Keane, Lerner and kit issues
Having been crushed by a wave of apathy after Aston Villa’s final day loss at Spurs, which elicited similar feelings to the Manchester City defeat a few days before, I didn’t bother doing a Five Reasons column then. However, with things finally starting to happen at Villa, lets put that right now. The next few months will bring tough times for Villa fans, but here’s five reasons to be cheerful at least…
1. Randy ‘No Ambition’ Lerner is selling up and saying goodbye…hopefully, before he finally gets to relegate the club. Yes, the worse case scenario of having no buyer in place happened, but the club are sinking, so it’s worth taking the gamble on whoever ends up owning the club.
2. The new kit is ok. It’s claret and blue, has pinstripes and seems smart enough in the picture below. Plus, there’s one less season to go with the much maligned manufacturer.
3. Roy Keane’s arrival as assistant manager under the ‘for sale’ circumstances could be a good thing. Think about the temporary impact of namesake Robbie Keane when he came to Villa on loan as a player. Maybe the Keane factor will work twice for Villa?
Roy is a name in the game, so he would get the respect of the Villa players. His managerial credentials are a little dubious at Premier League level, but he won’t be on the front line with Villa. Plus, he would have learned from his previous experiences. His Irish national team links will help Villa’s young Irish contingent (including Jack Grealish). It also means Villa can avoid talking to Martin O’Neill on Irish matters! So, as a short-term fix – why not?
4. The World Cup is almost a week away. It’s in Brazil and it doesn’t get much better than that. I just wish someone would fly me out there. Having been there a couple of times before, all those going to follow their respective national teams are in for a treat. It’s a cracking place and they know how to party.
5. We’re weeks away from when the Premier League tables are reset and Aston Villa are once again in second place challenging for the league and Champions League qualification. UTV
Ron Vlaar photo credit: Martin Brent/Aston Villa Football Club
If Keane comes that would be good news. He will attract the loan signings which are all we can expect till the club is sold. However lets not count chickens till he arrives – the other rumour is Billy Stark, the Scottish U21 coach might come as a full time back up. His arrival would be just as welcome as Keane. THe backroom staff have to be sorted before even Loan signings will agree to come
trevor fisher