Villa Park has been somewhat of a jumble of emotions in recent weeks, writes Aston Villa blogger Matt Turvey.

At present, from the fan perspective at least, there have been a lot of unresolved problems at the club. Fans will name the issues as the board and the manager. Most of the time, it seems the players evade the blame.

I say most of the time, because Stiliyan Petrov got it in the neck this week from a large portion of people for some quotes that were about Liverpool. Stan was a fan as a kid, and said as much in an interview with Match magazine. I’m sure you all remember Match – it was like Shoot! magazine when we were kids, and had a lot of good stories.

Regarding Petrov though, the fact that it was written for a kids magazine, talking about what kids dream of when they are kids. Target audience and all that. The rest of it was taken out of context as Stan was quick to confirm. The media hey, who can trust them? PS Yes I obviously understand how contradictory that sounds given I write for a media outlet.

Anyway, getting back to this blame game that is ping-ponging around B6 at present, I have to say that it is pretty upsetting to watch. Many seem so entrenched in their position that they don’t much care what happens.

The worst thing here is that fans are going against fans. I honestly don’t care what the board think, but I care what fans think. What distinguishes Villa as a passion of mine is the fellow supporter rather than money men. If football is dying due to money, then turn off the corporate sponsorship life support and give us back the game. Not that it will ever happen of course.

So, in the eyes of us fans, the season may have been poor so far, but to see people flying against each other just because they disagree, it is a real shame. If fans are going to be like that against fellow fans, just how fragmented does Aston Villa look to the rest of the world?

Don’t get me wrong, I have my opinion. Often my opinion is different to others. Nothing wrong with that. We’re never going to agree on everything. It just might be easier if things weren’t so vitriolic between fans.

The anger that is showing is understandable. Nobody wants to see the club doing badly, and nobody wants to pay for football that appears to be poor quality or poor value. These are all valid reasons to be upset and frustrated. It’s just the same for me – I don’t see visits to Villa Park as good value anymore either.

So I understand why people at the club are seen as problems, whether they are board members, players, or the manager. Nobody is beyond criticism.

I personally still have a faint glimmer of hope for the manager, especially after both Dunne and Albrighton came out admitting that the effort being asked for wasn’t being provided by the team, that the long balls were borne of frustration by players rather than McLeish’s direction. Detractors have suggested such an announcement is a clever board ploy to deflect the blame from Alex McLeish. Me personally, I think it is a sign that quite a few players need to realise they should earn their money each week.

All that aside, the fact remains that things must change, and soon. In a month where chances may be few and far between given a series of high profile matches, the chance to secure some kind of a result at the Reebok Stadium has to be high in priority. It may even be termed as “must win”, as much as I hate that term.

Villa fans will know all too well that Bolton did quite a number on us in the cup earlier this season. Barring Tottenham’s non-game, the Bolton result was probably the most disappointing. Losing to United isn’t great, but it is far easier to defend losing to the reigning champions than it is to defend losing to a team that is way down the league.

So Bolton’s game will provide some hope of salvation for McLeish amidst a tough period for the club. It saddens me that I am having to use the word hope when talking about a team that is currrently in the bottom half of the table, but this is where we are.

If Bolton away provides little seasonal cheer for fans, then I doubt the Christmas season will be either jolly or exciting, more a time where fragmentation leaves the current man under fire even further out in the wilderness.

McLeish is running out of time. It may not all be his fault, and other people may have to take the blame over the longer term but, barring improved results, Alex may well find himself as the sacrificial lamb slaughtered to change the mood down at B6.