The depredations of Villa's midtableness

[nick76]

2 minutes ago, maqroll said:

Time to regularly play Sanson, Bailey, Traore, Buendia and the kids. Time to experiment with formations and tactics and make good use of the run up. 

Never going to happen.  Gerrard will be pushing (rightly so) to get the highest placed position with his best team.  This will have the added benefit of looking more attractive to future acquisitions for the summer in finishing 9th than potentially slipping to say 12th.  He’s not going to over experiment and risk points or places.

[Zatman]

On 13/03/2022 at 18:36, VillaChris said:

Does feel we always seem to lose playing away in London early on a Sunday?

I make that West Ham, Spurs and Brentford we've lost in those circumstances this season.

Give us a night game home or away against beatable opposition and we're usually on it in terms of energy so that needs to be something looked at during the summer.

London in general. Except Palace we have lost every other league game there this season 

[TRO]

On 18/02/2022 at 20:44, Marka Ragnos said:

I need to discuss Villa's' current syndrome of being one of the great middle children of football.

Is there any spot quite as complicated and doldrummy as the PL's mid-table? I find our current midtableness more and more confusing. In a weird way, it's kind of comfortable. But therein lies the rub. It's a land filled with the pitfalls of complacency. I know I'm glad we're not (for now) in the dropzone, but my vague dreams of Europe from earlier this season begin to fade, and, well, I'm simply not sure how to feel or what to wish for.

Yes, I want to win against Watford. Of course I do. But what if we lose? So what? We'll still be in the middle. And if we win? So what? The middle awaits.

I can't imagine it's very easy to motivate the squad when, realistically, the most exciting thing we can do is end up maybe eighth or something? Break out the bubbly!  We could be ... eighth! Somehow, it rings a little hollow.

I love reading posts by people who see secret reservoirs of greatness and ambition in our club's future, but I'll admit I often wonder if they're a little naive or just pleasantly self-deluded. I want to be there, because it's a bit of a mental holiday from Middle Land, but I guess, in an unhealthy way, I think I'm sort of content in Middle.

And discontent. Somewhere ... in the middle.

Help me out of here!
  

 

  

  

If there are weaknesses in a team, that continue to be weaknesses, season after season.....its a fair chance midtable, will be the place you'll be.

This is not a slight on the current manager, because he hasn't been in the job long enough for it to be seen as an obvious, piece of criteria....He is still learning about the players and their capabilities, plus their characters.

I suspect after the West Ham game, its become clearer, how we can fulfill your dreams.

The teams that progress, are rounded and consistent.Its usually borne out of shrewd recruitment, good blending, and prudent coaching. I think West Ham as just one example have done very well in this.

Its not rocket science.

[TRO]

On 13/03/2022 at 17:46, Delphinho123 said:

Honestly, I’m very positive as to where we’re at as a club. I think the Summer window was a poor one but we’ve come a long way since then by signing Digne, Coutinho and the emergence of Ramsey as a quality option is excellent. 

Rice showed us what we’re missing today. If we had him in our side, we’d have won. We’re getting close to being a very good side, I firmly believe we’re a midfielder and a striker away from challenging the top 7. 

If we get it right in the Summer, next season will be exciting. First port of call, sign Coutinho and the rest will fall into place. 

100% right.

I just hope the penny will finally drop.

Edited March 16, 2022 by TRO

[TheAuthority]

I don't think Gerrard will want to settle for mid-table steadiness.

I think he came in and said, sure, you can bobble along and nicely develop people and be cautious, but if you really want to progress you have to push. You have to go for Coutinho. You have to think big and slap what you have down on the table and see what sticks.

I just think he has a big more shwag about him than Deano and is going to demand more of Purslow and the board. Whether or not that is going to ultimately take us into the top 6 or even top 4 I don't know. Maybe it's reckless. 

 

[S-Platt]

Midtable in The Prem with nothing to really worry about is as good as its been for about 10 years.

I think we all get a little carried away about where we should be but we have to walk before we can run.  The base is there now to put the final pieces of the jigsaw together.

Great set up throughout the club young hungry manager and ambitious owners it's a great time to be a Villa fan.

[TRO]

3 hours ago, S-Platt said:

Midtable in The Prem with nothing to really worry about is as good as its been for about 10 years.

I think we all get a little carried away about where we should be but we have to walk before we can run.  The base is there now to put the final pieces of the jigsaw together.

Great set up throughout the club young hungry manager and ambitious owners it's a great time to be a Villa fan.

Totally correct, but we are talking about progressing and what it will take.

We have done really well to establish our selves as mid table.......The problem with midtable, it can easily slip to lower half, complacency can drift in.

We need to make the transfer moves to strengthen in the RIGHT places to move up.....we should know by know where that is.

[mjmooney]

8 hours ago, TheAuthority said:

You have to think big and slap what you have down on the table

 

[bobzy]

1 hour ago, TRO said:

Totally correct, but we are talking about progressing and what it will take.

We have done really well to establish our selves as mid table.......The problem with midtable, it can easily slip to lower half, complacency can drift in.

We need to make the transfer moves to strengthen in the RIGHT places to move up.....we should know by know where that is.

Would you say we're an established mid table side?  I mean, we've finished there once in the last decade and even then we didn't finish in the top half.

A lot of fans seem to expect a push for European football (presumably based on our spend) and happily forget that this is only our 3rd season in the Premier League after promotion.

