BBC Radio WM host, Daz Hale, returns to reflect on last season's campaign for Aston Villa and key decisions that the football club will have to make heading into next season. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? What did Daz make of the season that was for Unai Emery's men? Was missing out on the Champions League the end of the world? Emi Martinez and Ollie Watkins' Villa futures. Do fans of the football club need to stop looking back at t...
Jun 23, 2025•40 min•Ep. 552
With the summer transfer window now open once more, Cole, Simon and Tom assess the futures of the first steam squad in what is sure to be yet another busy and challenging period for the football club. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? Which first team regulars could be made available this summer? Could we see a complete overhaul in the goalkeeping department? Does Matty Cash still have a role to play in this squad? Could Youri Tielemans...
Jun 16, 2025•57 min•Ep. 551
The Villa Roundtable is here! Cole is joined by Neil Dunworth, Pete Schaad and Rich Sutherland to reflect on where the 24/25 season leaves Aston Villa and look ahead to what will be a busy summer for the football club. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? Right then, how are we all feeling about Aston Villa heading into the summer months? Was missing out on Champions League football the be-all and end-all? How concerned are we all about po...
Jun 09, 2025•46 min•Ep. 550
With Aston Villa's 2024/2025 campaign now in the rearview mirrior, Cole, Simon and Seb sat down to reflect on the season that was for Unai emery's men – who was our standout player of the season? Who failed to live up to expectations? And everything in-between. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? Now that the dust is setlled, how are the lads feeling about the season as a whole? Who stood out ahead of the rest within the Aston Villa squad...
Jun 02, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 549
Aston Villa's season certainly ended with plenty of chaos! Join Cole and Gather 'Round The Lamps, Andy Bates, as they try and make some sense of Sunday's frustrating loss to Manchester United shortly after the final whistle. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? Just how poor was that performance from Aston Villa at Old Trafford? Let's talk about Matty Cash's passing and THAT Emi Martinez bodycheck, shall we? An officiating disaster for the...
May 26, 2025•52 min•Ep. 548
The final day of the 2024/2025 season is nearly here! Cole and Simon are back again to look ahead to Sunday's trip to Old Trafford and look at what's at stake for Unai Emery's men. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? How are we all feeling heading into the final match of the season? Is there any reason to fear Manchester United or Old Trafford anymore? Is a better match for Tyrone Mings or Pau Torres? Who deserves to get the start at left...
May 23, 2025•39 min•Ep. 547
Aston Villa are taking their Champions League bid down to the final day of the 2024/2025 Premier League campaign! Join Cole and Simon as the lads reflect on a professional performance by Unai Emery's men, an emotional Emi Martinez and attempt to dissect the log jam for the last two Champions League spots. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? What did Cole and Simon make the Friday's performance at Villa Park? Defensively solid and taking c...
May 19, 2025•51 min•Ep. 546
It's been another important weekend for Aston Villa Football Club, with Ollie Watkins becoming Villa's record Premier League goalscorer and Unai Emery's men securing a third consecutive season in Europe. Listen in as Cole and Tom wax lyrical about a vital win on the South Coast and reflect on Villa's chances of a top 5 finish. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? What a win! What can we take from that performance? How impressive is Ollie W...
May 12, 2025•42 min•Ep. 545
Well, it certainly wasn't a good week for Aston Villa, with consecutive losses to Manchester City and Crystal Palace. With only a few games remaining in the Premier League, it's now a big week leading up to Fulham's trip to Villa Park, so Cole and Simon got together to look at the bigger picture (or at least attempt to). You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? Should we be concerned about last week's performances heading into the final four m...
Apr 28, 2025•52 min•Ep. 544
It's now five consecutive wins for Aston Villa in the Premier League, with Unai Emery's men now only two points off of Newcastle United in third place. Listen in as Cole and Simon discuss a massive victory at Villa Park, the squad's undeniable confidence and look ahead to the trip to Manchester City on Tuesday. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? Did it truly feel like it was Aston Villa's day after Ollie Watkins' goal in the first minute...
