Two European Cup Winners. One Night to Bring Legacy Into the Modern Age
My Old Man Said — An Aston Villa PodcastShow Notes
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. 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.
More from My Old Man Said — An Aston Villa Podcast
Aston Villa host Viking FK at Villa Park in the Champions League league phase, after the weeks back-to-back wins - a 6-0 win over Fenerbahçe and a 1-0 win at Newcastle United on Saturday. The show's warning is simple: this is the kind of game Villa are expected to win, and Scandinavian sides have a history of punishing complacency.
Two away wins in a row and two clean sheets in a week raise the question this episode asks: has Aston Villa's defence turned a corner, or has it only met two weak sides? Villa beat Newcastle United 1-0 at St James' Park, showing plenty of resilience, as Johan Manzambi’s header from a João Gomes cross in the first half gave them the win.
Aston Villa beat Fenerbahçe 6-0 at Villa Park in the Champions League league phase. It was Villa's biggest European win and Unai Emery's biggest as Villa manager. Johan Manzambi opened the scoring on his 21st birthday, Nicolas Jackson added two, Ross Barkley scored twice inside a five minute spell, and Tammy Abraham made it six at the death.
Aston Villa drew 2-2 with Brentford at Villa Park in the Premier League, leaving them still without a league win at home this season. Unai Emery went with Tyrone Mings over Pau Torres to deal with Brentford's set pieces, which seemed the right move in the first half, as the long throw-ins rained in, until a misplaced pass put a question mark over Villa's ability to play through Brentford's press.
Aston Villa host Brentford at Villa Park in their first game after the extended international break, still looking for a first home league win of the season. With the Bees currently fourth in the Premier League table, built on set pieces, and with a decent recent record against Villa, it'll be a good test of where this new Villa team are at.