Consistency

[Sexual Ealing]

Ok, 2 years ago, and last year, 6th place was the very least that Aston Villa should expect. We won the league in 1981, after all.

We had achieved this.

This season, we do not have a divine right to finish in the top half of the table. The supporters who expect this are unreasonable and unhelpful and spoilt and childish.

We will finish in the bottom half.

This is a question for the people who have supported both of these positions.

What is it that you demand, expect, hope for - and why are these so contradictory?

[Sam Smith]

With the stature of the club, level of investment and quality of supply regarding emerging players, assuming appropriate management and tactical organisation I would expect to be competing for positions 4th-8th every season.

I hope this season is anomolous. We do not have a divine right to anything but positive expectations having considered the factors above is neither arrogant nor naive.

[ozzjim]

What is the highest we could finish today with a win?


I think realistically between 5th and 8th is our financial level NOW. 3 years ago 4th was possible, but Man City and Spurs have changed the picture on that, and QPR may do too.

[VillaZogmariner]

QPR have the money, but I still think they are 2/3 years away from having a side that could challenge for a European spot, and that's only if they are prepared to spend big money. (Something I'm not sure they are willing to do).

[Villa'Zawg]

Consistency is the most important characteristic of a successful team, it's the reason people came to recognise the "Sky 4".

We were getting there. Usually beating the teams we might be expected to beat, losing very few games, being capable of beating any team on our day and showing consistent improvement season on season.

Unfortunately, that's not exciting enough for the internet/Sky generation who are more interested in viewing football as soap opera. Where every player and coach is  a goodie or a baddie and the results are secondary to their own interpretation of the characters and storyline. For them, consistency is boring even if the results are the best they've seen in years.

[Ad@m]

I expect us to be finishing top 8 and challenging for both cups.

I hope we finish top 4 and win the FA Cup.

[VillaZogmariner]

Consistency is the most important characteristic of a successful team, it's the reason people came to recognise the "Sky 4".

We were getting there. Usually beating the teams we might be expected to beat, losing very few games, being capable of beating any team on our day and showing consistent improvement season on season.

Unfortunately, that's not exciting enough for the internet/Sky generation who are more interested in viewing football as soap opera. Where every player and coach is  a goodie or a baddie and the results are secondary to their own interpretation of the characters and storyline. For them, consistency is boring even if the results are the best they've seen in years.

I'd say having a good squad is the most important characteristic of a successful team. If you lose 38 games in a season that is consistent.

I'd also say the ability to learn from your mistakes is a very important characteristic too.

[Sam Smith]

Spurs are not a wealthy club in comparison to the 'SKY 4' or Citeh. I  dont expect them to invest heavily. Allegedly had cash flow issues in January and needed to offload. (That assertion is based on rumour not first hand evidence.)

[Chris Smith]

To achieve consistently good results you need to have the whole club pulling in the same direction. That means board members and manager agreeing on policy and strategy, players buying into the managers philosophy and the team being more important than any individual.

We clearly lost that last summer and have yet to regain it.

[Ad@m]

Spurs are not a wealthy club in comparison to the 'SKY 4' or Citeh. I  dont expect them to invest heavily. Allegedly had cash flow issues in January and needed to offload. (That assertion is based on rumour not first hand evidence.)

Their last accounts (up to June 2010) didn't look massively healthy.  Cash down on the previous year; loan interest payments of £5m a year.  Those results were before the Champions League money came in but also before taking account of them buying Van Der Vaart and Sandro.  So them struggling in January wouldn't surprise me.

They could really struggle this year without the Champions League cash - there's no parachute payment from the Champions League!  We could see them offloading their stars again like the year Berbatov went (although that turned out pretty well for them!).

[Villa'Zawg]

Spurs are not a wealthy club in comparison to the 'SKY 4' or Citeh. I  dont expect them to invest heavily. Allegedly had cash flow issues in January and needed to offload. (That assertion is based on rumour not first hand evidence.)

Their last accounts (up to June 2010) didn't look massively healthy.  Cash down on the previous year; loan interest payments of £5m a year.  Those results were before the Champions League money came in but also before taking account of them buying Van Der Vaart and Sandro.  So them struggling in January wouldn't surprise me.

They could really struggle this year without the Champions League cash - there's no parachute payment from the Champions League!  We could see them offloading their stars again like the year Berbatov went (although that turned out pretty well for them!).

It turned out pretty well for them because during the summer when they sold Keane (£20m) and Berbatov (£30m), they had signed Modric (£16.5m), Dos Santos (£5m), Gomes (£8m), Bentley (£15m), Pavyluchenko (£14m) and Corluka (£8.5m)
Then in January they signed Defoe (£15m), Palacios (£12m) and resigned Keane (£12m).

[London Villan]

Spurs are going to have a tough twelve months, no Champs League,  players leaving and Redknapp will more than likely leave for the England job next summer when Capello goes...

But we should be challenging for a European place and have a decent cup run every year. Not giving up when we have a tough away game.

[Pete3206]

Appointing a competent manager in the summer would be a good start.

[gervilla]

Appointing a competent manager in the summer would be a good start.

Good call.

[darren woolley]

I would have to say top 8 and a cup win or decent cup run we do need to improve the squad first I hope we can do that this summer if Randy gives us the money to do these things then I will be happy.