So much for the relief of relegation enabling Aston Villa to play without fear. Saturday's 4-2 home defeat to Southampton was another repeat, straight off the season's performance template: a poor start, goals behind early on, soft defending.
The scoreline gives a flattering edge to the match which isn't accurate. Saints were always ahead, always had a goal within them whenever Villa pushed the tempo; the hosts were chasing the game from the second minute, when Shane Long smacked the crossbar. Long always seems to play well against Villa and a dozen minutes later he scored the opener after being gifted yards of space to head in. Ashley Westwood's two goals were both tucked away nicely, but didn't prevent a 10th straight defeat.
In terms of relegation, Villa's campaign is turning as ugly as it can get. There are rifts and divisions emerging everywhere -- between supporters and players, with the crowd booing the likes of Joleon Lescott and Leandro Bacuna. Caretaker manager Eric Black has made the decision to demote Jores Okore to training with the U21s as a result of the Dane's apparent refusal to sit among the substitutes. Gabby Agbonlahor, club captain, is currently suspended. The sudden resignations of David Bernstein and Mervyn King were attributed to a falling out with owner Randy Lerner; Lerner's rather cryptic note of apology to the club's fans, published on the website, caused more confusion than anything else. Toxic is a term mentioned frequently. That's not an exaggeration.
All in all, this is a club in a state of chaos. On the field, the players continue to disappoint. Black's continued selection of many individuals who have struggled for weeks deserves critique but even that seems futile. There is a logic in suggesting he should be picking the players who will be at the club next season -- but who are those players? It's difficult to predict who will stay and who will go, and indeed, the new manager -- whoever that will be -- should have an influence on those decisions.
The reality is that the immediate future is uncertain, with the certainty of a new manager coming in, the probability of a large overhaul and the possibility of a club takeover. Positive developments need to be announced soon.
Player ratings (1-10; 10=best; players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating):
GK Brad Guzan, 6 -- Horribly exposed by his back four, the goalkeeper couldn't have been blamed for any of the goals he conceded.
DF Alan Hutton, 6 -- Tough afternoon against Dusan Tadic but did make a strong break forward to force Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster into a save.
DF Micah Richards, 5 -- Recalled to the starting line-up, struggled, substituted at half-time with an injury.
DF Joleon Lescott, 4 -- Now a hated figure among Villa supporters and probably should be spared playing again this season. Allowed Long acres of space to score the opening goal and generally looked all over the place.
DF Aly Cissokho, 6 -- Defending doggedly at times. Always made to look better by the performances of his defensive colleagues.
MF Carlos Sanchez, 6 -- Did a reasonable job and his presence allowed Westwood to push forward more. Taken off as Villa chased the game.
MF Ashley Westwood, 8 -- Deserves this rating for two very well-taken goals, which at least gave supporters something to smile about.
MF Idrissa Gana, 6 -- Not his most effective of games, though he certainly worked hard enough.
MF Leandro Bacuna, 4 -- Horrendous, reckless backpass from inside the Southampton half handed the visitors a second goal on a plate. Nothing else he did mattered after that.
MF Scott Sinclair, 6 -- The odd purposeful run but faded out of the game for periods.
FW Jordan Ayew, 6 -- Often looked a threat in the first half, running at the Southampton defence. Substituted on the hour with Villa chasing the game -- a strange decision from Black.
Substitutes:
DF Kevin Toner, 6 -- Replaced Richards at half-time for his Premier League debut and coped well in the circumstances.
FW Rudy Gestede, 6 -- On for Ayew, 59 minutes. Shame he didn't start. The big man has taken on the role of second half substitute and only seems to enter the action when Villa are behind.
MF Jack Grealish, 6 -- On for Sanchez, 68 minutes. Claimed an assist of sorts when his cross fell nicely for Westwood to score his second.