eholm Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 2 hours ago, Zatman said: West Ham fams could say the same abour last night. That was not a usual performance for them Possibly....but i am just concentrating on our performances and the points WE need to get.....relying on others maintaining their poor form is fatal, imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob182 Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 3 hours ago, eholm said: Problem is, across the whole season the Spurs type performance have been the exception and have not garnered us many points. Garnering points, I agree. But your first point, I don't. Spurs away, we played well and were winning until near the end. Arsenal away, we outplayed them for large parts, took the lead twice, but threw it away. Man Utd away, good performance, and we came away disappointed with a point. Liverpool home, winning 1-0 for 65 minutes until we crumbled at the death. Leicester away (cup game), a hard earned 1-1 draw. Leicester home (cup game), we won 2-1, battling until the end. Across the rest of the season we've played 4 other games that I would consider to be against 'top' teams (Man City x2, Chelsea, Leicester), where we haven't put in similar performances. So, including the Spurs home game, that's 7 (SEVEN!) games against top teams where we've put in a good performance, but just crumbled under pressure or lost points due to individual errors. I'd hardly say the recent Spurs game was the exception. As has been the story of our season, we just need to cut out individual errors and fight the pressure in stoppage time. Look at the first game of the season, Grealish held onto the ball for too long on the edge of his area, which resulted in Spurs getting the goal which essentially gave them the win. Grealish hasn't done that again since, from memory, and I would put money on Engels not repeating his mistake again all season in such a dangerous area/position. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vive_La_Villa Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 23 minutes ago, sparrow1988 said: We have, however we are scoring. I'm a lot happier with this season compared to our last in the PL. I would guess (I haven't checked) that we had conceded probably less at this stage in the 2015/16 season. However, that was just dire going in the other direction, we never looked like scoring in that season. At least this time we are putting them in at the other end and that makes me optimistic that we can get out of trouble. We had conceded 4 less but also scored 12 less as well. At least we have more of a goal threat this teams The problem for me is when the players mentally give up. It felt like that on Saturday which was the most worrying thing. The season we went down the players and coach gave up as soon as the club decided not to recruit in January. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick76 Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 17 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said: We had conceded 4 less but also scored 12 less as well. At least we have more of a goal threat this teams The problem for me is when the players mentally give up. It felt like that on Saturday which was the most worrying thing. The season we went down the players and coach gave up as soon as the club decided not to recruit in January. I'm just hoping that McGinn will give us new energy. He's our best midfielder outside of Jack and if he can play anything like he can he will make a huge difference to this team. As they say it'll be like a new signing......at just the right time we need it and it will also be a massive boost to the team. Hopefully he wont need much time to get back up to speed match fitness wise. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eholm Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 12 minutes ago, Rob182 said: Garnering points, I agree. But your first point, I don't. Spurs away, we played well and were winning until near the end. Arsenal away, we outplayed them for large parts, took the lead twice, but threw it away. Man Utd away, good performance, and we came away disappointed with a point. Liverpool home, winning 1-0 for 65 minutes until we crumbled at the death. Leicester away (cup game), a hard earned 1-1 draw. Leicester home (cup game), we won 2-1, battling until the end. Across the rest of the season we've played 4 other games that I would consider to be against 'top' teams (Man City x2, Chelsea, Leicester), where we haven't put in similar performances. So, including the Spurs home game, that's 7 (SEVEN!) games against top teams where we've put in a good performance, but just crumbled under pressure or lost points due to individual errors. I'd hardly say the recent Spurs game was the exception. As has been the story of our season, we just need to cut out individual errors and fight the pressure in stoppage time. Look at the first game of the season, Grealish held onto the ball for too long on the edge of his area, which resulted in Spurs getting the goal which essentially gave them the win. Grealish hasn't done that again since, from memory, and I would put money on Engels not repeating his mistake again all season in such a dangerous area/position. Valid points re our performances. However, it's no good having these leads/types of performances if the points are not gained. It's all a bit 'coulda, woulda, shoulda' for me. Crumbling under pressure and/or individual mistakes have not and, one would infer by now, will not cease. Appreciate you looking for some positives and I'm normally a glass half full guy but when we look at the season in its entirety to date it is clear we don't have the ability in the squad to perform at a consistent level that is required to win points in the PL and stay up. With over two thirds of the season gone already I just do not see the required improvements forthcoming, unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Silvers Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 At the rate it's all going I think 5 points keeps us up, maybe 3. