It was touched upon by Tim Sherwood at the end of last season and it has been mentioned again in the media more recently – Aston Villa is a big club acting small. And it has been for decades.
Years of relegation battles, false hopes, broken promises and dire football have taken its toll on this once proud fan base. Sherwood was right when he said the whole mentality of the club needed to change. The summer exodus of former first-teamers like Darren Bent and Andreas Weimann suggests he has already started to implement his long-term vision on the playing side of things.
Both the supporters and wider management structure have a part to play too.
Following the departures of Fabian Delph and Christian Benteke, Villa’s number two Ray Wilkins delivered a downbeat interview admitting just how hard it will be to replace the big Belgian striker.
“To replace 20 goals is very hard graft,” he said. “With Christian, I think he scored 42 per cent of our goals last year in the Premier League so it’s very difficult to find those players.”
Was he just being realistic? Refreshingly honest? Or was it an attempt to buy the management more time with the fans? Perhaps it was all of those things, but there was also a negative undertone to that interview which was unhelpful and unnecessary. It reminded me of a club feeling sorry for itself and making excuses before a ball has even been kicked. It reminded me of how the club has become its own worst enemy.
Admittedly, in Delph, Benteke and Vlaar the spine of the first-team has essentially been ripped straight out. And there’s no doubting Benteke in particular has brilliant quality. He will go on and be a big success at Liverpool. But isn’t this the same spine which has struggled for the past three seasons? Isn’t this the same spine which failed to turn up in the FA Cup Final?
There’s no denying that Benteke’s goals will be hard to replace. However, it must be remembered that when he joined Aston Villa from KRC Genk in 2012, most supporters headed straight to YouTube to view his three-minute highlights clip. He was largely an unknown quantity. Is it unthinkable that Villa can find another player who will flourish in the Premier League? Think Michu at Swansea, Pelle at Southampton or Ulloa at Leicester. Christian Benteke is not the first overseas ‘gem’ and he won’t be the last.
Villa is often labelled a ‘selling club’ but in reality unless your club is in the top four every team is vulnerable to losing its best players. Southampton had their entire first-team poached 12 months ago and went on to have an excellent season.
Sherwood has signed players this summer of real quality and with a point to prove in Micah Richards and Scott Sinclair. The first is a Brummie and the latter is now settled in the Midlands, the perfect environment you would think for them to show their full potential. There are also the signings of Jordan Amavi and Idrissa Gueye who were being monitored by top European teams before opting for the second city. Take into account the seemingly back-in-favour Carles Gill and Libor Kozak who has returned from a long-term injury and the situation doesn’t appear all doom and gloom.
The spending is not done either with Villa still in the market for at least one more forward player following the capture of Ghanaian striker Jordan Ayew, as well as a creative midfielder.
Many understand the logic behind under-promising and then over-delivering. But for too long Aston Villa has looked down on itself, made excuses and appeared to be swimming against the tide. There are a lot of average sides in the Premier League (outside of the top eight) and if the new signings settle straight away and the team grows in confidence, there is no reason Villa can’t surprise the doubters which have them odds on to be relegated next May.
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Sherwood was right to talk about this ‘losing mentality’ and everyone at the football club – from the tea lady to Randy Lerner – should reflect on this. Villa needs winners and it needs positivity.
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You have written last year’s story David, and last year it would all have been on the nail. This year has seen a drastic change, and this summer is seeing a revolution. Vive la revolution. Vive le Villa.