Well, that’s just sod’s law isn’t it?
I’ve hardly missed watching any games this season, but tonight I was so busy at work that I didn’t get to see a minute of it.
So what do the Villa go and do?
Well, after waiting since the Blues game, they only go and actually win don’t they?
Which had me kicking myself, as I suspect the feeling of elation would have been much higher when the final whistle went, compared to just reading the result on Yahoo.
As for my prediction in the preview, where I was all doom and gloom, I’m extremely happy to say I got that totally wrong. But I’d be happy to be wrong every game if it meant a Villa win.
Moving quickly on (ahem), it was interesting to see that Garde made a couple of changes, the biggest surprise perhaps being Libor Kozak getting a start ahead of Gestede. Well, perhaps not a surprise as such, as many fans have been calling for him to at least be given a chance.
But the better news is that from what I’ve read, he put in a very decent display.
Now I know nothing about how we set up tonight, but it’s struck me that Gestede is impotent if you don’t put the ball on his head and Kozak, with his better all-round game has to better suited to the way we play.
I look forward to seeing him play a full game myself.
Another surprise to me was Richards not starting.
I was under the impression that he was fit after his knock and I wonder if this was more about taking him out of the line of fire, as surely he’s a better bet than Bacuna at RB, generally speaking?
Good management perhaps, as long as the player and manager haven’t had any contretemps.
Guzan being rested for Bunn, however, was not a surprise.
An interesting point was Gil getting practically a full game. That doesn’t quite make sense to me after suggestions that he needed to be pulled off early against Wycombe, because he was fading.
I’d have thought a player can either play a full game or he can’t.
So what’s changed in a couple of days?
No doubt it comes down to what the manager thinks and perhaps it was merely a case that he thought Gil might struggle to complete two full games in such a short time, which I suppose is fair enough. Today’s game was far more important, after all.
Whatever, I’m not knocking anything. I don’t care who gets hauled off when, as long as it brings the right result.
And either way, it’s a sign that Gil’s fitness is improving.
Although why I should even be talking about that halfway through the season, begs other questions, that have often been asked already.
You’d have to suspect that Kozak and Bunn (if he did nothing wrong) will probably feature in the next few games.
And rightly so, as if anyone looks better than the player he’s replacing, he has to stay in the team because we can’t afford any favourites.
Again from what I’ve read, it seems we played a 4-3-3 and Garde’s after match comments were that he was happy because we didn’t sit back and actually went for the second goal.
Which hints that he’s been trying to get the team to go forward more and it’s actually the players themselves who have been too negative (remember Garde’s “they’re not doing as they’re told” comment?).
If that’s the case, I may owe him an apology, as I’ve criticised him as the cause of our overly cautious way of playing.
And if that’s the case, maybe today’s result might actually inspire the lads to actually believe we can beat teams?
If so, that’d be superb.
Yes, it’s only one win, but doesn’t it suddenly make things look a lot brighter?
And ok, it was apparently a lucky goal. But how much bad luck have we had?
We’re still in serious trouble of course, but for the first time in ages, we’ve actually closed the gap on teams and that has to be a good thing.
The best news of all though tonight was Glenn Alan Pardew’s (yes, I realised after I wrote the preview that I got his name wrong) words about the Villa;
“Villa really deserved their victory – they worked so, so hard.”
After the criticism we’ve all been dishing out about the players not wanting it enough, this was just music to my ears. Or should that be my eyes, given that I read it?
Well, you know what I mean, I’m sure.
Happy days, for once.
Comments
154 responses to “Villa 1-0 Palace; Pardew’s words really encouraging”
Lerner admits the club is unstable……I wonder how that has happened. Nothing to do with bleeding the club of it’s assets, penny pinching or pocketing the Sky TV money is it? Even more remarkable given the situation we are currently in due to the mentioned above we are expected to be “self sufficient”.
It will take this club at least 10 years to get back into the prem once we go down. Thank the lord shirt sales are on the increase. Great job Tom.
Is it just me that thinks accepting a job when the business is up for sale is somewhat stupid. I mean job security isn’t exactly assured is it? To me that is something that only a fool would do, which pretty much sums up our board I guess.
He has a little bit , he’s a Man City supporter, Jesus wept.
Bill ….. A Scouse man city supporter
I would prefer Mccleish re-instated than this appt, its so bad its unreal…. he is an accounting asset stripper…. !
Mclueless as chairman???? For real??
Giddy this is that bad, seriously I am rocking back and forth sucking my thumb… This man has no idea of football, thinks the game comes second after merchandise and comes from an accounting background…. He is also a scouser who supports Man city….
And I meant McClueless bing reinstated, flipping burgers not really having any input to football….. Just like our new frickin Chairman
MATE nothing surprises me now they could of installed coco the clown as chairman & Randy would of given him his full backing.a man city fan & money doesn’t buy success what utter bollox he’s possibly remarking on Leicester city.
