History Repeating Itself?

It now appears that investment in new players is coming to a premature halt. What happens this coming season (at least) will be left essentially to those players left over following the departure of Ashley Young, Downing, Friedel, Reo-Coker and several others. Cuellar is another who might leave.

What is alarming is that the players that are left leave precious little cover for the full-back department and there are two main groups of players - those that are rapidly approaching pensionable age and those that are still too young to be considered for permanent first team selection. Players falling in-between those categories (such as Agbonlahor, Ireland and Delph) have questions hanging over their heads, though another (Bent) should be considered as 'safe'.

The situation now seems rather akin to where we stood in the 3 years preceding each of 1934, 1954, 1964, 1984 and 2004. In each case a peak had been passed and the club then went into deep depression culminating in disaster in 1936, 1967 and 1987. It was a too-close-for-comfort call in 1956, and 2007 could easily have been a disaster year if Randy Lerner had not stepped in the year before. It did not happen in the 1970s nor the 1990s as the club was positively investing in the team during those times.

In 2011 we are moving towards 2014 and a potential disaster in 2016/17.

I have lived through all the decades and troubles since 1950 and feel that history can easily repeat itself the way things are. I hope not.

.

A New Man on the McLeish...

McLeish may well prove to be suitable i.m.o. He appears to have done well at Rangers and OK with Scotland, so that's a decent c.v. he's built up. That he went to St. Andrews proved that he's not against trying to do the impossible ... and yet he still won a trophy there. It was only their second-ever trophy win.

What I feel, however, is that Aston Villa is still a great club and that it has a real potential to come out from its covers and show the world what it can really do. And to give proper notice of that intention, I feel the club should have been looking to appoint someone with the highest credentials ... not just decent credentials. I wouldn't think that his appointment would boost the season ticket sales ... unless he should sign someone to whet the appetite in the next month.

So, I'm not against McLeish per se, but I'm not happy with the level of ambition being shown. I think we've all had enough of OK managers (DOL and MON, despite the latter's 6th place achievements) and that the club should be aiming for better. I think that Houllier was "better", so I feel sad about his departure.

But ... the appointment has been made. I believe that you have to be positive to try to make things work as best as possible, and since the fans have no real say in the affairs at VP that's the only reasonable and mature approach to take.

One thing for sure is that (after last season) we have to get off on the right foot now and keep working at it to try and make it work.

The man has to be given a chance. Give 'im till Christmas at least!
.

Blast the Premiership!!

I wonder whether the Premiership has proved to be the scourge for all Midlands teams?

Since 1992, the Villa - even without winning anything League-wise - has been leading the Midlands as the area's Pride (an epithet I like as it's associated with lions!), yet it's a false-placed pride in one way with no league silverware to go with it - and just two league cup triumphs.

At the start of the Premiership in 1992, Villa were equal with Man U on the number of championship wins. Twelve Man U championship wins later, look where Villa are now in the pecking order of top clubs. Yes, Villa are still overall the fourth greatest club ever in terms of overall results. But, since 1993, we've not even finished in the top-3, and Villa can now just about regard itself as a top-8 side. Rather as Houllier described the club, really.

But at least Villa are still (comparatively) financially well-managed and look to be pretty safe in that way. In short, the philosophy is not much different to Doug Ellis' days - all that's happened with the Lerner takeover is that the Villa now have the ability to maintain the level they had in Doug's days. That is all.

But now there's no ability for supporters to have a concrete say in the direction the club should go.

Randy Lerner has refreshed the club beyond question, but unless he has a magical wand, we all know he's now not going to be able to effectively challenge the top-5 and perhaps not even the top-6. Unless - and this is a very big 'if' - Villa can somehow start playing the sort of stuff we saw Barca play yesterday. That kind of play is virtually unbeatable - and it would fit in the Villa's tradition of long ago when our club were top dogs.

But can Villa start playing a la Barca without spending trillions? I think it's possible - Barca has a sense of unity about it that is developed from the nursery upwards. Villa have that structure. Barca play for one another; everyone is a potential striker - look at the quality of their three goals from three different players. Villa can do it.

All we have to do is get the defence sorted out and we're there aren't we?!
.