The new season will soon be underway and many will be expecting a much better campaign than the disappointment of last year. It’s not all doom and gloom for Villa fans and here are five reasons as to why the Villans are in better shape and could finish this season in a stronger league position.
Experience has finally arrived
Joe Cole, Philippe Senderos and Kieran Richardson are the three most recent Villa signings and all three come with bags of experience, each having played for a top four club at one point in their careers. Villa fans were crying out for experience to be brought in to play alongside our young players and this did not happen last season, which is one of the reasons why we have struggled under Paul Lambert. Experience has finally arrived and with our younger players becoming more mature I am sure we will see many cooler heads on the pitch come the start of the new campaign.
The Vlaar and Okore partnership
It’s been a long time coming but it will be worth the wait. Okore and Vlaar featured alongside one another during the first few games of last season before injury struck and our star centre-back was forced to remain on the side-lines for the rest of the season. Right now, Ron Vlaar is looking better than ever following a tremendous World Cup and with “Concrete Ron” alongside the very pacey yet strong Okore we could see the perfect partnership that we have all been craving. This could spell the end for the error-prone duo of Clark and Baker, who were at fault for many of the goals we conceded last season.
Roy Keane will take no nonsense
Keane is a man who often wears his heart on his sleeve; that has been evident throughout his career. Usually one to say exactly what is on his mind, he will not be afraid to tell the Villa players what he thinks of their performances. This will be an improvement on Lambert’s post-match interviews in which he defends the players without fail, even when it is evident that the performance has been poor. A kick up the backside could be exactly what this team needs and Keane’s passion may start to spill out on the pitch.
The rise of Robinson and Grealish
One, if not both, of these players could play a significant part in the new season. Many fans were calling for Grealish to be used last season but instead he was sent out on loan to Notts County to gain some experience, which proved to be a good decision in the end. It is expected that both Grealish and Robinson will feature in the Premier League next season and there is no reason why they shouldn’t. Both players are fantastic prospects and when they have a few more Premier League games under their belts anything could happen.
Out with the stragglers
Last season, there were a number of players who did not perform to the standard that was expected. It seems as if Lambert is keen to get rid of the under-performers, having already shipped out Bowery (£250,000) and Sylla (on loan). Other players who look likely to leave the club include Antonio Luna and Alan Hutton. This could raise some transfer funds and enable Lambert to sign more able players, as well as making many fans happy.
We have good reason to be optimistic. We are also chasing a few other good players like Ki Sung Yueng, and also keeping tabs on Besler, US international defender.
Besides, anything we have at the club is not going to worsen it’s mood, so why not stay optimistic?
Many people in India have the feeling that Aston Villa are an idiotic club. People here are ill-judging, falling for the first very club they see playing well, or supporting namesake teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid who are having good seasons recently. Just because Aston Villa are not in good shape now, doesn’t make them a bad club. What were Manchester City 8 years ago, with the 8-1 thrashing by Middlesborough? Now look where both the teams are. The problem in India is, everybody will support Manchester City, nobody will even be knowing where Middlesborough is. Manchester United has great fan following in India. In my school, the support dipped by nearly half when they finished this season. That is what I call cowardliness, not support.
I am delighted that I love Aston Villa, for the amount of optimism that supporters of this club show far far far exceeds any optimism shown by fans of other clubs in India or in the world. People mean it when they say they love Aston Villa, hardly anybody in India means it when they say they support Barcelona or Manchester City.
I have been a Villa fan for almost the 7th year running. I want to do something for my club, and that for now, at the age of 18, is show optimism and help others be optimistic about us. Of course, thanks to m, everybody in my school and college know what supporting Aston Villa Football Club means.
Great Article. It’s great to see people share my view. Very happy now.
Hoping the Mansfield match will be good. I wish I could watch it live, but I don’t have the membership at Villa(sorry for that Villa fans, it’s just I’m not earning yet), and it comes at 1:15 in the night here.
Sarvesh
India
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