Back in 2003 my father compiled a report for Villa Fans Combined on the management and position of Aston Villa PLC. It was well received and we believe it led to the eventual sale of Aston Villa in 2006. It was clear then the club desperately needed direction and funding. It’s evident now that we have returned to that dark position. In response to our current state I have compiled another report, all be it in briefer detail, it’s written with the best interests of Aston Villa in mind, as always.
THE MANAGER- PAUL LAMBERT
Forty million English pounds have been spent by Paul Lambert on sixteen new players. Yet, we remain on course for another struggle. That is not my idea of progress. When money is not unlimited perhaps signing three similar left backs and four centre forwards of the same stature is a tad misguided and pointless. Especially when the centre of midfield, central defence and wings remain woefully inadequate. The fact Lambert seems so obsessed with big and imposing strikers tells you a lot about his thoughts tactically.
Lambert is a behind the ball manager. Get men behind the ball, soak up the pressure, let the opponents have the ball and then hit them on the counter attack. This can work away from home as we have seen, but at home the chances to counter attack sides are significantly rare. Most sides sit back and say “You have the ball Villa. You are at home. Break us down”. Sadly we don’t have a clue how to do that and other teams now know this.
Our negative game plan determines our style of play. It’s as if we can only go sideways and backwards. Our inability to commit men beyond the ball or have players who run off their men means the option of going forward is almost unavailable. Movement draws opponents out of position and creates space. We just don’t do this for fear of… You’ve guessed it…. Being hit on the counter attack! We hold our position far too much. Even our full backs haven’t looked to move forward this season so the man on the ball has nowhere to go but sideways, backwards or long. This makes it very easy for away teams to defend against us. In addition to this, they know they don’t have to create much for us to concede a goal, as we nearly always have a lapse in concentration in the dying stages of the match.
Lambert is the manager and he is paid a lot of money to do far better than he is doing. I see the same turgid stuff week after week with no attempt to change or improve. He has openly admitted he doesn’t know why we play so poorly at home, but surely he realises it comes down to what I have just outlined? People tell me he has made us more solid. It’s not paying dividends with the results though. It did perhaps work when we were sitting on 19 points after 14 games. However, long ball football always gets found out in the end, look at the McLeish season. We have now amassed just 9 points from the last 13 games, failing to score in our last 3 games against teams in a similar or worse league position.
I must confess, I was initially supportive of Paul Lambert’s appointment. I honestly thought a bright, young manager like Lambert would be just what this club needed after the dismal reign of McLeish. He came with a solid reputation, he’s team’s had always played attractive and attacking football. I thought we’d actually look to win games. He made a point of addressing the home form himself when he first arrived, saying it was about time the Villa fans started enjoying their teams football at Villa Park again. Thirty two games on we have only eight wins registered. We have played some of the worst football I have ever seen at Villa Park in 36 years of attending, our style of play is completely aimless.
I did think we were on to something positive between Feb-May 2013. We played positively and even found some form at Villa Park. I went into the summer feeling we had a real chance, if we kept playing in that manner, of achieving 50 points this season. Those thoughts were strengthened by the win at The Emirates and a strong performance against Chelsea. Sadly since that second game we just haven’t performed, with the exceptions of a bright second half against Man City and an excellent first half at Liverpool. We’ve had some narrow wins against Southampton and Sunderland, but overall its been nothing but regression.
Lambert has proved to be a major disappointment. His tactics as outlined are one dimensional, predictable and far more negative than I ever imagined they would be. Tiote of Newcastle made a telling comment on Sunday after the game claiming he never felt Villa came to win the game. That mind-set has been too apparent in recent times and it’s a mind-set I would never have associated with a Lambert team. Also, the same mistakes are made week after week indicating the work on the training ground simply isn’t working. He has bought in some half-decent players who have done okay, but also a lot of average players that just seem to be making up the numbers. Like the bomb squad, who some we are still paying fortunes to every week.
CONCLUSION
In my opinion Aston Villa FC is in a bigger mess than it was when the original Hodgson Report was written in 2003. When fans were at the end of their tether with the previous owner Doug Ellis. We had just finished on 45 points under Graham Taylor which was deemed totally unacceptable. We then had 3 seasons under David O’Leary with 56 points, 47 points and 42 points being amassed with no worthwhile signings been made. It was clear by 2006 the club was indeed crying out for a takeover and up stepped Reform Acquisitions LLC (Randy Lerner).
Everyone was excited with the new ownership prospect. Doug Ellis and David O’Leary were finally gone, a new era had begun. Fans started to wrongly believe Randy Lerner and Martin O’Neill would be the right men to take us back to the top.
Martin O’Neill, for a while, appeared to be the manager we had longed for. But he didn’t receive the backing he greatly needed at the time. The lack of football knowhow on the board made it impossible for O’Neill to buy the players he wanted, and our club required.
Even after Martin O’Neill’s time at Villa Park, Paul Faulkner and Alex McLeish almost wasted millions on worthless deals for Steven Ireland, Darren Bent, Jean Makoun and Shay Given. Lerner continues to heavily support Paul Faulkner, without realising his money is been squandered. As I mentioned earlier, Faulkner relies far too heavily on the manager due to his poor knowledge of the game. A great contrast to an individual like Daniel Levy who has the ability to make the big, football related decisions himself.
Aston Villa fans deserve far better. Randy Lerner’s time at the club is solid proof that if you make poor decisions and appoint the wrong people, your business is set for failure. Aston Villa needs to move on. Randy Lerner has to sell the club at the earliest opportunity, like Doug Ellis did.
This meandering in the lower reaches of the Premier League has to stop. I am extremely worried that we may not even be a Premiership club next season, our form and play is that poor. Aston Villa needs to recruit well-established individuals who understand how a football club is run, understand what the fans desire and simply understand the game. Aside from this, an adequate manager and necessary funding should see our club return to the top. Where it belongs.
Howard Hodgson
