Over the past few days, it has been good to see some evidence that my opinions regarding laziness have been validated. On Tuesday, both Marc Albrighton and Richard Dunne have come out and made statements admitting that they haven’t been following orders.
On the face of it, this could be something that could incite a lot of complaining and finger pointing. At this stage of the situation, I’m past that level of blaming people for what has happened, all I am bothered about is what is going to happen going forwards.
Fall Guys & Honest Men
In recent weeks, I’ve been one of the few who have defended McLeish in certain ways. I’ve not said he is free from blame, or somehow any kind of Messiah, but I’ve used insight to explain that things aren’t what they may seem to many. The recent admissions by players has proved that angle to be correct.
Honesty is a rare commodity these days, and it is no less rare than in professional football. The era of one club loyalty seems like a bygone era, and the number of people taking the blame for things seem to diminish with each week. Far easier to point the finger at someone else than to take it on the chin. You know, like men used to do.
So when players like Albrighton and Dunne do make statements confirming that they are not following the tactics of the manager, it doesn’t make me think that there is a dressing room rebellion. It actually makes me think things are getting better.
December will no doubt be a challenge for us as a club, but it would have been a challenge no matter who was in charge as manager. Whether it was O’Neill, McLeish, or Mourinho, playing teams that are above you in stature and skill is difficult enough at the best of times, but in a period where the tactics have been ignored by players struck with fear, it doesn’t bode well.
Much of what I had mentioned regarding why things were going wrong is common sense. After all, no matter your opinion on who is in charge, no manager is telling players to concede the ball, hoof it, and play badly. McLeish may have been a Birmingham man before Villa, he may play dour defence first football, but he isn’t a secret agent sent to destroy the club. He’s a bloke who is trying to swim upstream against the tide. Not easy no matter who you are.
Albrighton admitted that the team had not been putting in the effort to make pressing work. McLeish had asked them, repeatedly, to push higher up the pitch and to close down space. Both Dunne & Albrighton had said this hadn’t been done, with Dunne specifically admitting something I had said for months – that the players were cagey and scared of a fan backlash.
A Brighter Future?
Now we know the players were scared of pushing forwards for fear of losing, then things start to make a lot more sense. If you’re afraid of getting trashed by the fans, you might also be hesistant to show your flaws. Under O’Neill, some of those flaws were camouflaged. Under Houllier, they were exposed. Under McLeish, some of the blame has been shifted. So for players to take their fair share of the blame, as they do take their fair share of credit when it is deserved, is good.
Regarding the players involvement in the lack of chances vs United, Marc Albrighton stated frankly re: United’s team – “We were scared of them. I think, if anything, we backed off them, and let them play”
When questioned regarding why Albrighton felt that the game played out that way, he added “The gaffer’s told us to go out there and press them high, and hopefully they’ll make mistakes, but we didn’t do that. We just went out there and we didn’t do that at all (in the) first half. So we’ve come in at half time, and rightly so we’ve got a rollicking off the gaffer, and it was deserved.”
Speaking regarding his own first half contribution “Certainly I felt myself, in the first half, I didn’t contribute to the game as much, but second half I worked hard and I managed to get a couple of crosses in.”
Those with AVTV access, can see the full video interview via the secure area on the AVFC.co.uk website.
The Truth Eventually Comes Out
So if players are starting to accept their part in our current underperformances, it is a step forwards, not a step back. What’s done is done. We need to move forward into the future rather than living in the past. McLeish and the players have made mistakes, but who hasn’t made mistakes in their lives?
Hopefully this weekend will be a step towards some points, and ensure that Gary Cahill doesn’t get a good result against us. When the clouds lift, maybe our days might get a little brighter, even if it takes a while.
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