Still no apology from the club!

[DeKuip]

Having had two days to calm down and reflect on Wednesday night's decision to pull out of the FA Cup I'm still seething. Nothing has annoyed me more as a Villa fan since Moscow. I've even given my son's mate my ticket for Bolton because I just haven't got the appetite for it now. Two days on and no club apology is an absolute disgrace.

I'm not anti-Houllier, I've enjoyed watching us become a better footballing side over recent months.

My concerns, however, are of future club/supporter relationships. What will be our targets and incentives next season? WHAT HOPE WILL THE CLUB GIVE US FROM NOW ON? Why bother with a season ticket?

1. Will we challenge for the league title? No chance. it's difficult to see any clubs other than the usual ever competing for that again. I accept that.
2. A Champions League place? Unlikely, it would take further massive investment to break into that group, and even that would be one hell of a gamble.
3. Chase a Europa League place? Hardly going to excite fans anymore after the club's attitude to that competition has been demonstrated in each of the last three seasons. Great trips to Vienna, Hamburg, Prague etc but we didn't see anything near a first choice XI in any of those games. Our best players bust a gut to get into Europe and then get rested when the games come around.
4. Mid-table prize money money? Of interest to the club accountants but going into March and April with nothing serious to play for doesn't excite fans or bring in big crowds.
5. Staying up? That is a pre-season target for newly promoted clubs, it shouldn't be where we're setting our sights.

So what does that leave? The two domestic cups. Supporters get excited by cup draws, good cup runs, the chance of getting to Wembley. Whether you're a fan of the Villa, Walsall or Tamworth you look forward to a cup draw.
Players dream of playing in finals, winning medals, lifting cups etc.

One of the great joys of being a football fan is the anticipation of a big game, the way you look forward to it. There's also the hope we all start the season with. The cup draws and the "Will this be our year?" dreams.  Not only fans, but players too I expect.

But how can we get excited about cup draws next season now? As with the Europa League the club has now shown that it sees cup games merely as a way of blooding youngsters and giving squad players a run out.

Season ticket holders will be insulted by having the Cup Scheme pushed onto us again with the promise of those who attend cup games get priority at Wembley. Nowhere in the small-print does it say that our manager may elect to withdraw us from the cup once Wembley's within smelling distance.

Like a lot of people I guess, I have a season ticket but can't get to every game, and the odd occasion my priorities are elsewhere (maybe 2 or 3 of the Sunday games) I give my season ticket to a friend to use. So I don't save anything by paying for the whole season up front, but the main reason I keep renewing is that I know should we reach a semi-final or final I will get a ticket at face value rather than via a tout.

For as long as I've been old enough to read the cup results I've started every season with the believe that it might be our year in the FA Cup. I was born a few years after we last won the FA Cup and in my half century on this planet we've reached one final - and now we've officially stopped trying.

If the club is now prioritising Premier League place money over silverware then maybe I'll just buy my tickets for league games on a game-by-game basis (which is no hassle in the days of the internet), and go along when it suits me. No need to bother with the cups now that the club isn't bothered, unless we get an an away draw that sounds like good fun. And why pay 30-odd quid (plus travel, parking etc) to be an extra in the background of a TV show on a cold winter's day (or Monday night) when there's the warmth and comfort of the local pub or living room.

All in all I'll hopefully enjoy watching us play some good football but I won't run round the bullring naked if we finish 9th instead 10th, or 14th instead of 15th. And I'll continue to enjoy watching us nuture young players who will then move on elsewhere to fulfil the dreams they've worked their balls off for.

As I commented in a post after Wednesday's game - did no-one at the club learn the PR lessons of Moscow? Did no-one say to the new manager when he was appointed that the disrespect shown to the name of Aston Villa and Villa fans by that Moscow decision was something that should never ever be repeated.
The manager himself commented on the fantastic support of the 5,000 plus fans who went to Sheffield Utd in the 3rd round, and we sold more tickets for 5th round tie at Man City than we did for our league game there a few weeks ago, despite this being live on ITV. Does that not tell anyone anything?
The final insult of this sorry week came today when I read that the manager's comments on Richard Dunne's injury were something like "FORTUNATELY we only have two games in the next four weeks". I wonder why that is?

