Played 13, won 1, drawn 2, lost 10. Aston Villa have made a shocking start to the season. After flapping around like a headless chicken, the club have suddenly wandered into a seemingly fatal looking fox trap.
Relegation has been clearly signposted for Aston Villa for the past few seasons, the club’s previous main asset on the pitch, Christian Benteke pretty much saved them single-handedly. The Lerner administration thought a thrifty policy could keep them a float while he looked to sell, when if they build a proper team around Benteke with shrewd purchases of better quality (for example, why not buy one decent left-back earlier, rather than four sub-standard ones ala Stevens, Bennett, Cissokho and Richardson).
MOMS has already stated that there was not enough net spend in the summer to make the squad better. Not only did Villa sell it’s best players, but also it stripped away the spine of the team and also lost the only on-pitch leaders it had. What did it replace them with?
Villa have been mismanaged on and off the field, it’s as simple as that. If Villa go down, it’s time to get very angry with those who serve the club.
In the meantime, here’s five reasons to be cheerful as Aston Villa fans…
5. IN TOUCH
Yes, Villa’s recent results are beyond poor. Yes, some of the performances have been shambolic. Yes, the team have thrown away points at times. BUT, before supporters start waving the white flags of surrender and doom, there’s some good news…
Somehow, despite 10 losses in 13 games, Villa are still within just two wins from safety. Currently we sit five points behind Newcastle who are perched just above the relegation zone. While I don’t think Bournemouth or Sunderland will go quietly into the night, Villa have a chance in upcoming games to peg both of them back and also get closer to Newcastle and Norwich, who they both visit in the next few weeks.
Those away trips to the Toon and Canaries could go along way to getting the club out of this sorry mess. Likewise, a double defeat could seal the relegation deal.
There is hope, but the wins need to come in 2015, to set up the escape plan next year.
Lets do this! UTV
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