Boris: Enough Is Enough

by Boris 

The first blog from our new contributor: "Boris"

After the constant rewinding and reminding of Sunday’s Villa game on telly and radio, I’ve been slowly stewing over the last 6 hours to a point where I feel the need, for the first time in my life, to get something down on page. 

Having not witnessed it first hand or even watched it on telly (Defence mechanism…oh, and wife’s birthday! ), I couldn't help but follow proceedings through snippets on Talk Sport and Facebook Twitter feeds.  Unfortunately, this alternative course of action didn't help my state of mind  as hearing phrases like ‘..it’s a shambles…’ just reaffirmed my initial fears and, so, it was finally time to stop bottling up the disgust, anxiety and basic nausea which has been gestating in my stomach for the past couple of seasons and let it out!!   

Enough is enough!

As a lifelong Aston Villa fan, I’ll have to admit that I've probably experienced more lows than I have highs in my football supporting career and that’s something I accept.  It’s one of the reasons why I love my club.  The satisfaction you get by winning away from home could never be matched by that of a… say…Chelsea fan, unless they happen the win the FA Cup or something similar.  I also love the fact that, as a club, we are always thought of very highly by other fans, especially those who come to visit Birmingham on match days and who I regularly chat to outside the Old Royal in town.  These are supporters who are genuinely fond of coming to Villa Park each season.  (Well, you can understand why over the last few!) 

However, through all the ups and downs, the trials and tribulations, the Bosko Balabans and Ulises de la Cruz’s, I can honestly say that I've never felt so angry, embarrassed and helpless , as a supporter, than I do at this very moment.  Personally, I feel that our current crisis boils down to three basic home truths; the owner doesn’t seem to want to do anything about it, the manager doesn't seem to be able to do anything about it and the players don’t seem to have the motivation to do anything about it.  Someone has got to do something… anything!!!!

For the last 3 or 4 months, I've read and listened to all sorts of people stating who they think is at fault.  Pundits, fans, journalists, fans, ex-players, fans, ex-managers, fans and finally fans!  And to whom do I feel the Villa’s ownership and management teams currently seek advice from, definitely not the most vocal, passionate and important groups of people, that’s for certain?  But then football fans stopped being listened to years ago, around the same that Sky Sports and the Premier League took over football in this country but that’s a discussion for another time. 

‘The owner is the problem…no, it’s the manager…the players need to take some of the blame…’  Wherever a fan may think the problem lies, the shape of the argument is obvious, that of a circle and an extremely vicious one at that!

The owner has lost interest, even if Mr Fox claims otherwise and so he’s stopped pumping his money into the club and is trying to sell up.  That’s his choice and we have to accept it.  He took the wrong advice and had his fingers and wallet well and truly burned.   As a marginally level headed football fan, even I knew that, unless you’re a multi-billionaire, you need to regenerate a professional football club slowly and gradually.  Unfortunately, he allowed managers to buy players as if they were reliving their childhood at the local cinema’s Pick ‘n’ Mix.  But now we are at the clearest ‘turning point’ in the clubs recent history where I feel he needs to make a vital decision, one that he obviously doesn't want to.  The decision he made 4 games into the season has obviously have had a major effect on this.

I don’t dislike the manager.  I don’t boo at games, slate him on social media and, to be honest, have been more critical of previous managers more often than I have of Paul Lambert.  Why?  I actually feel sorry for him.  Not because, he has had to slash the wage bill and has received little transfer funds this season.  All in all, he’s received plenty of money during his tenure compared to other teams in an around our current league position.  Crystal Palace, West Bromwich Albion and the newly promoted Burnley would be very jealous of the money which Lambert has spent (£22 million, £22 million and £9 million…approximately).  My sorrow emanates from the basic fact that Lambert doesn’t seem to be able to coach the tactics and style of play which will take us out of this position and push the team up the table.  Basically, it doesn't look like he’s good enough.    

He arrived at Villa Park with the initial plan of playing counter attacking football, something which eventually paid dividends in the second half of his first season.  Hopes were high going into his second season but just as other league teams figured out Stoke City’s tactics (pre Mark Hughes), they similarly adjusted their play to counter Villa’s insistence on hitting on the break.  The result being that teams of a similar level allowed us to keep possession and the realisation started to set in that we couldn't play a creative, expansive and pressurising  style of football. 

