After the sacking of manager Paul Lambert, many Aston Villa fans are asking what will be the direction of the club in the future. With an owner unwilling to invest funds into the club, probably because of the fact that the club is up for sale, will the club be able to attract a decent manager to take on the challenge of rebuilding Aston Villa?
What Next For Aston Villa?
Furthermore, it is being reported that owner Randy Lerner could be liable to pay Lambert about £10 million according to Lambert’s contract. Lambert just signed a contract extension in September 2014, with Aston Villa then placed second in the table. The situation has changed a bit since then.
The history of Aston Villa is an honourable one. Winning the the title in 1981. Winners of the European cup the season after, and came close to winning the league in 1990 and 1993. Villa have not been relegated to the second tier since their latest promotion in 1988. Though it has been some time since their last big trophy, many other clubs in England who call themselves big clubs, have gone far longer without a big trophy.
One of the problems of the club the last couple of years seem to be direction. With the appointment of Lambert, he started bringing in young players, often from lower league sides, and playing aggressive pacy football. With the start of the current season, Villa have seemed to change direction and footballing style. Bringing in older, more experienced players like Kieran Richardson and Joe Cole, while changing their football to a more defensive minded style. The result has been a strong defensive record, but at the same time it seems like the team has lost confidence in the attacking part of the game.
So where will to direction go from here? Should Villa bring in a manager to build on their defensive style, while going back to playing long balls? Or should the club focus on bringing in a manager to rekindle the undoubted talent of the likes of Christian Benteke?
It would definitely be a shame not to revitalize their attacking players. There are players of great quality at the club. Technically gifted players who should really be able use their creative skills. The signing of Carles Gil is a great example of this. The defensive foundation has already been built, and of course a new manager should not disregard this. A good manager should be able to focus on both at the same time. Hopefully for Villa fans the club will make the right appointment this time.
According to other media, the club have not ruled out the possibility of naming a new manager before Sunday’s FA cup clash against Leicester City. The club is also looking for a long term appointment rather than a short term solution just to keep them in the league. It is also reported that the manager should be comfortable with working under a Football Director, and that the club wants to focus on bring young players through. If this sounds like a good philosophy, it does not seem like there is much choice with an owner unwilling to spend money on expensive signings, while still focusing on cutting the clubs wage bill.
Once again, Tim Sherwood has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the job. That may well work, but there have been criticism toward Sherwood’s training regime at Tottenham as well as his relaxed focus on tactics and formation. Villa need a modern manager with the right dedication.
Whatever decision the club makes, they really need to make to right decision, at least on to keep them in the Premiership. With the new TV deal in place, it would be a disaster for Villa to go down, and make the project to sell the club to a new and dedicated owner even more difficult.
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