Jack Grealish: 'I am a footballer but I’m still human. We all make mistakes
3 DAYS AGO - The Aston Villa captain opens up about his lockdown incident and how the club are set on staying Expand
3 DAYS AGO - The Aston Villa captain opens up about his lockdown incident and how the club are set on staying up for the memory of Dean Smith’s fatherThe challenge facing Aston Villa is to emerge from the Premier League hiatus better than they were before it. Jack Grealish accepts that applies to him more than most. Over the past couple of months he has spent time, and money, trying to prove that he does not deserve to be defined by that serious mistake he made in late March.You know the one. The photograph went everywhere. Less than 24 hours after he publicly urged people to stay home to prevent the spread of coronavirus, he was pictured looking bewildered and dishevelled on a Birmingham street beside his damaged Range Rover, which had collided with parked cars to expose the fact that he broke lockdown to travel to a friend’s house. West Midlands Police’s investigation continues. The day after the incident Grealish acknowledged his hypocrisy on social media. Related: John McGinn: 'We need to Collapse
John McGinn: 'We need to keep Villa in the league, no matter what
28/05/2020 - Lockdown has enabled the Scottish midfielder to fully recover from injury and he will give Expand
28/05/2020 - Lockdown has enabled the Scottish midfielder to fully recover from injury and he will give everything to drag Villa to safetyJohn McGinn scored the goal that secured Aston Villa’s promotion last season, then he opened their account in the Premier League and now, after recovering from a broken ankle, he says he is raring to save Villa from relegation when the season restarts.He was due to return to action against Chelsea in March but that match was postponed when the league was paused. Since then McGinn, like everyone else, has been playing a waiting game. Related: Aston Villa manager Dean Smith's father Ron dies after contracting Covid-19 Related: Jack Grealish needs to show he really has grown up this time | Paul Doyle Continue reading... Collapse
Lee Hendrie: 'My wife went through an awful lot. She's seen me on life-support machines
17/05/2020 - The one-time England midfielder has had a tough time of it since he left Aston Villa in 2007 but Expand
17/05/2020 - The one-time England midfielder has had a tough time of it since he left Aston Villa in 2007 but playing in ITV’s Harry’s Heroes and recent work as a pundit have given him renewed hope“Look at this, Lee,” I say as I lower my head towards the screen. Lee Hendrie peers back at me. We have been talking for an hour during a gripping and sometimes distressing interview on Zoom. We have reached a painful segment as Hendrie, the former Premier League footballer who played once for England, has opened up like never before. After detailing the “five or six times” he has tried to kill himself, Hendrie has spoken about his feelings of shame.“You see how white my hair is?” I ask Hendrie.To see my family absolutely distraught was a picture I can’t ever get out of my headGlenn Hoddle gave me lots of praise. I should have actually scored Continue reading... Collapse
“Sporting Integrity” Is a Very Small Fig Leaf
04/05/2020 - I get the money. I get the legal issues. And at least some are finally copping to those being the Expand
04/05/2020 - I get the money. I get the legal issues. And at least some are finally copping to those being the primary considerations for finishing rather than "integrity." There is no sporting integrity to the season if it’s played out in bizarre, forced circumstances that affect clubs disproportionately. It's a very small fig leaf. Collapse
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From Sørloth to Luis Alberto: 20 players who have thrived after leaving England
19/04/2020 - These players, one from each Premier League club, may not have made much of an impression in Expand
19/04/2020 - These players, one from each Premier League club, may not have made much of an impression in England but have proven their worth elsewhereArsenal – Kristoffer Olsson (Krasnodar) In two years at Arsenal the Swede appeared in one matchday squad and made it on to the pitch for 36 minutes of a League Cup tie at West Brom (scoring in the penalty shootout). He moved on, initially to Midtjylland in Denmark, and after a spell at AIK in Sweden he joined Krasnodar in January 2019. This season he has been a key player in midfield, with his team second in Russia’s Premier League.Aston Villa – Pierluigi Gollini (Atalanta) A £4.25m signing from the Serie B side Hellas Verona in 2016, Gollini held down a first-team spot for barely four months before Steve Bruce brought in Mark Bunn, more than 10 years Gollini’s senior, before Christmas. “Bunn gives you that bit of experience,” he said. “I just felt with young Pier, it was a bit too much for him. I find him very young.” The following month he joined Collapse
