In Focus - Claret and blues
If you think you’re having a tough week at work, spare a thought for Aston Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner.
At the raw age of 32 (and that by only a few days), he has had to deal this week with the resignation of manager Martin O’Neill five days before the new season starts, as well as try to oversee the transfer deals that the fans are clamouring for. He has also had to cope with the players and their agents and to liaise with Villa owner Randy Lerner (who he previously worked for at the bank MBNA). He knows that every decision made over the next few days will be analysed ad infinitum by the media and in homes and pubs in Birmingham and beyond.
I sat next to Faulkner at our 42 under 42 awards dinner, held at Villa Park in June. He’s a genuinely nice, self-deprecating man but there’s obviously steel underneath the placid exterior. There must be, or he couldn’t do what he does. What also struck me about him was the level of enthusiasm he showed for the club and its involvement with the wider city. Coming from a business background he is keen to forge ever closer links with the Midlands business community and that strategy has been evident over the last year with a bigger push from Villa into areas such as corporate hospitality and events (such as our 42s dinner).
It is to be hoped that the goings-on of the last few days does not have a negative impact on all that. Businesses like to be associated with success and a city the size of Birmingham needs a successful football club to represent it.
In the days when towns and cities were dominated by large factories, the theory was that output directly corresponded to the fortunes of the local football club. However, in the period between 1975 to 1982 during which Villa won the League Cup (twice), the First Division Championship and the European Cup, Birmingham’s car plants were probably at their least productive. So much for theories.
Those days are gone anyway but football clubs do still matter to cities. Their success gives the whole area a boost, brings in revenue through thousands of extra visitors and generally puts the place on the map.
Villa is the Midlands’ largest and most successful club and is supported by many in the local business community. In the same way that the redevelopment of Edgbaston was necessary if the city wasn’t to become a second class cricket location, for many years Villa was our region’s only representative in the top echelons of English football and its demise would have a depressing effect on the regional economy.
Personally, I wasn’t a huge O’Neill fan. He played players out of position, was tactically conservative, cautious in the transfer market and showed a baffling loyalty to underperforming players. But there’s no denying his record: sixth place for three seasons in a row, delivering European football and two Wembley appearances last season.
Whoever comes in to replace him will have a tough job in bettering that on a limited budget.
And yes, of course I’m aware that Villa isn’t the only football club in the second city. Apologies to fans of Solihull Moors and Paget Rangers for the claret and blue bias in today’s blog. Our normal impartial service will be resumed next week.
