Kids won’t keep Villa up
LONDON: My Match of the Day colleague Alan Hansen infamously claimed “You win nothing with kids.”
That line at the start of the 1995-96 season came back to bite him on the nose as the Manchester United team he was referring to won the Double.
One thing you certainly do not do, however, is stay up with a team full of kids as Aston Villa are trying to do right now.
That United team also had a back four that included Denis Irwin, Gary Pallister and Steve Bruce, while elsewhere there was Roy Keane, Eric Cantona and Andy Cole.
Kids were being phased in with the Nevilles, David Beckham, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes.
But they were not thrown into a situation where there was no one to help keep their heads above water.
Right now, Villa are in the eye of a storm and there is no one around to help a bunch of inexperienced kids who are struggling.
A back four and central midfield with an average age of just 22.
Up front are Christian Benteke, 22, and Andreas Weimann, 21.
It is brave and it is bold – but it is not working.
The experienced players have been marginalised because, I presume, boss Paul Lambert either doesn’t like their attitude or feels they are not up to it.
Lambert’s team have failed to score in seven of their last 11 league games.
In that time, they suffered a club-record 8-0 defeat to Chelsea followed by 4-0 and 3-0 home losses to Tottenham and Wigan respectively.
Their 19 points from 22 games is the worst in their history at this stage of a season.
Their minus-25 goal difference is the worst in the top flight and they have scored a Premier League-low 17 goals.
Next up, West Brom away in a local derby that will have the Baggies fans licking their lips.
After that it is Newcastle at home in what will be a big relegation battle with the second leg of the League Cupsemi-final against Bradford sandwiched in between.
How woeful were Villa in that first leg, losing 3-1 to a team from the fourth tier of the English game.
All credit to Bradford for a fantastic performance but Villa should have had enough to prevent that.
Manchester City centre-back Joleon Lescott has been mentioned to help shore up the backline.
He is battling for a regular place at City, yet even he looks beyond a club who used to attract big names, big crowds and were vying for honours.
To be fair to owner Randy Lerner, he has shelled out plenty, not least when Martin O’Neill was manager.
O’Neill’s departure, for whatever reason, started the slide.
Over the next fortnight Lerner has to decide whether he spends on the quality and experience needed to save his club from the drop – or risks this team digging the club out of their hole.
It’s not easy to get the right players to come to a team in trouble, knowing by summer, they could be preparing for life in the Championship.
A loan deal may be Villa’s only option but they have to do something to entice experienced players with something to prove.
The deficiencies of Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to Southampton were masked by the controversial penalty.
I don’t blame ref Mark Halsey because straight away I called “Pen” when I saw it in real time. TV replays showed Jay Rodriguez dived.
But Southampton had dominated the first half.
Benteke’s spurned chances were an example of the lack of confidence in Villa’s ranks.
It is tougher when a big club is in this situation because the scrutiny and expectation is greater.
It is too much for a team of youngsters to cope with. Lerner and Lambert need to do something. And fast. — The Sun, London