Good luck to those going to Bolton. If the rested players don't perform I expect there will be a big backlash. If we play well will fans be travelling home thinking how great it is to be up another few league places, or will they be thinking "If only...."

Despite what the manager thinks, our team is good enough to have finished top half and given the FA Cup a good go.

[VillaZogmariner]

Why should the club apologise just because the manager didn't play the team that people wanted?

[DeKuip]

Shit, sorry I didn't realise I'd written so much until i posted it. Apologies for boring anyone reading my ramble - but at least it's off my chest. Cheaper than therapy.

[Shrek]

I think we should move on from it now, we need a win tomorrow, that's the most important thing.

[timeoutbigbar]

Good post, and i share the sentiments.  I do honestly believe though if we were sat ten or so points above the relagation zone, we would have put out a full team.  Perhaps GH is concerned with the upturn in results of Wet Spam and the Dogheads, so much so that he feels it was a neccessary step to rest players.  I don't intend to defend him as such, as im as annoyed as everyone, but in realistic terms, were we likely to get a win at eastlands?

[WikiVilla]

 In defence of the club, they didn't ask us to thank them when they shelled out £20m for bent the other week

Weds still pisses me off mind simply because it was a poor, cowardly decision by GH

[Cuz]

agree with you wholeheartedly i'm still pissed off, and even more so with GH still thinking it was a good idea, he's here to stay well I hope not, he's brought nothing to us apart from pissing me and others off 

[PaulTheVillan]

Why should the club apologise just because the manager didn't play the team that people wanted?

I'm with this. Sorry if it's not what people want to read. I will also not apologise.

[usav]

Why bother with a season ticket?

Because it doesn't include cup games?

[Risso]

In defence of the club, they didn't ask us to thank them when they shelled out £20m for bent the other week
 

The General was on hear moaning about the low crowd for Bent's debut.  I'm afraid that I think the current owners just don't "get" English football.

[eastie]

Once again dekuip an extremely good post and I agree with many of your sentiments- it speaks volumes for the chances of keeping the likes of ash here, good players want to play in big games and win things and I would have no qualms with any player who left in a quest to win things elsewhere , but now we must put it behind us and hopefully get a good result tomorrow at the end of a quite dreadful week.

[PaulMcGrathsNo5Shirt]

I'm not going to renew my season ticket next year, let alone be in the cup scheme. Football is shit, we ain't gonna win the league, we won't finish in the European Chumpions League, and if we do get into Europe by some miracle we'll only leave our best players out.

With Houllier, we're destined to spend our footballing life battled it out for those precious points to finish somewhere between 9th and 15th. It's dull, it's boring, it's predictable.

£18m on Bent shows our efforts to succeed I hear some of you saying, i'm sorry, it won't make a bit of difference when Ashley buggers off in the summer no doubt shouting the 'want to win trophies' line. After Wednesday I don't blame him, we're going to win nothing and he has no love of the club.

At least my golf handicap will improve next year.

[Bad English]

Good post DeKuip.

Why should the club apologise just because the manager didn't play the team that people wanted?

Bazz. Are you deliberately trying to be obtuse? It's like going to Ratatouille's 3 Michelin-star restaurant, only to be told the rat has decided to send out for some sandwiches.

[not3bad]

I think we should move on from it now

Why should we?  This has upset supporters not only in the context of being let down by the club on this occasion, but it casts doubt over having reasons to follow the club in future seasons.  As has been stated, challenging for the league in the forseeable future is a doubtful proposition at best, so what is there to go for other than the cups?  But if Villa don't take the cups seriously, are we going to be left hoping Villa get 7th place instead of 8th?  As the post states, great news if you're an accountant, not so good if you aren't.

Until we get answers to these questions why should we move on?

[eastie]

God help them when we get a home draw in the cup next season, what incentive is there to go and watch? I think some people have misjudged the level of anger over this and the feeling of utter emptyness some of us have been left with - quite frankly it stinks, and I pray we win tomorrow and get some kind of pleasure back.