The Aston Villa Courier
Squad28 Oct 2030
A fracture rules Mark Smith out for 20 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Aston Villa will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
The dugout28 Oct 2030
William Osula says Aston Villa went back on their word
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Match26 Oct 2030
7 matches without a win for Aston Villa
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Aston Villa are no longer polite ones.
Squad28 Oct 2030
A falling-out at Aston Villa
Matthijs de Ligt and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout28 Oct 2030
The manager makes an example of James Trafford
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match26 Oct 2030
Aston Villa come up short against Arsenal
Arsenal left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The dugout28 Oct 2030
A promise honoured for James Trafford
It is not much of a headline and it is the reason players believe the next promise. Aston Villa told James Trafford something would happen and then it happened, which in this industry passes for remarkable.
The dugout28 Oct 2030
James Trafford is still paying for one afternoon at Aston Villa
Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.
Looking ahead28 Oct 2030
A reunion for Keisuke Osako
He used to wear the other shirt. On Saturday he plays against Tottenham in this one, and whatever he says this week about it being just another game will be untrue.
In brief
- Market The Noah Sadiki story refuses to die
- Squad Harvey Vale has taken the shirt
- Squad The room hears from Gabri Veiga