Apr 21, 2025•46 min•Ep. 543
Aston Villa bow out of the Champions League in style, with a 3-2 comeback win against PSG and nearly turning the tie around. Join Cole and Simon as the lads return to reflect on Tuesday's memorable performance at Villa Park and look ahead to Saturday's clash against Newcastle United. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? How proud can Aston Villa fans be of Tuesday's performance at Villa Park? Simon's thoughts on the Villa Park atmosphere o...
Apr 17, 2025•39 min•Ep. 542
It's four Premier League wins in a row now for Unai Emery's Aston Villa, with a 3-0 win over Southampton being the latest result in a strong run of form. Listen in as Cole and Simon got together to react to a positive result on the road, Villa's sub-perb options from the bench and look ahead to Tuesday's massive clash against PSG. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? PSG, Newcastle United, Manchester City and Crystal Palace in the space of...
Apr 14, 2025•43 min•Ep. 541
Aston Villa's trip to Paris was certainly a difficult adventure, but one that shows just how far this team has come. Join Cole and Simon as the lads return to reflect on some valuable lessons learnt away at PSG and look ahead to this weekend's trip to Southampton. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? Alright, it was certainly a difficult match, but there were certainly some positives. The third goal was a sucker-punch, but the tie isn't ov...
Apr 11, 2025•25 min•Ep. 540
Unai Emery's Aston Villa are now on a seven match unbeaten run and are heading into a massive clash with Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, with plenty of momentum. Listen in as Cole and Simon reflect on wins over Brighton and Nottingham Forest and look ahead to Villa's trip to Paris with France-based football journalist, Jonathan Johnson. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? Cole and Simon give their view on Aston Villa's performances last...
Apr 07, 2025•46 min•Ep. 539
Aston Villa are off to Wembley for a date with Crystal Palace in the FA Cup Semi-Finals! Cole, Seb and Simon return to chat about all things Villa in the wake of victory and a clean sheet at Deepdale against Preston North End on Sunday. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? How do the lads feel about Aston Villa's performance? Marcus Rashford's big performance at Deepdale. Three clean sheets in a row! What has changed? A little Boubacar Kam...
Mar 31, 2025•49 min•Ep. 538
Former Preston North End striker, Neil Mellor, joins Cole and Simon for a chinwag ahead of Preston v Aston Villa in the FA Cup Quarter-Finals. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? We're FINALLY back after a long and dreaded international break - hooray! What has Neil made of Preston's season thus far? Could Preston take the next step in becoming a promotion candidate in the near future? How has life been under the stewardship of Paul Hecki...
Mar 28, 2025•29 min•Ep. 537
The Aston Villa train is going full steam ahead heading into the latter stages of the 2024/2025 campaign, with Unai Emery's men set to compete in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and FA Cup alongside their bid for a European place in the Premier League. Join Cole, Simon and Seb as the lads look ahead to Villa's clash with PSG next month and try to get some perspective on a busy run-in for the boys in claret and blue. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig...
Mar 17, 2025•41 min•Ep. 536
Aston Villa are officially undeafeted in the Premier League for the month of March! Listen in as Cole, Seb and Simon get together to discuss a hard-fought win away at Brentford, Axel Disasi's passion and try to spread some optimism heading into Wednesday's Champions League clash against Club Brugge. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? It wasn't pretty, but it certainly was effective! What did the lads make of a second consecutive away win...
Mar 10, 2025•51 min•Ep. 535
It's advantage Aston Villa heading into the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie against Club Brugge following a 3-1 away win on Tuesday evening. Join Cole and Simon as the lads return to reflect on a key victory in Belgium, Villa's squad health and look ahead to a clash with Brentford on Saturday. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? A draw would've done nicely, but a win is a win! What did the lads make of a key away win ...
Mar 05, 2025•32 min•Ep. 534
Aston Villa's inconsistent form continued in the Premier League, with a frustrating 4-1 loss to Crystal Palace, however, Unai Emery's men quickly redeemed themselves by besting Cardiff City 2-0 to advance to the Quarfer-Finals of the FA Cup for the first time since the 2014-2015 season. Listen in as Cole and Seb return to put some perspective on the week that was for the Villa and look ahead to a massive match away at Club Brugge on Tuesday. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , an...
