This season took us through the full gamut of emotions. Early performances against Arsenal and Chelsea made us hope that the momentum of last season would carry over into progress this season. The ensuing mid-season malaise made us all question whether progress was being made. Two embarrassing cup exits made us long for the days when Villa were a threat to win trophies. The late season collapse brought in a sense of panic. Victory over Hull and other results going our way brought on a temporary sense of relief.
Looking at the season as a whole there are a few lessons I gleaned.
“You’ll win nothing with kids”
As Matt has pointed out repeatedly, Fergie’s Fledgelings had a blend of youth and experience. A club of our current means can’t buy a new team of established and experienced players, but we do need more of them.
In the past I know I questioned the need to bring in experienced players who would be blocking younger players. Why, for example would the club play Jolean Lescott if it meant our young defenders don’t get the time they need on the pitch to develop? Surely he is better than the club’s current options at the position, but would he be around long enough to help what was supposed to be a developing team 3-4 years from now?
The problem occurs when the kids struggle and keep getting sent out there due to a lack of options. Getting battered week after week hasn’t made Clark or Baker better at all. When Marc Albrighton emerged under Gerard Houllier, Houllier was quick to drop the young winger when his form dropped. This served as a way to ease in the player and maintain his confidence.
That several of the young players have regressed has lead to rumors about some of them doing the wrong things off the pitch. Perhaps more experienced leaders would be able to steer the kids in the right direction.
Developing the kids is a must
Whoever the manager is, whether it’s a more hands-on Lambert or a new manager needs to do a better job making the young players better on the training ground. A “young and hungry” strategy will never work without coaches who can develop and improve the players. Several players have gotten worse over the past year and that can’t happen.
When you buy players from abroad who need to adjust to the English game. Both Tonev & Helenius have natural gifts that can’t be taught. Tonev’s failures in particular should be fixable. In Poland maybe he got away with shooting whenever he wanted. With proper coaching he should be able to adapt and learn better decision-making on the pitch.
Villa need to be a selling club again
Two clubs of similar size, Everton and Newcastle have over the past three years gotten into Europe and made credible runs at Champions League qualification. Newcastle banked £35m from selling Andy Carroll, while Everton have sold Fellani and Jack Rodwell for eight figure sums.
Villa haven’t paid over £8m for a player in three years. That coincides with the last time Villa sold a player for a profit of any significance. Not only did Villa ruin their balance sheet by paying too much in wages to average players, other than a few notable exceptions the return on investment for the players they have bought has been horrible. That doesn’t look to be getting better any time soon. The bomb squad players still left represent about £40m paid out in transfer fees that will probably return zero.
Baring a new benefactor that is going to spend vast sums of money, these losses in the transfer market have crippled the club. I don’t want to sell any of our best players, but doing so is a fact of life. Having the proceeds to reinvest doesn’t spell doom. Trading as poorly as Villa has does.
A fish rots from the head down
When speaking with everyone at the club in the summer of 2012, to a man they went out of their way to say that the proceeding season wasn’t all the fault of Alex McLeish. Two years later that has been proven correct beyond any doubt.
We have an absentee owner who has failed in multiple sports, and achairman who has done a good job on the commercial side, but isn’t a “football man.” We all know they let Martin O’Neil run wild. Now they have overreacted by hamstringing Paul Lambert. Whether it’s a new owner, new chairman, transfer committee, director of football, general manager, or some new voices on the board who are involved in the club’s decision-making something has to change at the top.
Changes are afoot at the club for sure. The only drastic change that would help us is a massive influx of money. Failing that, the spine of a good team is there. Fortified with a couple of shrewd signings I don’t think this team is miles away from respectability.
Things better change soon
If we keep flirting with the drop we will go down one of these years. We are the new Wigan (aside from the fact Dave Whelan is the opposite of Randy Lerner in every discernible way). Waiting for Randy’s statement about the future of the club leaves all of us like the Israelites waiting for Moses to descend from Mt. Sinai. At this point lets hope it’s “the new owner of Aston Villa is….”
The Author
Jason Chalifour
I am a regular columnist for Aston Villa Life with my column running every Friday and have been writing at least semi-regularly about Aston Villa since 2010. I also run my own General Sports Website www.98ontheblack.comComments 31
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Despite your acknowledgement of many things that are wrong, Jay, I discern a sense of optimism in your well-written piece.
Particularly you suggest that the spine of the team is fine and that you suggest we need just need a couple of shrewd signings.
Now if you mean that Guzan. Vlaar (plus Okore?) and Benteke is the spine you’re thinking of I would not argue that they’re not bad players but there’s (a) a huge gap in midfield and the wings and (b) a lack of quality in the full-backs (which maybe has become highlighted because of the lack of midfield quality).
