Southampton success shows up Villa

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A tough run of fixtures continues for Aston Villa after the international break with Paul Lambert’s men facing Southampton at Villa Park. Live on Monday Night Football, it will be an opportunity to observe if Villa can build on the draw they managed away at West Ham last weekend.

I remember going to St Mary’s Stadium to watch Villa play the Saints in 2012. Newly promoted and then bottom of the table, Southampton were re-adjusting to life in the Premier League, while claret and blue fans looked to the newly-installed Lambert to change the club’s fortunes. Villa lost 4-1.

A few matches into the new era, and here was a match that was a harsh reminder of the task in hand for Paul Lambert.

Two years before that Southampton, then in League One, won the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy while Villa recorded a top six finish in the Premier League. When the two teams meet in a couple of weeks, though, it will be a case of two clubs heading in different directions.

Like Southampton, Villa decided to cash in on the players who had done so well for them – Ashley Young, James Milner, Stewart Downing, Gareth Barry. Unlike the Saints, though, Villa failed to properly replace them.

Southampton have established themselves as a Premier League force by complimenting academy players and established players with shrewd signings.

Lambert’s arrival at Villa signalled an apparent change in philosophy for the club. But while it seemed exciting at the time, changing the Villa side overnight was probably not a good idea.

Fast-forward to 2014 and there doesn’t seem to be any sort of strategy at Aston Villa. For instance, the much-lauded policy of buying young players was abandoned after two experimental seasons, and the infamous ‘bomb squad’ members were reinstated. It’s the lack of consistency which is a worry for Villa fans.

The transfer policy has been another source of confusion. Everybody knows the financial strings have been tightened, which makes the notion that Villa could spend a reported £8million on making Tom Cleverley’s loan deal permanent hard to understand, when reinforcements in other areas are needed.

When Southampton sacked Nigel Adkins during their first season back in the top flight it seemed very harsh, but stability for stability’s sake is not always productive. Just look at the progress Villa have made during the Lambert era – or rather the lack of.

I wrote in my last FanZone article that I believed a managerial change is needed, but it’s not all Lambert’s fault. While he has offered little to make Villa fans smile other than avoiding relegation, he hasn’t exactly been working with the finances available to past managers.

Unfortunately it’s beginning to look like Ron Vlaar and Fabian Delph could indeed be saying goodbye to Birmingham at the end of the season. But their probable summer departures won’t provide any transfer sums due to the expiration of their Villa contracts.

Whatever happens, Villa fans will be hoping for the sort of replacements who have proved so successful at St Mary’s this season.

Villa versus Southampton will be an intriguing match, and regardless of the outcome, the difference in success of each club’s long-term vision will be a bleak consideration for Villa fans.

You can follow Lewis on Twitter @RymondFootball – and don’t forget to follow @FanZone too for links to all the latest blogs.