Remi Garde - Departs Aston Villa

[Toronto Villa]

I wasn't sure about the striker situation but I believed that our midfield would have contributed a lot more than they have. Especially as that is one of the good things Sherwood did when he arrived. The midfield really attacked the area and contributed to some key goals last season. It just didn't happen this season and it has hurt us.

[supertom]

I think the majority on here, myself included, believed we'd surprise people and have a good season this year (by that I mean solid, mid-table). I felt that we'd spent the money from Benteke and Delph fairly well. Whilst we didn't buy a striker that made me rip the front of my trousers in excitement, I felt Gestede having scored 22 goals last season and Ayew having a fair record the previous year in Lique 1, that the two combined would cover the loss of Tekkers, whilst I expected good things from Veretout and Gana. Whilst we didn't know much about most of our signings, there was some excitement about these gambles at prices ranging between 7-10ish mill, as opposed to 1-3mill like we seemed to do in previous years with many of our unknown foreign jobs.

I thought the midfield options actually looked impressive for a change. I thought we'd see very little of Westwood and Bacuna this season having bought in more options (yes, injuries haven't helped). I thought perhaps Gabby might come back fit and raring to go and try and push for Bentekes old berth as opposed to the wing spot (and accordingly up his effort).

Many of us, albeit with villa specs and perhaps suffering from some mass villa delusion, felt, dare I say a quiet sense of smugness that with everyone outside the club having us as a great bet for the drop, that we'd shove it in their faces. We'd finally hacked a load of dead weight from our squad list. Luna, Sylla, Tonev etc.

Sadly what has transpired is, that almost every non-Villa fan thought we looked fucked after losing Delph and Benteke and they've been proven right. Deep down we probably all knew, underneath those claret tinted villa specs that we were going to struggle again. That said I don't think even the most miserable miserablist on this site, or any other corner of Villa fandom could have foreseen just how fucking atrocious we've been. We're not going to get past 25 points this season. That's pretty much nailed on. Dire. Shocking, appalling.

[Legion]

I think the majority on here, myself included, believed we'd surprise people and have a good season this year (by that I mean solid, mid-table). I felt that we'd spent the money from Benteke and Delph fairly well. Whilst we didn't buy a striker that made me rip the front of my trousers in excitement, I felt Gestede having scored 22 goals last season and Ayew having a fair record the previous year in Lique 1, that the two combined would cover the loss of Tekkers, whilst I expected good things from Veretout and Gana. Whilst we didn't know much about most of our signings, there was some excitement about these gambles at prices ranging between 7-10ish mill, as opposed to 1-3mill like we seemed to do in previous years with many of our unknown foreign jobs.

I thought the midfield options actually looked impressive for a change. I thought we'd see very little of Westwood and Bacuna this season having bought in more options (yes, injuries haven't helped). I thought perhaps Gabby might come back fit and raring to go and try and push for Bentekes old berth as opposed to the wing spot (and accordingly up his effort).

Many of us, albeit with villa specs and perhaps suffering from some mass villa delusion, felt, dare I say a quiet sense of smugness that with everyone outside the club having us as a great bet for the drop, that we'd shove it in their faces. We'd finally hacked a load of dead weight from our squad list. Luna, Sylla, Tonev etc.

Sadly what has transpired is, that almost every non-Villa fan thought we looked fucked after losing Delph and Benteke and they've been proven right. Deep down we probably all knew, underneath those claret tinted villa specs that we were going to struggle again. That said I don't think even the most miserable miserablist on this site, or any other corner of Villa fandom could have foreseen just how fucking atrocious we've been. We're not going to get past 25 points this season. That's pretty much nailed on. Dire. Shocking, appalling.

Agreed.

[Ads]

If you've got nothing in the final third then it doesn't matter how effective your midfield is and truth be told, you can't really tell. Grealish has looked poor, but would on earth has been there to make an intelligent run?

I've never known a side so limp as us.

[supertom]

If you've got nothing in the final third then it doesn't matter how effective your midfield is and truth be told, you can't really tell. Grealish has looked poor, but would on earth has been there to make an intelligent run?

I've never known a side so limp as us.

Grealish has been a huge let down. I expected him to be a key player by this point.
I expected a lot more from Gestede, particularly after his debut.
Of course as all of us, I was disappointed when the summer window closed and we hadn't got another front man in. It felt like we were almost there but not quite. I did figure we could address it in Jan in a position of relative comfort and that we could perhaps be in a position to kick on. As it was, the situation was more desperate in Jan because none of our front man could hit the proverbial barn door. And of course we didn't do anything.

