Mud Slide Tim and the Claret and Blue Horizon
The much hoped for new era hopefully began with a resounding double blast, signalling the departures of Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph from a shell shocked, even if not completely surprised Villa Park.
Their departures were in hindsight probably exactly what was needed to herald in a new dawn, because quite frankly, in the premier league neighbourhood where Aston Villa Football Club resides nowadays, the middle class, the also ran`s, the guys there all too often to merely make up the numbers, seemingly spend best part of their time running Up the Down escalator.
Yes, we reached the top six for a while. Seems an eternity away now doesn’t it? We couldn’t maintain. The thin wallets never can. That`s just the way premier league football is.
We have waved goodbye to arguably our two best performers of recent times, and will now be bringing on board fresh, new, ambitious faces who might just help us to push onward and upward. After all, something had to give didn`t it? We didn`t want more of the same. I don`t think we had the stomach for it anymore.
We all hope that these fresh, new, ambitious faces can provide the spark that turns into a flame, and helps us to push our way back up the premier league ladder, to where thoughts of an annual battle against relegation becomes nothing more than a distant and hazy memory.
No, wait. Check that. What am I saying? If those fresh, new, ambitious faces are that good, we wont be able to keep them in Birmingham B6 will we? The wheel once again begins to rotate.
As a club with hopefully serious aspirations of re-establishing itself as a top eight premier league outfit, we have to start over. That is partly due to the premier leagues flawed economics, and partly because of our mismanaged and misguided executive decisions made in recent years.
Money screams in premier league football. We all know that. Spending money will at least hopefully keep you standing still. Playing the pauper invites trouble.
When a team can’t afford to keep it`s best striker, it`s key defender, it`s brilliant midfielder or world class goal keeper, someone it scouted, signed, developed, improved, then something is wrong. There is a problem.
When ‘smaller` teams serve as glorified farm systems for the top five or six thick wallets, then something is wrong. There is a problem.
When ever the best well run of the thin wallets cant be expected to compete at the top and secure a top eight finish, then something is wrong. There is a problem.
It`s not unsolvable though. Surely? I don`t know, maybe it is.
I`m no expert. Like you I`m just an average Joe supporter. I buy my season ticket, and support my team from the stands, week in, week out. Don`t hand over huge, long term deals to new signings until they prove themselves. Resist pushing tall cash piles at players with an injury history. That`s just what I say off the top of my head. It`s nowhere near enough I know. It`s impractical anyway. But there is something wrong. There is a problem.
Footballers are commodities, same as gold watches and Dyson vacuum cleaners. They are worth whatever someone is willing to pay for them. You`d better be smart in all aspects of your scouting set-up. That means a heavy dose of analytics these days. You`d better be transfer market wise. Boots on the ground still matter, of course they do, but nowadays probably no more than lap-tops in the office.
To stay alive, cheap and pre-season viable when you`re on a budget means cutting out the coupons, shopping wisely, checking the bargains, and making no big mistakes. Chelsea, Manchester United, and Manchester City can all paper over their goofs with paper money. We sure as hell cant.
Southampton and Swansea are two of the latest ‘Cinderella` clubs to dance in the footlights. We were there once. We sold our better players. The decline set in.
We now have to believe that selling arguably our two best players in the summer of 2015 will see us return to the relative heights. It gives us an opportunity.
Blame the premier league, which still squeezes the little guys. But also blame the Villa. We haven`t been light enough on our feet. We haven`t been alert, alive.
The premier league isn’t going to change. The Villa better.
Well lads, here’s wishing you a very happy Villa supporting 2015-16. Let’s get Villa Park rocking every home game.
Let’s hope we have much to cheer.
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