Apathy bites as Villa slump into bottom 6

It was only a matter of time until Villa slipped into the nether regions of the Premier League this season. Now, as we head out of winter and into the final third of the season, we find our club in 15th place, with only six wins chalked up all season.

The Villa Park crowds fell away quickly while we were still in the dying days of summer. After an initial fan reaction to the defection of Alex McLeish from the east side of the city, this was soon replaced by the shrugging shoulders of acceptance towards his appointment. However, around 6,000 paying customers were immediately lost in protest from Villa Park and the seeds of apathy were sown. ‘Experts’ in the media missed the point spectacularly, as the drab, negative football of McLeish took root at Villa. Their insistence that Villa supporters only disliked McLeish because of his Blues links were plain ignorant. In fact, as Villa came out with several drab draws from an incredibly easy start to the season (as ‘easy’ as the Premier League can be of course), McLeish was widely praised. The fact that the football at Villa was the most poor and uninspired for many a long year seemed to be ignored. The apathy was also taking root.

As autumn progressed, the choices McLeish was making continued to puzzle and infuriate. Who was to partner Petrov in midfield? The answer was Delph – no wait a minute, it’s Bannan – oh hold on, it’s Herd – no, it’s Clark – just a minute, it’s Gardner.

What about our big summer signing, N’Zogbia? This guy’s a brilliant but temperamental foreigner, who single-handedly kept Wigan in the Premier League last season. So play him in his best position and let him do what he does best, yes? Throw your arm around his shoulder and ‘big him up’, yes? Martin O’Neill would. – No. Not if you’re Alex McLeish. The Scot played him out of position, asked him to do what he doesn’t do well and then substituted him every single game, as well as publicly criticising him.

Let’s get something straight. N’Zogbia can be our next Ashley Young. He possesses the ability to put teams ‘on the back foot’. We don’t have to be pinned in our own half all the time. Attack is the best form of defence. By utilising attacking talent correctly, we have the players to damage teams. I know this player can be a problem but McLeish’s treatment of him has been shockingly poor.

So what of our other, what I call ‘spark’ players? Players who can win games for you, if you desire? Stephen Ireland is a huge talent who used correctly, can unlock teams offensively. Yet McLeish ignores him for months and then still plays him out of position. Here is another guy who needs handling sensitively but something tells me that if he’s telling McLeish to go forth and multiply then something is not being done right.

In addition, both Albrighton and Bannan have been ignored for long periods too. However, the ageing, slow, lumbering Heskey is instilled into the team whenever he’s actually fit. The same can be said about the very limited James Collins who if fit, is always preferred to the hugely impressive Carlos Cuellar. But wait, Collins is a ‘McLeish type’ player, of course. The block and hoof type central defender that is ten-a-penny in League One or maybe the Championship.

If given the chance, McLeish would fill his teams with Collins’ and Heskeys. Honest and hard-working, that’s all you need!

So, despite poor football, poor decisions and poor results, McLeish has still escaped serious criticism. The atmosphere at the ground has been non-existent. It’s as if people just don’t care anymore and can’t be bothered to protest. Game after game, the small Villa Park crowds sit on their hands, shake their heads and go home. The passion has gone and the will has gone. The cancer of apathy is destroying the vital organs of the club and nobody cares.

The Man City game summed up the season in 90 minutes. Dull, uninspired selection and tactics for 75 minutes, followed by the introduction of Ireland and N’Zogbia, which instantly gave the team some attacking thrust and ‘spark’. City were pushed back and actually troubled and were it not for a fabulous save and a missed sitter, Villa could actually have won.

So, once again it’s thoughts of ‘what if’ but McLeish goes on. And as Villa fans sat in cars, buses and trains on the way home, I wonder how many just shrugged their shoulders?

If we are not careful, we can still sleepwalk all the way to relegation.