To Boo Or Not To Boo?

A familiar story unfolded on Wednesday evening as Villa once again squandered a slender lead to end up with another solitary point instead of the maximum haul. The pattern has become well trodden already this season. We completely dominate at least one half of a game and should be three or four goals up, only to then allow the opposition back into the game and ultimately snatch a late goal. It is absolutely unacceptable to keep making the same mistakes, as the Villa Park faithful demonstrated vociferously.

The real frustration comes from the fact that those goals which are being snatched are coming so late in the game. So far this season we have gifted four goals in the 85^th minute or later. Had we managed to see these particular games out without conceding, we would have seven extra points (wins against Huddersfield, Forest and Brentford and a draw against Sheffield Wednesday), which would see us on fourteen points and in fourth place. That would also have created an impressive 100% home record.

Last night, the boos at full time returned at Villa Park for the first time since last season. It was a raucous effort and I imagine it was probably a shock to some of the players and staff. After all, we are just seven games into the season. However, was it a complete surprise? And was it justified?

I’m not a fan of booing the team. In the long run I don’t think it achieves anything and only creates an atmosphere of fear and adds extra pressure for the next game, knowing that anything less than a win will probably be greeted by even more boos.

On this occasion, whether it was right or wrong, the boos were completely understandable and born totally out of frustration. Put into context, the fans have seen four games at home so far and in three of them have seen a win snatched from their grasp. On top of this, there is a frustration that the goals that are being conceded are sloppy and completely preventable. Once is understandable and you accept it. Twice is poor. Three times is unacceptable. Especially in such a short space of time, which is also a contributing factor to the reaction at full time. Seeing a team throw away four points in as many days in those circumstances is hardly going to evoke a standing ovation or even just a shrug of the shoulders.

I don’t think it is necessarily a bad thing for the fans to show their frustration in this particular situation. It is certainly understandable. Much has been made of this team now having leaders throughout it, so I would hope that those individuals take the reaction on their shoulders rather than crumble under the pressure. They should react in a determined manner rather than the wallflowers of last season or just allowed the situation to fester.

The obvious downside is that a pressure cooker environment is inevitable should we find ourselves leading by just the one goal in the next game at Villa Park and entering into the latter stages of the match. Everyone was fully aware of our tendency to throw a game away late on, and as the Brentford game drew on, the inevitability that they would score was tangible. This was helped in part by our deep defending which invited the Bee’s to come onto us in search of that goal. 

Whilst it may be argued that the fans are creating an unhealthy environment by booing, it is the players, and staff, who must take the responsibility of providing something for them to get behind. One win in seven is not good enough. Whilst we have no right to expect to win every game, the fact is that we have shown that we are clearly capable of winning these matches comfortably. We either need to take our chances to avoid this situation, or learn to see a game out.

The key now is that supporters, having displayed their displeasure last night, must get behind the team again once more. The boos cannot continue and become a regular feature if we draw or lose the next couple of games. We have no right to expect to win games, but we do have a right to expect us to not keep making the same mistakes over and over. The message has been sent – we aren’t happy with the manner of conceding late goals. Now we move on.

Adama Traore - Wrong Player, Wrong Time

With the news breaking that Adama Traore has submitted a transfer request, Villa fans have taken to social media to air their views on the situation.

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, the reaction has been largely indifferent to the Barcelona graduate wanting out. However, there are clear reasons why a large section of the support are nonplussed about losing Adama.

Most obviously is the fact that we have barely seen him feature. Due to a seemingly constant stream of injuries, coupled with simply being out of favour, Adama’s Villa career so far amounts to exactly 200 minutes. However, even so, there has been massive excitement about the Spanish U19 international. His first appearance at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace last season ignited real optimism about him. Coming off the bench, he terrorised the Palace defence and whipped in a cross which was diverted in for a an own goal. He was direct, he was strong, and he was perhaps the quickest player we had ever seen in a Villa shirt, even making Gabby in his prime look like a slouch. Adama would go on to pick up an ankle injury in the next game, a league cup tie with Notts County which would contribute to his fleeting role from the subs bench for the next few months. His momentary start had only whetted our appetite however, and in a dismal year where the supporters were subjected to defeat after defeat, we were desperate to see more of Adama and unable to fathom out why both Tim Sherwood and Remi Garde were reluctant to play him. He was a player who could make things happen. That raw excitement was, at one point, seemingly the only possibility of something exhilarating happening to make all of the miserableness that was being served up on a weekly basis more bearable.

