With Aston Villa having plummeted into the second tier of English football, who do the fans blame for their current predicament?
After flirting with relegation for a number of years, Aston Villa finally dropped down to the Championship in May. A succession of poor managerial appointments, as well as a lack of real investment in the team, has brought this one-time European giant to its knees, and the Villans must now fight to get out of one of the hardest leagues in the world.
However, under new manager Steve Bruce, things are starting to look up for Aston Villa fans. Losing just one game since he took over, Bruce has reinvigorated his Villa players and finally seems to be getting best out of Villa’s big summer signings, such as Jonathan Kodjia and Albert Adomah.
Despite this, the pain of relegation, and the mistakes made over the last few years, still hang heavy in Villa fans minds, so HITC Sport decided to ask them where they felt it had all gone wrong.
Aston Villa Manager Steve Bruce
“Ownership” seemed to be a common theme amongst Villa supporters, referring to the tenure of former owner Randy Lerner. As well as selling most of Villa’s best players, such as James Milner, Stewart Downing, Ashley Young and Christian Benteke, Lerner failed to properly invest in the side; something that new owner Dr Tony Xia has not been afraid to do.
One Villa fan also pointed the finger at his club’s recruitment team, blaming a lot of their poor form on the signings made. Some Villa fans also suggested that Tim Sherwood should have been given more of a chance, and that the switch to Remi Garde last season was one of the major parts in Villa’s downfall.
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Former Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood
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