What Premier League Club Should a Gheorghie Support: The Shlara Edition

Shlara is likely the most accomplished of the Gheorghies. First of all, she knows Gheorghe, for chrissakes.

If you start typing her name into the Ghoogles, it autocompletes it correctly. She's served in senior executive roles in multiple organizations, has been on the board of directors of several significant non-profits, and has founded her own business. As Guy Fieri notes, she's the real deal.

She's a serious person, indeed. She's got substance. Her career has been marked by a focus on communications, social purpose, and enterprise community relations.

Nobody could argue that Shlara is shallow. But she does have a weakness for a certain type of tall, handsome authority figure. Jay Wright, for example. 

Shlara needs a football side that's deeply entrenched in its community. One that takes its responsibility to its supporters and the people its local environs seriously. If it happens to be led by a handsome fellow who looks good in a suit, so much the better.

Shlara should support Aston Villa.

Villa are a solid side, the best team in Birmingham, which is a cultured and vibrant city in England's West Midlands. They were one of the founding members of the Premier League, only dropping out of the top division for three years in the mid-2010s. They're currently a solid fixture at the top level, though early season inconsistency led to the firing of head man Dean Smith in November. (Ironically, from a Gheorghian perspective, Smith was immediately hired by Zman's Norwich.)

Smith's departure opened the door for Villa to name one of England's legendary players to his first Premier League head coaching job. Stephen Gerrard capped a magnificent 18-year career with Liverpool in 2015. He played a valedictory campaign in MLS with LA Galaxy before beginning his coaching career in earnest. After a stint with Liverpool's U18 side, Gerrard led Glasgow Rangers from 2018 to late last year, taking the team to its first Scottish Premiership title in 10 years and going undefeated in the process in 2020.

He's also a handsome lad. Again, we note that Shlara isn't shallow. Not at all.

Villa also walk the walk in Birmingham. The club's relationship with Acorns Children's Hospice is unusually close in comparison with others in the sporting world. Villa has worn the charity's logo on its kits in games past and sold kits with that livery to raise money. The club's foundation serves a wide range of community needs, including food delivery, wellness training, and other educational missions.

In addition to Shlara, Prince William is a Villa fan. As is Tom Hanks - a good dude, for sure. So she's in fine company. Villa's claret and blue kits are distinctive, and the club's rampant lion logo is classy and cool. Like Shlara.

Up the Villans! Up the Shlara!