Villa – O’Leary’s Worst Excuses

So here it is, the awards ceremony everyone has been waiting for. The inaugural Vital Villa End Of Season Awards. Queue drum roll.

First up:

David O’Leary’s worst excuse of the season award

6% thought his whinge about the local press, especially Bill Howell of the Birmingham Mail, were against him. No one could quite figure out why Bill and a few articles, when we were already in 15th place, had any effect at all on this dire season. BUT as we all know, David O’Leary, very much like Herbert Douglas Ellis, is always right.

7% said the excuse of the takeover talk was unsettling took the biscuit and with legends like Ian Taylor saying that off the pitch matters don’t effect players at all, you have to put this down to yet another attempt to deflect the blame from the manager and point it elsewhere. Didn’t work David, but nice try.

11% voted for the early season excuse – following our worst start in 35 years – saying that the pitch was hard and that was injuring the players. Come on David, you can do better than that, maybe the seeds the grass was grown from were also defective and that would explain why our players kept falling over? See, I could write your excuses for you, I’m much better. I believe the paint used to paint the white lines was also slightly too bright.

14% said the excuse that previous managers had spent too much was the worst excuse to be uttered by this shameless manager – who still insists the majority of fans are behind him. They are David, behind you with knives praying that Ellis does the decent thing and sacks you (before axing himself). The average spend of the last few managers have all been very similar once you take away sales, so close Mr O’Leary, but no cigar.

16% voted they play badly at home because of the fans was one excuse too far and that was surely the start of the majority of fans turning against O’Leary? No manager should talk badly of the fans and he has made a habit of it. It isn’t his job, he is paid to bring a team together and get them playing at their best. He’s failed, the fans have not. For that alone I’d have sacked the man as how can you attract fans to Villa Park (and isn’t it strange that O’Leary boasted over and over again about bringing the fans flooding back, but he has remained silent at the 7% drop in attendances this season?!) if your manager thinks he can argue with them, say they upset the players and treats them with contempt? Ellis has done this for years, now the manager is joining in. Not a good marketing ploy at all.

And the winner – for worst excuse of the season is………………

The fans need to get real with 46%. I’m sure his sugarbags quote will long be remembered for all the wrong reasons. I agree the fans should unite in their anger against Ellis but then the manager tells all that will listen, especially after the Blues derby game, that the board are nice people to work for and stuck up for Ellis after he had a ‘hard time’ at the AGM. Get real O’Leary, or do us a favour and get lost.