At this point, it seemed Lambert realised what the problem was and tried to remedy it by bringing in players to overcome the difficulties he and therefore the team were having.  Tom Cleverly didn't work.  Charles N’Zogbia would take a long time to rediscover any type of form, time we didn't have.  To further remedy this, Lambert went to see his mate Pep and watch a giant of European football train, Bayern Munich.  The result being a greater deal of possession and little else, well nothing else!

At this point, I’m sure I could start discussing his team selections and formations in more detail but I think I’d upset myself even more.  Mr Lambert’s best signing could have been in the form of a attack minded number two, not a defensive midfielder who has struggled at every club he’s been at (In a coaching capacity that is!).  I feel this was Lambert’s best chance of salvation.  Alas, no, and I’m afraid it’s time to do the honourable thing and admit that your coaching skills and ability don’t match the ability of the players currently on the payroll.  Allow someone else to come in and breathe new life, any life into the players, who, on paper, I feel are easily good enough to finish in mid table. 

I realise the following phrase may not reflect the athleticism of several of our players at present, but I feel ‘they’re all over the place’ at the moment, quite literally.  We have 2 full backs who have been asked to single-handedly terrorize the wings when, deep down, they know ‘I’m no Ryan Giggs!’.  It’s a real pity as, I feel, we finally have two steady and sound players in Hutton and Cissoko who have tightened up the defence and are relatively comfortable on the ball.  What these two are required to do then has a knock on effect on the rest of the team; neither of the 2 deeper midfielders dare wander up the park and make themselves available just in case we lose the ball in wide positions.  

I could go on but I don’t need to as I’m sure other fans already know the deficiencies of some of other players at present.  How do they know?  Because football fans do have footballing intelligence which, as usual, is ignored.   And I’m sure all Villa fans, regardless of player preferences, will admit that the current players are good enough to ensure safety for Aston Villa.

So where do we start?  Do the players have to kick start themselves?  Do we need a lucky break?  Does the owner have to sell up?  Does the owner have to sack the manager?  Does the manager have to resign?  Again, this circle is vicious and I honestly don’t know where the chain reaction is going to start within the club.

Going back to my initial statement; someone has got to do something!  It’s easy for non-season ticket fans to call on supporters to boycott the club.  That’s not going to happen.  These people work hard to earn the cash to buy tickets and they have every right to watch the whole game.  However, I did understand and admired the idea of the 8 minute boycott of the Liverpool game. 

It was interesting and somewhat exhilarating to see the response of many fans towards this campaign which in my opinion was perfect!  They boycotted the boycott.  To me, it was a victory for the fans.  The fans aren’t happy but the fans will stand by and support our club.  It was important to not allow the club to make excuses due to spectator discontent and this was a chance the supporters were giving them.  It was now up to the club to take the chance and show the supporters they are determined to make things right.  Don’t get me wrong, in no way am I criticizing the initial idea, far from it!  You can’t knock fans who want to make a stand and, unfortunately, it might be the only tool that can be used to ignite some change before it’s too late.

I’m not here to say what that ‘stand’ or ‘message’ might be?  Another 8 minute boycott at the start of the game could work this time as fan disillusionment gains momentum.  An 8 minute boycott at the end definitely wouldn't as many people have already and understandably trooped down the pub or caught the early train.

  

Banners apparently don’t help the ‘players’, experts and pundits tell us.  Could it be a complete boycott on the purchase of programmes or half time refreshments instead?  Although that wouldn't be much of a problem for me as the standard of beer in the Doug Ellis is pitiful.   Whatever the stand fans make, I feel someone, somewhere has to do something.  My inner demons keep saying relegation might help kick start the club but, in all honestly, I don’t won’t to go down that route.  The Championship scares the living daylights out of me!  But someone has got to act and act now before it’s too late.  And there’s only one element of the club can do it!  Fans, it’s over to you…      

BORIS

SEASON TICKET HOLDER

FIRST VILLA GAME: Aston Villa vs Manchester City, 1986, terrible 0-0 draw and fighting in the Trinity Road.  Very memorable!