Another cameo performance away at Sunderland at the start of the year would only fuel this further, where a direct and powerful burst forward saw three men unable to stop him before putting in an admittedly slightly wayward cross that Carles Gil did extraordinarily well to convert on the volley. In a match which perhaps best sums up Adama’s Villa career, he then promptly managed to break his ankle which would keep him out until April.

Despite his obvious talent though, there was also a growing frustration with Adama. Keen on playing football like a ten year old in the park who believes he’s better than all his mates, there was no positional sense to his game, there was no tracking back, and most of all, there was a reluctance to pass to any teammate. I’m only half joking when I say that I don’t overly blame him for this when his teammates last season were the worst group of players imaginable. Yet there has never, and will never be a player who can do it all on their own, let alone Adama. Teamwork is by far his biggest weakest in his game and there appears to be very little evidence of any sort of improvement being made. 

Then there is his contract. Last season, rumours were abound that clauses had been triggered which meant that Adama’s basic wage rose from around an already substantial £40k a week to reportedly anywhere between £60k-£75k. I can’t imagine which clauses had been triggered through playing so little, but it wouldn’t surprise me for Villa to have lost any sort of coolness in negotiations and caved into any demand his agent made. The last regime including Tom Fox were out of their depth and made extremely poor decisions, including this one. It’s an absolutely ridiculous contract and it’s not the players fault for the club being mug enough to grant it. However, it is a huge drain on resources at a time where it could be much better spent.

It’s a shame that the move hasn’t worked out. There is obviously talent there and ability of some description. But the player is so raw to such an extent that in reality we just aren’t in a position to develop him. The Championship certainly isn’t the league to do it in, where hard work and effort counts for so much more than talent. We have seen so little of the player that there is most definitely going to be a ‘what if’ factor when he leaves, especially if he goes to fulfil his potential.

I don’t blame Adama for wanting out. He isn’t getting game time and trying to see things from his perspective, this is a player who has been used to better things at Barcelona and even had Kieran Richardson was being picked on the wing ahead on him last season; from his view he must be wondering how it’s all gone so wrong. 

From our point of view, his style of play is a liability and will only leave other teammates over exposed when he dashes off in whichever direction he pleases. He just hasn't done enough to warrant a place in the side.

He isn’t getting game time and the fact that he wants to move on and start afresh elsewhere actually shows an ambition rather than simply being happy to pick up a hefty wage packet each week. I’ve seen many comments along the lines of that if he isn’t up for the fight then good riddance to him, which I think is a bit harsh – at least he isn’t prepared to simply steal a living from us as others have done and simply sit on his huge contract.

I like Adama, and I wish we could accommodate him. But the reservations about just how underdeveloped as a footballer he is are clear. It’s a shame it hasn’t worked out, and it's a shame he didn't even start a single league game for the club. But a parting of ways does seem to be a good option for all concerned at this moment in time. 

Our Home Record Laid Bare

With a season in the Championship beginning in just over five weeks, many Villa fans are now beginning to come to terms with and even look forwards to the upcoming season. And with good reason. The last five years in the Premier League have, by and large, been a struggle. Personally, I am glad of the change, as watching Villa had become a challenge of endurance rather than the pleasure that it once was.

In particular, the opportunity for those attending Villa Park on a regular basis must be absolutely drooling at the prospect of seeing some positive results for a change. Laid bare, the home record over the last five years makes absolutely shocking reading. 

Since the 2011/2012 season, Villa haven’t managed to win more than six games at Villa Park in one season. Considering we play nineteen games at home, this is abysmally poor. In fact, Last season reached unacceptable status, with just two wins at home all season. With fifty seven points up for grabs each campaign, we haven’t managed to gather more than twenty one in any one season. Last season we accumulated just eleven.

Extrapolated over those five seasons, we have played a total of ninety five league games. We have won a grand total of twenty two games at Villa Park. It’s actually astounding to have won so few games. We have lost forty seven of those, which equates to just under half at 49.5%.

 

And when it comes to goal scoring, the fans have also been let down badly. Just fourteen at home all last season. It’s pitiful. We haven’t mustered more than twenty three during this last five year period. In fact, during those ninety five league games, we average just a tad over a goal a game with ninety seven scored in total. Hardly value for money through those lean winter months.  

 

The full record can be seen below. It is not a pretty sight...

 

 

Many reasons and theories have been put forward as to why we have been so bad at home over this period. From the young kids feeling under pressure in front of expectant supporters, right to the notion that supporters have created a poisonous atmosphere. In truth, the reason is that we have been a very pitiable team for the last five years. The bottom line is that the players haven’t been good enough. The management hasn’t been good enough and right to the very top of the club, things have never been right in the boardroom. Investment has been minimal, decisions have been poor and the wrong people have been winging it for far too long. 