[Villa in Denmark]

If you've got nothing in the final third then it doesn't matter how effective your midfield is and truth be told, you can't really tell. Grealish has looked poor, but would on earth has been there to make an intelligent run?

I've never known a side so limp as us.

A goalkeeper that commanded a bit of respect that could organise the back 4 and a striker more mobile than a bag of cement and we'd have stood half a chance.

As it is, it's not so much pissing in the wind, more going through a carwash pumping lion's piss.

[Villa in Denmark]

I think the majority on here, myself included, believed we'd surprise people and have a good season this year (by that I mean solid, mid-table). I felt that we'd spent the money from Benteke and Delph fairly well. Whilst we didn't buy a striker that made me rip the front of my trousers in excitement, I felt Gestede having scored 22 goals last season and Ayew having a fair record the previous year in Lique 1, that the two combined would cover the loss of Tekkers, whilst I expected good things from Veretout and Gana. Whilst we didn't know much about most of our signings, there was some excitement about these gambles at prices ranging between 7-10ish mill, as opposed to 1-3mill like we seemed to do in previous years with many of our unknown foreign jobs.

I thought the midfield options actually looked impressive for a change. I thought we'd see very little of Westwood and Bacuna this season having bought in more options (yes, injuries haven't helped). I thought perhaps Gabby might come back fit and raring to go and try and push for Bentekes old berth as opposed to the wing spot (and accordingly up his effort).

Many of us, albeit with villa specs and perhaps suffering from some mass villa delusion, felt, dare I say a quiet sense of smugness that with everyone outside the club having us as a great bet for the drop, that we'd shove it in their faces. We'd finally hacked a load of dead weight from our squad list. Luna, Sylla, Tonev etc.

Sadly what has transpired is, that almost every non-Villa fan thought we looked fucked after losing Delph and Benteke and they've been proven right. Deep down we probably all knew, underneath those claret tinted villa specs that we were going to struggle again. That said I don't think even the most miserable miserablist on this site, or any other corner of Villa fandom could have foreseen just how fucking atrocious we've been. We're not going to get past 25 points this season. That's pretty much nailed on. Dire. Shocking, appalling.

Agreed.

Yep, that pretty much sums it up.

[Malandro]

I think the majority on here, myself included, believed we'd surprise people and have a good season this year (by that I mean solid, mid-table). I felt that we'd spent the money from Benteke and Delph fairly well. Whilst we didn't buy a striker that made me rip the front of my trousers in excitement, I felt Gestede having scored 22 goals last season and Ayew having a fair record the previous year in Lique 1, that the two combined would cover the loss of Tekkers, whilst I expected good things from Veretout and Gana. Whilst we didn't know much about most of our signings, there was some excitement about these gambles at prices ranging between 7-10ish mill, as opposed to 1-3mill like we seemed to do in previous years with many of our unknown foreign jobs.

I thought the midfield options actually looked impressive for a change. I thought we'd see very little of Westwood and Bacuna this season having bought in more options (yes, injuries haven't helped). I thought perhaps Gabby might come back fit and raring to go and try and push for Bentekes old berth as opposed to the wing spot (and accordingly up his effort).

Many of us, albeit with villa specs and perhaps suffering from some mass villa delusion, felt, dare I say a quiet sense of smugness that with everyone outside the club having us as a great bet for the drop, that we'd shove it in their faces. We'd finally hacked a load of dead weight from our squad list. Luna, Sylla, Tonev etc.

Sadly what has transpired is, that almost every non-Villa fan thought we looked fucked after losing Delph and Benteke and they've been proven right. Deep down we probably all knew, underneath those claret tinted villa specs that we were going to struggle again. That said I don't think even the most miserable miserablist on this site, or any other corner of Villa fandom could have foreseen just how fucking atrocious we've been. We're not going to get past 25 points this season. That's pretty much nailed on. Dire. Shocking, appalling.

I don't like 'what he said' posts.

What he said.

[Toronto Villa]

For me Delph kicked off the serious concern for the upcoming season. Because it is reasonable to assume that with him in midfield and captain of the club we'd have faired a lot better. Then the whole saga. Him leaving at first and the shit feeling it brought. Him staying and the subsequent joy, and then the backstabbing ****** eventually fucking off to Man City. It was just a one massive kick in the bollocks that we couldn't recover from. Even victory at Bournemouth only papered over the cracks, because beneath the surface it was all about to fall to ruin.

[pauliewalnuts]

Appointing Sherwood was a moronic thing to do.