The further point is that when any of the better players are out of the team, poor results are returned. In other words, lack of quality in the cover available.
I’d also suggest that from the off this season, Villa’s home performances were just not good enough – it was essentially the away form that started well.
Perhaps the big problem has been to do with the kind of coaching that the players received. The Culvergate affair seems to have exposed something about that.
What we learnt ? I think everyone knows that. Lambert is bloody useless and needs the sack. Randy doesn’t give a hoot and needs to sell up.
Just listened to a West Ham fan on the radio saying how much he hates Big sam. he was saying should be entertaining but it’s tortures watch WH. he said even when they win he goes home in a bad mood because of how they played. Its the same at Villa mate. He wants Laundrap as manager, same here.
I hope Sunday we go out and express our self’s for once. Go and play football. If we set up with 11 at the back and no width, I hope Spurs destroy 8-0.
Philip Frederick Anschutz will become Aston Villa FC new owner in summer with a big story apparently hitting the american sports world tommrow. Anschutz is thought to have lined up Jurgen Klinsmann and Gianfranco Zola as part of a managment team for the lions.
Hope so.
hi jason
what have we learned? don’t employ Scottish managers and ginger people, the vast majority of Birmingham are depressed, frem needs to take up gardening for his anger issues, dont mess with jenny, all students are cross dressers, runtingz is Lenny kravitz, I’m Lenny Henry, John Lerwell secretly wrote fly fishing by J.R.Hartley, steamer likes Cafe’s, ST75 still owes me £20, Matts fallen down a hole, Ian wasn’t eaten yet, trinity?theres only one of him, Paul Pears changes his mind with his undies, Robbo is the happiest of clappers, Lionheart has been captured by German knights who have made him turn on Lambert, Prox mental, Liam bossy bugger, SWV tight, clive has now turned to lady boys to numb the pain, andrew and bibulus hold hands and chant, otherwise its been a pretty soul destroying season. 😉
if I missed anyone my apologies. please let next season involve some football and a big dose of happiness. the next manager needs to be a genius
Thanks Jason.
If by “selling club” you mean Villa should sell most of the current players, I agree. I hope, though, that Villa can develop into a club that doesn’t need to sell off its best players year after year, which is what it is. At the moment Villa probably only have 2-3 players that other clubs would normally pay good money for. Those players being Benteke and Vlaar. They’re usually injured, so there’ll be no takers for them either.
Mark
AVL’s own Sigmund F:)
So, what has become of Churchy? I fear he’s doing porridge.
trinity
more clement freud night mate 🙂
Mark – who told you about the lady boys?
You Gotta Laugh!
Reading Mark’s rendition on what we’ve learnt of course made me chuckle.
But the revelation that I (apparently) am J.R. Hartley in disguise is not far off the truth in the sense that what’s been going on at Villa Park these last 12 to 14 years (not just the last four) is enough to drive you to some secluded pool to either drown yourself or to drown your sorrows in … fly fishing.
It is incredulous to me that the football club that led the way in pretty well everything apart from actually inventing the game has been treated with almost criminal irresponsibility. An edifice of which Brum has been so proud.
All I can say is that it’s just as well that Small Heath are chugging along in a lower division (and have had other chairman problems) otherwise we’d never have heard the last of it from them.
Good Morning Jason,
Promoted to the Saturday slot mate.
One thing for sure, as you suggested, the whole balance of the club has to change, we’re absolutely going backwards in every area.
I know its all speculation but from what i can gather AVFC will be a part of a Worldwide group of clubs including teams in Svedeen, Beljum, Jeermany and others, possibly including Japan & China, apparently we’ll find out Monday or Tuesday.
Mark,
Bang on mate.
Jenny,
Amazing night at the Rep, you’d have loved it, standing ovation at the end and it wasn’t out of politeness it was totally deserved, brilliant. Young Jess, apart from being a delightful young lady, certainly has a charisma, must have come from the Mother.
Thank you steamer for your kind words about my girl , err she gets her looks from me and charisma !!whatever that is , was the chilli sauce hot ,
Runtins
my niece and her son went to the new west indian restuarant in john bright street before the show and said it was delicious , and she had a menu , lm going to drop in today to pick one up and possibly going next week , l will pig out on rice n peas , cant wait ,
just a thought , shall we all make an assessment of Mark , l was going to say use one word but that would just be impossible and if l put mine l think Matt will kick me off the site ,
back to the question, what have l learnt ,
well whatever pub l drink the cider in . in all the towns , (as l tend to forget the game and stay in the pub this season) l get arseholed and l think the reason is the blackcurrent that is added , it would seem l cant handle the blackcurrent and possibly 10-30am till 3/4 am doesnt help , but lstill sayit was this team that turned me to drink ,
jenny xxx
have a good weekend ,
Trinity
l was thinking about churchy the other day and l had this horrible feeling , last year l told Dirty Mary to drop in on him at his club and l realised l have’nt seen her in the social since then and l know steamer has been a off as he had a close bond with her , (well l think thats what he said ) and do wonder if those 2 things are connected . ………….bloody hell
ST75- Did you get my email mate ?
