Where do you think we'll finish?

I've locked the relegation thread as it was proving devisive and I'm replacing it with this prediction thread.

Sherwood will have us far easier on the eye, we will lose heavily at times but I think we win enough to be comfortable. Southampton lost a whole bunch of important players last summer & they did ok !
Take away the top 5 & the rest of this greed league is shite anyway, there is no reason at all why we shouldn't compete !
PS; aint the summer shite without football ?
UTV

Guess who voted for 18th - 20th?

At this moment in time I am extremely concerned the breakup of a complete team's spine even if they weren't exactly great isn't something to be positive about but if TS can bring in some quality between now and the end of the window, we should have enough to stay up around the 13th-16th mark especially with TS's winning mentality and completely different personality to Lambert, well I'm hoping anyway lol.

I've said 13th - 16th because last summer I said that is where Lambert's squad should finish. It wasn't going to happen because of mismanagement therefore I'm predicting it again.

I don't think Delph is a major loss if he goes (although if he ends up staying I'm happy), and I think with £32m we can more than adequately replace Tekkers what strengthening elsewhere ( but again, if he stays I'm happy)

I'm going for 13th-16th.

I've gone 9th-12th.

Chelsea
Man City
Man U
Arsenal
Liverpool
Spurs
Southampton
Swansea

I think that's the top 8. If someone has a good season, they can break into it, but that's how I *think* it will be.

After that, it's wide open, and I'm feeling optimistic based on me believing we'll have a better squad by September 1st.

I could easily be flip-flopping over the next few weeks though  :)

With the news of Delph staying I feel more confident. He is an enormous presence at the club.

Based on the last seasons. No takeover. Lack of investment. Benteke set to leave (most likely). Losing proven PL players and buying foreigners we have no guarantee about. I'm going for relegation.

We need £ 60 million of investment only to get to midtable.

Ive gone for 4th

If you can keep calm and predict a top half finish - when all around you are loosing there heads and panicking..................You probably haven't understood the gravity of the situation !!!!

Under lamberk we lost 10 games in a row. We couldn't buy a win. I think under sherwood with the current spend a optimistic 12th

Even with Delph staying I think avoiding the bottom three will be a real success story this season. If we retain the services of Benteke (which I doubt) then 14th/15th would be a triumph with our current players.

Sherwood aimed for 6 league wins and was widely mocked for it. I was in the pub with some of my non-Villa supporting mates and they were all laughing - and laughing hard - at such a suggestion. He got 5. He also got 2 cup wins - technically 3, as his half-time team talk inspired the Leicester win.

I think Paul Lambert was *that* bad that people are possibly overestimating how bad things will be.

I'm far, far from sold on Sherwood but I spent an awful lot of time telling people how bad Paul Lambert was, and that he was our biggest problem. I stand by that.

We might not have a particularly good season, but without Paul Lambert, I'm just not as concerned as I was this time last year.

I've tried putting together a first 11 and it's not very impressive. As it stands now, Sherwood will have to work the oracle this season and get us to perform collectively above our individual ability.

villabromsgrove wrote:I've tried putting together a first 11 and it's not very impressive. As it stands now, Sherwood will have to work the oracle this season and get us to perform collectively above our individual ability.

I've said this to you before though bud, you keep talking like this is the final squad.

Yes there is work to do and I'm sure some of it will probably happen after the first game, maybe even on September 1st, but come the evening of the first day of September at the latest, there will be more incomings and likely more outgoings.

Sherwood may well do a horrible job. But Paul Lambert was the worst manager in our history. OUR ENTIRE HISTORY SINCE 1874! He did a disgusting, embarrassing, cowardly, bizarre job, to the point where it was almost like a recurring Harry Enfield sketch.

I just don't get this marooned and doomed kind of thinking before we even know who is going to be playing for us next season, I really don't.

kimbo wrote:

villabromsgrove wrote:I've tried putting together a first 11 and it's not very impressive. As it stands now, Sherwood will have to work the oracle this season and get us to perform collectively above our individual ability.

I've said this to you before though bud, you keep talking like this is the final squad.

Yes there is work to do and I'm sure some of it will probably happen after the first game, maybe even on September 1st, but come the evening of the first day of September at the latest, there will be more incomings and likely more outgoings.

