JAMAICAN-VILLAN Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 19 minutes ago, AntrimBlack said: Newcastle are going to walk it. Everything else is up for grabs. We will get promoted, either automatic or through the playoffs, this season. Love the confidence but don't want to risk it, win the next 2 or 3 and we will have to change this thread to "The Rush for Promotion!" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
It's Your Round Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 We need to maintain a long run of positive results before we can consider ourselves promotion challengers, if we can be comfortably in the top 12 by the end of they year then we'll be primed for the charge. However, I'm hoping we'll be in the top six before then. We just need to win one game at a time and see where it takes us. So much can and can't happen between now and May. Let's start with 3 points at the sty then have a look at Blackburn. Imagine four wins in a row. It's a dream, that might just come true. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demitri_C Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 Also I think January is going to be tough for us with ACN. We are badly going to miss kodjia and to a level ayew. I expect some bad results in the new year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dn1982 Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 Looking at league position just yet in this league is pointless as it's so congested i said when Bruce came if we could half the deficit to the playoffs by Xmas I'd be happy. I've changed my mind let's half the gap to 2nd!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 ANC is mid January-1st week in february. 5 games missed are Wolves, Preston, Bristol City, Brentford and Forest which isnt too bad and if we advance in FA Cup one of them games will be re-arranged we are only missing Adomah, Ayew and Kodjia I believe from our squad for them games which isnt that bad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alreadyexists Posted October 23, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted October 23, 2016 Historically speaking I think the teams that have been most successful through the playoffs are those who gathered pace and finished strongly, rather than those that get up the table by March/Apr and then take their foot off the gas. I think and hope that we'll be the former; build from now to Christmas, and get a firm foundation, and then push from Feb to the end of the season. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted October 24, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted October 24, 2016 On 23/10/2016 at 18:38, Zatman said: ANC is mid January-1st week in february. 5 games missed are Wolves, Preston, Bristol City, Brentford and Forest which isnt too bad and if we advance in FA Cup one of them games will be re-arranged we are only missing Adomah, Ayew and Kodjia I believe from our squad for them games which isnt that bad Why can't the freakin football authorities put in a double week international break to reduce the impact of that, it would also ease off the stuttering start to the league season with those 2 close together international breaks as well. Flipping annoying this. Need to get in at least 1 non African Striker by then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted October 24, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted October 24, 2016 On 23/10/2016 at 18:38, Zatman said: ANC is mid January-1st week in february. 5 games missed are Wolves, Preston, Bristol City, Brentford and Forest which isnt too bad and if we advance in FA Cup one of them games will be re-arranged we are only missing Adomah, Ayew and Kodjia I believe from our squad for them games which isnt that bad Not Gestade? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demitri_C Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 1 minute ago, sidcow said: Not Gestade? No Benin failed to qualify Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted October 24, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted October 24, 2016 On 23/10/2016 at 18:38, Zatman said: ANC is mid January-1st week in february. 5 games missed are Wolves, Preston, Bristol City, Brentford and Forest which isnt too bad and if we advance in FA Cup one of them games will be re-arranged we are only missing Adomah, Ayew and Kodjia I believe from our squad for them games which isnt that bad Not Gestade? Edit:Ah, Benin not qualified. That is something at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 ATM with our squad and the Bruce effect we could make ground on the playoff positions by Xmas. Jan window is going to be sooooo important for us. So I think the playoffs are a possibility. Automatic promotion (ie 2nd as Toon will walk it). I see it as follows. We must beat Norwich & Brighton both home and away (6 points closer on each) and beat Huddersfield (3 pts closer) If we draw against Toon (winning a step too far for me) while those 3 lose thats another pt gained so I'd fancy us to gain another few pts on them over the rest of the season. If's a many, but not impossible. But the main ingredience for promotion is winning. Wins breed wins. In Bruce, I think we have a chance, as he believes in himself as a Ch manager and the players will, I hope, believe in him too. Lets see how it goes VTID Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubberman Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 Looking at the results across the league, apart from the geordies there are very few consistent runs of wins. We should be beating Cardiff and Blackburn. If we can also pull off results at either Blues or Brighton we will be well in the mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NottingVilla Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 (edited) You want to hope their respective teams get knocked out of the ACON's quickly as well. Players come back from these tournaments physically and mentality exhausted. Just look at Ronaldo and Griezmann this season, way off their respective top levels. Haven't seen Pepe all season either. And lets face it, playing for their country in the ACON means a lot more to them then playing for us. Edited October 25, 2016 by