It's been a busy week. Not for Aston Villa, but for me and that is why I've not said or written much. That said, when a new manager joins, it's best to let the Club do all the talking and while I've done a couple of things elsewhere, it's actually felt quite nice to just think about things.
Now, first things first, I'm still quite gutted about Dean Smith. I said it at the time and I'll say it now; the chances of having one of our own in the dugout isn't likely to come around again and for me, that warranted more time. We've now got Stevie G who in fairness, I don't think will manage Liverpool, if he does well with us, but I also think the chances of him doing well enough for that to happen with us are quite slim.
And let me be clear, they're as slim as the chances I would have put on Dean Smith, so it's not like I'm writing him off or saying that Dean Smith was going to win us the League, I'm just trying to be a little realistic. Don't worry, I get a little optimistic soon, I can feel it.
But and this is the point, at the time Dean Smith was appointed, I was a little surprised. Mostly because he had done well mostly because of the Brentford system. That said, of is 143 games as manager of Brentford he had a 39.86% win rate. With us, it was 139 games and a 39.57% win rate. Basically identical!
I go back to he was one of ours and for one of ours we give a little more time. Or we should. But that's gone now and if it doesn't work for Stevie G then everything rests at the feet of the CEO, Christian Purslow and if that day comes, it's not going to be Stevie G that gets it, it's going to be the CEO because frankly, while I know he's trying, I expect more.
It's the Stevie G show now
But and this is where blind optimism comes into play, it is his time. And I don't see him managing Liverpool for lots of reasons. The easiest to grasp is that he doesn't do well here and is found out, much like Frank the Bank and so many before him, that think they can be a manager because they played. If that happens, he's not getting the Liverpool job.
But what happens if it does work out for him here and he gets the best out of the players we have, finish in a solid top half position, followed by challenging for top six and many even top four in his first full season and then in his third, securing it?
If you believe what he says and I do and this is why I don't think he'll ever be managing Liverpool, how could he walk away from Aston Villa if he did that? How could anyone walk away from something that they built like that, if the Club recognises and respects him? I believe that he'll put everything in to this and I believe that we will see that in the players. I'm just not sure it's enough and there is more to the game.
I want it to happen and because it's new, I think it can. But I'm also in my 40's and I've seen it all and read it all before. But it's Stevie G and there is something special about him. Time will tell and yes, a match post tomorrow.