OPINION
There is nothing more to be said about Aston Villa’s start to the Championship campaign than that it has been bang average and everyone will be hoping for more if they are to mount a push for the top six.
The Villans have been held to too many draws – four in total – in their opening seven games, which has left them sitting slap bang in the middle of the division in 12th, five points adrift from an unbeaten Leeds side.
After the struggles of summer, there was plenty of hope coming into the new season courtesy of the new owners and signings, but that ambition must be starting to evaporate as the club realise they are not as good as they expected to be.
So what, or who, is to blame for this disappointment?
Well, senior star Conor Hourihane has used the club’s play off heartbreak at the end of the last campaign as an excuse for their sluggish start, but the Villa fans should be raging at the thought he is even suggesting that is a reason.
Speaking to the Express and Star, he said: “The play-off final was hugely disappointing. It might take a bit of time to get going after that.
“A lot of the players are still here. It’s not easy. We have seen teams in the past who have lost play-off finals and start slowly.
“We have not started as quickly as we would have wanted but we have not been as slow as some. It’s about finding the right balance.”
As much of a mental blow it might have been, the play off defeat should have only inspired those who were part of the squad to make a fast start to avoid the same mistakes, not get hung up over it and let it affect the current campaign.
Whether this is a mental strength issue or perhaps a management concern involving Steve Bruce, only the players know, but quite frankly it is no excuse to pardon their poor start to the campaign.
Hourihane and his teammates need to get over it and focus on what lies ahead – otherwise, by the time they are ready to push on, it could already be too late.