Playing for Aston Villa, and at Villa Park, should be a privilege. With the takeover now complete, there is hope that the mistakes of the last five years can be eradicated and some good times can return to our wonderful club. We may be in the Championship, but at least that gives us the opportunity to send supporters home happy on a Saturday evening on a much more regular basis.

Why Villa Must Snap Up Moyes And Avoid Pearson

Remi Garde is clinging to the Aston Villa managerial position right now. Despite many reports saying he would be gone at the beginning of this week, we have gotten to Thursday with still no word on what is going on. It seems inevitable that an agreement between Villa and Garde will be reached sooner rather than later to terminate his contract and during the past week speculation has only intensified as to who the next man in the Villa Park hotseat will be.

The front runner appeared to be Nigel Pearson. As short as 1/4 with the bookies at the start of the week, the ex-Leicester manager bizarrely appeared to have a large section of the Villa faithful behind his seemingly impending appointment.

Incredibly, Steve Bruce somehow made his way into second favourite position with the camel coats, however thankfully, seemingly had zero popularity with the fans.

I understand the idea behind Pearson and Bruce; people are looking at managers who have taken teams up from the tough Championship division. However, this surely cannot be the only pre-requisite for managing such an illustrious club as Aston Villa.

Bruce has limited success in a managerial career now in its 18th year. Finishing as runner up in the Championship with both Birmingham City and Hull City, and also gaining promotion again with Blues via the playoffs is about it. You can throw in an F.A Cup runner up medal if you like, but Tim Sherwood had one of those also. Bad football and mediocrity is the norm and several relegation's are part of his CV also. Surely best avoided and completely uninspiring.

Pearson is the one which really troubles me however. Despite having promising signs as a manager, gaining both League One and Championship promotions with Leicester City, and guiding them to a great escape from relegation last season, the fact remains that this wouldn't necessarily translate over to Aston Villa. There seems to be a train of thought which everyone appears to be boarding, and that is that we should bring him in to save us as he did Leicester. If this applies to you, please realise that Leicester's escape was a freak occurrence in football. Pearson would not replicate this in our situation and also we are far worse off than Leicester ever were - despite similar positions, they were never as cut adrift and the table was much more congested and gains out of the bottom three could be made more easily. As for leading us back with immediate promotion, yes, he is a candidate based on this. However, there are far more pressing concerns which cannot be overlooked with this man. Namely, he is a lunatic. And there are examples aplenty to back it up

How about getting into a confrontation with a supporter and telling them to 'fuck off and die' and then refusing to apologise for it later on?

Or maybe the touchline incident with James McArthur after an accidental collision, in which he pinned the player down and then refused to let go of his shirt as McArthur tried to return to the playing field. When asked about it, a grinning Pearson simply exclaimed 'I can look after myself, don't you worry about that'.

Several prickly press conferences provide an insight into the nature of the man; labelling one reporter a 'prick' for asking a perfectly reasonable question about Leicester's position in the table. And to top it all off, the infamous 'Ostrich' press conference it which Pearson unmercifully berated a younger reporter.

This is not a man in control of his emotions. Can you imagine if he came under the pressure that Villa supporters have (rightly) been putting on the club this season. He would likely explode.

The very good news is that Pearson is no longer favourite. Step forward David Moyes.

When Sherwood was dismissed, I was not keen on Moyes. His reputation at Everton was solid yet relatively unspectacular and many Toffees had wanted him out for two or three years. A failing at Manchester United can be somewhat mitigated and it was an unenviable task on his hand to take over from the successful Ferguson era and the transition would've seen any manager in the world struggle at that time with the players at his disposal especially. Yet further failings at Real Sociedad, which eventually culminated in his sacking have seen his stock fall from it's once fairly lofty heights.

However, he is by far our best option at this point. Despite a lack of managerial honours, he has worked in the lower leagues successfully, albeit a long time ago now, with Preston North End. But he has achieved enough with his continuous galvinisation of Everton over many years, and the fact that he was even in a position to land the United job, to command a certain amount of respect that I don't believe other candidates have, or even Remi Garde has mustered. He is steely enough to not be overrun by our mutinous dressing room and he represents less of a gamble than other options available to us.

The rumours are that he would be prepared to drop down into the Championship with us. If this is true, it gives us some credibility and optimism back also - we are still a big draw. If the decision to sack Garde is already made, we should bite Moyes' hand off to get him in as soon as possible. Celtic are reportedly also sniffing around and we can't afford anyone else to turn his head at this moment in time.

