Are Villa Fans Sugarbags?

David O'Leary has started a charm offensive according to an article in The Sun. Click Here

Isn't it a bit late for him to be telling the club and fans he loves us? Isn't the timing strange? A meeting with Ellis, reports saying he has until Easter, the fans turning on him and singing for his head, and now all of a sudden he loves us? Well, apart from 'sugarbags' apparently. And no, I don't know what a sugarbag (apart from a bag that holds sugar obviously) is, but I assume it is anyone who doesn't agree with David O'Leary?

He hasn't fooled anyone, even the paper article pours scorn on this puerile attempt to salvage his reputation. The way to do that would have been to organise the team and get them to do their talking on the pitch. We have - and I will repeat until the sugerbags come home - just 34 points from 30 games, the lowest any manager has managed at this stage of the season. The only person O'Leary hasn't blamed is himself and I'm with all the 'sugarbags' who 'know nothing' who have the finger of blame pointing to the manager - taking into consideration I have a permanent - middle - finger pointing at Ellis.

O'Leary, who only a few weeks ago was having a go at the fans said: “The more I have been at the club the more I have fallen in love with the people and the area. I understand the fans’ frustrations because they are the same as my own. But whereas they can shout out about it, I can’t. They want to see their club back where it should be and I’m as determined as I always have been to be the man to do that.”

34 points, 30 games.

He also says his relationship with Ellis is 'stronger than ever.' Pressure put on Ellis to sack him then, as he obviously won't be walking - or will he? Takes dignity to realise you have made a pigs ear of things and to take the blame. Come on O'Leary, prove you have some.

“It’s not nice when you get abuse from the fans but the good thing about it was they vented their anger at me and not at the young kids on the park.'

Come off it. Those 'kids' are decent players, when has he ever looked to take the flak away from any of the players? The quotes he comes out with fan the flames and he has often suggested he only plays the 'kids' because he has no choice.

He says he is a 'big boy' and can handle the abuse from fans and that he has given Ellis a list of players for the summer transfer window. Great, another carrot to be dangled in front of the fans. Only trouble is, the majority (sugarbags one and all no doubt) don't believe the spin anymore. We will be promised the earth and players like the Djemba twins will be the result.

“And I have given the chairman a list of some experienced and hungry players I’d like to sign in the summer who would be the right role models for these young kids to learn from. When everything is sorted out behind the scenes this club can move forward very quickly and I want to make sure I am the man at the helm. I would be hanging myself if I wasn’t here when that happened. I am not spending all my afternoons with the architects building our new training ground to blow all that away.”

34 points, 30 games.

So, he expects a takeover and expects to be the manager? Does he also expect us to praise him for the Bodymoor development? John Gregory asked for it, Graham Taylor worked and worked on it, but this isn't the first time O'Leary has suggested he should get the thanks for it. Does he think us 'sugarbags' are stupid? Evidently he does.

34 points, 30 games.

He finished saying: “I take notice of the decent people who balance criticism and thank God, they outnumber the sugarbags by a mile.” Strange that, a decent fan called John Lerwell sent him a superb letter with 24 signatures. As far as I know, John is still waiting for a reply, as are the message board members of Vital Villa who wrote or faxed him with their thoughts.

We might be sugarbags, but nothing at Villa is sweet at the moment.

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