There are several thoughts running through my head as of late.
The first one is the rose coloured glasses some of us wear. The 2014 version of Aston Villa has been compared to many teams from Villa’s illustrious past, mentioning how poor this version is when compared to the those great teams.
Well, I hate to pop any balloons out there, but the 2014 version – as trying as it is to keep a positive view – is probably better than many of the teams of past years and I’m including cup and league winning teams.
There are many factors:
Pace – today’s players are quick, mobile, and fast. The English brand of football has evolved into a faster game and created a higher level of pace in all players.
Equipment – today’s kit is better, the footwear is better, and the football doesn’t weigh 2 stone when it is soaking wet.
Medical treatment – such a situation doesn’t need any explanation given we all know medicine has evolved. Diet, training, and psychological sessions exist today which give modern players tools that players from earlier years didn’t even know existed, even they did actually exist at all back then. We’ve all seen photographs of players smoking in the changing rooms – could you imagine seeing that nowadays?
In addition there are technological improvements, and not just being able to look at past videos of performances. Personal fitness and movement techniques are plotted out on computers that didn’t even exist 20 years ago. All this adds up to an advantage that does a bit more to help the body than just taking a hot bath after the game.
It isn’t just the above though – coaching, scouting, and obtaining players is a far greater science today than it was years ago. By comparison, the past looks like a pub league compared to today.
Finally, money and its attraction for quality, talent, and desire. As damaging as money is to the league, it has provided a better player overall through more than just inflated wages.
Talk of money leads me to another thought, and one that I have banged on over the last 18 months or so. The quality and talent of some of the players in the Premier League today is by far the best that I have ever gracing the stadiums of Great Britain. How we’ve got to this point has been done by well heeled owners who, by any normal consideration, have no financial restraints.
Such a move has brought a golden age of football, a feast for every fan of the game but, as you have all seen, only a few teams have prospered on the field. My point being is that the disparity brought by unfettered spending has turned the Premier League into a game of lions and Christians.
Every year a new crop of three try their chances in the Premier League, desperate to fight as hard as possible to stay. In addition, there are teams who are kept from the top table, sometime thrown scraps as their best players are cherry picked, leaving the bottom teams sparse and unable to compete besides trying to unearth gems. These teams are in danger of sinking into the Championship, but with this system most teams are suspect of falling.
Recruiting, scouting, and signing players who are Premier League quality is nigh impossible for many teams as the relative cost of any player increases with every outlandish buy the top teams make. Fans are frustrated with their team as they look at the big dogs, but there is little that can be done, and even sacking a manager is just saving face for chairmen in front of the fans – “Don’t blame me – I paid good money to do well, it was his (the manager) who is to blame). However, as frustrating as it is we have to live with it.
Which brings me to Aston Villa. What we are seeing is proof positive that a team considered “big” with history, culture, and heroes from the past can’t go toe to toe anymore. The transfer windows are looked at with the hope that some star talent will show up. Maybe a gem gets unearthed once in a while, but it can’t be seen as some kind of guarantee – it won’t be, nor can it.
From seventh place in the Premier League to the bottom of League Two, teams are looking for another Christian Benteke to give them a ride up the table and then try to hold on to him. When unthinkable offers are on the table it is hard to refuse, and if ever there was a shark tank of sports football is it.
Buying cheap on a hope and a prayer is all that is left for those who aren’t already cemented at the top. Owners aren’t willing to spend on inflated prices with little hope of vying for top places when the top four are mostly established there through decades of success or pre-FFP spending. Villa needs fan support and, in all fairness, I think they get more than their fair share. A time frame to the top six in this era might be a decade or longer and so just staying in the top flight has become the goal for the other teams.
Finally, what can Lerner do when being a billionaire isn’t enough? Bankrupt himself, something he can’t even do if he wanted to because of FFP?
And what of Lambert who tries to compete week in and week out when buying seasoned players is a no go – how does he get a fair crack if he is just following board orders?
What of the players? Do they deserve stick when they are playing against the best who have ever trod on Villa Park turf? Would the best Villans of the past compete on the pitch against a modern day Robin van Persie or Yaya Toure? I have to say, I sincerely doubt it.
All this is why I love the past couple of games we’ve been involved in – I can savour the play, and when the team puts it together and give those teams at the top a run for their money. It’s why I think two loan players are the best way to go in January, a bit like renting a Porsche on your holiday – fun and pleasure without the long term headache.
After all, it is OK dream a bit and look forward to Premier League play next year without having major outlay. Will things change? I’m not sure, but one thing I am sure is that it will take time if we are to get back to the top.
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