How depressing has it all become?

[chippy]

Hi there, I don't post here much but I'm just getting so down about the whole club over the past few years. My thoughts are all of the place at the moment so do bare with me on this.

Does anyone here look forward to the weekends anymore? I certainly don't, in fact, I didn't even want this season to begin because I knew it would be like this. Where do I even start?

Well do begin with, everything was looking up a few years ago with MON in charge. Some people didn't like his style of play, which I don't understand because if your team is scoring and winning how the hell can anyone complain? But we were finishing just outside the top four and we got to a cup final!
We did have one of the best midfield in the league, Barry, Milner, Petrov, Downing and Young! The defence was pretty strong at the back as well with Laursen. None of these players are here anymore (Well Petrov has cancer sadly and won't be coming back).

The squad now is shocking! The goalkeepers and strikers are alright but the defence and midfield is one of the worst in the league.
Vlaar, Dunne and Clark are half decent CB's but the full backs are terrible. Unproven kids to be honest, just there to make up the numbers.
Then we come onto the midfield, Ireland and N'Zogbia aren't even half the players they were since joining. Albrighton looks a good prospect but needs to be played more. I don't know what to make on El Ahmadi yet, but I'm not building my hopes up. The rest are unproven kids once again and are there just to make up the numbers. Sorry to sound harsh on Delph, Bannan, Gardner and herd but they just don't have the quality.

Now moving onto the way we play. It's become pathetic to be honest. The lack of quality is so embarrassing. We are forever on the back foot and seem to be the underdog who ever we play in the Premier league. We can't create hardly any chances and then we don't take them. We never look like scoring more than a goal per match if that! If we go 1-0 down we might as well stop watching because we never come back and win. I don't point any blame at Paul Lambert because we've been playing the same for three seasons now so it's the players fault. Randy Lerner didn't give him hardly any money so he was then forced to buy cheap youngsters from lower divisions.

It's been a relegation battle now for the past two seasons and I don't think it's going to be third time lucky I'm afraid. Now I hear that Bent might be on his way out. If he leaves we might as well accept that we're down. Lets remember when we signed him in the January window last year. We were in a relegation battle and he joined halfway through the season, became our top scorer and we ended up finishing 9th somehow.

So to sum it all up. Randy Lerner needs to hand over at least £30M in January for proven quality midfielders and full backs or else. We can't sell anyone in January, if so we're down. The players need to sort themselves out and start taking responsibility.

Aston Villa - Prepared (for the Championship)

[Witton Warrior]

I have looked forward to every match since 1974 - "we're going up the Villa" has been a stock phrase in our family for generations.
The style of football on offer sometimes depresses me but I would still go even if I knew it was going to be a defeat beforehand (and there have been times we knew that haven't there?)

I'm taking two friends up this Saturday for their first games since God was a lad and we are buzzing already.

[greenwichvilla]

Not that I want to diss you or anything, but I would like to see someone attempt to come up with a solution where the arguent doesn't end with the sentence "Randy needs to spend XX in Janurary"

Obviously, the days of "Let's throw a load of shit at a wall and see what sticks" are gone. And even under O'Neill, the signing policy was still somewhat flawed. For every Ashley Young we also got Mustapha Salifou.

Randy and his cronies said they wanted a "young, vibrant manager" to take over. This they gave us, something which was obviously in mind following the alleged pursuit of Ole Gunnar Solksjaer. Lambert can only work with what he has, which is not what you would consider one of the three worst squads in the Premier League. Benteke will come good, and in a year or so we'll get £15 million for him to go and sit on someone a bit more fashionable's bench. To me, the only worrying thing is this alleged rift between Lambert and Bent.

Exciting as it was, the O'Neill era did have the feeling of a Rollercoaster which was only minute away from catching fire. Things might not be quite right on the pitch at the moment, but things do feel more stable than five years ago.

[arnie66]

I'd look forward to going to watch Villa even if we were in the Conference....its a massive part of my life and family history.  Good memories and heartbreaking ones.....and I'm sure more of both to come.

Wouldn't swap it for anything.

[eastie]

Many of us myself included were critical of mon in the last year or so of his reign as we frustrated too many times and should have cracked the top 4 at the time - bent rather than heskey would have done it in my view.

But since his departure we have slipped alarmingly , similar to the way we did in the mid 80s when we gradually fell away and ended up relegated.

For all his faults how I would love to be back where we were under mon in the top 6 and with quality players . Very much a case of be careful what you wish for , I guess.

[l_mckay]

Still love going to watch villa even though we have been really poor of late,hopefully if we can just stay up this season and get better over the next few seasons with our young players and a few good signings the good times won't be too far away

[TonyD]

Last season was depressing.  This season is frustrating.

[Stu]

It's not great at the moment, and I can understand people feeling like they've been led up the garden path by the board with 'proud history, bright future'. However, watching the game yesterday and hearing the Villa support made me realise that there is really only one place I want to be on a Saturday afternoon, and it isn't sat here reading about Icelandic sagas, believe me.

I'm getting a season ticket next year and I don't give a fuck what league we're in.

[silhillvilla]

 I decided to watch the Championship show last night after MOTD. Just to try and acclimatise.

[kipeye]

It's not great at the moment, and I can understand people feeling like they've been led up the garden path by the board with 'proud history, bright future'. However, watching the game yesterday and hearing the Villa support made me realise that there is really only one place I want to be on a Saturday afternoon, and it isn't sat here reading about Icelandic sagas, believe me.

I'm getting a season ticket next year and I don't give a fuck what league we're in.

I'm with Stu on this. It may not be a great team at the moment but I would rather watch this set-up than most teams for the last 4 years at least. There was a short window when MON seemed to revive my enthusiasm but since the days of JG i have been indifferent at most.
Currently I would watch them whatever division they are in. It is a little hard to explain I guess but I think it is mostly due to the lack of Prima-Donnas and carthorses taking the piss.

[silhillvilla]

I'd still go and watch even if we slipped into the isthmian ryman Northern Div 2.

[myf]

its got to the stage for me where i enjoy weekends when we don't play.

id still have ST if i could afford it as going to the game is a day out with a few beers, but I've had no enjoyment listening watching games over the past 3 years. most weekends are ruined by our results.

when was the last time we won 2 games on the bounce?

[Shrek]

I've stopped reading after your love-in with MON, he has ruined our club by wasting millions and setting our club back years.

It was a quick climb with a quick decline, now we have to try steady the ship and survive and start again.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

I find moaning when we are continually rubbish quite therapeutic.
It takes my mind off the depressing state of the rest of my life, rising prices at the supermarket, fuel prices spiralling, and the general shit you get from nearly everybody you come into contact with the rest of the time.

Up the Villa !

[Lambert and Payne]

Last season was depressing.  This season is frustrating.

This, were coming together as a team and lack a bit of creativity and I'm excited for the likes of Clark, Baker, Lowton, Bennett and Guzan, their career is only just beginning and if we can keep hold of them for 2 years then we could have a solid defence

We lack a bit of width too