My Old Man Said - An Aston Villa Podcast

This was never going to be a glamorous window, but certainly few would have expected such a twist.With Aston Villa hit by a cluster of midfield injuries at the worst possible time, this transfer catch-up looks at the merit of the triple signings of former players, that were originally signed by Dean Smith. Are we upgrading? Gambling? Or is it just damage limitation?The conversation centres on the loss of Kamara, Tielemans, and McGinn and why that trio underpins almost everything Villa do well. Defensive stability. Control. Goal contributions. Take all three out and you are not tweaking a system, you are protecting one.That context frames the return of Douglas Luiz, the intrigue around Tammy Abraham, and the pragmatic reality behind Leon Bailey’s situation. None are presented as silver bullets. All are discussed as players at career crossroads, arriving not to transform Villa but to stabilise them.The sentimentality that the trio brings makes the signings a cut above a punt on an unknown, and all three have proven already they can do a job in claret and blue.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 - @prsgameMusic production & creation - David MichaelMy 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 was the kind of away win that changes perception.Aston Villa went to St James’ Park, absorbed the noise, managed the pressure, and left with three points without ever losing control of the game. Not through survival. Through composure.This post-mortem focuses on how Villa dictated terms in an environment that usually overwhelms visiting sides. Newcastle had the crowd and moments of momentum, but Villa had structure, discipline, and clarity in their decision-making.There’s discussion of how Villa managed territory, why conceding space was part of the plan rather than a weakness, and how game intelligence across the pitch prevented Newcastle from building sustained pressure. Individual performances are assessed through the lens of control rather than volume.Breaking the two decade St James’ Park hoodoo matters not because of history, but because of what it says about where this Villa side is now.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 - @prsgameMusic production & creation - David MichaelMy 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 MATCH IS CRUCIAL wrote Unai Emery in the match programme notes for the Everton game. The players it seems didn't get the memo.Everton came to Villa Park with a clear plan and left having disrupted the one area Aston Villa normally rely on for control. The midfield. Not through brilliance, but through physicality, timing, and exploiting a lack of cohesion caused by Villa's injuries and enforced changes.This My Old Man Said post-mortem focuses on why Villa never established rhythm, why second balls kept going the wrong way, and how Everton repeatedly bypassed what is usually Villa’s strongest platform. Without stability in the middle, everything else felt reactive rather than controlled.There is discussion of personnel issues, structural balance, and how quickly control can evaporate when familiarity is lost. This is not framed as a season-long flaw, but it is a problem in the present tense. One that matters if left unresolved.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 - @prsgameMusic production & creation - David MichaelMy 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

Some games are not about flair. They are about control.As Everton arrive at Villa Park, this main show looks past form lines and reputations to focus on why Aston Villa are structurally well suited to matches like this. Patient play, physical resistance, limited space, and an opponent built to frustrate rather than entertain.The discussion centres on Emery’s evolving approach. Positional discipline, intelligent rotation, and letting the ball do the work rather than chasing it. Villa are not running more than opponents. They are running smarter. The Opta data backs it up. Fewer pressures, fewer recovery runs, and a squad that is being preserved rather than burned out.Everton are assessed honestly. Organised, stubborn, but limited. Short of goals, short of creativity, and reliant on attrition rather than incision. This is not a game Villa need to force. It is a game they need to manage.There is also look at Villa's squad depth, Kamara’s absence and recovery timeline, Torres’ return, January transfer noise, and why Villa appear better positioned for the second half of the season than many of their rivals.The show also steps back to take in the wider football landscape. Macclesfield’s record-breaking FA Cup shock over Crystal Palace. José Mourinho making his players sleep at the training ground after defeat. Austin MacPhee’s cheeky second-ball intervention and the fine line between marginal gains and gamesmanship.There's also the Lovers Walk Unlimited Orchestra's Istanbul '26 remix of the Youri song ahead of Villa's Europa League game against Fenerbahçe.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 - @prsgameMusic production & creation - David MichaelMy 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 one had everything a cup tie should.Noise, needle, moments of quality, moments of chaos, and a sense that one team understood the occasion far better than the other. Aston Villa went to Tottenham, took the FA Cup seriously, and left having knocked Spurs out for the second season running.This post-mortem doesn’t run chronologically. It picks out the moments that defined the day. Villa’s control in the first half. Two exquisite goals that reflected preparation and confidence. Spurs’ brief second-half push. And the way Villa weathered it without ever losing their grip.There’s discussion of Buendía’s influence, Rogers’ physicality, Tielemans’ intelligence in tight spaces, and why this game suited Villa’s evolving style perfectly. There’s also a wider conversation about mentality. About why some Villa sides of the past have treated the FA Cup as a burden, and why this one clearly doesn’t.From the scenes in the away end to the handbags at full-time, this felt like a team enjoying competition rather than managing it. Villa didn’t just progress. They owned the occasion.A proper cup tie. Properly won.Get 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 - @prsgameMusic production & creation - David MichaelMy 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

