VillaFaninLondon Posted July 28, 2022 Share Posted July 28, 2022 I just have no idea how the season is going to go. Part of me thinks we have enough quality players to get 7th or 8th but that would require everything to click and every player playing to peak performance. And for that to happen we need a top manager and I don't think Gerrard is one. It's also disappointing that transfers have gone so quiet, I suspect the owners and Purslow will see how the first 2-3 games goes and if not well they may splash out on someone but I don't like this idea because that is buying from a position of weakness rather than strength. It's also clear we have a big squad with many players not part of the plans but we can't seem to shift any of them. I think we've got too many good players to be embroiled in a relegation scrap but equally I have a horrible feeling we might not be much better than last season and Gerrard's stubbornness with weird systems, narrow formations and shoehorning Ings and Watkins in will hold us back. I reckon we may end up somewhere pretty rubbish like 12th and I suspect Gerrard would not survive that. I really hope we start the season with a couple of wins so I can at least feel optimistic of a good season even if it doesn't last long. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villabromsgrove Posted July 28, 2022 Share Posted July 28, 2022 We'll have a match day squad of 20 players this season .... 11 starters and 9 on the subs bench. We've got some quality in the starting 11, and a number of impact subs. We've got new team leadership, a manager who's demanding more and not afraid to kick a*se if and when it's needed. Gerrard knows the 'honeymoon' is over and he's making sure his players know it as well. Last season is dead and gone. I still think we'll have a top quality CM joining us, but even if that doesn't happen I'm more excited about the next few months than I have been in a long time. Top ten is a must, and eighth would be brilliant progress, but would need us to be lucky with an absence of key injuries. (7th may be possible if we sign that top CM). 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marka Ragnos Posted July 28, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted July 28, 2022 My apologies if this has been talked to death, but it's fun ... erm, well, what am I saying? Not sorry at all. Who would deny a Villa supporter a chance to dream before reality kicks him in the 'nads? As I said, I'm going with 6th, but I like the number 7 quite a bit, too. Quote 7. Aston Villa - 54 points, +3 GD Quite a surprising forecast here...Despite finishing 14th in the Premier League last season, Aston Villa are now being tipped to secure a Europa Conference League spot by the supercomputer. They even have a 14% chance of Champions League qualification. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icouldtelltheworld Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 14% chance of CL qualification? I think someone needs to run a virus check on the supercomputer tbh 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marka Ragnos Posted July 30, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted July 30, 2022 (edited) 34 minutes ago, icouldtelltheworld said: 14% chance of CL qualification? I think someone needs to run a virus check on the supercomputer tbh I think some of this must come from low expectations from certain clubs that we'd often expect to crowd us out. Man United and Chelsea have huge question marks over them. Arsenal may make the CL, but there are still weak spots. Sometime contenders for upper-mid table such as S'hampton and Everton have serious struggles and could even get sucked into releg terrain again. Sure, Man City and L'Pool to a lesser degree still look scary-good, and Spurs look good, too. The Leicester recent Golden Age seems gone. But why us? If not us, then who? I don't know. It is 14%, after all, and not 25% or 60%. It's still basically very little of a chance. Have not kept up on West Ham, so I'm unclear about their prospects this year. Edited July 30, 2022 by Marka Ragnos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vive_La_Villa Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 If you’re ever feeling a bit down about Villa for any reason be it the manager, lack of number 8, no wingers, new captaincy etc. Take a look at this: We will finish 7th this season. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hippo Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 10th for me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icouldtelltheworld Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 11 hours ago, Marka Ragnos said: I think some of this must come from low expectations from certain clubs that we'd often expect to crowd us out. Man United and Chelsea have huge question marks over them. Arsenal may make the CL, but there are still weak spots. Sometime contenders for upper-mid table such as S'hampton and Everton have serious struggles and could even get sucked into releg terrain again. Sure, Man City and L'Pool to a lesser degree still look scary-good, and Spurs look good, too. The Leicester recent Golden Age seems gone. But why us? If not us, then who? I don't know. It is 14%, after all, and not 25% or 60%. It's still basically very little of a chance. Have not kept up on West Ham, so I'm unclear about their prospects this year. Some decent points here in fairness mate. I reckon Arsenal will continue to improve, think West Ham might fall away a bit, Leicester probably not on for a great season again (losing Maddison to Newcastle would be a blow). Hard to tell with United really, but wouldn't be a surprise if they have another inconsistent season. There could well be more space for us to move into the top 7/8 than in previous seasons 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vive_La_Villa Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 I think finishing 7th rather than just top half or even 8th is significant. Assuming the top 6 is last seasons top 6 finishing 7th will make us best of the rest. Not bad for a team promoted 4 seasons ago. