Speaking earlier to someone who told me a big Villa fan in the business world told him yesterday that Villa are on the brink, over the last two seasons they have gambled by spending big/paying big and it all hinged on the play-off final which they lost. I know there has been talk of a takeover at Villa and i'm sure there will be plenty of interest in buying them, but the financial fair play rule will kick in regardless of any big money investment, so they will need to sell any player of any value and release the big earners, meaning rebuilding on a tight budget, effectively putting them out of the picture in regards to challenging for honours next season. Apparently Derby have a similar problem on the FFP front as well.
I have a buddy in Birmingham, a Villa supporter, whom I shall be visiting in the next couple of months. We joked about getting to see Villa v Millwall while i was there. Looks like it won't be such a joke now.