With Remi Garde gone, there was a change in the dugout. The issue for Aston Villa, unfortunately, was that there was little to no change on the pitch.
That losing 4-0 is not even the worst capitulation at Villa Park this season speaks volumes of the sheer mass of problems at the club. After a tumultuous period where the club have struggled to survive, Villa finally look like they will succumb to relegation – a fate that has been expected for a number of years.
On reflection, the aforementioned sentence implies the club is lucky to be where they are and, in many ways, they are. Whilst the fans are understandably annoyed by the lack of structure or cohesion at the club, Villa have sailed close to the wind for an extended period, with Randy Lerner’s stewardship gradually descending into farce.
Protests are ongoing at the club, and whilst the sentiment is understandable, there is a limited amount that will happen until Lerner can find a buyer. Given his desire to maximise the return on the club in order to recoup as much money as possible following the repeated poor spending, mostly driven by a lack of a cohesive plan, chances are the club’s owner will not walk away in the short term.
Some think the owner should just walk given the diabolical state the club have fallen into, but such a thought is little more than wishful thinking – Lerner will stay until the bitter end. The only saving grace at least is that he may well vet the prospective buyer rather than just throwing the club over the fence to the next available bidder – something that may frustrate fans in terms of not relinquishing control, but that at least displays a sense that the owner isn’t trying to hit eject at all costs.
As the club march toward the relegation that many have been predicting for at least the past four months, the overwhelming sense is helplessness. Villa are mathematically capable of staying up, but performances on the pitch suggest the team is not capable of staying up in footballing terms.
Whether players are chided for lacking effort or quality, the truth is that there is no one individual at fault – a situation that is both frustrating and similarly understandable. Yes, the chairman ultimately remains culpable for the trajectory of the club, but the decision making underpinning Villa at every level has been largely diabolical.
After all, Villa have picked wrong chief executives, wrong club structures, wrong managers, and wrong players. With a sense of so many wrong choices, is it any real surprise that Villa’s luck is finally running out? Sure, fans won’t consider themselves lucky given the consistently poor football on offer, but the fact that the team have survived this long is bordering on a miracle given past choices, and there is only so many times the club can hope to ride their “luck”.
The concern going forward is whether the lessons have been learned once relegation finally comes. Steps have been taken to put more qualified people in post, but the cynics amongst us may paint such decisions as little more than popularist window dressing – only time will tell.
So as Villa stare down the barrel at the loss of their ever-present status in the Premier League, the main question fans will be asking is just how bad do things have to get before they will get start to get better.
The Author
Matt Turvey
Matt is the owner of, and chief writer for, Aston Villa Life. He is also a columnist for the Wolverhampton Express & Star, appearing in the Kick Off pullout on Saturdays and the Final Whistle pullout the Monday after Aston Villa play, as well as every Thursday as a blogger on their website. He has previously been featured as a writer on Football365 and Life's A Pitch, and was a regular pundit for Sports Tonight TV on Sky.Comments 35
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Hi matt
for me it is about individuals, its about those that are in place at the club to provide Guidance. The board had no football knowledge to see what bad seeds had been sown in the team and narrow escapes were seen as a success as the managers remit? survival.
In the first team you have gabby and Richards guiding the team by example? well, more like kicking out when they realised that actually they were not all that and that a manager like Remi used to professionals didn’t buy into their status, how dare he not scratch the backs.
Villa’s hierarchy remind me of an apocalypse film, sitting in a hovering city while down in the dressing room two blokes with mohicans and massive ego’s did there worst.
last season Tim recognised we had no winners or leaders, he mistakenly saw Richards and gabby as such, the rest of the team probably fell in or rolled their eyes and kept quiet. This seasons troubles are definitely down to individuals at the top and on the field.
I don’t like Brad Poozan
We want English manager with promotion
Bruce or Pearson it is
Fucking board
Was moyes in the stands? Stop playing the same players and play the kids. Any new manager must be aloud to re build the whole squad. Moyes is the man to do it.
