Foxy1 Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Simple question but not an easy one to answer 4th would clearly put us in a potentially excellent place to build - but then it didn't do Everton much good. Can this really be a substitute for a piece of silverware? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AvfcTheObsession Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Very tough question. I'd go for 4th spot though, puts us in a much stronger position financially and in terms of attracting players, it would also mean Liverpool would have massive financial problems as they rely on the money Champions League brings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob182 Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Same as the last poll. 4th every time! We currently have a very strong squad, excellent backups and talent coming through. It'd only take one season of finishing 4th to attract a few classy players to maintain that position and move Villa to a different level. I'd sacrifice one year of Silverware for this. Everytime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phumfeinz Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Toughie. 4th doesn't automatically mean Champions League, and after missing out on the Europa League qualifying I wouldn't be too keen on our chances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommo Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Ideally both, but I'd settle for beating citeh or united in a cup final everytime, and then proceeding to finish above citeh, who finish 6th or 7th. At the end of the day, only one of those four sides can make the 4th spot, so three of Spurs, Scouse Citeh and us are going to end up disappointed anyway. I'd take the league cup if I had to make the choice. 5th would still see us finish above 2 of those sides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 I'd be happy with either obviously. The thing about 4th is, as said, it's not guarenteeing CL football. Also, I don't think we're quite there yet as goes that standard, so it might be an Everton style one off. But if we did do it it's a big achievement. It'd be nice to win something too. I'd probably go for the trophy and continue building the side so once we get 4th, we'll be in a better position to make sure we compete long term in that position. If we could get 4th and then miraculously buy a lot of quality and get it all to work instantly and long term, then I'd take 4th, but I just don't see that happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barry'sboots Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 I would intuitively say 4th spot as CL allows you to build, but a lot depends upon Randy's agenda. If he has the money to build and get in a couple of quality players with CL promised then I would stick with this view but if, as Everton did, we couldn't take that next step due to lack of funding then maybe a cup would be better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
packoman Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Both would be great achievements, but i would take a cup win and fifth, it would be so great to win a trophy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted December 30, 2009 Moderator Share Posted December 30, 2009 Being the 3rd loser is much better than winning something. Well in this day & age it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob182 Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 I'd probably go for the trophy and continue building the side so once we get 4th, we'll be in a better position to make sure we compete long term in that position. How does winning a trophy put you in a better position to compete long term? I see your points and agree that finishing 4th doesn't automatically give you CL football.. But I would have thought that finishing 4th would attract a higher class of player (not a Torres or a Rooney but someone who has the potential to be one) than winning the League Cup would.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briggaman Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 I'm sticking to my initial answer. I'd rather have 5th (or 6th for that matter) place along with winning the LC. That to me would be a successful season and we have clearly made progress. It will take a while longer before we are regular top four challengers in my opinion. We may never be though, due to the fact that the other clubs going for those positions have so much money. 4th place doesn't guarantee us anything to be fair. Plus it doesn't mean we will get better players. Let's face the facts aswell, we wouldn't go far if we did qualify for the CL group stages. We need to maintain our top six finishes and attract higher calibre players by that means. Some people seem to be expecting far too much. I really don't think we will finish in the top four this season, although I would be so happy to be proven wrong. I just don't think we are there yet. We are getting closer though and if we keep building then the sky is the limit. For these reasons I would rather finish 5th (or 6th) and win the LC. It's been far too long since we last had a trophy.... Just realised my post is pretty similar to what Chindie said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiddybloke Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Definately the cup and 5th place, we probably wouldnt qualify for the group stage anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanky Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 5th and league cup please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villanwesty88 Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 I think that there is no reason why we can't get both. I mean we will only play 3 more games in the League Cup (should we get to Wembley), will it have that much of a bearing on the rest of our season? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFC-Prideofbrum Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Both would be great seasons but in terms of actual achievement as a club, future of the club, it has to be 4th. I mean, for me pipping Liverpool, Tottenham, Man City over a 38 game season meaning we have a CHANCE of qualifying (1 round against teams we really are better than) is like winning a cup. We've beat Cardiff, Sunderland, Portsmouth and if we beat Blackburn and then the final Man City/Man United. I think 4th place is more of an achivement and what the club wants more than anything. We really need 4th in order to progress or we'll be stuck in the same position for a long time and eventually Randy might think "hey, we're not going anywhere, I'm going"....Our goal as a club is to finish in the top 4 isn't it in terms of what Randy and Mon want to do, the sooner the better. A chance of more money, better players and a better chance to becoming an elite club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFC-Prideofbrum Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Although 5th and a Cup win would be a really great season for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFC-Prideofbrum Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 And can people stop comparing us to fecking Everton, The situation is completly different. They had the likes of Hibbert, Pistone, Weir, Simon Davies, Carsley, Beattie, Mcfadden regularly playing for them at that point and also had no money to invest in very good players. We have a good squad and finances which means if we did get in, we could attract those better players and also a good enough to compete and even do well in the competition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanky Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 And can people stop comparing us to fecking Everton, The situation is completly different. No it isn't. I think you're overrating our team a little against some very decent European sides who have experience in the competition recently. We are a better side than that Everton side, yes, but finishing fourth won't guarentee that top players will want to come here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost_of_Pongo_Waring Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 The feeling of sacrificing a trophy this season because fourth would mean more trophys in future seems to me to be rather flawed thinking. Liverpool and Arsenal have finished in the top four every year since 2005 but neither have won a trophy since then, and these are top sides who we're trying to match. You can't pick and choose when you win a trophy. It's fourteen years since our last silverware and it may well be a similar time before we are close again, nothing is certain. I can tell you how many times we've won the League, FA Cup, League Cup, European Cup and European Super Cup but I couldn't tell you how many times we've finished fourth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFC-Prideofbrum Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 And can people stop comparing us to fecking Everton, The situation is completly different. No it isn't. I think you're overrating our team a little against some very decent European sides who have experience in the competition recently. We are a better side than that Everton side, yes, but finishing fourth won't guarentee that top players will want to come here. Yes there are decent sides and of course they're going to be tricky games but the teams we could face in the qualifier, only 3 teams I'd say are outright better than us, there are other hard games but no teams we'd fear. Also of course it wouldn't guarentee top players will come but it certainly make players who possibly wouldn't of signed for us, definately consider because Champions League is where everyone wants to play. and Everton side facing Villareal (Everton finished 15th/16th during this season I believe or somewhere low...might be a couple places out) Martyn, Hibbert, Yobo, Weir, Pistone (McFadden 80), Cahill, Arteta, Neville, Davies, Kilbane (Ferguson 62), Beattie (Bent 63). Subs Not Used: Wright, Kroldrup, Li Tie, Osman. Friedel, Young, Dunne, Collins, Warnock, Downing, Milner, Petrov, Young, Gabby, Heskey. The difference in quality is quite some distance IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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