Owners, Fans & the Difficulties of Mid-Season Mediocrity

Villa fans want Lambert out, yet one wonders what they expect?

At the start of the season no-one could have imagined that Tony Pulis would be talked of as deserving of the Manager of the Year award for what he has achieved this season. Discarded by Stoke and their fans, out of work, Pulis looked to have had his time in the Premier League. Yet when Crystal Palace came calling he couldn't resist getting back into the game. And yet it was not easy.

Taking over a Palace side languishing at the bottom on 7 points from 13 games the job appeared too much and relegation seemed inevitable. Now Palace are on 40 points, their Premier League future secure and Pulis looking once again like the shrewd and talented manager he is. He has gone into a club, assessed the players, laid down his standards and the players have reacted. He is playing a brand of football which is pleasing to watch while being defensively secure. It’s amazing how other coaches struggle to find this balance. 

This blog has been a big admirer of Pulis, not so much his style and tactics while at Stoke but certainly his ability to keep a side many anticipated to be relegated in the league. Not many have this skill, especially on a consistent basis. Which is why Pulis was such an obvious target when sides started fretting over their manager and top flight existence. Palace were perhaps fortunate to have their manager step down as it was earlier than most. 

Pulis is an example of what changing a manager can produce. Incredibly all of the bottom six clubs have changed manager this season. Above them are Villa, Hull and West Ham, who haven’t. Palace lie in 11^th. Yet was it the fact that Palace made the change earlier than others which helped their change in form? Or was it because they brought in a coach who knew what the league entailed?

Seeking flair but lacking knowledge

Looking at the coaches who came in to the bottom six clubs and you certainly see a trend; Gus Poyet, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, Felix Magath, Rene Meulensteen and Pepe Mel. The trend is evident, these are men who have no experience of Premier League relegation battles (life at United somewhat different for Meulensteen). 

It is no surprise that Poyet and Mel are already rumoured to be off in the summer. Solksjaer has not impressed even though he has had a fair amount of time in the role. Magath came in very late and although he appears to have brought a change, it may be too late. Add in Garry Monk and Neil Adams at Swansea and Norwich and you have complete novices of top level management been thrown into the chaos of Premier League management.   

And except for Magath they also lack pragmatism in their coaching approach, they seek to play the ‘beautiful’ game. Yet at this level, with the players they have, they have been punished. 

Ultimately these new coaches lack the experience and nous to deal with life at these clubs. Yet they also lack the precious commodity of time! Being thrown into a club which is in turmoil (you don’t often become the new manager when things are going well) means there are issues and a negativity to encounter. To learn the league, the clubs values and get to know the players, as they need to get to know the coach is a long process when the speed of the league throws game after game. 

Changing managers in the season has been proven to work really only when the manager coming in knows what is requires; Pulis this season, Hodgson at Fulham and West Brom, Redknapp at Portsmouth. Most notably this season we have seen the impact of which a great coach like Steve McLaren can take a side languishing in the lower ends of the league and propel them to fighting for promotion. The fact he continually keeps being overlooked for Premier League jobs is a shame for him, English coaching and ultimately the fans. He is experienced yet lacks the ‘appeal’ of foreign coaches. And this is where the problem lies…the owners.

Complete control, yet any sense?

This is who the real problem is. Coaches/managers are looking for their chance in one of the best leagues in the world, they cannot be blamed for jumping at the chance to manage in the league. Yet the problem is the owners. 

This blog does not have an issue with foreign owners per se, yet it does not agree with owners who have no idea what they are doing when it comes to football. The decision making and rashness of these owners often makes you wonder how they made so much money in business. Their wish to cut ties with a coach at the first sign of trouble cannot be good for the harmony and environment at a club.

Ellis Short got rid of a very talented manager in Martin O’Neill and replaced him with a manager who had no experience of management higher than League One football? Di Canio proved his lunacy and has effectively got the club relegated. Poyet is not as crazy on the spectrum compared to Di Canio yet he still has similar characteristics which have not helped Sunderland’s season. Had Short not rid the club of a O’Neill would they be bottom this season? I doubt it.

Vincent Tan in fairness took Cardiff to the Premier League yet at what cost? The changing of the colours was sacrilege yet was allowed as he invested to get them promoted. And although he has given a fair bit of money this season the way he treated Mackay was only ever going to cause issues. His decision to bring in Solksjaer was naïve and plain wrong. Yet he was another owner who saw a ‘name’ without really thinking about what was required.

The list of poor owners goes on; a new man at Fulham is on his third manager of the season (and taken down a statue of Michael Jackson), Norwich City’s owners debated whether to get rid of Hughton all season and then panicked at the last minute (unfair on the players, Hughton and fans). West Brom appear to be struggling post-Dan Ashworth as they rid themselves of one of the best coaches in the league and replaced him with the risky Mel, all because they wanted a more continental style of football? 

In fairness to Swansea it does seem that Laudrup had lost focus and interest although to judge a team when playing in the Europa League and after a League Cup win seems harsh (both appear to have a negative effect on a team). Yet to replace him with Monk? A case of too much too soon for a novice?

Just look back at the Venky’s at Blackburn and Tony Fernandes at QPR and you see new owners coming in who have expectations beyond the realms of reality and who then make rash and often foolish decisions of coaches and players and ultimately pay the price. Newcastle’s decision to hire Alan Shearer pointed to their owners lack of knowledge and also appeasement of the fans and they were also duly punished.

