Have Aston Villa let down their Garde?

Another comprehensive defeat for Aston Villa on Saturday away at Manchester City brings the impending threat of relegation one step closer. Even though with 9 games to go and 8 points to make up it’s still not mathematically impossible but with the way they’ve been playing as of late you almost feel that they should just be relegated now and put out of their misery.

Talking of misery though you have to ask yourself how long Remi Garde has got in the Aston Villa hotseat. I’ve said many times that I don’t think he was the right man for the job once it become vacant after the sacking of Tim Sherwood. It was too much of a left field appointment for a side that has lacked any real direction all season.

Yes he may be a disciple of Arsene Wenger but Wenger had a much more solid base with which to work with at Arsenal and wasn’t immeaditely threatened by relegation upon taking the job. A new Manager is meant to inspire the team but they look devoid of any ideas and gameplan once they cross the white line

And yes of course the players will have to come in for some criticism especially after conceding 13 goals in the last 3 matches which in anyone’s book is bang on for relegation form. But ultimately the leadership has to come from the top and there’s been very little sight of that at Villa Park since Garde took over.

He has managed just two victories in the League since taking over from Tim Sherwood and a more telling sign is that he wasn’t trusted with any transfer funds in January, how much faith do the board really having in Garde.

Is Garde the sitting duck in all of this, the ultimate full guy.  If he’s not the man to keep them up this season then he’s certainly not the man to take them back up next season. Even with the drop in division I can’t see their being an upturn in performances.

You’ve got players like Jordan Ayew and Adama Traore who are not going to fancy getting clattered in the Birmingham Derby or a potential trip to Elland Road. These are luxury players in the Premier League, luxuries that are proving too costly. If they don’t fancy in the top flight then the rung below is going to be an awful culture shock.

The atmosphere at Villa Park has become incredibly toxic with even more protests planned on Sunday for the visit of second placed Spurs. It’s a club that has been in a phase of managed decline over the past few seasons and it seems as if the decline is about to become terminal.

As for Garde then you have to wonder how long he will be at the Villa Park helm, it’s been a torrid spell in charge for the Frenchmen and I wouldn’t be too surprised if you walked before he was pushed and saved what little pride he has left. Derby may have got the lowest amount of Premier League points but surely Villa have been the worst ever team and Garde must be in the bracket of worst ever Managers to grace the Premier League.