Ahead of the visit to Selhurst Park for Aston Villa this midweek, we spoke to David from fan group My Old Man Said to find out more about their season so far. We thank David for taking the time to chat with us.
Q. Every fan has hopes and dreams ahead of a new season. What were yours for Aston Villa before the season started?
In recent seasons Villa fans have had to put up with some pretty tedious football, so the first hope was to see a more entertaining brand of football. Still waiting, but there has been slight progress in the last three games. Also, after Paul Lambert had equaled the record amount of home losses in his first season with nine and then broke it with ten in his second season, better home results at Villa Park was a must. Still waiting for that to happen too.
Overall, the hope for the season was a return to our rightful place in the top half of the table and a decent cup run. Unfortunately, Lambert is the master of getting Villa knocked out by lower league opposition.
Q. Are you happy with the squad that Paul Lambert has assembled for this season?
On paper we have some decent players – Benteke, Okore, Delph, Vlaar, N’Zogbia, Cleverley and Sanchez for starters. However, there has been a problem in terms of injuries and also in the mentality of how they are set up to play.
In Lambert’s first season, a trip to Anfield saw some dazzling forward play and a 3-1 result in our favour. We demolished Liverpool. In the games that followed Villa returned to a stagnant defensive approach that relied heavily on the counter-attack. For some reason the only place we actually play to the kind of level that most supporters would be happy with is at Anfield (two wins and a draw, and we were 2-0 up in that game until Suarez dived).
Q. A lot has been said of Lambert’s position at the club. What is the general feeling around Villa Park? Is a change of manager the popular option?
If Lambert is to continue as boss, then the club will probably have to be moved to Liverpool for home games. Supporters have finally given up on him and a Palace win could be the final death blow. If Villa do not win then they will be winless in ten games. The following home game against Leicester City could turn nasty for Lambert, if the Palace game does not go well.
Q. With news that Palace could be on the verge of being taken over by a wealthy American owner, how has Randy Lerner done since he took over at Villa?
Overall, Lerner has been very green when it comes to running a football club. First of all, he allowed Martin O’Neill to spend fairly freely in the pursuit of a Champion’s League place. Some fans see the resulting three consecutive sixth places as a success, but the objective was Champions League qualification and failure to meet that left the club with a chronic wage bill and a manager who had hit a glass ceiling.
Our best players left to seek their ambition elsewhere, while the transfer fees for them were not reinvested into the team, but merely used to tackle the wage bill. As a result of the failed Champions League push, Lerner then closed the purse strings, made the ill-judged appointment of Alex Mcleish (if you need an example of how out-of-touch American owners can be!) and has lacked any real direction or ambition since.
He has put the club up for sale and a lot of Villans would be happy for him to sell-up and move on, as we cannot keep suffering like we have been doing in the past four years.
Q. Much has been said of the ticket prices and the fact that those that support the game are not considered when games are moved for television. As a fan, what is your view and how can football be made affordable again?
Well, the simple fact that the increase in the overseas television revenue this season means that any Premier League club could have let every fan in for free this season and be no better off than last season, says it all. The inflation on tickets since the nineties has been bordering on ridiculous. Supporters have been increasingly seen as a captive market that is there to be rinsed left, right and centre.
From being increasingly apathetic about the game that is now a business before it is a sport, I went the other way and set up My Old Man Said and got involved in fighting and raising awareness of supporter issues. Football supporters as a group are greatly patronised by both the media and the parasitical industries that attach themselves to football. If prices do not come down and no respect is shown, then people will turn their backs on the game.
Q. As an outsider looking in, perhaps you could share with us your views on the situation Palace found themselves in at the start of the season and how you think we will do?
Well, if there was any supporters that could emphasis with Palace fans it was Villa fans, as Martin O’Neill pulled exactly the same trick on Villa as Tony Pulls did by walking out with days to go to the start of the season. To me, part of my love of football died on that day.
O’Neill, despite having a ton of cash to spend and yet only offering up a functional style of play, had made Villa a respected outfit and operating at the level where they should be. But his diva walkout routine (although Lerner is not entirely blameless) was very disrespectful to the fans. If you did not realise it already, that was the day you knew there was no loyalty in this game.
I have to admit, I know nothing about Palace’s prospective buyers, so I do not know about the scope of potential investment. Unfortunately, with the way the league is, all Palace can ever hope for is to be mid-table and have a decent cup run. With your excellent home support and the spirit that seems to be there in the current team, that is obviously possible this season.
On an aside, Villa have done Palace a favour this season when it comes to your rivalry with Brighton. Since loaning them three Villa players, they have slipped into the bottom three of the Championship. I do not think it is a coincidence!
Q. Which Villa players do you think will cause Palace the most problems?
It is bad timing for you guys but Christian Benteke is back. He was showing signs of being up to speed against Spurs before being sent off after a Spurs player had stuck his head in his face. He has had a couple of international matches to further improve his sharpness, so hopefully he will make an impression Tuesday night.
Q. Who do you consider a threat from the Palace line up?
I think Dwight Gayle is injured for the Villa game after going off against Swansea but with more consistency, he could be a regular match winner for Palace. I think perhaps Mile Jedinak is the essence of the Palace team at the moment and makes them hard to beat. Certainly Villa could do with a man like him in the midfield. One other threat comes from Hangeland. If Villa are a goal ahead with ten minutes to go, it is worth putting some cash on him popping up and scoring a header from a set-piece. It would not be the first time he has done it against Villa.
Q. Your prediction?
Villa have improved in recent games and have tended to perform well in the first half or even first hour of games before conspiring to throw the three points away. Failing to win at Selhurst Park will see the pressure on Lambert reach fever pitch, so knowing Villa they will probably win and the suffering will carry on. My prediction though would be a 1-1 draw.
Q. Tell us a little about your group and anything that you wish to share or promote.
The site/group set up as a direct result of the club considering Alex McLeish as a potential Villa boss despite Villa supporter outrage at the idea. At the end of the season to remind the club what its supporters had felt about the McLeish appointment, we took out an advert in the Birmingham Mail with the message of ‘WE TOLD YOU SO’ to show that supporters do know a thing or to about the business of football. Since then, we have been to Parliament, Wembley and the Premier League offices representing Villa fans on supporter issues.
Essentially we cover Villa from a supporters angle rather than being a website about Villa and rehashing stuff from the official website or local media like a lot of fan sites tend to do. My Old Man Said (MOMS) won Best New Football Blog in 2012 and Best Established Football Blog in 2014 at the National Football Blog Awards.
Website – oldmansaid.com
Twitter – @oldmansaid
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