One particular subject that has both troubled and intrigued me for some time has been the sense of longevity and loyalty in football, or lack thereof. Not so long ago, in spite of the fact that I actively discourage the encouragement of other Premier League teams, I was unreservedly outraged by Chelsea’s sacking of Carlo Ancelotti following one superb season and one disappointing one. During the former, the Blues played some of the finest football the Premier League era has witnessed. Twelve months after picking up the double, the Italian was sent packing with a substantial unemployment package.
There is method to this rambling about another team, another manager, and a previous season. To me, Ancelotti’s demise highlighted the concerning nature of a sport that is confused, flippant and cutthroat. There have been many examples of this sort of rupture between club and an individual, and this season will undoubtedly provide its fair share as well.
After just seven Premier League games at the helm, there is a sense, a belief, even, that Paul Lambert is the right man for the job at Aston Villa. This is significant given just how easy it is to alter the standpoint on a new manager from game to game. He was warmly welcomed when he arrived and has continued to improve his rapport with the fans and players ever since.
The most important thing is for the head coach to be given time and to be able to adapt the team, the style and the attitude to his way of operating. So far, so good. Despite a couple of hiccups, Lambert and his side are on the right side of a learning curve and look set to carry on improving throughout the campaign.
Even so, is it not normal today for the future of a manager to be scrutinised, despite how new they are to the job? This is a culture that needs to be modified, because not only does it lead to a fluctuant form table, but it also causes issues for the identity of the club. A manager cannot have the desired effect in such a turbulent atmosphere as the modern game provides, and Villa must lead the way in changing this disposable outlook that many top clubs have.
Being straight with Bent
By the same token, the question arises about the playing staff as well. A scan of the squad list and it is difficult to identify which players have a long-term future at the club, if any at all.
In five years time, will Matthew Lowton, Brett Holman, and Christian Benteke still be at Villa Park or are they simply cogs in the temporary wheel? I mention those players because they have arrived recently, and while the nature of the sport dictates that players come and go, and indeed that change is exciting, there is a sense that Villa have struggled to hold down a footballing identity for more than three consecutive years over the last 15.
Darren Bent was dropped from the starting lineup against West Brom last weekend due to poor form but came on to score a vital equaliser, provoking some to question whether Lambert is really on top of his selection policy. Nevertheless, there are also those who see the goal as a result of shrewd management from the Scot. The positivity that will come from the England forward being forced to prove his worth could be immeasurable if the act of putting him on the substitute’s bench was ultimately the kick that Bent needed to find his form.
At the start of the season, Bent was probably considered one of the most senior players in the squad, and evidently the most formidable striker on our books. There were periods during last season where the consensus suggested that Bent would probably leave in the summer, because he was too good for the misery that swamped Villa Park.
Even and especially when you spend £18 million on a player, there is an overriding concern that money will coax them away all too easily. Loyalty is on its last legs in football, but happily our number 9 seems to be keen to play for us, which is credit to both him and Lambert. However, with a system that seems to lack service to a predatory goalscorer like Bent, there could yet be many twists and turns in his relationship with Lambert.
Most significantly, though, is that while Lambert’s willingness to challenge such a player could be considered a risk, and a sure-fire way to upset a key player, it is testament to his courageous leadership style, asserting not only his authority, but inviting Bent to do the same. Bent deserves respect for responding in such a professional manner, and it appears he is determined to fight, and score, persistently.
Ultimately, if a player is not performing, questions must be asked of him. Sir Alex Ferguson has always done it, and he’s done just fine. This is the sort of decisive action that makes Paul Lambert the manager that Aston Villa would do well to accommodate for years to come. Whether we will or not is another question.
Mitigation for McLeish
Having made this argument, it would only be right to deal with the Alex McLeish muddle. Of course, there has to be some ruthlessness in football and ridding of useless components, chopping and changing over time, and seeking long-term success is the aim and indeed fundamental necessity of every top club. McLeish was a useless component who should never have been employed in the first place, actually proving detrimental to Villa.
That said, perhaps it took someone like Big Eck to instill some urgency and direction back into the club in the sense that whichever way we were going under him was the wrong way. With the appointment of Lambert, we have a manager who can take us forward, and ideally, on a long-term basis. My point remains. Fortunately, McLeish does not.
Houllier: The Ultimate Fall Guy
Gerard Houllier was the fall guy in the transition between Martin O’Neill’s three years of continuity and progression. It seemed that the club, the fans, the players, and indeed the new, out-of-practice manager, had few clues regarding the new direction the club was headed.
In the end, after a disastrous season not necessarily in terms of where we finished, but more in the state in which the team was left, it was all too easy to cite illness as the reason to boot out a manager who never stood any chance of matching up to the success that his Northern Irish precedent had achieved.
MON Legacy
Last week, there was a lot of discussion about the condition in which Martin O’Neill left the club, the point having become clear to us all years ago that he had spent a lot of money and bought unwisely for the long term.
There is little doubt that the club is still reeling from that, and indeed the last two seasons have together formed the transition period in mentality and personnel that was needed to sew the seeds for new growth and a change of direction.
Unfortunately, there is still a frosty wind that blows from the MON legacy; such was the benchmark that his reign set.
Vehement Villans
There is the rather valid point of view that football’s ever-changing disposition is precisely what makes it such an attractive entity. For me, there is too much up in the air.
Of course, there is no suggestion whatsoever that Villa are at all even considering Lambert’s position in any light other than one of positivity. The crux of the argument is that it would appear that the Lions are led by a man who knows what he’s doing, who is passionate about the project at the club, motivated by success and brave in his approach.
The core question that remains, though, is just how realistic it is that this viewpoint will be held in a year to come, when the novelty has disintegrated and the squad changes again? Loyalty might well be dying in football, but only in showing it to our current manager, players and chairman can we hope to develop as a whole.
By and large, I suppose I am concerned that football has become such that the people involved in the game are no longer valued. Perhaps never again will we see another Ferguson- or Wenger-style reign whereby a manager is in charge over a number of decades. It troubles me most that Villa will continue to portray this manner of in and out, and that the club’s direction will remain unclear.
Though alterations are inherent in football, so must unity be.
It is time for us to give someone the reigns for a considerable period of time, and Paul Lambert seems to be the man who can steady and re-build the prestige of this particular ship.
Last week I wrote about unpredictability being perhaps our biggest threat this season. Ron Vlaar yesterday called for some consistency. I’d quite happily settle for some unpredictable consistency with this current crop of Villa players. If anybody is going to be able to instill such a quaint combination, the Lambert is the one to do it.
More than anything, though, we need passionate, hard-working, committed people working for the club alongside him, and he will only be able to achieve that situation with time and confidence. We need vehement Villans. Lambert is the focal starting point.
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