Kieran Richardson – The Latest Aston Villa ‘Whatever’ Signing

Villa Signings Trend

I think I preferred last season when a new Paul Lambert signing would have MOMS tracking down somebody who could shed some light on Villa’s latest unknown signing. This year seems to be an influx of players that would have more than likely never made it through the Villa Park gates if the Villa chairman hadn’t decided to make a pig’s ear of running our great club. Yes, I get less enamoured with Mr Lerner, as each day passes.

Of Villa’s bargain-basement cagey two-year contract recruits so far, Joe Cole is the only one I’m curious to see play. I expect nothing, but he’s worth a punt, considering some of the one-dimensional play we’ve had to put up with at Villa Park. Philippe Senderos and Villa’s latest recruit Kieran Richardson though fall in the ‘whatever’ category. Previously, when you saw both players on the opposition’s team sheet, they didn’t worry you in the slightest. Both will have to improve on their careers thus far to impress the Villa faithful.

Kieran Richardson the Latest Villan

On the subject of Richardson, as a squad player there would be few complaints, he possesses pace and a spark, but when a team is flirting with relegation season-after-season, the priority should be to add to the quality of the first eleven. Also, Lambert in signing the 29-year-old is again is admitting to his mistakes in signing Bennett and Luna. Including the loan of Ryan Bertand, this is the Villa boss’s fourth attempt to solving the left-back position, when a single initial quality signing should have done the trick.

To be fair, Richardson is more a Roy Keane signing, as the Villa assistant boss signed him while he was the boss of Sunderland, with them both hailing from Old Trafford . Richardson still very much trades on his United roots, or at least  Villa’s marketing team are trading on them, by sticking  league title and league cup winner symbols on his ‘welcome to Villa’ social media picture. He only played 41 league games for Manchester United across five years. Harking on about his United days is up there with Sir Alex Ferguson’s reference for Alex McLeish, that the club were very keen to mention to Villa supporters. We weren’t born yesterday. Less of the hard sell, let the player do his talking on the pitch.

Speaking of which, expect Richardson to be earmarked for the left wing-back position, if Lambert increasingly looks to play with a three centre-back line-up.

Lets hope he can impress and make our initial skepticism ill-founded. UTV

 

The things Kieran Richardson seems to love about Villa

“Villa Park itself has always been my favourite stadium out of all of the stadiums in which I’ve played in the Premier League. It’s got great atmosphere, the fans are magnificent and I’m really looking forward to playing here. I know I’m going to love it.”

Roy [Keane] is top-drawer, outstanding as a player and excellent at man-management. He tells you how it is which is good for players and I’m delighted to be working with him again”

“The likes of Darren Bent, Alan Hutton, Joe Cole. I know quite a lot of them as people so I should settle in quite well. Benty I’ve known a long while, since we were about 15, so that will be good. Obviously, I’ve known Joe a long time. At West Ham I was a bit younger than Joe and as a kid I used to look up to him. He’s gone on to have a great career, so playing with him again here will be great.”

[Ron Vlaar] “I’ve played against him before in a number of games and he has been a stand-out figure for Villa at the back. At the World Cup he’s played great and he can come back and carry that on. Playing in the World Cup will have really boosted his confidence, especially when he played so well.”

 

Paul Lambert on Richardson

“He will add pace, a great deal of experience and he knows the Barclays Premier League. He’s played a lot of games for a lad who has yet to turn 30.

“The grounding he gained at Manchester United has stood him in good stead and he knows what it is to compete in this league and to win things and that’s important. I’m delighted he’s joined us and we’re really looking forward to working with him.”

 

 

10 COMMENTS

  1. I’m a Fulham fan and Richardson did start to come good towards the tail end of last season. Had a very slow start though and always seemed to be injured. Played much better as a winger than a left back. Senderos on the other hand is the worst player we had at Fulham during our time in the prem. 2 or 3 massive mistakes per game and a major factor in our relegation. I hope for your sake he gets injured or doesn’t play!

    Good luck next season!

  2. I think it’s a very good signing for us at the moment. Nothing wrong with it. Internet villa land seems to be full of negative moaners.

  3. Yeah, the coaching team are doing what they can in terms of bringing in experienced PL players for nothing. Although there is an old saying, you get what you pay for.
    The excitement in these signings is seeing if and when they blow up, IED players.

    • As an aside, wasn’t Sunderland where Roy lost the dressing room and it was pretty nasty in the end? He brought Richardson into that club too.

  4. the priority should be to add to the quality of the first eleven. He does. The problem for villa fans to understand is that beggars can’t be choosers. This does add to the quality of the squad, and at little cost. The left back problem is down to Lerner not allowing money for really competitive players and the good ones would not come anyway.

    This is backs to the wall time. Experienced players and a better balanced squad are what it is all about. Expect more than that at the time the club doesn’t have a CEO and expect a squadron of flying pigs to cruise over Bodymoor Heath and Villa Park. Hanging on to Vlaar would be a major achievement. Being sniffy about players who are prepared to play for Villa is suicidal. Lambert has a hard enough job to do already.

    trevor fisher

    • One should always judge Villa one how things should be. The time we accept what is happening and shrug our shoulders is the time we lose what our club should stand for. (There are many players prepared to play for Villa, it’s not a matter of being thankful to average players. Villa is the biggest club that Richardson could hope to play for). You’re spot on about Vlaar under the current circumstances.

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