Hi General.
I have been going to Villa Park since 1989 when my dad took me aged 7 to see Villa vs. Wimbledon. I have possessed a season ticket since 1995.
I know a few things for sure.
A lot of Villa fans are moaning idiots (not the majority). I think it is in our nature as Brummies’ and Yam Yam's. My dad gets so wound up with them at games. However we have had so much to moan about over the years we are used to it. The real supporters are the ones who support the team no matter what. I just wish all inside Villa Park had that attitude all the time, I know it would help the team.
Martin O’Neil was given funds and he wasted them. He then dropped us in the mire when he quit on the eve of the 2010/2011 campaign.
Gerard, Gordon and Gary (The 3 G's) are clearing up that mire, infusing a new philosophy but encountering appalling bad luck in the process. No preseason, a squad not big enough to cope with the injuries and dare I say not even good enough given the money invested. The manager has not had signings of his own. We have some quality players but we should have better with all the money Martin wasted. However he did make a tidy profit on Milner. Ashley also could bring a fair amount of profit which brings me onto my next point.
You need to get Ashley Young to sign a deal. He works hard in every game. Winds the opponents up and never gives up.
Villa Park over the last 4 years has become a beautiful world class venue, recapturing some of the elegance lost when the 1920 Trinity was destroyed. The Holte pub, Holte suite and Trinity road suites are stunning. I can just imagine in 10 years’ time from now how even more beautiful the stadium will become. It is a shame we will not be a world cup venue in 2018.
The young players are looking very good with Albrighton and Clarke the pick of the bunch. Bannan when played in the middle looks unstoppable. I am also happy the better Gardner has signed up for the next 3 ½ years.
I believe you have chosen the correct manger to take us forward. He is someone who has been there and done it in the premier league. He needs time but performances have been good. I think he comes across well and seems an incredibly nice man.
I trust Randy and the board and I am thankful for the last four years. Its probably wrong of me to say but Paul Falkner seems a little odd to me though! Overall the Martin O’Neil era was fantastic, there were mistakes but I felt he had taken us as far as possible and everyone knew it but we had some great times. AVFC were back on the map.
I feel now we will progress with this regime. A few wins and we will be back up there. A few years and we will have some silver ware.
It’s easy to be a villa fan when things are good but when things are bad life seems a little unforgiving! It’s only a game but I love Villa. I haven’t stopped thinking about the poor recent results so I had to write this letter to get some perspective back.
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