Lescott Tweet Drama
MOMS isn’t one for stories based on what football players or pundits have tweeted, see the shameless HITC for that, but there were considered views put forward by a supporter on the issue of Joleon Lescott’s social media activity that deserved a wider audience.
Yesterday, Aston Villa centre-back Joelon Lescott made a foolish and ill-judged tweet shortly after the game against Liverpool which seemed to be a reaction to fan criticism of his and the team’s woeful performance.
He tweeted a picture of a sports car (allegedly, he’d removed a picture of him writing he was going home to a model, sports car and to count his money), but the picture of the car symbolised all of that anyway and he left that up. Disappointing behaviour, but lets leave it at that.
Where he really let himself down was the half-baked apology that included a reference to his phone being able to attach a picture and Tweet it all on it’s own, while in his pocket without his knowledge. Such a phone does not exist.
It was a little insulting to Aston Villa supporter’s intelligence and diluted his attempts at an apology for his and the team’s performance.
He had apologised for his and the team’s ‘lack of commitment’; this is a player who has a tattoo that says: ‘I will die before I lose because I was born to win.’ He also has a tattoo that says, ‘respect all’.
I’ll leave it at that.
Moving on…
Collymore’s Stance
Stan Collymore issued one of his trademark Longer Tweets on the subject of Aston Villa and addressed the issue of Lescott. While I don’t want to go all Birmingham Mail and knock out stories about Collymore’s Tweets, it did provoke a well-reasoned response from a Villa fan (below). While Collymore stated he wasn’t justifying the Villa defender’s actions, he made a case to excuse him and told Villa fans to move on from it.
While I personally think Collymore does a sterling job within the nefarious world of football media in wearing his heart on his sleeve when it comes to Villa and supporter issues, I was struck by his lack of consistency here. A similiar leniency was afforded by Collymore to the likes of Alex McLeish and Tim Sherwood in the past (part of ‘the old boys network’ mentioned below, maybe?), yet he wasn’t so forgiving to both Mr Bacuna or Mr Okore for their recent transgressions, while Lescott’s actions could be judged more severe.
Yes, there are bigger issues to address, so I won’t dwell on this, but pass you over to the aforementioned Villa supporter, Cian Carroll . The below ‘Longer Tweet’ are Cian’s views and not necessarily those of MOMS.
A Reply to Stan
A reply to Stan,
Few Villa fans I know or follow constantly misjudge the mood of our own more than you. Whether the soapbox is too big for you to hear the cries below, or the ego too large to allow an opinion other than your own.
Last night, in the wake of yesterday’s humiliating 6-0 defeat to Liverpool, you chose to defend Joleon Lescott’s behaviour as “lashing out”. Posting a smarmy pic like that isn’t “lashing out” – it’s rubbing fans noses in it. There is no excuse.
Only a handful of weeks ago you hung Leandro Bacuna on Twitter for posting something much, much less offensive. A player who, while maybe not good enough for a club like Villa, would play in goals then sweep the Holte End afterwards if he was asked.
To Joleon Lescott’s credit, he’s been one of our better performers since Remi Garde came in but that’s not saying much when you compare his to the rest of our senior pros.
You said you spoke to Micah Richards recently. I hope you explained to him, that whilst his heart may be in its right place, his performances have been little short of unprofessional. Particularly recently, at right-back, where he is everywhere on the field *but* that position.
If he was a compass in an Oxfam shop, the folks behind the counter wouldn’t be able to give him away his positioning and direction are that poor.
Yet you excuse all this from him, another one of your ‘old boys club’ network, yet single out Jores Okore, for an ill-timed and poorly thought-out interview in which it was quite clear he was frustrated with the board for not offering him a new contract. Yes he didn’t play well yesterday but no-one did. Our record, in general, when he plays, is better than when he doesn’t: that’s a fact.
Brad Guzan’s spitting and swearing antics. Gabby Agbonlahor overweight, out of shape, laissez faire attitude, Charles Nzogbia (full stop!), and now this, from Lescott. These are the senior pros the new arrivals and talented youngsters have to look up to. These are the players that are failing us.
