Aston Villa player responds after being slaughtered by Leeds fans on Twitter
Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings has no issue with being called selfish by Leeds United fans for wanting the season to be declared null and void.
Leeds and West Brom are the top-two in the Championship and they have a huge amount to lose if the season was scrapped as though it never happened.
In the same sense, Villa would have been major losers if they were relegated by the points-per-game system, especially as they had a game in hand to play against Sheffield United.
Mings has been worrying about his team being relegated without being able to do their business on the pitch and avoid dropping back into the Championship.
And while he has been hammered by Leeds fans on Twitter for his view, he can understand why because he’s suggested that if he was in their shoes, he’d want the same as them.
“I would be lying if I said it had never crossed my mind that we might be relegated without kicking another ball,” Mings told the Mail. “What player wants to be relegated with 10 games left while also having a game in hand? If we win that game in hand, we don’t go down on any points per game variations so it seemed so unfair that that could have been a possibility.
“I wrote a tweet some time ago that pointed out that if a player who plays for a team at the top of the league voices any concerns about safety, it is seen as OK. But if someone connected with the bottom six, like Karren Brady at West Ham or Paul Barber at Brighton, does the same, it is deemed as selfish and cynical.
“Leeds and West Brom fans would have a completely different view because they were worried about the season being voided and everyone has to take care of their own personal situation. I have no problem with Leeds fans slaughtering me and saying I am selfish.
“I have no problem with Liverpool fans trying to push the season through because they are on the cusp of one of the greatest achievements of recent years. Everybody is fighting their own corner. Football is based on opinions, whether there are games on or not.”
Mings is right.
Let’s face it, Leeds fans. If we were in the same position as Aston Villa, would we have been calling for the season to be voided? There would definitely have been more fans wanting that.
It goes the other way, if Villa were top of the Championship with nine matches left, they would want to have PPG come into play or be handed the chance to see the fixtures out.
Thankfully, it seems that the latter is happening and Leeds can continue with their charge towards promotion and Villa can defend their top-flight status on the pitch.
In other Leeds United news, the EFL has been blasted by a senior source at a Championship club.