Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine

Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: pauliewalnuts on March 14, 2016, 10:13:20 PM

Title: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: pauliewalnuts on March 14, 2016, 10:13:20 PM
Have you stopped checking the table - specifically, the bottom of it - yet?

I have. I gave up about three weeks ago. It just seems futile, we're so doomed, and have been for a long time.

What about you?
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Fin Feds Dad on March 14, 2016, 10:14:48 PM
In January - same time as the board gave up.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: PaulWinch again on March 14, 2016, 10:15:35 PM
I stopped in Jan, just can't face it.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Toronto Villa on March 14, 2016, 10:17:01 PM
Oh it's over. I can't be arsed anymore and I am oddly looking forward to the day it is all confirmed. I can then watch football again without any real care. This is our fate, let's accept it, learn from it hopefully and come back stronger. We appear to making better decisions at board level. I am praying that translates towards our longer term strategy. But as for the table, don't care because we aren't even trying to get out of trouble.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: PeterWithesShin on March 14, 2016, 10:17:56 PM
We're gone. But I still look at the table now and again to see who is where.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Nelly on March 14, 2016, 10:22:06 PM
I couldn't stand to look at the table from very early on in the season. January's defeats and defeatist attitude ensured I didn't go out of my way to check again. I know we'd been close a few times but never thought I'd see Villa in this position - certain to be relegated.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Jimbo on March 14, 2016, 10:26:09 PM
I gave up when the club officially gave up at the end of January. More interested in what happens at the top now.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Whiney MacWhineface on March 14, 2016, 10:30:24 PM
I've developed a technique whereby I only see positions 19 and upwards to make sure Newcastle are still doing badly. I can't see who's in 20th, but I bet they're shit.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: DeKuip on March 14, 2016, 10:30:55 PM
League tables don't mean a thing until everyone's played each other twice, so I'll have a look at the end of the season.
Don't spoil it for me.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Lizz on March 14, 2016, 10:35:03 PM
I'm more interested in hoping Newcastle go down with us.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Ian. on March 14, 2016, 10:37:11 PM
Yes, probably a month ago. What a sorry state, I don't care who goes down and I don't care who wins the league or not. Not interested in who's coming up and until we know who is in charge next season the transfer thread seems pointless, not that I have a clue who anyone is in the lower leagues.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: curiousorange on March 14, 2016, 10:38:32 PM
I'm hoping we go down on a Saturday. That way, I can sleep in on the Sunday so I don't get woken up by it on a sports roundup, and it won't be on BBC Breakfast on the Monday. A brief word with a Villa supporting colleague about it and that'll be that.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: aj2k77 on March 14, 2016, 10:38:52 PM
Stopped after Liverpool, the gaps only going to get bigger and I can't bare seeing the terrible numbers next to our name it just gets me angry.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Villa in Denmark on March 14, 2016, 10:39:29 PM
I've voted "I've stopped" but that's not quite true.  I still check, but only to see who's going with us and hoping to see Newcastle stuck in 19th.  I checked on Sunday night for the first time in a few weeks and was surprised to see that it's essentially a 3 way fight between Newcastle, Sunderland and Norwich.

I can't decide if I want Norwich, just for being arsey about Hoolahan after Lambert or Sunderland on the basis that they've been as rank as we have for the last 5 years and deserve to go with us, destroying the Allardyce doesn't get relegated myth at the same time.

It goes without saying that relegating Newcastle on the penultimate weekend is about the only thing this season that might raise a smile.  And even that will be more because of the pent up fury it would engender in them that they couldn't take the piss.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: ez on March 14, 2016, 10:40:29 PM
A long time ago. I was surprised to learn we are  only 9 points adrift. Thought it would be about 20.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Steve67 on March 14, 2016, 10:43:57 PM
It's the hope that kills you, so yes, I've stopped checking.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: The Man With A Stick on March 14, 2016, 10:45:21 PM
I'm more interested in hoping Newcastle go down with us.

This.  Good god, I hope Sunderland trounce them at the weekend.

