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The One That Got Away

Thursday, June 16, 2011 , Posted in , , 1 Comment

Reports are that Aston Villa have agreed to pay Birmingham City £2m in compensation with Alex McLeish set to be officially announced as Villa's new manager by tomorrow. Although I admit to having spent a large part of today wishing for some sort of miracle where Randy has just caught up with reading my blog and realised that Quique is a far more attractive proposition, in more ways than one, now is the time to accept that the decision has been made and Quique will forever be the one that got away.

I don't think there are many, if any, Villa fans who would say they were totally happy with the appointment or that McLeish was ever who they had hoped for, but the decision seems to have split fans into two distinct groups; those who are asking for refunds on season tickets and returning all their merchandise after burning it in a black bag to the club shop (I really don't know where the punctuation is supposed to go in that sentence, whether it's being burnt and then put in a black bag or if the black bag itself is going to be burnt - the mind boggles) and those who, disappointed as they may be, are ready to give the man a chance to prove himself and support our club and our players no matter what.


I understand the hatred for Birmingham City, and theirs for us - I've lived in Birmingham my whole life and been going to Villa Park for over 20 years - but I do not understand the hatred for a man who was simply doing a job. McLeish has no strong ties to the Blues, it was just a job, and now he has, what I assume he sees as, a better job, in a higher league, with better players. Refusing to support your team because the manager used to manage our rivals is irrational, and I'm quite sure most of those currently saying they won't go to games will come skulking back should we get off to a good start next season. And how sweet would it be if the man who got our closest rivals relegated twice could be a success at Villa Park.


There will always be a small part of me that will never forgive him for denying me Quique, but now is the time to get behind him. The decision has been made, there is nothing we can do to change it, and all respect to Randy and McLeish for going through with the appointment amid all the protests and vitriol being spouted across social media sites. As managers, players and owners come and go, what remains is the fans and our love for our club and the game.


Photo courtesy of @dazzybabes

1 Response to "The One That Got Away"

  1. Lala says:
    16 June 2011 at 23:20

    Since writing this post it has emerged that the reports of a compensation deal being agreed at this stage are incorrect.

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