Aston Villa Supporters’ Trust share with all of our supporters the acute disappointment following our failure to rejoin the Premier League last Saturday.
That defeat has posed huge question marks about Villa’s immediate financial future and, inevitably, the future of Steve Bruce.
Next season we will have to manage without the experienced loan players and, possibly, the jewels in our playing crown if sales have to be made to meet the demands of FFP.
Whilst we appreciate the owner’s words earlier in the week, we call upon the AVFC Board to make a more detailed statement about our future and how we intend to work around the financial pressure that a failure to gain promotion brings.
This was raised at the AVST AGM and we were somewhat “flat batted” in response that there were plans for both promotion and remaining in the Championship but what does this mean in real terms? How much of the deficit can be recovered by no longer meeting the wages of loanees and those out of contract? What pressures are we under to sell players to make ends meet? Does it mean there is no money available for transfers this Summer?
We also implore the club to make an early decision on the future of Steve Bruce. It is not for us to judge whether he should continue in his post. Some of our members believe we can go one better next season with him at the helm and others feel that failure to be promoted again is not acceptable.
Regardless, we need clarity. It seems clear there will be something of an overhaul in the squad this Summer. When you factor in the World Cup, and the transfer window closing a month earlier than we are accustomed to, there is no time to waste.
Whatever the decision on the future of the manager it is clear we need to make greater use of our excellent crop of young players next season and it would be nice to see us play the front foot football we do in our junior groups to make use of the final year of parachute payments.
Dr Xia and Mr Wyness, our supporters can set their expectations accordingly but please reassure us that our plan for this offseason will ensure we remain competitive in terms of looking to be promoted next season.