Relegation - Merged

[Si.]

We will lose to united. We just have to keep the scoring as low as possible.

Are you Alex McLeish?

[PieFacE]

If I had to do my Aston Villa worst XI from the last 20 years, it would probably have 8 of the players currently at the club. the likes of Hutton, Heskey, Albrighton and co are just not good enough.

That is why impending relegation is hanging over the club.

Albrighton? Really? How many goals / assists has he had over the past 2 years? Works his socks off every game too. We've had far far worse players then Albrighton.

Do you remember De La Cruz?

[Mantis]

Last season we had Bent, Downing and Young and were awful. This season we haven't had Downing or Young and have been without Bent for a good few games now. Take the three best players out of any team and they'll struggle. Villa are no different. Not all about Eck.

We were nowhere near this bad last season. When we had Bent, Young and Downing together we actually weren't bad. "Eck"'s negative tactics are strangling the life out of the club.

I disagree. I remember the West Ham game and the desperation of a win there and squeaking past them. The two seasons are a very similar. Only difference this season is that we don't have the attacking flair to accommodate an expansive game.

I remember that, but we were pretty decent in that game and as I said, while we were poor we weren't this bad. We only had two more points at this stage of last season but we also had more wins and the football was nowhere near as bad. I hoped this season would at the very least be marginally better but as it happens it's been even worse.

[briny_ear]

Last season we had Bent, Downing and Young and were awful. This season we haven't had Downing or Young and have been without Bent for a good few games now. Take the three best players out of any team and they'll struggle. Villa are no different. Not all about Eck.

We were nowhere near this bad last season. When we had Bent, Young and Downing together we actually weren't bad. "Eck"'s negative tactics are strangling the life out of the club.

I'd say we are as bad as we were last year.

Well, technically, Mantis is just about right.

This season we are 15th with a record of W7 D16 L11 F35 A44 GD-9 Pts 35

At the same point last season, the extra forces of Downing and Young had helped us to 14th place with a record of W9 D10 L13 F40 A53 GD-13 Pts 37.

So one place better and two points more.

And if you look at the team we were able to field for game 32 last season, it was

B Friedel, R Dunne, L Young, K Walker (C Cuellar, 78 ), J Collins, S Downing, J Makoun (N Reo-Coker, 67), A Young, S Petrov, D Bent, G Agbonlahor (R Pires, 86)

Subs not used: E Heskey, A Marshall, C Clark, M Albrighton

Yesterday, of course, our team was

S Given, S Warnock (G Gardner, 59), A Hutton, E Lichaj, N Baker, J Collins, S Ireland, C Herd (E Heskey, 88 ), B Bannan (C N'Zogbia, 74), G Agbonlahor, A Weimann

Subs not used: C Cuellar, B Guzan, D Johnson, S Carruthers

Also worth noting that two matches later on last season, we drew 1-1 at home to Stoke with a side of

B Friedel, R Dunne, L Young, K Walker, J Collins, S Downing (M Albrighton, 67), N Reo-Coker, A Young, S Petrov, D Bent, E Heskey (G Agbonlahor, 79)

Subs not used: A Marshall, R Pires, C Cuellar, C Clark, J Makoun

So you could argue McLeish is doing marginally worse with a much inferior squad.

[Mantis]

Results wise he is doing marginally worse with an inferior squad, yes. However, there are other factors that need to be looked into, such as the fact that he had a pre-season, where as last season we had four different managers from pre-season to the end of the season.

And can anybody say we weren't better to watch last season? Ok, we weren't that good or anything but the football this season has been by far the worst I've ever witnessed from Villa.

[VillanousOne]

There is no excuse for how badly we did last season with the players available. We had Downing, Young, Albrighton and K Walker all playing a blinder for us with D Bent also doing well.

At this point in time we have Ireland playing well and a flashes of inspiration from the younger players and inconsistency from the other senior players - but little to hang your hat on, and that is 50% down to McCleish and 50% due to the squad he has at his disposal, a squad in my opinion that wouldn't look out of place in the Championship.

[briny_ear]

And can anybody say we weren't better to watch last season?

I certainly didn't enjoy the fact that by this time last season we had lost 13 games and conceded 53 goals. That was really painful to watch.

It was more frustrating because we had a better squad and perhaps hadn't quite cottoned on to how much Lerner was scaling down his ambitions for the club, so I guess we expected more.

I think you are probably just forgetting how shit the defending was last season and how terrible it was to watch.

[irreverentad]

There is no excuse for how badly we did last season with the players available. We had Downing, Young, Albrighton and K Walker all playing a blinder for us with D Bent also doing well.

