Mark Albrighton

1 hour ago, HanoiVillan said:

I would love to get 75 points, but even with a pessimistic hat on I don't think Spurs are going to get to 75. 72 is a good initial target, of course if we can get more then great. 

Oh yeah I don’t think we will reach 75. But it’s a nice target to aim for.

3 minutes ago, VillaJ100 said:

22 team league then though. PPG equivalent would be 67 points in a 20 team league

Yeah that’s why I put the 38 game caveat in my post.

Yeah I think if Villa are 9 points clear and then Spurs win their next 3 (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool) then I think they will finish 4th. If they’re dropping points I think those games are where it will happen. 

Concentrating on us though, obviously in an ideal world we want to win the final 5 games, would take us to 78 points. More realistically however, maybe 75 points just about the right target? 

As far as I can see the highest points total in a 38 game league season is 64. 

The highest total achieved in a 3 points for a win season I think is 92/93 - 74 points.

The league win in 80/81 would equate to 86 points now so that will have to be broken next year.
 

5 minutes ago, GlobalVillan said:

We were always capable of beating Liverpool at home and nothing has changed in that regard. The only forgone conclusion every season is Cheats115 away.

Other than that we can beat anyone. 

Yeah, but I think the chance has maybe slightly increased following their recent mini dismal run. 

18 minutes ago, alreadyexists said:

whereas we have:

Bournemouth (h)

Chelsea (h)

Brighton (a)

Liverpool (a)

Palace (h)

 

Our game against Liverpool is at Villa Park and the Palace game is away.

I don’t think it’s a ridiculous notion that Liverpool might not have anything to play for by the time they meet us. The same could be said for Man City* when they play Spurs. 
 

*Edit having already “won” the title, to be clear.
 

If Liverpool are out of the title race, they may have their eyes on the big Klopp cheerio party the following week at Anfield.

I don’t know, suddenly I feel like the chance of winning that game has increased.

25 minutes ago, Pongo Waring said:

I think its because Watkins is still playing. Once he retires from Football, once time moves on, his statue of Villa's best ever PL striker will only grow. He will grow away above Yorke and Benteke 
 

I don’t know, I’m content having Martinez as the best keeper and he’s obviously a current player.

26 minutes ago, Xela said:

 

The one loud fella for Watkins goal. Just focusing in on his opening “it’s done” section.

Watkins is in. Oh my days. This could be it. This could be it. It’s ****ing it, it’s ****ing done, it’s ****ing done, that’s it, it’s done. It’s ****ing done. That’s it, finito. Game over. That’s it. That’s it. City are top - we ain’t catching them. That’s it. That’s it. That’s it, title’s done. That’s it, game over. We ain’t catching City. That’s it, it’s done. It’s ****ing done. It’s ****ing done. It-it’s done. It’s done. It’s ****ing done. Well done Arsenal.

My go to has always been Yorke as best premier league era forward/striker. To be honest my inclination is still that, but I can’t argue against the reasoning for saying Ollie now has that title. 

I’m just thinking back to the time when he was bought, the weeks leading up to it seemed to drag (he doesn’t actually sign for us until over 130 pages into this thread), the transfer value kept increasing and there was a reasonable amount of posts that were not terribly happy with the price we paid 
 

If we’re two nil up, Ollie’s got both and we’re given a penalty with ten minutes left, I’m happy with him stepping up to take it.

Under a more nervy set of circumstances I’d give pause for thought.

Obviously been a very good weekend for our prospects. 

But much like how I try not to be “the sky is falling” when we draw or lose, I’m not going to be allowing myself to think we’re basically there off the back of a great win.

Think a few of us were bracing ourselves for a positive Spurs result and a not so positive Villa one this weekend. That the opposite has happened is fantastic and should act as a reminder not to take anything for granted.

I now make us favourites for 4th. Just. Mainly because I think Spurs have 3 matches where they start as second favourites while we now just have 1 which may prove to be a dead game for the opposition.

Just now, Steero113 said:

Hope Emery gives it the Adenauer in front of the Arsenal fans at full time 

Waaaay too classy of a guy to do that.

I think the idea is Deborah (the wife) is a more honest character and has to confess to someone. I think it’s believable she’d confide in someone.

