What actually constitutes a successful season for you?

[Risso]

I'm a none of the above as my rationale for a successful season is simple.

Qualification for a European place CL or Uefa whether by league position or winning a cup

Would that not fall into the 'finishing top seven with a good cup run' option then?

I know top 7 doesn't guarantee you entry into Europe but it's likely each season that the League Cup and FA Cup will be won by members of the top 6 in the Prem, hence 7th qualifies for Europe?

Purely because 7th doesn't guarantee it.

Exactly. For 7th to get a Europa spot the League Cup winners AND both FA Cup finallists would have to finish in the top 6.

[mykeyb]

Cant see an option in the poll for us to retain The Peace Cup!!!

[bannedfromHandV]

I'm a none of the above as my rationale for a successful season is simple.

Qualification for a European place CL or Uefa whether by league position or winning a cup

Would that not fall into the 'finishing top seven with a good cup run' option then?

I know top 7 doesn't guarantee you entry into Europe but it's likely each season that the League Cup and FA Cup will be won by members of the top 6 in the Prem, hence 7th qualifies for Europe?

Purely because 7th doesn't guarantee it.

Exactly. For 7th to get a Europa spot the League Cup winners AND both FA Cup finallists would have to finish in the top 6.

1999–2000 Chelsea 1–0 Aston Villa

FA Cup 2000–01 (1) 2000–01 Liverpool 2–1 Arsenal

FA Cup 2001–02 (1) 2001–02 Arsenal 2–0 Chelsea

FA Cup 2002–03 (1) 2002–03 Arsenal 1–0 Southampton

FA Cup 2003–04 (1) 2003–04 Manchester United 3–0 Millwall

FA Cup 2004–05 (1) 2004–05 Arsenal †0–0 † Manchester United

FA Cup 2005–06 Liverpool †3–3 † West Ham United

FA Cup 2006–07 (1) 2006–07 Chelsea †1–0 * Manchester United

FA Cup 2007–08 (1) 2007–08 Portsmouth 1–0 Cardiff City

FA Cup 2008–09 (1) 2008–09 Chelsea 2–1 Everton

2000 Leicester City 2–1 Tranmere Rovers

2001 Liverpool † †1–1 *[A] Birmingham City

2002 Blackburn Rovers 2–1 Tottenham Hotspur

2003 Liverpool 2–0 Manchester United

2004 Middlesbrough 2–1 Bolton Wanderers

2005 Chelsea †3–2 † Liverpool

2006 Manchester United 4–0 Wigan Athletic

2007 Chelsea 2–1 Arsenal

2008 Tottenham Hotspur †2–1 † Chelsea

2009 Manchester United † †0–0 * Tottenham Hotspur

2010 Manchester United 2–1 Aston Villa

Not exactly that unlikely though is it, thanks.

[Oaks]

So far this season has offed so much but could ultimately deliver so little. A successful season for me would be an improvement on last, so more points. I would like 65 points and at least semis in the FA cup now(maybe even a final if we avoid Chelsea).

[cyrusr]

There are/were four things to challenge for: League, FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League.

For me a successful season would mean that you win something, otherwise how can you be called a success without winning? Doesn't make sense.

Now we have to be realistic at the same time. We aren't, much against my heart, going to win the league. Just ain't going to happen, at least not yet. We are going to struggle challenging on all four fronts, that is a lot of games and we don't quite yet have the squad to do this. This requires the money that comes with being successful and we get whole chicken/egg situation.

So how can we be successful? I think for this season to be a success, we need to get to the next step. This is clearly Champions League football as this will provide the income to help the team get better and better. Absoloutely no question. I am old hearted though and wish to see Villa actually win something.

In addition in order to get use to success we have to be able to maintain the runs in the cups/europe etc

So for me I would say to be a successful season, we need either 4th or win the FA Cup. We had a fantastic run in the League Cup and our European campaign had the life span of a Daddy Long Legs. I can that we have made up for Europe for the rest of the season, the cup runs are great and we are still in competition for 4th. We are 90mins away from another Wembley game and potentially 180mins away from another final.

To me this has already been a good season and it could still be even a great season. MON is no question for me the right man for the job and to take Villa forward. It won't however be a truly successful season for me however till we see Villa's name on a trophy.

[iancharlie]

well beating chelski, man utd and liverpool has been brilliant. the cup final was disappointing to lose after coming so close but shows an improvement on last season. hwever my main marker will be to actually finish the seaosn in mya not March - we need to push on this month and show we have longevity - i will be very peased if we compete fully to the final kick a win on sunday would help as well)

[jim]

I already class this as a succesful season.

Even if we lose on sunday and finish 8th in May?

[terrytini]

Yes.

A cup final, a quarter final, and top half in the League with some brilliant wins I've waited for for years. In 45 years of following Villa I have only had a handful of seasons like this.

I don't share the view of the guy who said a success is winning something - that means most clubs are failures year in and year out - to me that is not what football is. Any individual triumph is a success. And the more triumphs, the more successful. Drawing a game you could easily lose is a success.

Sounds to me like some people want us to be the next Chelsea, or Man U - well there is no harm in that, and trophies would obviously be great, but there is more to it - or less to it ! - than that for me.

God forbid we end up like those Man U fans for whom only the CL/Prem double will get them excited, or the Chelsea fans who politely applaud every time their team wins its millionth home game.

[briny_ear]

There are just too many options in that poll!!

I wanted to try and cover all the angles, otherwise you end up with people moaning that their preference isn't an option etc......

Who'd have thought being thorough would back-fire on me!? :oops:

Even so, 8 people have ticked "none of the above"!

There's always one or two troublemakers...

[chappy]

i went for lifting a trophy and finishing top7. top4 is the obvious aim but i think this season it is going to be so close that there will be less than two wins between 4th and 7th. we should be winning trophies consistently though, so hopefully we can kick on from sunday in the next few years.

[barry'sboots]

i went for lifting a trophy and finishing top7. top4 is the obvious aim but i think this season it is going to be so close that there will be less than two wins between 4th and 7th. we should be winning trophies consistently though, so hopefully we can kick on from sunday in the next few years.

...... hopefully in the next two months!!??

[chappy]

i didn't explain myself very well, i meant to become a team who consistently wins trophies.