AVFC History Comment

“2021-22 was a season of huge disappointment on every level.”

That may seem churlish, ungrateful and unduly negative to some but please bear with us.

Even recognising the significant achievements from 2016 onwards that were required to turn a sinking club around we cannot forever remain in the shadow of that period and in debt to its orchestrators.

Losing Dean Smith was a hammer blow but few felt there was any other choice.

That the season continued to frustrate and underwhelm perhaps showed how far we had come but equally likely how quickly progress can stagnate.

The arrival of Steven Gerrard wasn’t welcomed by all but a more marketable manager in a media hungry environment clearly made sense to the owners.

That Gerrard’s form was on a par if not worse than the final days of Dean Smith was often overlooked with the promise of big summer spending and the imposition of a winning mentality.

We’ve welcomed two high class international players to the fold over the summer but in truth have seen far less incomings than expected and crucially far fewer outgoings.

We go into the 2022-23 season then far less confident than we should be.

Performances and results under Gerrard have been poor far too often.

For Gerrard himself his stock phrases are falling flat.

The squad overhaul that we were told was so desperately needed has not (yet) happened.

As a result we go into the new season with the fizz having left the side that Dean Smith (largely) built.

And critically the new regime clearly doesn’t appear to have the same level of rapport with the playing staff.

The early games of 2022-23 will either prove AVFC History as “typical Villa fans” negative and fickle or unduly prescient.

Clearly we hope it is the former, we however can currently only see another season of struggle on the horizon.

We open the season with a very kind set of fixtures.

Nine points from the opening three games of the season will go a long way to Gerrard proving that his issues in 2021-22 were indeed inherited.

We’re not so sure, we just hope we are proved wrong.

UTV