This is Part 4 of All For The Love Of The Game, the story of Peter Withe’s memorable football career.  Over these four episodes, it’s been a real privilege to sit down with one of Aston Villa’s most significant history makers. Scroll back and listen to the three previous episodes as we work our way through his football story played out over four continents. Part of the England World Cup squad in 1982, followed straight after becoming a league and European champion with Aston Villa - but a...

This is Part 3 of "All For The Love Of The Game", the story of Peter Withe’s momentous football career. Peter had reached 30-years-old having won two league titles with two different clubs. But even greater glory was just around the corner. And amid behind-the-scenes drama at Aston Villa, Peter describes the season he became a European champion despite upheaval at the club. Coming up in Part 4 of "All for the Love of the Game": the transition from successful striker to a fulfilling career in...

"I had a dream I would play for Aston Villa Football Club!" Welcome to Part 2 of All For The Love Of The Game, the story of Peter Withe’s memorable football career. In part 1, Peter took us from his humble football beginnings on Merseyside, all the way to league title glory with Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest.  And we start this episode with his unlikely departure from Forest on the edge of European glory for second division Newcastle United. He mentions another familiar Villa figure,...

Hi, this is Jonny Gould. I’m a lifelong Aston Villa fan, born in the city centre of Birmingham.  My first game in 1977, was less than auspicious, a 4-1 midweek thrashing under the famous AV floodlights by a Dennis Tueart inspired Manchester City. But it got a whole lot better over the coming seasons and a key reason for that was Ron Saunders and his inspired signing of Peter Withe for a hefty half a million pounds from Newcastle in the summer of 1980.  His arrival lifted us from three...

Help Jonny by buying him a coffee here and seeing his other podcasts too Our two guests today are professional sportsmen from two different continents, cultures and sports, united in countering racism and intolerance in the sports industry. They’re part of Project Max, who’s MD Eric Rubin was with me in Amsterdam at the European Jewish Association conference, where he moderated a session on fighting antisemitism, racism and intolerance alongside Dean Furman, who played internationally with...

This is a wonderful conversation between two Aston Villa fans, who have supported the club through thick and thin for the last 58 years. Million selling author Lee Child, famous for the Jack Reacher thriller series and Simon Inglis, who’s written authoritative accounts of football stadium across the world. The conversation covers so much social and football history and is in aid of the Aston and Nechells food bank, which does such a vital job for the community around Birmingham six. To...

Covid has turned the Premier League on its head. The FFP regulations have hampered some of the rich and powerful and brought some of the lesser lights in midtable back into a powerplay. Where do Aston Villa fit into this new disruption? There's really only one person to ask: it's Yorkshire AVFC, the one and only FFP professor, Dave Jordan. ⚽️ Dave knows: ▫️How much wiggle room Villa has in the transfer market ▫️Why Arsenal seemed overkeen to sell Emi Martinez, despite being so highly rated...

I reckon Aston Villa fans are as proud of our famous supporters as we are of our players! From genius violinists to the future king of England, from accomplished authors and actors to prime ministers who mistake us for West Ham! And an authentic voice of our beloved city. A poet, who over 5 decades has become a household name for his poetry and music. It’s the one and only Benjamin Zephaniah, also a patron of our Supporters’ Trust, who gave me such a generous amount of time in this...

This is the first podcast since our AGM with CEO Christian Purslow and legendary winger Tony Daley - and with lockdown since then, there's a lot to catch up on. We have a very special guest as Nick Timothy, Theresa May's joint chief of staff at Downing Street and Villa season ticket holder joins me to talk about growing up in Tile Hill and going to school in Aston. Villa's membership of the Premier League hangs on a knife edge. As the chances of Project Restart rescind and as the FA insist...

As promised following the popular episode from our AGM with Christian Purslow, we were also delighted to have Villa and England wing legend, Tony Daley with us too. Tony told us about his wonderful years as part of both Graham Taylor and Ron Atkinson's sides of the late 80s and early 90s and the toughest opponents and best teammates he played with and against. He also talks about his coaching career with Neil Warnock at Sheffield United and working sports science and specialist coaching...

Each year, the Aston Villa Supporters' Trust AGM gives supporter members exclusive access to ask questions of our CEO. Christian Purslow gave generous time and answers to kit manufacture, Bodymoor Heath development with HS2 in mind, his long-term strategy related to the Under-23s and much more. It’s a serious business, we all want Aston Villa to continue on an upward curve - and the fans addressed their concerns to the CEO in an atmosphere of support. The Trust AGM was also delighted to...

