Ok, I’ve been reflecting on my calling for Garde’s head yesterday and come to realise that I was probably wrong in taking that stance.
But it’s not because I think he’s what’s required at the Villa. I firmly believe he isn’t the solution.
So what do we think is required at the Villa?
Most importantly for me is some signs of fight, as this team shows none.
So then I have to ask the question “do I think Garde can motivate these players?” and the answer is a resounding no.
Certainly there’s been no hint of it up to now.
Now ok, if we were talking about Garde getting a whole new set of players in this month, I think the manager might be able to achieve something, as I don’t think he’s overall a bad manager.
But he isn’t going to be able to get a load of players in, at least of any quality, because of Lerner’s unwillingness to invest.
Hence if he can’t motivate these players, what chance is he going to have in the even tougher more physical league that is the Championship?
Of course, I still understand very well where our real problems lie and I’ll keep emphasising what I think about the upper management.
But that won’t help what happens on the pitch, will it?
I don’t suppose calling for Garde’s head helps much either in fairness, but what else am I supposed to do?
Just blindly support a manager that I don’t believe will keep us up and more importantly, think will probably do a worse job in a lower league?
That said, I’ve come to realise that sacking Garde will make us look even more ridiculous than we already do and it’s not a stance I’ll be continuing with in the short term (even though I’ll still think it personally).
But I’d ask how many managers Watford have gone through recently?
I make it six in three and a half years and they aren’t doing too badly compared to us, are they?
Still, like I said, it’s not a stance I’m going to maintain on the site, at least not in the headline articles.
As for yesterday’s abuse of the team getting on the bus, while I have a lot of sympathy for fans who keep travelling in the vain hope of the odd victory, that was simply a step too far.
Voicing general displeasure is fine (which surely makes the players feel bad enough), but to actually hurl personal abuse at players is something I can’t agree with.
It’s not only intimidatory, but threatening too and that can’t possibly do the players any good mentally.
As I’ve said before, we need to centralise our anger at the people who are the real cause of our problems.
It’s not the players’ fault if they simply aren’t good enough.
It’s just all so frustrating 🙁
commitment, fight and spirit should also be coming from the top.
if your boss is perceived as not bothered it doesn’t help.
over to you Mr lerner
I said on a previous comment that the MINIMUM requirement from us fans is the players showing desire, passion and commitment on the pitch.
We can put up with a lack of skill and quality, to an extent, but they at least need to be as passionate as us fans.
It struck me yesterday though, that we have none of the above and have shown little of it
Over the past 10 games, or indeed the season. Is it Gardes fault? Partly, because a good manager should be able to motivate his players at the least. But when you have journeymen like the Sinclairs, Richardsons et al, and distinctly averge players like Gestede, Westwood et al, then his job is made 100 times harder. And lets face it, half of them dont give a shit and still get to go home
To their mansions and playboy lifestyles win lose or draw.
I called for Garde yesterday too, but he is too easy a target. We know who the real culprits are, but they are just not visible enough for us to blame. Lerner and co are playing a great game, because they are using the manager as a shit deflector all the time.
I feel sorry for Garde, as I did with Sherwood. But we need to bypass these and get at the men who sit at the top, we all know they are to blame and until they are all gone, things are foing to get even worse.
And the only way now is to seriously hit them where it hurts. No more tickets, merchandise etc. Protests outside the game. But even that wont help. Lerner will go when he is ready and when the financials are right. Christ, he could be here for another 2,3,4,5 years. A scary thought. And that is what is so frustrating – its the fact that us fans, as passionate as we are, and as important AVFC is to our lives, we can actually do very little to change things.
As for that knob yesterday at the team bus, its the sort of behaviour that makes me not want to be assoxiated with the club at all. But I can sort of understand it at the same time, because deep down we are all feeling like that.
Apologies posted below on wrong thread so reposted here
Verbal abuse is classed as assault under the law where the recipient of the abuse feels threatened. I was reported for telling someone he was pathetic without any swearing and the police threatened to charge me with assault or I should admit the offence get a warning and a criminal record – I kid you not. I refused to admit anything and told the copper to go and read the dictionary – politely of course. Fair play the police got the idiot to withdraw the complaint …. but you need to be careful as it’s an aspect of the law that most people are not aware.
Hitch been there mate, police find your right in what your saying but hands are tied, they did the same talked the person down. Badger fair comment mate I understand our frustrations and yes we do get heated when its at a point of shear anger and cannot see the end project. Maybe things will in time get better , cannot see it yet.
Badger that’s a better post mate.