I laugh at suggestions that Lerner pumps money into club,maybe first couple seasons but ever since has been lining his pockets,our spending power is a joke,our wage bill is down at 12 the place in table,fox had power for about 18 months has one man ever did so much harm to a club his reign is going to cost millions,Hutton flabby and then Lambert’s deal,delphs fiasco,bacuna,wastewood,baker,exstenions ,summer spending. Sherwood wanted Lennon fox said traore lenon has 6 goals villas midfield haven’t 6 goals between them,Sherwood wouldn’t go without paymeñt,remi came with promises all broken it got that bad remi had to take flabby back when he did the foreign legion gave up ayew got sent off so he wouldn’t have to stay on pitch with him( don’t blame ayew) fox got sacked,and we need to take massive hit to lose players
Guzan Hutton Richards lescott wastewood bacuna kozak and mainly Gabby all excuses of footballers as carragher says would sign them for free
Matt, you mention “the fact that the team have survived this long is bordering on a miracle given past choices, and there is only so many times the club can hope to ride their “luck”.”.
Yep, but there’s a bigger story isn’t there? I think the aspect we may have forgotten is that when RL began to tighten his financial grip we were told it was because of the Fair Play thingamajig, and then the criteria widened in that RL had decided to sell the club. That being the case he just wanted the club to tick over until the new owner arrived.
Now if there had been a genuine desire to sell the club then his strategy was OK … if it meant one or two seasons of finishing fairly low down in anticipation of a new owner coming in with plenty of investment then we could understand go with that. To a point.
In Fact the first 2 or 3 seasons (bearing in mind the criteria just stated) didn’t go too badly – looking at it in retrospect. After all we got Benteke – didn’t we – and Delph then started putting in much better performances. For goodness sake Gabby and Andi were knocking in a few as well at one point.
The reason why I am saying this is because those seasons were supposed (according to the line we were fed) to be a transition period waiting for the new owner. But RL – in his ivory tower – just thought that his strategy could go on for ever until he could sell the club at the price he wanted.
The situation we’re at now has not been reached *simply* because RL’s appointments and administration were bad (which they have been) but because the strategy could only work for a limited time. And it has proved to be one season too far.
If the club had been sold *by* last summer maybe we’d be talking a different tune now.
To add…
In short I am of the opinion that there *is* one person who is the culprit for this situation, and that is the owner for taking his approach as though it could go on for ever, and for not selling at a price less than he wanted.
That the players (this season in particular) have failed to measure up is as a direct result of RL’s appointments and the players that were brought in during the summer.
It all – I’m afraid – goes back to one man. I’m talking of the one who is cocooned in his American place of safety.
But – as you say, Matt – it’s likely now that RL will stay “to the bitter end”. And it could well be just that.
John l
Could any other owner be worse,Leeds got to semi final champions league, Pompey won the fa cup we got humiliation of gunners
All the talk about Lerner a good owner Mon seen through him,Lerner the biggest knob associated with villa including flabby,all this down to him
JL- I do believe there are monetary factors in RL’s decisions including FFP which then proved a joke. The course he wanted to take was always going to be tough if we did not retain our better payers and bring in the cheaper players to learn it was never going to work, we sold them or had to sell them and that broke the camels back IMO. RL once he had to make football decisions (mon was Ellis’s suggestion) was absolutely useless and the ball started rolling. By accident or the fact we bought some French players we got Garde, a man that could sort the place out and we dump him again in my opinion a poor decision, this time made by football people, Villa appear doomed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miPEa541qyU
James – Re: Lerner.
It could be said that we got what we deserved. Everyone was in such a hoot of a rush to get rid of Doug that they failed to look over the fence to see what was on the other side! .. They all assumed it was lush green turf but it turned out be a swamp. … And it took around 7 years for most fans to start seeing it for what it was.
They say that many partnerships/marriages start getting a nervous relationship after 7 years…
Matt: “Villa are mathematically capable of staying up”
Though still true, Norwich’s win today means they only need 3 points for safety, with 6 matches to go.
If we lose the next match then we’re down. A win for Norwich also means we’re down unless they lose the remainder and we win all our remaining matches by sufficient margin to better Norwich’s goal diff. (!!!).
Mark,
For a season or two it didn’t matter that we’d sold the better players, though it was a tough ride as you’ve rightly said. But we had Benteke and Delph to keep the ship floating until last summer.