It may just end up being a perfect match; a once lauded manager and a once great club, both damaged and in need of each other to get back to where they want to be.

Hopefully the incisive action shown by chairman Steve Hollis so far continues and Moyes is appointed without any further delays.

Why Grealish and Gabby Need To Take A Long Hard Look At Themselves

Jack Grealish and Gabriel Agbonlahor. Two players who at the moment are out of favour in a big way - with management and with fans alike.

Gabby especially seems to have every single fan against him right now. His days at the club seem numbered and the rumours are that we are keen on shifting his huge wage off the books. Grealish, due to his glimpses of undoubted talent and young age is being afforded a gentler ride but the frustration with him is certainly prevalent.

But these are two players who should not be in anywhere near the positions they find themselves in.

Because these two players are Aston Villa supporters. They could, and should, be absolute heroes for this club.

The absolutely infuriating things about it all is that they ether don’t realise that, or even more worryingly, just don’t care enough.

It makes it so much worse that they are supporters of the club. Because they are both completely lacking in the absolute basic requirements right now - workrate, attitude and effort.

It’s hard to completely judge things, as we’re not in their position. No one knows the ins and outs of things that may or may not be going on. However, what I do know is that if I had the chance to represent the club that I had supported as a boy and be on that pitch, the very least that I would do is put in 90 minutes of hard graft and would give my absolute all. And I don’t think a single Villa fan would disagree with that.

I can also bring Joleon Lescott and Micah Richards into this - we should be so lucky to have a team with four boyhood Villa fans in the side.

Yet, for all Richards’ mistakes this season, I cannot fault his effort at least. His passion has been clear to see from the start of the season and I do believe it is genuine from him. I still believe playing him at right back would be good for us, but this is for another time.

After a less than impressive start, Lescott has been looking more and more assured. While I find it hard to see him as a true Villa fan (remember his reaction when he scored in the last minute for Everton against us - y’know, when Ashley Young then mugged him off to win the game for us 3-2!) there should be some connection within him to want to see this club do well and I don’t think he is particularly failing us in any way right now.

My real problem here lies with Agbonlahor. Yet my concerns lie mostly with Grealish and that he could follow suit.

Agbonlahor should be so much more revered amongst fans. It’s a shame it has gotten to this point with supporters wanting him gone from the club. But it is entirely down to himself. I don’t like to use the ‘look at how much he earns’ as a sole argument to beat a player down with. But you definitely can’t help but think that earning around £60k a week has made Gabby so comfortable that it has affected his game and attitude.

I’ve always thought of him as more athlete rather than a footballer. His finishing has never been great and I would never feel comfortable backing him in a one-on-one situation. Yet, that explosive pace was so important in creating chances for the team and for himself. A willing runner at the least, he frightened the life out of defenders. There is no doubt that he has lost the edge of this raw speed with age and bulking up too much, but he is still much quicker than most other players.

But we have seen less and less from Gabby over the last few years. The game against Spurs at White Hart Lane back in December has become well known for the stat that he touched the ball just 8 times in the first half and two of those were from kick offs. Hauled off in that game at half time, apparently through injury which may explain this poor effort, he has yet to be seen since. But even if injury played it’s part on that occasion, the general consensus is that the player is too comfortable. Certainly, as a striker, he is not contributing enough in the way of goals and just doesn’t seem to get himself involved in games. A questionable workrate now engulfs him, and those electric runs in behind defences are so few and far between over the last few seasons. After presumably becoming financially set for life, just what is Gabby’s motivation at this point? It should be a love of playing for Aston Villa and wanting to give everything to our cause. But that certainly isn’t coming across and hasn’t done for what feels like a long time.

Whilst it may be too late for Agbonlahor, the concern is that Grealish’s attitude will see his potential unfulfilled and simply becoming another promising academy prospect falling by the wayside. A languid style of football is his manner, but despite what some people may think or have even told him, he isn’t good enough for the talent he possesses alone to see him through. He needs to work hard and get himself involved in games and make things happen. His off pitch antics are worrying, and there seems to be a petulance within him which hopefully can be eradicated. If Tim Sherwood was the fun big brother leading him astray and letting him do what he wants, Remi Garde is certainly the strict father trying to instill the discipline that will ultimately determine how successful he’ll be.

