Brett Holman? I’ve no idea either. Is he a sign of things to come? I’ve no idea about that either. But we are sort of starting to get our heads round the fact that Alex McLeish might well be leading Villa beyond the end of this year. I won’t pretend to know whether that’s good or bad.
In the end, I do know that I share the general trepidation about McLeish being given money to spend.
Some other thoughts, in no particular order…
Where Did That Come From?
All the running around, I mean. If McLeish has lost the dressing room, it wasn’t particularly evident on Saturday. Aston Villa played hard, to a man, and dominated a somewhat reluctant Fulham side. It wasn’t much more complicated than that. I can’t argue with the effort, nor the result. I thought the three points were well deserved, as was the clean sheet.
A number of players had good games, led by Stephen Ireland, I think. Cuellar has partnered with Collins to good effect, and it’s seemed a less haphazard pairing than that of Collins and Dunne. Villa didn’t crumble when Fulham came more into the game, and the substitutes were attack-minded, as was the squad’s intent as the win threatened to slip out of reach.
Why doesn’t it look like that every week? I don’t know, either.
But I’d like to see more of it against Bolton. This team has “good” games in it. Not great, but good. If we just saw that level of commitment and desire more often, we’d see more “W”s than what we have so far.
I don’t think one swallow makes a summer. But I do think that Villa can come out and give us more of that if they want to. A masterclass? No. but it was a solid, persistent and effective performance.
That’s what it looks like when everyone presses and closes down. It’s also what heartbreak looks like if you want McLeish gone, this mismatched side digging in and most likely ensuring McLeish’s continued employment in B6.
What About the Youth?
They were mainly evident in the substitutions, and the fresh legs and attitudes were neither overwhelmed nor cowed. Albrighton had a case of Young-itis, overhitting just about every ball he tried to play into the box. Chris Herd gave the sort of combative, energetic display we’ve come to expect from him. Weimann, Bannan and Gardner came on and contributed.
Do we play more against Bolton? No. Put the same starting XI out that you saw against Fulham. Another three points could and should be expected, and the side we set out against Fulham is the side that should be able to go out and get them. If we do, then we can argue about how many younger players to play in subsequent matches.
Herd, Gardner, Clark…they’ve all got futures, I think. Beyond that, I can’t say. I’d love to tell you they’re all good enough, but we know they’re not. I’d have Ireland and N’Zogbia starting every time. Albrighton seems to at least be doing more intelligent things, even if he can’t help but overhit the ball. Clark, Gardner, Herd? They’ve done well partnering Petrov. Herd seems the best, most instinctual player to partner Petrov at the moment. But the others will do a job.
Where Does This Leave Us?
Well, if you’re a Villa fan, it means you can probably stop sweating out worst-case scenarios. You can also work on getting your heads round the fact that McLeish will likely be around another season.
Now, while I don’t think this spells doom, neither do I really know what to expect if McLeish is given money to spend. I’d like to think he’d be solid if unspectacular in the transfer market, but I’d like something more than solid, especially if we’re to complement Ireland and N’Zogbia. That’s where our quality lies, and that’s what we need build around.
But, my guess is that it will be McLeish. So fingers crossed he can put his stamp on the team without making things worse.
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