I don’t know what it is, but I’m finding it increasingly harder to write anything about the Villa lately.
International breaks, where England get ridiculously easy draws in the qualifiers, yet crumble at the first sign of any half decent opposition don’t help things in the slightest and I’ve detested the things for years, but somehow there’s more to it than that of late.
I think a lot of it stems to our current position and our current form.
We’re in a position now where we cannot be relegated.
Obviously that’s great, but if you then consider how poorly we’ve been playing for literally months now, we’re not going to make Europe either. I’m sure many will think that’s a good thing, because it’s too soon and we haven’t got the squad.
I totally get that and it’s probably the majority opinion that we haven’t even got the squad for the Premier league, which shows even more how well we’ve done this season.
But I looked on in envy at Wolves last year when they were in Europe and I’m not convinced you should give up on trying to qualify, even if you might prove not good enough.
But that’s an aside.
It seems to me we’ve nothing to play for and our football is basically demonstrating that.
And it’s boring.
Go on, think about it. When was the last time you enjoyed watching a Villa game?
Where’s the free flowing football that we saw earlier in the season, where you actually expected a goal, not just hoped we’d get one?
Where’s the zest, the drive, the basic excitement about our game?
It hasn’t been there for ages for me and it’s beginning to tell on my patience.
Sky’s constant messing about with the kickoff times doesn’t help. Football at 4.30 on a Sunday just feels wrong to me and always will.
But if I’m honest, I don’t even look forward to a Villa game anymore, probably because I know exactly what I’m going to get.
The same tired tactics from a manager who doesn’t even like to sub, let alone bring new players in.
The same players who have persistently underperformed for weeks, yet hardly ever get dropped.
The same one up front, which for all the effort just isn’t producing results.
It’s just boring.
Smith would probably counter that he’s introduced Ramsay. Indeed he has, but has he looked anything like useful?
Be honest and not sentimental and the truth is no he hasn’t. At all.
So take him out of the limelight and get another youngster in.
What is there to lose?
We’re playing like we don’t want to achieve anymore this season, so we might as well just do SOMETHING different.
We’re playing Fulham. Put Davis right next to Ollie and hoof it to them. Just for the hell of it.
Does anyone even care if we win or lose this game? What does it matter?
We all know it won’t happen.
So what to talk about then?
There is nothing. We all know who is going to play and how we’re going to play.
The only possible thing to talk about is if Jack comes back in or not.
If he does, we might be a better team, although I wouldn’t expect him to hit the ground running.
And if he doesn’t, we’ll just be, well…..
I’m going for 2-1.
But I don’t have a clue who will win.
It’s just a case of which team is worse, to my mind.
