The unpredictable bosom of the Premier League

It’s good to be home, back amongst the warmth and comfort of Premier League football.

Saturday’s big kick-off brought with it everything that is wonderful about football; despite Sky Sports attempting to up the hype of its imminent arrival to such a bombastic level that if it was to be believed all fans were ready to spontaneously combust with sheer excitement at three o’clock.

Instead, it was business as usual and I couldn’t have asked for more.

The joy of trudging to the ground amongst an army of fellow supporters, the surprisingly imaginative chanting and of course the sheer delight of seeing City fail to destroy everything in their path in the day’s early kick-off, despite their colossal wealth.

As a Villa fan, I began the day less than optimistically, hoping that in the wake of Martin O’Neill’s departure, we wouldn’t be subjected to an embarrassing defeat that would set the tone for the rest of the season and emphasise the disarray the club was in since his departure.

The weather God was seemingly aware of the doom and gloom surrounding Villa Park before the match started, but as the game got under way it became clear there was room for optimism and the sun even began to shine.

Starting at a furious pace, Villa began the game a gusto and attacking intent, which has rarely been seen at Villa and West Ham were clearly taken aback, as they had no response.

Shouts of support for Chairman Randy Lerner, quickly replaced the sorrow of losing the charismatic O’Neill, as caretaker manager Kevin McDonald’s style of attacking football warmed itself to the Villa Park faithful.

The introduction of young Marc Albrighton in the Villa starting XI for his full league debut was also a delight to see, as his energy, pace and skill ensured that Herita Ilunga and Winston Reid had an afternoon they’d rather forget.

James Milner’s looming departure to rivals City added to the woe’s of fans before kick-off and there were even a chorus of boos when his name was read out at the start of the game, to which I managed a wry smile in response, but things were very different by the time he’d finished his shift.

Reminding the fickle Villa fans (myself included) why he is such a prized and well loved asset to the club, Milner filled the pitch with his usual aggression, energy and enthusiasm that saw him track back for every ball, win almost every challenge and deservedly score the third goal.

A standing ovation was fully deserved for a player who showed great mental strength in the face of adversity.

The day was capped by deliciously joyful shouting of ‘we are top of the league’ from the surprised crowd, who were unaware of other results, something which I can’t remember at Villa Park since John Gregory’s side decided to put all their efforts into the first half of the season and forget about playing any football after January.

The joy didn’t stop at Villa Park though.

Simple pleasure’s such as gawping at the new titles on Match of the Day and admiring the new kits of all the teams was enthusiastically embraced once again.

The surprise of seeing Blackpool thump Wigan was an unexpected delight, nearly as much as seeing Marlon ‘couldn’t-hit-a-cow’s-arse-with-a-banjo’ Harewood neatly tucking away two of Pool’s four goals.

Chelsea pleased lovers of goals with six against new boys West Brom, Wolves surprised the usually efficient Stoke with a hard-fought victory and Everton’s keeper Tim Howard wore his Teflon gloves, as he gifted the only goal of the game and the win to Blackburn.

Gleefully discussing the day’s league action was a welcome activity in the wake of a disappointing World Cup, as fans could put the nations disappoint behind them and gloat about their club successes, or at the very least poke fun at other teams misfortunes.

The day could have been rounded off perfectly if it wasn’t for former Villan Liam Ridgewell, who denied Sunderland a victory with a fortunate last minute goal, after comedian Stephen Carr had deftly looped the ball over his own keeper when there was seemingly no imminent danger.

It wasn’t to be the though as Villa’s city rivals Birmingham earned a draw, but the delight of once again nestling in the unpredictable bosom of the Premier League provided a soothing antidote to the bleak World Cup.

Posted By Dan Mobbs - Monday August 16, 2010.
Tags: Premier League, Aston Villa