It is starting to matter too much

Like the character in the excellent 'Fever Pitch', I have come to the conclusion that football means too much to me now. My own happiness is far too intertwined with the results on a Saturday afternoon (or Sunday, Tuesday evening, as it is now...) and I am struggling to cope with the highs and lows.

Now I appreciate how absurd this sounds. We are nowhere near the depths of where we have been in the not-too-distant past but the simple fact is I'm just not enjoying life as a football fan at the moment. It's not the fact we can't win to save our lives (although that might, of course, help) it's more the air of gloom and misery hanging over our season.

I crave - and have always done so - mid-table mediocrity. You know, the position where Aston Villa normally end the season. I would be delighted with having a fair share of wins and maybe taking a scalp or two among the big four now and again. But what we have now is absolutely soul destroying and I cannot wait until the end of the season.