Garry Thompson: Aston Villa on the right track with Di Matteo
Former Holte End hero Garry Thompson reckons boss Roberto Di Matteo is on the right track at Villa – despite their slow start to life in the Championship.
A haul of just eight points from the first eight games of the season means the Italian has already begun to feel some pressure ahead of Newcastle's visit to Villa Park on Saturday. Thompson, who was part of the last Villa team to win promotion from the second tier in 1988, believes more patience is required following a summer overhaul which saw nine players arrive and 14 depart.
"After last season, it was always a massive turnaround, though I think some fans maybe expected it a little quicker," he said.
"But you are talking about changing a whole ethos and it was always going to be tough. He has looked at the areas which need changing and you'd have to say has certainly ticked some of the boxes. In some ways you feel the team is heading in the right direction though there can be no denying he (Di Matteo) could have done with a couple more wins."