Don’t talk to us about ‘Moneyball’ signings being failures or lacking bottle. Jordan Veretout made his debut for his boyhood club, Nantes, at just 18 in Ligue 2 and spearheaded their promotion, the fulcrum of the side that consolidated their place in Ligue 1 as a mere boy.
The majority of these new ‘FIFA stats’ recruits have been our best players. Jordan Amavi, before his terrible and untimely injury, looked a god-send to our woeful, long-term issue at left-back. Jordan Ayew has driven the side since Garde’s arrival. Top scorer.
Jordan Veretout has 4 assists since being brought in from the Tim Sherwood-induced cold and has generally improved on a weekly basis. Idrissa Gueye, yesterday’s performance aside, has been excellent in midfield, particularly since being moved to defensive midfield.
These “Moneyball” signings you have a problem with were all courted by other clubs. In fact Villa did well to beat others to them. Leicester offered more money for Veretout before ‘settling’ for N’golo Kante.
Everton and Liverpool reportedly wanted Adama Traore. Southampton, Crystal Palace and West Ham were in for Idrissa Gueye. A whole host of English and European clubs were in for Jordan Amavi.
In fact, it was your mate, Tim Sherwood, who ostracised these players at the start of the season, destroying their confidence that started this season’s problems which have now snow-balled into unstoppable disaster.
At least we can agree on one thing, though – Randy Lerner has destroyed this club with a series of ill-advised decisions over the last 9 or 10 years that will see Aston Villa surely relegated. But then that’s a much larger discussion.
Don’t excuse senior pros because you’re mates with them, though. Don’t blame ‘Johnny Foreigner’ because you didn’t know who they were when they signed. And don’t take Villa fans for mugs because of your privileged position.
Follow Cian on Twitter – Cian Carroll
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Our talented higher level management employed 3 people from Man City who were happly to not play football and collect huge wages. Well the wages may be smaller but are they playing? What do you expect? The fact that he is supposed to be a Villa fan is about as honest as Stan Colleymore contribution to our famous club who as our record signing and I presume wages, cost us £1m a goal in transfer fee alone before the club payed his priory clinic fees wages for not playing and a free transfer. It is us the supporters need the priory clinic. God help us in the championship. As Learner won’t sell as he will hope for promotion then make a profit. With him at the helm I genuinely worry about relegation again next year.
Gets better, seems Jolean thinks offering out the fans is a good thing to do. Who was the person who was supposed to show up at training today? Unbelievable, the position the club is in, back of the worst home loss for best part of a century and Jokean has the temerity to do this. More fight than he showed in the last 45 minutes of the Liverpool game.
In all the 50 years I have been supporting this great club I have never witnessed such inept performances as right now. All we ask is that you show fight passion and desire every time you step onto the pitch and fight for every ball till the final whistle. If you are not prepared to do this then you do not deserve to wear the shirt of this great club..We the fans can take a defeat as long as you show us your total commitment when you play for Aston Villa if you can’t do this then you are not fit to wear the shirt,so please on Saturday show us all of the above that is all we ask
AVFC till we die
The wages that the likes of lescott get are way over what they deserve the whole mess they have helped cause has now destroyed a great club and if as some of these players proclaimed that they are boyhood life long supporters then I as a supporter of 55 years would never disgrace the shirt of this great clip if I had had the privilege of playing for Aston Villa and there are a lot more supporters out there that would die for the club more than these so called players
His apology doesn’t mean a thing. for me the respect goes to the fans who stood boldly for the entire 90 minutes chanting for their club, not abusing them. That solidarity of fans in the face of a 6-0 defeat does not deserve an arsey dig when those cars and house are paid for by the people in those stands who come to every game out of loyalty for their club.
Great post mate !
For me it seems there are too many rotten apples in the dressing room. Until Reme gets rid of them then he has not got full control and the team will suffer. A manager is responsible for managing and that includes the dressing room. Has Reme got that type of personally ?