Hard to underSTANd?

Last updated : 26 February 2008 By Tom Vickers
Martin O'Neill has today been talking about Stiliyan Petrov. O'Neill believes that 'Stan' has merely lost his confidence. However, many Villa fans may be wondering whether the midfielder had enough talent to make it in the Premiership in the first place.
TRUE - Petrov did play brilliantly on his debut against West Ham at Upton Park. He was head and shoulders above the rest that day and claimed the man of the match award.
But, it's FALSE to say that he has been anything above average since then. Sometimes he is not even passable for a footballer let alone a Premier League midfielder.
All too often he fades in and out of games. He starts well but only maintains that level for 30 minutes at most. He has been given chance after chance in the Villa midfield but never comes close to the levels of 'Mr Consistency' - Gareth Barry. Even when Barry is not at his best he still manages to eclipse Petrov.
The
Villa Park faithful have given Petrov plenty of time to settle in, but when he was substituted in the last home game a feeling of delight could be felt around the stadium.
The Bulgarian may come back to prove us wrong but this apparent lack of confidence cannot last much longer if Petrov is to stay at Villa. He undoubtedly has the faith of his manager who has seen him at his best in the SPL. But the patience of the fans who haven't watched him in the green and white hoops is wearing thin.
So come on Stan; remember West Ham and remember Celtic. Bring back that goalscoring midfielder that your boss used to know.