Title chase 2020/2021

[villan-scott]

6 hours ago, Rich192 said:

Just a shame that the seventh spot (/League Cup winners) goes in to the new Europa Conference League rather than Europa League. Would still be great to be in Europe though, regardless. It’s a nice thing to worry about!

I’d definitely take that. Probably a good chance of success in that I’d say. 

[The Rosk]

Well, thanks very much for Barkley.  I hope we can take him off your hands for a somewhat reasonable price at the end of the season..!  Even if he has a stonking season at VP I can't see him getting regularly into the Chelsea lineup, can you?

[maqroll]

4 hours ago, White_Wall said:

Chelsea visitor here.

I understand the pleasure you guys have in the great start, it has been nice to see.  Personally I have been to Villa Park a few times (and never seen Chelsea lose as it happens) and have a bit of a soft spot for your club, especially with JT there.  A strong Villa makes the PL better and there's no gainsaying that the Holte End in full throat is impressive (or used to be, anyway).  So that's all good.  But you are surely getting way ahead of yourselves thinking about the title.  Maybe it's more a relief that the corner seems to have been turned after a difficult few years for Villa and that you look like a team on the up.  Plenty of teams (WBA for example) manage to be yo-yo type clubs that vacillate between the Championship and the PL but Villa look like they may well break out of that level this season and start to establish themselves as a solid PL team.  The club is big and well-supported enough for that and it begins to look like you have assembled a good enough squad as well.

Incidentally, Traoré was always considered to have great potential when at Chelsea and I have no doubt that JT gave him a good recommendation.  From what I know, he's a bit like his namesake at Wolves - blindingly quick and dangerous going forward but doesn't always make the best decisions and doesn't offer much cover defensively (which Trezequet does from what I have seen).  He's one of those where good coaching could make all the difference if the Villa staff can get inside his head.  If that happens you'll find yourselves with a top player I think.

If it were me, I'd be delighted with any top-half finish and anything over 50 points or so.  Villa could perhaps qualify for the Europa League but I'm not sure I'd be desperate for that if I were you, it puts a hell of a lot of pressure on a club.  I think Villa need another couple of seasons before they are ready for European football; it's not just a matter of having a big enough squad because you also have to account for the effect of only having 2 days to prepare for PL fixtures - even if you rest players in the EL, the focus doesn't come on to the weekend PL game until you have got the Thursday EL game out of the way.  That's why only the really big clubs - those that have squads built for the CL and a lot of experienced players - can really handle the EL without it damaging them in the PL.

As for the title, surely there are only 2 teams with any chance, possibly 3 because Mourinho has assembled Spurs' best balanced squad for a long time and he is a serial winner whether you like him or not?  Bale will be a huge signing for them and gives Spurs as good a front-3 as any team in Europe.  I don't see Chelsea or United challenging, both are works in progress and too defensively iffy.  Add Everton under Ancelotti (another serial winner that has radically improved his squad over the summer) and I think that's your top 6.  Villa are shooting at teams like Leicester, Wolves & Arsenal really and will do well to get amongst those.  I hope you do but 9th or 10th would be a great season really, wouldn't it?

I'm quite certain this thread was started with tongue firmly planted in cheek, but it just so happens we have taken all 12 points so far with a chance to go top of the league on Friday night. We are simply having fun with this after so many years in the wilderness. But hey, if Leicester can do it, why not Villa? 

[Keyblade]

When's the last time we won 4 PL games in a row? Has to be at least during the MON years. The same probably applies to 3 in a row too, that's how bad we've been in the last decade. I wonder how far back you'd have to go for 5 top flight wins in a row?

[alreadyexists]

15 minutes ago, Keyblade said:

When's the last time we won 4 PL games in a row? Has to be at least during the MON years. The same probably applies to 3 in a row too, that's how bad we've been in the last decade. I wonder how far back you'd have to go for 5 top flight wins in a row?

I think I read somewhere that 4 in a row was 2009... but I think after MON so maybe Houllier?

[Keyblade]

Just now, alreadyexists said:

I think I read somewhere that 4 in a row was 2009... but I think after MON so maybe Houllier?

Houllier arrived in 2010, so definitely MON in that case! I think we did it a couple of times under MON. Don't remember ever doing 5 in a row under him though.

[alreadyexists]

1 minute ago, Keyblade said:

Houllier arrived in 2010, so definitely MON in that case! I think we did it a couple of times under MON. Don't remember ever doing 5 in a row under him though.

Ah yeah, MON walked out August 2010 didn’t he? So yeah I think it will be then.

[a-k]

Last time we won 5 PL games in a row was 1998.

Will be nice to match that feat by beating Squatting Shite Haircut United.

Better question is when, if ever, was the last time we started a campaign with 5 straight victories.

Edited October 21, 2020 by a-k

[Tommo_b]

4 hours ago, bannedfromHandV said:

Show some respect man, you’re dealing with the future champions of everything here afterall  

Leeds?!

[Keyblade]

22 minutes ago, a-k said:

Last time we won 5 PL games in a row was 1998.

Will be nice to match that feat by beating Squatting Shite Haircut United.

Better question is when, if ever, was the last time we started a campaign with 5 straight victories.

Good question. Might even be the first time. The last time we started with 4 in a row was 90 years ago!

Chelsea have the top flight record for most wins to start the season, with 9 during the 05/06 season.

[rubberman]

45 minutes ago, a-k said:

Last time we won 5 PL games in a row was 1998.

