Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: villa for life on February 01, 2011, 05:22:24 AM
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So Houllier has had his first transfer window and been very busy. He's been backed by Randy and spent some serious cash. What should be our minimum expectations from him and the team for the rest of the season?
Having spent so much, will merely keeping us up be seen as a successful end to the season or does Houllier have to do more than that?
If we finish in the bottom six, will he still be under pressure in the summer?
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I think it's pretty fair to judge him on the results from here, with autumn 2010 seen as a preseason.
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I think he's made some excellent signings and also cut away lots of the deadwood. Signs are there that we are trying to play a more cultured and intelligent style of football under Ged but I still think the rest of this season is more about ensuring survival than anything else. It's not beyond the realms of reason to think that we might take the momentum we've gained from 3 successive victories forward and have a barnstorming end to this season but I would hate to think that a couple of defeats would start up the 'sacked in the morning ' brigade.
Personally, I feel more optimistic about the future than I have since the middle of MON's first season
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I think we need to be looking at a top half finish as a minimum now. I don't think we can quite write off the possibility of a top 6 finish though.
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Success - Top 8
Ticking along nicely in a transitional season - 9-14
Disappointing - 15th or below
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Was going to say a good FA cup run - but that got a little harder with Citeh away - although there may be a twist to that match
I feel once the shitbags are out of the way tonight our current form (is it 4 wins and 2 draws in the last 6?) is pretty good and with some very good work in the window i think we can really put a good run together and get 6th - 8th - a bit similar to the Gregory era.
I think the players believe that as well - the confidence is certainly back - especially as the main dissenters are gone (carew / Ireland) and that senior players like Petrov / Dunne are back on board
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Anything less than 8th will be disappointing. Anthing higher than 7th will be fantastic.
What are the odds on our last home game of the season against Liverpool deciding 6th and 7th place? Whatever our final position, the rest of the season should prove to be very interesting.
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Anything less than 8th will be disappointing. Anthing higher than 7th will be fantastic.
What are the odds on our last home game of the season against Liverpool deciding 6th and 7th place? Whatever our final position, the rest of the season should prove to be very interesting.
That's how I see it, we've got to set our sights as high as possible. We've got a strong squad now and a bit of momentum and should be going into the rest of the season with real confidence.
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I'll be reasonably happy with top 10. Hopefully putting in some decent performances that will give us much optimism for next season.
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Success - Top 8
Doing ok, push on next year - 9-11
Disappointing - 11-14
Houllier out - 15-20
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Success - Top 8 and QF of the cup at least
Disappointing - 14th and below
Expected - 11th and out of the cup in the 5th round.
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Top 8 under the circumstances would be extremely good, 9th to 12 ok in a transition season and anything from 13 to 15 disappointing , below that I don't think we need to even think about!
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do you know....I'm just going to enjoy watching the Villa and where we end up will not really bother me.
UTV
The Doc
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As long as we are well clear of relegation. I hope that if we hit the 40 points by mid late march, the fonz gets a run of games. Also hope that Gardner gets a few games
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We're currently 10 points off 5th (Sppppurrrrs) and of all the clubs between us only Liverpool and Sunderland have been significantly active in the transfer window. I believe we should be able to make up much of that gap, given focus and a renewed club spirit.
Somewhere between 5th and 7th is a distinct possibility, all things being equal, on the upside.
FA Cup? - the next round is not a home banker; just tough. Maybe there's some joy in the FA Cup.
Anything less than 10th will be disappointing but I don't think Hou will be leaving us unless we fall into the trapdoor or he decides to walk.
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I think we will play well, but I fear we are going to have at least a couple of stinkers. 10th would be ok, anything better than that a success.
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I wouldn't view in terms of league position - we pretty much abandoned that when MON walked and accepted this as a 'transitional season'. However what I do think is important is our points to game ratio from now on as Gezza has everyone important fit and some of his own players in.
In the last three seasons we finished 6th with 60, 62 and then 64 points, so an average of 62 points, which is 1.63 points per game. That over the remaining 14 games is 23 points, as were sitting on 28 right now my 'target' would be 51 points and I'm less fussed where that sits us in May 2011 as I am that it wouyld show we're back on track and looking good for 2011/2012.
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If we can get a top 10 finnish i would say that would represent a success especially with the start we have had we have got winnable games coming up so i can't see why we shouldn't get top ten.
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After the awful start I've written the season off as "transitional".
The squad in general are only now starting to get used to Hotlips' tactics and formations, the new signings will need time to gel.
We'll be safely mid-table and that will do.
Next season could be a cracker though.
