‘Five Reasons’ comes a little later in the week than normal mainly due to focus being on the appointment of Rémi Garde all week. Also, it’s hard to write this column after a 9th loss in 11 games. By getting beat by Spurs, Villa chalked up their worst league start in their 141-year history. Terrible stuff, a bit like Kevin MacDonald’s line-up for the game.
Hopefully a new dawn will now commence under Garde, one of logical team selections to give Villa a better chance of points. While we wait to see what happens in Garde’s first game in charge and beyond, here’s five reasons to be cheerful as Aston Villa fans.
All Out
Sherwood’s gone. MacDonald’s gone. Garde’s in. Chances of survival have probably increased. A major positive is I also don’t think Garde would have taken the job unless he thought that the current squad had decent quality within it and they had a chance to save themselves. It’s probably the best sign we’ve had that the new players brought in during the summer are exactly any good, since the previous managers haven’t really given them a fair run to show what they’ve got.
2. Sick Bay’s Clear
The club’s midweek training pics have shown all the AWOL players like Veretout, Traore, Okore and Gardner training. This week we’ve even seen video footage of Libor Kozak at Bodymour Heath. Garde gets to chose from a full deck. It should be interesting.
3 Gallic Cool
The pantomime passion of Tim Sherwood has been replaced by the cool restraint of Garde. Of course, the proof of his credentials will come in the performances and results, but I prefer having someone at the helm who is a bit more calculating and measured, rather than someone just running on gut emotion. Lets hope the players respond to the style of their new boss.
4. Let Them Play
In the last Five Reasons we highlighted Gana and Ayew as two of the brighter sparks of the performance against Swansea, but for whatever reason, MacDonald never started them after Sherwood was sacked. His excuse that Gana was ‘tired’ even after being in the mid-week cup game, doesn’t seem legit. With only Lescott starting, MacDonald didn’t fancy any other of the new summer recruits, which was a massive step in the wrong direction of trying to reverse the team’s fortunes.
5 Genuine Reasons
If Garde can get Villa’s act together then this column may finally have some genuine reasons for Villa supporters to feel cheerful for a change. It’s challenge and a laugh to keep trying to serve up some positive reasons, after every defeat, whether they are satirical or not, but Villa’s overall situation has long gone past being a joke.
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personally i saw positives in both of macdonalds games and also todays despite the obvious failings
its clear we have a team of players who are comfortable on the ball,,, but we are lacking up front
and continue to select the wrong pass or dwell too long on the ball etc etc etc
i just hope we can find someone at the club who can get the ball in the back of the net
Baptism of fire! Villa have nothing to lose by going for it. In no way are the expected to achieve anything. He might as well pick a creative line up. Play defensive, and we’ll still lose. Lets see what the likes of Traore, Gil, Grealish, Amavi, Ayew and Gana can do, all on together for at least an hour. Give us something to watch!
Bring on The Roast of Fabian Delph.