Am as fustrated as you and hate to see my loving Aston villa struggle on the pitch and upstairs. Think garde is right manage for us but not under the right ownership.
Garde has got the best out of some of are players but there’s a lot of dead wood in are squad and he know that but can’t change 7 players in 4weeks with a team rock bottom of the league!
Villa board knew Sherwood wasn’t the man at start of season should of got rid of him and let Garde have full window to get his own players and not get him during season with players that are simply not good enough!
All managers have a way and style they want there team to play but it a lot harder to do with players of this quality that villa have purchased this season!
How do arrive at that conclusion?
Garde was only employed because he won’t rock the boat,will embrace our glorious leader’s bullshit agenda and kiss Lerner’s and his merry bunch of sycophanths arses.
Any manager that has a Scooby and/or an opinion would and did give AVFC a wide berth and who can blame them with Crusty and his cronies at the helm?
It’s ok to feel like that ‘twat’ does deep down but at least he had the bollox to say what he thought to the faces don’t we say the players are SHITE, besides adding additional expletives wasn’t that what he was calling the players no I suppose we should wrap these fuckers up in cotton wool & be diplomatic about things give me a fucking bucket.
Good point Giddy at least he had the balls to say it to their faces as opposed to some faceless anonymous snipping from afar via some website (the wonders of modern technology, what a brave new world we live in).
And Giddy do you think many on here with their apparently very strong convictions would have the courage to express them in a face to face situation?
MATE lets put it like this anyone running a player or even the whole team down will now be asked ‘ WOULD YOU SAY IT TO THEIR FACE/FACES???
Lads I could answer that and probably you wouldn’t believe me,
I would MATE
Bill people have vented thier anger on here month after month then someone posts a clip of some fella ripping into the team face to face and then suddenly our sensitivities are offended! FFS get a grip.
And as for someone swearing and displaying aggressive behaviours at a football game? Heaven forbid!
Bill you have do have to wonder if some have ever been to a game.
BWS, get a grip? I do see the funny side of someone losing it, but my argument is he lost it big time, I can do that, so can you, but personal defamatory remarks draws a line with me, only two weeks ago a young twat called me a old c,.,t , and he was having a knock at two people in a car and he was blocking the road, I lost it and slammed his car door on him, I don’t walk away, yes I’m angree you know that but fowl language thrown at you not on in my book, sorry if you don’t see my side its the way I way brought up.
Bill that was a generalization not aimed at you but we are going off in tangent here.
I would but in a constructive way
If Garde can’t tell the players how abysmal they are let the fans tell them. It’s about time
the fans stood up and voice opinions not only the players but the muppets running this club as well. The fans have had to put up with this rubbish for far to long. We’re in free fall and need to stop the rot soon. Although some of us are pointing the finger at management what I saw yesterday on the pitch was total rubbish. Passing woeful, no passion or desire to win,second to loose balls. I have nothing positive to say. The supporters were great and will always be. Let’s hope Garde gives them a drilling and our performance
on Tuesday improves. Can’t see us spending big to keep us up and not sure if any loan players would be interested based on our current position.
I’m also loosing faith in Garde, what we needed was a manager like Pearson, or at lease someone who could get the best out of what we’ve got.
Just a win to bring some confidence to the team is what we need.
Who knows what a win can do – it’s been that long I’ve forgotten what it’s like.
Up the Villa.
Remi should get till end of March and judged on performances till then. Hard to know what he inherited and whether pre-season was inadequate especially w.r.t. players fitness – Illori was apparently poor and unfit against Exeter. Remi has had the equivalent of a pre-season so can be fairly judged on results here on. If there’s no upturn then April onwards is time to bed new manager in to give time to know the dressing room and what players need to be recruited.
No point getting rid of Remi now too little to late to hire anyone ekse
See league 2 Oxford beat Swansea – another team headed for the trap door?
Tough luck Leicester they was robbed.
True BWS, another ref cock up, how do we know they are not fans of a boy hood supporters of that team,, give me Scottish , Welsh, refs or Northen Ireland, to stop silly decision.
I don’t believe anyone could motivate these players. They are set for life and they don’t care. Gabby couldn’t care less since Tom Fox thought it would be a good idea to give him a 5 year deal off the back of 4 games and look at Sinclair, the moment his loan became permanent he stopped as well.
You can guarantee that most of the squad are already planning their “escape” in the summer. This is why a manager needs control, you have to get the personalities right as well as the ability and this is why using stats to sign players is total BS.
With the board set up and playing squad at Villa right now, even a world class manager would be set up to fail.