Sherwood may well do a horrible job. But Paul Lambert was the worst manager in our history. OUR ENTIRE HISTORY SINCE 1874! He did a disgusting, embarrassing, cowardly, bizarre job, to the point where it was almost like a recurring Harry Enfield sketch.

I just don't get this marooned and doomed kind of thinking before we even know who is going to be playing for us next season, I really don't.

That's where I'm at Kimbo "Today" I'm commenting on where we're at now. It may get better, it could get worse but I can only give you my opinion on "now'.

I'm not prepared to give Randy and his cheque book the benefit of the doubt any more. If he does an about face and spends proper money I'll be gobsmacked but well pleased, but I'm not going to start counting on better players until I actually see them wearing Villa shirts.

But you know how football works mate. You know how the summer works. This is not going to be our final squad, and I'm pleased with the business we have done so far - plus some of the links are quite exciting. I'm not expecting them all to come off but it's nice to be linked with actual quality, and probably more realistic than Sherwood raiding Spurs reserves on a weekly basis.

Plus, and I can not emphasise this enough - Paul Lambert did a horrible, horrible job.

Sherwood was in charge for 12 league games, 1 short of 1/3 of a season. In it he got 5 wins, 1 draw, 6 loses. 16 points. If that carried on the entire season and we got 48 points I'd be happy next season

Our team is no weaker than last season as it stands right now. We've lost Cleverly who was meh. And Vlaar who was a sicknote. And Weimann who just plain wasn't good enough.

Are things really that bad?

Villa_Dan wrote:Sherwood was in charge for 12 league games, 1 short of 1/3 of a season. In it he got 5 wins, 1 draw, 6 loses. 16 points. If that carried on the entire season and we got 48 points I'd be happy next season

Our team is no weaker than last season as it stands right now. We've lost Cleverly who was meh. And Vlaar who was a sicknote. And Weimann who just plain wasn't good enough.

Are things really that bad?

Cleverley looked the real deal towards the end of the season, and Vlaar is a very good CB although you're right about the sick note bit. Andy huffed and puffed and was effective on the rare occasions he was played in the middle as a striker/No.10. He was a lousy winger though.

Is Vlaar better than Richards? Weimann hasn't been lost from the starting XI and I'd sooner see Gil or Grealish in there over him. So I don't think we are worse than last season with time to strengthen still

Villa_Dan wrote:Is Vlaar better than Richards? Weimann hasn't been lost from the starting XI and I'd sooner see Gil or Grealish in there over him. So I don't think we are worse than last season with time to strengthen still

I think Vlaar is a much better Premier League Centre Back than Richards. Micah is a marauding right wing back with a bit of pace, big muscles and very little sense of position. I like him and I love his attitude, but not at CB.

I wonder if we'll see a back 3 tried out in pre-season?

As it stands i've gone 18th to 20th

I see if anything a slight backwards shift from last season thus far & here's why..

Keepers: Given out, Bunn in... Don't ssee much of a difference here although we have lost a bit of experience in return for a bit of unknown potential, Parkes knows him though so i read that as a very good thing.

LB: Weak position for us and there is currently no change to last season except Luna has departed.

CD: Vlaar gone who was solid on his day and a decent Pro, Richards in which for me has to go down as an unknown as if he is to play CD the reviews from Italy for him in this position were not great.

CD: Return of Senderos, this has to be a plus as when he was fit at the start of last season was when our defence was very solid. Also Okore has now gotten some big game experience which should improve him.

RB: Lowton gone but Richards can cover again little to no improvement on last season.

Overall we should be slightly tighter at the back but Richards does worry me a little as a CD however with Senderos back i see a slight improvement in defence if anything IF we can keep it settled back there!

Key Players: Senderos (Fitness) Richards

Midfield: Same as last season Except for Gueye replacing Cleverley so can't see much difference really as it stands

Key Players: Gary Gardner, Grealish, Gueye, our season could rest on how these 3 perform.

Strikers: Well this is the main reason i have struck us so low as i really cannot see how Benteke will still be a Villa player come Sep't. This could well mean his heads not in the right place either if he does stay of course, Weimann also gone, Bent gone but Kozak back?

This is the area along with RB that we need sorting ASAP if we are to improve... as things stand it's a big concern!

Key players Benteke, Kozak