"Lies, damned lies, and statistics"

I seem to recall a little bit of fuss about ticket sales at Villa in the summer.

I had suggested sales were lower than expected.

Well, there are statistics and there are statistics.

Have Villa bucked the general trend by registering an upturn this season?

The answer is yes, I mean no.... I mean it just depends which way you want to spin it.

The first six Premier League home games of last season brought in crowds of 42,640; 36,638; 37,714; 38,747; 40,842 and 42,640.

That's an aggregate of 239,221 at an average of 39,871.

This season the first six home league games have attracted crowd of: 39,955; 41,647; 38,706; 37,660; 35,985 and 36,672.

That's an aggregate of 230,625 at an average of 38,438.

By my mathematics that's a fall of 1,433.

There are many reasons for this: the fact that least season's figures included games against Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United. This year's only include the game against Liverpool.

The fact that we are all struggling with higher food and energy prices, and that this year's fixture programme has seen Saturday games switched to less popular Sunday or even midweek dates at a time when supporters have already shelled out for a number of European games in a congested calendar.

Anyhow, a reporter I know called the club today to ask if sales were up or down and was told that in fact they were up by nine per cent.

'How could that possibly be?', I hear you enquire. Well, the club are taking into account all eleven home games played so far this season as opposed to the eight games played up to this point in the calendar last season.

That's their business. It just proves that numbers can do anything you want them to.

And it might also prove that Peter Mandelson, the Godfather of Labour Party spin, may also have secured a job in Villa's press office.

Reminds me of the time under David O'Leary when the management asked for match reports not to be carried in the official programme if Villa had lost.

By the way the above is not meant as a criticism of Head of Consumer Sales Nicky Keye or anyone at Villa.

Those attendance figures are buoyant in the face of challenging times and still represent a club on the up and up.