You know, it might very well be that our owner is a multi-billionaire and that he really can't get his money out of China. And even though experts, commentators and Professors tell us that that isn't actually the case and that controls have been loosening in recent months, not tightening, you wont be blamed for holding on to some last hope.
Hell, even a little part of me is holding on for some hope. We are standing over the abyss and we don't need childish actions or remarks right now. Old heads are called for.
Am I referring to anyone in particular, the owner or certain supporters? I could be talking about myself, but I have a point. It's coming.
But first let us all get on the same page. Steve Bruce failed to get us promotion last season and next season is going to be a challenge, for many reasons. I hope we can all agree on that. And I am sure we do.
Well most will. There is a fringe group that think they know better than everyone. I don't. This is just my opinion. And remember, you're all right, if it's your opinion. How you got there, now that is something else.
But my point is, next season is going to be the toughest we have faced in many years. It's almost certain that we're going to start the season with a very different looking side and anyone thinking we can challenge for promotion, needs to sit back and think about it first. Unless we get a new owner that is. A new owner would really help about now.
But even though Steve Bruce failed to get us promoted last season, we shouldn't forget he got us into the top six. He gave us the best season we've had in a generation. And while he might not have played expansive or front-footed football, he played safe and secure, not taking too many risks and he got us to within a whisper of automatic promotion, all in his first full season.
And ahead of next season, don't you think that is exactly what we need? There will be some that say we need a new young manager that wants to play a different type of football and they may very well be right, but that degree of change carries a lot of risk. It's those type of changes that could see us relegated. Steve Bruce wont play attractive football and we might not be happy with how it looks, but he also wont get us relegated out of this League. Remember those people that said Tim Sherwood was the saviour. Don't listen to them now!
With everything that is to come next season, we have to be realistic about expectations. Staying in the second tier is the priority and it's not a season to be taking risks. Next season, even though the football might not be great, is about sticking with the man that most football pundits, if not all, would call a safe pair of hands in this League.
A new owner
So, this is where we are and in my humble opinion, it's why we have to stick with the manager. But it's not just about him today and judging by comments I'm reading on social media, the supporter base has now turned on the owner. And he needs to sell up. And he also has to understand he's not going to get his money back. The value of the club has decreased under him. He can't expect the same money and he has to do the honourable thing.
He has failed because he really didn't know what he was doing. And I don't just mean in regard to running a Football Club. I mean how you engage with customers or supporters. About how you act on. About how easy it was for him to lie and take control.
When the Premier League were performing the fit-and-proper-person test, they clearly didn't investigate. I asked people in China what they knew of him or the company and nobody had heard of it. We had the BBC saying that he was a "seriously impressive business leader in China" yet they wont tell us who their sources were or how they confirmed this. If it was the case then, surely it is still the case today.
I mean, how can you go from a seriously impressive business leader in China two years ago to a charlatan today?
And I know. These days, it isn't about confirming anything, it's about can you get away with it. It's the road to ruin and we're seeing it now at our Football Club right now. And that is why we have to accept we're not getting promoted next season, unless there is change in ownership. Like I wrote above, success will be staying in this division.
Before I leave you this morning and this is as optimistic as I can get, I can see a new owner coming and quite soon. The world has been alerted to our plight and the name Aston Villa still means something to a lot of people. The owner simply has to accept that he's got to accept less than what he paid for the Club. You see, under his stewardship, the Club isn't as valuable and because of that, he has to accept his failure and accept the right offer.
And you know what, a new owner could be what we triggers that challenge for next season. But again, that's me trying to be as optimistic as I can be.