I reckon the FA Cup draw gods are Millwall fans. Having KO’d the Villa in round four, they were rewarded with a tie against Conference side Luton Town; and, having comfortably dispatched The Hatters on Saturday, they now face Blackburn Rovers at The Den with the two sides vying for a spot in the semi-final – and, with it, a trip to Wembley. It makes you wonder what could have been. Some may see it as a lucky escape with more pressing matters to attend to right now; that is, ensuring Villa remain in the top flight. The last time the club played one season in the second tier was 1987/88.
With no-game at the weekend, I pondered about the content of today’s article; I have opted for what may be a first for Aston Villa Life (it certainly is for me, anyway). I have asked half-a-dozen Twitter users to rate Villa’s chances of survival, as well as their opinions on various things B6-related.
The Survey
I thought it would be of interest to see the view points of others, particularly non-Villans. Those involved were:
- Alex Linehan [@Lexi_avfc], 22, Aston Villa
- Kevin Roberts [@kr1403], 22, Manchester United
- Younes Laghzali [@YL_CFC], 23, Chelsea
- Chris Clowes [@chrisclowess], 25, Newcastle United
- Rob Richards [@robycfclad3], 33, York City
- Stewart Bailey [@Stewpot], 43, Northampton Town
Will Villa be Relegated?
Despite our extremely tough run-in, only two of the six who took the survey believe Villa will go down – with all of the above believing Villa’s survival will likely go right down to the wire, with our fate determined at the DW Stadium on the final day. Like many supporters, Alex is living in denial that we could actually end up dropping out of the Premier League!
The forecast for points gained between now and the seasons end is an interesting one. Younes predicts that Villa will only manage to notch up eight points, whereas the highest forecast stands at 17, by Rob. The average was 13 points – quite remarkable, considering who we still have left to play; and, as Chris quite rightly states, there’s no doubting that Villa will have to pull off a result against at least one of the big sides to be in with a shot.
Villa’s Stand Out Player?
Brad Guzan and Christian Benteke were noted as the outstanding players for us this term, with Ciaran Clark and Nathan Baker also receiving a mention apiece. Belgian powerhouse Benteke was, for the most part, valued at around £15 million.
Would You be Inclined to Have Darren Bent Playing More of a Role?
As you would expect, nobody doubts his goal-scoring prowess, but there was an intriguing split in response to this question:
Kevin, Younes, and Stewart are of the reckoning that Bent should be in the starting XI and playing regularly. Rob opted to sit on the fence.
Villa fan Alex thinks that a Bent/Benteke partnership may well have blossomed, had Paul Lambert given it a chance; however, with time running out, pairing the two now would be a huge gamble.
Chris is the man who hits the nail on the head for me: as much as the team needs to score goals to stay in the division, the side cannot afford to have DB give any anonymous performances – which we’ve seen all too often. You can’t blame Lambert for wanting to give the more industrious players a chance to aide Villa’s quest for survival.
Even if Villa do go Down, is Paul Lambert the Right Man for the Job?
The panel were nearly unanimous in their decision: Yes – Lambert is the man for the job, regardless of which division we’ll be playing come August. Younes was the only exception. He has been taken aback with some of Lambert’s ‘strange’ decisions throughout this season, and can’t understand why he continually sacrifices experienced heads for younger players.
I would like to thank all six for their time in answering my survey and sharing their thoughts with all us Lifers. All this brings me very nicely onto where I see the club heading.
The Future of Aston Villa Football Club
Whether we beat the drop or not, my biggest concern is where the club goes from that point. Either way, the supporters will have little option but to realign their expectations. I’m not talking about the vast majority of us who contribute and post comments to AVL, as I consider our group sane and invariably level-headed. There are, however, supporters out there who, for some inexplicable reason, think that former glories and the size our club has some baring on where our club should be positioned.
Obviously, this is not the case. Villa do not have a divine right to finish the season as a top 10 Premier League club year-on-year, and neither do we have the right to be a Premier League club forever and a day.
When Randy Lerner completed his takeover of the club back in 2006, it breathed fresh air into the club, especially seeing as Lerner wasn’t afraid to splash the cash; it was almost as if he had money to burn. Despite purchasing his fair share of junk on relatively large wage packets, Martin O’Neill did bring in some little gems, too: the team gelled and we were playing some breathtaking football. It was the best I’d seen a Villa side playing in a long while. It was during this spell that our football club had its chance to ensure that it was to be prosperous, challenging for trophies and titles, and to be playing Champions League football year-on-year. This was our shot at the bright future that we speak so fondly of. We bottled it.
And, with that, came the player exodus, which also coincided with Lerner’s realisation that his pockets were not as deep as he first thought, and that he’d soon become bankrupt if he carried on the way he was. This hit us double hard, leaving us with the scraps that we have today.
Just like the next fan, I do see a fair bit of potential in some of the kids that take to the field, but what does that matter in today’s game? Not a lot, really. The big clubs will see their progress, offer the selling club enough money to force their hand, and then that same process recycles.
With the looming threat of relegation, I’ve taken heart from the likes of Newcastle United and West Ham. Both have slumped, yet mastered returns of merit. Should the worst happen, then we really ought to take a leaf or two from them. Some would argue that relegation may well have been the catalyst for the spirit, determination, and the cleverness that they now go about their business; and, the gritty, consistent types of players that they seek to recruit.
On the flip side, should Villa survive this woeful season by the skin of our teeth once again, then some serious injection of cash for players is needed. There is no other alternative – Lerner will only be delaying the inevitable. If things stay as they are the eventually we shall be saying “Goodbye” to the Premier League.
Fingers-crossed for the Arsenal game. Until next week, Up the Villa!
The Author
