I was looking to write something about the appointment of Remi Garde tonight, but the issue came up in my article last night and I thought I’d practically ruined the idea.
Fortunately, I’ve been saved by an article that’s cropped up in the Birmingham Mail.
There were suggestions on here and on Sky that Kevin MacDonald’s team selection was pretty much a two-fingered gesture aimed at the board, which indicated that he thought they didn’t know what they didn’t know what they were doing and that he was in total agreement with what Tim Sherwood thought about the situation.
I really don’t agree with that assessment.
Regardless of what we might think of KMac as a manager, I don’t think we have any reason to say anything other than he has been a very good servant of the club, who only has the club’s interests at heart.
While you might be tempted to say that KMac deliberately chose a poor side just to try and prove some point, I really don’t think that was the case.
My opinion says he played the side that he thought was the best to get the result, even if you think he might be deluded.
Which is worrying either way, as either KMac is indeed deluded, in which case he needs to be sacked.
Or he had genuine reason to not select what many of us think is Villa’s best starting eleven.
Which is where the Mail’s article comes into it. It names what Villa fans have voted as the best starting eleven.
Which is Guzan, Richards (RB), Clark, Okore, Amavi, Traore, Sanchez, Gana, Gil, Grealish and Ayew up top.
And to be fair, I’d suggest it’s not far off what most of us think.
Indeed, it’s pretty much what I think, although it’d be a 4-2-3-1, as opposed to a 4-5-1, as Gregg Evans suggests.
I also think it’s a bit lightweight overall, but the differences are small and the main point is it’s not far off if we want to go for it.
What on earth the scum badge is doing on the graphic, is beyond me, but it’s the Mail after all, isn’t it?
So what has Remi Garde got to do with all this?
Well, simply, I reckon this is the team that he’d ideally want to play.
It eliminates all the dross; the workhorses that try, but have let us down for years.
Particularly the likes of Hutton, Gabby, Westwood and Richardson etc. We all know who they are, even if some of us might think the odd ones have their uses.
So why do I suspect that our starting eleven under Garde, will not be what we all think it should be?
I hinted at it in the previous replies.
I think there is a major divide amongst the Villa players and I’m not talking about the odd one or two.
I’m talking about a divide that goes deeper than that; a divide that goes higher than just the players; a divide that might even have been built up by Sherwood.
I know, I’m talking rubbish.
So explain why there’s been a load of claptrap about how players aren’t fit enough and they’ve “lost their sparkle” in training, according to KMac.
This is utter tripe and I just refuse to swallow it.
There’s something seriously wrong behind the scenes, again in my opinion.
“Lost their sparkle” is surely code for “they ain’t trying”, isn’t it?
Well, that’s how I see it.
Either that or the players we all want to see start are plain and simple not good enough.
I’m not sure which situation is worse.
I think Remi Garde is going to need loads of luck in sorting things out.
