So we enter a new season, with a new manager and a new sense of hope, and all feels much better than it did last year.
Paul Lambert has had the purse strings loosened (by all accounts) and there is now room within the budget for players to be brought in without too much scrimping and saving in other areas. This in turn has got the rumour mill turning with many a player “fitting” Lambert’s “profile” being linked to Aston Villa. This has been met with a mixed response.
It seems clear to people that Lambert is unlikely to be spending £15m on one player, and it’s seems as though the squad will be getting strengthened by several players coming in, whilst I’m sure a few will also go. It looks as though Lambert has decided who he wants before even seeing the squad train.
Understandably, this has got people worried that a generation of Villa graduates are yet again going to be ignored and sold off on the cheap in preference to “experienced player”.
After seeing Martin O’Neill let Gary Cahill and Steven Davis go without much fight or intention to play them I can understand this feeling. Some on the other hand are saying the youth had their chance in the last two seasons and haven’t made the grade, which I think is a overly critical.
It was clear to see from anyone watching Villa last season that we missed a link to Darren Bent, we missed a dominant mobile defensive midfielder, and we missed a defence – so that is pretty much half the team. The kids did their bit to keep us up but, at the end of the day, there just wasn’t the right mix, mentality and attitude within the team. Additional to that, I don’t believe the manager’s “tactics”, “formations” and team “selections” helped at all.
Stiliyan Petrov was a huge miss for us in the later half of the season. Ciaran Clark filled the role manfully when fit, but I still believe he is far better as a centre half.
Chris Herd as the midfield enforcer works to some degree but, whilst we can’t fault his attitude and work rate, his quality in the middle of the park has to be questioned. I think, like Clark, he is another player doing a job in midfield when his best position in defence.
Gary Gardner was brought in to the team and again showed good composure and work rate, and he also showed a strength to his game that will come in useful in the Premier League. However, he was asked to play an unfamiliar role – sitting deep – and that is not his game.
So to the point of this article – The life of the academy graduates is a tough one because you have a season or two to push in to the first team and make your mark.
With Villa Park’s recent revolving door of managers this has been elongated a little, but this season it is important for the likes of Marc Albrighton, Barry Bannan, Clark, Herd and Eric Lichaj to cement themselves in to the mind of Lambert.
Gary Gardner, Samir Carruthers, Juan Serrano, Derrick Williams and Jack Grealish will be giving him something to think about too. The older batch now have a couple of years experience and it’s time for them to kick on or start looking else where for football, but that doesn’t mean Lambert should make it easy for them to get these chances.
I honestly believe we have 3 or 4 youngsters who will make it, but their progression to the first team shouldn’t be an easy one. What must happen (which didn’t in the O’Neill era) is that these lads are given the proper chance to stake a claim, and are given a fair playing chance of being picked if they do well.
Lambert buying in players and filling out the squad to make sure we have players to compete in every position is a good thing. The extra competition may just make the younger players step up a level or two – people competing on a even playing field for places in the team is what we need.
The “experienced” players will then know that they need to stay on their toes to stay in the first team, whilst the younger players can work hard knowing that improvement will get them a chance in the team – that’s a healthy enviroment.
I don’t want to see another Cahill situation arise, and I want all our kids to be given a fair chance, but in the same light I don’t want them to be able to just get in the team because they are “ours” because having a strong squad will give them better players to play against and learn from.
The point I am making overall is that Lambert buying players shouldn’t have an impact on the younger players if he wants to utilise them, and I think he will use at least a few of them.
So it is make or break for the academy graduates, just as I guess it is every season. All we can ask as fans is that the youngsters get a fair chance to earn a place in the first team – nothing more.
If they do well, then we can be happy. If they don’t, at least with a proper setup we can feel confident that they had their chance and won’t become another £20m defender within six months of leaving – something that I feel Randy Lerner never forgave O’Neill for.
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