3 points

[eastie]

I will start to worry only if we lose the next three.

[robbo1874]

On current form, we'll likely beat Utd and lose to Fulham. I'd take that.

Knowing villa though, it will be a spanking at old Trafford and an obliging rollover to let a bottom 3 club have a glimmer of hope!

This inconsistency is almost worse than just being shit in a way and I can well understand why so many are frustrated With the manager and the players. At least when you're shit you know you're shit and are resigned to the fact. Villa at the moment give you hope some weeks beating decent sides or competing with them, then just go to shit in the next game.

[Des Little]

Surely if we just need 3 points to be 'theoretically' safe, we still require a massive range of freakish results to be relegated from this point, given the number of clubs in the mix and the fact that a lot of them are playing each other?  If I was any good at maths (which I'm not), I'd like to work out the permutation of results that would be needed for us to go down...I'd expect the odds to be fairly lengthy?

[Michel Sibble]

37 is the average number of points to be safe (according to the Mirror).

Is just a matter of either jogging across the line comfortably, or crawling backwards with both hands tied to the back (whilst missing a leg).

[Somniloquism]

We will lose to Manure as they are the only top club still currently playing with two wingers so the Fullbacks up against Young and Evra one side and Valencia/Janusaj and Fabio the other will be swamped.

[Villafirst]

We will lose to Manure as they are the only top club still currently playing with two wingers so the Fullbacks up against Young and Evra one side and Valencia/Janusaj and Fabio the other will be swamped.

Man Utd play Bayern Munich on the Tuesday after our match next Saturday; surely they will rest some players? Mind you, their second string is much better than our strongest team, so, as usual, we'll roll over for them. RVP is also out as well....

[London Villan]

We will get another 3-6 points before the end of the season. Even then I'd be surprised if three of the teams below will do enough to overtake us. with even our current points tally...

[nodge]

Still 33-1 to go down so I would imagine it would take a freak set of results like losing 9 in a row.  Has Lambert broke that record yet? I can't remember there's been that many.

[ozzjim]

I think we'll be safe with a minimum 37 points but that's not the point. No Villa team should ever be happy with just surviving in the PL. Show a bit of pride in the club, Lerner and open your bloody wallet in the summer!

Wow. Lerner really has struggled with that hasn't he over the years.

[Rigadon]

I think we'll be safe with a minimum 37 points but that's not the point. No Villa team should ever be happy with just surviving in the PL. Show a bit of pride in the club, Lerner and open your bloody wallet in the summer!

Wow. Lerner really has struggled with that hasn't he over the years.

Indeed,  however the fact remains we need quality additions this summer regardless of who is spending the money.  So, SH's point is valid I think.

[Damo70]

I can see us finishing higher than last season but the points total won't be much more.

I totally agree. We finished fifteenth with 41 last season. That total may well be good enough for as high as eleventh this year. A small improvement on that would quite possibly be good enough for a top ten finish.

[LeeS]

On a related note, I hate the constant reference to 40 points that always starts at the beginning of every season. Even managers, who should know better, spout about the "magic 40 points". Just another thing that pisses me off about football these days.

[Brend'Watkins]

It's always been 40 points as the benchmark for safety.  I think 35 will see safety this season.

[eastie]

It's always been 40 points as the benchmark for safety.  I think 35 will see safety this season.

Possibly but I'd like another win to be sure.

[Ad@m]

On a related note, I hate the constant reference to 40 points that always starts at the beginning of every season. Even managers, who should know better, spout about the "magic 40 points". Just another thing that pisses me off about football these days.

The last time a team got relegated on 40 or above was 2003 when West Ham went down on 42.  In the vast majority of seasons since then 37 has been enough to stay up.