Mistakes happen, though. The thing that I can't forgive these people for is the abject surrender in January.

I appreciate its harder to sign players when you're shit but was there honestly not a single loan player out there who could improve us?

The pathetic surrender sticks in the craw. Other clubs were in trouble too but they had a go. We probably did some maths and decided it wasn't worth trying.

Still I expect pretty soon the OS will be awash with hollow marketing bullshit to shift premier league priced tickets for our championship campaign next season and these fuckers will have no shame.

They can stick it. They're a disgrace to this club and we can't even start to improve until they are gone.

Shameful.

[Locko]

Appointing Sherwood was a moronic thing to do.

Mistakes happen, though. The thing that I can't forgive these people for is the abject surrender in January.

I appreciate its harder to sign players when you're shit but was there honestly not a single loan player out there who could improve us?

The pathetic surrender sticks in the craw. Other clubs were in trouble too but they had a go. We probably did some maths and decided it wasn't worth trying.

Still I expect pretty soon the OS will be awash with hollow marketing bullshit to shift premier league priced tickets for our championship campaign next season and these fuckers will have no shame.

They can stick it. They're a disgrace to this club and we can't even start to improve until they are gone.

Shameful.

We did some maths and, there you have it. I give you Hollis the axeman. I'm seriously worried, we've only just started the plunge.

[berneboy]

A good interview in the Times today, Remi comes across as an intelligent guy as usual.  the journalist even comments "garde is exactly what Villa, this rootless, withering giant require.  But require over the longer term rather than the crazed dash for premier league safety.

Interestingly Garde identifies Lescott as a player who has the right stuff for the fight.

Sorry only have the paper copy, so if anyone could cut and paste from behind the pay-wall....
 

WE SIT down in the home dressing room at Villa Park and Remi Garde jokes: “Where do you want to play?” Things aren’t yet that bad and Garde turns out to have a quiet, steely seriousness about his work. But there’s no escaping his situation. Aston Villa dangle off a cliff and Garde’s ambition was managing at the top in England. When the reality’s like this, black humour is necessary.

He is “not a happy man” but has no regrets about being here. He was the modest player who pushed himself as far as the French national team and a Double-winning Arsenal squad. He was the coach who brought through Clement Grenier, Alexandre Lacazette, Nabil Fekir and Anthony Martial at Lyon.

His career has been about maximising potential. And then he comes to Villa where, for too long, on individual and collective levels, potential has been thrown away. “You know, the opportunity to manage in the Premier League is not very easy,” he says. “I previously had one opportunity [Newcastle]. I didn’t take it, for many reasons, but this seemed the right one when I chose it. And I’ve no regrets.

“It’s a big experience. A very nice one . . .” Nice? “Yes. Because every manager’s job is difficult: whether you’re bottom or first, the pressure’s there. I would like to have had more results. I’m not a happy man because when I came I was not fully confident but had some confidence I could bring back the team on the right track. For the moment it doesn’t happen. So I’m a bit frustrated, of course.”

His reign has had three phases. First, he was getting to know his environment, his players and seeking ways to stop the bleeding of a side with seven consecutive Premier League losses and just four points when he joined on November 2.

There were more defeats but he felt change happening when Villa fought back to draw against West Ham on Boxing Day and in phase two, he found a settled XI and, at last, some discipline and control in performances. There was a run of eight points from five games. Then came the carnage of Aston Villa 0 Liverpool 6, Joleon Lescott’s Mercedes tweet, and renewed fan fury.

So, phase three: can Garde gird Villa all over again? And, given the table, does it even matter? Villa’s resilience, he says with typical honesty, “is something fragile. We’ve seen that against Liverpool, unfortunately. When you start a season as poorly . . . when I arrived, I saw players who had suffered so much they were psychologically impacted.”

Lescott is a player he identified as having the right stuff for a fight, but he doesn’t feel overburdened with those or, despite Villa’s 12 summer recruits, that his squad has quality in depth.

He wanted January signings but none materialised. “I was frustrated,” he says. “This group had suffered and I thought two or three players would give it a boost. Unfortunately nobody came. Now it’s finished and I have to look forward.”

And that’s the thing you notice about Garde. He’s fighting on, with that quiet steel. On Wednesday he met Matthew Morley, who is on work experience at Villa thanks to Barclays LifeSkills, and we discuss Garde’s own football education. At 14 he was plucked from his small Rhone Valley town to live and train at Lyon’s academy. “The director was strict,” he recalls. “I learnt a lot about football but also life. And, to be fair, life and football are not so different.”

