Big ambitions – but Aston Villa need points first

An extensive interview with chief executive Keith Wyness, conducted by the club’s in-house media department and published on the official website earlier this week, served another reminder of the potentially exciting future which awaits should owner Tony Xia’s vision be realised.

Tomorrow will, however, bring a return to the here and now and a home fixture with Brentford at the start of another hectic three-week period in the Championship.

Plans for 60,000-seater stadiums, satellite clubs and the Villa engine is all very well but it does ring a little hollow when the team currently sits 18th in the second tier.

To the credit of Wyness and Xia, neither has sought to hide the fact that for now the long-term dream must play second fiddle to the immediate business of regaining top flight status.

Bold projects will never be realised unless Villa take the first step and successfully return to the Premier League.

“We know where we want to get to but we’re also living in the present moment and understand the reality of getting out of the Championship,” said Wyness.

“On the football side, it all starts in us getting back to the Premier League.”

Certainly the next month, described last week as “crucial” by Xia, will provide a better idea of just well the short-term strategy is working.

The first month was a difficult one for boss Steve Bruce and his team. There was encouragement, however, in a strong end to August which included back-to-back four-goal hauls and a first away point of the campaign at Bristol City.

After noting just how much travelling he and his players had done during the opening weeks, Bruce will be happy to find the balance evened out during this next segment of fixtures.

Next weekends trip to Barnsley is the only time Villa will leave the Midlands in the next three weeks.

The only other away fixture is at Burton Albion, with five of the next seven games being played at home, including a third round Carabao Cup tie with Middlesbrough.

For a team with a strong record over the past 12 months in front of their own supporters, it is a schedule which would appear to offer the ideal chance to build momentum and close the gap on the early season pacesetters.

“We are probably five points away from where we should be,” said Bruce after the 1-1 draw in Bristol.

“We have a big month coming up – can we make it up?”

Villa aren’t the only ones aiming to be upwardly mobile. Brentford, managed by former Walsall boss and lifelong Villa supporter Dean Smith, arrive in the Midlands with only Bolton below them in the table following a frustrating opening month which yielded only two points from the first five fixtures.

“I’ve been happy with the performances but not happy with the points return,” Smith said.

“Out of the seven games we’ve played – including in the cup – we’ve lost three and it’s hard to put your finger on how that’s happened.

“Sheffield United was very tight, Nottingham Forest scored two wonder goals and at Ipswich we were the aggressors for the majority of the game.

“One thing that we’ve noticed is that we haven’t taken our chances – when we score when we’re on top we’re usually very good.

“That’s something we’ve been working on and we’ll put that right. But we’re in good shape, the squad is looking very well.”