Aston Villa somehow have fans applauding a new brand partnership

Brand partnerships are one of the unavoidable elements of modern football, like tours of the Far East, Friday night kick-offs and Piers Morgan.

You know the drill by now. A team confirms a new deal with a beer/foodstuff/energy drink manufacturer, fans scream at them to announce Pogba/Xhaka/some third, more banterous option; the cycle continues. https://twitter.com/BeardedGenius/status/755061493637455873 But when Aston Villa confirmed Greene King as its new official ale partner, something was different. We took a look at the replies, waiting for scorn, audible sighs and unoriginal gags, but what we found was...positivity. Dr Tony Xia has proved a popular figure in the Midlands, in part by simply not being Randy Lerner, and even had fans defending him after being caught out by a poor-taste practical joke. Maybe they're just disillusioned after years of draining performances under Messrs Houllier, McLeish, Lambert, Sherwood, Garde and whoever they had at the end of last season (I want to say...something starting with an E?). Or maybe they just like ale. Either way, it was nice to get a break from the usual bile and anger caused by the collision of football and capitalism. https://twitter.com/gazvilla2010/status/759132728830943234 https://twitter.com/Primetimeperry/status/759061036452474880 https://twitter.com/anne0017/status/759044604134064128 https://twitter.com/1killphil/status/759048812728115200 Sure, there are still some things that need to be taken care of, but let's take things one step at a time. https://twitter.com/paulyjonah/status/759068968187486208

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