Aston Villa blogger Matthew Turvey can see parallels between his club and the England team when he thinks of the expectation levels that weigh down the two entities.

As we have no Aston Villa game to attend to this week, I thought it sensible to take a slightly different angle for my weekly column.

As England head into a game against Montenegro on Friday, such a match up made me consider the parallels between Aston Villa and our national side.

Both teams have had some excellent players playing for them and both teams have had an outstanding success that offers something of a split view on perspective.

For England, the success in 1966 was the golden moment in the history of the nation. For Villa, it was, of course, 1982 that conjured up the club’s finest hour.

The question begs now though – what is the relevance? Well, in this instance, both wins offer a two fold view – that of success and that of expectation.

For England, the winning of the world’s biggest international team tournament was undoubtedly a massive success and something that the country can be proud of.

However, it also cultivated something more than pride – it cultivated expectation.

Every four years hence, England have been tipped by the media, by the public, by all numbers of people to be able to recapture said glory.

Sadly, for England at least, the replication of 1966 has never happened, with each attempt falling short of the cup.

For Villa, 1982 provides a similar backdrop of what can be done when thing are done properly. The problem that it causes, though, is the raising of expectations.

After all, if we won it once, why can’t we do it again? Such statements are actually fairly sensible in premise, but it isn’t ambition that causes issue for either Villa or England – it’s expectation.

You see, with such expectation weighing heavily on the shoulders of the players in said teams, it can often cause more problems than is solves.

Aim to do well, sure, but when that aim becomes expectation, it can be burdensome. It can be because, despite all the money footballers earn, they are still human beings.

Like you or I, they still suffer from the same issues that any normal person does – crisises of confidence, bad spells and occassionally irrational behaviour.

The only difference is that whilst the behaviour of you and me might yield an argument or two, such behaviour seen in a footballer is magnified a thousand times over.

Which leads me into the media. Now this may sound a tad strange to be reading such an analysis, given that I write for several media outlets, but the point has to be made.

The media loves an underdog, but by God does it slaughter those that actually do well. England have been caught in this trap for quite literally decades and, often, I wonder if Villa are in the same trap at times.

After all, Villa’s plight, if that doesn’t sound too melodramatic, has been on something of an undulating path.

European Cup winners, sure, but when you have to go back 15 years to recall anything at all that we have won, so you might be forgiven for wondering where some of the outlandish expectations come from.

Don’t get me wrong, Villa have all the hallmarks of a big club – big stadium, big support, top players and a proud history. But iIs that enough to fuel present day expectation?

Perhaps part of the problem, if one can call it that, is that Martin O’Neill did, in recent years, make Villa look something of a football force.

Granted, he too didn’t bag any silverware, but many Villa fans thought the only way was up. The sad reality was that such progress was limited by something of a glass ceiling of sorts.

Whether one wants to attribute our failure to take it to the next level as being that of a financial ceiling that we hit, or the lack of squad rotation, the fact remains that we didn’t make it.

In fact, we haven’t “made it” in years, but yet every year the idea of us finishing outside of the top eight is greated with utter disdain by some sections of the support. After all, it’s where we should be, isn’t it?

Of course, and certainly at present, in some areas of our support, expectations and realism are often detached.

The best analysis I can offer is that of asking a drunkard what his expectations are regarding any number of scenarios.

Whilst he might ramble endlessly about what he can deliver, the reality often falls short. So perhaps that is a way of looking at it – that we got drunk in the heady heights of 1982.

To move forwards though, actually involves a certain degree of forgetting the past.

I’m not saying don’t look at our history, on the contrary, I personally recommend you get the spine tingles when seeing us win matches in the past.

What I am saying though is that to move forward means two things.

The first is forgetting about preconceptions. The second is taking away the fear.

The only way a team plays without restriction is being freed from burden. Ambition is great, and should be cultivated at all levels, but expectations can often weigh down a player more than buoy them.

Aim to do well, rather than expect it. Some might suggest this is something of a defeatist attitude. I actually don’t think it is at all. I think cutting away this somewhat maudlin attitude.

Forget about living in the past and get on with making the future. It won’t get made by constant reflection on what happened in years gone by. It can only be cultivated in the now.

Perhaps what I am suggesting is too much to ask for supporters who might see what I am saying as an insult to our history or success.

However, all I am saying is that to be truly free, one must be free of the shackles of expectation.

After all, if one pardons the obvious nature of the statement – only in being free can one truly appreciate freedom.

Freedom leads to success because it means we can operate without extra duress. Winning is hard enough without expectation.

In both England and Villa’s role, we operate better as the underdog simply because we don’t sit under a burden of expectation.

So next time you think about what Villa should be doing, stop and think. Nothing is for certain, and winning a European Cup in 1982 isn’t consonant with current success.

After all, look at Nottingham Forest. Twice the European Cups that we have, but would you trade our place with theirs at present?

You can also follow Villa blogger Matthew Turvey at his own site, http://www.astonvillalife.com.