This is day three of deciding to publish this or not and today, I just can't be arsed talking myself in or out of it. It's what I think, so it's getting published.
And usually, this is about the time to have a rallying the troops type of post, but I simply can't do it. I can't treat you all like mugs. I can't pretend that things will be better next season and I can't write a simple three point plan on how things could be better. I can't pretend we have new owners coming in and I can't pretend that I'm surprised by any of this or that as a group we should be.
I can't do any of this because even if most of you would love it and lap it up, I'd feel cheap. And the truth is, it's the ones that will be offended by me writing what I'm going to write today that will be the ones I would be writing that rallying the troops type post to. Aston Villa and everything connected to Aston Villa is an irony.
And I'm not sorry that I'm going to offend. And I'm also not suggesting that any single person or supporter group is a better or worse supporter or right or even wrong. I'm just writing what I think from my seat in the pub.
So this is where I start. And the sad part is that it starts with the atmosphere from Saturday. It was the best I remember at Villa Park for some time. But the Holte End, the twelfth man .. come on. The away support was more vocal than the Holte End this season. And yes, you can say you want to be entertained or you want to see some passion, or that there has been support, but define the word supporter.
More on this later. But why leave it until we are relegated?
And it's not just that. The thing that baffles me more is that supporters were told when to protest and didn't. Instead, supporters have actually waited until the team is relegated. And then the protest is for Randy Lerner to sell up - something he is actively trying to do. If you can't see why this baffles ... I can't help you.
I mean, you might as well congregate outside Downing Street and demand the government tax you. Go release some balloons at the same time. And yes, if you're offended, you don't understand. You were told when to do it and you did nothing. Again, if this offends, you don't understand and I don't care.
Having to state the absolute obvious
And while I want to believe we will come straight back up, I'm not convinced it will happen, for so many reasons. And I want to believe we will be sold, but it surprises me that it has taken this long and if it really is about having to lower the price or seek out fund based consortiums, I fear the people that are going to get it are the wrong people, again for so many reasons.
So I'm sorry I have to write this for you as I know there is a chance you'll be offended and you'll not want to believe it, but here goes; we actually don't want Randy Lerner to sell the club now. So for all those protesting that the owner does something he is trying to do, sorry to break it to you, but you have to go protest for him to stay for one more season. You've wasted your time.
And I could write a paper on why Lerner has to stay but the main reason reason, for us supporters, is because we are now actually ready for the Championship and it's the clubs that have as little change as possible from Premier League to Championship that come back up at the first time of asking. Lerner leaving would be a huge upheaval and I believe it would create the type of change that could mean we are stuck in the Championship for more than a couple of seasons, especially if we get the wrong type of owner which is likely if we are trying to force a sale through.
But the other reason is that if Lerner gets us up at the first time of asking, the club will be worth much more than it is today and more attractive and hopefully it will mean we can get the right new owner.
And I think Lerner will be looking at it this way and it baffles me why Steve Hollis is talking about negotiations with buyers that clearly aren't the right type (if they were negotiations wouldn't be this long). And hopefully, Randy Lerner will look at the rewards and the risk and he'll come to the conclusion that he will give it one more season.
Supporters have to embrace relegation
So, sorry about that for all those that protested and for those that did, in such a great way, you've got to embrace relegation just like that every week next season.
Any by that, I mean Villa Park has to be like the Newcastle atmosphere every week. And if it is, the supporters will have played an important role in getting us back up next season and hopefully helping Lerner find his buyer.
Time for the Holte End to be the twelfth man week in week out.