James Chester joined Aston Villa from West Bromwich Albion in the summer of 2016.
Aston Villa are a massive club, but things are dire at the moment. Villa were expected to least push for a playoff spot in the Championship this season, but there is a chance that they could get relegated to League One at the end of the 2016-17 campaign.
Villa are 17th in the Championship table at the moment with 36 points from 32 matches. Steve Bruce’s side are only six points above third-from-bottom Wigan Athletic.
It looks unlikely that the Villans will be able to end up in the top six of the Championship this season, and fans are understandably frustrated. There have been criticisms of the players, the manager and the club as a whole.
James Chester has given his take on the situation. The 28-year-old defender joined Villa from Premier League club West Bromwich Albion in the summer of 2016.
The Wales international centre-back has shared what he found when he first arrived at Villa Park.
“I found when I came here that it was difficult to hand out advice or criticism without getting something back and feeling like it was a personal attack,” Chester told The Birmingham Mail.
“When you’ve been beaten up so many times, like this club has been, when you receive criticism, you punch back straightaway.
“You feel like it’s an attack, and it’s not, it’s a criticism to try and help and get a response. With the group we’ve got here now, we’ve got a lot of honest people, and I feel that will change.”
Villa will return to action on Saturday afternoon when they take on Derby County at Villa Park in the Championship.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
