Johnnyp

Well that's subjective. They didn't survive on 27 points though.

Who do you think we'll beat ?

If we win has been bandied about on these pages since the dawn of time.

Does the fact they are 4 points ahead of us, as opposed to 1 prior to kick off, not change anything for you ? Even slightly ?

I don't think the relegation ( please don't say im being negative, yes i know we aren't relegated, i believe we will be - just my opinion ) will be as bad for us this time. Grealish will leave, no more waving to the fans at Hull type scenarios, he's gone. Mings could go ( don't shoot me - I don't think the guys that good ) Could see McGinn sign for a Southampton or Palace. He's not top 6. Stop it. Luiz also might go. Retain Konsa, Engels, Targett. Heaton captain. Need to add to midfield again. Ramsey should be around match day squads. Recruitment will be key again. I'm really hoping they are making moves getting rid of that Spanish guy behind the scenes. Also though, Villa getting relegated 4 years ago was huge. Massive story in English football. PL ever present up to then. Everyone raised it when they played us. I don't think we'll get the "star" treatment this time and that might not be so bad.

When the inevitable does happen folks steer yourself to 46 seconds into this interview ( Oh and replace forest with villa )

Not a hope in hell. West Brom did it with lowest ever. 35. Only once that's been done.

Exactly. Or cursing a team on the last day of the season when they don't do us a favour. Bet by Bournemouth twice. Flogged by Watford away. Drab draw with West ham at home. That's your relegation for ya.

Well i mean hindsight is great, don't recall you saying in August you weren't impressed by them. Let's give them their fair dues. They were the best team in the championship last season and. They'll be up there again. Probably lose Cantwell, Aarons and Lewis but they recruit clever for that level. Won't be a million miles away next season.

It isn't now. West Ham and Watford in charge of their own destiny now. We aren't.

And if we don't try to beat United, we won't. If we try to be clever, nick it, defensively we aren't good or smart enough to do that so at this stage - have a crack for christs sake.

We can keep harping on about what Bournemouth and Watford and West Ham are doing and talking about their results. We can have zero complaints, things have gone pretty well around us since we resumed. We need points. Thursday. 3 of them. Keeping an eye on what the rest is doing is counter productive in our form. We aren't staying in the league on 27 so........

Exactly. Although, i think out of all 3, Howe keeps his job if he wants to stay. He may need to. His stock has fallen quite considerably.

I agree. You definetely don't get the sack vibe around farke and howe as much as you do Smith. Norwich spent pittance, i do think however they got a little bit carried away with the plaudits they were getting last season with the football they played and people saying they'd take to this league easily. They had all day on the ball against inferior players last season. They don't play high tempo. As for Howe, he has credit in the bank surely. 5 years he kept them in the league ( not relegated yet ) You get the vibe though that Smith's job isn't safe.

Of course you can't quantify the exact amount of criticism and praise he has taken. I meant it figuratively, i didn't think we were playing a numbers and percentages game here. I'm not neccesarily worried about the spend ( 150 million for 12 players is pretty tame anyway by PL standards ) and not naive enough to think just because we are Villa we have a right to come up and boss it. We don't. My eyes don't deceive me though, and others here have said the same. Positionally we are poor. Tactically very naive. We switch off constantly. No 2 players on the team look on the same wave length. This has to fall on the managers doorstep. Yes, we don't have the best group ( signings arguably worse than the relegation year but we have the benefit of hindsight with where those players are at now ) I just feel a better manager would get more out of this group. Are Southampton, player for player, miles ahead of us ? I'd argue not. As a team though, us and them are night and day right now. One's extremely well coached. The other......

Get off dean's nuts first mate and we might.

Less support ? Villa fans got vitriolic with Bruce at times. It got quite personal. Dean has got the correct amount of plaudits he got for what he achieved and the correct amount of criticism he's getting for how poorly we are doing.

Anyone who gets the RB Salzburg gig is on to a winner. The league is a one horse race. They can out spend every one and delivering a league is bare minimum so of course it will look impressive on a CV. He did quite well in MLS but again, that league. Now if Marsch went on to have the same level of success his predecessor at Salzburg has had this season in the bundesliga you'd take notice but it's hard to say just how good he is.

Minimum 5 ? Has anyone ever stayed up with 32 ? Not been funny, genuinely curious.

We've the same points as Bournemouth but their done ? Hate to break it to you but if Watford get 4 more points we are done.

Yes. The last 3.

And where does that mentality transmit from !

True. Few points i do agree with in the article is that the recruitment was necessary, none of those who we did release would of played in the PL. So we got that right. The loan model is an absolute short term fix. Mings and El Ghazi were deemed surplus to requirements at their parent clubs, hence why we got them. Became apparent early in the window United and Chelsea had little interest in parting with Tuanzebe and Abraham respectively. Both would of started for us if we signed them. I too though would like a change in management. Just don't believe he's quite good enough, across the board. All aspects.

Love God, really do. But his tweets at times are just a bit erm....

I've felt for at least since Gregory left we've always had a bit of an entitled attitude. That was the last villa team i seen that worked their nuts off, didn't try to con the public and was an honestly and sheer genuineness in their approach. We've traded on our history and our name for far too long. " we're villa, we'll be fine " We've not evolved. We don't work hard enough, diligently enough. I agree TRO. We don't strive to be the better or elite. It's just sound bites. Over and over. A culture of honesty and drive to win each game will only manifest itself to a playing squad from a coaching set up.