Things I Don’t Understand

As an American and a relatively new Aston Villa supporter there are some things that I just don’t understand. I can understand fans not being happy with the club appointing Alex McLeish. I was one of the initial 15,000 fans who joined the anti-McLeish Facebook group. But then again I also “liked” the following pages:

• I Wish Music Played During Epic Moments of My Life and Not Just in Movies.
• I HATE DOUCHEBAGS
• Dear liver: Thanks, you’re a champ.
• I‘m not rude, I’m just from Massachusetts
• I Only Check My Voicemail To Get Rid Of The Little Icon On The Screen
• Going to McDonald’s for a salad is like going to a whore for a hug

If you were to say I was not as emotionally attached to the situation as some that would be a fair point, but I can still understand the mindset of the disaffected. While I have generally liked most of what I have seen so far, I agree with most of Aaron Campeau’s analysis on 7500 to Holte. I think the haste in which the club has dispatched Jean II Makoun was also a mistake. Between injury, suspension, and an unfortunate accident involving members of his immediate family in Cameroon he missed quite a few games last year which opened the door for Stiliyan Petrov to reclaim his spot on the team. This year he only played in one competitive game in the League Cup and has been sent off.

Just like any fans there are things going on which I am not in favor of. This is what makes football fun to follow and write about. If we all agreed on everything and there was no debate sites like this certainly would not exist. Elements of the fan base that choose not to go to the park or who are hoping that the club falters on and off the pitch bewilder me to no end.

A football match is not school, attendance is not and should not be required. Living in a western democracy, a person doesn’t spend their money on anything that he/she doesn’t want to with the exception of taxes. I don’t doubt the fact that many of these people care about the club deeply. Where I am lost is when people would rather be proven right and see the club they claim to love fail than have the club and the people who run the club be right. After the international break, I really hope Emile Heskey is on the bench, but if he starts and miraculously nets a hat trick I’ll be over the moon.

One thing I do understand is that fans want to know everything that is going on at their club. I do agree with Matt that the club could do a better job in its public relations. Given the level of discontent it is clear that what the club is doing now to communicate with its fans isn’t working as well as it could be. The club could use a public face. While the manager is undoubtedly the face of the product on the pitch, the club could use somebody on the business side of things to be the mouthpiece of the board who can articulate their vision. Randy Lerner is unwilling to assume that role, while Faulkner and Krulak are unable to. Giving Ian Taylor responsibilities beyond shaking hands and making appearances might be a good idea.

When Matt describes the club as a “faceless corporation” there is a good reason, that’s what the club is! I’d contend that most of the big clubs in England are run in much the same way. The Glaziers are so invisible that they will not talk to the media in England or the NFL media in America. Chelsea fans still don’t know why Ray Wilkinson was fired under the nose of the manager. Stan Kroenke is more reclusive than the Glaziers. The Boston Red Sox have the second-highest payroll in Major League Baseball, but after a disappointing 2010 season sentiments very similar to Matt’s were levied at John W. Henry and Fenway Sports Group. Tottenham are owned by a guy who lives in the Bahamas because it’s a tax haven and is rarely seen at White Hart Lane. Bill Kenwright is unquestionably an Evertonian, but Everton supporters also feel in the dark regarding the Toffees’ dealings.

While the club can communicate more effectively, I am not sure that fans will ever be satisfied by the information that the club chooses to disclose. Randy Lerner is American and an NFL owner. One of the major sticking points in the recent NFL lockout was that the owners were seeking concessions from the players citing “decreased profitability” but refused to open their books to the players. When the financials of a couple MLB clubs were leaked it was a huge scandal in the industry. 

As fans we all want to know as much as we can about what’s happening behind the curtain, I am just not sure how much disclosure we can expect.