With the 2012/13 season fast approaching, I have been reading multiple season previews. From what I have seen the optimism most of us feel around the club has gone completely unnoticed by national pundits. Robbie Savage, who has never seen a camera he didn’t feel the need to jump in front of to share his ill-informed opinions, even predicted that Villa would go down. In his mind, Ron Vlaar and Karim El-Ahmadi played football for Feyenord in wood shoes. At least Jamie Redknapp looks the part of the respected, football pundit until he opens his mouth.
The Guardian and Soccernet, while not going as far as the long-haired, attention-whore Savage, did group Villa with the relegation candidates. After a preseason that went about as well as could be expected it did sting a little to see Villa mentioned amongst the also-rans.
The club was exceedingly fortunate to escape relegation last season, making it hard to work up indignation about this. Still, if form is really temporary and class is really permanent this can’t continue. The only way to get back to where the club’s history and resources dictate it belongs is to do so on the pitch.
Every player in that dressing room not only has to prove where the club belongs, but each and every player has something to prove, period. Darren Bent and Gabby Agbonlahor need to prove they can recover from injury and produce goals in a more attacking setup. Shay Given and Richard Dunne need to prove that at their advanced ages they can still play at an elite level and Euro 2012 was just a blip. Steven Ireland and Charles N’Zogbia need to prove they can be consistent performers and create chances and goals now that the shackles of last season have been removed. Brett Holman, Karim El-Ahmadi, and Ron Vlaar all need to prove their success in Holland can translate to the Premier League. Brad Guzan, Barry Bannan, and a host of other players who have been with the club for a while need to show they can be key contributors now and be a part of any success the club hopes to have in the future.
Instead of the timidity of last season, all of our players need to play with a chip on their shoulders. In doing so, they will elevate the club’s stature to the level at which we all think it belongs.
Like many of you mentioned in the comments of my column from last week, I agree that if the team shows improvement while playing good football and scoring goals, I’ll be satisfied. Whether its 8th or 13th, staying comfortably above the relegation scrap would be a welcome relief. If the last few years are any indication, the gap from 7th to 15th could be rather small, anyway.
When we kick off tomorrow at Upton Park one hopes three points will signify the start of restoring that pride.
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