[TRO]

50 minutes ago, bobzy said:

Would you say we're an established mid table side?  I mean, we've finished there once in the last decade and even then we didn't finish in the top half.

A lot of fans seem to expect a push for European football (presumably based on our spend) and happily forget that this is only our 3rd season in the Premier League after promotion.

I think we are establishing (as opposed to established),ourselves as a midtable team as I said, trouble is with football its dynamic, not static.......things change so quickly.

I believe you only have to watch us play and study the opposition in the fixtures to know......we are not ready for European football.....The squad does not possess the diversity of player, for any manager to galvanise a consistent team....That is not the same as saying, we have some very good players, because we do, and progress has been made...but I still think the shortfalls are clear and depending on the opposition format, its more noticeable in some games more than others....I think the West Ham games continue to show more than most our Achilles Heel.

We have some super talented players, but they won't make up the shortfall, for our weakness......we can keep throwing super talented creative players at the issue, but it won't go away.

We need a Declan Rice or a Gareth Barry.....and we will only dream of European football until we do.

It seems to me, that our manager has identified this too, and has said as much after our latest defeat.

Edited March 16, 2022 by TRO

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

49 minutes ago, Nigel said:

We won't get relegated....worst that happens is that we don't progress for a few seasons, 

 

Honestly this is a horrible thought.

Especially for those of us who have seen us on the cusp, only to throw away opportunities and go into a spiral of mediocrity.

Don't get me wrong, I often argue with people that the one thing which keeps me, is my utmost faith in the owners, but the thought of stagnating as " lesser " clubs progress is quite deotessing.

[MaVilla]

what a stat lol.

 

 

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

3 minutes ago, MaVilla said:

what a stat lol.

 

 

We have some proper shite historical " curses " don't we?

[MaVilla]

4 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

We have some proper shite historical " curses " don't we?

seems so!

[Jas10]

34 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

Honestly this is a horrible thought.

Especially for those of us who have seen us on the cusp, only to throw away opportunities and go into a spiral of mediocrity.

Don't get me wrong, I often argue with people that the one thing which keeps me, is my utmost faith in the owners, but the thought of stagnating as " lesser " clubs progress is quite deotessing.

This is a big reason why so many of us are pissed off, we are throwing the opportunities away. If we regress too far, we won’t be able to close that widening gap…

I’ve said if before, but we are wasting time and money while other teams are surpassing us and in a better place… is quite embarassing. Other teams are doing better with less resources and worse facilities, those managers are getting so much out of their players…

It’s really irritating. Eventually, I want to see us get back to where we once were, a top 6 PL club… that’s how I’ve always seen this club…

I’m sorry, and I don’t meant to be disrespectful, but I don’t really want to be associated with teams that are usually toiling away in that bottom half or get relegated and come back occasionally…

We need to there, asap, that opportunity won’t be there forever…

[Marka Ragnos]

And it continues, doesn't it?

Shame? Who says so?

We've been in the middle of the table now for about 75% of the last 20 seasons.

We may just be the most middling of all clubs in the Premier League. Isn't that something? Something to hang one's hat on? 

As we sit here stubbornly in 11th for something like the last five straight games, I find myself teetering between a sense of frustration and gloom and fat comfort and complacency, and I realise, crikey, I could live with this. It's still better than relegation, and there's a certain, I don't know, weird pride I feel when I pick up my lonesome limp Villa scarf and walk out in another weekend of averageness.

Long may this middleness reign!

OK, maybe that's a bit cringe. Yay. We're spectacularly OK. How about that?

Edited February 19, 2023 by Marka Ragnos

[Adam2003]

5 minutes ago, Marka Ragnos said:

We may just be the most middling of all clubs in the Premier League. Isn't that something? Something to hang one's hat on? 

 

We’ve been relegated and promoted in the last 8 years or so, and been to Wembley 4 or 5 times across a similar period. Surely the likes of Everton and West Ham are far more middling (albeit that might change this May…)

[Marka Ragnos]

4 hours ago, Adam2003 said:

We’ve been relegated and promoted in the last 8 years or so, and been to Wembley 4 or 5 times across a similar period. Surely the likes of Everton and West Ham are far more middling (albeit that might change this May…)

It's a title race no one wants—the race to the middle. We are indeed quite similar to West Ham (maybe slightly worse off), but Everton's probably done better in terms of finishes in the last 20 years. 

[Laughable Chimp]

4 hours ago, Adam2003 said:

We’ve been relegated and promoted in the last 8 years or so, and been to Wembley 4 or 5 times across a similar period. Surely the likes of Everton and West Ham are far more middling (albeit that might change this May…)

Our average league position for the entire premier league era is 12.4(assuming we count championship positions as position number 21, 22 and so on).

Everton is probably the most middling club in the pl with average position of 10.4 but after that, its between us, Newcastle and West Ham.

[TomC]

5 hours ago, Marka Ragnos said:

As we sit here stubbornly in 11th for something like the last five straight games, I find myself teetering between a sense of frustration and gloom and fat comfort and complacency, and I realise, crikey, I could live with this. It's still better than relegation, and there's a certain, I don't know, weird pride I feel when I pick up my lonesome limp Villa scarf and walk out in another weekend of averageness.

Long may this middleness reign!

This season is destined for middleness. It's all about getting ready for next year now. No point in getting frustrated. Enjoy the process.