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The options open to Aston Villa

This was supposed to be a season of transition for Aston Villa. The Birmingham club had been goin...
Newstalk
Newstalk

12.34 19 Jan 2013


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The options open to Aston Vill...

The options open to Aston Villa

Newstalk
Newstalk

12.34 19 Jan 2013


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This was supposed to be a season of transition for Aston Villa. The Birmingham club had been going backwards since Martin O’Neill resigned two and a half years ago after a string of Top Six finishes.

They seemed to have plumbed the depths under the stewardship of the conservative Alex McLeish – a reign always likely to end in ignominy after his dalliance with Birmingham City – as they barely avoided the drop.

But 2012-13 has been a reality check under Paul Lambert. Flirtation with the relegation zone has now become a full blown affair with the club in the bottom three.  And matters were compounded by the Villains first leg failure at Bradford City in the League Cup.

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Villa have four months to save themselves from a first relegation in a quarter of a century, so what cards can they play?

Transfer market

When owner Randy Lerner first acquired the club from Doug Ellis in 2006, it seemed to herald a new dawn for the club. Although spending never reached Abramovich levels, Villa quickly set about buying up and coming English talent such as Ashley Young, James Milner and Stewart Downing.

Lerner’s early cash injections did not secure the Champions League place he yearned for and since the €28 million spent on Darren Bent in January 2011, the purse strings have been tightened considerably.

This has left a squad packed with inexperienced youngsters. The average age of the squad is under 24. Ireland man Ciaran Clark is the current captain in the enforced absence of Stilian Petrov. But Clark, who came through Villa’s academy, has only played 55 games for the club – and he is one of Villa’s most experienced players!

Villa has talented youngsters, some of whom have shone in the NextGen series, but now is not the time to throw them in the deep end.

The serious illness suffered by Petrov has not helped with the team now lacking leadership in the middle of the park. Injuries have been another factor with experienced campaigners like Ron Vlaar, Richard Dunne, Charles N’Zogbia and Stephen Ireland having spent spells on the sidelines.

 Then there is Darren Bent. Out of favour under Lambert, it is probably in the interest of both the manager and the former England forward that both parties part ways amicably.

Deadline

Bent won’t fetch anywhere near €30 million but if they can recoup even half that fee to reinvest into the squad then there is hope for them.

Every department of the squad needs urgent investment from the porous defence and a timid midfield to a strike-force where Christian Benteke needs assistance. And Premier League experience must be the minimum requirement for recruitment.

Last season the club was boosted by Robbie Keane’s short term move from LA Galaxy. Perhaps a temporary loan move for New York Red Bull’s Tim Cahill would be worth pursuing.

But with less than two weeks to go till the deadline, there seems to be very little movement, which must be frustrating for Paul Lambert.

It will be interesting to see how Lerner reacts to this crisis. He did splash out €27 million in the summer to bring in Ron Vlaar, Karim El Ahmadi, Brett Holman and Benteke.

With the exception of Benteke and Vlaar to a lesser extent, that calibre of player is not good enough if Villa are to turn their season around.

Interestingly, Paul Lambert’s position has not been questioned. However the manager cannot be solely blamed for the situation and in any case available options are thin on the ground. Mark Hughes would have been a prime candidate but his torrid experience has put a huge question mark over his credentials.


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