The College Dropout

They sold Grealish 6 years ago man. That PSR profit has been written offf for years. I respected their gamble last January. It almost worked. When they were in PSR trouble they got Maatsen in a dodgy deal last season. Ashworth had 2 plans to avoid FFP issues one of which was closed after he left. Staveley and co. weren’t perfect and June 2024 was a shitshow and a mess. But they (along with Ashworth, Howe etc) still built the squad that got us Isak, Tonali, Bruno etc. They wanted Emery then got us Howe. They convinced PIF to buy the club ffs. They got Ashworth. They convinced PIF to open the cheque book and sign Isak - convinced Isak to sign. Tonali, Bruno, Trippier. They extended Tonali and Bruno. Since they left we’ve had 1 major re-signature in Gordon. maybe 1 signing that’s been considered a coup - routinely failing to land high reputation players going back to Marc Guehi 2024. Im not having a bad week. I’ve said this all summer and most of last season too. I’m bringing it up again now because all the attention is on Eddie Howe when it should be on the owners. We aren’t midtable because of an underperforming coach(Eddie has made mistakes). We are midtable because of rudderless leadership since July 2024 at the latest. It’s caught up. It’s not a change of opinion or being emotional. I said in September i would have no issues with this squad finishing 8th. The squad isn’t good enough to compete in CL and be meaningfully better than most teams in this division

We are in desperate need of a Staveley like leader(s). People that can galvanise and energise PIF and the playing squad. It’s unlikely. currently we’ve been rotating between suits. Maybe one will be that galvanising force but it’s unlikely. I think a lot of PIF’s interest was driven by Staveley.

Sounds like a threat

Hall is similar to Reece James. Both primarily played CM in youth sides. Both pure footballers. James played CM in the championship and at times under Tuchel and now Maresca. Hall can play CM. Just does he have the physicality to dominate there. TAA is a wonderful passer/crosser (up there with the very best too) but not great at anything else. Not his touch. Dribbling etc. James and Hall have more rounded footballing ability.

I have my doubts that employees can drive success without skin from owners. We’ll see. SF o much focus on Howe. His coaching is the least of my worries. The most important thing at a football club is the competence, ambition and drive of the owners. Ours don’t have drive. Lacking competence by the looks of it too.

Under Staveley we were regularly signing players heavily linked to big 6.

I think we are better off than that. The excitement Staveley had for the project helped us land players with profiles above our level like Trippier, Tonali, Isak. i don’t think it’s a coincidence Staveley left and we suddenly struggle to land targets. From Guehi to Sesko we couldn’t land them. But we did convince Tonali and co.

The momentum was lost in the summer. That was the monumental setback. Spent a lot of money on players that aren’t as good as we needed. We are also going to suffer from not adding top quality for 2 years. We need a pipeline of players to develop and sell and that pretty much stopped in 2023 with the TinoHall summer.

I think we’ll uptick at some point. But I’m also now thinking 8th/9th

Monchi has left no?

We’ve not won a trophy as prestigious as the FA Cup. Our league cup win is all we have over Villa in the time period I’m talking about. Im not diminishing anything we’ve achieved. Off the pitch that was built ok the back of Staveleys leadership. Howe kept it together on the pitch off the backs of the squad he built with Staveley and Ashworth and in spite of the clubs poor hires and leadership. That’s why made last season extra special- we lost our off pitch leaders, had a shit summer and still came out on top. Again in spite of what was poor leadership. We had another shitshow summer and this year there isn’t a Staveley era signing or 2 to help bail us out. Villa are going to finish in the top 6 for the fourth successive season. 4 seasons of European football from league finishes. Got 66 points while going deep in the CL and FA Cup. Missed out on CL last season on GD, wheeled and dealed some more, sold ladies team now back in the CL hunt. That’s not just down to great coaching by Emery. But the owners have Done a great job to keep them there. Saudi bucks obviously supported us. But apart from Howe and his team all the brains behind our success have left.

They do have good players though. Only saw the second half. But Rogers, Tielemans, Sancho, Watkins, Kamara, Watkins were knocking it about nicely. It’s a high technical floor team with strength and ability. I agree statistically it is Forest 24/25-esque but you would think Villa have the quality to stick the landing (CL at least) relying on Rogers and co rather than MGW Wood and Elanga

Yep. It was disappointing in the end. But I always said we would do very well to match it or do better. We probably won’t get close

By that token Palace have achieved more than us and Villa. The biggest achievements on the pitch don’t tell the entire story of the clubs.

There’s something about grinding out results. Takes real team spirit. Belief. Sometimes it’s confidence. We’ve lost it. Definitely the confidence and belief.

You made it sound like a bad season.

Villa have some spirit.

I’ve not changed position on the ownership for well over a year now. we’ve been rudderless for a long time. We had a massive opportunity in the summer to establish ourselves as a top 6 squad and team and we fumbled it. I said at the time this squad could easily finish 8th, it was such a bad summer.

Sancho is so annoying as a player. Very talented. Today he’s come on with fire in his belly and played well. Mostly when I watch him he looks half arsed. If he applied himself he would be such a wonderful playmaker.

It’s also by design. As soon as Madueke started maturing and becoming a player they sold him to bring in another development project in Gittens. Rather than go out and get Osimhen they faffed about and got Delap to develop. That’s seemingly their entire game. It doesn’t make sense mind.

I don’t understand your point. Everything we’ve achieved is from the fruits of Staveley, Ashworth and Howe regime. The first full season without all 3 Howe, Isak, Tonali took it to another level with Bruno Burn Schar Pope et al holding it together. Despite an awful summer and rough start. But another year of leadership malaise has caught up to us. An all time awful window has left us short. I have no doubt some in the dressing room are losing hope in the project. I’ve always given Villa’s owners and leaders credit. You can see they are giving their all to be the best they can Be. I’ve not felt the same about ours for a long time.

Owners have consistently done a good job imo. Taken calculated risks. Ours have looked absent of leadership for 2 years.

Entire project looks to be faltering. no leadership from these. Poor appointments. The project has looked rudderless ever since Ashworth and then Staveley left. Losing hope and belief in it. Will always have 16/3/25.

Great post. I agree fundamentally Gordon is technically average/decent. That limits his ceiling and ends up like performances of yesterday. Which I’m largely ok with. He worked hard. Hustled. Used his pace well. But lacked quality - which a player like him will sometimes lack. That’s fine. With that application goals and assists will come. HOWEVER that application has been lacking all too often this season and last. And that I am not ok with. For our level. He is fine overall if he’s applying himself. But we should look to improve our n his profile for the other winger spots. That’s where we fumbled in the summer.

Yeh but he’s shit.