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16.07.01
Tabloid Article (Daily
Mirror)
SO at the very moment Manchester United were unveiling Ali G, Aston Villa took the wraps off Rudolf The Red-Nosed Reindeer.
And the widest grin at either press conference belonged to the Gloria Gaynor of football. A man who thinks he will always survive. Deadly Doug Ellis.
It was a grin aimed at the legions of Villa fans on the verge of storming The Doug Ellis Stand and redecorating The Doug Ellis boardroom with The Doug Ellis blood.
A grin which said: "I've beaten you again. I've proved I'm still able to attract the biggest names in world football."
A grin which said this stunt should flog a few more season tickets just like last summer's David Ginola stunt did. But it's a stunt which could ultimately wipe the grin off Deadly Doug's face.
The implication that handing a one-year contract to a 37-year-old goalkeeper proves Villa are a magnet for the world's best players is as far from the truth as Ellis's boast that he invented the bicycle kick while playing for a British XI alongside Stanley Matthews.
It becomes even more laughable when you analyse Schmeichel's thinking. He'd become bored with the low-profile Portuguese league and was pondering TV work when the chance came for a final pounds 1million pay-day in a land of milk and honey where he is deservedly feted as a legend.
So what did he base his choice of club on? "After eight years at United you can't play for someone like Arsenal or Liverpool," he said.
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The point being he would never have signed for a decent side in case he upset United fans. So he was looking for a team who didn't pose a threat. And where better than Aston Villa?
This has been a disastrous week for those who believe the biggest team in our second-biggest city should still retain the ambitions of the European Cup-winning club it so recently was.
An England defender and an England keeper (seven years Schmeichel's junior and playing the best football of his career) have just moved to lesser sides. Clubs who narrowly escaped relegation last season, managed by men with no Premiership experience in the top job.
To make matters worse a current player, George Boateng, attacksthem for paying poor wages and having no ambition. This follows Paul Merson's recent blast: "Where are we going? It's terrible at the moment. It's a a joke, it really is."
Comments backed up by their squad's only consistent goalscorer Julian Joachim dropping down a league to get away, and coaches Steve Harrison and Paul Barron leaving for Boro. Throw in Ugo Ehiogu's defection to the same club and only a fool would deny something is seriously wrong at Villa Park.
I am the first to criticise players like Gareth Southgate and David James, who whinge about their club's lack of ambition. But in Villa's case too many senior professionals are jumping ship for there not to be something in those claims.
You wonder why Muzzy Izzet has just turned down a move there from Leicester. You wonder how desperate James must have been to get away when he comes out with this ludicrous statement about joining West Ham: "As far as England is concerned, London is the place to be."
Sure Dave. That's why Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard left Upton Park to remind Sven Goran Eriksson they still exist.
The bottom line is you can't kid the fans. And the Schmeichel smokescreen won't. The Villa faithful feel John Gregory is a decent manager who is yet to be given the full backing to reach for the skies.
They also feel the men at the top are not being honest. They demand to know how much money is available, how long Villa intend to pay relatively poor wages, and whether the club has given up the will to rejoin the nation's elite.
Gregory's sideswipe at the deserters should make those fans even more pessimistic. "We're delighted that Peter has come here for football, not financial, reasons," he said. "It's evident people have left here for money but that's life."
Get a grip, John. Schmeichel is there purely for financial reasons. They all are. Top players are leaving Villa because they realise the club has forgotten that reality. They take it as a personal slight and are prepared to join lesser clubs who they believe appreciate them more. That's life. And in 2001, if the chairman refuses to pay the going rate to internationals, life for your fans will be decidedly miserable.
Doug Ellis may be happy playing Father Christmas with his red-nosed reindeer, but the fans won't buy the fairytale. Which is probably in the best long-term interests of the club.
After a Stalinesque rule which now spans 19 years, it's time the septuagenarian put his feet up on his Mediterranean yacht and handed power to younger, more ambitious businessmen with a clearer vision of what's needed to succeed.
Remember you can't survive forever Gloria, so now go, walk out the door. Before you're pushed.
This Article was taken from UK newspaper "The Mirror". If you would like to contribute an article or any news, please mail it to webmaster@goaliekeeper.freeservers.com