I do disagree with you about RL’s footballing decisions starting with post-MON. The fact is that he had a perfectly good CEO before Faulkner who appears to have said what needed to be said to his boss. But he went. And then we had Faulkner who reckoned he knew enough. Then MON went.
Johnl
Who was CEO before fatty I can’t remember,
Do agree with you on deadly, remember meeting him in Dublin after Brian little cup win ,Taylor Johnson and eghiou were there,Taylor Johnson brill eghiou up his own ass,
Loved toomy johnson so much, used to throw upon the pitch due to nerves!! Loveing seeing the players are now at last being dug out by the media. With no manager they are fair game now, long may it continue.
Still think the board wont risk pearson and moyes will be first choice. They wont take the risk upsetting the fans…..bot saying im completly unhappy with pearson.
Andy gray particulary not holding back. Hopefully rst of season the players get more abuse forcing us to act and get rid
Why did black stick with all the crap ,7 losses in a row guzan Hutton lescott wastewood played in them for second run this season,has to go next match
Bunn
Reserve player
Cissko
Okore
Clark
Gana
Sanchez
Grealish
Traore/Sinclair
Ayew
Green/leydon
Matt
Good write up.
Excellent replies too-especially John’s informative replies.
The video Mark posted adequately sums up how fans feel about the state of AVFC. AVFC is going down, not for the first time in its long history, but the first time since the old First Div became the Premier League.
Randy Lerner will, of course, stay until the “bitter end.” Nobody will buy the club until things settle down. How much will he be willing to sell the club for once it is relegated? Will he sell? Surely no one wants to endure years of pointless tinkering to continue. When things settle and everyone understands that Villa is not in the Prmier League, Mr Lerner will surely be willing to sell for a reasonable price to a new ambitious owner.
James: “Who was CEO before fatty I can’t remember”
I can’t either!!!
Actually I think there were three, none of whom lasted long especially the last.
But it was the first I think (wish I could remember his name) who in about 2007/8 made it seem as though all was being planned out for a rosy future. It wasn’t long before he went, it being said that Lerner wouldn’t listen to his recommendations.
In point of fact, when I joined Villa on a consultancy basis way back in 2007 I was told by a senior manager that access to Lerner was only possible through Paul Faulkner even then – and that was before he had a formal role in the club! It seems that he was Lerner’s aide-de-camp in those days and was thrust into the limelight when they reckoned MON needed closer management.
I’ve had illumination: Richard Fitzgerald is the former CEO I was thinking of!
JL I see what you mean, quite ironic though that we got an owner willing to spend where Ellis was always cautious, with all those CEO’s coming and going you have to conclude lerner thought he was bulletproof. Eventually he became more frugal than Ellis at the wrong time.
We want Bruce. OMFG
‘Randy Lerner is a terrific owner’ – Bernstein, well Berny if that is your opinion then you are a terrific gobshite and can fuck off with the rest of the knobs who have destroyed this club. ‘Football background’ a pen pusher for the crepe FA who booted a winner like Fabio Capello for a dipstick like Hodgson. Everybody out, all of them are knobs.
Get Pearson in, Moyes is finished, a promising future behind him, we need a mad dog.
Steamer,
Come awf it! 🙂 If you were to put the knife into S75 it might end your relationship, mightn’t it?
Bernstein has to play a part while he’s tied in with that crew; perhaps we should just let them play their party pieces and let’s what comes out of the biscuit factory – that’s the important thing, surely?
Meanwhile I’m going to have a chat with the Prince to see whether he wants to hand the crown to Brian Little instead of himself! 🙂
Mark,
Ironic indeed. But I’d say that Lerner just wants to play his games to suit himself. A kind of one-man 3rd-dimensional chess game that he designed and which no-one understands but he.
Dubbers suggests Liam Ridgewell should come back to Villa to help them in the Championship. He might have a point…
http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2016/04/03/dion-dublin-calls-on-aston-villa-to-re-sign-liam-ridgewell/
I think Liam Ridgewell would be an excellent fit for Villa. He knows Villa and has captained a champion MLS team from a position Villa has been weak in this year. Actually Lerner and company would be stupid not to sign him if the opportunity arises. Hopefully they are listening and need to start on project “Get Villa Promoted.”