Grealish should not be in this position at this stage in his career. If his enthusiasm and respect for playing for his beloved boyhood club is already on the wane already then he is in big trouble. A young kid can have his head turned, and having thousands of pounds a week flooding into your bank account can understandably have a crazy effect on you. I can only imagine what I would’ve been like at that age with that sort of wealth. But seeing Villa cut adrift at the bottom of the table should break his heart still and provoke the realisation that he is in an incredibly fortunate position where he could at least try to have some affect on the situation. How many times have you felt like you wish you were on that pitch and could just have a go at putting in some real effort for Aston Villa. Why is this not happening with Grealish and Agbonlahor?

I get infuriated with lack of effort and movement from players like Rudy Gestede, Charles N’Zogbia, etc...but at the end of the day, they are not tied to this club emotionally, so I don’t have the expectation of things to affect them or care what state the club is in. I hope they are professional enough for it to bother them when they see the fans suffering as we have this season, but in reality it doesn’t really affect the vast majority of players.

However, it should matter to Grealish and Agbonlahor. They both have enough talent and attributes to make a difference to this side. But the very least they should contribute is a game full of effort and passion.

Oh, and to go over to the fans at the end of each game, especially away from Villa Park, no matter the result.

With Agbonlahor rumoured to be in contention to feature in the F.A Cup 4th round tie with Manchester City this weekend, it will be interesting to see if his recent lay off has ultimately had a positive effect and a desire returns.

I just wonder how much being within a professional football environment can remove that natural love for the game that you grow up with. Does the lifestyle it affords change those priorities and passions?

I just wish that all our boyhood fans who are lucky enough to make it as a player for Villa appreciated it as much as Ian Taylor did. It should be the ultimate dream after all.

If We Think Randy Is Bad, We Have No Idea Of What Could Be Around The Corner

After Villa’s abject performance in the 2-0 defeat at Norwich on Monday, Villa supporters took to Twitter in force to lament the current regime. It was clear where the frustrations lay; our current custodian, Randolph Lerner.

Remarkably, the players, and to an even lesser extent the manager, escaped the brunt of the wrath. Indeed, it was the tag #RelegateRandy that began to trend in force throughout the evening.

I myself, in jest, said that I blamed Doug Ellis for not foreseeing this when he sold the club many years ago now. Although, this was a joke, it did begin to make me think. And worry.

Back in 2006, the vast majority of Villa fans were sick to death of the Ellis regime. We felt restricted by penny pinching and with not being able to compete with the big boys. We felt we were being cut adrift. We felt that with a new rich, ambitious owner, we could be in a position to challenge and become great again. We felt that we were always just coming up short and with just a bit more of a push we’d be right up there.

It seemed that the clamour to be rid of Ellis had lasted for years and years. He was never really a popular figure amongst fans. It was felt there was a bitterness within Ellis that he was not in power for our glorious triumphs in the early 1980’s. Having been expelled from the board in 1979, he returned as Chairman in 1982, with the club as European champions. Within 5 years, we would be relegated. Whether this is down to Ellis is largely debateable; the argument is that the previous regime had landed the club with huge debts. The dismantling of our European squad was necessary to balance the books. Unfortunately, either way, it ultimately led to our last stint in what was the old 2^nd Division and Ellis was certainly held responsible.

Upon returning to the 1^st Division, we spent the next 7 seasons bizarrely yo-yoing between mounting title challenges and being relegation candidates (think Leicester City style circa 2015-16 but over several years). The following 7 seasons saw our most stable period where we finished each season between 4^th and 8^th.  Villa fans frustrations with Ellis grew throughout the 1990’s, perhaps somewhat fuelled by popular managers such as Ron Atkinson and John Gregory famously falling out with their chairman. In Gregory’s case especially, the feeling was that we were perhaps just one or two players short from being genuine title contenders and the frustration of not being allowed to break the bank to land his targets became too much. Which sounds like a familiar story regarding a certain Martin O’Neill, showing that this isn’t a problem experienced just in the Ellis era.

Ellis had spent money however. Outlays of £5.5 million for Steve Stone, £5.25 million for Dion Dublin, and the record signings of £7 million for Stan Collymore and £9.5 million on Juan Pablo Angel were certainly not to be sniffed at. Add a £6.75 million for Paul Merson here and a £6 million for Bosko Balaban there and it adds up and actually portrays an image of a supportive chairman.

The problem was always that everyone around the club felt as if just pushing onwards and perhaps speculating to accumulate could have bought us some real glory. Ellis’ meticulous nature with the pennies would never allow us this springboard, and rather than being content with what we had (and what we’d kill for now), we wanted more ambition to drive us forward. Whether this is right or wrong given the present circumstances we find ourselves in, I genuinely can’t decide; standing still doesn’t seem the right approach, but our wishes to have investment have left us in a terrible situation.

