Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: Mister E on September 22, 2012, 09:43:41 AM
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Savage, Keown, Adams, Sullevan .... who next?
Does this sudden (i.e. since early August) interest in our hoped-for demise mean that we are relevant again? Has the obscurity and blandness of the last two seasons disappeared? Is it now okay to dislike Aston Villa?
I hope so.
After all, accordingly to Mervyn King earlier this week, supporting Villa is tougher than running one of the world's largest central banks.
Maybe we are back on the footballing map.
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Three of those are tossers of the highest order whose opinions aren't worth the oxygen they waste expressing them. I've got some time for Martin Keown, not least of all because he played for us, and sometimes he talks sense, although labelling Villa fans as delusional and his apparent support for TSM last season edged him towards Savage territory.
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It seems a little too soon for people to see us as a threat. A lot of people would have liked us to go down. Or are we just sensitive to it as we know we always get knocked by the London press. Over the last few years they were backing some poor mangers over the club.
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I think to a lot of fans we're a non entity club. Much like that way that you know Wigan, you know they play in the premier league and we'll play them twice a season but beyond that you really don't give them that much thought except for when Dave Whelan starts his deluded ramblings about Martinez and his one season wonder player of the moment. There's a certain look at the league table, You think Arsenal, Citeh, Utd, Chelsea will be battling away at the top, Spurs, newcastle, everton and maybe the scoucers will be the fight for 5th, the relegation certs like southampton and the team that comes up and everyone seems to get behind because they're a sucker for the under dog. If you're not one of these groups I don't think you're paid much attention.
F*ck 'em, I don't care what anyone says about the Villa.
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I don't give a toss what other people think about my football club.
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Well it's interesting that Guardian knocked us all last year, and have started praising us a bit this year. Then again, they don't have any of the Old Boys' network of pundits in their ranks, so they could say what they like about TSM.
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Any side who finished 16th the previous season with just 38 points playing turgid football is an easy tip to struggle. There have been no star signings or massive investment either. It's up to the manager and moreso the players to prove these pundits wrong. For example I fully expect Wigan to be in the bottom five and we finished below them. Personally I couldn't give a shit what the pundits think, they have a right to an opinion. More performances like the last two and i think it'll be an opinion that changes radically.
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I think you're putting a bit too much thought into it.
The Savage and Keown ones are just them being lazy and assuming that because we were rubbish last year then we're bound to still be rubbish this year. The Adams one was just a random name to pick to demonstrate his breathtaking lack of self-awareness and Sullivan is just Sullivan, thrilled for the opportunity to talk about us at every opportunity he gets.
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Lets be honest, we were useless last season and know from speaking to lads at work and mates that they still think Villa are useless. Dont think we should take it so personally, though Sullivans comments show him to be a twat of the highest order. Adams would not get a job at Wigan let alone Villa, he failed miserably at Wycombe. Savage is entitled to his opinion which was made before a ball had been kicked and to be fair, a fair amount of Villa fans were as negative. Lets just get on with it and ignore the comments. Remember even when we won the league in 80/81, it was Ipswich who were the media darlings. Did I give a toss, not at all, would rather us winning the league which we did. No one even considered us ready to challenge until we beat Liverpool 2-0 at VP
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Let them keep knocking us, a manager as good as Lambert will just use it as another tool to galvanise and motivate the team.
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I think you're putting a bit too much thought into it.
The Savage and Keown ones are just them being lazy and assuming that because we were rubbish last year then we're bound to still be rubbish this year. The Adams one was just a random name to pick to demonstrate his breathtaking lack of self-awareness and Sullivan is just Sullivan, thrilled for the opportunity to talk about us at every opportunity he gets.
Yeah that about sums it up. Feels a bit unusual that these pops have come so close together though.
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Robbie Savage fits in perfectly on the BBC golfing chums network sofa. Bet he can't believe his luck that the corporation will pay top dollar for such p*ss poor journalism but football fans seem prepared to put up with it.
Heard him on FT this morning ' I'm going to be controversial here' (stand by for predictable and lame)
At the end of the day he isn't insightful or original or interesting so who cares what he claims to think.
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I think these media twats dismiss Villa in much the same way they dismiss the West Midlands in general.
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Couldn't care less. Afternoons like last Saturday are all that matter.
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It doesn't matter what others say. The better we get the more people will want to have snide digs. Let them. Much of the negativity and cyncism about our club is well deserved and most of it was self inflicted. We need to look after our own house, go about our business. We will always attract haters but that is inevitable. Our play and the way we conduct ourselves will attract more admirers, especially amongst our own and that's what will be most important.
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Well it's interesting that Guardian knocked us all last year, and have started praising us a bit this year. Then again, they don't have any of the Old Boys' network of pundits in their ranks, so they could say what they like about TSM.
No - they have a dig
"There are some things no football manager should tolerate: personal abuse, tantrums from subs, and losing to the current Aston Villa team"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/sep/21/premier-league-weekend-demba-ba
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So we aren't getting good press reaction. We will.
