Blog: Rome wasn't built in a day, so give Villa time to come good

With a match that may end up with more balls flying in the air than there were Spitfires in the 1940s, Matt Turvey looks at the upcoming Battle at the Britannia.

This weekend, Aston Villa travel to the Britannia Stadium, looking to take away all three points from Stoke City. In seasons past, many would have attributed one team to be long ball merchants, and the other to be peddling far more attractive football.

OK, "far more attractive" is probably a bit of stretch given that Villa have rarely been seen as an example of fluid play, but they have at least been effective, at least when money was more abundant than it has been in recent times.

This season, many fans have been up in arms about the style of play, wondering whether there is some underlying ethos to Paul Lambert's plans at the club, or if the plan is still to kick the ball long from Brad Guzan to Christian Benteke.

In defence of Lambert, Villa's squad has been something reminiscent of the aftermath of a bomb. Between the self-titled "Bomb Squad" and a seemingly ever-increasing list of injuries, adopting more than making do seems a stretch.

Regardless, many will argue that they pay money - good money - to be entertained, with the atmosphere at Villa Park feeling typically British. What do I mean by that? The stereotypical British response to most things - silence through gritted teeth, "that look", and an atmosphere that feels oppressive without a word even being said.

In a sense, there's a fair point being peddled here, that a football match is regarded as entertainment and, thus, should be measured in such terms. If you were to go to your favourite restaurant and, instead of the great steak they served you for £15, you ended up with a cow's liver, you'd probably be upset.

One thing the above misses though is the fact that many of us who follow football teams aren't doing so because of some structured form of rationality. For me personally, speaking as a man who grew up within around 400 yards of the ground, and into a family of Villa fans, there was no choice in the matter - I didn't chose, I was chosen.

In that sense, like it or not, I'm going to be a Villa fan until the day I die, just as the chant "Villa Till I Die" proudly proclaims. I'm not, despite a very rational mindset, going to start listing the pros and cons of supporting the team because I love Villa. That's right, I LOVE Villa and love, like Stevie Wonder, is blind.

Of course, that doesn't mean that I have to be happy with whatever gets served up. Some might call me a sucker for punishment - and I probably am - but I'll buy a season ticket until I can't afford to, or I can't physically get to Villa Park. In that sense, I'm probably just what rich owners want - suckers who will hand over cash regardless.

Getting back to the team, Lambert has struggled in the past few games, but the overall season's performance - in pure points and places terms - is one that indicates improvement. Sure, the style of football hasn't exactly been scintillating, but it has been functional, stealing unexpected wins as much as providing frustrating losses.

Perhaps, despite my love for the Villa, some part of me understands the logic of building a team, and of the issues that Lambert has faced as injury has ravaged his defence and shackled a once-unstoppable Belgian from scoring more goals. Stylistically it may well be, but in the footballing equivalent of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, points come before performances, substance comes before style.

So, as Villa face a match where it may mean the away team are playing a less stylish version of football than Stoke, it may not be one to tell that grandchildren about.

However, if Villa can come away with three points, the rest is history. Why? Scoring goals and winning games is what Villa need to do moving forwards. Rome wasn't built in a day, and whilst far more than a day has passed for Villa under the management of Lambert, it would be wise to assume that things might get ugly before they get better.

You can follow Matt Turvey's regular opinions at his own site, Aston Villa Life at http://www.astonvillalife.com, via the site's Twitter account @astonvillalife, or via his own Twitter account @mturvey_star.