My Old Man Said — An Aston Villa Podcast

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.Brentford certainly arrived with a plan to rough Villa up, the referee let it happen, and Villa's attempts to fight fire with fire keep looking petulant. Nicolas Jackson and Johan Manzambi impressed despite being up against it, as Brentford swamped them, before Ibrahim Mbaye's pace off the bench hinted at a better balance.Most of the worry though sits further back: Boubacar Kamara still looking off the pace after injury, an Ezri Konsa-shaped hole in the defence, no fit left-back and Taylor Harwood-Bellis not even on the bench. Leon Goretzka, still absent, could be the answer to the defensive balance of the team or a complete red herring - hopefully, we'll get a chance to find out soon.There is also the Speed Demon and LB segments, and North Stand musings.UTVRestock on discounted Adidas Originals stock and last season’s shirts – Use code MOMS10 for an extra 10 % off hereBecome a MOMS Member for ad-free & extra shows -  MOMS MembershipJoin the show’s listener Facebook group The Mad Few.Credits:David Michael - @myoldmansaid  | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgameThis 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 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.There's a look at how the break went for Villa's new signings and who is still missing: Matty Cash's dead leg for Poland looks like a scare rather than a problem, but Leon Goretzka remains absent and is ruled out for this one.Champions League ticket pricing takes a proper hammering, as the price point fails to sell out to members for the first two home games. Emery's Clipboard turns to EA FC 27, where Villa's squad rating has dropped off, but the metrics involved tell several other stories.The Three Points cover the Football Leaks whistleblower still waiting on his crowdfunder, a Highland League club's thank-you to Stephen King, and a Concacaf Nations League match in which a footballer's hair took two opponents with it. The show also gives its verdict on Manchester City's guilty finding, with firm opinions on the punishment, and the MOMS Pools panel disagree three ways.UTVRestock on discounted Adidas Originals stock and last season's shirts - Use code MOMS10 for an extra 10 % off hereBecome a MOMS Member for ad-free & extra shows -  MOMS MembershipJoin the show’s listener Facebook group The Mad Few.Credits:David Michael - @myoldmansaid  | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgameThis 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's international break has produced progress on some fronts and raised a few new questions, and this catch-up takes stock before a full main show lands ahead of Brentford at Villa Park. The headline event was a 3-1 friendly win at Sevilla in the Antonio Puerta Memorial Trophy, played in honour of the Sevilla midfielder who died in 2007 and also a tribute to Unai Emery's three straight Europa League wins with the club.The friendly offered something a friendly rarely does: a strong midfield, a proper trip, and goals from Garnacho and Barkley plus an emphatic third from Max Jenner. Brian Madjo is back and the show wonders if Emery will make provisions to use him alongside Nicolas Jackson, when suitable to. Leon Goretzka remains a ghost-like figure in terms of the Villa set-up, he has trained with the group but hasn't played with his teammates yet in any friendlies.There's also the question of Zion Suzuki and the Asian Cup, with the Japanese international potentially missing eight games in the new year.The second half of the catch-up turns to Manchester City, found guilty on all charges bar one by an independent Commission and are now appealing. It covers what the verdict means for Villa in practice, why punishment that only arrives retrospectively can't repair a decade, and why Villa's own history means the grievance has a ceiling.Restock on discounted Adidas Originals stock and last season's shirts - Use code MOMS10 for an extra 10 % off hereBecome a MOMS Member for ad-free & extra shows -  MOMS MembershipJoin the show’s listener Facebook group The Mad Few.Credits:David Michael - @myoldmansaid  | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgameThis 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.

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.Become a MOMS Member for ad-free & extra shows -  MOMS MembershipJoin the show’s listener Facebook group The Mad Few.Credits:David Michael - @myoldmansaid  | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgameThis 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.

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.UTVAs mentioned on the show:Hout Bay United Legacy shirtHout Bay United FC SiteRestock on discounted Adidas Originals stock and last season's shirts - Use code MOMS10 for an extra 10 % off hereBecome a MOMS Member for ad-free & extra shows -  MOMS MembershipJoin the show’s listener Facebook group The Mad Few.Credits:David Michael - @myoldmansaid  | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgameThis 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.