A regular contributor, B6toBrasil, asked me a while back whether I thought Alex McLeish was good or bad for the club. “Come down off the fence,” he said, and fair play. Honest question.
It seems in my efforts to be relatively detached and unemotional regarding McLeish I’ve inadvertently ended up being his primary “apologist” in the Villa blogosphere. Which I never set out to be by any means. I mean, what a terrible job…I’m doomed to failure, unless we win the league. Which obviously isn’t happening anytime soon no matter who’s in charge. And I’m not even getting a kickback from him or the club.
Trust me, I understand the angst and despair. I’ve been as mental over sports as anyone on here. I’ve had the missus take the children and leave the house because I’ve been going absolutely raving mad and scaring everyone over something I’m seeing in a game that’s going horribly wrong. I’ve been depressed for weeks over a failed season or championship game. It’s like an out-of-body experience, but not as fun as it sounds.
So, I tried to step back, take a deep breath. Realize that I was caring more than most of the players I was watching. Realizing that I’d surrendered control of my emotional state to events and actors beyond my control. Not a recipe for balanced mental health. When I played, I did everything I could to win. If I could compare myself to a known pro, I was Jimmy Milner. Not as skillful, obviously or I wouldn’t be an ink-stained wretch, but that’s the way I approached the game.
I don’t understand passive. Or timid. I don’t understand backing off. If I prided myself on any one thing, it was my ability to deliver a crushing, clean tackle that changed my opponent’s approach to the remainder of the game. Second to that was doing whatever else needed doing in midfield to get a win. But I don’t play anymore. And I get paid to do other things.
Back To McLeish
If I were to give a short answer to B6, I’d have to say, on balance, that McLeish has not been good for the club. Funnily enough, though, for me it doesn’t have much to do with what he has or hasn’t done as manager.
He’s been bad for the club simply because the fans say he is. They decided he would be a polarizing figure the moment his name was mentioned—and thus guaranteed he would be a polarizing figure. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy, aided and abetted by a tumultuous series of preceding events that had nothing to do with Alex McLeish at all, but nonetheless set the stage for a dreary season of limited options and excitement that could only be made worse by appointing someone the fans wanted to hate.
Why is that? Quite simply, Alex McLeish is the poster child for dashed ambitions, the inheritor of a lingering hangover brought on by one manager’s binge, and another’s misguided but noble attempt to remake the squad too quickly. McLeish was almost destined, in the fans’ collective consciousness, to be a low-budget scapegoat meant to deflect blame and attention from a “disinterested” owner who “couldn’t afford to compete” any longer. McLeish is the man who walks into a trashed hotel suite and is presented with a bill for the damages after all the party-goers have left. McLeish was the man whose very existence said, “Right…the party’s over. Take off the funny hats and put your pants back on.”
Or something like that.
The Story As I See It
Taking over a less-talented team than the one that had rebelled and underachieved under Gerard Houllier, McLeish was always facing an uphill battle, even if the supporters had been 100% behind him. Fans like to say this is a “top-eight team” that’s under-achieving.
Really? Show me a team in the current top seven where Villa’s starters would instantly step in and supplant half or more of that team’s current squad. Newcastle maybe? But I guess we’re five points off Sunderland. That’s Warnock’s own goal (two points lost), Albrighton’s lapse against Everton (two points lost), and a single goal against any of Stoke, Fulham, Wolves, or Swansea (all desultory draws). So, maybe we are top-eight material. But that’s it, and just barely.
Saddled with expensive, surly, and aging defenders, the supposedly defensive-minded Scot didn’t even have a real bus to park had he wanted to. With Ashley Young already out the door, and Stewart Downing changing his colors overnight, he didn’t have the dynamic and pacey outlets that had given Villa what little spark they still possessed the season before, traditional wide men who could provide service to a poacher like Bent and were attracting attention from United and Liverpool. How many have come in for Albrighton and…? Exactly. Did Sir Alex really want Bannan for £15m? I don’t think so.
