DCJonah Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 a point above Stoke who were tipped as a top 8 contender, we arent doing as bad as some people would like you to believe Point against spurs and held on against Burnley and we would be above multi million spending Tottenham And if Newcastle, west ham and Burnley had taken their very good chances we'd be in the relegation zone. Don't see the point in what if. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sexbelowsound Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Damn, I should have know better. Tried to instill some positively far too early. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Damn, I should have know better. Tried to instill some positively far too early. They are a determined bunch these doom-mongers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozvillafan Posted December 4, 2014 VT Supporter Share Posted December 4, 2014 You can play but at least my supposition had the benefit of being realistic and something that was within our grasp of achieving. And basically just to show how tight it is and perhaps our season is not as bad as some people like to make out it is. I'd like to agree with you but both my example and yours are in the same realm: The realm of fantasy. There is no "realistically" without a easy counter: Could have (and perhaps should have) lost to Burnley, Liverpool and Crystal Palace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCJonah Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Damn, I should have know better. Tried to instill some positively far too early. I didn't think my original post was negative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted December 4, 2014 VT Supporter Share Posted December 4, 2014 You can play but at least my supposition had the benefit of being realistic and something that was within our grasp of achieving. And basically just to show how tight it is and perhaps our season is not as bad as some people like to make out it is. I'd like to agree with you but both my example and yours are in the same realm: The realm of fantasy. There is no "realistically" without a easy counter: Could have (and perhaps should have) lost to Burnley, Liverpool and Crystal Palace. I don't think you can say we should have lost to Liverpool. We were pretty comfortable. They hit the post late on, but apart from that I don't think they created a single decent chance. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sexbelowsound Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Damn, I should have know better. Tried to instill some positively far too early. I didn't think my original post was negative. Don't worry about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaw_nuff Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 (edited) If we hover between 15th and 9th in the table and end up finishing 12th that is what I predicted and what I think we'll achieve. For progress I want defensive solidity to continue. I want us a hard team to beat. Excluding last seasons top 6 we've only conceded 5 goals in our 8 games against opposition around our level. With 4 of those 8 games being shut outs, 1 was a consolation goal by Hull and one a late penalty. Then when we've become an efficient unit at getting results and points on a consistent basis we can then develop a more passing style of play. Because unlike some, the style of our play ranks low on my list of importance. What is important is if we can get the club into the top half and attendances up at the tail end of the season. This is important because it will make the club more attractive to buyers. You won't get the fans back without altering our style of play. Why do you think they left in their droves? A few 'backs-to-the-wall' wins or draws won't put bums on seats. People are fed up with it (at least I am). It's not even sustainable football and I believe it's delusional to believe it will lead to anything other than a relegation scrap. I know it's fashionable to say it's a results business (which I'm not disputing), but before that it's an entertainment industry. We have constantly faied on that front for years. Saying that, I'd probably turn up to see Tekkers play, but that's about it. Edited December 4, 2014 by Shaw_nuff 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackbauer24 Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Interesting stats for those that worry about progression: Villa are the second most improved team based on like for like fixtures last year. West Ham are clear winners on that front at the moment (£31m will do that) but Villa are making progress, albeit from a very poor position last year. http://bwinbetting.com/leagues/premier-league/west-ham-aston-villa-chelsea-201415s-most-improved-teams,64594.html? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Interesting stats for those that worry about progression: Villa are the second most improved team based on like for like fixtures last year. West Ham are clear winners on that front at the moment (£31m will do that) but Villa are making progress, albeit from a very poor position last year. http://bwinbetting.com/leagues/premier-league/west-ham-aston-villa-chelsea-201415s-most-improved-teams,64594.html? but what about the possession stats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntrimBlack Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 I see what you mean Briny. Like If people had been more realistic they would be a lot more understanding. Shame they aren't By that I think you mean that we should expect less. I think the vast majority on here already expect less. Does not mean we like it. I would say we are worried rather than negative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntrimBlack Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Interesting stats for those that worry about progression: Villa are the second most improved team based on like for like fixtures last year. West Ham are clear winners on that front at the moment (£31m will do that) but Villa are making progress, albeit from a very poor position last year. http://bwinbetting.com/leagues/premier-league/west-ham-aston-villa-chelsea-201415s-most-improved-teams,64594.html? That certainly looks positive. Come on, Paul, prove me wrong to doubt you. I can take