I Care About Aston Villa?!?!?!?!!

Aston Villa for me has always been a strange club, I've never had a strong opinion of it be it positive or negative. Its always been a club that's hung in the background for me and bar a bonkers high scoring midweek game against Liverpool I can't summon a single memory of them. They've always been there - often finishing 8th or or fighting relegation - until they weren't but then they came back again. 

But things are changing, back in November Steven Gerrard took over the management reigns from Dean Smith and this raised an eyebrow from me. After a couple of seasons in Scotland managing Rangers I finally get a chance to see how good a manager is, no offence to Scottish readers but its hard to tell how good an Old Firm manager is at times especially up against Neil Lennon and the other guy. Now that he's managing in a league I'm familiar with him I can properly give him the once over. He's got off to a decent start and now he's getting involved in the transfer window - putting his mark on the Villa side.

Not only that he's signed Philippe Coutinho! One of my favourite Liverpool players of the last ten years. Although he's not done a lot in the last two seasons due to injuries but he's racked up the trophies. A lot of people have said he's underachieved since leaving Liverpool but his first season and a half for Barcelona was good stuff as was his loan at Bayern. He still has his pace, an eye for a pass, the ability to score and create a goal.

This is a good move and if Coutinho can keep himself fit he can do some good stuff on loan at Villa this season. Its also the best time for him, we're getting out of winter Spring is coming and he has a World Cup to motivate himself for. Also the transfer window isn't over yet Lucas Digne has also been signed and there is still time for Steven Gerrard to do more.

All I know is with the introduction of Steven Gerrard and Philippe Coutinho to the saga of Aston Villa I'm keeping a closer eye on that club in the background. 2022 January isn't over yet and you've already got me caring about Aston Villa, you are already more intriguing  than the last two years.

Thoughts on Game of Thrones: The Watchers on the Wall

My viewing of Game of Thrones is swiftly reaching the tail end of season four and the show continues to surprise. After the previous episode I expected things to pick up in Kings Landing but what I got was a welcome to the "one plot line" and "massive battle" format last seen in the legendary Blackwater episode two seasons ago. 

Its a very different battle as the Knight Watch are undermanned and under matched against the Wildlings - something that this season has set up well as the Wildlings south of the Wall have been getting closer. Not only that when the previous battle had the resources of two mammoth armies and would be kings we're in desperate last stand territory akin to the Battle of Helms Deep. One of the key areas where this episode differs is that the Battle is multi layered, we have the top of the wall, Castle Black, tunnels below and the North side of the wall. Its rather like a Russell T Davies Doctor Who chase scene. Characters are constantly changing positions as the battle turns and from an action point of view its very satisfying. We're told the Wildlings objective and we know how The Watch need to defend the wall, even if this was you're first episode the battle is clear to follow.

There are characters on either side of this battle that I care about, in particular Jon Snow, Ygritte and Sam. The show has done well to get me invested in these as well as characters like Gilly, the baby and a few Watch members. However there are a lot of vaguely familiar faces that I don't care about in the Watch, mainly Jon Snows mates 1-4. We've seen them throughout the show however they've always been side characters to Jon Snow, plus sadly a lot of the more memorable characters from the Watch have been killed - in some cases earlier this season. The battle is lacking a final twist as throughout the series the "White Walkers" have been slowly built up and I thought they'd make their presence felt in this fight, as a result we don't get a final twist that Blackwater had.

Ygritte's death is a highlight of the episode, it did feel like she was building up to a face turn at points this season but just as it looks like we're about to find out she's taken out by an arrow. For one harrowing moment I thought it was Sam that killed her - although he is indirectly responsible - and was aghast until the camera panned to the lift boy. This is the money shot moment of the episode, my favourite romance in the show is over and this is where the heart of the episode lies. Other characters get there moments such as Grenn holding the gate, the appearance of the Giants & Mammoths, the ice scythe etc and I wouldn't be surprised to find out that this is one of the most highly regarded episodes. Its a 9.5/10 for me and I look forward to the end of the season.

The Big Finish Catch-Up January 2022

For those of you new to this section of the blog, I started listening to the Big Finish Doctor Who releases when they started back in 1999, getting them as they were released up to mid 2002 and release No 33 Neverland. At that time I left Uni and due to being a bit busy with life and what not I only heard one or two releases over the next few years. I started getting back into them around 2008 and was 6 years behind at that point. Due to wondering off into the Lost Doctor range and a relaxed listening pace I fell further behind. In order to catch up I'm listening to two releases a month (or more when its a 60 min single disc release, plus without seeing the cover or knowing anything about the story) and my mission to catch up continues; 

However as I've fallen behind its time for some snap reviews of the last years of my Big Finish listening, these contain first time listens and relistens to old favourites: 

Faustian - The first story in the Eric Roberts Master boxset. After listening to this disc I'm of the opinion that this is going to be more of an over arching story split into chapters rather than a number of interlinked stories. As such we have a very atmospheric opening chapter, it picks up where things left off on TV for this incarnation of The Master (or certainly feels like it) as we get a story involving experiments and temptation as The Master from the side lines engineers an escape from the Vortex. The main character is Lila Kreeg who is given a fine performance by Laura Aikman as we're introduced to her situation. I look forward to seeing these characters move forward and how their relationship develops, 8/10.

Technophobia - Hear we are with the first story in the first boxset from David Tennants 10th Doctor along with Catherine Tate as Donna. Its a fun breezy little story set in near present day London with loads of good fluffy bits for the regulars to do. Its fun enough but uncertain in tone as it tries for most of the story to be fun and fluffy but then wants to do a bit of horror which comes across as out of place. What we get is fun but it feels a bit bite sized and for the 10th Doctors debut for Big Finish I wanted something completely OTT. It does feel a bit rushed in places and I wouldn't have been adverse as a full length two disc release. 6/10 but will get a higher mark from me on a re-listen down the road when its not the big flashy debut of the 10th Doctor.

Liverpool draw Cardiff in the 4th round of the FA Cup

 "I'll be with you in a minute I just need to check the FA Cup draw."

"How did Swansea and Cardiff do?"

"Cardiff got through but with the stadiums shut in Wales I need them to get an easy win in the next round and a home draw in the next so I don't miss out on another shift because of Mark Drakeford."

- and the next name out of the bag is Cardiff City and they will play away at Liverpool -

"FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!"