Sometimes in life you have to pinch yourself and just be grateful.
The guy in the picture is Steve Gough, a Cannock lad like me who I've known most of my life.
He's missed around 4 Villa games of any description in 50 plus years, and that includes pre and post season friendlies.
He runs the Cannock Villa coach home and away, again for decades. A more dedicated Villan you'll not meet.
When I signed for the club it was at the end of, not the start of a season. I joined up with the players in San Francisco on an end of season trip. Brian Little and I walked out of the arrivals hall, which was empty. Bar one guy with a Cannock Villa flag. Goughy. I'm sure he took more than a bit of stick on my behalf as I struggled in our shirt. That couldn't have been easy to see.
We went to the Euros together and saw our beloved England fall at the final hurdle. We'll go to the USA in a month to hopefully go one better.
But Steve, I just wanted to thank you. For the support you give to our club, to Villans who want to travel home and abroad and for being a really fucking good bloke.
All of my heroes are Villans, and you're both.
To Istanbul and New York City and beyond.
Aston Villa can confirm the club has written to the PGMOL to raise concerns over the selection process of match officials following today’s game with Manchester United at Old Trafford.
With such high stakes surrounding today’s fixture, the club believe a more experienced referee should have been appointed. Of the 10 referees to officiate across the Premier League today, Mr. Bramall was the 2nd least experienced.
The decision to disallow Morgan Rogers' goal, which would have given the club a 1-0 lead with 17 minutes remaining in the match, was a major contributing factor to the club not qualifying for the Champions League.
As per the standards that have been established over the course of the season, a decision to whistle early is clearly inconsistent with current refereeing guidelines. VAR exists to ensure that these types of situations receive the scrutiny they deserve. Unfortunately, the technology was not allowed to serve its purpose.
Ultimately, we acknowledge that the outcome for us will not change, but we believe that it is important to address the selection methodology to ensure that high stakes matches are treated as such with regards to officiating and to ensure that the implemented VAR technology is allowed to be effective.