Express & Star

Tony Xia's ambition could rub off at Villa

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One accusation which certainly won't be levelled at Aston Villa's new owner Tony Xia is that he lacks ambition.

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He might remain somewhat reluctant to answer questions on his own personal wealth, but was only too happy to talk big during his grand Villa Park unveiling.

At some moments, amid all the talk of winning European Cups and global domination, it was easy – and certainly tempting – to forget the club will begin next season in the Championship.

That is not to say for a second Xia is blind to the challenge which immediately awaits, or that there is anything wrong with any incoming Villa owner setting his sights high.

But he must also surely know his long-term goals cannot be achieved without overcoming some significant short-term hurdles.

Supporters hardened by years of disappointment won't buy into any new dream until they see some early results.

Keith Wyness, the club's soon-to-be chief executive, pretty much hit the nail on the head when he remarked: "It's about deeds not words.

"Every club has heard new chairman coming in, promising the world and delivering an atlas."

It was a comment which drew several laughs but perfectly summed up a general mood which remains, for now no more than a few notches above cautious optimism.

Wyness sat alongside Roberto Di Matteo during the initial television briefing.

It was he, along with the club's new manager, who delivered the most frequent doses of stark reality to balance out the new regime's overall message.

Di Matteo told supporters to prepare for a "tough season and a long season" in the Championship.

He said: "We will be playing three games a week most of the time and we need to have the right mentality.

"I am excited by the owner's plans, they excited me. It is a great opportunity and I am looking forward to it."

Supporters might be glad to see the back of Randy Lerner, yet the American could not have left his successor with a better example of how not to do things.

Under Lerner, Villa often lacked any semblance of a grand plan and while Xia preferred to talk about a "vision" rather than give details of the exact blueprint.

His early appointments should be deemed encouraging. The new owner described Di Matteo as "the most intelligent coach" before adding: "I am sure he is the right one."

Villa plan to appoint a technical director, but Xia suggested Di Matteo will remain heavily involved in recruitment.

Xia said: "I am not going to give specific recommendations for him. They will make a decision and I will give some comments and advice."

Wyness, meanwhile, might be exactly the kind of figure Villa were always crying out for under the old regime.

An experienced football administrator, he has the experience of doing the same job for five years at Everton, a club arguably resembles Villa more than any other in the world.

Bringing in the right people, who can make the right decisions, was a key theme repeated by all three men at some point or other. A simple concept, perhaps, yet one Lerner never grasped.

Xia might be a novice when it comes to working in the world of football but believes the same practice which have seen him succeed in business can be applied.

He said: "I learn fast. Whatever situation whether you learn or fail, you can learn a lot from failing. You can also get a lot of confidence from what you have succeeded at."

As a club, Villa have failed a lot in recent years. There is much to do, of course, yet Xia's arrival does at minimum provide genuine hope that better times are ahead.