SOCCER DILETTANTE, NO. 2: FRIENDLY RIVALRY... AND FEELING A LITTLE VILLA

Soccer dilettantes, something yours truly is working not to become, probably are aware that in the English Premiership, Everton and Liverpool is the Friendly Rivalry. (Liverpool's ground, Anfield, was originally Everton's home, yet no one's too bent out of shape about it.)

Well, not lately -- both clubs have been fined (or "charged," in Brit-sport parlance) for a brawl last week between their reserve teams that was started by Jerzy Dudek, Liverpool's regular man in the net. Dudek led Liverpool to the 2005 Champions League crown, so sic transit gloria for him: he could get a five-match suspension.

Now, why is this brought up, other for the fact that Associate Blogger Neil Acharya is a diehard Liverpool fan? Well, yours truly, in the wake of the World Cup, made a vow to find a Premiership side to support by the end of the 2006-07 season. It seemed like the logical next step for a reformed soccer hater.

It's coming slowly: Developing an interest in a new league whose games are televised here mostly before 12 noon Eastern time on weekends vs. a lifetime of ingrained sports-viewing habits. This is hard. I am in a pickle. There is an effort being made to at least be somewhat literate about the game, and understand who's who, but it is almost like learning a second language at times. So much for simply re-reading Fever Pitch, buying the Footballer$ Wives DVDs and knowing that while David Beckham no longer plays for Man U, they can both go to hell.

So, two months into the Premiership campaign (not "season"), the club with the early line on becoming yours truly's favourite team is (drum roll) ... Aston Villa.

My sweet lord, why? Villa's not a powerhouse club, and they have flirted with relegation at times through the years, but they just seem to possess something yours truly can quite lay a finger on. After years of muddling along, they're off to a fine start, three wins and five draws in eight matches under new coach Martin O'Neill, who seems bent on making over the club.

So they meet some of the main criteria: They're not a team that's going to be in the relegation zone every year, but they're not an Arsenal, Man U, Chelsea or Liverpool who treats anything less than the F.A. Cup and a Champions League run as a failure. There have some guys who seem to have been overlooked in the past and who are playing like they having something to prove, like the striker Juan Pablo Angel and Gareth Barry, the captain. Also, they do have a Swedish national -- defender Olof Mellberg, until recently the captain.

Also, it's the little touches. I like that they apparently took their team colours from the wall tiles in a pub, tweaking it slightly to get that unique shade -- claret, they call it. Actually, Villa does seem to have some parallels to the Toronto Maple Leafs. They've been around since the beginning, they had a proud past full of championships, then they were brought down by complacement management.

However, under O'Neill and the new owner, Randy Lerner (granted, having an American own the team is something of a drawback), Villa is making some strides. Understand that it's way too soon to have an emotional attachment, but right now Villa is the choice here. It could all change between now and May, though.

Previous:
Soccer Dilettante, No. 1: Clearly Afraid of a Commitment (July 26)
To The Next Step (July 10)
Confessions of a Failed Soccer Hater: How Bill Hicks Made Me A Soccer Fan (June 8)

That's all for now. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.