Former Aston Villa defender Ron Vlaar revealed that his former teammates were “lazy” and “lacked hunger” during his spell at the club.
The Dutchman, now back at AZ Alkmaar, spoke to The Athletic about his time at Villa Park and revealed there were many problems with the club whilst he was there.
Vlaar said:
It was hard there. I was fighting with myself because of the lack of direction and I wanted to see some more of my team-mates trying to improve their game.
I missed the hunger from those around me to improve. There wasn’t much extra training or effort, and if some of [the players] didn’t play, they were disappointed and their laziness started to show.
Many Aston Villa fans reacted to the interview, with some agreeing that they are not surprised to hear the news.
Anthony Ricketts isn’t surprised about Vlaar’s comments, with fans seeing this on the pitch.
Twitter: @AVFC_News Exactly what fans saw…. lazy, no effort and no leaders on the pitch during that time. Good to see some honesty from ex player (@ajricketts82)
Rob would love to know exactly who Vlaar is referring to.
Twitter: @AVFC_News I’d love to know who the slackers were. (@Bairdini)
Bob really rated the Dutchman, and really can’t blame him for leaving.
Twitter: @AVFC_News Can’t blame him for leaving really. Was one of our better players at the time if fit and was a real 100%er. (@SirBob1892)
Rob believes that ex-Villa man Gabby Agbonlahor could be one of the player’s who Vlaar describes as lazy.
Twitter: @AVFC_News No surprise here. All those who still call Gabby a legend should give their heads a wobble – he was one… https://t.co/tPLCLeSOmA (@RobA19)
Read Aston Villa’s Verdict
Vlaar really deserved so much better at Villa, especially with the dedication he put into the side.
It’s heartbreaking to read how much he really cared for Villa, whilst others were simply happy to pick up a paycheck.
The Villa squad of today should really learn from the mistakes of the past, especially in the Villa side that last got relegated to the Championship.
When Jack Grealish is the only player left from that side, it does really say a lot.