Garde’s values? “Collective values. Respect. Respect of yourself, first. When you have talent, you have to respect your talent and work hard, every day, to extract it. You have to respect your teammates. Everybody. And that’s difficult to instil. Maybe these are old values, but when players feel them they can perform. Where there’s no respect, it’s a mess. And in a mess you cannot win. For me, a good football player is not about five or 10 games, it is about 10 seasons.”

Garde sounds exactly what Villa, this rootless, withering, giant, require. But require over the longer term. The shorter term is about that crazed dash at safety but Garde is not one who, for quick fixes, would use players who don’t buy into his culture. “Time means you can only do some things. I’m not a magic man. I’ve values but to put these in place you need time. And sometimes, in football, you don’t have time.

“But I want to stay honest. The best way, when there are difficulties, is to stay yourself. I’m not an actor. You have to adapt and sometimes I have to make efforts to compromise. But I won’t spend energy on being someone else.”

Jack Grealish, out for the past fortnight with a twisted ankle, hasn’t featured in the league since January 2. Garde dropped him in November after a night on the town, so what does he need to learn about values? “Hopefully a lot of stuff should have been taught to Jack already,” Garde replies. “Because Jack is not a kid any more. Jack, of course, is talented. He has been going very high, very quickly — and to digest that experience has probably been a little bit difficult for him.

“Then I came and didn’t play him straightaway. This season is quite difficult for Jack. But he is a talented player and if I have a full season with him, a full pre-season too, things could be different hopefully.”

Talk of next season suggests — despite speculation about wanting out after the January transfer disappointment — a desire to see things through. When I ask if he’d like to stay and rebuild the club, even if starting over in the Championship, it’s a cautious “yes”. Villa, whose new chairman, Steve Hollis, is reviewing all aspects of the club, must first decide which direction they’re heading in.

“There will come a time when all these questions will come out,” says Garde on his own future. “For the time being I’m focused on trying until the last day to keep this club in the Premier League.

“After that, the club, me, everyone involved here, will have to sit and take the best decision for the club. The most important thing is not me and not the players, it’s the club. It is an institution. And then we will see. We will see if the project suits me as a manager. We will see if the players suit the project. Everyone will have to be honest with the choice.

“This club is huge,” he says, “and when you are within the club you feel that. But you also feel that, unfortunately, it is not by chance that this club is in this position, this year and the four or five previous years.

“This is a big crossroads. It will probably be a big choice of which way to turn for this football club. No matter if it is in the Championship or the Premier League. Because if you are on the edge for such a long time, 16th, 17th, for four or five years, you know something is not going well, and that you will have to make changes.”

Back for Tuesday’s game with Everton is Jordan Ayew, suspended since idiotically elbowing West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell. Garde is back talking about values. “Jordan can be important now. In a period when the team wasn’t performing Jordan was playing well

“He made a big mistake: for the team. I’m sure that he will have to prove to his teammates and everybody else in the club that he regrets his mistakes and do his maximum.”

You understand why Garde remains a good friend of Patrick Vieira: they joined Arsenal on the same day in 1996 and have a similar mentality. How can Villa survive? “We need not too many injuries, because the squad is not very deep, and we have to work on confidence and that way to play we started seeing on Boxing Day,” he says. “We need to stick to that until the end.”

[Toronto Villa]

That's a really good article and for the first time where it isn't one littered with nonsense football cliches or talk from the old boys network. As much we might look at Garde at times and suggest he could have done more, you then read and listen to that and it says so much more than the words themselves. There is actual meaning in everything the man says and everything be believes and stands for. For me, as much as I might have had some doubts at times with some of his decisions, it has convinced me that he is absolutely the man for Aston Villa and has me praying that the board and owner don't do or say anything fucking stupid in the summer to force him to leave. He has a huge task ahead of him and he needs the entire club behind him to fix it quickly. The situation while dire is not beyond repair. If he leaves however, it just might be.

[PeterWithesShin]

I agree with TV, i've had some doubts recently, but he nails it here, and we need a manager that sees this.

“This club is huge,” he says, “and when you are within the club you feel that. But you also feel that, unfortunately, it is not by chance that this club is in this position, this year and the four or five previous years.

“This is a big crossroads. It will probably be a big choice of which way to turn for this football club. No matter if it is in the Championship or the Premier League. Because if you are on the edge for such a long time, 16th, 17th, for four or five years, you know something is not going well, and that you will have to make changes.”

[passport1]

I am sorry, I read this and I think PR bollocks.The clubs probably shitting themselves about a fall off in attendances.