If’s, But’s and Claret & Blue Maybe’s

I just wrote out our squad by hand on a piece of lined paper. Then I made the mistake of looking at it. I wish I hadn’t, it scared me to death!

Our squad is so thin an anorexic girl might worry about our health and offer us cream cakes and sugary drinks. Keira Knightly would avoid standing next to us because she’d look too fat.

We’re on a knife edge. I’m confident about Given, N’Zogbia and Bent, class players without question. Zoggy will prove the bargain of the summer.

Luke Young and Petrov are at least solid and dependable, they’ll do the job. These five players should keep relegation at bay – IF they remain fit.

Clark has proven real quality too. All the other players have large question marks over their name. Dunne and Collins – are they going to be the monsters of the 2009-10 season or the disruptive, chaotic pussycats of last year?

Is Cuellar going to feature?

Steve Warnock – all but forgotten last season, is he going to regain confidence?

Then the big ‘if’s’ – Ireland, Albrighton, Bannon, Delph, Makoun.

If Villa are to have any kind of a successful season these players have to make their mark and establish themselves as real premier league talents.

I’d say that at least three of these guys need to have great seasons for Villa to have a chance. Ireland’s spectacular season at City is now three years ago.he’s done nothing since, can he ever regain that sort of form and influence? If he can we’re laughing, but it’s a mighty big if, his pre-season was inconclusive. Albie was terrific at the beginning of the last campaign but he trailed off alarmingly.

Bannon too showed touches of excellence, but that’s not good enough, they need to develop and be much more consistent. Are they up to it? We didn’t see enough of Delph and Makoun last season, they’ll surely get their chance to shine now. Not forgetting everyone’s big hope, Gary Gardner. Yet to kick a ball in the PL the lad seems a star in the making but how many Vil! la starlets have failed to make the grade in the past? Too many! Massive season for Gabby too.

I seem to say that every season and I’m still not sure about him! But the biggest ‘if’ of all, of course, is Alex McLeish.

He might turn out to be the best Villa manager in thirty years but the way the appointment was handled by the Villa board has already gone down in football legend as how NOT to appoint a manager.

It was a long, tortuous agony of daily humilation, misinformation and jaw-dropping incompetence by Randy and his PR men. Whether they ended up with the right man by design or accident we’ll never know. But we’ll soon find out if he is the right man or not. Early indications seem to suggest that at least the players like their new gaffer, so that’s already a big improvement on hapless Houllier.

Personally I have a good feeling about McLeish, I’m just sorry he hasn’t received the kind of financial backing O’Neill enjoyed. Can the Big Eck turn at least some of these ‘if’s’ into positive certainties? With so few options, and with so many ‘fans’ ready to disembowel him at the first sign of failure, he’ll need to.

Best of luck Big Eck!

Saurat