Football News: Aston Villa - Where did it all go wrong?

As a football fan based in the Midlands, naturally I wanted to see Aston Villa do well. However I have been concerned for the club ever since they appointed Tim Sherwood.

Tim for all his charisma and tactical nous, had absolutely no experience of building a team. He was handed an already talented Tottenham Hotspur team, and he just used his passion and man management skills to get more out of the players he already had.

At Villa though, he inherited a team that was sliding downwards. Initially, he did exactly what he had done at Tottenham; took another mans side and got more out of them than his predecessor. It's what he's good at.

What Villa asked him to do last summer was something he had never done before in his career though. He saw his side ripped to pieces as key players such as Benteke and Delph were moved on. Delph is proving of late just how good a player he is. Whilst some may not rate him, he ran Aston Villas midfield and so far, and Veretout just hasn't managed to replace him. As for Benteke, whilst he may be having a pretty poor time at Liverpool, he was still bagging goals for Villa that were ultimately keeping them away from relegation. Gestede may well be a talented player, but he is not a reliable source of goals.

So is there any hope for Villa going forward? The answer to that is a pretty resounding yes. In Remi Garde they have a very talented young head coach who is slowly but surely improving what has to be on paper the poorest team the Premier league has seen since Paul Jewells Derby County! They also have a few experienced heads who won't panic if the club is relegated. Lescott, Richards and cult hero Agbonlahor will be key for Villa next season if they do go down. They will need to show leadership in order to carry a very young side back into the top flight.

Above all though, Villa have a very exciting young talent; Jordan Ayew. They must do absolutely everything to hold onto him as he is already the best player at the club. He has the ability to help Aston Villa bounce back into the top flight at the first time of asking. There is no doubt he will have offers in the summer though, so Garde might well have a fight on his hands. His man management skills will certainly be put to the test. Either way, I hope Garde is given time even if the club do go down. He was handed a poisoned Chalice and it's about time an English club had a little patience!

Written by Adam Jones January 18 2016 18:59:37