Mar 03, 2025•46 min•Ep. 533
Aston Villa are back in the thick of the race for a Champions League spot following a 2-2 draw against Liverpool and 2-1 win over Chelsea at Villa Park. Join Cole, Simon and Seb as the lads discuss the crucial week that was for Unai Emery's side, Ian Maatsen's role in the side and the importance of a healthy squad going into the latter stages of the campaign. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? Well, we certainly weren't expecting 4 point...
Feb 24, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 532
Unai Emery's Aston Villa fail to close the gap between themselves and the clubs above them in the Premier League table following a 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town. Listen in as Cole and Simon are joined by Andy Bates from the Gather 'Round The Lamp podcast to assess Villa's stalement at Villa Park, the club's conistently inconsistent nature and how Emery's men will approach a crucial run of upcoming fixtures. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS...
Feb 17, 2025•57 min•Ep. 531
Aston Villa are heading to the 5th round of the FA Cup thanks to goals from Jacob Ramsey and Morgan Rogers. Tune in as Cole and Seb are joined by Neil Dunworth from the For The Love of Paul McGrath podcast to discuss Jacob Ramsey's strong form, Donyell Malen's dynamic nature and gush over Villa's shiny new toys (Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio, we are looking at you!). You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? What did the lads make of Sunday...
Feb 10, 2025•33 min•Ep. 530
It's been an extremely busy winter transfer window for Aston Villa and with that in mind, listen in as Cole, Seb and Simon discuss the ins and outs of the football club's transfer dealings and try to answer the most important question of all...is the current Villa squad better than it was prior to the opening of the winter transfer window? You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? Overall, what did the lads make of Aston Villa's transfer busine...
Feb 05, 2025•59 min•Ep. 529
In a week where transfer speculation seems to have consumed our minds over football matches being played, listen in as Cole and Tom return to reflect on another Champions League hangover, a bevy of defensive concerns and a plethora of transfer business/news surrounding the football club. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? From finishing in the top 8 of the Champions League to a sluggish loss away at Wolves; what did the lads make of the ...
Feb 02, 2025•52 min•Ep. 528
Between a loss to AS Monaco and draw against West Ham United, it was a frustrating week for Aston Villa, with more questions than answers being posed. Join Cole, Tom and Simon as the lads reflect on Champions League priorities, centre-back concerns and Jhon Durán's future. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? Aston Villa's Champions League/Premier League balancing act struggles continue, but what did the lads make of it? Importance of Jaco...
Jan 27, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 527
Aston Villa remain undefeated in 2025 following an away win over Everton and comeback draw against Arsenal. Join Cole and Simon as the lads discuss an important week for the football club, the brilliance of Ollie Watkins and the importance of the Lucas Digne/Ian Maatsen left-back rotation. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? A massive week for Unai Emery's Aston Villa! What did the lads make of clashes against Everton and Arsenal? With on...
Jan 20, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 526
Aston Villa marked their 150th anniversary match with a win over West Ham United in the third round of the FA Cup on Friday and with that, perhaps the potential for a bit of cup magic seeps into the hopes and dreams of Villa fans alike. Join Cole and Seb as the lads reflect on a historic night at Villa Park, look ahead to a massive week and discuss the latest transfer comings and goings at the football club. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DIS...
Jan 12, 2025•52 min•Ep. 525
Unai Emery's Aston Villa began 2025 with three points in the bag ahead of a busy month filled with Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup action. Listen in as Cole and Tom return to discuss an ugly, but important win over Leicester City at the weekend, Leon Bailey's redemption arc and look ahead to, what most Villa fans will hope is the start of a magical FA Cup run (we know how this usually goes, don't we?) against West Ham United on Friday. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcast...
Jan 06, 2025•52 min•Ep. 524
It certainly wasn't the end to 2024 that Aston Villa fans were hoping for, with a loss away at Newcastle United and a hectic draw against Brighton, which leaves fans heading into 2025 with more questions than answers. Tune in as Cole and Seb discuss officiating blunders, defensive concerns and try to look positively into a new year that surely will be filled with more Villa-related action. You can listen for FREE on Acast , Apple Podcasts , and Spotify - dig in! WHAT DO WE DISCUSS? A difficult l...
Dec 31, 2024•43 min•Ep. 523
