Aston Villa owner Dr Tony Xia is a smart man with a wicked sense of humour and a burning ambition to see the club achieve great things.
That's the view of the club's CEO, Keith Wyness who today revealed what the real Dr Tony Xia is like to work with.
He also revealed that the club are on the right side of the Financial Fair Play restrictions, just.
Wyness told the club's website today that Xia is two to three years ahead of the game when it comes to his plans for the club and revealed that he has backed Villa as far as he can so far.
He stated: “I got to know Dr Tony during the transaction and he’s a very quick judge of people. He decided he wanted me and liked me and here I am today.
“Dr Tony is the brightest man I have ever met and dealt with in business. His academic record shows you that.
“He has a wicked sense of humour and he loves his football without shadow of doubt. He is always looking to the future and can always analyse issues with a speed that is very rare.
"He has a huge talent for that. But he’s always looking at the vision, we are constantly talking about that. He’s at least two or three years ahead.
“But he also lives in the present and he’s backed us as we look to get back to the Premier League.
“There are FFP limits. I know some fans think that doesn’t exist. But I can assure them, it exists very, very clearly. We have to submit papers to the Football League every year and we are very clear of the sanctions if we were to breach FFP. There are limits. We have adhered to them. We are right on the red line with them but we will be okay.
“Dr Tony has backed us as far as he could do. His thoughts are very welcome but he hasn’t started to dictate. He listens to reasoned argument. We make the right decisions as a group. As chairman of course he has the final say. But he has been wonderful to work with.”
Engine
Aston Villa CEO Keith Wyness has today revealed that the club have a new motto that is at the centre of the club's transformation.
Wyness calls it the 'Villa Engine' and explains that it is an important philosophy that everyone at the club is buying into.
Read more below...
Big match preview
The Birmingham Mail has everything AVFC fans need to know ahead of Villa’s clash with Brentford.
After a two week break due to internationals, Aston Villa will roar back into action this Saturday when they face Brentford at Villa Park as Steve Bruce’s men look to really kick start their season.
Since Villa’s 1-1 draw away at Bristol City at the end of August, Bruce has brought in Robert Snodgrass on loan from West Ham United. The pair worked together during Bruce’s time at Hull City and the Scotsman will provide plenty of Championship experience.
Brentford currently lie in 23rd place, with Dean Smith’s men winless so far so both sides will be desperate for the three points.
Here’s a guide to Saturday’s game…
Aston Villa's John Terry defies judge's warning by posting holiday snaps following burglary earlier this year
John Terry has defied a judge’s warning by posting holiday snaps from his luxury getaway in Portugal.
The 36-year-old’s home was burgled earlier this year when he and his family were on a skiing trip.
A gang of raiders taking £400,000 worth of designer goods from his Surrey mansion.
The suspects were eventually sentenced to a total of nearly 28 years in prison.
During the hearing, the Aston Villa defender was told by Judge Susan Tapping that it “might have been a mistake” to post a photo on Instagram while he was away.
Earlier this week, Terry proudly shared images of his family - including wife Toni - as they enjoyed a brief break at their plush villa in Portugal.
Terry has started all five of Villa's Championship games so far this season.
Blooding youngsters to finding his best side - Seven pressing Aston Villa issues Steve Bruce must solve
The dust has barely settled on another hectic transfer window.
But still the pressure on Aston Villa remains.
As manager, Steve Bruce carries that weight on his shoulders. He knows the expectations are high.
First he must get a number of in-house issues resolved to get Villa flying up the division.
And then he needs to win over the fans with results and, if possible, an attractive brand of football.
Here are the issues he faces between now and January.
Proud
Norwich City striker Nelson Oliveira went racing through on goal and looked certain to score.
A heavy touch gave Neil Taylor the opportunity to make a challenge and offer some sort of distraction as Villa desperately held onto a 1-0 lead.
As it happened he timed the tackle to perfection, scooping the ball away from the Portuguese forward and releasing it upfield moments before Jonathan Kodjia wrapped up the win in front of an expecting Villa Park crowd.
