotate or go strong in France.Also discussed: Opta's supercomputer gives Villa an 80% chance of finishing top four, while the Bud 3000 is considerably less optimistic. The Tammy Abraham situation and Emery's Clockwork Orange-style process. Filipe Luís's remarkable and abruptly ended reign at Flamengo, and what it has in common with Ron Saunders. KSI's stake in Dagenham and Redbridge. The FIFA registration block on Brian Maggio. And lessons from Lincoln City in League One that Villa's current squad would do well to absorb.UTVCheck out the best current deals on Aston Villa MerchandiseGET AD-FREE SHOWS and JOIN MATCH CLUBGet ad-free shows and extra shows, and join My Old Man Said's 24/7 Villa community, Match Club.For more details and to become a member, click here: Become a MOMS MemberJoin the show’s listener facebook group The Mad Few.Credits:David Michael - @myoldmansaid Chris Budd - @BUDD_musicPhillip Shaw - @prsgameMy Old Man Said - https://www.myoldmansaid.comThis Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT

For a while, it looked like Villa might just make a fight of it against Chelsea at Villa Park.The opening goal was exactly what the team needed. Quick tempo, Douglas Luiz breaking forward, Bailey finally receiving the ball in space, and a sharp finish by Luiz to cap a rare moment of attacking fluency.It was the type of move Villa have been missing.Then came the moment that changed the night.Watkins thought he had put Villa 2–1 ahead after a brilliant breakaway move involving Morgan Rogers. The celebrations were long enough to believe momentum had shifted. Then the VAR check arrived, the goal was ruled out, and the momentum would soon shift in Chelsea’s favour.Chelsea scored before half-time and from that point the balance was gone.The second half exposed the structural issues Villa have been carrying for weeks. Chelsea repeatedly clipped passes in behind Villa’s high line, with Enzo Fernández dictating play and wide players stretching the defence. Once the pressure mounted, Villa’s resistance faded quickly.The final scoreline reflected the underlying numbers. Chelsea’s expected goals approached four, a rare figure in a game Villa never truly regained control of.Yet the wider picture remains strangely open.Despite defeats and inconsistent performances, the Champions League race continues to wobble around them. Rivals are dropping points too.But Villa's buffer is effectively now gone.If Villa are to stay in the race, they need to turn their form around pronto.UTVCheck out the best current deals on Aston Villa MerchandiseGET AD-FREE SHOWS and JOIN MATCH CLUBGet ad-free shows and extra shows, and join My Old Man Said's 24/7 Villa community, Match Club.For more details and to become a member, click here: Become a MOMS MemberJoin the show’s listener facebook group The Mad Few.Credits:David Michael - @myoldmansaid Chris Budd - @BUDD_musicMy Old Man Said - https://www.myoldmansaid.comThis Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT

This wasn’t just a bad night.It was a warning.Villa went to Molineux knowing exactly what was at stake. A six-point cushion. Chelsea next. Momentum fragile but intact. Instead, they produced a performance devoid of conviction and lost to a Wolves side that had won one game in twenty-eight  The tone was set early. Pau Torres, unmarked from a corner, headed wide when the script demanded a goal. From that moment, belief drained. Villa overplayed and hesitation set in. It was tension disguised as patience.The system didn’t shift. Wolves’ back three nullified Villa again. The midfield lacked line-breaking presence without Kamara and Tielemans. Barkley’s introduction brought little defensive awareness, with questions raised over positioning for the opening goal.And when Wolves scored, Villa folded.It was a zero-sum performance. No rhythm. No authority. No personality.The bigger concern is psychological. Villa are no longer chasing. They are protecting. And suddenly they look like a team feeling the weight of expectation.Because if this was the wobble, the next four games will tell us whether it becomes a collapse.UTVGet a Great NordVPN DealGet a cracking deal on NordVPN with four months FREE & a 30 days money-back guarantee here: nordvpn.com/momsGET AD-FREE SHOWS and JOIN MATCH CLUBGet ad-free shows and extra shows, and join My Old Man Said's 24/7 Villa community, Match Club.For more details and to become a member, click here: Become a MOMS MemberJoin the show’s listener facebook group The Mad Few.Credits:David Michael - @myoldmansaid Chris Budd - @BUDD_musicPhillip Shaw - @prsgameMy Old Man Said - https://www.myoldmansaid.comThis Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT

Aston Villa are third.Six points clear of the Champions League trapdoor and yet it doesn’t feel comfortable.This episode digs into the strange duality of Villa’s current position. On paper, the table looks strong. After 27 games, Villa sit on 51 points, three clear of Manchester United and six ahead of the Champions League drop line. Historically, that buffer matters.But performances tell a different story. The attack has stalled. The midfield spine is missing. The Molineux record is grim.Kamara, Tielemans and McGinn absent has stripped control from the centre of the pitch. Pau Torres’ progressive passing is badly missed. Villa are defensively solid, conceding just five goals in 2026, but they are not imposing themselves. Games are tight, tense and reliant on moments rather than dominance.And now comes Wolves away.Four games without a win at Molineux. The last victory came in lockdown. No witnesses. It barely counts  .Wolves may be near the bottom, but they have athletes, a back three Villa struggle against, and nothing to lose. For them, it is a free hit. For Villa, it is a pressure point.Lose, and doubt creeps in fast with Chelsea and Manchester United next. Win, and the fear flips into leverage.Because here is the opportunity: Villa only need to finish above one of Liverpool, Chelsea or United to achieve their objective  .That is the equation.Fear factor or opportunity?The next two weeks will decide the narrative of the season.UTVGet a Great NordVPN DealGet a cracking deal on NordVPN with four months FREE & a 30 days money-back guarantee here: nordvpn.com/momsGET AD-FREE SHOWS and JOIN MATCH CLUBGet ad-free shows and extra shows, and join My Old Man Said's 24/7 Villa community, Match Club.For more details and to become a member, click here: Become a MOMS MemberJoin the show’s listener facebook group The Mad Few.Credits:David Michael - @myoldmansaid Chris Budd - @BUDD_musicPhillip Shaw - @prsgameMy Old Man Said - https://www.myoldmansaid.comThis Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT