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Aston Villa News and Views News,Opinion Mat Kendrick; An apology

Mat Kendrick; An apology

14 January 201514 January 2015| Badger123Badger123| 216 Comments| 7:49 PM
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Many of you will know that I’ve often slated Mat Kendrick as having been a gutless Evening Mail reporter for never having really reported things as he genuinely believed.
His reasoning was pretty obvious, in that he probably didn’t want to face the wrath of the club, which probably would have resulted in his being barred from press conferences and the players being ordered not to talk to him.
A club that doesn’t believe in any criticism from reporters or even the fans. A gestapo type attitude, in my opinion.

My gripe with Mat was that as a proper Villa fan, even though he hinted at things, he should have been a lot more forthright in his real views, given that he had the biggest mouthpiece of any Villa fan.

Anyway, it seems he’s now corrected things somewhat and made his views quite plain, in a very good piece saying that Paul Lambert should be sacked;

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/comment-should-aston-villa-sack-8444965

The Mail have been quite canny in their efforts to not upset the gestapo, because they simultaneously released an article by Gregg Evans stating why Lambert should stay, just to balance things in the name of fair reporting;

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/comment-should-aston-villa-sack-8443794

We all know that it’s a minority who want Lambert to stay, but fair play to the Mail anyway in the way they’ve played this. After all, you can’t ban someone for presenting a balanced view, can you?

The only disappointment with Mat’s article is that he should have written it when he was the lead reporter. I’d imagine that if he had got banned for telling the truth, it would have made for a fair old story for the sports press in general and demonstrated the sort of thing that many Villa fans feel is generally wrong with the club under the current regime.

Whatever, fair play Mat for finally telling it how it is.
And I apologise for slating you.

216 thought on “Mat Kendrick; An apology”

  1. Absolutely , fair play mat about time somebody said it how it is and not befor time , 99% of sane villa fans of had enough of the shit and deserve better ! Fuck of Lerner you greedy yank bastard , get a fair price for the villa and give it back to the fans !!!!!! Utv

  2. It would really help if you underline links rather than just make them bold. Wasn’t sure it was link until I clicked.

    Otherwise really good post and a great article by Matt!

    1. I totally agree Patrick. I thought exactly the same as you and looked into changing the colour. The truth is I don’t know how to do it as I don’t have time to look at the scripts etc.

      I’ll go back to the usual type of link from now on.

  3. Two well written articles that leave the reader with a clear decision to make. Bit like the upcoming general election – it’ll be a ‘hung parliament’

  4. Good article. There is no doubt – since Lambert himself claimed it and some players have alluded to it – that the change of style is at Lambert’s behest. So it is not merely a great loss of form by Agbonlahor and Weimann, or even a disappointing attainment by players who have not performed for us like they performed before.

    The boring, over-cautious, “hold the ball and stop them scoring” play that has been driving the fan’s mad is Lambert’s idea of survival with the squad he has.

    The vote to sack him by 68% to 32% reflects the opinions of those who want Premiership survival however obtained, and those who want enterprising play, even at the risk of relegation. The 32% who back Lambert should be aware that once a manager loses the fans support, the team performances invariably decay- at any club.

  5. Great article Badger, but also good reports from the Mail giving the the arguments. But what I don’t get is how can you be a goal scoring team, all be it losing games to being a no scoring team and still losing or drawing games with pretty much the same squad.

    If you have any tactical nouse you would mix these two approaches in any game to stifle the opposition and have them on the back foot. I understand I am not a footballing coach but this approach is just basic tactics in any working environment to being successful.

    This is not down to the owner of the business its down to the management team of the business, don’t get me wrong I’m not a fan of Lerner but at first is was Fatty now it’s Foxy. I think there is more going on behind the scenes that we know or are being told, and I think Lamberts loyalty is closed lips and make for survival. However I think the Liverpool game will start to see the bigger cracks and the opening of the wounds.

    Mind you as ohhahh says regularly we we possibly beat Liverpool on Saturday and the supporters will be back with Labert again…..

    1. In the best teams the “on the field leadership” usually from the Captain is the key to switching tactics in play.

      Those flip sheets you see shoved under the nose of a sub when he goes on have details of his role:- who he marks at corners and free kicks, who he should try to beat when he has the ball and who he must not let go past him when the oppos have the ball. Players supposedly go on the field as starters with the same info in their heads. But on the field the different man v man match ups needed when you are a goal up c/w a goal down are easy to forget, especially when subs appear. So a skipper with some nous needs to take charge of the adjustments. Only the Captain should receive new plans from the gaffer. If the gaffer on the touchline is giving each player instructions they are 100% likely to be different from what the Captain has told them.

      You can watch bad managers flapping like penguins trying to fly on most televised football, and you will see they fail to change anything.

  6. He spent some time with Pep but obviously forgot to ask how he links play to the forwards, Seems he had to rush back the UK directly after the midfield discussion and then didn’t know what to do so aksed the lads to play it backwards.

    1. Isn’t it humiliating he had to go and learn from another manager. We just need the last rites read to the club and put us all out of our misery

      1. Humiliating for an average manager to ask a manager who has both played and managed at the very top for some advice…….?? I’d say thats probably the most sensible thing he’s done at Villa

        1. I agree helenius but he still needs the sack.
          LOL whats the odds we will go and beat Liverpool and he will talk crap ‘lads put a shit in blagh blagh blagh…’

          1. Wouldnt surpruse me if we did beat them. Thats lamberk all over gets a resukt when he needs one, then lamberk apologists out in force even though we dont win a game for another 6 games. Pathetuc

  7. Good leader Badger.
    I’d like to say it’s a great piece by Mat Kendrick but the fact this fella that usually has splinters up his arse from sitting on the fence is compelled to write this shows how really really bad things are down at VP.
    Sack Lambert? Well yes because he’s truly awful but he’s just a side show in the great scheme of things at VP and it’s the head of the snake that needs cutting off.

  8. Kendrick has gone from shaving the gaffer and boards nutsack on command to slating the club at the click of a finger….

    Bitter man

  9. Good piece by Steve Wollaston in the evening mail regarding Lerner washing his hands of the club, here’s a couple of quotes form it –

    “I know a high-profile manager who was interviewed for the Villa job in the summer of 2012 and wanted to take it… until Lerner told him how much he’d have to spend on new players and salaries.

    “He laughed and declined.

    And this is just so apt (just for you Mr Lerner)

    “S**t or get off the pot.”

      1. Good read BWS, as Helenius saying took him a while to see the light, Looks more like he will get more readers now saying things about the Villa, in my book turn coat.

  12. Liverpool website saying all tickets sold for game on Saturday and not to travel without one, this is going to be fun, holte empty away seats crushed. Oh happy days,

    2. Because he thinks getting behind the team will make them win. I guess for the last 2 1/2 years Villa fans getting behind the team made us great. Oh… Wait…

      1. “I understand the fans frustration and nobody is more frustrated than myself”.
        Oh dear Paul – you should NEVER say that.
        He also thinks the protests will harm the team, look at the harm he has been doing for the last 3 years?
        Totally deluded.

        1. “protests will harm the team” oh my word that must be one of his best ones yet….. having a manager that is tactically inept has harmed the team, nothing else…. he’s lost it

    2. Of course we can afford it… Villa just don’t want too pay that much for him. We just paid that much for Gil so it’s stupid to think we can’t afford it for Sinclair. But 4m + 50k a week wages for a mediocre player who has hardly played is far too much. We can get better.

    3. I don’t think it’s the fee more likely his wage demands and lets be honest he’ll hardly jumping with joy at the prospect of joining us so if not for the money just what else is going to tempt him to VP ? ( But then you have a potential S Ireland MKII on your hands.)

    4. I would not want to buy any player City want to sell. They wreck players through inactivity. Once Steven Ireland, twice shy.

        1. Like he says, he has never walked away from anything – only Livingston, Wycombe, Colchester and Norwich!!!

  17. With all that has gone on in the press this week regarding protests if the players don’t turn up on Saturday it will be obvious they don’t want to play for him.

  19. Two home games of vociferous protest is all it takes. Then Fox will be telling Slow that the box office is being hit, match-day staff are giving notice, and one head on a plate is all that is required.

  20. Oohah, Andrew and BWS,

    I know we can afford it and to say we can’t is just a bloody insult to the intelligence imo.
    And Billy, it says we can’t afford the fee, not just the wages.

    It’s the fact that we’re saying it that’s embarrassing and this bloody regime is making us a total laughing stock.
    Lerner or Fox should be saying to Lambert “keep your bloody trap shut as you’re making us look more desperate”, surely?
    How can stating that we are unable to afford a £3mill player do anything but lower the selling price of the club, is my point?
    Unless Lerner wants it that way, so he doesn’t have to sell?

    And as for the “Lerner backing Lambert” crap I keep reading in the press; we’ve spent around £3 mill on a player!
    You’d think it was the £30 mill that’s required to get rid of most of the rubbish we have in the team.

    I’m practically pulling my hair out as I type and the reality of our dire situation is kicking in more every day 🙁

    This whole regime is rotten from the top to bottom, imo and an 8 minute protest that most won’t take part in will not be what’s required to get them out.
    In fact, it’ll probably prove embarrassing in itself.

    1. Badger, just bear in mind that the ‘headline’ transfer fee is usually only part of the total outlay.
      I would imagine that all of the players Citeh have recruited in the last few years are probably earning two or maybe three times what clubs like Villa would be paying them [hence the likes of Millner happy to have spent so much time on the bench since moving there, even though it cost him an automatic England starting place…].
      Citeh are desperate to try and get closer to the ‘Fair Play’ limits, so unlikely to be offering big pay-off’s to leavers, or even paying part of the wages of players they loan out.

      Under those circumstances a “£3m” transfer fee is likely dwarfed by the wages he’d expect over a 3 or 4 year contract – and even if Villa agreed to pay those, what happens then to the whole wage structure that they’ve been working to bring in since MON left?

      And for what it’s worth, I agree with OLL – Citeh’s cast-off’s look like a dangerous ‘investment’ anyway!

    2. must say i enjoyed reading your thoughs this morning, BWS ooahhaha andrew and badger

      this sinclair thing, man citeh fans have been slating us, its not like we cant afford the fee its lerners unwilling to pay the wages of another ireland type. also i hear man utd think we are preparing a 8 million fee for cleverley this has to be bulshit. please tell me this is

      post any gossips ltrs

  21. Guys, if the Steve Wollaston piece is correct, I think we’re in danger of missing the point. Yes we can call for PL to be sacked but it appears he was the (only?) manager prepared to take up the challenge of keeping us in the Prem with no money. Pillory him all you like (and frankly I feel just the same) but if he walks away then I fear we will be in even deeper sh*t than we now find ourselves. Lerner destroyed the Browns and he’s going to detroy us unless PL or someone like him can find a way or working a miracle of if some cash rich exhibitionist decides to buy (fat chance!). If we sack PL or he resigns who will be our new manager and what would he achieve with the same financial restrictions? The only way to succeed in the Prem is to spend big.

    1. Disagree Hitchens there are managers out there that could do a much better job than lamberk even with that squad of players. Everyone said similar when saints sacked nigel adkins and replaced him with a manager noone had heard of that couldnt speak english! Just look at them now sold all their best players and have an outside chance of top 4. They pkay good football and havnt spent a great deal. Thats what u call good management from top to bottom. They shoukd be lerners blueprint fir the future

      1. True Oohah, but they have also benefitted from a fantastic academy that has generated serious amounts of incoming cash. We haven’t done as well. As for the good management top to bottom they have had significant issues with the owners. They have, however, done way better than us on the manager front.

        You could look at Everton, Spurs and even Swansea as decent teams to emulate. They have all done better than us in recent seasons. Spurs fans seem unhappy most of the time. One thing they all have in common is that they sell their best players when the bigger clubs come knocking. That is how they get cash to reinvest and make the squad stronger. Villa have not managed to do that as well. We did pretty well out of Barry, Downing and Milner, but that’s it in quite a few years. The rest we have taken a hit on mostly. Losing those 3 in the space of a couple of seasons ripped the heart out of the team.

        1. Fair point DS but look how much we’ve invested in BMH and other than Clarke who’s only just started to come good the rest of the players have been grim except Cahill. Even though Saints are a selling club they’ve proved that you can reinvest some of that money and actually improve. The last time we had a manager that did this was a certain Ron Saunders who sold Andy Gray for £1.5m despite getting slated for it at the time and shrewdly used the money to take us to the next level and give us the best team in our history. That is what I call great management.

    2. I don’t think you need a sugar daddy H60 more a man with a plan that would run the club well (Swansea, Southampton, Spuds). Come in the real world of the EPL no one can realistically can expect CL football at VP in the foreseeable (although that would do very nicely thank you) but the least we expect to be entertaining and competitive at PL level.

      It’s just so obvious he (RL) gives not a jot about our expectations, well anything other than his bank balance, he ain’t a fan and imo any one that buys into this tattoo on his ankle, that he cares is deluded, so any protest should be levelled directly at him because as you correctly point out if Lambert (as shite as he is) goes either by sacking or his own devices and it’ll be just the next patsy (in a long line of patsy’s) in.

  22. This is just for Badger. I am so happy that you have decided to forgive Mat and am sure that he gives a shite either way. YOU forgive him because he is now saying something that you agree with, for the moment anyway, so he is now back on your fair play list.
    Stick to 2 line comments stating the effin obvious, its what your best at.

    1. Thanks for that Gerry.
      I’m glad you’re happy.
      I’m sure you’re right, Mat probably doesn’t care.
      But at least I’ve had the bollox to state my opinion and apologise for what I’ve said previously.

      Now let’s see if you’ve got the bollox to write in and state your opinion about the Villa and the game in general.

      Here’s the link, if you’re up to it (which I’ll bet you’re not);

      https://www.astonvillanewsandviews.co.uk/submit-an-article/

      I promise I’ll post what you submit, with only bad spelling and grammar corrected, as long as it talks about the subject in hand (and no, I don’t mean your dick) and is not aimed at the site or it’s owners.

      Until then, after your (not backed up, given that I’ve moaned about Mat for ages) criticism of me, your opinion matters to me as much as mine does to Mat.

  23. Ardent, I know the fee is a minor part of it.
    So if we can’t do the wages, why not just say there’s nothing to talk about?
    It strikes me Lambert is trying to hint that he’s working with both arms tied behind his back or he’s being told what to say.
    Either way, it’s as shambolic as the shite on the pitch, imo.

    OLL, your point is noted.

    Hitchens, you need to be asking who would do worse, not better, imo.
    And if you employ our current tactics of a supposed 4-4-3, a 3-5-1 or a 4-2-1-3 or whatever crap it looks like on paper; but in reality is more a fluid back 7, trying to keep it because we’re too scared to pass it forward in case we give it away, I’d suggest even I could do a job at the Villa.
    Lambert has to go.
    And so does Lerner, imo.

  24. I take your point Badger but my question is – who, in their right mind, would take the job? I don’t think it’s a question of better or worse and that is the terribly sad position in which we now find ourselves. Until Lerner goes we are ‘dead in the water’.

    I agree that, on the face of it, PL has failed but I feel he is genuinely trying to find the impossible solution whilst (misguidedly) protecting the owner. Most of us, recognising that the problem lies mainly with Lerner, would prefer that he just ‘went for it’ and to hell with the outcome? Maybe the fans should be sending that message.

    1. No one will take the job, imo and I believe that’s why Lambert got the contract renewal, thinking about it.
      And this is what makes it so sad; the inertia is totally killing the club and it can only lead to us going one way (hence the “reality kicking in” comment) which is falling support and eventual relegation.

      We look like a club in serious decline, it’s as simple as that to me and this is the part I can’t understand.

      Why is Lerner allowing this to happen?
      He surely can’t be expecting a $billion dollar buyout a la Browns, as our league isn’t a guaranteed money spinner if you get relegated?

      With 20-20 hindsight, even the shopkeeper would probably have seen us in a better position than we are now.
      Things are that bad.

      We need Fox to pull something out of the hat and if he can’t, my money says he’ll be gone soon.

  25. I am always happy to comment on these forums, mainly positive or just hopeful. Telling me that you bet I wont is childish and undeserving. I have been saying for weeks, in a limited amount of posts, that we have players not up to the task. I dont say that they are bad players but that they are playing badly. I feel for a team that has lost its confidence and is desperately trying to get it right. I have said specifically that no manager, working with this squad is going to do much better. I am always happy to goad some of the posters when their forcasts are wrong. I have watched the change in your opinions about this Villa team and you may be right. I will save my contributions for what happens on the pitch and hope that it gets better. I have just contradicted that statement by having a pop at you and although you deserved it I wish I hadn’t gone done to that level. I love Villa and the feeling I get when we do well and I always will. But I am a bread and butter man and believe that the players decide the result, with a little help from the ref. Everything else is just making a simple game complicated. Sleep well friend you certainly have provided some entertainment

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