This was a game of either stoical defending (1st Half) or absolute disarray (2nd half). In short, it was another humiliation. In the harsh light of day, this was an absolutely timid, gutless and spineless performance from a group of players who now disgrace our football club as a matter of weekly routine.
And what of our manager, head coach, whatever. Remi Garde is not the root cause of the problems at Aston Villa, but he cuts a disinterested, resigned and frankly, lost figure on the touchline. He isn’t to blame for where we are – but he does have the ability to impact and effect a game of football. He has by default, opted not to.
I’m concerned and disillusioned by his lifelessness as much as I am by Tom Fox’s decision to appoint & subsequent failure to back the man.
Garde’s press conferences have become pointless exercises in defending a worsening set of results and answering for the ineptitude of the clubs hierarchy. We look like a beaten team from the first second & there has to be more to it.
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Our marking is shocking, our effort absent and our belief non-existent.
Despite having been absolute trash for an an entire season, it’s only recently that we have become genuinely cut adrift. Also no-one has managed, somehow, to pull away above us. Yet, despite this, we have looked an absolutely soul destroyed group from head coach to kit man for weeks. We need to grow a pair, urgently.
Richards’ continues to perform like a man long ago discovered to not quite cut it. Lescott’s a faded figure made wealthy through good fortune rather than class. Gabby’s utterly anonymous. Guzan a charlatan. Hutton a trier. Westwood a lost cause. Veretout, lost in translation. Gana, headless chicken. Ayew, starved of supply. Etcetera, etcetera.
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It was an absolutely delightful stroll in the park for City, who scored at will, side footed into our net and had the luxury of watching an Aguero penalty hit the post. Oh well, eh? Maybe next time.
We are a sorry excuse of a football team, with no competitive edge, drive or desire to take the game to an opposition. I can recall two meandering runs from Alan Hutton. Alan. Hutton. Are these really our tactics?
No man amongst us would even consider walking with our heads held high into a changing room after another showing like this, but I imagine the Villa XI sleep easy on piles of £££. It has gone beyond a joke, eclipses parody and now enters the realms of recurring nightmare.
City naturally represent a formidable opponent for us, but we lacked any ingenuity, guile or effort to compete. This was an opponent coming off the back of 3 straight defeats. They must have prayed for us appearing upon the fixture list.
If the first 45 minutes emphasised our dire attempts to stifle a game of football, then our inability of parking the bus was evident within 5 minutes of the restart.
I suppose I understand Garde’s attempts to stop a 4-0 becoming an 8-0 (we’ve been there after-all…) but, we were poorer for this approach. Should I be pondering whether we would have been worse off under Sherwood; really? We might not be a better footballing team, but I think we’d be far more motivated as an eleven.
Question; If Garde was in post from the first game of the season, would this return on results be tolerated?
Next Question; If a new CEO were appointed tomorrow, would he act? All assuming Remi doesn’t catch the Eurotunnel overnight of course…
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We head into the next game against Spurs in absolutely torrid shape. I consider Tottenham a far more organised, disciplined and better managed side than City; they must be licking their lips. They are also hungry for a Premier League title.
As fans we must continue our protests, in whatever form is fitting, and reinforce a message that this level of mediocrity for our grand and decorated football club, is unacceptable.