it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 If we hover between 15th and 9th in the table and end up finishing 12th that is what I predicted and what I think we'll achieve. For progress I want defensive solidity to continue. I want us a hard team to beat. Excluding last seasons top 6 we've only conceded 5 goals in our 8 games against opposition around our level. With 4 of those 8 games being shut outs, 1 was a consolation goal by Hull and one a late penalty. Then when we've become an efficient unit at getting results and points on a consistent basis we can then develop a more passing style of play. Because unlike some, the style of our play ranks low on my list of importance. What is important is if we can get the club into the top half and attendances up at the tail end of the season. This is important because it will make the club more attractive to buyers. You won't get the fans back without altering our style of play. Why do you think they left in their droves? A few 'backs-to-the-wall' wins or draws won't put bums on seats. People are fed up with it (at least I am). It's not even sustainable football and I believe it's delusional to believe it will lead to anything other than a relegation scrap. I know it's fashionable to say it's a results business (which I'm not disputing), but before that it's an entertainment industry. We have constantly faied on that front for years. Saying that, I'd probably turn up to see Tekkers play, but that's about it. Results bring fans back more than style of plan. No matter how it happens, cheering a goal or two and leaving Villa Park with a win is what ranks highest of importance to getting people to go to matches. I'm not talking about backs to the wall wins, you can't get into the top half of the league if you're backs to the wall all the time. The belief that when you go to Villa Park you think we will win or can win. Higher League position leads to higher attendance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Interesting stats for those that worry about progression: Villa are the second most improved team based on like for like fixtures last year. West Ham are clear winners on that front at the moment (£31m will do that) but Villa are making progress, albeit from a very poor position last year. http://bwinbetting.com/leagues/premier-league/west-ham-aston-villa-chelsea-201415s-most-improved-teams,64594.html? but what about the possession stats We've had higher possession in our last two away games than our opposition. 54% against Palace and 53% against Burnley. I'd expect us to have over 50% against Leicester. Obviously this is speaking positive in the Lambert thread which is forbidden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 a point above Stoke who were tipped as a top 8 contender, we arent doing as bad as some people would like you to believe Point against spurs and held on against Burnley and we would be above multi million spending Tottenham And if Newcastle, west ham and Burnley had taken their very good chances we'd be in the relegation zone. Don't see the point in what if. The what if was merely to highlight how tight and close it all is and to show maybe we arent as bad as people make out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgyknees Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 a point above Stoke who were tipped as a top 8 contender, we arent doing as bad as some people would like you to believe Stoke not underachieving then? Or maybe it is a bit of both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacbuddies Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Statistical corner: The word "IF" appears once every 7 words in the Lambert thread. If things had been different, he'd be a great manager. Shame they weren't. I wonder how many managers of relegated clubs over the years have said "if we had got 3 points here and 1 point there and hung on against so and so and if so and so hadn't got sent off in that game we would have had enough points to stay up"? It's amazing how people cling on to these 'what if' moments to try to find some solace as the mess unfolds before their eyes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted December 4, 2014 VT Supporter Share Posted December 4, 2014 (edited) Statistical corner: The word "IF" appears once every 7 words in the Lambert thread. If things had been different, he'd be a great manager. Shame they weren't. I wonder how many managers of relegated clubs over the years have said "if we had got 3 points here and 1 point there and hung on against so and so and if so and so hadn't got sent off in that game we would have had enough points to stay up"? It's amazing how people cling on to these 'what if' moments to try to find some solace as the mess unfolds before their eyes. You'll find plenty of people saying "If Liverpool hadn't have hit the post we wouldn't have won" "If southampton had taken their chances we'd have lost" "If Burnley had taken their chances we'd have lost" "If Palace were better at crossing we wouldn't have won" Once again, it works both ways. It's almost as if it balances out! Edited December 4, 2014 by Stevo985 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCJonah Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Exactly that, it balances out. No point saying if this and if that. We've had moments of good fortune and we've had moments of bad luck. Using either to support an argument seems pretty pointless to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCJonah Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 a point above Stoke who were tipped as a top 8 contender, we arent doing as bad as some people would like you to believePoint against spurs and held on against Burnley and we would be above multi million spending Tottenham And if Newcastle, west ham and Burnley had taken their very good chances we'd be in the relegation zone. Don't see the point in what if. The what if was merely to highlight how tight and close it all is and to show maybe we arent as bad as people make out. Then I'll agree that things are very close in the league at the moment. I was listening to a pundit on the radio the other day talking about this is the reason no manager has been sacked yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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