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Birmingham Mail sports content is aimed at the sort of people who get conned by the ridiculously misleading clickbait headlines, and can then still be arsed to wade through the horrific amounts of advertising in order to get to the 'content' which is all written in tabloid style single line paragraphs and contains no actual information.More often than not, the content is actually them copying and pasting stuff people said on Twitter (not with embedded links, obvs, as that might take people away from the steaming bowl of shit which is their site).
How Aston Villa hope to become the best of the restaston-villaBy Gregg Evans4h agoWhen Aston Villa’s European Cup-winning team of 1982 were paraded around Villa Park before the final home game of last season, many were left contemplating how the mighty had fallen.Spectators packed out the stadium to watch the side labour to a 1-1 draw with almost-relegated Burnley.A final day defeat at Manchester City confirmed Villa’s finishing position of 14th, behind Brentford, who were playing in the old Third Division when Villa beat Bayern Munich in Rotterdam, and Crystal Palace, who narrowly avoided relegation to the third tier in the 1981-82 season.The most depressing takeaway from the Burnley draw was how a crowd, so pumped up before kick-off as they welcomed the set of club legends, quickly fell into a state of drift following another underwhelming home performance.The muted atmosphere inside Villa Park at times last season and the stuttering finish on the pitch were concerns.Villa won two of their last 11 games and at one stage, relegation fears even started to creep in.But in the space of just a few months, the outlook has changed dramatically. For some time, officials inside the board meetings at Villa Park have been discussing ways to make the club the “best of the rest” — the team most capable of challenging the Big Six in the Premier League.Early transfer business has set the tone for an exciting summer and for the first time under Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens’ ownership (NSWE), there is no major roadblock to navigate during pre-season.Manager Steven Gerrard has already told some key players that finishing in the top seven is the aim.He was disappointed with the way the season fizzled out in May, admitting there was little to celebrate when the campaign ended.Gerrard has spoken about “ambitious but realistic” targets for this season. Those above him hope this is the year Villa make serious progress and supporters’ expectations are growing.Villa were able to get the bulk of their transfer business done before the window even opened as Philippe Coutinho, Robin Olsen, Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos all joined early on.Negotiating the transfer fee for Coutinho down from an original £33 million agreed price to just £17 million was impressive.aston-villaCoutinho taking a penalty for Villa against Leeds during their pre-season match in Australia (Photo: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)Signing Kamara on a free transfer and bringing in a centre-back in Diego Carlos, who was so popular at his former club Sevilla that he held an emotional press conference to officially say goodbye, also shows a further sign of the club’s continued growth.Villa even managed to convince Neil Critchley to leave his post as manager with Blackpool in the Championship to join as the new assistant manager.There is still room for improvement and Villa are looking at signing another No 8 after further strengthening the full-back positions this week with the loan signing of left-back Ludwig Augustinsson from Sevilla.Villa still need to recoup funds for some of the squad players who are unlikely to feature when the season gets underway next month.Compare the to-do list to year one, though, when NSWE saved the club from administration and were able to release the soft transfer embargo placed on the then-Championship side before winning promotion.Or year two, when Villa had to completely rebuild a threadbare and ageing squad to become competitive in the Premier League and then stayed up by a point on the final day of the season.Even last summer, there was the setback of losing star man Jack Grealish and then the change of managers when Dean Smith was sacked and replaced with Gerrard.Now the pathway is free of any large obstacles and the club continue to make bold and strategic moves not only in the transfer market but also by planning to extend the capacity at Villa Park, build a new inner-city academy and revolutionise youth development.Directors at rival clubs are wary of the threat that Villa pose — even if their modest finish last season suggested the club actually went slightly backwards following an 11th-place finish in 2020-21.Villa have spent big in recent years and have not got every move right. Yet the continued investment has generated a squad now worth somewhere in the region of £550 million — and there’s a wage system in place that is stretched every season but not to a potential breaking point.Structurally, Villa are set up well. Their high-earning, top-performing international players are on long contracts and have increased in value. The average age of the squad is among the lowest in the league and a talented youngster is showing serious signs of progression in almost every position.The foundations are there now and with a couple more additions, Villa look prepared for a crack at seventh place. It will be doing the basics better on the pitch that will now set them apart. West Ham United, Newcastle United, Leicester City, Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers will all have something to say about Villa’s push for a European place.Villa must improve defensively. Diego Carlos’ addition will keep others on their toes and Kamara should act as a much-needed midfield screen.It sounds simple, but taking chances and cutting out individual errors is key.The long list of games where Villa either misfired in front of goal or handed the points to their opponents too easily led to Gerrard admitting the only way forward would be to sign new players who were better than the under-performers of last season.Steven Gerrard VillaGerrard was disappointed with Villa’s end to the season (Photo: Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images)A No 8 to strengthen the midfielder department will help and add further competition for places. Gerrard wants every player in his starting XI to feel pushed to perform.The forward options already look strong, with Ollie Watkins, Danny Ings, Emiliano Buendia and Coutinho vying for a starting position. Leon Bailey is recognised as Villa’s wildcard. Getting a tune out of him this campaign could make a huge difference after a tough first season in England.Cameron Archer may also join up as a third striker. He is out in Australia with the squad this week for the pre-season tour and a decision over whether he goes on loan will be made soon.There have been some big moments under NSWE — the decision to keep Jack Grealish for longer than expected when Tottenham Hotspur came calling, for example. Or how Villa persuaded Tammy Abraham to see out the Championship season on loan when Wolverhampton Wanderers were offering a Premier League move in January 2019. Sticking by Dean Smith during the lockdown months of 2020 when Villa appeared to be heading out of the Premier League was also the right call.Serious work behind the scenes has been ongoing throughout to build Villa into a proper force again — from the new state-of-the-art performance centre at Bodymoor Heath to the academy rebuild and putting the North Stand extension plans into place.Villa have announced that season ticket sales have sold out for the fourth year in a row. There is a long waiting list and this summer’s tour will help the club grow into new markets.It’s an exciting time to be a Villa supporter.Last season’s awkward finish is forgotten and before three friendly games next week, excitement is starting to build.This feels like the season where we find out what this club is really made of.(Top photo: Albert Perez/Getty Images)
Quote from: pauliewalnuts on July 19, 2022, 10:11:18 AMBirmingham Mail sports content is aimed at the sort of people who get conned by the ridiculously misleading clickbait headlines, and can then still be arsed to wade through the horrific amounts of advertising in order to get to the 'content' which is all written in tabloid style single line paragraphs and contains no actual information.More often than not, the content is actually them copying and pasting stuff people said on Twitter (not with embedded links, obvs, as that might take people away from the steaming bowl of shit which is their site). This is true, but the equivalent reporters for Everton & Liverpool for example are excellent.