Compare this to those owners who have shown more intelligence this season. West Ham’s owners stuck with Allardyce even when it seemed his job was untenable and they have succeeded because of their faith and trust. Across the season it is not going to be easy and plain-sailing, not for any club, particularly one in the mid to bottom regions of the league. Owners as well as fans need to consider what they truly expect from the season, because for most clubs outside the top eight, staying up is pretty much deemed a good season. Am I wrong?

Villa's fickleness and delusions

This is what bring me to Aston Villa. The club I support and love. And one which is confused about its status in the modern game. Aston Villa are a big club with a rich history and can be regarded as one of England’s top clubs, however they have not been a seriously big club since the early 1990’s, near the inception of the Premier League. 

Poor managerial appointments, more often than not poor transfers and a low wage budget has meant Villa have become a mid-table side. Randy Lerner’s arrival looked to be a new era for the club but he panicked after investing £120m and realising that it required a lot more than to reach the elite of European football. 

A massive wage cut along with a cull of the squad ensued, Villa sought to become a sustainable club. This word means (relatively) low wages. McLeish was an awful appointment but he was necessary to start making the cuts necessary which Lerner sought. Quite simply Villa's losses were not helping the club or Lerner's pocket. And in the space of a couple of years Villa went from a top four challenger to a relegation threatened club. 

Lerner’s change of approach was the reason. Paul Lambert therefore was dealt a difficult hand; he arrived at a ‘big’ club with a small club philosophy. He was given funds yet not the wages required to attract ‘big’ players. Villa have therefore become a club which seeks to use the ‘Moneyball’ system of scouting young potential, paying low wages and hoping they perform well and can be sold for more in the future. That’s what sustainable management is. So when we look at this approach, how can the fans expect any more than they are getting? 

And this is why Villa fans must assess their recent ‘Lambert Out’ protests and chants and consider, what’s the alternative? A Poyet, Mel or Solksjaer? Three names which may attract fans eyes but in reality will they do a better job? 

Paul Lambert achieved his goal last season of staying in the Premier League. And this season Villa are certainly a better side, yet they do suffer from a criminal lack of consistency and fans frustrations in some games can be understood,  yet to chant for him out, ridiculous! 

An apparent motivation against the bigger sides points to their approach to games mentally yet also to the style. Against these sides Villa can exploit through their preferred counter attack style, yet against teams around them they have been found wanting when given the ball. In a similar way to O’Neill’s time at Villa the team is built one way and one way only. Yet it is the recent run of form which as Villa fans pushing the panic button. 

A feeling that four losses in a row could see them dragged in to the relegation battle, something which they seemed to be free of after the Chelsea win. Yet this negativity around the club has not helped, Villa Park still lacks a real atmosphere (like the players it appears that fans grow in noise when the big sides arrive and lose interest in the ‘smaller’ games, a coincidence to Villa’s home form?) and perhaps this is why Villa’s home record in the past two seasons sees 19, yes 19, losses. This is simply not good enough. And the fans must take responsibility also.

Ultimately the pressure will always be on the manager and he must find ways to keep players motivated. He has made Villa some sort of ‘giant killer’ yet has created a rather tame side against other teams. Yet the fans and their owner must stay with Lambert, the club needs stability and progress has evidently been made since he arrived. 

The recent developments regarding the assistant manager Ian Culverhouse and ‘head of football operations’ Gary Karsa (a man who apparently has merely ‘entertained’ Lambert throughout his managerial career) opens questions of internal issues at the club. Did Lambert throw them under the bus in order to save himself, or have ties been lost with men he has worked with for 8 years? 

Apparent issues of bullying of young players, creating a supposed ‘poisonous atmosphere’. Now Lambert is similar to O’Neill in terms of coaching, or lack there of, and allows his assistants to take the majority of training, which means Gordon Cowans now has a big task to motivate the team and get through these final stages.

Fans must change

Lambert’s position is apparently one of the most secure in the league due to his relation with Lerner and the fans should be conscious of their fickle ways and negativity as we enter the final games. Lambert is going nowhere while Lerner is there and the fans should support the team rather than boo and chant for him to leave. Ironically two years ago Villa were playing Norwich away and were chanting for Lambert to come to the club.

Villa they have an owner who has shown loyalty to their manager and at this time this has kept them in the league, in a league with too much turnover of managers and owners seeking ‘risky’ options Lerner should be praised. Instead he is lambasted by the fans. 

It appears that fans are never happy, Villa’s fans should look at the sides below them and consider if they really would prefer to have their manager leave? Who do they expect to come in? They even protested at the idea of McLaren before! Is someone Di Matteo really an improvement? I don’t think so. And what do they expect? Champions League football? Not going to happen. 

Stability is required and a realisation that anything but relegation is a positive, with a mid-table finish seem as a positive. Villa have lacked stability and this has cost them, the fans need to understand where the club is and support the manager and players.

The lesson is that fans can be as fickle as the owners, yet the owners have the power and need to use that wisely. Changing managers is a risky game, sometimes it works yet most often not. Clubs should be careful of inviting rich businessmen into their clubs, because it is their decision making which most often causes the problems. A lack of knowledge and too much power is a dangerous formula and many clubs are realising this now. 

The Whitehouse Address @The_W_Address