I apologise in advance, I’m going to make a somewhat controversial comparison and no offence is intended, I just enjoy slightly dark banter.
It has occurred to me that Paul Lambert is building the equivalent of a child army. While other teams fill the ranks with battle hardened men we send out fresh faced boys to our front line.
With yet more kids recruited by the day and the likes of Given, Bent, and Dunne sent packing, next season is going to take this interesting experiment to another level. Giving youth a chance is nothing new, but the extremity of how we’ve embraced it is like nothing I’ve seen before. I suspect the media will be paying close attention to how our kids fair when battle commences.
Somewhat surprisingly Norwich had the league’s 4th oldest team last season; Dad’s Army by comparison to us. So what has led Lambert to become our very own Joseph Kony? Circumstance has certainly played a major part but I would argue the main driving force is Lambert finding the courage to truly follow his convictions. He believes in this approach and is taking his chance to put the theory into practice.
The mandate to cut the wage bill certainly lends itself towards recruiting younger players with added incentive to pick the younger lads already in the squad. After all, if the experienced players become surplus to requirements it’s easier to get their high salaries off the books. Which is preciously what happened after the older lads tried and failed. Whatsmore the higher resale value of child soldiers comes in very handy when operating under austerity.
If the situation has encouraged it, then belief in the philosophy has delivered it.
Kids might lack experience but they are fearless and as they fight together they grow together and will hopefully form an ever improving formidable unit. They aren’t battle scarred sceptics, they are open to influence and are clearly buying into the propaganda. After all the admission criteria is strict, in order to join the call to arms you have to fit a certain mould. We might wear ‘prepared’ on our chests but the real values that underpin our struggle are humility, fraternity, and wisdom.
Our players are not typical premier league footballers, they all have brains. When you listen to Westwood, Lowton, and more recently Okore speak, their intelligence jumps out. We have a team of bright sparks, many of which I’m sure will put their football brains to use and have good careers in football after they hang up their boots.
Like most fans, supporting Villa wasn’t a choice, it was pre-determined. Like it or not when Villa struggle it hurts us and there has been too much struggle of late.
My dad was Villa, my family was Villa, and I was raised in what is probably the most heavily Villa part of Birmingham. The noses might have been the focus of most Holte chants but I’d never actually met one, well not until college anyway. You couldn’t escape Villa, so much so that if a family wedding falls on a match day relinquishing season tickets is only done on the condition that they’ll be a screen or pub nearby showing the game. It’s no wonder I have claret & blue inked on my back and burnt into my core.
Finally after a lifetime of support I can truly say it’s not just a duty I was born to, it’s become a conscious decision. If I were picking a team from scratch I’d pick Villa. Unlike real child armies, what we are doing is something to be proud of. In a sport full of individualism and greed we are a diamond in the rough, a rare example of how the game should be.
Wherever this path takes us, it’s one I’m now genuinely proud to be travelling.
The Author