At this point in time we have Ireland playing well and a flashes of inspiration from the younger players and inconsistency from the other senior players - but little to hang your hat on, and that is 50% down to McCleish and 50% due to the squad he has at his disposal, a squad in my opinion that wouldn't look out of place in the Championship.

I agree with you.

I look at our team and it is poor. I think the young players have done magnificently in the last couple of games. Yes we are playing horribly, but our reserve and youth teams would be forgive for getting beat by 3 or 4 goals by a strong Liverpool team and a Premier League savvy Stoke. They deserve some credit.

[Villarocker]

And can anybody say we weren't better to watch last season? Ok, we weren't that good or anything but the football this season has been by far the worst I've ever witnessed from Villa.

Absolutely agree with this statement Mantis! The football this season is atrocious, or should I say, has been atrocious. Although, I actually enjoyed the last 70 minutes of yesterday's game much more than most of the games I have seen this season. Probably because of the amount of effort put in, especially by the younger players!

Tell you something else. Watching the younger players give their all for £5,000-£15,000 per week and not winning is much easier to accept than watching the senior pros not giving a toss, not winning games, and still collecting £40,000-£60,000 per week!!

[Houlston]

Wigan at home last season was also easily equal to any dross served up this season.

[CI]

Wigan at home last season was also easily equal to any dross served up this season.

As was Sunderland at home (0-1)

The Wolves 0-0 was crap too

[TezzRexx]

Wigan at home last season was also easily equal to any dross served up this season.

As was Sunderland at home (0-1)

The Wolves 0-0 was crap too

Wolves at home last season was the worst. 2 disallowed goals before the strike that counted, no desire at all from the team, and the atmosphere was abysmal. At one point, you could hear a pin drop.

[Zatman]

We were nowhere near this bad last season. When we had Bent, Young and Downing together we actually weren't bad. "Eck"'s negative tactics are strangling the life out of the club.

Liverpool away was by far the most diabolical performance ever by a Villa team followed by City away. Only 2 games i ever turned off at half time

[TezzRexx]

We were nowhere near this bad last season. When we had Bent, Young and Downing together we actually weren't bad. "Eck"'s negative tactics are strangling the life out of the club.

Liverpool away was by far the most diabolical performance ever by a Villa team followed by City away. Only 2 games i ever turned off at half time

Agreed - it's also easy to forget that Liverpool were going through a really bad spell, far worse than what they're in now and we gifted them a game.

[Richard]

If It's all about the players then why do we need a manager at all ?

[bickster]

If It's all about the players then why do we need a manager at all ?

If its all about the manager, then why do we need players at all? ;-)

(works both ways)

[Rudy]

I think the worst thing of all is being laughed at by tv pundits and opposing fans at how we play. Its embarassing

[foreveryoung]

If It's all about the players then why do we need a manager at all ?

If its all about the manager, then why do we need players at all? ;-)

(works both ways)

You kidding right! Thats one of the most ridiculous statements I have ever read on here. Think about it?? Players play shit without manager, but what does a manager do without players???

[mikeyp102]

We were nowhere near this bad last season. When we had Bent, Young and Downing together we actually weren't bad. "Eck"'s negative tactics are strangling the life out of the club.

Liverpool away was by far the most diabolical performance ever by a Villa team followed by City away. Only 2 games i ever turned off at half time

Agreed - it's also easy to forget that Liverpool were going through a really bad spell, far worse than what they're in now and we gifted them a game.

Aren't Liverpool on their worst run in 50 yrs?

Spurs away this season? Utd at home? Liverpool at home? All games the opposition won without getting out of first gear as we had already given up. Then the Swansea at home game? Last yr was bad, but no where near as bad as this year.

[VillaChris]

Last season we had Bent, Downing and Young and were awful. This season we haven't had Downing or Young and have been without Bent for a good few games now. Take the three best players out of any team and they'll struggle. Villa are no different. Not all about Eck.

We were nowhere near this bad last season. When we had Bent, Young and Downing together we actually weren't bad. "Eck"'s negative tactics are strangling the life out of the club.

Really?

I'm no fan of McLeish at all and he should be certainly fired in the summer but I think there's a fair bit of rewritting of history going on about last season due to us playing well in the final 6 games (whe Houllier was taken ill).

The home games against Sunderland and Wolves stick in my mind as bad as anything we've produced this season. Sunderland had Downing and Young playing and losing dismally to Wolves, we had Bent, Downing and Young all in the team.