Fox is a joke and those other two jokers flying to USA to talk about transfer targets. Isn’t that Gardes job ffs
Agree pep Guadiola coming in and signing Messi wouldn’t help now
Its being said that Richards spoke to fans as they were complaining about Guzan and Lescott having a chewing and spitting out game in the dugout and when the fans confronted them they were told to F off. Every thing is totally coming off the rails……….
Badger, I’ve reached the stage where I’m seriously expecting to switch on the TV, radio or open a web sports page and find that Garde’s walked out on this basket-case of a club.
As for fans hurling abuse at players: there’s always a ‘line’ which shouldn’t be crossed – i.e. don’t make it violent or too personal – but at the same time I can understand why fans might want these insulated, over-paid young men to understand at first-hand what ‘passion’ for a club really means.
Whether the palyers aren’t good enough, or don’t give a shit either way, if they can’t face people telling them that directly then they can go elsewhere and see whether they can find another idiot who’ll keep paying them the Monopoy-money that they seem to pocket as if they were earning it.
What I see is a manager who is not prepared to learn from the record books. It is a character trait in many people. Some are quite happy to learn a subject from the textbooks, some do not value the experience of others and want to experiment themselves. So far Remi has seen two positive the results from his Wycombe experiment. Guzan is no loss. Richard/s at RB with Bacuna to sweep up after him is an improvement on Hutton + X.
The negative results are: even if you take away the midfield Tigers most Prem sides have and give Westwood a chance against much weaker opposition he is still crap. Gestede and Sinclair showed that Wycombe are nearer their level that a surviving EPL outfit.
What does “You’re not fit to wear the shirt” mean? simply that by comparison with past Villa players your performance and passion are disgracefully below standard. It is perfectly true, and to those who say it will not help to say so, I say that depends on what improvement you think is possible. If you think despite the overwhelming evidence that encouragement will turn the current squad into survivors, then you are right that singing that rebuke will not help.
However if you think the current squad are serial non-triers content to got through the motions until their overpaid contracts expire then sing away, I would.
if i comment “your not fit type those words” would you lose confidence and even have a break down or just ignore me or justify your comments.
i mean come on its not like thousands of fans are singing negative words to nursery kids.
what is wrong with some people
I believe it’s more the latter than the former.
And they deserve all they get, we Villa fans have sat on our hands for to long as the band played “Nearer, My God, to Thee”.
the fact is the squad are not fit, skilled or passionate enough to compete at a top professional level in the football game.
some of you condemn the behaviour of some of our fans but what you need to think about is-
1) the coach the players walked onto was paid for whilst fans pay for travel.
2) the outfit the players where wearing after the game are paid for by the club whilst fans are charged a high price for same clobber.
3) the same players not putting in a shift and even if they get dropped they sit on a bench earning thousands whilst if most of us did that in our daily jobs we would be sacked.
4) players weekly earnings can take years for average hard working people and those same players can also demand a house and car when joining
so if you was given the opportunity to be a premier league footballer with handsome rewards would you show passion and willingness regardless of quality or act like an aston villa player
when a manager blames his own players you just know he has lost the dressing room, body language suggest a rift between players, one of Richards comments to those fans “it’s difficult with the current situation” needed a bit more questioning, but i suppose we will have to wait until someone writes a book.
Seems like every manager we’ve had loses the dressing room what does that tell us maybe it’s not the. Managers fault
Its OK fox is going to new York for crisis meeting ,he will tell randy shirt sales are up,we are on all back sports pages Sunday,gumgate will put us on Monday as well, every football pundit says we are worst run club beating Newcastle Sunderland but its OK shirt sales are up and by the way randy we are going to lose over 100 m in 6 months time
Guzan and Lescott having a who can spit the gum the furthest competition! This confirms to me we have real issues in that dressing room, these managers are getting forced out time to force the players out. I hope next season any player that was signed from Man City or has been at the club linger than a year should be sold. The club needs rebuilding from the bottom up, it’s total mess.
Players need moving on not saying I think Garde is the solution I simply believe he is also not the problem
Those two idiots should just be released and paid off. They are 50% of the reason we are in this position
if you go make to a comment vlaar made a few years ago, on how he didn’t like the drinking culture in the club, not sure where or when the demise of the the started.
sorry about spelling keyboard shagged
Oh man, is this ‘gumgate’ for real. I mean seriously I’m wishing the season away. We’re a car crash of a club at the moment, need the inevitable to happen to shake up the bigwigs.
Sickens me when the likes of Bournemouth can shell out £10m for Benik Ofobe. Palace and Leicester up next, historically teams we would compete with comfortably, the doors could well and truly be blown off come Sunday.
Someone please wake me from this nightmare.