Wyness Departs: A New Generation of Sceptic Villans Born

Following a suspension last week, Aston Villa F.C. officially announced the departure of CEO Keith Wyness on Tuesday.

Although the news was expected, vague statements issued by the club have done little to bring clarity to Villa’s continued financial battle. It appears that this will only be exacerbated by a potential legal battle between the former Everton CEO and the club.

A Disappointing End

The fans began to clamour for Wyness’ dismissal in the aftermath of the Play-Off defeat to Fulham last month. Few, though, will have expected it to have come in these circumstances.

In reality, the CEO was already staring down the barrel. His reign began with the appointment of Roberto Di Matteo. A major flop. It ended with Play-Off disappointment at Wembley. This confirmed the regime’s inability to fulfil its promise and expectation.  He had overseen the assembly of the Championship’s most expensive squad, but ultimately failed to achieve the desired promotion.

Yet still, some would have been happy for Wyness to stay had it not been for recent revelations about his running of the day-to-day business of the club, the complete nature of which remains unclear. Last season, Villa collectively demonstrated a togetherness unlike anything the club had witnessed for many years. The players on the pitch. The board, seemingly, with the support. There was a harmony. In particular, I imagine the generation of Villans in which I fall felt a bit like this:

Sleeping Giant

My dad took me down the Villa for the first time when he grew worried that I was watching Manchester United on Sky. The first game I attended was our FA Youth Cup final win against Everton. My dad tapped me on the shoulder and said,

“There you go, son, we’re Aston Villa and we are winners!”

Sixteen years later and I am still waiting for that next piece of success and many others younger than myself will be in a similar boat.

The Rise of New Sceptics

Having been too young to judge Randy Lerner until it was clear the regime was in decline, Dr. Xia and Keith Wyness’ board is perhaps the first which many of the younger generation will have been able to assess with any seriousness.

Despite the mystery surrounding Xia’s purchasing of the club, the board’s communication with supporters throughout the first months of the regime was refreshing. Eventually, Villa started to get some results and even won a game away from home. As mentioned above, the sense of harmony has thus far been enough to keep many of us happy. Then, these last couple of weeks happened.

There have always been sceptics and critics. About Xia and about Wyness. The naivety of our younger generation can be forgiven, though. Why wouldn’t a group of supporters who have seen only mediocrity and failure buy into a project that promised their club’s return to greatness? Especially with things superficially appearing to improve.

Wyness’ sacking has ultimately failed to answer any questions for the supporters. One thing is certain, however. In light of these events, another generation of Villa fans will let go of blind faith and will begin to scrutinise every move the club makes in the future. It is not enough to talk the talk, for us, the future carers of our football club must walk the walk.