There's no doubt that the win at Bolton was very, very, very important. I'd go so far as to say even that it was absolutely crucial. The Premier League is as tight as it was last season, when anyone from 7th to 20th could have been relegated, right up until the last few weeks of the season. Make no mistake, Bolton v Villa WAS a relegation 'six pointer'.
The result has made some things a little clearer for us:
1 - It has saved McLeish's bacon.There is now no way he will be removed at any point this season, particularly in light of our current (deceptively high) league position of 9th. Sadly, I and many others will have to accept this.
2 - We are unlikely to go down as we are beating the very poorest teams in the division.Villa have beaten the bottom three teams plus Norwich so this does suggest that we are probably just too good to go down.
3 - We DO have good attacking players. At Bolton,it was more like the type of performance from the second half of last season, when an injury-free Villa side went from January 2nd to the end of the season as the 6th best team in the country!
4 - These same attacking players have had their form and confidence sucked out of them by McLeish's previously dire, negative and unacceptable tactics and style of football. Bent has lost confidence in front of goal due to his being starved of service. N'Zogbia, following his sparkling attacking performances of last season, has looked poor as he has been forced to play an unnatural defensive game, been substituted in almost every game and basically 'nullified' by the negative McLeish. Albrighton has lost form and confidence as he is young and has not been 'backed' by McLeish. The likes of Ireland and Bannan have suffered by being banished out of the side and forced to play defensively and/or out of position on rare opportunites.
Last season, we played to the strengths of our attacking players. Under McLeish, we have played to the strengths of Collins and Dunne.
5 - McLeish will almost certainly 'park the bus' again against Liverpool and Arsenal. Someone should perhaps tell him that it's been three points for a win since 1981.
6 - Some say that we have tightened up defensively. It's true that we have not been battered by anyone, despite some truly awful performances. However, as McLeish doesn't take risks, this is inevitable. Again, it's three points for a win now!
7 - We are in for a long, dull, depressing season. We may finish mid-table but as I predicted in August, we will do so without being noticed. But McLeish is going nowhere.
Things we just have to accept
posted on 14/12/11
Pretty much bob on Lionbrad, as long as we are in the Prem (and look like staying there) and it will cost the club money to get rid of McLeish he will be in charge.
posted on 14/12/11
All very valid points,I must admit I was shocked when I eventually got around to checking out villa's league position this season!
Statistically also to a,I'm sure,very busy owner,it looks like he's doing a fantastic job.
Let's face it though,with two of the best strikers in the league you should be doing a Tottenham and running all over most teams in the leagu!
When I see figures stating that Darren Bent has touched the ball less than any other striker in the league it makes me wince,even as a Bluenose!
Probably more to do with my love of the beautiful game than sympathy for the devil(villa)[Did you see what I did there?] but there you go!
posted on 14/12/11
Bolton saved McLeish's bacon, for the moment. But I don't think it guarantees his future. I think with a loss he would have gone, and with a draw the clock would be ticking down. In spite of the good things in the first half, remember we beat the worst team in the PL by just 1 goal.
However, if the Villa management were wondering before the Villa game whether Eck would have to go, they'll surely wait to see how things go over the remaining games this year before settling for him to stay. We have Liverpool, Arsenal, Stoke and Chelsea coming up. If it's all parking the bus and waiting for the opposition (inevitably) to score, then the one half-decent result at Bolton may not save him.
posted on 14/12/11
The bad thing about the Bolton game is it keeps McLeish in a job for a bit longer. I love Villa but I almost wanted Villa to lose so the fans could force Mr Negative out. As it happens we won, but Bolton were truly awful in the first half. Without Cahill they'd be ******. The fact that they are missing players like Lee and Holden also made it easier for us.
I also think McLeish might not necessarily be safe. If we were to lose the majority of our next four games he'd come under intense pressure.
Any manager would struggle with the way Villa have gone downhill so quickly. It's sad because last season we showed our potential by beating Arsenal and Liverpool. Had we kept Young and Downing and added players like N'Zogbia, Cabaye, Walker (or similar) and a top quality centre back (maybe Cahill if Houllier had stayed) we might be pushing top six this season playing decent football rather than being midtable and playing the dullest football at Villa since I started supporting them. However, McLeish is still below par. His job is difficult but he is bringing us down to worse than what we are. And I truly hope he is gone by the new year because I will never accept as Villa manager. He is mediocre.
posted on 14/12/11
Any suggestion of McLeish being on the brink are sadly wide of the mark.
Houllier came in last September and was already getting hounded by the home crowd by December (Sunderland) despite a crippling injury list and mess to clean up left by his predecessor.
McLeish has been here for a similar period and is yet to receive any barracking of note, despite not having the clean slate Houllier had in terms of rapport. That said, I do feel he has been treading water for a while now and has never been more than 2 or 3 matches from the crowd turning on him, which they will and when they do, mark my words, it will turn very, very nasty.
In spite of the flack which went Houlliers' way and our precarious position at the turn of the year, the board backed him and will feel vindicated based on our final league positioning, so all things considered, McLeish is sadly a million miles from his p45. Certainly for the time being.
Those of us who can see beyond our blind devotion to our club know that McLeish is a disastrous appointment (FOR FOOTBALL REASONS), but we have to accept that our CEO lacks that vision. Infact he knows very little about football and I get the feeling he will go beyond the normal means to support the man he hired, just because he can and he did so in appointing him in the first place.
Anyway, Merry Christmas Lionbrad and to all the Villa faithful.
UTV