Blog: Sometimes things just happen for Villa
Sometimes things just happen and so it's proved for Aston Villa and us fans, writes blogger Matthew Turvey.
Sometimes, despite what probability might want to happen, it doesn't and we're left to deal with the consequences.
As a Villa supporter, those unexpected consequences were far from an issue, and more a case of celebration.
The supposedly pre-ordained belief that Steven Gerrard would win the FA Cup on his birthday ended up in the trash.
It's gone with the rest of the nonsense that much of the mainstream media wanted us to accept, replaced by the comparatively unpopular Villa.
Does it bother me that we've turned expectation upside down? Of course not.
Give me the opportunity to be the raucous and unexpected gatecrasher - in footballing terms at least - and I'll swagger into the middle of the room, and turn the place upside down, metaphorically speaking at least.
As a guy of 36 years of age, I've not seen Villa win a single thing during my adult life.
When the final whistle went on Sunday, I was jumping up and down in block 552 like a lunatic - transported back to a time in my childhood when Villa did, you know, actually win things.
Of course, no Villa fan wants to get ahead of themselves given that upset is something tattooed into our collective consciousnesses.
But there's a belief that - God forbid - we might actually have the chance of coming away with the cup.
Which, if we're honest, would be amazing, at least if it means Villa survive in the top flight.
Relegation doesn't cultivate the same impending sense of doom that it did earlier in the season, but it similarly can't be ignored.
The difference in the Tim Sherwood era is that the focus will likely be to "just go and win" rather than nervously looking over his shoulder at the possibility of slipping out of the tiop flight.
Whilst suggesting that attacking a bit more is some panacea that Paul Lambert was incapable of even thinking of, it does show just how much pressure can change a man.
Paul Lambert arrived at Villa with a swashbuckling mentality - a tactical flexibility that showed a man who knew how to change things.
By the end, Lambert's changing of style indicated quite a different concept - the idea of a man who couldn't make his mind up, a man who was unable to solve problems that seemed plain as day.
Sherwood, in his place, is untainted by pressure. Initial impressions seem to imply that pressure isn't something that gets to Villa's current manager.
That's at least not in a crumbling, I've-fallen-and-can't-get-up sense of how stress defeats a person.
Some will say Sherwood is arrogant or that pride comes before a fall and, as ever, they could be right.
The truth is that the media will love arrogance if exhibited by a successful manager, but they will slay him for the same trait if things go awry.
What happens with the club in the long term is, to be honest, irrlevant at present.
Sherwood's decision to infuse the club with a freedom and a confidence that may save the club's season - and win a cup - is a welcome change.
Is he arrogant? Should he be arrogant? The honest answer is that fans don't care so long as he can keep things up.
So with Manchester City away, the world may come crashing down and reality may well be miserable and upsetting come next Monday.
But, for now, fans will be swaggering and appreciative of a faint glimmer of hope amidst years of dull and humdrum existence in the Premier League.
You can follow Matt Turvey's regular opinions at his own site, www.astonvillalife.com, and on Twitter @astonvillalife or @mturvey_star.
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