Ellis’s relationship grew even more weary with the club in his last few years as chairman and finishing positions deteriorated with an unlikely 6^th placed finish sandwiched between a couple of 16^th’s and a 10^th - the fans had enough. Apparently so had the players, as well as yet another manager in David O’Leary; a mutinous statement supposedly from the players, but also rumoured to involve O’Leary, criticised Ellis’ thrifty running of the club. Rumours of cutbacks to the extent of refusal to employ a masseur and even penny pinching right down to a refusal to reimburse a cup of coffee were emerging and it was making a mockery of the club.

Underneath it all however, was a love of Aston Villa, the club. Whilst a cynic may oppose this and say it was more a love of making money and having something he could control, I believe that Ellis just would not tolerate putting the club into debt for its own good. An old school view to take perhaps, we were operational within our own means and unfortunately that meant we could only compete so far.

However, when Ellis finally was ready relinquish control of the club, it was a drawn out process in finding a buyer who he deemed to be suitable and wouldn’t just be using Villa for their own gains. I believe he genuinely cared about who would be coming in and taking over Aston Villa.

And my worry is that Randy Lerner may not have that same level of commitment to Aston Villa. We know he is desperate to get out and he simply is not in a position to be picky about the next owner. I do not see a possibility of a takeover bid being rejected should Lerner feel that the next incumbent is unsuitable.

Ellis did his best in finding us a new owner who had money and a vision for the club. An owner who would protect the values of Aston Villa football club. The fact that Lerner had professed an affiliation to Villa during his time in England as a student was a plus point. Lerner had obviously further outlined his intentions to Ellis and passed the test. A fiercely stubborn man, Ellis would not have been pushed into selling the club on anyone’s terms other than his own.

And to his credit, Lerner has done some amazing things for this club which we should not forget about. Those first few years under Martin O’Neill were exciting times. Lerner did bankroll our push for Champions League football and we could boast exciting talent such as Ashley Young, Stewart Downing and James Milner. However, far too much of the money was actually frittered on average, even poor, players; £8.5 million on Nigel Reo Coker, £10 million on Curtis Davies, £5 million on Nicky Shorey etc... Perhaps a bigger problem than this however was the incredible wages being offered on top of these transfer fees which was the true downfall in our demise. Nevertheless, the willingness to spend WAS there. If only the structure was in place to have invested it in a more controlled and thought out manner.

For me, those early years saw a raise in Villa’s profile as a club off the field just as much as on it, and that is down to Lerner. The charitable gesture to forego a sponsorship deal and let the Birmingham children’s hospice Acorns adorn our shirts was extremely noble and bought us much goodwill from the football community. The renovation of the Holte Hotel was popular with fans and showed us that we actually had an owner who cared about the club and its traditions. A long overdue recognition for the heroes from our early 1980’s glories who had been shunned for so long was now forthcoming and celebrated with a ‘Legends Day’ where greats such as Peter Withe and Dennis Mortimer were paraded around Villa Park before kick off and an nice extra touch with the text of the commentary leading up to Withe’s all important goal against Bayern Munich now sits adorned as a banner on the North Stand. Not to be forgotten amongst these charitable and history-embracing gestures was a much needed investment in Bodymoor Heath which had been long overdue and dithered over was instantly upgraded and transformed into what in recognised as perhaps the finest training facilities in the country.

Once the going got tough however, the excitement for Lerner ceased and the gestures have all but stopped. What remains is an owner desperate to salvage something from the wreckage of the good ship Aston Villa. With endless unfit owners flooding English football over the last 10 years or so, our club could be in real trouble with any future proprietors. The current regime may be a disaster right now, and the last few years have seen us drift aimlessly towards our current situation. But I fear we could be the target of owners as ridiculous as Massimo Cellino, Mike Ashley, The Glazer’s, Vincent Tan, Karl Oyston, Craig Whyte, Peter Risdale, Alexandre Gaydamak, Hicks & Gillett, The Venky’s - the vast majority of these people coming into football do not know what they are doing and see only the money they can make.

Our next owners need to be football people first and foremost. They need to know how to run a club or at least have success in running a huge sporting institution. For all Lerner’s good intentions, he has ultimately failed for not knowing this business sector and hasn’t surrounded himself with those of a football background who could’ve helped and advised better. We’ve had military generals, corporate marketing men and banking officials steering us wildly. But can we really expect a man who is disinterested, without motivation and, crucially, desperate to reclaim anything he can, to put us in those safe hands going forwards? Those sort of people do not come along very often and the likelihood is that another American business group or Chinese consortium will be our next owners.

