We’ll go into how supporters have been betrayed by the club and Fabian Delph’s big loyalty roadshow back in January later, but lets look at the latest shambles – the kit launch promotion.
Last night, after social media blew up with the news that Fabian Delph was off to Manchester City, Delph (and Christian Benteke) vanished from the kit promotion images the club was using on its social media headers, leaving a 19-year-old who’s made seven starts for the club to front the campaign.
The photography for the new kit was actually done over a week before the FA Cup final, so the likes of Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph would have all obviously have had to participate.
In terms of Delph, if you’ve got a £8 million release clause in your contract, it essentially means you’ll be long gone before the 2015/16 season began. All top four teams would pay that to gain a decent squad player and all could at least double the player’s wages, so the chances of Delph putting on a Villa shirt this season were practically nil.
So to use him to front up a campaign doing the ‘big captain’ pose was just setting the club up for a fall. Delph had been presented to fans as the epitome of loyalty in an attempt to close the increasing divide between supporters and players. To do that, when Delph was standing on such thin ice in terms of his actual commitment to the club, was outrageous and nothing more than an insult to supporters.
While it hurt supporters when Gareth Barry and James Milner previously followed the money trail up to Manchester City, they never did it after a big PR presentation of them affirming their ‘loyalty’ to the club and fans.
The club using Sherwood’s words ‘This is a Big Club’ in the kit launch promo material, now presents nothing more than a hollow message. If the untried Sherwood turns out to be a good manager and has at decent success at Villa, he will soon be inching to leave a club run with such a small time charlie attitude. Without two of Villa’s best players leaving though, such success is very unlikely.
In terms of the ever-increasingly priced replica kit, while we can’t tell you not to buy a new shirt, the time has certainly come for supporters to stop getting players names on the back of their shirts.
Loyalty doesn’t exist anymore, the only people in football that are loyal are supporters. So, if you want a name on the back of your shirt, you’re best putting your own on it.
UTV
Follow MOMS on Twitter – @myoldmansaid
can we please stop panicking and wait till we get a signing taking place? Nothing is official till its in black and white and the game is not over till the final whistle, fit your own clichés to the fact that the only things that matter are facts.
As he did not go to Portugal and has apparently vanished from the web site something was up.
But its not over till the fat lady sings or the cliché fits the situation. Here’s one to remember, from Graham Taylor. “There are always politics at Villa Park”.
I have said before on this website, you need the skills of a Kremlinologist to support Aston Villa. Fabian Delph’s U Turn is not on the scale of the Molotov Ribbentrop pact, but the same rule applies. When the deal is signed the decision is made.
React when its made and not before. This is Aston Villa. Its not a rational or logical operation
trevor fisher
Oooopppps got this one wrong , Delph is loyal and staying ! shouldn’t listen to these media muppets making stories to sell. He wouldn’t of done the speech to the fan saying all that if he was going to leave , he’s our captain and leads by example! UTV
He’d actually informed the club he was off, according to all reports and our conversations. A big U-turn apparently happened.
Think the barb at The Gabs is a bit harsh too – he had his chances to do one under O Neill. Would hope that Grealish and Gardner follow his example.
How much are Al-City really paying for Delph. And to whom…..
To be fair its unkind the jab at gabby, he gas always said he wants to stay…. Has always signed contracts. Regardless of our opinion of his ability ( I love the bloke, name on the back of this seasons strip) the man plays his heart, including a decent spell as a left winger!!.
He has never in any way indicated that he would leave, ‘even if he scored more goals’ he is infect the epitome of a club man.
Talking straight-up, i think Gabby is at his limit at Villa. He’s never been in the position of Milner, Barry, Young, Benteke, Delph with potential suitors wanting him. Any club that was interested in him was never better than Villa and so it was pointless for him to join them. I don’t have a problem with him and he offers the squad something different. My only issue with him is he doesn’t score enough goals, and that’s a fact, rather than opinion. UTV
I still can’t believe he’s off. It’s not him, just the principle. After all the PR, it just seems this is paper sh*te. I’m getting ever p*ssed off with football and what it represents. Keep the faith!! UTV
Benteke is still on there (the official site) flashing up after Clarke but Delph has indeed disappeared. It’s really not the end of the world if he goes, we’ve had players go before and The Villa are still around…..granted, by the skin of our teeth. Not that I don’t understand the frustration of fans who fork out hard earned money week in week out to support the club and who have had a carrot dangled in front of them only for it to be snatched away.
I can’t decide if Delph actually meant what he said 6 months ago and it’s just a change of circumstances that have led to his potential departure (let’s not forget, he hasn’t actually gone anywhere yet) or if it was just clever wording on the part of the clubs publicity. Maybe it was a decision made by the manager and the player……maybe Sherwood wanted Gueye in but had to offload first. Perhaps he’s seen something in him that makes him a better fit for Villa and he doesn’t really need Delph as much as he did…….who knows? Until we hear something official then it’s all speculation and conjecture………..but irritating and frustrating all the same.
Hers to a great new season with whoever pulls on the shirt. UTV.
I refer to my ‘nothing official yet’…………just wait and see. UTV