There was no longer a combative ball-winner with an engine like Reo Coker (even though we were offering him more money). Never mind James Milner. No calm swing-man like long-lost Gareth Barry. Or even a fierce and committed right back like Luke Young.
The team had to be re-imagined within the constraints imposed by Darren Bent, limited depth, and a lack of significant funds given the players we had were already pushing the wage bill higher than Spurs’ while offering significantly less footballing value.
Mistakes Have Been Made
Now, to be sure, McLeish has made his own mistakes. There’ve been some odd substitutions. Heskey perhaps is thought to offer more than he does. Bent is always up front, whatever he does or doesn’t do. There’ve been things said that shouldn’t have been said if McLeish wasn’t going to make good should certain players not respond accordingly.
He likely knew when he said it that he couldn’t really drop veteran defenders while simultaneously staving off a second dressing-room rebellion in as many years. He appealed to their manhood and professional pride, challenged them directly in front of the team. He got a bit more out of them in return, but nothing vintage. In all honesty, he had to try to keep these clowns onside.
And of course he did sign Alan Hutton in the wake of Luke Young’s desire to return to London and Lichaj’s four-month injury layoff. Cuellar had had surgery in the summer, and was unavailable to make a sustained bid for either a CB or RB spot before the season. Jenas, well, what can you say. McLeish took a risk, it didn’t pay off.
N’Zogbia? It’s been a difficult move and adjustment for him, and the abuse he’s taken off the field hasn’t helped his state of mind at all. Given and Keane were solid moves.
And don’t forget: McLeish didn’t start with Barry, Laursen, Mellberg, and Bouma anchoring the side as O’Neill did. Yet, after 23 games, McLeish’s side have done better. I know, it doesn’t count because O’Neill had nothing to work with…But hand on heart, would you have Laursen, Mellberg, Bouma, and Barry back now? I think you probably would.
Mistakes Aren’t New
But of course we know Martin O’Neill had his favorites, too. We knew the team-sheet no matter what. We knew he’d fallen out with players and banished them after paying quite a lot for them at the last minute. We knew we couldn’t honestly push on from sixth because of the retro football, the fatigue induced by the small squad, and the lack of imagination in tactics. We rode our luck as much as any football team can. And we spent a small fortune to get there, while somehow failing to install a legacy of talent.
It was an exciting ride, yes, but an expensive one that left Villa with the Collins, Dunne, Warnock defense that had been expensively assembled to replace the Knight, Davies, Shorey defense that had also been expensively assembled…while somehow offloading Gary Cahill.
O’Neill couldn’t hang on to Barry or Milner, yet found plenty of lesser players on as much or more money, like those six above, never mind Beye, Sidwell, and Heskey. I assume Salifou wasn’t on big money, despite being the Togolese Zidane.
Carew stalled out like he’s always done. And Petrov…well, he isn’t what he once was, but at least he’s given it everything he has, and has rebounded this year with good partners in Herd and Clark, and been a steadying influence. And he’s a good captain. But again, he’s cost us as much or more overall than Modric, Bale, or van der Vaart.
What McLeish Has Done Right
McLeish needed a side to come out and help him make a statement. It wasn’t really there. The crisis of confidence that originated with O’Neill’s departure persisted and deepened through Houllier’s tenure and only intensified with the appointment of a figure as controversial as McLeish. Two unlikely wins at the end of the year while Houllier was in hospital showed both how tight the league has become, and how precarious our position had been all year.
The Villa McLeish inherited were timid and passive, afraid to lose, divided, and lacking identity or leaders. Whatever anyone thinks of McLeish, these have not been hallmarks of his previous sides. They may have been defensive or dull, but they weren’t composed of shell-shocked pushovers or coasting, aging cynics on fat deals that guaranteed they couldn’t be offloaded.