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John M: I wouldn't view in terms of league position - we pretty much abandoned that when MON walked and accepted this as a 'transitional season'. However what I do think is important is our points to game ratio from now on as Gezza has everyone important fit and some of his own players in.In the last three seasons we finished 6th with 60, 62 and then 64 points, so an average of 62 points, which is 1.63 points per game. That over the remaining 14 games is 23 points, as were sitting on 28 right now my 'target' would be 51 points and I'm less fussed where that sits us in May 2011 as I am that it wouyld show we're back on track and looking good for 2011/2012.
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This. It is now all about results, not where we finish.
We need to become effective at accumulating points and avoiding defeat again.
A cup final would of course put a completely different perspective on the season.
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Shouldn't we just concentrate on climbing up the table?
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Given that I and many more fans thought we were doomed to relegation once it was clear that GH was staying anything other than that is a huge bonus.
Great if we get into the top 8-10 but staying up is everything in a transition season.
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Shouldn't we just concentrate on climbing up the table?
Ideally, yes. There does need to be some groundwork done to get us playing the way GH wants us playing for next season, so I would factor that in to our remaining games. That's not to say we can't try and pick up maximum points as there are plenty of games between now and May where we really should pick up all 3 points.
My only fear is GH will rotate too much. 7th place should be good enough to get us back into Europe and that's what we should be aiming for.
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The other thing to consider is that where and how we finish this season can have a bearing on the type of player we can attract in the summer.
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The other thing to consider is that where and how we finish this season can have a bearing on the type of player we can attract in the summer.
I think that as long as we make the top half of the table, the `narrative' (hate that word) is a club improving after Gerard Houllier, wonder-coach, began to work his Gallic magic on a crapped-out squad.
That is enough to tempt an ambitious player. He's done the hard bit, after all - persuading Bent and Makoun to come to a club that everyone said was finished.
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I struggle to see how we could possibly play and be as bad as we were until recently.
I think we'll do well, I think we'll perhaps now finish in the top 10 and finishing in the top 7 is still realistic.
The most important thing is to take it game-by-game, not getting to ahead of ourselves. We're still not out of the woods yet.
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The other thing to consider is that where and how we finish this season can have a bearing on the type of player we can attract in the summer.
I used to think that right up until we signed a £24m striker while in the bottom three.
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The most important thing is to take it game-by-game, not getting to ahead of ourselves. We're still not out of the woods yet.
Yep. Exactly how I would take each game. Tonights performance will be as important as the result.
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The other thing to consider is that where and how we finish this season can have a bearing on the type of player we can attract in the summer.
I used to think that right up until we signed a £24m striker while in the bottom three.
I take the point but I don't want that to be the limit of our ambitions.
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If we can keep up a head of steam in this revival - I think we'll lose tonight, but that shouldn't throw us off track so long as it isn't a dispiriting spanking - then I suspect we'll finish about 10th.
The thing I'd like us to do over the remainder of the season is accelerate as much as we can the process of getting us playing the way the manager wants us to, so that we can hit the ground running next season, having had his methods and his players bed in this season.
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The other thing to consider is that where and how we finish this season can have a bearing on the type of player we can attract in the summer.
I used to think that right up until we signed a £24m striker while in the bottom three.
I take the point but I don't want that to be the limit of our ambitions.
Don't get me wrong - I generally agree with you and think the higher up you finish the better you look to perspective signings. However, when you see a player like Bent come from the 6th placed club to one in the relegation zone, I think it shows that if the club can do a good enough job of selling itself and where it's going, then that can be more important than actual league position.
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The other thing to consider is that where and how we finish this season can have a bearing on the type of player we can attract in the summer.
I used to think that right up until we signed a £24m striker while in the bottom three.
I take the point but I don't want that to be the limit of our ambitions.
Don't get me wrong - I generally agree with you and think the higher up you finish the better you look to perspective signings. However, when you see a player like Bent come from the 6th placed club to one in the relegation zone, I think it shows that if the club can do a good enough job of selling itself and where it's going, then that can be more important than actual league position.
Not forgetting offering the player a gigantic pay rise.
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Agreed paulie, let's finish the season as best we can and be ready for an exciting season next year. I think we can and will finish 8th, but 10th would be ok.
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Given that I and many more fans thought we were doomed to relegation once it was clear that GH was staying....
Blah blah.
Anywhere inside the top 10 and I'll be happy, but as has been said I think style over substance. It'd be nice to get to Wembley again. 50+ points and some good performances, a shedful of goals from DB and a chance to stick it up the Houllier nay-sayers. I think we have a good bloke, I like the way he conducts himself and I am very impressed with his handling of the squad.
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Not forgetting offering the player a gigantic pay rise.
I think he went from £60,000 a week to £80,000 a week. £1m a year is not to be sniffed at, but as someone pointed out at the time he lost money by handing in a transfer request. I've moved jobs in the past for reasons other than money, but at the same time negotiated myself a payrise as I know I could so why not, but would have taken it for the same money. I may be being naive here, but I think something similar happened with Bent as otherwise I think he'd be on more than £80 a week.
