We won, we won, we bloody won. There’s dancing in the streets all over the world today.

I love Villa Park (read: total shit-hole) and wish we could play there every week. I wasn’t there yesterday, though I’ve been there before and they stick away fans in a little cauldron under the ground and beat them with sticks and pour boiling scorn upon them, then you come out into a ground that was really something quite special in 1972 but now is so much faded Brummie wasteland ready for demolition. I suppose that’s why its still ‘Villa Park’ and hasn’t been gobbled up into the corporate marketing machine and re-branded as ‘The KFC’ or ‘Mothercare Park’ or even ‘The Bull Ring Balti Arena’.

So in strutted Spurs, all clean and white and weighing in at just about £657 million as half their new signings, the really expensive ones, weren’t playing. But those who were looked gorgeous and shiny and bright, whereas the Villa crew all had crooked black teeth and tattoos on their faces and prosthetic limbs. And they smelled funny. You could tell. Even on the tv. That’s really HD.

There were some serious questions asked during the game.

Are Spurs really G-d’s own team? I think that one was answered emphatically.

Does Andros Townsend really walk on water? And does that make drinking rather difficult? Or a bit dirty??

And best of all, from a nash-null perspective, England have finally, after 37 years, since Chris Waddle, since Nobby Wilkinshaw wore the number 11 in 1863, they’ve finally solved ‘that left side problem’. Converting Ryan Giggs to ‘English’ was never likely to happen and almost my entire adult life England have lacked a true left winger. And now, up steps Andros, fast, skilful and left-footed.

So what do they do? They play him on the right. Go figure.

And so the match wasn’t the prettiest. Villa weren’t good for much and Spurs, although having 98% of possession in the first half, really didn’t seem to know what to do with it. Like they’d won the lottery and didn’t know what to buy. Some brilliant passing moves, but mainly between the back four. So there are still ‘issues’ to resolve, still troublesome niggles that a better team than Villa would have exposed.

And yet…

and yet…

and yet…

we won. Free points is free points. No matter how, now matter where. Even in Birmingham. The end justifies the means. To the victor the spoils. A sleeping snake is more dangerous than a waking tiger (old Tai Chi philosophy that I just made up). The pen is mightier than the Range Rover. And much easier to write with.

So bring on Hull; bring ‘em all. I think we’re ready. Aren’t we??

At least Andros Townsend seems ready.

 

Happy monday

 

A xxxx