The Aston Villa business model has largely failed to date due to expensive signings both in transfer fees and inflated wages, which have led to a position where the club is severely limited financially. Players are sitting on contracts, no other clubs want to pick up, so are unsellable.
Thankfully the majority of these deals are reaching a conclusion so a new era can start, but it’s vital moving forward that the lessons are learnt so the following can take place:
- A proper management structure must be put in place- e.g. A technical director to work alongside a top European coach in conjunction with an executive Chairman .
- The executive team need to then implement a strategy of scouting and sourcing the best young talent in the UK, in Europe and the rest of the World. A first team can not run alone in a fiercely competitive league like the Premiership on young players so the age bracket of signing players should be 20-26 with perhaps the odd astute Bosman on more experienced players to guide and nurture.
- A culture also has to be implemented and stuck to. No more “See you next Friday” if you win like in the Martin O’Neill days. We want a lean, mean, professional unit full of hungry, ambitious individuals that want to improve themselves and most importantly the team and club. The talent has to be there. You don’t win things or improve teams on work rate and attitude alone which Lambert seems to have forgotten when he started his ‘project’ two years ago. A ‘project’ he now seems to have completely abandoned looking at his purchases this summer to date (Cole, Senderos, Richardson).
- Coaching an attacking style of play is of paramount importance in the modern game. For far too long Villa have suffered by having a succession of managers who all have a one trick pony game plan of sitting deep behind the ball and counter attacking. This explains why on occasion last season we got some favourable results against the top sides as they came on to us and allowed this tactic to work. However the vast majority of the rest of the Premiership have worked this out and don’t allow this to happen. Instead they sit deep and ask Villa to try and break them down. This is something Villa fail to do because they refuse to commit men forward beyond the ball for fear of getting caught out on the break. This leads to aimless long balls which is ineffective and with a porous defence often leads to defeats of which there were many last season (20 in total, 10 at home, both of which are unwanted records). A new head coach would have to get rid of this style of play and implement something far more progressive and pleasing on the eye in the style of Swansea and Arsenal etc. A possession game with an emphasis on passing and moving. This will require a level of patience as it is developed but undoubtedly the club can’t move forward without being committed to playing this way.
- Aston Villa possesses a fine training ground and Academy. It is regarded as one of the very best in Europe let alone England. Sadly however, unlike Southampton, it hasn’t produced the level of first team player that the money invested in it should be. The U21 team has had some great success but the transition of youth player to first team just hasn’t really materialised. I believe this to be the case because there is no synergy between how the U21 and younger teams play to how the first team play, so again the structure here would have to be worked on and made sure the coaching and ethos is identical throughout. The academy director and coaches therefore need to have a very close relationship with the First Team Coach, his assistants and the technical director. If this is followed then I believe we will start to have far more productivity from the academy which has been seen at Southampton. Increased productivity within the youth system will result in future success and potential income for the club.
- Scouting and dare I say it, poaching young talent from other clubs locally and nationally is also a key component to success which is what Southampton have done e.g. Adam Lallana from Bournemouth. Villa also did something similar many years ago with Gareth Barry from Brighton. Partnerships with feeder clubs with a two-way relationship is also something that can be developed both in the UK and overseas.
If the above steps are taken then there is no reason that a club the size and potential of Aston Villa cannot follow the example that has been set by Arsenal in the last 15 years. If you rewind the clock back to Arsenal pre Wenger, Villa were very much on a par with them. The clubs are now poles apart but Wenger has demonstrated that with shrewd scouting, investment, coaching, a synchronised academy with the first team and knowing when to buy and sell players what can be achieved. Aston Villa is undoubtedly one of the few clubs left capable of doing it and certainly that is available, at this price point. Let us not forget it still remains the 5th most decorated club in English Professional Football, was a founder member of the English league and in fact William McGregor who was club president at the time, is regarded as the founder of the English Football League. The club is also an ever present in the Premier league since its inception and is one of only 5 English teams to have ever won the biggest prize on offer to a European Club. There is little doubt it’s a special club with a special past and an iconic stadium that now needs first class, appropriate management to restore better times and have it deliver its potential once more.
Income is very important to be generated from off the field activities also, something the current board have actually been reasonable at i.e. Hospitality, Merchandising, Overseas brand development, Naming rights etc. but ultimately if you don’t get your main product right it’s a fruitless venture. If we follow this plan we have a great chance of seeing major improvement which will result in the market value of the club rising accordingly over an appropriate course of time.
Do you agree with Howard? Is this the way forward for Aston Villa football club? Share your thoughts with us @TheVillansVoice on twitter.
