A number of things have changed since we last had the pleasure of crosswesleyanchapel’s dulcet typing tones, but with last Saturday’s disappointment at Wembley as we lost out to Fulham in the Championship Play-Off Final, he’s returned home to give us his thoughts.
Well, returned to a new home following our switch to a new fancy site at any rate.
So over to an old friend.
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Its been a long long time since I last posted on here. I have no idea who’s been/gone/still here since I last posted, but I trust those that are, are keeping well?
The weekend’s debacle finally hit home on Monday, along with the thoughts of going back to work today and having already been away for some sun, not knowing if I’ll be lucky enough to go away again this year. Third world problems you might cry? Well, just remember that the football season is now finished and all we’ve got to look forward to is Gerry Cottle’s tour of the Iron Curtain, in conjunction with ITV’s punditry.
I’m not sure whats worse? That or losing Micah Richards?
I would like to air my views on the current state of our national side but at present it’s the Villa that I genuinely care about so I’ll save that for the group stage when we lose to a last-minute own goal against Panama.
On to more important matters, closer to home. Where did it all go wrong on Saturday?
Well, in a nutshell, the team never turned up. The last few days have made for manslaughter to the eyes if you follow any of the players on Instagram. “We’re hurting as much as you”…”gutted”…”thank you for your support” blah blah blah. As if watching the sorry lot wasn’t bad enough, letting them loose on social media to inform us of their genuine *cough* heartfelt upset is just insulting in all honesty.
Certain players to me just didn’t look up for it whatsoever. It pains me to say this, and I’m guessing it’s an even split on here, but the buck stops with Steve Bruce. It’s his tactical ineptitude and all-round defensive attitude/lack of style.
Now, cast your minds back to when he came in. It was an absolute mess behind the scenes and I don’t doubt for one minute that the reason this has all changed is because of him and Steve Round, along with Keith Wyness at board level. He deserves huge credit for that. However, on the field is where it counts the most. At times we’ve looked pleasing to the eye, yet for whatever reason Bruce hasn’t been consistent enough with selections. He took over a confused lot from Roberto Di Matteo which granted, was difficult. He’s also brought in his own players since then and we’ve fallen short.
Why he decided to go with one striker in such an important game is beyond me? Fulham went with three, the rest is history. I firmly believe that his changing of selections and formation has cost us promotion. That is unforgivable. I don’t dislike the man as a person, he’s also had to deal with his family bereavements at a crucial stage of our season which some people are forgetting. Family is more important than anything but his errors in judgement surfaced before his terrible family loss.
The question is now, what does Xia do? We’re at a huge crossroads now as to how we go forward. Personally, I would like a completely left-field approach in the same manner as what Wolves did. Nuno Espirito Santo has been a breath of fresh air for the dogheads and their football at times has been superb to watch. Be nice if we could be that lucky. We have a manager that currently boasts a 38.4% win ratio for the entirety of his whole managerial career to date. Yet oddly 47.2% for Villa.
On to the players. I have a brief understanding of how Financial Fair Play works but I still can’t get my head around how we are in deep trouble? I’m guessing you’ve all read John Percy’s Telegraph article over the weekend? We will be minus Richards, Gabby Agbonlahor, Alan Hutton, Chris Samba, Robert Snodgrass, John Terry, Sam Johnstone, Ross McCormack and Lewis Grabban next season. That’s a massive wage reduction right there. I also think James Chester will end up at some mid-table PL club and we may even see Jack Grealish being the subject of a bid or two? Let that sink in for a moment…
That’s a lot in terms of squad size. Then we have others who have made no impact/not quite good enough that will leave. Pierluigi Gollini, Carles Gil, Tommy Elphick (although I think he could do something still for us), Keinan Davis, Henri Lansbury, Mark Bunn, Ahmed Elmohamedy, Mile Jedinak. It’s a massive summer ahead. I just hope this summer we finally get it right.
I know who I’d like to sign, two players in particular, but I’d also like to see Callum O’Hare, Rushian Hepburn-Murphy, Jake Doyle-Hayes and Mitch Clark come into the fold.
I’ve read a lot of fans stating they think Dean Smith is the answer? I don’t know enough about him to pass judgement so its irrelevant at this stage. If someone else comes in then they will get my full backing, as long as it isn’t one of the anti-football old boys club. Someone who can play attractive attacking football like Wolves and Fulham have played all season.
We can but dream…
Writer: crosswesleyanchapel
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It Really Isn’t A Funny Old Game – Forum Thread.