I think I stopped looking further up the table after the Norwich and Sunderland defeats.  That was when the game was up for me.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: kippaxvilla2 on March 14, 2016, 10:49:12 PM
I take a fleeting look when they bring it up.  Not out of hope more about confirming that we are in fact nine points from safety and only have 16 fcukin points.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Villafirst on March 14, 2016, 10:54:17 PM
Makes me wince to look at the table. Those useless arseholes in charge have ruined the club. Just sell up fast Lerner!
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: The Left Side on March 14, 2016, 10:54:26 PM
The Christmas period did it for me, just want to get to August now.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Bottom Right 89 on March 14, 2016, 11:07:36 PM
I convince myself its over but cant resist a peak at it most days thinking if we can just get a win v swansea, then newcastle sunderland draw and we beat chelsea and so on. We should be down already but the other 3 are still leaving the door open for a miracle comeback.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: django on March 14, 2016, 11:40:51 PM
The other teams are leaving the door open and any team with a bit of fight would have closed the gap. But it's fight we don't have.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: David_Nab on March 15, 2016, 12:08:14 AM
Stopped checking table and also try and avoid any football based conversations at work
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: joe_c on March 15, 2016, 12:14:39 AM
Counter intuitively I follow the results in the hope that whoever is 17th pulls away and brings it all to an end as soon as possible.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: frank on March 15, 2016, 12:27:35 AM
I always used to check the table on the train up to Birmingham, working out where we might be by the end of the weekend if we won and the others lost.
I haven't done that for weeks.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: OzVilla on March 15, 2016, 06:13:19 AM
I stopped too in January.  The clubs resignation from the PL meant I've really not bothered with them since then. I'll pick it up again when the club show some intent to compete, whatever division that's in. 
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: andyh on March 15, 2016, 07:26:24 AM
I stopped looking ages ago.
I have also stopped watching ANY football on telly, or anything to do with it.
Infact, I only realised last night that we are now at the FA Cup Semi final stage.
I was even more shocked to see who is left.

Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: martin o`who?? on March 15, 2016, 07:42:40 AM
Trying to avoid it, its the opposite of rubber-necking, complete denial.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Chico Hamilton III on March 15, 2016, 07:52:48 AM
I've been paying more attention to the Championship table since Christmas, looking at which clubs might leapfrog us. More depressingly, I've also been looking at the top teams in the "third" division who we're likely to be playing next season. Burton, Gillingham, Walsall, Millwall...
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Jimbo on March 15, 2016, 07:56:58 AM
I find that, now that we're not really a football club any more - rather a corporate refreshment facility with a big garden - I can watch the title race knowing that it has zero bearing on me.

In a way, I can thank Randy Lerner for freeing me of the pain I used to feel after a defeat, back when a defeat mattered. I'm completely inured to it now.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Taylor on March 15, 2016, 08:18:08 AM
The worst thing is that TV and radio pundets just now say "it's two out of three to go down". They don't even bother to mention us any more.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Ron Manager on March 15, 2016, 08:35:07 AM
I spend time checking Leicester's fixture list and the possibility of them winning the thing. I think they will come very close but fail right at the end.Spurs will probably do them in the 11min of injury time in the very last game.

For us the hope has gone. Unfortunately Randy Lerner has not.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: cdbearsfan on March 15, 2016, 08:50:12 AM
I haven't checked for ages. That said, if we did suddenly win the next two I wouldn't be able to help having a little peak at the table, just in case.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: MoetVillan on March 15, 2016, 09:02:19 AM
I thought we were down a couple of weeks before Christmas.  Last time I checked on points was when we last won, and then everyone was saying if we win three on the bounce we are back in it.  I even thought then that winning three on the bounce would still have us right in the shit.  As it turned out we never even got to dream.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Duncan Shaw on March 15, 2016, 09:03:28 AM
The other teams are leaving the door open and any team with a bit of fight would have closed the gap. But it's fight we don't have.

