Unless you bring high priced U23 players, there is only so much depth you can have both in the PL and European competitions both in terms of regulations and squad harmony.
The biggest area where we are under performing is with the two #10s (Buendia, Bailey, Young, etc.) we play behind the striker. If we get some strong performances there, we will be a very difficult side to play.
Good podcast interview with former CEO Tom Fox. Touches on his time at Villa. At the end of the podcast he talks about Randy Lerner. I agree with Fox that owning/running a football club is a thankless endeavor - you'll only be liked until your next loss.
Frankly, think it would be better for the branding to be distinct from Aston Villa. If I am a fan of another Premier League club it would feel awkward to root for a team which is overtly tied to AVFC. Furthermore, there will be a presumption that the club is a feeder team of Aston Villa which will turn off fans as well.
If we get 7-9 pts from our next 5 matches which includes Norwich, Burnley and Leed - we will be on pace to get 52-56 pts at season's end. That will definitely get us in the top-half and potentially as high as 8th position. Given our disastrous start that would a good achievement.
The lack of contrast between the gold lion and the light blue background and Aston Villa (the most beautiful club name) not being spelled out are the two biggest gripes with the current badge.
Don't like that we are taking long throw ins at every chance in the oppositions third. Save it for a few times in the match. Other than the Ings goal, can't remember too many times we looked very threatening from it.
There will be a lot of experimenting with this squad, so feel we need to be patient until the 2nd half of the season when we will have a better idea of what works best.