What does Aston Villa actually play like?It’s a question people keep trying to answer with labels. Possession-based. Pragmatic. Ruthless. Transitional. And it’s a question that keeps missing the point.This main show uses the goalless draw at Crystal Palace, the looming FA Cup trip to Spurs, and Villa’s broader winter form to step back and assess the current questions. Not just results, but method. Not just systems, but intent.There’s discussion of why the Palace game told us very little that we don’t already know, why defensive control is often mistaken for stagnation, and why Villa’s ability to adapt matters more than any single tactical identity. The FA Cup conversation strips away sentiment and focuses on priorities, squad depth, and realism in a congested season.Kamara’s structural importance, Tielemans’ influence, Watkins’ contradictions, and Villa Park’s growing authority all feed into the same conclusion. This is not a team chasing an aesthetic. It’s a team executing a plan.The Lovers Walk Unlimited Orchestra also return for the new year to celebrate Villa's winter and their midfield maestro.Get 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 - @prsgameMusic production & creation - David MichaelMy 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

A new year, the same authority.After the winning run ended at Arsenal, Aston Villa returned to Villa Park and did exactly what mature sides do. They took control, strangled transitions, and dealt with Nottingham Forest without drama.Forest pulled one back, but it never felt like a turning point. Villa remained composed, dictated the tempo, and reasserted themselves through midfield dominance, intelligent pressing, and clinical moments at the right time.This post-mortem focuses on the substance rather than the scoreline. Kamara’s immediate impact. Tielemans running the game. McGinn delivering again. Watkins trusting himself and finishing instinctively.More importantly, it examines the bigger picture. Villa absorbed the Arsenal defeat, learned from it, and moved on. No overreaction. No hangover. Just control.This is what good teams look like at home. And Villa Park is now very clearly their ground.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 - @prsgameMusic production & creation - David MichaelMy 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

The winning run had to end somewhere. Unfortunately, it ended at the hardest place in the league to do anything at all.Villa went to the Emirates chasing history and left with a 4–1 defeat that looks brutal on paper, but tells a far more nuanced story when you strip it back. A controlled first half, big chances missed, then everything pivots on one moment: Onana off at half-time and the midfield grip disappearing instantly.This post-mortem picks through where the game actually swung, why Arsenal’s second goal effectively killed it, and how injuries, set-piece fragility and wasted chances turned a competitive contest into a harsh scoreline.There’s frustration at refereeing inconsistencies, disbelief at McGinn’s miss, a word on Watkins getting back on the scoresheet, and a reality check on what losing away to the league leaders really means.The run is over. The position isn’t. And Villa are still very much where they need to be. UTVCheck out the Lovers Walk Unlimited Orchestra's A Holte End Christmas EP GET 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 - @prsgameMusic production & creation - David MichaelMy 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