The wait for Monday
Us Villans have to wait for Monday night before getting a chance to see our team play again. Depending on your viewpoint, having to wait that long may be either painful or a relief, as the truth is that recent games have been both pointless and, well, almost pointless.
That Villa gained no points from a quartet of Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Everton is far from surprising, but the result last weekend was dour and uninspiring.
Speaking as a fan who considers himself something of a realist, I'm not expecting miracles or for Villa to be challenging at the top. I am, however, expecting commitment and progress, and the Everton game offered neither.
On Monday, Villa would appear to have no excuse. QPR are bottom of the table, and have conceded 18 goals in just eight games. In that sense, it seems obvious Villa should at least get a point, and arguably all three.
Where things fall slightly flat statistically is that Villa have scored just four goals in eight games. That's right, four goals in eight games.
Some will argue that Villa's clinical edge in front of goal in terms of chances vs goals scored illustrates something positive, but the reality is that it only proves that there are lies, lies, and damned statistics.
With Christian Benteke arriving back from injury in recent weeks, it would make sense that the goals could start flowing. However, it would appear that the mentality of the team has to change.
Why? The mentality shown at Goodison Park was far too tepid, and no goals scored shows a team that has been too focused on defence.
Nobody is saying that defence isn't a solid place to start for a team, but once Villa went behind last weekend, I had my doubts we'd come back. As it happened, I was right, though I was hoping not to be.
The question many are asking now is whether there's a way forwards. Do Villa get more attacking and risk it all for the glory of goals? Or do they try and shut up shop and hope they can nick one at the other end?
Either is an option, but the truth is that many fans are increasingly switched off after years of frustration. Villa may not have been relegated, but they are in danger of being the equivalent of the league's walking dead.
You can follow Matt Turvey's regular opinions at his own site, Aston Villa Life, via the site's Twitter account, or via his own Twitter account.