Trin,
It makes me weep to think of the players that Villa have let go that were not ‘big’ at Villa then but who would have done a good job for Villa today.
Ridgewell must be one of those. In the Championship I think he and Clark *could be* tremendous.
Others we let go when they were ‘small’: Cahill (of course), Steve Davis, Craig Gardner.
Luke Moore could have been very good (scorer of a Prem hat-trick once with Villa).
Any others worth mentioning?
Daniel Johnson at Preston seen him play and looks the part at that level.
SWV
Well we went more direct vs chelski and looked even worse than usual if that is possible
I hope we don’t get Moyes at this point – imo we should only be concerned with coming straight back up
Pearson has a brilliant record with getting promoted – moyes hasn’t and his last two job were a disaster – so what to say he would get us straight up
Once we are back in the prem we can then look at a more long term manager
Just been reading the Bernstein interview and it looks as if the recruitment is not over yet, we are now looking for a Head of Football Operations to work on the football board. We have gone from one extreme to the other we now have two boards, a football board and the main club operating board, is this a case of too many chiefs and are we now paying a lot of suits a lot of money at a time when we should be cutting costs.
Yes we have always needed vital footballing knowledge on the board but this seems a slight overkill to say the least, I just hope too many employees further down the food chain don”t lose their jobs to compensate for all theses high salaries.
SWV
Runtingz- I noticed that, Its frightening how totally inept we are, even when trying to be direct we end up looking like a troop of clowns. Is it any wonder Remi took the cautious route with this lot?
I’m left wondering how much difference a keeper, centre half and a right-back would of made. That alone would of given us the platform to push up without fear of having our pants pulled down. Add a forward and Khazri and we would of had a chance IMO, a very good one. Gil was busy as usual but nobody to work with and ultimately to weak, at least jack added some impetuous and can keep the ball in tight areas. I really think they have dropped a clanger not backing and retaining Remi. The difference now between a major overhaul and some adjustments will have to be made.
I see the Forest fans are not so enamoured with GG this time around, got slated on the weekend. I think this article says it all as far as were we find ourselves if we grasp the nettle.
http://7500toholte.sbnation.com/2016/4/4/11349806/relegation-the-only-possibility-for-revival
SWV,
I don’t think we should really worry about the “two boards”.
Hollis is a self-admitted non-football man and he’s happy to let Bernstein move into direct confrontation with the club’s football issues rather than try to understand it himself at a practical level. That’s why, it seems, Bernstein and Little were appointed.
This enables the football people to just talk football matters, which is the main business of the club! I think!
So, no overkill, just a method of tackling a major issue. The football people then report back to the main board with their joint proposals having been well-considered. And if the board were to be wise, they’d listen to what is recommended. If they don’t, then we’ll probably be in worse trouble. We’ll find out.
Rather than call it a second board (it’s a confusing title), I think we should see it as being a specialist committee. It’s a method that’s been in use for a long, long time in many many large organisations.
Mark,
I for one have long been a bit worried about Gardner. He shows talent in some parts of his play but reminds me a lot of the 60s phenomenon Jim Baxter – all skill but not enough beef.
So glad I did not go on Saturday, and suffer the humiliation of the worst Villa performance in the Premiership.
This club really has become the total pits. Black was a t a compete loss.
I cannot see many, if any, fans renewing their season ticket to watch anymore of this joke outfit.
I cannot bring myself to even want to discuss any future…..no manger, without complete and major backing will be able to turn this once great club around, and attract sufficient fans back, to make it a worthwhile project.
James Gill, I was there that night, was it the Burlington Hotel?, have my pictures and a faded Tommy Johnson signature on my AST away kit.
I’ve changed my opinion and would now welcome Pearson over Moyes, I don’t think Pearson gives second chances and that would sort us out in terms of ensuring everyone’s agreed failures don’t get near the first team again.
The problem is they have no value and will be difficult to shift on to unsuspecting teams. Plus and the bigger problem that, as is very likely Lerner remains owner then the lack of investment will put off any manager (we’d accept) as they deserve to build their own team and their hands would be tied by either inexperienced kids or the players that are the very reason we will be relegated.
I don’t think I could stomach some fighting talk from Lescott, Flabby or Richards at the beginning of next season.
FOL