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Some of tomorrow's press may well be deserved after today's game.
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Listening to 606 yesterday, its no wonder many people view Villa the way they do.
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We've been going downhill for years. There is hope in the fans this time round that we've finally gone for an up-and-coming manager for a change and his approach seems to be one that we're happy with.
Time will tell whether the players are good enough or not but the early signs have been good, it's inevitable that we'll have some bad games as it always is with new squads and younger players. I just hope we're not hanging around the relegation places too long otherwise we'll have a section of the support that wants Lambert out too. And that would be foolhardy.
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From the Daily Star
RICKIE LAMBERT began his season with goals against Manchester giants City and United – but will savour his strikes against lowly Aston Villa so much more.
Cheeky f*ckers.Would they have described Liverpool as lowly if they'd lost to them
Grrrrrrrr!!
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Robbie Savage fits in perfectly on the BBC golfing chums network sofa. Bet he can't believe his luck that the corporation will pay top dollar for such p*ss poor journalism but football fans seem prepared to put up with it.
Heard him on FT this morning ' I'm going to be controversial here' (stand by for predictable and lame)
At the end of the day he isn't insightful or original or interesting so who cares what he claims to think.
Spot on.
Lily is trying to make a career for himself after 'football'. Broadcasting and journalism are the only ways faded ex-pro's can keep getting a fix of the limelight they had as sportsmen.
But does it make good broadcasting and journalism?
Plainly not - Savage courts controversy as a means to getting attention - that is all there is to him. Insight - tactical nous - empathy - and intellect, are all absent.
If the BBC were to make a documentary tomorrow about the history of coal-mining or steel-working do you think they would use someone from the shop floor to present it? No - they would not - because working in a coalmine or a foundry and talking about history are two completely different things.
Being an ex-pro is no guarantee of informative insight. Though there are exceptions - they prove the rule.
Indeed many of the finest sports journalist's and broadcaster's this country has even seen never made it as professional sportsmen.
That is because being a journalist and being a sportsman are two completely different skills.
Yet too many producers first port of call when creating a show is the ex-pro, simply because he is an ex-pro. One is fine. Two if you must. But football coverage now is littered with them - whether they have anything insightful to say or not.
You will often hear this from people involved in the media ... 'It's all about opinions'. Well - partly yes. But as a consumer, I want informed opinions, entertaining opinions, thought provoking opinions. Not the regurgitation of worn out cliches, or the stating of the obvious, or indeed manufactured controversy.
Mr TV exec - as you sit in your meeting - terrified that everyone will find out you don't know what you are doing - remember this. Give me a Motson, give me a Moore, give me talented broadcasters - but please keep your safe-choice diet of inane ex-pros - the Gary's and Robbie's - to yourself.
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And on that subject, I was surprised to find out during the Olympics that John Inverdale, who many consider to be an excellent sports broadcaster, never played any sport at anywhere near a professional level.
I'd imagine he gets paid a darn sight less than many of these ex-pros too.
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On the Cup highlights show last night we were described as "struggling Premier League side Aston Villa"....condescending tw@t.
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I thought it was Ipswich who attracted detractors.
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I thought it was Ipswich who attracted detractors.
Very good.
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And on that subject, I was surprised to find out during the Olympics that John Inverdale, who many consider to be an excellent sports broadcaster, never played any sport at anywhere near a professional level.
I'd imagine he gets paid a darn sight less than many of these ex-pros too.
Yet Sky, by an amazing coincidence, believe that the best cricket commentators are all former England captains or arguably the greatest fast bowler ever, with a former player who only played for England a few times to provide comic relief.
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And on that subject, I was surprised to find out during the Olympics that John Inverdale, who many consider to be an excellent sports broadcaster, never played any sport at anywhere near a professional level.
I'd imagine he gets paid a darn sight less than many of these ex-pros too.
Yet Sky, by an amazing coincidence, believe that the best cricket commentators are all former England captains or arguably the greatest fast bowler ever, with a former player who only played for England a few times to provide comic relief.
So does that say something about Sky or something about former cricketers compared to former footballers?
Whatever, I find that most "expert summarisers" are expert "spouters of the bleedin' obvious" and I usually have to turn the radio off when people like Savage, Claridge and others get on their soapbox.
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And on that subject, I was surprised to find out during the Olympics that John Inverdale, who many consider to be an excellent sports broadcaster, never played any sport at anywhere near a professional level.
I'd imagine he gets paid a darn sight less than many of these ex-pros too.
Yet Sky, by an amazing coincidence, believe that the best cricket commentators are all former England captains or arguably the greatest fast bowler ever, with a former player who only played for England a few times to provide comic relief.
So does that say something about Sky or something about former cricketers compared to former footballers?
Whatever, I find that most "expert summarisers" are expert "spouters of the bleedin' obvious" and I usually have to turn the radio off when people like Savage, Claridge and others get on their soapbox.
It says everything about Sky and the celebrity culture they encourage. Is Ian Botham really one of the best commentators in cricket?
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Yes.