NSport Football Aston Villa FCBrian Reade column: Players, managers and fans are what the game is about and has ALWAYS been about20:00, 17 FEB 2016OPINION BY BRIANREADEMediocrity is what you get when you let the ad men and the number-crunchers run the only side of a club that matters — the footballing one It's rare to see measured intellectual musings on fan forums after a team has taken an almighty hiding, so I doff my bobbled-hat to the Heroes & Villains site.There, on Monday, in the wake of Aston Villa's biggest home defeat at home since 1935, was a scholarly discussion about The Peter Principle.That’s the management theory which states that executives are chosen on past performance rather than suitability for the job on offer. And that they only stop being promoted when they can no longer perform effectively, thus finding “their own level of incompetence”.Meaning, in some organisations, it reaches a point where the entire executive hierarchy is filled with incompetence.On Heroes & Villains it was being applied to the beyond-dismal management set-up at Villa Park, which appears to have surrendered so meekly a great club’s Premier League status, crushing en route, a decent coach in Remi Garde.The executive taking most stick is CEO Tom Fox, an American marketing man who admitted to having seen only two football matches before working as commercial director at Arsenal.Two months ago, former Pepsi honcho Fox attempted to placate angry fans with these comforting words: “It’s easy looking at the table. But I look at everything. We’ve generated more revenue on both our shirt and kit deals and in our ability to control costs. We’re making progress.”Way to go, Tom.That’s the same analysis being spouted by one of Fox's fellow marketing men, Ed Woodward, to show how Manchester United are progressing off the field under his astute leadership.Meanwhile, on it, they’re facing FC Midtjylland on Thursday night in the same Europa League they will probably be in from the start of next season. This is a potted version of how forum poster Damo 70, summed up Villa’s mess: “I’ve lost track of all the comings and goings behind the scenes in terms of coaches, scouts, CEOs and sporting directors."I remember when we used to have Ron Saunders. Now we have an ever changing cast of thousands."If it was a film, Cecil B DeMille would question if we actually needed all these people.”It’s the same sentiment you hear from Liverpool fans about FSG and their faceless transfer committee, whose genius managed to splurge most of the £120million earned selling Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling on dross.The key word in Damo 70’s analysis was Ron Saunders. The last man to build a truly great Villa side.That old Shankly doctrine about clubs having a Holy Trinity - the manager, players and fans - with the directors only there to sign the cheques, is as valid today as it’s ever been.To be successful, you need a manager who is very good at what he does, takes no notice of the noises coming from above (the board) below (the players) or sideways (the fans) and just gets on with implementing his vision.TIt’s also why Arsenal fans really do need to be careful what they wish for whenever they try to get Arsene Wenger sacked.Why Tottenham are lucky to have Mauricio Pochettino because, as Andros Townsend found, he’s his own man and you take him on at your peril.Why Liverpool stand a chance with Jurgen Klopp because, unlike the weaker Brendan Rodgers, he will ignore that transfer committee and do his own thing.ReutersArsenal manager Arsene WengerLike a boss: What lies in store for Arsenal once Wenger is no longer their manager?Maybe Chelsea would have had more than one Champions League trophy to show for Roman Abramovich’s 13 years if he’d grasped the notion that when you have a winner in charge, you back them to the hilt.Maybe, if Randy Lerner had looked past Martin O’Neill’s faults and believed in him, Villa fans may have been on flights to Europe this week — instead of working out how to get to Brentford and Milton Keynes next season.
Pity about the final sentence.
I hadn't realised getting to Milton Keynes and Brentford required special planning four months before the fixtures came out. Is it only possible to get there by walking?Maybe I should stay in the south after the Arsenal game.
And absolutely no mention of the African Car Reverser. Talk about missing the point.
Quote from: DeKuip on February 18, 2016, 11:00:03 PMI hadn't realised getting to Milton Keynes and Brentford required special planning four months before the fixtures came out. Is it only possible to get there by walking?Maybe I should stay in the south after the Arsenal game.Can't speak for Brentford but 4months to prepare to enter the most boring, bland and uninspiring town in the country sounds about right.
I suppose the article is one way of filling column inches on the cheap for them. A bit like when SSN report on Twitter responses.
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