NottingVilla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolteExile Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 If we're sitting on circa 30 points by the time the January transfer window opens, we have a great chance. That sounds a tall order, but we have 10 games between now and then (6 in December alone), and 5 home games against Blackburn, Cardiff, Wigan, Burton and Leeds. Win our home games (ha!) and scratch out a draw or two away from home and we are just about there. There is no such thing as a home banker for Aston Villa anymore, but -in isolation- those are games we should look to win. It won't happen like that. I don't ever recall being anything other than arse biscuits against Wigan at home, for starters. But as a guide to where we need to be (roughly halving the 74 point mark that has been good enough for the play-offs in recent seasons) it shows that the thing is not insurmountable. We would need a good run between now and Jan, but not an incredible one. There is still room for error. If we gob it at home against Wigan or Blackburn, say, we need to pull out an an away win against, Norwich or QPR et.c. Despite their start to the season, I fancy us against Norwich, for some reason. The play-off's need to be the first aim. Then if we have some purple patch in the second half of the season where we win 4 or 5 on the bounce, we can dream of automatic promotion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One For The Road Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 (edited) 18 hours ago, Grasshopper said: ATM with our squad and the Bruce effect we could make ground on the playoff positions by Xmas. Jan window is going to be sooooo important for us. So I think the playoffs are a possibility. Automatic promotion (ie 2nd as Toon will walk it). I see it as follows. We must beat Norwich & Brighton both home and away (6 points closer on each) and beat Huddersfield (3 pts closer) If we draw against Toon (winning a step too far for me) while those 3 lose thats another pt gained so I'd fancy us to gain another few pts on them over the rest of the season. If's a many, but not impossible. But the main ingredience for promotion is winning. Wins breed wins. In Bruce, I think we have a chance, as he believes in himself as a Ch manager and the players will, I hope, believe in him too. Lets see how it goes VTID It won't make a jot of difference if we LOSE all the games you mentioned as long as we pick up enough points elsewhere. Picking "must win" games at this point of this season is futile and we just need to keep improving to see where it takes us. Still think we are a season to early for the play offs but at least now we have a platform to build on under Bruce. Edited October 26, 2016 by One For The Road 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jareth Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 Forget afcon, our real achilees heel is all the england games where they call up gabby. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dn1982 Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 4 hours ago, One For The Road said: It won't make a jot of difference if we LOSE all the games you mentioned as long as we pick up enough points elsewhere. Picking "must win" games at this point of this season is futile and we just need to keep improving to see where it takes us. Still think we are a season to early for the play offs but at least now we have a platform to build on under Bruce. In a week we have halved the gap to the playoffs. This week we had 3 games we had to get wins form we got 7 points. If we hadn't I'd have said our chances of the playoffs were slim but now we are firmly back in the hunt. I think we'll be in the playoffs by New Year. We have one of the best squads in the league. Now we have a bit of confidence and one of the best managers. Bruce would've got us more points from our first 11 and we wouldn't have lost so many from leading positions. If we carry on not conceding late we will get automatic if we can carry on the form for the other 85 min. We will get the playoffs. Whether we go up though is a lottery then but I'm confident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demitri_C Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 Just now, dn1982 said: In a week we have halved the gap to the playoffs. This week we had 3 games we had to get wins form we got 7 points. If we hadn't I'd have said our chances of the playoffs were slim but now we are firmly back in the hunt. I think we'll be in the playoffs by New Year. We have one of the best squads in the league. Now we have a bit of confidence and one of the best managers. Bruce would've got us more points from our first 11 and we wouldn't have lost so many from leading positions. If we carry on not conceding late we will get automatic if we can carry on the form for the other 85 min. We will get the playoffs. Whether we go up though is a lottery then but I'm confident. To go for automatic we are going to have to go on one serious run, like win 8-7 game straight and hope the other teams lose. Wont happen unfortunately we are too far behind already and our goal difference is not great either. After we get that winning feeling back, we need to start beating teams more comfortably goals scored could be vital towards end of the season . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One For The Road Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 54 minutes ago, Demitri_C said: To go for automatic we are going to have to go on one serious run, like win 8-7 game straight and hope the other teams lose. Wont happen unfortunately we are too far behind already and our goal difference is not great either. After we get that winning feeling back, we need to start beating teams more comfortably goals scored could be vital towards end of the season . If we did go on such a run then our goal difference would automatically improve for obvious reasons. That said, our GD is the very least of my concerns at this stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAMAICAN-VILLAN Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 3 hours ago, Jareth said: Forget afcon, our real achilees heel is all the england games where they call up gabby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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