How low can we go?

[eastie]

League cup would be a big priority for me and top 8 if possible- I dint think houllier can be blamed whatever happens this season , it's o neills squad and has been crying out for a top striker for the last 4 yrs - houllier will address things in the summer and next season we will be much better!

[cheltenhamlion]

I would be very disappointed if we finished lower than eighth but will take a transitional season after the goings on of the summer.

Next year will be the time to judge Houllier.

[Mr Diggles]

it matters little to me where we ultimately finish, I just know that I have been more excited at the thought of going down the Villa this year than I was in the preceding 2 seasons. And for those that go on about this 6th-6th-6th-regression mantra, its ridiculous. The league, and the comparative strengths of the teams in it, is not a static measurement. Even with MON we were heading for a worse season than I honestly think we'll have now. And to talk about our current away record is a little disingenuous too, since Houllier has had barely 5 games to work with the team, and needs more time and at least 2 transfer windows. What improvement we have seen (and it has been in performance, introduction of squad players and youth, and chances created rather than results for the most part) is great, and as Mazrim's excellent post on page one of this thread points out, makes for a really optimistic future.

[Concrete John]

I dint think houllier can be blamed whatever happens this season

I think he can.  He gets some room due to being in late, not being able to sign his own players, other than the limited January window, and needing time to get his ideas and style across.  But with the squad he has, largely the one that finished 6th last season, 8th is the requirement, IMO.

[Clampy]

League cup would be a big priority for me and top 8 if possible- I dint think houllier can be blamed whatever happens this season

I disagree to an extent. It may be O'Neil's squad but it's still a bloody good bunch of players he's got to work with.

I'm not expecting a top 4 finish, but there's no reason with the squad we've got we can't finish Top 6.

[hilts_coolerking]

Obviously the higher the better but I think it's less important where we finish this season than where we finish next season.

Having said that, if we do take a backward step this season I think Houllier will have his work cut out trying to persuade one or two of our players to stay.

[Dan England]

I reckon comfortably top half of the table with no signings. I think we can easily finish top 6 with a couple of strong signings in January. We will continue to get steadily better as the season goes on.

[badluckeric(gates)]

We could finish top 6, but I wouldnt give the manager any grief until he's had at least 2 windows. That would be unfair.

[eastie]

I would be surprised if the top 5 last season are not the same 5 this season - and I see villa Liverpool and everton battling for 6th to 8th- equally I don't think we would have finished in the top 5 under o neill if he had stayed- we need a top striker and midfielder as top priority and houllier must given at least  until the end of next season before judging him.

We have lost our best player in milner and been rocked by injuries so far with gabby, petrov and delph all being out a while , besides others , the style of play is improving and I look forward to a very good era under houllier.

[darren woolley]

I think we will finish 9th or 10th i hope i am wrong but as long as we see improvement on the pitch and off it i dont mind like most fan's on here we can wait untill at least two transfer window's then we can see were we are at.

[sfx412]

I disagree to an extent. It may be O'Neil's squad but it's still a bloody good bunch of players he's got to work with.
 

It is ?

So good that with a few injuries to key players and GH is struggling to find genuine alternatives.

Look at Saturdays picks, Beye, Coker, Sidwell, Albrighton to say nowt of the injured Young were all unusable according to Mon, yet they represent the basis of the team atm. Imagine Mon still in charge and the team without those 5 and perhaps Ireland.
Laughable, just as the premise that anything lower than 6th is a failure.

[Pete3206]

The worrying thing is that we've only played one really good team so far. Four defeats against very average sides seems to indicate that a mid table finish is the best we can hope for.

Spurs = good team away from home
Chelsea = best team in the country at home
Stoke = very difficult place to go and get anything.
Wolves away = not the easiest place to go, but we won.

I'll give you Spurs, but Stoke and Wolves? Nah.

[Reality]

I will be disappointed if we fail to get into the Europa League next year. Pretty ironic that considering the disdain we have treated it with over the last few years.

[Phil from the upper holte]

I will be disappointed if we fail to get into the Europa League next year. Pretty ironic that considering the disdain we have treated it with over the last few years.

Europe has been a complete waste of time, the only highlight was beating Ajax

[alanclare]

I've voted and believe that we'll finish about 9th or 10th. The only fear is finishing below Bloes, altho' TheEgoHasLanded has bet me a fiver that Villa will finish above Bloes, and I think (fear) otherwise.