The football fan: a bitter beast.
We’re all as bad as each other. We all look back and wonder. We all remind the rival of that 37th minute throw-in decision that the linesman got wrong back in September and basically cost us the title.
For Villa, unfortunately, there are 9,000 of those throw-in decisions that all add up over a season.
Every game, every week, every campaign is filled with ifs and buts. There are big questions to be put out there and here are some of the biggest ones from the Premier League season so far.
1. What if West Ham had sacked big Sam?
And they were all clamouring for it. They were all whinging about his football philosophy, about the lack of progress and now Allardyce has them laughing in the top four, playing some stupendous football and having Upton Park rocking on its hinges. If he was sacked, what would’ve happened? Tony Pulis would’ve came in, solidified their status as a top 13 team, we all would’ve lost interest. We’re not sure what Chico Flores said here but we assume it was something to do with Sam losing his job.
2. What if David De Gea wasn’t so bloody good?
Would Liverpool have gotten something at Old Trafford? Yeah, they might’ve gotten something alright: an extra goal in their goal difference tally maybe. They wouldn’t have gotten any points though. But Gary Neville did an absolutely superb piece of analysis on the impact the Manchester United goalkeeper has had on his team’s season this year and compared it with past campaigns where he hadn’t been so brick wall-like. This Monday Night Football slot sums up perfectly De Gea’s importance to United’s form.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t2t1M-5FqY
3. What if Roy Keane hadn’t parted ways with Aston Villa?
Well, we’d imagine that he’d be bogged down and worn out by now, what with the hectic Christmas international schedule to uphold as well. Villa have lost one game – having lost a player after 20 minutes – since Keano left Paul Lambert’s side. They’ve accumulated eight points from a possible 15. Would that have been different if the Ireland assistant manager was still there? Presumably not considering they were playing Burnley, Palace, Leicester, and West Brom in those fixtures. We’d probably just be talking about a t-shirt Roy Keane wore to training instead.
4. What if Daniel Sturridge wasn’t injured?
Would Liverpool be back up in the title reckoning? No. But they could be doing better alright. There’s no outlet at Anfield right now (it doesn’t help when the manager plays no strikers at all) and there’s no-one prowling around knowing they’re going to score if they get a half glance at the goals. The Merseysiders would be doing better but they’re 10 points off the top four, 18 off the top. They wouldn’t have made up either of those because they haven’t been playing well enough and their defence has been poor but perhaps they would have a greater smell of blood coming into the turn of the year.
5. What if Arsene Wenger wasn’t so stubborn?
Sinful pride. The Frenchman is riddled with it. It can be the only explanation for why someone with obviously such a genius outlook on the game continues to ignore the most blatant of problems ever to hit football. If everyone – fans, media, probably his family – weren’t telling Wenger to just bloody buy a centre half and a midfielder who isn’t four-foot tall, would he have done it himself? And would Arsenal have challenged for the league any time in recent seasons? If he had made a couple of obvious signings, they would have.
6. What if Roman Abramovich wasn’t so rich?
A fine, fine manager, made even better with a limitless supply of transfer funds. Chelsea had a brilliant squad as it was. They just weren’t quite there, they needed two world class players to complete it, so they went out and bought two of the best players on the planet. Now they look unstoppable. Arsene Wenger meanwhile ducks his head at the mere mention of this example. If Abramovich wasn’t so rich, Diego Costa wouldn’t have arrived for one and Fantasy Football wouldn’t have been ruined.
7. What if Liverpool hadn’t lost Suarez?
Get over it, you lost him.
8. What if David Moyes had been given more time?
He’d probably have been sacked by now anyway. It would’ve been a lot harder to imagine the like of Di Maria and Falcao and even Herrera all jumping on board an Old Trafford ship that had sank to the depths of seventh. It would’ve been even harder to imagine all the rest of them staying on and drowning with it. The Manchester men would probably be in free-fall right now and Moyes would be looking up at Newcastle by now claiming that they’re a club that United should aspire to be like.
9. What if Jack Wilshere had been taller?
10. What if Lampard had stayed at Chelsea?
Mourinho might not have been using him but at least it would’ve meant that Manuel Pellegrini wasn’t using him either. Frank has been vital for City who are breathing frantically down Chelsea’s necks and the midfielder might never have moved level with Henry in the Premier League’s all-time scoring charts if he was sitting on the Stamford Bridge bench. It might not have affected Man City so much though because, let’s face it, they have Sergio Aguero.
11. What if Arsene Wenger had just left?
Then this angry Arsenal fan would probably be in much, much better health.
12. What if Paul Scholes was still playing?
Then he’d still probably be the best player in the league as he showed he was still doing just at the start of the month with these outrageous two goals in a legends game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgDDEPUASgw
