Vital Villa Summer Interview: The Fear
Scraping the barrel a bit now I’m afraid :o)
The Fear steps up for the Vital Villa members interviews.
Q: When did you become a Villa fan and why?
From birth, no other choice, the family supported the mighty claret and blue, so it just naturally followed that my brother and I would. First game was 77 (I was 8), I usually look it up and then forget, in the old Trinity Road stand, 1 up and we ended up losing 2-1 v Everton.
Q: The season just gone, good bad or ugly? What did you think of it?
Mixed. Can’t argue with the record points in the Premiership or the Cup runs. Adored the days out at Wembley but at some stage just being there has to be replaced with being there and winning. We’ve done it before, with this current ugly (a lot of the time) style of play I have my doubts we’ll be there again. The good was mostly away from home although I’d take the dire Everton at Goodison Park out of that statement, one of the worst I’ve seen in many a long year. We can’t surely keep trying the same things and expect a different outcome? The style of football is ghastly at times and I’m sure the likes of Gabby aren’t exactly excited at being told to have the ball lumped into the corner and for him to chase it all the time, no wonder they get tired.
Q: Best and worst moment of last season?
Best moment, finally getting my munchies at Wembley (The Great Munchies Wembley Scandal!)
Worst moment, Wigan, first day of the season, all that excitement and then a no show from Villa. MON turned on the crowd for having the temerity to moan but it WAS that bad and no excuses at all. GREAT that they then turned things around though.
Q: James Milner… is he off do you think? If so, what price (realistically) should Villa hold out for? If off to Man City, which – if any – of their players would you want in exchange?
I think he’ll go, I know we’ll survive, we always do. If we got £30m or even £27m it would be a good bit of business and if we got Stephen Ireland in the deal, it might just turn out to be a great bit of business. Looks to me that he has had his head turned and if that is the case, there is no use keeping a player not happy. NOT passing that off as fact, would like him to stay but if anyone wants to leave Villa I’d show them the door, we don’t need to beg anyone to play for this club… or to manage it for that matter… or to support it… oh you get the picture!
I’m in a minority that I’d also try for Craig Bellamy, a nasty snarling player, our lot are great but really just too nice, we need someone who will wind up the opposition and get under their skins.
Q: What signings (type of player or specific name/s if you wish) would you like to see Villa buy this summer?
Not really worth going into that, MON is MON and he’ll do it his way, not sure he even listens to the scouts etc. I just hope we move quickly and get a striker. I’d have gone for Darren Bent last season, think he’d have turned us (with his goals) into a top four team but personally think it is too late without silly money, why would Sunderland consider selling him now? I think Robbie Keane will come so that is one decent one, some say (at 30) he is too old, but then again, some said that about Richard Dunne last season. Would be lovely to see us get a playmaker as well, not totally sure on names, maybe someone like Bentley on the cheap might be worth a gamble.
Q: Where do you stand on Martin O’Neill (I don’t mean literally, that would be assault) ?
I SO want him to be what some seem to think he is. I sadly doubt it. I also, try as I might, struggle to get passed Moscow, that left me ashamed and for the first time I can ever remember wondering if I really wanted to renew my season ticket (then I reminded myself, I support Villa, not a particular manager) I think he has had good funding, great backing and I’m just not sure he is doing the business quite as his reputation suggests he should. The style of play is a decade or two past it’s expiry date, the home form is shabby and I wasn’t at all impressed with him turning on the crowd a few times (the press fell for it as well) deflecting any possible criticism that he was due. Is he the messiah? I SO hope so. I however believe he has shown to be just a decent manager, to get anywhere in our budget range (which isn’t shabby) I’d argue we need a bit more inspiration than hoofing it up. On the flipside, if we just get that ‘right’ player or two, things might just click. If the players were allowed to play the ball on the ground and pass a bit more, I think we’d be a far better outfit. I also think, now he is moving to his 5th season, he should (but won’t) look at shaking up the coaching staff like the true greats in the game management wise do. As Sir Brian he who walks on water Little said, after so long you have said all you can, done all you can and the training gets tired. Our two our not exactly of the young generation and maybe it is time we matched the world class facilities at Bodymoor with world class coaching and just a little less of the tedious five aside etc?
One thing is for sure, he is our manager for a 5th season, he has earnt the right on last season and I’ll not be banging my head against a brick wall picking apart every single thing he does like some of the fans. As said, along for the ride, hop on board!
Q: Your opinion of Randy and the board?
No complaints at all. Think they have backed the manager, been great with and for the club and more importantly, treated the fans as much as possible, with great respect.
Q: Favourite current player and favourite all time player/s
Current, the older I get, the less I seem to have a ‘hero’ in the team, Milner was our best last season though.
All time, I could bore on this, Dennis Mortimer is a scholar and a gent, Brian Little… no, I could go on and on. So proud of our club and players, love em all!
Q: Do you expect progress next season, difficult to answer before the transfer window closes I know?
Well, was silly of me to ask this question at this stage of the summer really, without knowing who is in and who is out it is impossible to say but judging on the way we play the game, I would think we’ll see similar, 6th or there about. If we get the right player then we could improve, if we don’t then I think teams will know more and more how to play against us so… gulp. Not going to win the league, not going to get relegated, the modern game dictates that we fight for 4th as success (not a dig at our club, this is against modern footie) so I’m just going to carry on going along for the ride. I would rather lower in the league and some silverware and I hope that MON takes the Europa seriously this time around OR at least tells us he isn’t going to from the start?
Q: Right, lets lower the tone… which celebrity would you most like to bang and which (male I would think) celeb would you most like to thump!?!
Err… Ok, Meganne Fox if she had ever bothered to call me would have stood a chance but I fear she has blown her chance now. I’m still holding out hope for Cheryl Cole though!
As for thumping, not really in for that, maybe just a mild slap to James Corden and Adrian Chiles for being part of ITV’s dumbing down of football. Pathetic presenters both of them.
With thanks to The Fear
For how to submit yours see: Click Here
Other summer interviews:
Benham
Lee Barnett
Kasad Ali
BeardMasterFlex
randy.stand
I am a Villan
Simon Bird
ExpatVillaShirt
Stephen Jay Hawkings
Oscararc
Stig
Parkez17
claretandbluearmy
Young Jonah
Kainga
James06
Trekker
odowdk5
clhbelbin
Callum_ws
Joe Whitticase
Cheshire Villan
MASON_PARKER
jaceavfc
SirDennis
Munk AVFC
Nimmo
Deanovilla
Villan Of The North
coeur_de_lion
Adbo9
Mattyslost
Mike Field
Danceoftheshamen
leerj0
Holte Manic
chocolate teapot
AV-Damo
Tony Pace
villabob
JayVFC
jack_1982
victort
thorpyuk
deano.avfc
__villa__
aspinall
Previous interviews: Click Here