He’s tried various formations and tactics, showing more flexibility, adaptability and creativity than either Houllier or O’Neill. He gave Delph a good run (another expensive O’Neill bust?), then Herd, then Clark. Bannan and Albrighton have figured, but failed to really impress consistently, whether starting or coming on as subs. Gardner is starting to accumulate valuable minutes. And if you think these Academy players thought they had a future under O’Neill, you’d be sadly mistaken. If you think there are other Academy products ready for the first team but being unfairly overlooked…again, that’s just not the case.
McLeish has tried to keep the veterans onside…One might consider it ‘cowardice,’ but when you don’t have much else to work with and no way to offload expensive, disruptive players, it’s a balancing act you’d be foolish not to try and pull off. We like to think a manager is like Montgomery or Patton. But no. Generally, he’s paid less than his star players and in reality is at their mercy even if he seems to hold all the cards. That’s what Player Power is all about. If they choose to undermine the manager, well, it’s much easier and cheaper to get in a new manager than a new team.
McLeish is finally getting something out of Ireland, who is finally feeling like he’s wanted, unless we, as fans, screw it up. And I’ll say it again, if Ireland reaches his potential, he’s got the sort of natural talent to make James Milner look completely pedestrian. Pulling the strings isn’t about lung power, as Keane is showing us. It’s understanding space, timing, and all the other ineffable things that can’t be taught.
McLeish has also been forced to try and get something out of Bent, even though the side isn’t really made up any longer to easily make the most of his style. And don’t think Bent’s very particular window of usefulness isn’t a factor in overall team harmony.
Beyond these things, I know that McLeish is asking, imploring, and demanding that the players play it on the ground, close down, press, track back, and work harder. Even though you see more effort routinely from teams better and worse than Villa, there’s something uniquely lacking in the character of some in this squad, and it has effects in the dressing room and on the pitch.
So Where Am I At?
I don’t know that it’s possible for McLeish to succeed given the atmosphere his presence has generated. I don’t know what he’ll do if given real money to spend. As I say, N’Zogbia, Given, Keane…good moves, to me, with Keane especially inspired. Hutton? A bust so far. Jenas? A roll of the dice that didn’t come off.
And really, the Keane deal says so much. For years he’s been linked, and just as quickly dismissed as over the hill and past it. When we picked him up, the criticism about his supposed lack of fitness and wages was instant and hysterical. Yet, he’s proved to be worth every penny, and has stepped into this side and instantly become the most valuable player. If you freaked out about that deal, you really should sit down and be quiet for a while.
That deal alone says to me that McLeish is not as stupid as some would have it. He obviously was much more in tune with what Keane had to offer than most of the Villa faithful.
However, I can’t say with any certainty that if given £50m McLeish would spend it wisely. I also know that Martin O’Neill blew that and far more, and most everyone is pining for the “excitement” he brought to Villa even as he squandered Lerner’s largesse and implicitly sanctioned fees and wages that are still crippling us. I don’t remember O’Neill saying, “I’d like __________, but I don’t value him that highly.” And I seriously doubt Lerner was overriding him, saying, “Oh, Martin. Don’t be such a ninny. Even if he’s only worth £6.5m and £30k a week, we’ll go £10m and £40k just to make sure we get him. Hey, I’m rich!”
It’s a funny game, football. So, while I reluctantly answer B6toBrasil by saying that McLeish has been “bad” for Villa, I don’t think that had to be the case by any means.
Nor do I think that if he remains in charge of Villa next year I’ll be slitting my wrists. I’m not saying he’ll take us to the promised land. But I don’t think he’ll end up having done any worse than McClaren, Allardyce, Bruce or any number of the other usual suspects would’ve done.
I mean, if Alan Pardew had been introduced over the summer, would anyone have had anything good to say?
For a little perspective, take a look at this chart (courtesy of dear old Mr. Turvey, proprietor):
The Author
