Regardless of the result tonight, one thing is for sure: We are no longer harmless.
We seemed, for a long time, like a club who had cult heroes, who real, educated, football fans deeply admired and respected but who were ultimately no longer taken as a serious threat. Essentially, harmless. Clubs and fans of the 'big 6' would come to villa, and just take 3 points as a given.
A lot of my earliest memories are associated with Cup disappointments for villa... where we would be leading and you just KNEW it would not last; I can't count how many times this happened vs United particularly.
The transfer sagas broke my heart as a kid; checking the news every day to see if Barry would go to Liverpool or City. The same with Young, Benteke, and seemingly any exciting talent, like Gary Cahill who we sold for a paltry £6m to Bolton... and of course, eventually Grealish, we seemed little more than a feeder for these clubs.
And then one man came in the door who has fundamentally changed the direction of this club. He did not do it alone and credit has to be given for those who backed him for the job, but this man has given this club life.
4 consecutive seasons of European football. A Quarter final of the Champions League. A Europa League FINAL. Ridiculous runs in the league, with the lowest expenditure this season. With injuries to our best players. With largely the same squad that scouse twat left us.
Watkins has rode criticism and all the bumps admirably to be our all time prem top scorer. Konsa is a rock. Pau is a genius. Emi is a solid shithouse. Kamara & Tielemans are like magicians when they play together, and of course, our talisman, Super John McGinn, perhaps the most underrated player in Premier league history... but not for long.
Now when I tell Arsenal fans in North London that I'm a villa fan, they don't smile patronisingly and say they 'always liked villa'. Now their expression is one of annoyance, even anger. They don't like us. 'if it wasn't for villa, we'd have won the title'. The same for Chelsea, the same for Spurs, who we have well and truly replaced as a 'Top 6' team, and I am all here for it.
Once again, this great club now evokes fear in opponents and this will be the case as long as that man, Unai Emery is here.
This is how it should be.
TLDR: Up the Villa.
(copied this from my other post as it is 2 separate points - so don't whinge)