The former Aston Villa Dutchman reflects on his fairly brief spell in Bodymoor Heath in the mid 2010s.
Aston Villa are set to release a number of players who would feature for their national team during the international break. One of them is Ian Maatsen. The Dutch wing back got called up again after a while following his fine form with The Clarets and Blue lately. He has just extended his contract too and set to stay till 2032 after he has become one of the key men in the current squad.
Prior to Maatsen, Villa once already had a Dutchman who was also important figure in the team. He was the skipper who manage to lead the team to the last domestic cup final, Ron Vlaar. His top form in Villa Park also led him to play regularly at the 2014 FIFA World Cup with De Oranje. In April 2021, he recalled his years with the Villans, which was quite easy, as reported in the club’s official site, avfc.co.uk
“Everybody was really open and welcoming. I felt at home straight away. I knew Karim El Ahmadi, he also played for Feyenoord the season before, so that was nice. Brett Holman also played in the Dutch league before. That made it a little bit easier to connect.”
Vlaar signed for Villa in 2012 and stayed till 2015. He came in the same transfer window as El Ahmadi and Holman. During his stint in Villa Park, he featured in 88 games, scoring twice and set up three times.
The best moments for Vlaar happened shortly after his arrival. He was named the captain in September 2012 following the team captain’s unavailability due to suffering cancer. Then in the final game of 2012/13 season, he netted an equalizer to salvage their campaign from relegation.
Then, there was FA Cup final in 2015 when he contributed well as Tim Sherwood’s side was able to reach the summit after shockingly beat Liverpool 2-1 in the semifinal. A 3-2 victory over Manchester City in the 2013/14 season was also the notable one he remembered. It was considered Vlaar’s best season.
”My best season was the second season. I gave it my all, and I can look back in the mirror and tell myself I gave everything I had. Quality-wise, I wanted to do better. I have no regrets. Of course, I made mistakes but my intentions were always good. I tried to be an example and I think I was most of the time, so I’m proud of that. I’m really proud that I’ve played a small part in the history of Aston Villa Football Club. Looking back on it, the biggest win was to not get relegated.”
In his career, Vlaar only played in three clubs, and Villa was his only team he had his spell abroad. The former Feyenoord man could tell how different it was between Eredivisie and Premier League.
“The intensity is a lot higher. Physically, it’s a big difference. It’s high speed every game. There are no easy games. Every game was intense. Also with the fans, who are really on it, the way they live football is different to what we have in Holland. It was similar to what I had at Feyenoord, but in England it’s everywhere. That’s really great and intense. It’s a day out for people, and the fans are amazing. The Villa fans were unbelievable to experience.”
Despite only three years, Vlaar managed to make his mark for The Lions. Unfortunately, he was there during the wrong time as Villa mainly struggled at the relegation battle instead of competing in Europe like today.
The post The ex-Aston Villa Dutchman ‘felt at home straight away’ during his spell in the West Midlands appeared first on AVillaFan.com – Aston Villa Fan Site.