Steamer- You still convinced the take over is going to happen ? People on other blogs claiming to be ITK saying it will happen, others saying it won’t. How can I settle down for the summer transfer window if I don’t know what Owner we are going to have
Mark- I only get angry watching Villa playing with no width ( WINGERS), 11 men behind the ball, not stringing a pass together, 5 at the back or 3 in midfield, KEA being used to create things in the final 3rd ( WORLDS SLOEST PLAYER) watching a team who can’t defend although the manager has been here 2 years, watching Lambert clap everything on the touch line. EVERYTHING !!!!!!!! he’s the biggest happy clapper of them all. watching players out of position. STRIKERS playing on the wing. A winger sitting on the bench. Giving jack Grelaish 2 mins of football. Lambert’s lies in post match Interviews. ” We were Excellent” ” We didn’t deserve that ” We go again “. No we weren’t, yes we did and we never do
MAKES BY BLOOD BOIL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh and saying minus 14 is a decent goal difference and that keeping Villa up was his biggest achievement, and that expectation at Villa is HUGE !! We just want to Win a a few games, pass a ball and finish 10th. Not to much to ask is it ?
That gets me going as well
frem
will check it later if tha ok mate , l got the daughter all day and got to go to town , whens it need sorting
What I learned was that building a team of cheap young players is a fine and noble idea in theory, but in practice it’s like trying to build an F1 car from parts you’ve found at your local scrap yard and then expecting to challenge Williams. Why did I ever think that was a good idea?
I also learned that ‘arctic’ is spelt with 2 ‘c’ s. 48 years old and I never knew that.
Good piece Jay, what have I learnt this season? I wasted £400 on a season ticket, apart from the odd game I have never ever been so bored at VP in all my life! I have never left so many games early, first time in my life i have dreaded going to watch villa play, sorry wrong choice of words not play turn up? Is that right?
The away games I have attended apart from Arsenal I have watched say 30mins of the game Norwich,Swansea,Everton, we never went back for the second half just got a stack of ale and stayed down stairs. Going to spuds tomorrow only because there’s 20 odd middle aged men going on the lash again !
So what I’ve learnt is that the club I have followed and supported all my life and spent a fortune on by the way, tomorrow will be my swan song if the current regime stays in charge.
I learnt that enough is enough no more season tickets no more away days/wkds till we get rid of these clowns, not one penny more shall i spend after Sunday.
ST75
It sounds like Dirty Mary and Churchy got together. With names like Churchy and Mary, they would.
3-0 at WHL.
Astonrat,
I learned that i’m not so stupid as i look, for the first time since about 1960 i haven’t spent a single penny on AVFC, my livers taken a belting though, have a good day tomorrow but i can’t see other than a dismal, boring 1-0.
Frem,
Calm down, calm down, it will happen, its got to or Lerners investment will decrease by about 40% if it doesn’t he won’t be able to buy so many M & M’s. This time in 2020 we’ll have a couple of pots in the trophy room and you’ll look back at this time and laugh about it.
ST75
ah-ha! so you admit you owe me £20 😉
steamer
not mad? couple of trophies? dodgy ground mate 🙂
would welcome your assessments as I’ve known myself all my life and still don’t understand me, would save on a psychiatrist.
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.
So we are officially the worst team to watch. We have played more long balls than any other side, and also committed more fouls than any other sides. Hoof. foul. Hoof. Foul. Hoof. Foul
Its an absolute pleasure to watch Lambert’s side
Trinity and 75, thank you for remembering me. I’m not eating Quaker Oats for breakfast, merely doing unnatural things to sheep on Dartmoor. It takes my mind off things.
I would have posted earlier but there’s this new Sheila (Jennifer Broadchest? Or something), a Sports Psychologist no less, dropping in regularly and some of you will be nervous I’m going to say something inappropriate. As if I would.
Living off wild berries and sheep dung and waiting for rainwater to clean the shit off you makes for a grotesque appearance and asking passing ramblers if I can borrow their i-phones to check on Aston Villa Life quite unnerves them. Anyway, they’re generally obliging.
