Four one. Again.
As we embark on another week where a loss preceded it, it is starting to feel a lot like Groundhog Day. You know how the story goes – we play, we lose 4-1 and on we go.
At this point in time, just three games shy of the end of the season, I’ll be honest and say I don’t know how I feel about Aston Villa.
On one hand, I’m upset because we’ve lost – again – and we’re still in danger of going down mathematically. In that sense anger, frustration and upset are all normal feelings that I’d normally have, but I think I’ve gone beyond that.
Long time readers know my position on the club. I’ve been going to Villa as a season ticket holder for almost two decades now, and I’ll be going next season. My choice to go to games has nothing to do with how we are playing, who the manager is or who is playing for us – I go because I’m a Villa fan and, as the song goes, “I’m Villa till I die.”.
However, I know that right now, as I write this article, I’m almost apathetic about our situation. Actually, I’m closer to numb – I don’t feel anything.
Sure, I want Villa to win their remaining games. Sure, I’d rather be in the Premier League again next season if it means we are going to lose more games than we win. The problem here is that I’m at a point where most would walk away, and yet I’m continuing to keep going – I’ve paid for next season already, and I’ll be there, wherever we are.
After weeks of losing games, of simplistic mistakes, hapless defending, fear and disappointment, it is hard to keep going. When I’m coaching, I at least have the option to motivate the team with a speech, or with changed tactics, or some other method. As a fan, I’m nothing but a spectator.
And it is exactly that role that makes it all the more frustrating. Being a pure spectator means there’s nothing we can do. For me, it feels like having a loved one in pain and being able to do nothing at all to make it get better. Perhaps, given that part of that reflects how my own personal circumstances are going with my partner, that’s why I refuse to let Villa get to me. Why? The truth is there’s far more important things than how a group of people I can’t affect perform.
That might sound crazy considering I spend a lot of my time writing for this site and the regional papers, but it is true. Like in Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’s guide to dealing with grief, I’m past all the emotion regarding Villa,. What I want now is for the season to be over, for us to be one side of the fence or the other, and for the club to be able to show me there’s a future we can look towards.
If not, I can’t see much changing. I don’t have hatred for those involved at the club, whether board manager, manager or player, I just have a lasting feeling that at least some of the above are out of the depth. This isn’t a case of malfeasance, it is just a fact that too many changes have been made, that too many parts have been replaced with cheap options, and we’re left with a shell of a club.
So, if Randy Lerner comes out at the end of the season with a statement that aligns the club with a valuation of anywhere near the recently stated £250m, I’ll laugh. I’ll laugh because a) I’ve cried enough tears for the club to have any more left, and b) I’ll laugh because Villa is not worth anything like that amount.
When Lerner took over and paid just over £62m for the club, there was a platform that could have been built on and, to an extent, was. There was space to grow without ripping the whole place apart and replacing it wholesale.
Nowadays, ask yourself how much this club is worth. In the not-too-distant past, we had the likes of Stewart Downing, Ashley Young and James Milner in the team. The chairman, for his reasons, cashed those assets in but, as we’ve seen, the money hasn’t been wisely invested.
What we’ve seen is cheap options, cheap wages and short term planning. We’ve seen the biggest spend of the club turned from £24m player to free transfer. We’ve seen wages slashed in half and more. We’ve seen managers picked not on the basis of doing the best for Villa, but for doing the best to fit to a board strategy that says “finances are out priority, not football”.
It is that final statement that probably makes me feel what I do now. Where’s the Villa that I felt proud of? Where’s the spirit that I felt when I grew up in the shadows of the ground? Or, to steal a phrase from Football Manager team talks “Where’s the passion, lads?”.
If Villa do succumb to relegation, rest assured that few outside of our fan base will shed a tear. Not only are Villa a cheap reflection, little but a faded photocopy of the memories I have, but they are a football team that have played badly, bought badly, and done little to nothing to inspire memories this season.
So, with that in mind, I face down another week of the season with the hope that we stay in the top flight, but feeling that – with the strategies we’ve taken – that we very much do not deserve to be here anymore.
The Inspiration For The Above Headline
In my life,
Why do I give valuable time,
To people who don’t care if I,
Live or die
The Author
Matt Turvey
Matt is the owner of, and chief writer for, Aston Villa Life. He is also a columnist for the Wolverhampton Express & Star, appearing in the Kick Off pullout on Saturdays and the Final Whistle pullout the Monday after Aston Villa play, as well as every Thursday as a blogger on their website. He has previously been featured as a writer on Football365 and Life's A Pitch, and was a regular pundit for Sports Tonight TV on Sky.Comments 50
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Does it work?