Lerner has said that he wants the Chairman to continue the good work started in the summer of 2014 ……. what good work, we are bottom of the bloody league, we are a football club not a department store !
That’s a good one Saddened, top floor is men’s clothes, second floor ladies lingerie, bottom floor Aston Villa. Nice store that.
where av all the quality players gone. it is now half way through the transfer window. where are the players. u r tellin the manager that u r not prepared 2 help and we need players now, remember martin oneil randy. got us 2 6th place and wanted 2 push us on. wot did u do. made him leave i wud say cause u wanna drag team down wen u can do somethin abt it. if u cant get 6th back next season and get us out of relegation that u put us into with players u released and bought no real quality. u need 2 step it up 4 the fans and the club. u cant take out of the club and say u want 2 sell it wen fans help and revenue plus fa cup and sponsors. so dont tell me and fans no money wen u av decreased wage budget of the club which means squad will b weaker as well. doug ellis has seen 2 av done more. doug did not sell villa 2 u and villa fans 2 let us down.
Oh and one of his biggest ‘heroes’ is Alex Ferguson…. Im going to the pub !!
Can I join yer?? Mines a treble.
Quote from our new chairman –
‘…underpinned by a commitment to continuous improvement both on and off the pitch. The business of football is no different to any other business in this respect.’
I’ve worked with ‘continuous improvement’ strategies in automotive for years and now do it in a completely different field – media. However it’s taken me six years to understand the business well enough to apply this successfully.
Football is totally different to any other business so I hope that Mr. Hollis is a very quick learner.
In reality he’s just another amateur to add to all the others we’ve got (big sigh)
I’m still hoping I’ll wake up and find it’s all been a nightmare – bit like Bobby Ewing – and I’d be 8 years younger. Ah well dream on.
We get our first win in 157 days we’re feeling a little bit more upbeat then our Glorious Leader goes and takes the legs from under us with yet another underwhelming appointment.
30 years at KPMG and private banker (SORBUS) and you have to ask what is this appointment all about?
KPMG are auditors so he’s been brought in to do what exactly?
Seeing as our Glorious leader can’t get his money back by selling the club and now it looks more than likely he’s going to lose the SKY money due to relegation, well perhaps he’s now looking at employing shall we say ‘less scrupulous ways’ to in order to recover his losses?
That BWS is a very good question. Lerner’s ineptitude in making management and investment decisions relevant to running a sports club is staggering. The guy still thinks he owns a bank or perhaps that’s his overriding strategy. Create a load of cash and liquidate the investment whilst fleecing the punters aka Villa’s long suffering fans.
Steven Hollis aka ‘The Liquidator’?
I’m just thinking if cuts are coming will he scrap the academy????
Would it make difference Giddy, any that are any good they flog or let go Cayhill – Gardener – Davis- Dehney – Johnson (this list is not exhaustive).
That’s what I thought do we really use it anyway?
This is all very Blackpool.
If football is like any other business then why don’t other “businesses” have 30,000+ people turning up every week to support them?
Football without fans is like Nothing.
Just laughed out loud when I read the news. It is April 1st isn’t it? Another bean counter who knows nothing about the game of football.
Can we swap Randy Lerner and have David Bowie back please?
Yeah, because chairmen of most clubs know how to run football clubs when they arrive. Oh wait, no they don’t, they know how to run businesses. Hasn’t even started the job and we already have a bunch of people whining.
To be fair most clubs have football knowledgeable people on the board. We don’t and that is the point fans are making.
I do remember they also said they were looking to find another “board member” once we got the chairman, so I’ll wait to complain if 1 that doesn’t happen or 2 that guy doesn’t know what he’s doing.
I remember Lerner saying if he could never move this club forward he’d sell it, although I don’t recall him saying only if he got an over inflated price for it. I also remember Lerner saying he was a fan, no fan would treat any club the way he has treated us. I remember him saying he is totally committed to Aston Villa. Although he never attends games, unless it’s the cup final.
My point? He’s said a lot of things but hasn’t delivered yet your naive enough to still believe him?
Of course not, although I have no doubt he’s tried to sell us. Hollis has dealt with takeovers himself in big businesses, so maybe that’s a reason why he was appointed as well? Very well maybe that he is all those things, maybe not, all we can do is speculate. However I don’t see why we can’t give the new guy a chance to do what he’s been hired to do without moaning about it? At least Lerner kept his word on this, and the fact he put us up for sale shows he wants out like he said he would if he can’t keep us going. Only Fox I remember claimed he’s still “motivated” as an owner.
But I stand by this isn’t surprising that a Chairman is appointed who’s a high class businessman. Who runs the entirety of the football club. Can’t have people who only know about football run clubs, you need businessmen with people around him who know about football.