I’ve been tickled by the current project being undertaken by the blog: getting Frem laid. How noble you lads are. I note that you are being advised by experts, Frem, but our reporter at the scene sends this homily:
Frem, I know it’s the cucumber sandwiches that do it, but you hold some very disturbing and naive notions about the fairer sex. You think it’s about romance. Please trust me on this; it’s total war.
Men regard sex as something that the footballing gods sent them so they could have a little fun in life when their team kept on losing (familiar?). If only it were so for women. But it’s not. For them it’s conflict and bloodshed. The politics is all.
Don’t get me wrong, women will submit to your dick when it suits them – they will concede to you “a little fun in life” as long as it fits with their agenda. The abiding problem is that women are aware of the physiological imperative that attends the act. An erection is a challenging proposition – it demands a mountain of blood. So, to assist the process, the blood leaves the brain and goes south to where the action is, leaving the brain CONFUSED and BEFUDDLED
Frem, here’s the thing. The brain is gonna need that blood.
Yessireebob. Because now, the brain has got to go to work.
How else can it to pay for all the things it just agreed to while it was confused and befuddled?
Are men completely helpless in this struggle for dominance? Well, upper body strength must count for something, I suppose. But it ain’t what they got!
What have they got? Thermofu(kingnuclear weapons is what they got. Frem, tucked away in their knickers is the stuff that makes Superman powerless – Sexual Kryptonite. . It’s a mismatch.
Frem, you go where countless millions of men have gone before and, I know that desire will drive you on. It’s nature’s way. We’ve all got the T-shirt. Keep your mind alert and NEVER, NEVER, EVER think you’ve won. The battle is eternal.
My advice would be: stick to sheep.
Toodlepip.
Churchy,
Missed your short posts, hope you are well, been dancing on your bar naked lately ?
Sorry Steamer. I just felt it would be wrong to send Frem out into the world completely unarmed. If you don’t post for months, it all gets bottled up.
Yes, I’m well and hope you are too.
c
Bet yer chuffed Frem, Graham Taylor saying the clubs been sold, now he may have been a deluded, crap, hoof ball manager ( remind you of anyone ? ), who nearly destroyed football in England, but i’d say by football standards he’s fairly honest. Done deal, may even get a ST next year, gonna get a seat next to RoBBo.
Hi Jason and all
I have learned that the manager i still had every faith in at the beginning of the season is no were near in the class i thought he was and has none of the attributes needed to take villa forward
st75 hope you enjoy the food its hard to find a takeaway thats a mama’s kitchen standard :} home cookings always best
Nce one for your girl too sounds like she is standing out in the production
We are all in limbo until at least monday , frem hope those sale rumors are right – things could become so much better or worse depending on who comes in
steamer
graham makes it clear as mud
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/graham-taylor-believe-aston-villa-7101432?
Trust GT to claim such a thing.
Hello Churchy, sounds like they chased you out of Cornwall. There’s some dairy cows on Dartmoor, maybe you can get some cream for the berries. Hope you’re well.
If the players know the club’s been sold, they might turn up at WHL.
3-0.
Morning all .
Thank you for the well thought out article and excellent article Jason which is an accurate account of the last two seasons. I agree with every word .
To use the Phoenix Nights analogy , let’s hope that we can rise from the burning embers and the statement will be the first step on our road to recovery.
Good to hear the steamers enjoyed seeing ST 75s daughter perform at the old rep and she did so well . It must have been such a proud moment for Mr and Mrs ST75 .
Very good Mark 🙂
Delighted to make your acquaintance Churchill . Have you found the Holy Grail yet ?
Spurs lost to West Ham last week 2-0. Given our similarities with the long ball, there is a chance we could get a result. Spurs have been nearly as inconsistent as we have this season .
Oh well , think of the poor Pool fans having to rely on AV and WH to rescue the title for them . Our dentist, with his signed Liverpool shirt on his surgery wall told me on Friday “I couldn’t watch the City Villa game – it was too painful” to which I said “imagine being a villa fan watching that every week !”
Enjoy your Sunday and if anyone us going to WHL, let’s hope they have go out with a bang !
Why do I think it is Tuesday the statement us being made ?
Lifers without Parole,
I must admit I’m a loyal type chap and wanted to see Lambert have a crack at it with a decent budget given that’s he’s managed to keep us up on a pretty tight budget however the ManCity match playing 5 at the back AGAIN when we were already safe and were never going to hold off city for 95mins just irritated the hell out of me.
The man really is simply not good enough to manage a club the size of Villa.
I’ve always liked Zola as a player and manager and would love to see him at VP, let’s hope that rumour is try.
Here’s to a whole new regime next season, new owner, new manager and different and better results!
3-0 Spurs and still not giving youngsters a run out.
Time for change and fast!
UTV