As I like to, I’ll start with a quote:
Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character. – John Wooden
Character is something that often gets forgotten about in football. Many people talk about the price of a player, their wages, ability, their work rate, but rarely do people, apart from actual managers, talk about the player’s character.
Think back through your favourite Villans and not only will you find they were great players, but you’d probably find they had great character too. Paul McGrath, Ian Taylor, Dwight Yorke, Paul Merson, John Carew, and Martin Laursen to name but a few – they were voices on the pitch, in the dressing room, and to the fans.
Did you see character in the past few years? I didn’t.
Now think back to last season and the season before. Can you name one player who endeared himself to the fans? I can’t name a single person who offered that kind of character, can you? I mean James Collins? Richard Dunne? Stephen Warnock? Chris Herd? Emile Heskey? Darren Bent? None of them inspired me at all. Sure, they can say things in front of camera for AVTV and other outlets, but it never felt genuine, more like an obligation and part of what was necessary to get paid.
Matt covered the subject of “us and them” the other week and, yes, I can understand the sanitised nature of reporting on footballers because of the distance between players and fans. I do feel this separation is very much driven by the media, but I also feel there is something more to it.
From my perspective, I want to know what is wrong with a player being open and honest about things. I’m not interested in seeing pictures of their front room, of their pet chihuahua, or what aftershave they wear, but I do feel there is a space for players to talk openly about the game they play, and the club they play for.
The difference? Players who are hungry to play.
Flash forward to this season, and let’s look at the players in the team as we are now. We have Brett Holman – a real grafter, a proper team player, and a man who will do the job he’s asked to do to the maximum of his ability. He will run all day and run some more. I have already thanked Alex McLeish for Holman. Have you?
Karim El-Ahmadi comes in, says the right things, performs well and get the fans excited but he is very much a player who would rather do his talking on the pitch rather than to a camera. However, every time he has spoken he comes across and a focused, determined player – quiet but hard working.
Matthew Lowton, Joe Bennett, and Ashley Westwood aren’t exactly coming from non-league football, but by the same token, they are not coming from a multi-million pound background. They haven’t made £20k a week a past clubs and, unlike some of the academy products, they haven’t managed to make a fair amount of money for delivering very little. Listen to any one of those three and you’ll hear that they are both humble and hungry – they want to do well rather than just getting by on the bare minimum.
Christian Benteke has been described as a humble man on the pitch, but a comparative ego on it. He’s very self confident, but knows he needs to learn more to improve. He tries things (something many of our players haven’t even seemed to do in the recent past), and he gets people on the edge of their seats. I’m waiting for the inevitable “Great feet for a big man” from a pundit at some point – you know they won’t be able to resist.
Ron Vlaar. Need I say more? When he was coming to Villa, he spoke of it as a “dream move” before we had even agreed a transfer fee. He came with a reputation, and has wanted responsibility from the start. He’s been rock solid on the pitch, and frank when off it. He’s that suited to the role of a leader that if you snapped him in half (a hard task I imagine), you’d see the word “Captain” written through the middle of him like a stick of rock.
With talent and humility, comes balance.
With players like that, there is a much needed balance. We have a mixture of players who are cocky on the pitch – wanting to bring some flair – but we also have grounding too. We have a true leader in Vlaar, and we have hunger. Can you remember any of that last season? I don’t recall anything – just a lot of idiocy as well as no end product.
The success of our players won’t come from the fact that they are all identical, but they clearly do have something to prove, as well as a strong desire to win. These players didn’t come because we offered them a fortune, they came because they wanted to come.
Some might say that Stephen Ireland is a character, someone who can stand tall on the pitch. However, I don’t consider him in the mould of what was needed last season though – last season we needed a leader and, whilst Ireland is technically capable, he isn’t a leader. Last season, nobody could bring the lads together, and nobody senior showed character or toughness. This season, by comparison, we have that in abundance.
This season’s difference.
This season, if you want a hard tackle going in, we have Vlaar and El-Ahmadi to scare the opposition. I should explain that those kind of tackles are a world away from a Collins or Dunne lunge, often one that results in a foul, penalty, or sending off.
When we want to harass teams with energy, we have Holman. Last season, I can’t remember a single lost cause chased down to turn in our favour. This season, I’ve seen two just from Holman due to his commitment.
This season, the mix is right. Some of the players that were at the club have been rejuvenated under Lambert, but most of the best players for us this season were brought in by him. Before this season, we relied on senior players who were uninterested and young players who were thrown in the deep end with little support. This season, the belief is there, and that is down to the manager.
However, what do you think? Are you impressed with the attitude shown, the personality of the new players, and the spirit that seems to be forming?
I think it has made a big difference, and a massive thanks should go to the manager – he’s performed magic in the short space he’s been here.
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