No you need a large injection of money
No, no you don’t, you need a smart injection of money.
What on merchandising??
No… On transfers. Smart transfers. like… Scouting, you know, searching for players who won’t cost you 50m and 350k wages? Or even 30m and 250k wages. But players like Okazaki, Mahrez, Sako, Firmino, etc.
Only time will tell & one thing I can guarantee is one of us will be eating our words in months to come.let’s have a poll who likes/dislikes the appointment.
I agree you can’t only have football people running a football club but we don’t have anyone on the board from the footballing side of things and that is why people are not happy with this appointment.
There is absolutely no knowledge of football from the powers that be at the club. That’s 4 people, Hollis, Fox, Almstadt and Riley who have no experience of running a football club. The only person who has experience is Garde and even his is somewhat limited.
For a club this size that is shocking.
Can’t disagree with that whatsoever, we should have someone within the board knowing about football instead of statistics, and hopefully they’ll appoint someone who does.
Most companies don’t engage a ‘”Chairman” to run the sharp end of the business – that’s for a CEO and management team.
Most football clubs don’t engage a “Chairman” who’s a football expert either.
Villa need a powerful voice on the Board who does understand ‘football’ – English football – and we’re still waiting to see if they appoint one; but there’s no reason to damn this particular individual before he’s even sat in the chair for a couple of days!
Chairman leads the Board who have three main responsibilities – strategy, ensure sufficient resources are available to deliver the strategy and governance.
Reading the guys statement it appears he considers Villa’s strategy needs revisiting but that sufficient resources (investment) has been made available to date! So maybe he disagrees with moneyball but he doesn’t apparently see the need to change the levels of investment – well not upwards anyway.
This is about making Lerner as much money as he can but they all seem to forget we need a decent team to start with. So we’ll have a brilliant strategy with a clever lie investment solution and no product – brilliant!
So Andrew this chap will bring the glory days back without spending a penny I wait with baited breath.he’s been watching man city too closely I mean they’ve done pretty well without the wedge.
Truly not surprised you of all people would make such a ridiculous reply.
No one said he’s bringing back the glory days without spending, but I don’t remember him claiming we’re not spending either. He said, that looking at the Premier League, you don’t need to do well by spending a lot, or something to that effect I don’t remember exactly which pretty much goes with how bad Chelsea and United are doing, who consistently spend hundred’s of millions on players, compared to how well Leicester, West Ham, Stoke and Palace are doing.
When was the last time Leicester, West Ham, Stoke or Palace won the premier league? When was the last time Leicester, West Ham, Stoke or Palace got relegated from the premier league? When was the last time Man Utd or Chelsea won the premier league? When was the last time Man Utd or Chelsea got relegated from the premier league?
You do argue from a ridiculous position at times. Send your answers to the above questions on a postcard for us so we can understand the facts…
You’re right, then again never did I claim we’d win the league with a small investment. However we’re not in a position to invest large. We have to invest smart. And the fact the table backs that up so far with Leicester in 2nd on GD, West Ham above United with Stoke and Palace just a couple points off United ahead of Liverpool, I’d argue he has a point. Believe me, I’d love for Villa to be able to spend 30m on a player and think nothing of it, we can’t, but neither can the clubs I mentioned and look where they are?
The top 6 clubs net spend on transfers over the last 5 years are:
Man City
Man U
Chelsea
Liverpool
Arsenal
West Ham
None of them are in the bottom 3 – But we are !
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-chairman-steve-hollis-10734891
Sounds like his best MATE is canvassing him.
I wonder how much this man gets in wages?, I would have thought getting out of the shit we’re in comes first , the appointment of Chairmanship come second, hope he don’t rock the boat on players coming in and players going out.
Pardew has spent almost 50 m in one year cabaye must be on a fine wedge to sign for pal
not sure how true the bit at the bottom is but we is bolloxed http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/aston-villa/12098452/Aston-Villa-manager-Remi-Garde-confident-Bordeaux-defender-Lamine-Sane-will-join-troubled-club-on-loan.html
They’ve got his first name wrong it should be IN-Sane
The new chairman has it all to do, and he has begun with a stupid statement about football being like any other business. Well here is a football man’s view of accountancy.
“Accountants appear on the battlefield after the fighting is over, to count the dead and bayonet the wounded.”
At board level you need a variety of skills which may be interchangeable with the boards of different businesses, but at CEO you need someone who knows how your particular factory runs from top to bottom and what the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors products are.
Too soon to say if Remi Garde is the right man for CEO.
However it can clearly be seen that two departments, the youth teams and the reserves have failed woefully in their primary purpose which is sifting through the enormous potential of footballing talent in the WM conurbation and delivering a steady stream of it to the first team squad.
