You know how cars can be. Non stop costs, and just so we can get about. Love them or hate them, anyone who has driven will tell you the importance of having a car and, if they have had one of any quality, making sure you keep a car of a similar ilk. Cars, managers – it’s the same idea.
The comparisons may be tenuous, but any opportunity to work the term “Aston Martin” back into a headline is a no-brainer for me. Our own Aston Martin cost a fair amount in upkeep, what with the constant parts changing, and invariably high bills that went with them. Lovely one when it was running, but when it broke down moment before the next long drive, it was always going to end up in tears.
After spending so much money, what else can a sensible person do besides cut back. Yes, that Aston Martin gave us a great feeling, but at what cost? It’s one thing affording that when you’re flush, but when you find you were effectively mortgaging your house to keep it going, it didn’t feel as good a deal.
So, after much thinking, the Aston Martin was replaced with an older, more continental model. Quite what marque one could term it – perhaps an old Renault Gordini – was anyone’s guess, but the change from the earlier model was fairly significant.
Despite the good looks of the Gordini (or should that say Gerard-ini), the fact remains that the bodywork on the car was a bit of a mess, and thus the longevity of said item was a tad uncertain, especially when one of the fuel lines went boom. General opinion – don’t try to replace a great car with one that looks great but has glaring errors under the bonnet.
After such an error, one would think that the dear owner of said project might consider the need for another solid marque to move things forwards, especially considering the lessons learned about having older models that may not last.
So, much to many people’s dismay, the last thing anyone would expect after such a calamity was an even more dangerous prospect – the Alex Mc-MG Rover.
As if trying to find parts for an old Gordini wasn’t bad enough, trying to find bits that suit a clapped out setup that has to rely on parts that don’t always work is even worse. The McRover didn’t have a huge success rate, especially when the esteemed owner tried to run said item without most of the essentials. Take the oil out of the car that keeps it running and, sooner or later, you’re heading for disaster. All you have left is to hope the owner realises it before the engine blows.
And so, after all of the examination, we are at the present day. The McRover plan has all but failed and, as anyone with a modicum of sense will know, the future needs to be planned for.
In Paul Lambert, the club has much of what is needed. He is young, has overachieved with teams, plays good football, operates on a fairly reasonable level of money, and cultivates a good team spirit – all of what a long term plan at Villa needs.
The only concern in getting Lambert is survival. With Lambert’s level of ambition, few could suggest that he would want to move from Norwich to Aston Villa if the latter were languishing in the Championship next season, despite the argument that Villa are a bigger club.
What Lambert may be thinking, however, is that a second season in the Premier League at Norwich will be much harder than his first one. Once you arrive at the big time and, as in the cases of Swansea and Norwich, do well, then you’ll be scrutinised.
Teams won’t be surprised when they see you play, players who have performed well will either be marked heavily or bought by bigger teams. The attacking gung-ho attitude of going forwards without fear becomes a problem when a club depends on the £50m that they have got from coming up, much the same as the clubs who invest the majority of said money in the name of improvements.
So, if Paul Lambert does leave Norwich for the Villa job, he may have some of those thoughts in his head at the present, careful to dodge the bullet of a second season trying to get the team from the east of England to overachieve yet again.
In doing so, he may do what is best for his reputation whilst taking on a job that, if well funded, has a large chance of being one where the only way is up.
Will Lambert take the job? Will he be approached? Whether he does get it or not, count me as one Villan who will be desperately hoping that the future of our club is in the hands of a youthful Lambo rather than a failed second-hand “bargain” that blew up in our faces.
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