Tue 11 Apr 06
Football’s Fate in the Midlands
Birmingham City and West Brom are in a seesaw battle to fend off relegation, while Aston Villa labour in the lower half of the EPL table. What gives with the Midlands? Guardian football columnist Kevin McCarra tackles the issue here:
Cramming themselves into the Championship is an ignominious kind of solidarity for the Midlands clubs. When Aston Villa were champions of England in 1981, they half-complained, half-boasted of the many derby fixtures that had to be surmounted on the road to the title. All that remains is a culture in which football itself is regarded with great significance even if it is fear more than hope that galvanises the crowd. The Hawthorns continues to foster a gripping atmosphere that is seldom equalled elsewhere in the Premiership.
In last Sunday’s edition of BBC Sportsweek Daily Telegraph columnist Henry Winter had some observations on the prospects for Aston Villa.
Paul CanniffÂ