That was on April 1, 2017 - a date significant to Taylor because it was the first fixture he played in after an encounter which saw his name hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
It was the Wales international’s mistimed challenge on Republic of Ireland captain Seamus Coleman that resulted in a double-leg fracture for the Everton ace.
Taylor was sent off, handed a two-match suspension and forced to deal with the backlash that inevitably follows in today’s social media world.
The 28-year-old was apologetic.
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There was no malice in the tackle. He didn’t set out to hurt his opponent.
But there was no hiding behind the fact that it was a poor challenge and one that Taylor doesn’t like looking back on for obvious reasons.
Of course Coleman came out the worse of the two with his expected return to fitness not likely until December.
But there were issues for the Villa ace, too.
Team-mate James Chester explained how Taylor was ‘deeply affected’ by the damage his tackle caused to a fellow player.
And let’s be honest, he could have easily buckled and pulled out of that challenge with Oliveira just eight days later.
Instead he stuck to what he does best and got the job done.
And what a job he has done since moving from Swansea in January.
His whole-hearted approach hasn’t changed and Taylor gets stuck in when he needs to.
Any assumption that he’s a dirty player because of one mistimed tackle should be immediately put to bed.
Since March he’s only picked up one yellow card and when available he’s one of the first names on the Villa team-sheet.
Steve Bruce could do with wrapping him up in cotton wool because there’s no obvious replacement for him if he’s injured or suspended himself.
And given his professional and competitive approach since his arrival, Villa will be needing him in times ahead.
The left-back is a part of the furniture already and has made the position his own.
He makes his international return for Wales against Moldova tonight and that will give him another boost.
But Taylor is made of strong stuff and is the type of personality Villa need to aid their promotion push this term.
LATEST ON VILLA
Cupping explained: The procedure Aston Villa's Micah Richards is receiving
The ancient form of therapy named as ‘Cupping’ seems to have become popular among sporting professionals lately.
And Aston Villa's Micah Richards is the latest to embrace the technique with the help of club masseuse Alex Butler.
The ideology behind the treatment which has been around since 1,550 B.C is the placing of special cups on to the skin for several minutes to create suction.
It has been proven to help with pain, inflammation, blood flow, relaxation, wellbeing and is considered as a type of deep tissue massage.
The suction cups, which can be made of glass, bamboo and silicone, are used to vacuum the skin to help draw up the old non-circulating stagnant blood and sticky fluids to the surface, which is often caused when there is deep damage made to the muscle.
The procedure has recently been carried out by Alex Butler on Richards.
Richards, who has failed to feature in a game this season due to injury and loss of form, posted a snap to his Instagram page of his session yesterday.
The 29-year-old has under-performed since joining Villa in the summer of 2015.
He picked up a knock during pre-season and is now keen to get back to football after almost a year since his last league appearance for Villa - the 1-1 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers last October.
Other sporting stars shown to have tried out the cupping treatment include Cardiff City and ex- Aston Villa player Joe Bennett, the IBF, WBA AND IBO world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and most decorated Olympian of all time- Michael Phelps at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Let's hope the treatment has a healing effect on Richards - as it's the closest Villa have come to cups for many years.
Promotion chances assessed and the players Steve Bruce will call upon
Aston Villa’s transfer business is done and Steve Bruce is pleased with the squad he has at his disposal.
But now his task is to find the right team to get Villa firing up towards the top of the table.
These are his options for the remainder of the year.
Win a pair of Carabao Cup tickets to Aston Villa vs Middlesbrough on 19th September 2017 with Carabao Energy Drink
Carabao Energy Drink has teamed up with Birmingham Mail to give one lucky Villa fan the chance to win a pair of tickets to their team’s Carabao Cup clash against Middlesbrough on 19 September
Recently named the Carabao Cup - the UK’s newest energy drink is embarking on its first season of a three-year partnership with the EFL
Carabao, established fifteen years ago in Thailand, is a premium, great tasting energy drink that gives people an energy boost to achieve their everyday goals. Carabao is sold in 330ml cans and is currently available in four variants: Original, Original Sugar Free, Green Apple and Green Apple Sugar Free.
To be in with a chance of winning this great pair of tickets, simply answer the following question and complete the details here.