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A top half finish will do me with a blend of youth and experience, we have whittled away a lot of the deadwood and when Beye, Warnock and Pires go in the summer we will be able to bring in a few new faces (goalkeeper, left back) and then Gardiner and a few other younger players. Up the Villa!
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i would be happy with a top half finish...
getting the players used to the prem, giving some youngsters some more game time, and then resetting ourselves for what i think will be an interesting and exciting summer transfer window!
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Not forgetting offering the player a gigantic pay rise.
I think he went from £60,000 a week to £80,000 a week. £1m a year is not to be sniffed at, but as someone pointed out at the time he lost money by handing in a transfer request. I've moved jobs in the past for reasons other than money, but at the same time negotiated myself a payrise as I know I could so why not, but would have taken it for the same money. I may be being naive here, but I think something similar happened with Bent as otherwise I think he'd be on more than £80 a week.
The figures I saw suggest he was on nothing like 60k at Sunderland, but the point i was making was that it's naive to suggest that our willingness to pay him significantly more than he was earning previously didn't have a lot to do with it.
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The other thing to consider is that where and how we finish this season can have a bearing on the type of player we can attract in the summer.
I used to think that right up until we signed a £24m striker while in the bottom three.
I take the point but I don't want that to be the limit of our ambitions.
Don't get me wrong - I generally agree with you and think the higher up you finish the better you look to perspective signings. However, when you see a player like Bent come from the 6th placed club to one in the relegation zone, I think it shows that if the club can do a good enough job of selling itself and where it's going, then that can be more important than actual league position.
Bent said as much when signing that he knew we were in a false position when he signed, the fact we have finished 6th for the last 3 seasons shows where we should be, and where other people see us, as a top 6 club. That will indeed have an influence on what players we can and will attract, Bent joined us because he knows we can finish top 6, or better, otherwise he wouldn't have joined.
Personally i think a top 6 place is what we should be aiming for, but i think we will finish top 10.
6th to 8th = success
8th to 11th = OK
11th to 17th = relative failure
any lower = implosion
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Top half would be great considering how things were looking at Man City away.
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Having to move our Arsenal game from May 14th because we're in the cup final.
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For me, a reinstated feeling of belief will be success. In the last few seasons, I had belief that every game we approached we could win. Didnt fear anyone. I lost that this season at several points. It looks like its coming back, but its not quite there yet for me.
For me, top ten is a must for pride, but the way we achieve it is more important to me.
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After all the madness of the summer,i thought if we could finish mid table and blood some youngsters,in a season of transistion,then that wouldnt be too bad.
Now we have 3 youngsters who can be the future of the club,the playing style is changing and improving,and some good signings for next season. I think its how our performances improve towards the end of the season which is important,so i dont think 10-12th would be too bad.
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Optimistic: Win the FA Cup and finish 6th
Realistic: Finish top half and beat Shitty in the 5th round and progress as far as we can.
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If I could go to any game with the expectation that I should see an enjoyable, competitive game which Villa would have realistic hopes of winning, I should deem that a success.
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Success : 6th -7th
Failure :10th downwards.
Still think Europe is achievable. We are building confidence and with these new additions, have much more options to see off teams we normally lose ot draw with ......
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top ten will surely be what we're looking at now but hopefully better than that and maybe top 7. would be excellent considering the turmoil at the start of the season and being in the drop zone around christmas.
not feeling so optimistic about the fa cup. i'm desperate to see us win something..
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The other thing to consider is that where and how we finish this season can have a bearing on the type of player we can attract in the summer.
We picked up some pretty decent players whilst in a relegation battle.
It's how Hotlips and Randy sell the club and the coming season that matters.
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Top 10 would be nice but I'd except a decent bit of football to be played too. Also it would be nice to have a pretty rockin' March to break the monotony of seasons past.
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I think we can reach somewhere between 7th and 9th in the league and hopefully a good FA Cup run. It is not impossible to sneak in UEFA Cup for next season. But we have to keep winning run going.
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I'd be really disappointed if we finished in the bottom half now, with our run in.
So decent finishing 8th, 9th or 10th.
Really good would be finishing 6th or 7th and miraculously qualifying for europe.
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Not really fussed where we finish as long as we stay up i've already wrote this season off a long time ago.
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In my view, a successful end to this season would be a top ten finish. Considering where we were at Christmas anything from 10th on would be a success.We might be jumping the gun a bit to be aiming higher. We have improved in the transfer window and results have bimproved. However, I'm sure it'll take time to bed in all the new players and to figure out what our best eleven is.
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A minimum 50 ( plus or minus 5 ) points. Villa have 28 points now and there remains another 39 points to play for.
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Top 10 will be decent enough, this run of games we have we really need to pick up lots of points.