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Premier League plans restart on 17 June with Manchester City v Arsenal
28/05/2020 - Full round of 10 matches will be played from 20 JuneAll 92 remaining fixtures set to be shown live Expand
28/05/2020 - Full round of 10 matches will be played from 20 JuneAll 92 remaining fixtures set to be shown live on TVThe Premier League is reportedly planning to resume on 17 June with two fixtures, as Aston Villa host Sheffield United and Manchester City welcome Arsenal to the Etihad Stadium. Related: Lower-division clubs need urgent rescue package, says MP Damian Collins Continue reading... Collapse
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith's father Ron dies after contracting Covid-19
27/05/2020 - Villa fan and former club steward dies aged 79 ‘He passed on his love of the club to his Expand
27/05/2020 - Villa fan and former club steward dies aged 79 ‘He passed on his love of the club to his children’The father of the Aston Villa head coach, Dean Smith, has died after contracting Covid-19. The Premier League club announced 79-year-old Ron Smith, a lifelong Villa fan, had died after a four-week battle against coronavirus.A club statement read: “The Aston Villa Family are saddened to announce that Ron Smith, the father of our current head coach Dean, has passed away at the age of 79. Related: Dean Smith mixes personal pain with pride as Aston Villa head to Wembley Continue reading... Collapse
Aston Villa join opposition against finishing season at neutral grounds
06/05/2020 - Christian Purslow: idea would increase relegation risk‘We’re a club that prides itself on home Expand
06/05/2020 - Christian Purslow: idea would increase relegation risk‘We’re a club that prides itself on home form’Aston Villa have joined Brighton and West Ham in publicly opposing the idea of completing the Premier League season at neutral venues as their chief executive, Christian Purslow, warned clubs would not support measures that increased the risk of the “£200m catastrophe” that is relegation.It is understood Premier League clubs have been told the only way to complete the season is for the remaining 92 matches to be played at neutral venues, but Purslow said that would punish clubs such as Villa, who have taken 17 of their 25 points at home. Concluding the season would bring in television revenue but he pointed out that the financial cost of being relegated after playing all games away from Villa Park could be far greater. Related: David Squires on … the Premier League and Project Restart Continue reading... Collapse
Underrated Premier League players: part one, from Arsenal to Liverpool
29/04/2020 - We look at players who have been important to the their clubs but perhaps not always received the Expand
29/04/2020 - We look at players who have been important to the their clubs but perhaps not always received the credit they deservedPosition Centre-forward Time at club 2012-2018 League apps/goals 180/73 January 1, 2017 Olivier Giroud stars in ‘The Scorpion King’ Puskas Award winner#NaNaNaNaa pic.twitter.com/xts4eEYXjD Related: Who is the shortest goalkeeper to play in the English top flight? | The Knowledge Continue reading... Collapse
Worst thing I've been through': why Agbonlahor is raffling shirt for NHS
23/04/2020 - The former Aston Villa striker thinks he had coronavirus and is raffling the jersey in which he Expand
23/04/2020 - The former Aston Villa striker thinks he had coronavirus and is raffling the jersey in which he scored a 2017 winner against BirminghamA “horrible experience” with coronavirus-like symptoms has inspired the former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor to raise money for the NHS by raffling one of the most cherished souvenirs of his career. The 33-year-old, having already made a personal donation to the health service, is offering fans the chance to win the shirt he wore when scoring the winning goal against Birmingham in his last Second City derby this day three years ago.“I’ve already made a donation [to the NHS] myself and I was trying to think of other ways I could help,” says Agbonlahor, who has invited visitors to his JustGiving page to pledge £10 per entry to the raffle that he will perform live online on Sunday. “The shirt means a lot to me and I thought it could be special for lots of Villa fans so hopefully we can raise a decent amount of money. I don’t know how much medical Collapse
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