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PussEKatt Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 WE are not going to get any higher than 12th with "average strikers" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick76 Posted July 30, 2022 Author Share Posted July 30, 2022 14 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said: I think finishing 7th rather than just top half or even 8th is significant. Assuming the top 6 is last seasons top 6 finishing 7th will make us best of the rest. Not bad for a team promoted 4 seasons ago. We still have to achieve it, I think there is very little chance at this stage we will get 7th. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
It's Your Round Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 1 hour ago, PussEKatt said: WE are not going to get any higher than 12th with "average strikers" We finished 11th with just Watkins and no Ings 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
It's Your Round Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 You can’t argue with a super computer, 7th it is! I’m well pleased we made Europe once more 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 13 minutes ago, It's Your Round said: We finished 11th with just Watkins and no Ings we had Davis though 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommo_b Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 2 hours ago, PussEKatt said: WE are not going to get any higher than 12th with "average strikers" Danny Ings is an excellent striker so we should be alright ya know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 2 hours ago, PussEKatt said: WE are not going to get any higher than 12th with "average strikers" You say that but then I'd say outside of the top 6 we have the best striker options and depth Who else has 2 England International strikers and a u21 International striker in their squad? This average strikers stuff is a bit of a myth 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davkaus Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 1 hour ago, villa4europe said: Who else has 2 England International strikers and a u21 International striker in their squad? Come on I agree we shape up well against anyone outside of the top 6, but I hate this thing of justifying player's abilities by citing them being an "international". Ings is 30 and has 3 caps. Watkins has 7, but they make up a game and a half of time with 38 minutes of competitive international football. Harry Kane, they ain't. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 3 minutes ago, Davkaus said: Come on I agree we shape up well against anyone outside of the top 6, but I hate this thing of justifying player's abilities by citing them being an "international". Ings is 30 and has 3 caps. Watkins has 7, but they make up a game and a half of time with 38 minutes of competitive international football. Harry Kane, they ain't. Neither are Bamford, Antonio, toney, Wilson, eduard, Benteke, maupay Even jimenez at wolves isn't the same anymore and some point surely vardy must decline I'd say top 6 then Leicester after that it's us quite comfortably You can make an argument that we have more depth up front than arsenal of you start looking at wide men vs out and out strikers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaChris Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 4 hours ago, villa4europe said: You say that but then I'd say outside of the top 6 we have the best striker options and depth Who else has 2 England International strikers and a u21 International striker in their squad? This average strikers stuff is a bit of a myth West Ham finished 7th didn't they.... Antonio could barely hit a barn door from March onwards last season. Still got 10 prem goals and 13 overall. Bowen hit 18 for the season from the wide position. Was giving Benrahma stick the other day, genuinely didn't realise he also hit double figures, 11 in all competitions for a squad player. By comparison Danny Ings hit 7 goals. This was all under ultra conservative David Moyes system so if we want to be seriously in shake up for 7th we need a couple of our front 3 players to be hitting double figures tbh across the competitions. Hopefully with form Bailey is showing in pre season he hits the ground running as he was hitting double figures for Leverkusen across Bundesliga and europa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hippo Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 13 minutes ago, jim said: I’ve never known a pre season come under so much scrutiny. You’d think we’d spent £150m and replaced the first 11 the way some are going on. Rightly or wrongly there a quite a few fans who don't like Gerrard. As such he won't get much slack if results / performances aren't good. The only way for it to go away is an absolute storming season hovering in the high echelons of the table. I'm pretty confident we can get 10th - just on the amount of quality in the squad. Beyond that we need to see a team being moulded. Weve squeezed decent results in pre season and imo that's how the season will pan out. Narrow victories over lesser sides. But not long to wait now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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