Steven Howard trying to drum up sympathy for Ashley Cole. Failing

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A really strange effort by Steven Howard in The Sun this morning, with his ‘It’s no wonder Ashley Cole feels like a robot’ piece.

It’s bizarre, and has the distinct feel of another article that’s been shoehorned into the trending topic of Andre Villas-Boas just for the sake of it. And what’s the robot theme about?

From The Sun today:

“But you tend to understand why he, of all the Chelsea stars, may feel most disappointed with his treatment at the hands of Andre Villas-Boas.

The sight of the Blues full-back having it explained to him how his boss wanted him to play when he came on as a 12th-minute substitute in Naples in midweek said it all.

Cole is 31 and has won 93 caps for his country.

He has more domestic silverware than any player outside Old Trafford.

No one knows the art of full-back play better.”

Yeah, poor little Ashley having instructions read to him on the touchline – if anything, footballers are above being on the receiving end of such condescending behaviour. Outrageous.

“Watching AVB in action in Naples was something to behold.

Now we all all know he can hardly sit still for a moment. That he has to be out there getting involved.

But on Wednesday he looked like some demented tic-tac man from Aintree or Kempton Park.

Every time a player came near him he was yelling and pointing and gesticulating. Get in this position, get in that position, don’t stand here, stand there.

Cover the runner, track back, get forward, play the ball down the line, play it inside. On and on it went.

And it didn’t make any difference at all.

AVB has GOT to let go. He has to stop being such a smothering influence and let his players PLAY.”

So really this is just a new stick with which to beat Villas-Boas with. Criticise him for encouraging a too forward thinking and instinctive approach to the game, then within the same season whip him for restricting and burdening his players with too many instructions. Right, ok. It’s funny though isn’t, because when Harry Redknapp gets animated on the touchline it’s ‘passion’, with AVB it’s meddling.

How dare a manager try and enforce his own style of play on a team.

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