Pressing on and on and on and on and on and on

[Villa Lew]

Stole the title from Ipswich ?
You are Alan Brazil and I claim my £5 ! 

Not that he bears any grudges, but Alan Brazil claims that about 3 times a week on TS.

The winning run of SGT team in 1990 lasted for 7 matches, which must be one of the longest winning runs in our history, in the top flight.

[mike]

Je suis Daz.

Ich bin ein Dazer

[eamonn]

Interesting reference points in the article but Dave, you were uber-confident on the pre-match thread.

That doesn't stop other people from thinking differently. I've always said that our biggest problem is that too many of us think the good times won't last and we don't really belong on the big stage.

Guilty. Despite what I saw in ‘81, I was convinced we’d blow it. Despite claiming not to be superstitious, Saturday’s result reminds me of the Bolton game that we won in similarly inauspicious  circumstances and we blew it under Gregory.

Results, and what logic applies to football, point upwards, but...maybe there was something in the water supply growing up...

Woofles, you've mentioned a Bolton game under Gregory a couple of times now. Which season/game? Our barnstorming calendar year 1998 under JG was washed away by being knocked out of the FA Cup at home to Fulham in Jan'99 (I think Collymore went awol that day) so maybe you're on about 2001/02 when we also started well (although I think the game where we were abruptly halted was a 3-0 reverse at Newcastle).

[wittonwarrior]

For me its simple, we either win automatic promotion or we will lose out in the play-offs, that is simply a Villa thing. 

We have the best squad in the championship and experience/internationals etc, but we all know we can't finish anything  off easily.  Actually surpises me we even managed  to reach two FA cup finals in my lifetime. 

We need that 12 month piece of luck  we had between 1981-1982 thats for sure. 

[Simon Page]

Villa fans - including me - definitely have pessimism down to an art. But I stood on the North Bank for Arsenal's last two home games of the 88/9 season; 2-1 loss to a Dean Saunders inspired Derby followed by a 2-2 with Wimbledon. After the Derby game every Gooner was certain they'd blown it. It's a healthy football thing everywhere outside Old Trafford and White Hart Lane.

[Woofles The Wonder Dog]

Interesting reference points in the article but Dave, you were uber-confident on the pre-match thread.

That doesn't stop other people from thinking differently. I've always said that our biggest problem is that too many of us think the good times won't last and we don't really belong on the big stage.

Guilty. Despite what I saw in ‘81, I was convinced we’d blow it. Despite claiming not to be superstitious, Saturday’s result reminds me of the Bolton game that we won in similarly inauspicious  circumstances and we blew it under Gregory.

Results, and what logic applies to football, point upwards, but...maybe there was something in the water supply growing up...

Woofles, you've mentioned a Bolton game under Gregory a couple of times now. Which season/game? Our barnstorming calendar year 1998 under JG was washed away by being knocked out of the FA Cup at home to Fulham in Jan'99 (I think Collymore went awol that day) so maybe you're on about 2001/02 when we also started well (although I think the game where we were abruptly halted was a 3-0 reverse at Newcastle).

Yes 2001. We beat Bolton 3-2 after leading 3-1, and nearly drew it late on. It looked like the team lost its nerve a bit that day, and we started to slither away. We were top that day having lost just once in 10 games. Two months later were were 8th having won just once more.

[sickbeggar]

Great run but are we gonna be unbeaten to the end of season? I'd say that was very unlikely. Is it just a purple patch at the moment or has the team really found its footing? Well it would be brave man who'd bet we had on the burton game - first team i've seen us play who are deffo going down imo. 18 points out of 18 is pretty impressive but we're still only 3rd incredibly. Between us, cardiff and derby now and it only takes a small drop in form by us or an improvement by them and the pendulum swings the other way. I don't really think the lack of confidence is down to people suffering from the villa psyche of expecting things to turn to shite - its just that anyone who seen this league this season and last realises there's very little difference between a lot of teams and its gonna be very very tight.

[Axl Rose]

Interesting reference points in the article but Dave, you were uber-confident on the pre-match thread.

That doesn't stop other people from thinking differently. I've always said that our biggest problem is that too many of us think the good times won't last and we don't really belong on the big stage.

Guilty. Despite what I saw in ‘81, I was convinced we’d blow it. Despite claiming not to be superstitious, Saturday’s result reminds me of the Bolton game that we won in similarly inauspicious  circumstances and we blew it under Gregory.

Results, and what logic applies to football, point upwards, but...maybe there was something in the water supply growing up...

Woofles, you've mentioned a Bolton game under Gregory a couple of times now. Which season/game? Our barnstorming calendar year 1998 under JG was washed away by being knocked out of the FA Cup at home to Fulham in Jan'99 (I think Collymore went awol that day) so maybe you're on about 2001/02 when we also started well (although I think the game where we were abruptly halted was a 3-0 reverse at Newcastle).

Yes 2001. We beat Bolton 3-2 after leading 3-1, and nearly drew it late on. It looked like the team lost its nerve a bit that day, and we started to slither away. We were top that day having lost just once in 10 games. Two months later were were 8th having won just once more.

I remember being at that match. Didn't Michael Ricketts score after about a minute? I remember just getting to our seats as they scored.

I've had to have a look.

Here's a match report. Merson, Ginola and Dublin on the bench.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/1620555.stm

[not3bad]

Very good and I must admit I've felt the anxiety described in the article. This is Villa after all. Next up is Blues though and if Steve Bruce can do anything he should know how to motivate them for that one.

BTW there is a typo in the 2nd to last paragraph, 2nd sentence.

[not3bad]

Je suis Daz.

Ich bin ein Dazer

¡Yo soy el D grande!

[Bad English]

Je suis Daz.

Ich bin ein Dazer

¡Yo soy el D grande!

Jo sóc aquell que em dic Daz.