And perhaps bottom of Randy’s checklist will be to make sure they have the best interests of Aston Villa at heart.

 Any thoughts or comments? Please let me know here or @lovespud83! Thanks for reading!

Libor Kozak. What More Can He Do?

When Remi Garde was asked last week about Libor Kozak's continued absence, his answer revealed extremely little. In fact, it only served to fuel the conspiracy theories surrounding the big Czech striker even further.

Garde noted that 'he was no better than the current forward line' and that 'he needs to be better'. Without any expansion upon that, the plot thickened as to what Kozak is/isn't doing in training or in and around the club to be given a chance in a side that is struggling to score goals.

It perhaps shows a touch of desperation amongst us that we are so keen to see Kozak given a chance. After all, he has only ever featured in a handful of games, thanks to a huge layoff due to a broken leg with which followed complications in recovery.

Further to this, Kozak's career goalscoring record is patchy at best. A decent return of 19 goals in 41 games in two seasons for Czech 2nd division side Opava earned him a move to Lazio as a 19 year old. In his first couple of seasons in Italy, Kozak featured just 3 times. A promising third season however saw him bag 7 goals in 22 appearances which then dipped down to 5 goals in 24 games the following campaign.

His final season at the Stadio Olimpico before Villa came calling was the most baffling of all - 19 Serie A appearances with 0 goals to show for it. Yes, zero. The bizarre flip side of this was the fact he scored 10 goals in 11 Europa League fixtures, which meant he finished as the tournament's top scorer.

Before Ciaran Clark nobbled him in a training session, Kozak had delivered 4 goals in 14 league games in his first season at Villa Park. Fairly meagre and nothing to be overly excited about. However, he never struck me as a poor player. He was decent, fitting in, but unfortunately for him, he wasn't Christian Benteke. Now, however, there is certainly an air of wanting to find out more about Kozak.

During this year's pre-season, Kozak featured fairly heavily and grabbed himself a few goals. Whilst we can't read anything into these games, it was promising to see Kozak back around and as an option, especially with Benteke departing.

Yet, despite our continued inability to score, Kozak has not featured at all in the Premier League so far and has amounted just 48 minutes in the League cup against Notts County. 

The timing of this article comes as during the U-21's game against Derby County on Monday evening, Kozak bagged himself a couple more goals and added to the fervour to give him a chance in the first team. Interestingly, before this game, Kozak had also scored in an U-21's game against Blackburn but Garde had confirmed that Kozak wouldn't be involved at all for the upcoming Southampton Premier League game. Which seems like a strange thing to have already decided.

Obviously the competition for the 'big man up top' position is between himself and Rudy Gestede. Garde seems to rate Gestede above Kozak, as did Sherwood. We know Gestede was one of the players that Sherwood definitely wanted to bring in, so that explains that to an extent. But is there something deeper about Kozak that we don't know about, apart from a lack of match practice? Does he not work hard enough? If that is the case, then how is Gestede getting a regular run out?! Kozak was fit for pre-season and contributed, but since then has completely fallen away from selection again. It cannot simply be a case of fitness at this point? Kozak seems to deliver in these friendly's and reserve fixtures, so what else is going on? The quality of opposition is a million miles from a Premier League fixture of course, but if they are his only chance to impress, then surely he is taking those chances and deserves a run in the first team. Especially as Gestede is not performing.

Kozak, to me, has more ability than Gestede and is a more complete player. For a start, Kozak has shown he can use his feet rather than just score with his head. The problem for Gestede, especially with Jordan Amavi now injured, is that the supply of crosses needed are not materialising, leaving him floundering trying to get into the game and being able to offer little else. Kozak would be a better option to try and link up play whilst still having a presence in the box.

Villa fans may be getting carried away with the growing support for Kozak, and seeing him as some sort of saviour, which in itself says so much about the state of our plight. Whilst he may not be the man to save our season, he has certainly earned himself the chance to have a go at doing so.

With rumoured interest mounting from Celtic, who came in for him in the summer, and also Birmingham, I would hate Kozak to leave and then blossom into a regular goalscorer elsewhere, without being given a chance to show what he can do at Villa first.

Mind you, wouldn't that be just typical of us.

 Any thoughts or comments? Please let me know here or @lovespud83! Thanks for reading!

A Crossroads For Jack Grealish?

Remi Garde this morning has confirmed that Jack Grealish will not be in the squad for the forthcoming visit of Watford in this weekend's vital game in which Villa must surely collect 3 points to kick start a dismal season so far.