What's happened to Aston Villa's season since December? A terrible loss of form, some highly damaging injuries and a seeming loss of confidence and direction during games. But while the men struggle, the women are doing the business! Many congratulations to Gemma Davies on winning the Championship Manager of the Month for December. Villa have a majestic lead at the top of the table. Dean Smith's attacking-style looks more like Paul Lambert and Steve Bruce's ill-fated teams. He’s struggling...

Aston Villa enter a December, Christmas and New Year period showing real signs of development and acclimatization to the Premier League and with individual players being acknowledged by their countries. John McGinn with Scotland, England's Tyrone Mings and a pair of Brazilians in the shape of Luiz and Wesley. So Howard and Jonny ask when Jack Grealish will join the intennational class with England and if the creditable 2-2 draw at Manchester United is the shape of things to come? On behalf...

Howard and Jonny are back together to work out how the mostly good performances in the Premier League have delivered just four points from the first five games. Villa have shed eight points from winning positions - so what is it? are we still acclimatizing to the demands of the higher division? is Dean Smith still working out how best to put his best formation together? where should Jack be played? Is each player upto it? We'll try and answer the questions and look ahead to our next games...

Hold on to your hats! Aston Villa return to the Premier League having invested over £120m on a new squad of talents - from goalkeeper to striker. But how top-flight ready is Dean Smith’s team? Howard and Jonny are delighted that the cream of the crop which won promotion are also retained - but how many of them will be regular first-teamers and what’s a realistic finish in our first season back in the Premier League?

Don’t you just hate those flippant questions from non-Villa fans? I gave it short shrift to sports Johnny on Nicky Campbell’s Breakfast Show.

There's been a lot of paper talk about Manchester United preparing a £50m bid for Aston Villa's player of the season, John McGinn. "Nonsense!", cried Jonny, who doused the rumours by speaking to Jake on the radio

With his expertise in balance sheets, forecasting and the language of business, fellow Villan Dave Jordan writes and tweets extensively about Aston Villa's financial and business fortunes, able to respond to changes in Companies House reporting, amendments, ownership and other movements with speed and accuracy. Now Villa are in the Premier League, there are significant (even fundamental) changes in governance and FFP, so Dave spells out the good news as well as considerations and precautions...

The phone has been ringing off the hook from TV and radio stations across the world asking me to pop on the line or in to the studios for a comment on Aston Villa's unlikely, yet stunning return to the Premier League. I talk now with the responsibility of representing the fans through the Aston Villa Supporters Trust and what a pleasure it is to pay tribute to the manager and players that have made it possible.

What seemed an impossible dream even two months ago came true at Wembley on a late Spring Bank Holiday as Aston Villa secured promotion back to the Premier League after a three-year absence. It capped off a truly remarkable season which started with the club in desperate straits, a manager who held on despite losing the same Championship play-off last season and the possibility of bankruptcy and fire-sale of assets. The story of Dean Smith's arrival as late as October following the arrival...

The richest game in Aston Villa's history (again!). After crushing defeat to Fulham at the end of last season, Villa find themselves back at Wembley twelve months later with new ownership, new management, a mostly new team - but the same old fans!! But are we going to make that vital return to the Premier League after a three-year exile? Can we beat Frank Lampard's Derby? Here's Howard and Jonny's eve of Wembley verdict!

Phil Williams' final show on BBC Radio 5 Live was a special occasion; I was part of his regular Team Talk feature, as one of contributors for several years. Alongside others including Ian Herbert, Ian Ladyman, Alison Bender and Conor McNamara, we all came together for one last hurrah. The conversation moved onto Aston Villa's playoff hopes and reminiscences of Tony Butler and even a cameo appearance by Villa's European hero, Nigel Spink! Wherever Phil ends up on the dial, follow him. He's a...

An incredible late season run has seen Aston Villa storm into the playoffs - but are we optimistic ahead of two-legs against WBA and a Wembley final against either Leeds or Derby? The podcast also includes a clip of the Villa Trust charity single by Emma Flowers, "Walking With McGinn" - available now at avst.bandcamp.com

Happy Villa families, Jimmy Hessel-style! Magnificent artwork by officially Villa's "weirdest fan"! Yes, it's the latest Villa Trust podcast with Howard and Jonny, as they look back on Magnificent March, the sudden and very real prospect of a play-off push and how an international break can sometimes come to the aid of an out-of-form player. (Also contains a not too bad impression of Steve Bruce by Jonny!)