With Aston Villa not playing till Sunday, our usual Saturday slot will sit up for a bit longer than usual. With Manchester United our opponents at Old Trafford, and the title chasers potentially able to win the Premier League if they secure points against Villa, it is up to the Midlands club to upset the applecart, spoil the party, and add in any extra cliches if possible.
Quite how the team will do against a dazed United is anyone’s guess. Wigan Athletic showed that the Reds are beatable, even if their result was at home rather than away, but many Villa fans will be hesitant to stake money on anything other than a United win.
Is such a view justified though? Obviously the season has run far from perfectly, but the youth have started to make an impact. The game against Stoke City, admittedly far lesser opponents than United, had a large number of young players either starting or on the bench.
Whilst nobody is suggesting that Villa’s current crop are anything like United’s bunch that came through in the 90s, their performance in a pressurised environment has been pleasing. Alex McLeish alluded to the age-old philosophy about sensible youth development by saying that giving the kids a baptism of fire was less than ideal. It may, however, be the reason McLeish’s season stops short of being an abject failure.
After all, the decision to play as many kids at present is more to do with a lengthy injury list than it is to do with a swashbuckling faith in Villa’s academy products. Quite how fans might feel if the kids they had wanted to play all along save McLeish’s skin is another thing – such a situation has cultivated many responses, often expletive laden, to the point that some have even wished defeat on the team if it meant the axing of the unpopular Glaswegian. I imagine conflicted would probably cover the emotion.
As a fan of the club, I obviously can’t ever envisage wishing defeat on the team, regardless of the circumstances. For me, a win, via McLeish or not, is a win, and I’ll take those every day of the week. McLeish may well be a less-than-loved man, but if he can conjure up some success, I see many Villa fans changing their mind.
Some have attributed such an attitude as “fickle”, as though changing attitudes shouldn’t happen, and that all situations should involve two largely static sides who cling to their views no matter the information given to them. I think we all know that both views in said situation, be they positive or negative, are foolish.
Why? If McLeish can do the supposedly impossible and start winning games, it would be pointless to continue to hound him. I don’t mean people should get off his back after a single game of course, but a change of fortunes should mean a change of attitudes – anything different is indicative of clinging to anger for the sake of it.
Will it happen though? I am sure many, dulled by the tedious football, will be less than optimistic that McLeish can transform Villa’s fortunes. The only question is that in the face of a lack of changes, what other options do the fans have left to them besides a begrudging sense of acceptance tinged with anger?
Villa Fan Campaign To Raise Money For Local Lad
As a final statement, I wanted to raise attention towards a group of Aston Villa fans who will be embarking on a 150 mile walk to raise money on behalf of the late Harry Moseley.
Harry, mentioned on several occassions in my posts as an inspiring young man who bravely battled a brain tumour, passed away late last year raising money for the charity Cancer Research UK. The group of Villa fans, led by duo John Hanks and Shaun Bradnock, will be walking to Carrow Road for the final game of the season on
The walk will take place over five days, with each leg comprising a 30 mile walk in stage from Birmingham to Norwich.
For anyone wanting to contribute to the cause, where all profits will go to Cancer Research UK via “Help Harry Help Others”, you can do so via here or by texting HHHO 82 £1 to donate £1 to the event.
Further information is available by calling John Hanks on 07527326451 or Shaun Bradnock via 07912886581.
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