That person being her antagonistic and disapproving mother in law is less believable.

This is such a minute bugbear but I remember when she died and the outpouring of grief. They were talking to people on the street and this one bloke said “she wrote the greatest album of the past fifty years”.

Ok fine, that’s his opinion. I don’t mind.

But I was desperate for the person to ask the question “Oh ok, so who wrote an album pre 1961 that you consider superior?” 

If you think it’s the best album ever, just say it’s the best album ever. It’s fine. Don’t try and qualify it and make it seem like you’ve given it some thought and are knowledgeable on old music by saying “within the past 50 years”.

I think about that newsclip way more than I should.

He did also save that cat in The Towering Inferno, in fairness.

Well if we’re just going down the Naked Gun route…

First drop of alcohol in 100 days today (since New Year’s Eve).

Green monkey by Joules, posted before. It’s doing the trick.

I was listening to a podcast and they were recounting an interview OJ gave in which he was asked what he’d like his obituary to say. 

Apparently he replied “Well, I’d like to think they’d start by mentioning the football…”

Which I think we can agree was a fairly optimistic hope.

Yeah as a subplot to this I’m looking for Norwich to drop points to give them something to do on the final day.

With any luck they’ll already have gone by then.

Leicester, Leeds and Ipswich. Their last five games, between them they have by my count 25 points from a possible 45. Ipswich contribute the most to that with 10.

It’s not stellar form, is it? Like they’re all getting stage fright.

Is he an unpleasant person @OutByEaster??

I get he won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but unless I’ve missed something I’m not sure I think of him as a bad person. I’m (now) aware of an incident in 2009 in which no charges were made so I can’t really say comment much on that. 
 

I guess I’m not sure how much him being the “court jester” is simply because that’s what they want from him. My memory is that Ian Wright once held a similar “comedy” pundit role (although perhaps not quite as boisterous as Richards) and subsequently morphed into a more serious pundit.

Just to be clear, I don’t think Richards will follow the same path.

55 minutes ago, Captain_Townsend said:

I have burned that season from my memory. What was all the debris on the pitch at the second half?

I reckon I know exactly what it was.

The protest group against Lerner had put together a load of A4 signs that I believe were to be shown on the 74th minute. They had previously done “Out the door on 74” with people leaving the game and this was a variant of that. A visual representation of discontent for people who wanted to express ill feeling towards the owner but who also (inexplicably) wanted to endure the game.

I was handing out signs that day, I met @markavfc40 (whom I believe was chief organiser that day), @HanoiVillan and @Hev. 

2 hours ago, villa89 said:

I want them all to win up to the point the extra CL place is confirmed. Then they can all lose 8-0. 

Oh if that’s possible I’ll have that then.

11 minutes ago, villa89 said:

Timely reminder that we are all Liverpool, West Ham, City and Arsenal fans when it comes to European football. C'Mon you Iron, Gunning, Armband wearing Citizen w***ers. 

Some more than others I think it’s fair to say.

I’m somewhere in the middle I think. I don’t actively want the English clubs to lose as much as I normally do, but I don’t know if that equates to me wanting them to win.

I’m taking a what will be, will be stance, I guess.

Edit - I’d rather we just finish fourth. Simpler.

15 minutes ago, jackbauer24 said:

I do find it... interesting... how you're not 'allowed' to have a different view point on here sometimes. Whilst I agree that certain posters are barely short of trolling, the concern some have for our end of season results and rewards are often scoffed at. How come blind optimism that it'll all go our way is allowed but worry isn't?! I wish I could think positively, but my experience of life and football is normally, if shit can go wrong, it will!

We're going to get 4th definitely. Mmm...

We're going to get 5th definitely. Strongly probable... But definitely?

We'll get CL regardless. Have you seen the draw?

We'll win Conference. Hardest draw/route possible.

I think the odds of it all going our way are diminishing almost week by week, and soon probably day by day. I take ZERO enjoyment in that and hate the idea I could be right and definitely wouldn't be saying I told you so. But equally people shouldn't be hounded for being pessimistic.

There’s pessimism and there’s “our season ends tonight” shite.

We’re still in a European competition and we can still finish fourth. Or we can still qualify for the Europa through the league which we haven’t done for over a decade.

Our season clearly has not ended.