Re: The Relegation Thread

[VillaBill]

With ref to Gabby, isn't the fitness guy we have in place the same guy who criticised him for bulking up under Houlier?
Gabby is a bench warmer at best IMO.

On the other hand, I don't think Ayew is a CF, with Gestede not being the player I thought he was, a new centre forward is a must in January.

Back to the topic of the thread, everything about yesterday was a bonus, survival is highly unlikely but yesterday certainly gave me a little bit of hope.

[Dions_Bald_Head]

At the moment I think it is all hands to the pump, even Gabby!

Not too loud, you'll upset Kozak.

[Trotters]

Gabby is going to have to prove he's moved on from being a dick and there are no signs of him doing that. He's been stealing a living for a long time now and that won't change. 

A new striker will come in during the next window giving Remi three hard working choices (4 if you include Kozak). I've a feeling the new boss will pick his players on merit and attitude. Gabby has neither and he has neither in spades. 

Changing tack slightly, if Remi continues to pick his first eleven correctly, changes his tactics to suit and makes us a club that no longer stinks up this league, could we become little media darlings as we fight our way out of the shit?

[Guest]

Just looking at the type of football we played, both tactics and how we played, there is no chance Gabby has a future in that. It was possession based modern football with focus on keeping the ball instead of pumping it into the box/space. It's literally the type of football Gabby can't do. He has no technique or ball control.

And I'm not bashing Gabby, I've always kinda liked him, but he simply put is a player for counter attacking football. In fact I'd probably say he would suit Sunderland and Big Sam right now, but Sunderland fans hate him so i guess that's a no go.

[The Utterer]

""Changing tack slightly, if Remi continues to pick his first eleven correctly, changes his tactics to suit and makes us a club that no longer stinks up this league, could we become little media darlings as we fight our way out of the shit?""

That's an interesting thought Trotters, we are normally the laughing stock in the media's eyes & understandably so looking at the last 5 years so it will be very interesting to see whether the commentators go quiet if we start to win a few or build us up as amazing battling underdogs or something. Normally if we get to a cup final and start to win it's like a funeral march on tv.

[avfc85]

8 wins would bring us to the magic 40 point mark - even with my most optimistic head on potentially I could see 6 wins so its still going to be a massive outside chance.

[achilles]

No stopping us now, watch out here we come!

[Trotters]

8 wins would bring us to the magic 40 point mark - even with my most optimistic head on potentially I could see 6 wins so its still going to be a massive outside chance.

I don't think we'll need anything much above 35. But, yes, it's still a massive ask.

[KMitch]

Anything can happen near the end of the season... We play a lot of good teams, but hopefully, a lot of them will be "already on the beach" come March, whereas our team will hopefully see the light at the end of the tunnel by then.

[Trotters]

Our run in.

Liverpool (H)
Stoke (A)
Everton (H)
Snake City (A)
Spuds (H)
Swansea (A)
Classless Chelsea (H)
Bournemouth (H)
Man Utd (A)
Southampton (H)
Watford (A)
Newcastle (H)
L'Arse (A)

[VTID85]

Could come down to the final game and Wenger, not wanting to see his protege go down, having to "forfeit"....

[Thinman]

I feel sorry for having to say this, and believe me I'd love to be proved wrong, but let's not get carried away.

I saw yesterday the worst side I've seen at VP for several years in Norwich. It was almost impossible not to win against them (although that's never stopped us before). However, the win will improve confidence, albeit it will remain fragile, and will be helpful in future games but let's not start talking about avoiding relegation just yet. We're still odds on to go down and nothing has really changed.

[Trotters]

Entirely correct, Thinman. But it could be that we go down with a degree of dignity and fight rather than a continual stinking up of the league that we've fully committed to for years now.

Over here on Fox Sports, we had Bosnich and ex-Leeds striker Michael Bridges were doing the pre-match chat on each game. When it came to Villa/Norwich, the best they could manage was to laugh and mutter 0-0 before moving on to review the next game.

We will not be missed, that's for sure.

[UnclePanda]

Could come down to the final game and Wenger, not wanting to see his protege go down, having to "forfeit"....

I think we will be gone by then. Probably the Man U game will relegate us

[UnclePanda]

We will not be missed, that's for sure.

This. Sadly, this.

[achilles]

I feel sorry for having to say this, and believe me I'd love to be proved wrong, but let's not get carried away.

