Aston Villa For Starters Sticks In The Gullet

Go back two years and we went into the first game of a new Premiership season full of hope after a superb pre season. Villa had lost their manager and with Grant at the helm, many of us cherished hope that the dark days of Zola would be a thing of the past. It didn't take long for our hopes to crash and burn. Winston Reid started at right back and had a mare, and Rob Green performed like England's 666. Three Nil to the Villains and the tone was set for a miserable season.

Mind you, we should have known what to expect. A  glance in the history books would have told us what was coming. In 1976, we kicked off the season at Villa Park and lost - Four bloody Nil!

The team that day read:

1 Mervyn Day

2 Keith Coleman

3 Frank Lampard

4 Tommy Taylor

5 Bill Green

6 Billy Bonds

7 Alan Taylor

8 Graham Paddon

9 Pat Holland

10 Trevor Brooking

11 Alan Curbishley

Now, putting nostalgia to one side, only  Lampard, Bonds and Brooking would be guaranteed a place in our current side, but you could make a case for Holland, Paddon, Tommy Taylor and Day too. Lyall was, of course, the manager and 999 West Ham fans out of a 1000 would prefer the West Ham legend to Allardyce!

This time around we have home advantage but the omens are not good, especially after a miserable pre season. I'm at Lords tomorrow so will miss all the excitement of the big kick off as, by three o'clock, I will have enjoyed quite a few G&Ts and a four or so pints. There will be a contented haze between my ears and that's probably for the best. If I discover we have won, and England build a lead and take three South African wickets, it will be a day to remember; if we lose and South African run through our tail before amassing 205 for 2, I will be sobbing into my post game curry!

Fingers crossed! Come On You Irons and England!