No
matt
all comments have disappeared but you probably know that
Indeed I do Mark, raising the issue with a support team as it is late here and am coping on little sleep as is.
Hopefully it will be sorted by the morning – fingers crossed.
I was not sure, but I think much of Saturday also disappeared when i checked last night
testing 😉
sucess 🙂
nope 🙁
I leave you lot for five minutes and you manage to break the site unbelievable Jeff, never mind not much to talk about barring a trip to Watford, we”re shit and we know we are as the song goes congratulations to Lerner Faulkner and Lambert for turning a once great club into dogshite in record time.
UTV
Looks like evryone will be off if we do not stay up, as Gabby, Delph and Benteke face massive paycuts if we are relegated, and Vlaar is off to United.
Should get several cheap trips in some local places as we hit free fall . Have to decide in the next 24hours about renewing season ticket.
looks like we are working again, but still have to go back in after making comment.
still have not sorted avatar……
discussion on everyone giving £3 per month to help Matt have disappeared, but we should get it up and running . most of our commentators were agreeing that it is very reasonable.
Looks like normal service on the site ; let’s hope it’s not normal service on the pitch. Like you I’m numb and resolved to whatever fate we receive; I’ve seen relegation and promotion before and I’m , like you, still a Villa fan.
My forecast
Villa Hull draw Man City lose Spurs lose 36 pts
S’land M Utd lose WBA win Swansea win 38 pts
Norwich Chelsea lose Arsenal lose 32 pts
Fulham Stoke draw Palace lose 32 pts
Cardiff Newcastle lose Chelsea lose 30 pts
West Brom Arsenal lose S’land lose Stoke draw 37 pts
The only fear is if Fulham win both their games and Bent scores the goal that sends us down!!
Paul – not everyone would want to pay £3 a month – I would be fine with it but it should be voluntary as I’m sure Matt wouldn’t want to drive some people away. Look at the fuss about the £2 that has been ongoing for months!!
Lambert sacked yet?
Vlaar ain’t going to United
Fulham are the team that i fear.
If they beat stoke and we fail to win we are dooooomed
That article is rubbish.. sure the new players might have it in there contracts.. but there is NO WAY Gabby and Delph who had contracts way back would have clauses..
IF they did.. Given Hutton and co would too..
Just rubbish journalism as per usual..
Andrew- It certainly is worrying. If we lose or draw, and any of the bottom 4 win it will a nerve racking time
I personally think we will lose all 3, If we get lucky maybe at most a point. Thankfully that might be enough
Ian Taylor says Villa should forget about the lap of honour. Rightly so. He also says we won’t survive on our own right, and have to hope other teams are worse
Frem point isn’t enuf.. if Fulham win both we need to beat Hull or we are down..
0 points or 1 wont matter at all..
Looking at the table logically this morning , even allowing for villa getting no more points this season, it is stretching probability that Cardiff ,Norwich , or Fulham will the get wins they need to get out of jail . The most likely scenario is that , Norwich will lose to Chelsea , Stoke will draw with or beat fulham , and Cardiff will draw with the toon . My prediction is that win , lose or draw , villa will be mathematically safe after this weekend, not that they deserve it mind.
Prox..
It all comes down to Fulham.. IFFFFF they beat stoke away then everything goes out the window and we would be favourites to go down IMO..
I doubt it will happen too but it is a distinct possibility non the less..
Lionheart ,
It IS a possibility , but if you were’nt a villan and you were forced to bet your house today on the the relegation ‘winners’ , I doubt that you’d have villa in that list. If we have something to worry about next week then so be it , I’d say every team below us with the exception of maybe Sunderland would gladly swap places right now even with the form trend at the minute.
FREM
You`ve got to love Stoke,just for a couple of hours on Saturday
I don’t think I can Brasil 🙂 If Fulham beat them, my mate won’t stop going on that Stoke sent us down because of it. Fulham are fighting for there life, Stoke are on holiday. There’s only one team who will win the 50 50s etc. I can only see a Fulham win. Haven’t Newcastle got someone fighting to stay up? They’ve been on holiday since Cabaye left
We on the other hand were supposedly fighting to stay up against Swansea. A team that was already safe, and we still got slaughtered
Its worrying. As Taylor said, we won’t rely on our selfs, we have to hope other teams lose
Arsenal will have nothing to play for by the time they play Norwich, so that isn’t the foregone conclusion it could be, but realistically even if they win that they’d need a point at Chelsea.
