OPINION
Every week Conor Hourihane pulls on an Aston Villa shirt, and every week their supporters must wonder why he bothers. The Irishman has a wand of a left foot, and on his day can be a fine creative spark for the Villans, but in recent times he has looked atrocious. In fairness to the midfielder, he has been asked to operate in a deeper role than he might usually be expected to, but that doesn’t excuse the basic things that he repeatedly gets wrong. Against Sheffield United on Friday evening for instance, he looked lax in possession and a real liability out of it, giving away numerous unnecessary fouls. Everybody has their off days, but at the moment, Hourihane is having one every week, and it must be getting to a point where Dean Smith pulls the plug on his time in the heart of midfield. Perhaps he could offer something decent elsewhere on the pitch – in a more advanced role maybe – but he cannot keep putting in those kinds of performances and expect to keep his starting berth. Smith will have to draw the line soon before it’s too late to make a decent go of a promotion push.
This is Futbol have gathered some of the best tweets below:
Whenever Hourihane plays we effectively are playing with 10 men. Anonymous
— Dante' Ingerus (@Ingy1976) February 8, 2019
https://twitter.com/VillaFansUnited/status/1093966019721334786
We have been utterly atrocious!! Timid, immobile, Hourihane a passenger. Again.
— Will Davies (@wilsterdavies1) February 8, 2019
Hourihane & Jedinak like statues in midfield. United midfield running rings around them. #AVFC
— ?? Adam Clarke ?? (@AdamClarke501) February 8, 2019
Hourihane = Lazy. ? #avfc #utv
— B6 ????????? (@B6_Dave) February 8, 2019
Is Hourihane on the pitch?
— The stands of Villa Park (@Thestandsofvp) February 8, 2019
Hourihane is lucky we don't have any other fit Midfielders he's rubbish
— Andy Greene ? (@Greeneythegr8) February 8, 2019