Anne Erskine from the Aston Villa website avillafan.com is this week’s opposition fan, reflecting on a quick turnaround in form since the arrival of Steve Bruce as manager.
Villa's relegation seemed quite a few years in the making, where and why did it go so disastrously wrong?
AE: Everyone will have his or her own ideas on where, and when, it all went wrong and on who's to blame. Many will go back as far as the end of the 2008-09 season under Martin O'Neill when he made a hash of the team selection in Russia then saw his side collapse like a house of cards in the last ten or eleven league games that season. However, most will agree that things have never been quite right at Villa since he left us just a few days before the 2010-11 season started.
Since then, we have borne witness to a steady stream of managers, none of them really up to the job and many of them not supported effectively either financially or by a strong team behind the scenes.
There were some promising signs under Gerard Houllier before he took sick. Then we had the disaster that was Alex McLeish, whose very appointment really irked many given his record rather than his connection to the Blues. Paul Lambert's arrival proved to be nothing more than another false dawn. Appointing Tim Sherwood as his successor only delayed the inevitable. Sherwood was entertaining and helped us along the road to Wembley but was ultimately ineffectual. Then came the strangest appointment of all (given our position at the time) - Remi Garde. He was nothing but a lamb to the slaughter.
It would be unfair to blame the managers alone because it seems to have been a chaotic time all round at the club.
Rangy Lerner promised much and delivered very little on the footballing side so he is largely responsible for the mess.
Why did it go so badly for Randy Lerner in the end? At one point he was held up as an ideal foreign owner.
AE: Lerner arrived and made grand promises, saying and doing all the right things to get the fans on his side. Quite quickly, his media appearances dried up. His visits to see the Villa became as rare as hen's teeth. The money dried up relatively quickly too. Little more than the occassional enigmatic statement was heard of him as the club was left on its knees. I don't doubt he was well intentioned. It is just a shame that he was incompetent and seemingly ill-advised in his absence.
The new owner seems like a bit of a character, does he actually know what he's doing? How's it going so far?
AE: Football's all about characters - or at least it used to be. It's too early to say for certain but I really don't think Tony Xia is as slow as he walks easy. He may be too vocal for some but, to fans who had to contend with Lerner's annual statements, he is proving a breath of fresh air.
With his new broom, Xia is sweeping clean. I have no idea about the extent his footballing knowledge but at least he has had the good sense to surround himself with people who know football and who know exactly what they're doing.
We've already seen positive changes to many aspects of the club, some smaller than others. With the fans frustrated and fed up watching a sorry excuse for football, sometimes the small things can make all the difference. Xia and his team can't be faulted for trying to get fans back on side.
He may be a businessman first and foremost but if he's as competent as he seems then he'll do Aston Villa Football Club no harm.
Why didn't Roberto Di Matteo last long?
It seems Xia was initially fooled by the Champions League winning references on Di Matteo's CV. The key reason he only managed twelve games at Aston Villa is because he only managed one win. He had been allowed to bring in some pricey players and didn't get them going, leaving the club in nineteenth, having made some strange tactical decisions along the way. Nineteenth is a far cry from a promotion push. Quite simply, it wasn't good enough. Xia has his eyes on the prize that is promotion, let's make no bones about that.
What did you make of the Steve Bruce appointment, especially given his Birmingham connections?
AE: I guess you know what you're getting with Bruce. Given the state he found us in, Bruce has done a solid job so far. His connections with the Blues don't bother me at all, although there are those who'd be only too happy to use that as a stick with which to beat him if things went wrong at Villa.
What's he changed, why is it now going so well?
AE: Tactically, he's made better decisions than his predecessor. He has invaluable experience of this league and is keenly aware of the club's history and the need to do better. As a fan, the players seem to be more disciplined and dogged under Bruce. Confidence, or rather the lack thereof, was an issue he had to address quickly - and he's done that. He's given the players belief. A number of players have spoken about the changing philosophy at the club. Hopefully, he'll have the money to add to the squad next month and shore up problematic parts of the squad.
Stand out players and weak links in the side?
AE: Jonathan Kodjia has stood out, after his big money move from Bristol City led to raised eyebrows, and he could well be the next Holte End hero. He works hard for the time and has scored some cracking goals. Mile Jedinak disappointed at first but is now proving his worth regularly in the middle of the park, where his experience is vital. James Chester, who wears the armband these days, has been quietly impressive too.
In my opinion, the midfield in general is the side's weakest link.
Confident of a promotion push? What happens if you don't get up this season?
AE: Anything can happen in this game. It's been a while since any Villa fan felt real confidence but at least we're creeping up on the promotion-pushing pack now rather than freefalling.
If we don't secure promotion at the end of this season, we'll lose some of the current squad. I'd like to think Xia, the manager and whoever has the privilege of wearing claret and blue in 2017-18 will fight on until the goal is achieved. Que sera, sera. We'll still be there, come what may.
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