I saw yesterday the worst side I've seen at VP for several years in Norwich. It was almost impossible not to win against them (although that's never stopped us before). However, the win will improve confidence, albeit it will remain fragile, and will be helpful in future games but let's not start talking about avoiding relegation just yet. We're still odds on to go down and nothing has really changed.

For a weekend I can hold my head up high especially with the slum dwellers losing as well so I am savouring the moment because before long I will come crashing back down to earth with an almighty bang!

I am under no illusion that relegation is a nigh on certainty!

[VTID85]

Could come down to the final game and Wenger, not wanting to see his protege go down, having to "forfeit"....

I think we will be gone by then. Probably the Man U game will relegate us

Oh I agree, it would just be an incredible troll move to be nailed on to go down and Wenger gives us a hand on the last day to keep us in.

Complete fantasy thinking, I think we're fucked and am tired of the mathmatically possible argument. I'd love to be proven wrong as I'm sure we all would, but we're where we deserve to be this season.

[avfc85]

I feel sorry for having to say this, and believe me I'd love to be proved wrong, but let's not get carried away.

I saw yesterday the worst side I've seen at VP for several years in Norwich. It was almost impossible not to win against them (although that's never stopped us before). However, the win will improve confidence, albeit it will remain fragile, and will be helpful in future games but let's not start talking about avoiding relegation just yet. We're still odds on to go down and nothing has really changed.

I understand what you are saying and I completely agree but since the Palace game (Premiership) we have been in every game and have an argument we could of turned a few of them draws into wins if the right decision had been made so Garde has steadily improved us.

[Guest]

I know what I feel about Villa, but I'm struggling to find a fitting analogy.

Either way it's irrelevant. Even if we by some fairy tale story stay up this season, we are probably relegated next season. We won't achieve anything as long as Lerner is at this club. We will get relegated sooner or later, as Lerner has done his best to achieve the last 5-6 seasons. The fact that Lambert kept us up for a while is a god damn miracle.

[UnclePanda]

Could come down to the final game and Wenger, not wanting to see his protege go down, having to "forfeit"....

I think we will be gone by then. Probably the Man U game will relegate us

Oh I agree, it would just be an incredible troll move to be nailed on to go down and Wenger gives us a hand on the last day to keep us in.

Complete fantasy thinking, I think we're fucked and am tired of the mathmatically possible argument. I'd love to be proven wrong as I'm sure we all would, but we're where we deserve to be this season.

There is hope. But its not much IMO. We do deserve to go.
Ive come to terms with it, but I think reading the headline "Villa relegated" and seeing next seasons fixtures 1st game away to Rotherham, will hit it home

[achilles]

Apparently you can get 4/1 at Paddypower for Villa to be champions of the championship next year!

[FoxyAV]

Apparently you can get 4/1 at Paddypower for Villa to be champions of the championship next year!

That's overly optimistic of them

[mefromhere]

Don't want to be too positive but technically we're only 5 points behind Newcastle if we count us still having to play them and we beat them. If we can be within 2 of them by then it could effectively be a playoff

[FoxyAV]

Don't want to be too positive but technically we're only 5 points behind Newcastle if we count us still having to play them and we beat them. If we can be within 2 of them by then it could effectively be a playoff

Be as positive as you like. I'm taking positives from seeing what Garde is doing against all odds, by which I mean you can see he's pissed off by the board, players and the referees. For the first time in ages it's us with the manager against the owners, and Garde very clearly isn't doing this for Lerner. Garde is learning about the players as he goes along and the team is looking a lot better, even though we're playing without any decent attacking players. Being positive, when we get Traore, Ayew, Gestede and Kozak back I think we'll look a lot better and I really hope Garde is already getting Sinclair training properly to play opposite Traore or Ayew.

[Dions_Bald_Head]

Don't want to be too positive but technically we're only 5 points behind Newcastle if we count us still having to play them and we beat them. If we can be within 2 of them by then it could effectively be a playoff

Be as positive as you like. I'm taking positives from seeing what Garde is doing against all odds, by which I mean you can see he's pissed off by the board, players and the referees. For the first time in ages it's us with the manager against the owners, and Garde very clearly isn't doing this for Lerner. Garde is learning about the players as he goes along and the team is looking a lot better, even though we're playing without any decent attacking players. Being positive, when we get Traore, Ayew, Gestede and Kozak back I think we'll look a lot better and I really hope Garde is already getting Sinclair training properly to play opposite Traore or Ayew.

We can pretend it's the transfer window - new signings!

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