My Old Man Said — An Aston Villa Podcast

The Mad Few Listener Q & A is back in the first of a planned recurring format: 30 minutes, no more, answering listener questions from Match Club and the Mad Few Facebook group.

The questions range wide: who succeeds John McGinn as captain once his generation moves on, with no obvious heir yet established among the new arrivals; how last season's alumni have fared since leaving, and why Zion Suzuki's long passing is being read as a deliberate tactical answer to high pressing rather than a novelty; and where Alejandro Garnacho actually stands in the pecking order, with his contract's exit route still unclear.

There's also a proper run through Villa's identity: a case for a long-overdue club museum built around the fact that Aston Villa effectively founded the Football League, a debate about renaming the new North Stand, and the surprising origin story behind the "Crazy Train" walkout song. Plus: the Emery-to-Manchester-United speculation gets tackled....two-footed.
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Credits:

David Michael - @myoldmansaid | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame

This Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT
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With the international break in full swing and there still being two weeks until Aston Villa return to action, this main show takes stock of the potential upside to the squad that Unai Emery was actually built. Six of the summer's ten signings started together for the first time against Tottenham, and this episode digs into what that means going forward.

There's a proper look at Zion Suzuki, whose passing range is framed by Emery himself as a specific tactical response to how Premier League teams are evolving.
There's a closer look at the Manzambi-Jackson combination that clicked against Spurs, and the search for a third attacking outlet to turn a promising pairing into a genuine front three. Johan Manzambi is also compared to a late Villa great.

There's also a considered look at where Leon Goretzka actually fits once he's fit and why this young, multilingual squad is being framed as an all new fresh start rather than a repeat of last season.

Villa news covers the Carabao Cup fourth-round draw away at Bournemouth, injuries, Champions League ticket pricing, and Villa reaching a new top flight milestone. Three Points brings a shirt withdrawn over an unfortunate design coincidence, a Pope gifted a Sunderland shirt, and a Benfica falconer's alleged double life.

Also, My Old Man Said joins Jürgen Klopp in sponsoring the home and away shirts of Hout Bay United in South Africa.

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As mentioned on the show:

Hout Bay United Legacy shirt

Hout Bay United FC Site

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Join the show’s listener Facebook group The Mad Few.

Credits:

David Michael - @myoldmansaid | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame

This Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aston Villa won 3-2 away at Tottenham Hotspur for their first Premier League win of the season, after leading 3-0 and then conceding twice late. It came at a timely moment: three weeks of international-break stewing would have felt a lot longer stuck in the bottom three.

This post-mortem starts with Johan Manzambi, whose first Premier League start brought a goal and an assist in a free role behind Nicolas Jackson. Jackson also bagged his first Premier League goal for Villa, while Emiliano Buendía returned to scoring bangers (again, against Spurs) to make it 3-0.

After pointing out Zion Suzuki's distribution in previous shows, it's time to turn our attention to his shot-stopping, as Tottenham tested him throughout the first half, and the Japanese international ultimately laid the foundations for the away win.

The show also does't ignore the late wobble, as no doubt Unai Emery won't: two avoidable goals from a 3-0 lead, substitutions that felt like changes for the sake of changes, and the game-management theme that links this the game to the Forest one at Villa Park.

There's also this week's Speed Demon and Lazy B, a look at what "Emery 2.0" actually means with six of the ten summer signings starting together for the first time, and a reframing of a stodgy start: three away wins in three competitions, perfect starts in the Champions League and Carabao Cup, and out of the bottom three in the Premier League.

UTV

Restock on discounted Adidas Originals stock and last season's shirts - Use code MOMS10 for an extra 10 % off here
Become a MOMS Member for ad-free & extra shows - MOMS Membership

Join the show’s listener Facebook group The Mad Few.

Credits:

David Michael - @myoldmansaid | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame

This Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aston Villa travel to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Saturday for the early kick-off, with both clubs still chasing a first league win of the season. Both teams will want to be heading into the international break outside of the bottom three, with Villa needing the win to achieve that.

The preview looks at Tottenham's big-spending summer: a squad of ready-made signings, an ownership that has chosen to back its manager after Daniel Levy's departure, and a side that keeps creating chances without finishing them. It sets that against Villa's very different rebuild — younger, higher-ceiling, and still without a settled first XI due to various fitness and availability issues.

With Ian Maatsen out for six to eight weeks and Pau Torres missing, the full-back positions and the balance of the midfield could decide the game, and there's a case for João Gomes' defensive bite being essential against Spurs' new midfield set-up.
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Also, a light is shown on the reality of Villa's Champions League league-phase ticket pricing, not having any impact on bridging the gap with the Sky Six, including Tottenham.

UTV

Restock on discounted Adidas Originals stock and last season's shirts - Use code MOMS10 for an extra 10 % off here
Become a MOMS Member for ad-free & extra shows - MOMS Membership

Join the show’s listener Facebook group The Mad Few.

Credits:

David Michael - @myoldmansaid | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame

This Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We look back at a fairly routine Carabao Cup win against Coventry City, but a game nonetheless that was important in the scheme of things for the season to come. Also, will the Carabao Cup play a more important part to Villa's season than first expected?

UTV

Restock on discounted Adidas Originals stock and last season's shirts - Use code MOMS10 for an extra 10 % off here
Become a MOMS Member for ad-free & extra shows - MOMS Membership

Join the show’s listener Facebook group The Mad Few.

Credits:

David Michael - @myoldmansaid | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame

This Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.