Oct 4
🥳 Bonkers. The Premier League was like the last day of school today and I loved it.
Football without fans has had a dramatic impact on games and results, and has levelled the playing field in so many ways, yet today’s events were imaginable.
I have to track down a recording of James Alexander Gordon reading the results, just to hear his melodious tone, and to make sure the games I watched from the couch actually happened.
No, not for Saturday, today. Football returns from the abyss at Villa Park this evening, which is 2pm here so I may grant myself a later lunch stop to soak in the artificial crowd noise. There will even be audio from the coin toss.
Players were warned that there should be social distancing goal celebrations, with a camera identified to celebrate in front off. With players naturally drawn to fans when they’ve scored, I look forward to the first player to score and give it the Sssh fingers to lips motion in front of an empty stand!
A big day for Chris Solly, one of our most popular players in what has been a topsy turvey last decade for the club. Solly’s debut was as a substitute in the last game of our wretched Championship relegation season in 2008/9.
That team and the one the next season never really gelled with me as we missed out in the play-offs under Phil Parkinson. Yet youngsters like Solly, Scott Wagstaff and Jonjo Shelvey were little specks of light in a dark tunnel that Chris Powell drove us out of at full speed.
I was disappointed that Aston Villa got promoted. Not because I don’t like them, because I do. I’ve had soft spot for them ever since that European Cup winning team. Who can forget Bremner, Withe, Shaw, Morley. Nigel Spink off to bench to play in goal.
Villa Park is a cathedral of a stadium. That day in the Premier League. May 1999. Robinson, Mendonca, Mills. Steve Brown in goal. What a day.
Just to add salt to a badly gaping wound, Aston Villa have recalled goalkeeper Jed Steer back to Villa Park after he had established himself as Addicks no. 1 playing in 19 of our 25 league games.
Villa’s current no. 1 Orjan Nyland suffered an Achilles injury on Sunday, leaving Mark Bunn as the club’s only fit ‘keeper. Ironically Addicks saw Dean Smith’s signing of new Croatia goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic as a sign tha Steer would stay at The Valley. Kalinic is not not eligible for Villa’s next game, but in all possibility within a week or so Steer could end up as third choice at Villa Park.
Chicago Addick 