It's this for me - we've been "only" 8 then 9 points adrift for what 6-7 weeks, and a bit of fight would have seen us close that up at least a bit and got the others panicking even more.  I find that makes it even more frustrating.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: UK Redsox on March 15, 2016, 09:30:34 AM
The other teams are leaving the door open and any team with a bit of fight would have closed the gap. But it's fight we don't have.

It's this for me - we've been "only" 8 then 9 points adrift for what 6-7 weeks, and a bit of fight would have seen us close that up at least a bit and got the others panicking even more.  I find that makes it even more frustrating.

Considering how crap Villa have been, its incredible that the team is still only 9 points from safety.

Even being just slightly above dismal, would have seen Villa in with a chance of taking the possibility of survival into May
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: levico on March 15, 2016, 09:33:06 AM
I only check when we win, so..........
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: CJ on March 15, 2016, 09:35:18 AM
I occasionally check but just to see who's going to come down with us.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: ClaretAndBlueBlood on March 15, 2016, 09:39:09 AM
A long time ago. I was surprised to learn we are  only 9 points adrift. Thought it would be about 20.

that's the worst part, if we hadn't given up in January, we could have saved ourselves
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Bottom Right 89 on March 15, 2016, 10:04:30 AM
Anything other than a win on Saturday will convince me to stop checking. Based on previous seasons we will need 7 wins and a draw from the remaining 8 games - considering we have to play Man Utd and Arsenal away and Chelsea at home this would be an impossible dream even with Big Rons 92 team let alone Gardes Gremlins.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: wince on March 15, 2016, 10:05:39 AM
with 3 wins more we would be in a better place and likely to battle our way out. As other pointed out, the other teams in the mix have been shite and we have had more than ample oppurtunity to play ourselves out of this. But.....
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: garyshawsknee on March 15, 2016, 10:18:38 AM
I saw it the other day for the first time in weeks. Thought we were on 19 points.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Brend'Watkins on March 15, 2016, 10:24:07 AM
Should we win Saturday and the following Saturday (I know, I know) I will don my reading glasses and revert to feverish final games run in mode analysis.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Risso on March 15, 2016, 10:25:29 AM
No, haven't checked in weeks, and hate having to scroll right to the bleedin bottom. I've actually been keeping a closer eye on the Championship and League 1 to see who we'll be playing next season.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: fbriai on March 15, 2016, 10:27:11 AM
I stopped after the Liverpool debacle.

The writing was on the wall long before then, but that was the moment when I thought the game was finally up.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: SoccerHQ on March 15, 2016, 10:29:03 AM
Only checked the other day to actually see what game we'll be relegated in.

In a morbid sort of way I want to be there on that day. Am I right in saying if we lose to Swansea and Chelsea, a defeat to Bournemouth will confirm relegation?
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: PeterWithe on March 15, 2016, 10:31:38 AM
I thought we'd go after the Watford game, they were pretty ordinary and we made them look unbeatable.

I've pretty much given up on us this season, haven't used my ST for the Liverpool and Spurs games, at least next season may be a little more interesting.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Villan For Life on March 15, 2016, 10:34:04 AM
I stopped before Christmas.

Our season has killed my interest in all football which is a pity. I hope that Leicester manage to win the thing and that there is a half-decent European Championship to reignite my interest.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Phil from the upper holte on March 15, 2016, 10:58:38 AM
It's got to the stage now I barely even watch the games let alone check
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: themossman on March 15, 2016, 11:52:44 AM
I stopped in January with those back to back blanks. That was our last realistic chance to change course and it's been inevitable since then, whatever the mathematics of it have said.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: castlefields_villan on March 15, 2016, 01:00:23 PM
Come on guys  -  we can still get the magical 40 points !
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: kippaxvilla2 on March 15, 2016, 01:12:21 PM
People have stopped saying 'we have 12,11,10, 9 cup finals now.  It is merely, we have 8 football match fixtures to meet in order to comply with league requirements.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Des Little on March 15, 2016, 04:01:49 PM
It's OK, Westwood reckons we can stay up...

Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air on March 15, 2016, 04:08:27 PM
I check all the time. I use this. Why would I stop ?


(https://scotsfootycards.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/shoot-league-ladders-1980-81-1980-08-23.jpg)




 
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Pat McMahon on March 15, 2016, 04:11:15 PM
I barely look at either end of the table, but have a loose notion of who is where.

I think we will do well to reach 20 points. A few weeks ago some people were estimating 30-32 and saying it was a shame we chose this season to be so shit as the quality elsewhere is very poor too, but that seems like hallucinogenic thinking now.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Chico Hamilton III on March 15, 2016, 04:12:03 PM
I check all the time. I use this. Why would I stop ?


(https://scotsfootycards.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/shoot-league-ladders-1980-81-1980-08-23.jpg)




 
Paul Mariner, Gordon McQueen and.....Ashley Grimes?
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: castlefields_villan on March 15, 2016, 04:49:07 PM
Yes - that looks like the wonderful Paul Mariner - how many England caps would Peter Withe have got had he not been around and playing in a "blue eyed team" ?
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: four fornicholl on March 15, 2016, 05:26:01 PM
Somebody asked me the other day how many points we had, I wasn't 100% certain :-[
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: West Derby Villan on March 15, 2016, 05:37:42 PM
Don't bother checking on us, but I do check who gonna keep us company next season
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: Rudy Can't Fail on March 15, 2016, 07:43:48 PM
I'm more interested in hoping Newcastle go down with us.

Same here but I've only now just seen their result from last night.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: myf on March 15, 2016, 08:15:32 PM
Only checked the other day to actually see what game we'll be relegated in.

In a morbid sort of way I want to be there on that day. Am I right in saying if we lose to Swansea and Chelsea, a defeat to Bournemouth will confirm relegation?

my guess is it will be at the theatre of nightmares. Sad to think we almost beat them to the league in the first prem season and now we're destined for the second tier
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: dcdavecollett on March 16, 2016, 05:56:36 PM
I only check the table when we have won points in our latest game.

So not for a while, then...
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: class-of-82 on March 16, 2016, 06:00:52 PM
Was at a mates 50th bday party Saturday night and a chelski fan told me that if results go against us they can send us down at vp.
Took great delight in asking him why do you play in the borough of Fulham but are called Chelsea ??
He couldn't answer me
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: clash city rocker on March 16, 2016, 06:06:35 PM
January last time I checked
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: cheltenhamlion on March 16, 2016, 06:11:22 PM
I last looked at the table the night before the Valentine's day massacre v Liverpool. I havent watched football since let alone look at the table.

The honourable exemption being GM/Vanarama/Southern League/National League/Conference highlights.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: peter w on March 16, 2016, 10:28:47 PM
Don't look at the table for any signs of hope, but looked at it recently just to see how everyone else is doing.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: VancouverLion on March 17, 2016, 04:19:11 AM
I look now and again can't help it, I'm always astonished the gap isn't bigger. I then allow myself to daydream for a sec.......3 wins just 3 wins and we could be out of it.
Then I give my head a shake and move on to something else.

I was surprised to see Bournemouth on 38 pts, fair play to Eddie Howe for doing a superb job.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: DrGonzo on March 17, 2016, 12:05:47 PM
Not only do I not look at the table, I don't think I have posted on here in several months.  It's a pity as this is one of my favourite websites, I will still trawl the off topic but discussion is like a car crash you have to keep driving past, the horror.  Here's to happier times past and hopefully still to come.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: joe_c on March 17, 2016, 12:27:59 PM
Was at a mates 50th bday party Saturday night and a chelski fan told me that if results go against us they can send us down at vp.
Took great delight in asking him why do you play in the borough of Fulham but are called Chelsea ??
He couldn't answer me

Take great delight in telling him there is no way they can send us down that day barring a points deduction in the next two weeks.
Title: Re: Have you stopped checking?
Post by: tomd2103 on March 17, 2016, 01:07:55 PM
No point checking if we lose. 
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