Over to you Chairman.
As always OLL you’re spot on. His statement is truly depressing and shows little understanding of what is needed at Villa. All theory and no product – that is what we’ll get. All we now have is a load of bean counters, salesmen and analysts running the club – we are truly deep in the soft stuff.
Hollis has now called us a “business model”
And people want us to give him a chance?
Sounds like the guy is another first class pr*ck. Another classic Randy Lerner appointment.
Knob.
Yep, give him a few months and he’ll probably re-name Villa Park claiming it’s a fantastic deal and brings in much needed revenue. Unlike trying to stay in the Premier league would do.
https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xta1/v/t1.0-9/12439553_10201259756372136_3429457000966791747_n.jpg?oh=c7824626844707314d87b361970fe4aa&oe=57418EFF
Adding Brian Little to the board would be a big step in the right direction…
Are they trying to pacify us with fans greats? It’s the pitch that needs players ,we’ve been crying out for footballer and now a new Chairman, two board directors, get us out of the relegation zone then work on the club’s mismanagement , this is a typical businessman ply to shut the fans up.
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/new-aston-villa-chairman-steve-10737879
I’m beginning to seriously dis-like this bloke. More crap comes out of his mouth than Lerners, and that’s saying something!!
No fear of relegation, looks like us going down has been accepted by the board then. Great confidence builder for the players and manager.
IF Villa go down, key word there is IF. He was probably asked what would happen if we were to get relegated. What was he supposed to say? “Oh, if we get relegated, we’ll never come back up because we’re afraid?” That would be nonsense. He hasn’t shown any claim that he’s accepted us going down. He said exactly what any owner/chairman/CEO or even manager would say. I can get your hatred for him being a businessman but not for this.
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/wanted-aston-villa-hunting-boardroom-10735920#ICID=FB-Birm-avfc
Exactly what I said could happen and it appears so that a chairman with business sense and no footballing experience added with a board member or two with Football experience. So yes, lets give this man a chance.
let’s all go to the ground with pitch forks and torches.
the bloke hasn’t even started and we are on a witch hunt.
he is here now so we have to wait and see if he delivers but I fear it is going to be a long time until we recover.
No Steve, no witch hunt just fear, despar and a lack of confidence and belief caused by five years of pain and grief.
Dispair
On cooling down a bit I find that I agree with Andrew and Steve to an extent.
I know we’ve been fed shit on a shovel for far too long but let’s give the new chairman a chance to prove himself. At least he’ll be here and not 3,000 miles away.
As for his comment on not being afraid of relegation it was probably the best thing he could have said in the situation as –
If he said we weren’t going to get relegated we’d have thought him nuts
If he hadn’t mentioned it at all we’d have thought he had his head buried in the sand
And okay he might be another dud but, as far as I’m concerned, I’ll give him and Remi a year and see what I think of them then.
I’m not going to expect miracles but I’d settle for seeing some improvement, hopefully enough to give us a chance of getting out of the Championship within a year or two.
UTV
Trouble is Pat, we’ve continually taken that view – let’s give the bloke a chance and yet time and time again our initial instincts have been proved right.
What concerns me is the content of his first statement which seems to lack any real understanding of the recent failings that have created the position we are in. To the contrary he appears to see no issue with the level of investment made by Lerner. If that’s the case then I would expect a few Board members heads to roll as, if the investment is sufficient, then the strategy must by completely wrong.
OK, I’ll keep an open mind and, if he proves to be a good appointment, then I’ll eat humble pie – but I won’t be looking for a recipe just yet!
Having just read Hollis / Fox’s statements on BBC web site it only reinforces my view that, if true, Fox should be sacked along with other Board members. If it’s been broken for five years what the hell have the board been doing – certainly not fixing it. It also proves that Lerner does not understand nor dies he gave the ability to run a major sporting organisation.
If a new chairman of any public business came out with that statement and didn’t start replacing people at the top then the shareholders would be incensed.
The fans may not be shareholders but they have a voice and should make it heard.
*nor does he have
Perfectly true Hitch, they have just sat and done nothing to forward the cause have they? All the years knowing things are not right just carried on ignorant of the fact, the whole lot should go and now in my mind.
Problem is, Randolph wants our chairman to “carry on the good work started since summer 2014″…. Football results clearly come second to commercial activity now at this football club…… This is a commercial appointment and not a football one, so let not hope for any improvement on the field until Lerner and his merry men have buggered off.
All their appontments so far have been abysmal and ambarrasing, why should this one be any different!
Problem is Pat, football comes second, if profit is increasing and we are in the championship, they will not give a damn.
I agree MATE the more I read it’s FUCK the football side of things & more getting the club back on a steady footing.will this so called chairman be yet another joke of an appointment by Randy adding to the demise of our beloved club.call me pessimistic can you blame me???