Stiliyan Petrov is finally proving himself and proving most Villa fans wrong in the process.
The Bulgarian midfielder was inspirational in the goalless draw against Portsmouth at Villa Park on Saturday.
And that display was just the latest in a long line of fine individual shows that have won him a place in the hearts of the Villa faithful.
The Claret and Blue's clash with Harry Redknapp's men was shrouded in controversy as, first, Sean Davis saw red, and then the fourth official was struck by a coin thrown from behind the dugouts.
The game itself wasn't exactly a joy to behold but it was better than the 3-1 destruction, which Pompey dished out last season.
With Petrov picking up the loose balls in midfield and Nigel Reo-Coker combating Papa Bouba Diop and Davis, Villa looked a lot stronger than last time round.
It was always destined to be a tough game between two strong teams but the game had little in the way of chances.
John Carew did hit the bar for Villa while Jermain Defoe blazed an early chance over but all in all a draw was a fair result.
The main plus point for Villa fans had to be the showing of Stiliyan.
Even though the neat midfielder had only returned from Georgia just days before the game he still looked fresh and determined.
After a season of criticism and disillusionment in regard to the former Celtic man's outings during the last campaign you would have been forgiven for thinking he might not be in the team this term.
But, Petrov has proved Martin O'Neill right and the Villa faithful, including me, wrong.
Humble pie could just be on the menu when Villa play Blackburn a week on Wednesday.