We have to wait until next month for our next football match so I guess the talk will be about the win against Everton or the PR statement released by the club yesterday, which when I must admit, did make me chuckle.
Now, I know what I am about to write will annoy some so take this as your warning, if you are easily offended or annoyed, then leave this page now. I will say however that it will mostly annoy those that don't want to believe there is anything wrong or those that are basically still playing catch up. I might also be wrong, but after what the club have said about appointing a manager with Premier League experience, I shake my head and wonder.
Sometimes, I just wish, when there is nothing to say, that nothing is said. It was a bit like General PR with his five year plan. Why say it? Somebody please tell me a reason to lie like that nearly five years ago. We know it was a lie because the previous manager told us there was no such thing.
I appreciate that sometimes it is easy to say something and that saying something is also the easy way out, but even with this press release, that while I am sure is thought out, only goes to show that the whole process of appointing a manager isn't and just because they say it is, doesn't make it so. The press release follows and I'll tell you why it is just spin and blarney.
Following the departure of our manager on August 9, the Club was left with very little time to react and to prepare for our opening fixtures.
Our first order of business, looking immediately ahead to our games against West Ham, Rapid Vienna, Newcastle and Everton, was to ask Kevin MacDonald to step in as caretaker manager.
Kevin has been with Villa for a period stretching back over 15 years, has thorough knowledge of our first team, reserves and youth Academy players, as well as strong and well-established working relationships with other key members of our coaching staff.
As such, we felt he would provide a critical degree of stability and continuity in a turbulent period and give the team the best opportunity to succeed in these early games.
Kevin, Tony McAndrew and many other long-serving members of our Club have stepped up selflessly and without hesitation to the task at hand and for this we owe them a huge debt of gratitude.
We are conscious that we have steered clear of openly communicating our thoughts on the search for a permanent manager until this time, as we felt that to do so would undermine both Kevin's and the players' efforts to focus on preparing for these games.
To date, we have immersed ourselves in the process of appointing a new manager and clearly identifying the key criteria this person must meet.
Two of the traits we believe are of crucial importance are that candidates have experience of managing in the Premier League and a strategy for building on the existing strengths in our current squad.
We have thoroughly researched potential candidates and have reached out to a variety of contacts we have within the game for advice and guidance, as well as keeping key staff at Villa Park informed and focused.
We will now start the process of interviewing candidates we believe meet the key criteria required to manage Aston Villa with a view to making an appointment in the near future.
Kevin MacDonald will continue as caretaker manager until that time.
Finally, we wish to make clear that our relative inactivity in the transfer market this window in no way reflects a change in direction or dilution of ambition for the Club, but rather our reluctance to make decisions on players without a permanent manager in place.
We would not expect to make any further statements until such time as we are in position to make a definitive announcement on the managerial situation.
Why is it just spin and blarney?
Rather than make a list, I feel that seeing as the club have gone to all the trouble putting a few sentences together, so will I. First off; while the first order of business was to appoint Kevin MacDonald as caretaker manager, the real first order of business was to sell James Milner - quite possibly the reason why Martin O'Neill felt it necessary to resign.
What I'm trying to say is, rather than try and brush over what has happened, I think it is about time that the club told us their side of what happened and what exactly was said by the club to the manager prior to him resigning, because many suspect it is the owner saying the sale of Milner was going through, regardless of what the manager wanted and regardless of what was agreed.
What they got right?
We agree that Kevin MacDonald, Tony McAndrew and other long server members of staff deserve our thanks. They got this right. But we said this days ago. My point - telling us what we want to hear.
Surely not more spin and blarney?
Yes, there is I'm afraid. What they've actually gone and done is as good as right off any chance of really progressing in this league. You might have spotted above the part where the press release said something about candidates needing experience of managing in the Premier League. Why do they need this? As far as I can tell, by limiting your options to this, you are as good as writing off all your chances.
Did Sir Alex Ferguson have experience of managing in the Premier League? Did Arsene Wenger have experience of managing in the Premier League? Did Jose Mourinho have experience of managing in the Premier League?
In fact, if we are going to appoint a manager with experience of managing in the Premier League then the chances are, we are going to be appointing someone that has failed in the Premier League and the chances are, he is going to fail again.
Tell me, did Paul Faulkner have experience of running a Premier League football club?
The other criteria, yes we had two remember, was someone who had a "strategy for building on the existing strengths in our current squad". Someone that has a strategy. Woop fucking woop. I can see the interview now. Paul Faulkner is sitting opposite Gerrard Houllier and he asks him the question; do you have a strategy for building on the existing strengths in our current squad. What do you expect anyone to say? Sorry, Paul, no I don't. Do you want me to have one. On a bike, please.
This is another example of us getting told what they think we want to hear. Next we will be told that we can have a £30mn player if we want one. Oh, look, we are.
Okay, they are not saying we can have a £30mn player - what they are saying is that the inactivity in the transfer market means that nothing has changed. Roughly translated, in PR speak, that means we can have a £30mn player - because nothing has changed and we have been told that and the manager, whoever that is - which boils down to whoever has the "best plan" - will be backed at all times by the owner. PR rubbish.
More rubbish follows. When talking about why the manager is going to be appointed just after the transfer windows shuts and how that was just by chance, they say the inactivity is because of their "reluctance to make decisions on players without a permanent manager in place" which must explain why James Milner left and why Stephen Ireland came in. The penny dropped.
The best bit of the entire press release is the last paragraph, when they say they are not going to be making any further statements. The entire press release should have read something like that and only that from the beginning. The rest is PR and PR is just an excuse to lie and promote and as far as I'm concerned, actions speak louder than words.
Last word
I apologise if this offends or annoys you, but you were warned right at the start of the post. You only have yourself to blame if you have got this far and you are now about to say how annoyed you are in the comments, but it is just my opinion.
My view is, when there is nothing to say, say nothing and they have said far too much in this press release when nothing was actually needed.
Everton match analysis tomorrow, when everyone is back at work.