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Posted by: Pilchard
on Monday, July 19, 2010 - 08:38 PM
There's an interesting discussion on the message board about excitment levels as we go into the new season. It struck a chord with me, because it's something that I've been pondering for a while. Here's my thoughts.
Regarding the excitement with the amount of players in/out then it's just the same as any other season - so personally having become tired of the way that our transfer 'activity' is played out last year, it's not so much a problem to me now as I've become used to it. No doubt a 'lack of pre-season' will be the excuse should players who eventually come in not perform well - as Stewart Downing was last year - but I'd have suggested buying someone who could actually play before November and in time for pre-season training to stop issues like that happening. We didn't have our squad ready last year, and were dumped out of the UEFA Cup and lost at home against Wigan because of it. You'd hope that they've learnt this year, and even the players seem to be joking about it, looking at Petrov's comments on the Official Site recently.
For me, I just can't see us ever bettering what we have achieved in the past few years. It feels that whenever we get to a certain stage, fate intervenes. If it's not the referee screwing things up for us (Final, Semi-Final last year), then we'll do it ourselves (selling best players two years running, failing to give players rests when needed etc).
I want AVFC to be successful; as I'm sure we all do here. And I just can't see that happening. I wouldn't want us to be owned by anyone else, and I can't think of anyone else I'd want to manage the current squad that is at the club. But I can't see the current set up being successful.
The real blow for me is Milner leaving. I can accept letting your best player leave because he wants to go once every now and then. But for it to happen a year later? No club who is going to be successful will do that. The football we played last year was a step back from the previous years and became dull to watch. I couldn't care less about dull football if we are winning games, but the annual March drop has gone beyond being a funny little statistic now and into the realms of 'clearly there is something wrong' with the preparation of players and I can't imagine anything other than it happening again.
I’ve also got a strange problem in that I look at the players and ‘like’ very few at them. I don’t mean I hate them for those who see everything as black or white – but just wouldn’t care if they stayed at the club or not. There's very few there that I could actually get excited about watching or seeing play as too many of them have annoying quirks. I don't understand the hero worship of Richard Dunne, who seems to make a massive mistake every game which will occasionally really cost us such as the Liverpool or Cup Final games. I can't stand watching players struggle while getting played out of position when there are able players who can play in the position required. Ashley Young is a one of the few players at the club who can genuinely get me excited and yet that holding his shin thing is so frustrating. Gabby is another one - but the amount of one-on-ones he misses makes his speed - the best part of his game - virtually useless - when he goes through in those situations you'd be making the goalkeeper favourite which really shouldn't be the case.
And the players linked to the club are hardly inspiring. A 30 year old journey man striker who like others at the club looks at doing other things up front rather than scoring goals? Stephen Ireland is someone who might be an interesting one – but that’s as exciting as a Martin O’Neill signing seems to be these days – and even he had a poor season last year and comes with ‘baggage’. He spends an awful lot of money does Martin, but it does feel that he could get better value if he looked away from the group of players – I’m sure he could have got better value for money on the £20million he spent on Downing and Davies.
Having said that, last season did bring some of the most exciting, smile bringing games that we've had at Villa for some years. The Chelsea victory at home, beating Liverpool and Manchester United at their own place, the 6-4 Cup win, the final (which would have been much, much closer had the referee kept to the rules of the game). I didn't bother going to the semi final as I knew what would happen - I even predicted another referee howler - but I imagine those that went would have enjoyed it.
So there is hope, and I'd be lying if I didn't admit to thinking about perhaps sneaking down the motorway to watch the reserves against Basingstoke. But I've got to be strong. I've not bothered with a season ticket this year - I'll pick and choose my games - it's not as if tickets are hard to buy at Villa.
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder - perhaps that'll be the case here.
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