Before I start, I should say that I really don’t want to offend anyone so if I do, I apologise. My view is simply one that is about wanting what is best for the club, the same as we all do, the only differences we have is how we think things can be changed.
I decided not to attend the game on Sunday, so for the first time in two seasons I did not use my season ticket. Obviously being a season ticket holder, I’d already paid to attend, but I didn’t make it partly because I had lots of stuff on, but mainly because I just feel apathetic about the situation we are in.
Normally I would move heaven and earth to get to Villa Park, but something felt different about going this week, and I have to say it felt strange. Before anyone suggests the obvious reasons for why I might not have attended, one of the reasons I decided against going was because I was honestly embarrassed about the planning of so-called “protest”.
As I never ended up going to the game, I “watched” along on Twitter, as well as having Sky on. After all, how best can I see the game around Aston Villa fans apart from online if I’m not going to make it physically?
What I wanted to show was my perception of things from an matchday online perspective – something I rarely get to see as I am normally watching the game at the ground, and don’t really bother with Twitter in the middle of games when I am at Villa Park.
Great Expectations
One of the things I found quite bizarre was the fact that people were laying into McLeish for how he had set the team up against Manchester City. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t City title contenders? Let’s look at the facts:
Our home record is poor, so a draw against Manchester City, even a 0-0 one would have been a massive achievement for us.
City were second in the league, and are top again now.
City have scored more goals than any other team in the league.
City have spent £500m+ on their playing squad over the past few years and thus have some of the best players in the league.
Our confidence is low, partly because of poor results, but partly because we have a home crowd that bays for blood at the first opportunity
With all that in mind, what did people expect from the game? A swashbuckling effort where Villa trying to cut through the midfield with ease given the obvious fairness of Petrov and Gardner vs Silva and Barry? That was never going to happen because with the current players we have, we can’t compete like-for-like, so McLeish did the sensible things and tried to shut them out.
What I don’t understand is some people suggested we should have just gone all out attack, and thrown everything at them, hoping for the best. Like a “brave” all-out effort would somehow yield a better result. Sure, we have more chance of scoring when we attack, but Manchester City also have the potential to counter and rip us to pieces. I’m sure both the players and the manager would rather lose 1-0 than be slaughtered if the attacking didn’t work out.
Even though we lost, it’s arguable that a 1-0 loss to Manchester City is a lucky escape. It’s certainly better than having another 4-1 beating and not only losing points, but goal difference too.
Reality Bites
I’m as passionate a Villa fan as any, but I also know how things really are. The fact of the matter is, like it or not, we are not that good anymore. On Sunday, we didn’t have Gabby playing for us, and he is a big outlet for us in terms of pace. Instead we had, and have, a number of ageing footballers, many of which collect hefty wages, and who couldn’t care less about our badge or pride. Sometimes I think we forget players aren’t fans, and we shouldn’t expect them to be – this is their job, not their passion like us.
So what should we have done given that? Thrown it all on attacking when we have no real pace? Then get slaughtered by three, four, or five goals? The manager has already given people enough ammo to shoot at him with, can you blame him for not wanting to give out another free excuse to have a pop?
The fact of the matter is we are where we are now, and that’s not just because of this manager, or this season – it is a culmination of factors that have stacked up. People say sacking McLeish will “change our season”, but will it? Who is going to come in to save us if McLeish does go? This isn’t a fairytale – there’s no saviour out there to change things, just us hoping for the best. It’s not great, no, far from it, but it’s the best chance we’ve got.
Some of this just smacks of some fans having their cake and eating it. If everyone is truly as angry as some of the blog posts I’ve read and Tweets I’ve seen make out, why haven’t there been non-stop protests going every game since the start of the season? After all, the people who didn’t want him in the first place still don’t want him, and therefore nothing’s new there.
At the end of the day, McLeish was brought in to do a job, and this was with some of the tightest constraints I’ve seen at Villa since I’ve supported them. Would Martin O’Neill have walked into Villa under the same circumstances if this was how it was back then? I doubt it. Same goes for most managers. McLeish took the job knowing it would be a dirty one, and knowing it would be tough too.
Irrespective of his managerial performance, you’ve got to give the guy some credit for taking it on. Yes, he’s getting paid for it, so it is hardly a charity donation, but he took the job when few wanted it. After all, do you think if the shortlist was long, and the choices were varied, that anyone would have picked McLeish? I didn’t think so.
People talk about McLeish’s standards, well they haven’t changed much since he got here, so why are “protesters” starting something now? If you’re that unhappy about it, why didn’t you start from day one and not stop? Why do it now, when our confidence is low already, and risk damaging the team further. Do you want to see the team go down? I ask because it’s pretty obvious that if our confidence gets any worse, we will end up going down. Still, I guess people can have their “I told you so” moment. So at least you’ll win, shame the club will have lost.
Perception Is Key
Listening to the commentators on Sky Sports, they discussed our away support, and they continued to tell everyone just how good they are. Come rain or shine, we’ll be singing alright, and the commentators noted it. We’re proud to have one of the best and strongest followings in the country away from home.
However, the conversation then turned to the home support, given we were playing at Villa Park, and they were far from full of praise for the supporters there. You could hear them sounding disappointed with the (lack of) noise being made by the crowd, and these people aren’t even Villa fans! How can people who aren’t Villa fans be almost upset that our support is sitting there “waiting to be entertained” when our own fans seem to be more interested in organising a good old moan? What does that say about us, and about who we are?
As for the “protest”, they touched upon it briefly, but it could hardly be defined as any kind of protest at all. If that is what making the fans voice is about – a couple of sheets of A4 paper with “McLeish Out” scribbled on them – then it shows that people aren’t bothered, and are just being lazy and jumping on the bandwagons. If you’re going to make a statement, make it properly.
Instead, the people who participated just looked like idiots on TV. Sky treated the “event” as a bit of a sideshow, making the situation look just like a couple of people having a moan whilst making no effort. Quite ironic considering the amount of fans who complain when players don’t put in any effort, and their idea of a “protest” is a pen and paper.
So step back lads, and tell me – just what exactly do you think we look like to the rest of the footballing world? It’s not positive, but it’s also not just about one man’s influences.
The Author
