What’s good for Guus is good for the gander

SO Goose has passed his first test and will be facing the next this evening; win tonight and the feelgood factor will be well and truly back for the blue faithful, although I wasn’t one of those singing “Chelsea are back” at the final whistle up at Villa Park. Premature crowing often leaves egg on one’s face — doesn’t it Rafa?

Villa was the clichéd “must-win game” for a whole host of reasons and although the nerves were jangling a bit pre-match, I was quietly confident, although not as confident as the Villa fans it has to be said. They have of course had a great season by their recent standards, but a lot can happen in three months — and indeed in 90 minutes — and you would have thought they would have been a little more reticent beforehand considering the footballing lesson we gave them at the Bridge.

Villa fans are fast overtaking Geordies for the title of most deluded in the Premiership. One can’t switch on the radio without hearing Villa fans waxing lyrical about what a huge club they are, how Champions League football is guaranteed and how great their support is — yet they constantly fail to sell their full away allocations almost everywhere they go and their “support” at Villa Park on Saturday was almost totally absent — apart when appealing for non-existent hand-balls.