Fulham could conceivably win their last two games. Cardiff is less likely.
A point should probably do on Saturday, but I find it hard to argue the club deserve to.
Looking at the points we’ve gathered in the last 3 years compared to other relegation rivals:
WBA 47+49+36 = 132
Fulham 52+43+31 = 126
Norwich 47+44+32 = 123
Sunderland 45+39+32 = 116
Villa 38+41+35 = 114
Adding the points of teams who’ve been in this league during the past 3 years we’ve been THE WORST team in the league. Incredibly lucky to get away with it – if we do get away with it. Anyone still supporting Randy Lerner should join him in hanging his/her head in shame.
Thing going round on Twitter about getting the Holte back. Take scarf or what ever if your going. I’ll be taking mine.
Fulham to beat Stork and Fulham and Slumberland to get four points at least while we lose all three and in double figures versus Citeh therefore losing Lerner his £200m and putting AVFC nearer liquidation than we’ve ever been, happy days.
Don’t hang yourself with it.
lionheart
You are right in that all contracts carry relegation clauses at Villa, which does include Hutton, Given, Nzogbia and Bent.
The pull of Utd for Vlaar will be too great to resist, when his national team coach takes over there.
Villa wil be a Championship side, as that is the level they have planned for under Lambert, where he can be a big fish again….
The only alternative is that he resigns this weekend…
The Vlaar to Man Utd story is 28 days late. But if Van Gaal really wants to rebuild Man Utd’s defence with Ron Vlaar at the heart of it then Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City and Arsenal must be begging for him to get the job.
PP.. lets hope the Vlaar story is just lazy journalism..
Having said that.. a good world cup and VGL might think he is worth getting along with another top CB for Man U..
Clive
Have signed up for a donation of £3 per month for Matt. Hope a few others will follow suit.
I really cannot see Vlaar staying long term with Villa if things do not change soon.
PP,
I think Lamberts ego is so big that he’s convinced himself that everyone is at fault but him, no chance of resigning at present. Some folk on the Naaarwich Pink ‘un think he’s off to Celtic for some reason.
John,
The statement says it all, Lerner doesn’t seem the type to listen to advice though, hence a unified assault may make him realise that he’s got himself in a hole and its going to cost him to get out.
It’s a depressing thought for sure Steamer.
Would be just our luck as a take over is finally close, we fuck it up because we can’t muster up 3 points
I think it will end up 8 defeats in 9 games. 1 point from a possible 27
Sadly you could be right Frem…..
Will make the most of sharing a few beers with Brian Little in the Lions Club on Saturday..
Indeed Paul. Enjoy
Can you imagine if Bent scores the winner for Fulham? 24 millions pound on a player bought to save us, but eventually is the one who sends us down. Jesus. Thats depressing as well
JUST BLOODY WIN VILLA!!!
Last call for anyone who wants to countersign the letter to RL!
e-mail john.lerwill@btinternet.com
Steamer,
As far as I am concerned, I think it’s good for RL to know that we can see through the mindless cavortings that go on down at VP. … And that we don’t accept it.
I certainly think that the clubs future could be in doubt under Lerner and would urge every Villa to sign up to Johns excellent letter.
Evening chaps,
Long day at work and then Mom’s birthday so been out for a meal. Had a few issues with the site and lost comments but will hopefully be able to put the old ones back up again at the weekend if everything else is working.
Fingers crossed it is as we have another new article from Mr Lerwill tomorrow.
By the way John, put me down with your letter if you would like 🙂
Paul,
Thanks for the kind donation on the site – if people want to donate, that’s great, but please don’t feel any pressure to do so 🙂
In the meantime, I’m going to start working on fixing some of the issues before I get an early night (and schedule John’s piece for the morning).
At last Gabby and the team realise how important saturday’s game against hull is, but do they realise how important the game is to Steve Bruce….
He will not jave forgotten Kevin phillips scoring the winner to send the Bluenoses down when he was manager…..He owes….and he would be jubilant to return the favour.
Send the email now John 🙂
has the site changed colour to everyone else?
Frem – I’m just working on a new theme as the last one had got corrupted so apologies if it keeps changing look 🙂
Comments should be fixed though!
Testing…
It looks good
Thanks Frem – hopefully I can have it fully operational so tomorrow’s piece goes well.
I’ll restore the historic comments at the weekend given there’s no major rush…
Hope everyone is well, and apologies for the recent issues…