Up until Tuesday afternoon my article would be concentrating on where Jermaine Jenas would fit into the villa midfield upon his return from injury. However the realisation that a league cup game against a struggling Bolton could add some much needed optimism to quite a gloomy piece, I put my pen on ice and sat down to watch to game. Back to the drawing board I went.
For the first time since purchasing Aston Villa, Randy Lerner faces serious questions from the fans. The appointment of monsieur Houllier raised eyebrows amongst the fans. The arrival of Alex McLeish raised poorly drawn on bed sheets. However ever the optimists (hmmm) McLeish was given the benefit of the doubt whilst we sat back and held our collective breathe hoping the negative style adopted at our blue neighbours was left at the gates of St.Andrews.
The boo’s at the final whistle last night demonstrated that for some, the McLeish honeymoon period is very much over. (Can you call it a honeymoon period if the manager wasn’t wanted in the first place? Imagine being forced the marry Susan Boyle and giving her until the end of the honeymoon to convince you she was the one for you. Anyway I digress.) Despite not being the worst start to the season in terms of results, it’s the quality of football that is most pressing. The thought of a season filled with tedious football, disappointing result and ultimately a mediocre mid-table finish in the league does nothing to set the pulse racing.
I feel more inclined to blame Randy Lerner for this sense of dread rather then the manager. McLeish is playing the football that he knows and is aware he cannot afford to loose any games in fear of a fan backlash resulting in defensive play. We were at a crossroads the summer with the debacle of Houlliers tenure at the club still fresh in the memory and in my opinion still left unsettled by the surprise exit of Martin O’Neill. It was up to Lerner to appoint a manager that would relight the fire and again capture the imagination of the fans. The arrival of McLeish only left fans imagining relegation.
Believe me, writing these things about the chairman hurts as I can still remember the excitement I felt when he brought the club back in 2006. That sort of excitement needs to be brought back to the club. Things have certainly gone stale down at Villa Park.
We’ve been treated to an exhilarating start to the league this season and seeing villa fall behind in the race for fourth (yes that’s right, not so long ago we were favourites for 4th and Man City fans could only dream of being title contenders) is a hard pill to swallow. Back then we were described as a sleeping giant awakening from its slumber. However presently that giant is sipping Horlicks and getting comfortable for another stint in the land of nod.
Written by Tim ‘Knee-jerk reaction’ Baughan.
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