Will be nice to match that feat by beating Squatting Shite Haircut United.

Better question is when, if ever, was the last time we started a campaign with 5 straight victories.

We've never started with 5 wins. This would be record breaking. Have done 12 unbeaten at the start iirc but always a draw within the first 5.

[Vive_La_Villa]

1 hour ago, a-k said:

Last time we won 5 PL games in a row was 1998.

Will be nice to match that feat by beating Squatting Shite Haircut United.

Better question is when, if ever, was the last time we started a campaign with 5 straight victories.

Was that at the end of the season after Little had been sacked or was it the year before?

[nepal_villan]

51 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Was that at the end of the season after Little had been sacked or was it the year before?

Little was sacked middle of this season. Then Gregory started his reign by winning 17 out of  23 matches straddling the 97/98 and the 98/99 seasons. Quite amazing when looking back on it.  

[Vive_La_Villa]

3 minutes ago, nepal_villan said:

Little was sacked middle of this season. Then Gregory started his reign by winning 17 out of  23 matches straddling the 97/98 and the 98/99 seasons. Quite amazing when looking back on it.  

To be fair he took over a team that finished 4th and 5th two previous seasons and then was given a hell of a lot of money to spend for the time.  Gregory did very well but that was the time to bring in a Wenger type manager that was going to build something long term.

[MrBlack]

2 hours ago, White_Wall said:

 

Thanks and yeah, I probably did!

Trouble is that Chelsea have been winning things for so long, you forget what it's like to support a club that has been struggling and starts to come good.  I did know once, I promise!  I'm old enough to remember when Chelsea were a game away from relegation to the old 3rd Division and probable bankruptcy if so.

It may not mean anything to people here but I was at Stamford Bridge for the first game of the Abramovich era.  We had already signed Veron, Makélélé, Crespo, Duff and a whole host of others.  Many fans were drooling.  Abramovich walked round the touchline before the game (with 6 or 8 minders) to wave at the fans and the team ran out to 'Kalinka'.  Personally I felt oddly depressed, like it wasn't my club anymore, like it had become a rich man's toy and didn't really belong to or need the fans any longer.

Obviously you get used to a new state of affairs and, to be fair, Abramovich has been about as good an owner as you could get.  But in the 18 years since then, Chelsea has become less and less rooted in the community.  Nowadays it is an international/global brand that just happens to be based in West London.  In many ways it could be anywhere.  You get people turning up - wealthy Chinese tourists for example - who are clearly more interested in getting a selfie at Stamford Bridge than in supporting the team.  Sometimes (back when we could actually go to games), visiting fans would come and sing songs like "is this a library?".  And I often regretfully reflected to myself that actually they are right.  Stamford Bridge - even on its best days - generates not a fraction of the noise and atmosphere it once did, especially back before all-seater stadia.

I guess this has affected all clubs in one way or another, but probably the 'elite' clubs most of all.  So, truth be told I probably envy you a bit in some ways.

Fair play for saying that. I suspect a lot of our fans envy the success that you've had since being a mega rich club.  You only have to look at how happy we are now to realise that if we'd had the billions earlier in our history we'd have enjoyed the success it brought.

I guess we haven't had it so cant really comment on the bad side of that. But,  to be honest, any true football fan would never change allegiances to get more success,  so i won't complain for one second if we get some as a result of our new billionaire owners.  I'll pray they keep their soul and Aston villa's in tact doing so, and it certainly helps us having a strong core of English and British players in our team.  Can't wait to find out where our journey takes us.

Cheers

[Xela]

47 minutes ago, nepal_villan said:

Little was sacked middle of this season. Then Gregory started his reign by winning 17 out of  23 matches straddling the 97/98 and the 98/99 seasons. Quite amazing when looking back on it.  

Gregory came in and won 9 out of 11 that season... 2 defeats were at home to Barnsley and Bolton - probably the 2 worst teams in that run (both relegated!)

[Gompedyret]

3 hours ago, a-k said:

Last time we won 5 PL games in a row was 1998.

 

What are those numbers just next to the goal scorers? 33, 36 and 39 thousands. I've heard about numbers like that, but not sure if that was in myths or science fiction.

[AvonVillain]

So it looks as though, correct me if I'm wrong, our manager set a Villa record of 10 straight wins in the Championship, and now, could set a record for the first 5 games games of season!

It really seems Dean Smith is writing his name into the AVFC history books in front of our eyes. Whatever next?

[Mark_1989]

32 minutes ago, AvonVillain said:

So it looks as though, correct me if I'm wrong, our manager set a Villa record of 10 straight wins in the Championship, and now, could set a record for the first 5 games games of season!

It really seems Dean Smith is writing his name into the AVFC history books in front of our eyes. Whatever next?

Probably win the PL this year and CL next?

would settle for that if not FA cup minimum.

[villalad21]

12 hours ago, AvonVillain said:

So it looks as though, correct me if I'm wrong, our manager set a Villa record of 10 straight wins in the Championship, and now, could set a record for the first 5 games games of season!

It really seems Dean Smith is writing his name into the AVFC history books in front of our eyes. Whatever next?

 

Records are fun and all but if you gave me the option in not breaking any records but finish higher in the table i'd take it any day of the week.

I said the same thing in our promotion season. I don't care about the 10 game winning run. All that matters was breaking into the top 6. How we get there i don't care. Let's just get there.