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zab6359 Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, HanoiVillan said: Winning a cup is a chance that only happens very rarely; we haven't managed it in a quarter of a century. If we stay up, you'll get a PL relegation battle again next season. I don't regard football as being about 'achieving' the status of being the 4th-worst side in the division. Definitely let's win the cup instead. Each to there own PL survival over a carabo cup win all day long for me. The league cup lost it's gloss many many years ago. Unfortunately the FA cup seems to be going the same way, big clubs only have there eye on one cup competition these days and it's neither of the domestic ones. Edited February 25, 2020 by zab6359 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Vive_La_Villa Posted February 25, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted February 25, 2020 13 minutes ago, nick76 said: I'm just hoping that McGinn will give us new energy. He's our best midfielder outside of Jack and if he can play anything like he can he will make a huge difference to this team. As they say it'll be like a new signing......at just the right time we need it and it will also be a massive boost to the team. Hopefully he wont need much time to get back up to speed match fitness wise. He started the season brilliantly and set his own standard too high which is why a lot of fans didn’t appreciate what he still offered when he wasn’t as influential. We have massively missed him! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick76 Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 4 hours ago, HanoiVillan said: Winning a cup is a chance that only happens very rarely; we haven't managed it in a quarter of a century. If we stay up, you'll get a PL relegation battle again next season. I don't regard football as being about 'achieving' the status of being the 4th-worst side in the division. Definitely let's win the cup instead. Really only concerned about staying up and if a choice between winning the cup and staying up, it's 100% staying up. Nice to win the cup and all that, nice trophy and be forever remembered but staying in the PL is the be all and end all. Losing our PL status will hurt the club again and leave us further behind and who knows when we'll ever come back up again, it was long enough last time. Yes we maybe battling a relegation next season but with a whole wad of cash to buy better players and then it's our fault. Winning the cup and being relegated just sets us back, losing some of best players and start of a rebuild again. We need to stay in the PL for the long term good of the club....short term benefit of a cup win but long term damage of relegation is not a good idea in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 5 minutes ago, zab6359 said: Each to there own PL survival over a carabo cup win all day long for me. The league cup lost it's gloss many many years ago. Unfortunately the FA cup seems to be going the same way, big clubs only have there eye on one cup competition these days and it's neither of the domestic ones. not for me anymore, the ass end of the lerner era has more or less killed off my enjoyment of the PL, despite the new owners I also don't see this fabled climb up the table actually happening id take a cup and some European away days over more years of scrambling round trying to finish 17th and having more games like Saturday 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vive_La_Villa Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 Winning the cup would be great but the only way we are going to continue to rebuild is by staying up. Getting relegated will feel like we’re staring again. Although we will be doing it from a better position than last time. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow1988 Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 41 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said: We had conceded 4 less but also scored 12 less as well. At least we have more of a goal threat this teams The problem for me is when the players mentally give up. It felt like that on Saturday which was the most worrying thing. The season we went down the players and coach gave up as soon as the club decided not to recruit in January. And we were also playing a lot more conservatively then than we are now. They did mentally give up on Saturday but I don't see it week in/week out like that season. I think it was just a really shit performance. Giving up mentally for the season when not even in the relegation zone would be a bit baffling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zab6359 Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 1 minute ago, villa4europe said: not for me anymore, the ass end of the lerner era has more or less killed off my enjoyment of the PL, despite the new owners I also don't see this fabled climb up the table actually happening id take a cup and some European away days over more years of scrambling round trying to finish 17th and having more games like Saturday I think once the owners get the right manager/head coach, back room staff and DOF the climb up the table will happen no one gets things right from the off. Trips to old boys have no appeal whatsoever for me I'm afraid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 We haven't got a choice between winning the league cup and staying up, we've got to play in the final regardless of what the result ends up being, if we somehow manage to win it it sn't going to make us any less likely to stay up, you could argue that it would have the opposite affect in fact. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zab6359 Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 2 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said: Winning the cup would be great but the only way we are going to continue to rebuild is by staying up. Getting relegated will feel like we’re staring again. Although we will be doing it from a better position than last time. Winning the cup and getting relegated would be disastrous! Getting relegated itself would set us back 2 years throw in European football **** me it's laughable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 2 minutes ago, zab6359 said: I think once the owners get the right manager/head coach, back room staff and DOF the climb up the table will happen no one gets things right from the off. Trips to old boys have no appeal whatsoever for me I'm afraid. until they change the rules with regards to FFP I just don't see it, there's a lot of ground between us and "doing something" in my opinion, bearing in mind that if the league finished today and wolves are 8th, Sheffield utd are 7th, we win the cup (obviously) so neither of them get Europe so what are they doing? fair play to Leicester for stepping up but its the same old faces and its not going to change (and Leicester have 9 players on their books who cost over £20m) we lose grealish and spend 10 years finishing 15th - 10th in the PL what's the point? I agree that the cups in England have diminished but im shocked and disappointed by it, everton for example do nothing every year, they should be going hell for leather for a cup, even spurs are guilty of it, what do they actually do as a club? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomav84 Posted February 25, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted February 25, 2020 7 minutes ago, zab6359 said: Winning the cup and getting relegated would be disastrous! Getting relegated itself would set us back 2 years throw in European football **** me it's laughable! with the player sales + parachute payments we could sign a whole new squad. not to mention that i doubt many are likely to be poached by current prem teams aside from the obvious 3. being able to offer european football to new players might also make us an attractive prospect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zab6359 Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 1 minute ago, villa4europe said: until they change the rules with regards to FFP I just don't see it, there's a lot of ground between us and "doing something" in my opinion, bearing in mind that if the league finished today and wolves are 8th, Sheffield utd are 7th, we win the cup (obviously) so neither of them get Europe so what are they doing? fair play to Leicester for stepping up but its the same old faces and its not going to change (and Leicester have 9 players on their books who cost over £20m) we lose grealish and spend 10 years finishing 15th - 10th in the PL what's the point? I agree that the cups in England have diminished but im shocked and disappointed by it, everton for example do nothing every year, they should be going hell for leather for a cup, even spurs are guilty of it, what do they actually do as a club? I really can see your point, as a kid I would start watching TV from about 10am on FA cup day it was fantastic. Leicester proved it can be done though we have to keep the faith, with FFP it's even more prevalent we need the right staff recruiting and developing players and if we need to sell JG to fund recruitment so be it, but to get the TV money we desperately need to stay in the PL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 Getting relegated would be very bad and would mean we will have spent four out of five seasons in the championship which shouldn't the case for a club like Villa, we desperately need to stay up and try and advance next season, but if we are going to go down better by far that we do it whilst winning a major honour at the same time, we could stay up but not get close to a final for years yet. Besides if we lose on Sunday it isn't going to make relegation any less likely, a win would probably give the team a massive confidence boost and lift the whole club going into the last eleven games of the season. I personally would choose winning the league cup over finishing in the Champions League places. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveAV1 Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 20 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said: He started the season brilliantly and set his own standard too high which is why a lot of fans didn’t appreciate what he still offered when he wasn’t as influential. We have massively missed him! Spot on. I know his form had dropped off before he got injured, but his energy and work rate was still there. For me those are the things that we lack the most as a team. Lots of our players are inconsistent and go missing but SJM always puts in a shift. On his best form he could well keep us up, but even when not at his best his presence in the dressing room and energy on the pitch will be a massive plus for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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