Adversity will change the way you think.
For the last few years I’ve lampooned Rafa Benitez as a comic, even tragic, figure. I’ve had some fun portraying his rise from the obscurity at the ‘Barcelona Tapas Bar y Restaurante’ in Lime St. London, waiting on tables 9-16, to the Olympian heights of manager at Liverpool FC.
We’ve all watched, utterly fixed, as he stumbled, pop-eyed, into post-match interviews – insane words spewing out of his mouth, deluded propositions on the conspiracy that is the Premier League that worked to deny his genius and the Machiavellian temperament of Alex Ferguson that obsessed his mind. It was hypnotic. As I write this stuff, I’m starting to smile thinking about it. Funny as fuck.
Then, a day or so ago, someone on some blog or other – it could even have been this one – suggested we consider FSW as a replacement for McLeish. Excuse me? Then I thought “Well, that doesn’t sound so appalling”. Then I realised just how far Aston Villa has sunk – things are so grim, Rafa Benitez looks like a big improvement. Just how grim do I think things are?
Well, pretty grim. I now expect Villa never to score a goal. Which means that the best we can hope for is a nil-nil draw. A lot of this can be put down to the injuries we’ve had; a lot of it can be said to be the inevitable result of selling our best players, but clubs with smaller budgets, no star players and also injuries are making a better fist of the Premier League than we are. So, sad to say, at least some of this shambles has to be laid at the feet of the manager. We simply cannot score goals. Gabby is useless and Weimann and Delfouneso should be played more regularly to, at least, find out if they can do the job. Candidly, they couldn’t do any worse.
And Gabby was made captain. What’s all that about?
We look like we will survive the relegation battle. But it ain’t pretty to watch – bloody awful, in fact. You can call it inept, or incompetent, but, to me, it looks like the product of a man who’s lost his nerve. Will he be sacked? I’ve no idea, but I can’t see it changing next season if he stays. It isn’t as though things have got better as the season has gone on, it’s got worse.
I can’t believe I’m actually saying this: “Rafa, welcome to Villa Park”.
The Author