The emergence of pictures of Grealish from the weekend has once again propelled him into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, and opinion on this matter seems to divide supporters massively. However, Garde has labelled his behaviour as 'unprofessional' and has taken decisive action accordingly.

From what I can see, there are two main ways of looking at it; firstly, he is a 20 year old kid and he is doing what any 20 year old kid should be doing. Secondly, he is a professional footballer and should act as such.

However, there are many other factors involved in this, and I have to say I am completely behind Garde in his decision to banish Grealish for this game.

Over the coming weeks, possibly even days, we are going to find a lot out about what sort of character Jack Grealish possesses. None of us know him personally and so we can't judge. However, I am concerned that there is a spoilt kid mentality about him and I hope that is not the case, as his career will ultimately never reach it's potential if so.

Garde is obviously unimpressed so far with Grealish. The assessment that Grealish has skill and quality but is 'unfinished' is absolutely fair and spot on. Having dropped Grealish for his first game in charge against Manchester City, Garde, perhaps surprisingly, recalled him for the next game against Everton. There was an obvious message; don't think you've made it already, but here is another chance. Garde was obviously looking for a reaction in the Everton game, yet Grealish failed to deliver and didn't work anywhere near hard enough. That isn't to single the lad out or lay the blame solely at his feet. Yet, despite a challenge from his manager and being given a chance to come back in, Grealish failed to seize his opportunity to prove his point to Garde. A poor team performance is no excuse for an individual performance which lacks effort.

Now, on top of this, the story emerges of Grealish being out on the pop in Manchester on Saturday night and again on Sunday in a Birmingham hotel. Whilst there are no pictures of him partaking in anything, the Daily Mail video and images that came out certainly suggests he is not sober. Not by a long way. 

Villa fans are sick to death of having their weekend's ruined every single week for the last 4 months. Personally, the last thing I want to see is any of our players jollying it up, especially straight after such an embarrassing performance and especially when we are in the midst of a run of 5 points from our opening 13 games.

The argument is that he is a 20 year old kid who is entitled to live his life still. 

Wrong. He isn't just a 20 year old kid. He is a professional footballer for Aston Villa F.C. His age is completely irrelevant. He isn't a youth player, or just breaking through any more. He is an established first team player.£20,000 a week is the price for not living life as an ordinary 20 year old and getting smashed at weekends. At least during the season. 

Whilst I do think he is getting unfairly targeted by the press, he has to realise now that his card is marked due to him having talent and being fairly high profile, in terms of a potential hope for English football. The previous incident involving him this summer is something I don't want to re-visit or link to this as I believe off season, he is entitled to do what he wants - within reason of course. He has been tarnished by that whole episode however, and then with the whole 'hippy crack' nonsense also which was dug up by the press going even further back in time to get mileage out of the story. Grealish needs to be way cleverer than letting them control the image that is portrayed of him.

Garde may get pelters from some sections of supporters for banishing Grealish, but this kid needs some discipline. I think it's probably come as a shock to him, to have Garde not completely flailing over him in the way that Tim Sherwood did. It was telling when Grealish posted this on Twitter when Sherwood was sacked.

It would've been interesting to see how Sherwood had handled this latest breach by our young playmaker, but you can't imagine him taking a hard line. Rather, a nudge and a wink and a 'don't do it again'. Maybe that is how to get the best out of Grealish, but long term it isn't doing him any favours, and Garde is right to try and begin instilling some discipline both in Grealish and around Villa Park in general. It's been too long in coming and whilst it may put some people's noses out of joint, professionalism is absolutely key and he'll soon find out which players he can trust and which he can't.

Grealish would've been in no state for training on Monday morning, and thinking he can wing it is simply not good enough. Whilst a 20 year old can probably run off a night out or two fairly easily, Grealish needs to realise that supporters are counting on him to be in peak condition and totally committed in helping our club, his club, out of this mess.

It will be very interesting to see how Grealish responds to this. We can't afford any sulky and stroppy immaturity. He needs to become a man, and show some determination. And quickly. I've said in previous posts that we, as supporters, are now expecting more from Grealish; more goals, more assists. At the moment he is standing still in his development. 

I personally think Garde is spot on this time. He hasn't fined him or gone over the top in his punishment. But a breach of club rules and procedure simply cannot be left to go without consequence. The next step is now up to Jack Grealish and every single Villa supporter is hoping for a positive and mature response rather than a potential personality clash with Garde.

Any thoughts or comments? Please let me know here or @lovespud83! Thanks for reading!