Over the Press-ipice

[Malandro]

"We’d not got the worst goal difference in the league any longer."

That's an awful sentence, even by your standards.

Strange man.

[frank]

Yet again your article makes depressing reading, but I agree with all you say about the awfulness of our performance  and the hopelessness of our position. The comparison with Southampton 1987 is appropriate. I'm also beginning to share your doubts about Garde. What you haven't mentioned is that incredible surge of support at the end, when the booing of the players and the abuse of Lerner stopped and the Holte clapped and chanted non-stop for 10 minutes. It wasn't quite spine-tingling, because the match was anything but a spine-tingling experience, but it was as impressive as it was surprising. The applause obviously wasn't for the players on the pitch and certainly not for the board, but it showed to me that thousands still believe in Aston Villa, come what may. They will still be there when Lerner and the rest are history.

[TopDeck113]

I know it didn't end in relegation, but I actually think much of 85/86 was worse than the following season in terms of the "football" dished up.

[Damo70]

Yesterday reminded me of Charlton 1987. That was the Easter Monday I knew we were down. I didn't expect that nearly thirty years later I would know we were down by Valentines Day.

[rob_bridge]

Yep any lingering flickering embers were extinguished.

Looking at it Bent kept us up under Houllier and McLeish and Benteke kept us up under Lambert and Sherwood with Gabby chipping in some important goals too.
We have no-one anywhere near their standard up front.

Oh and we had a good goalkeeper as well up until the end of 2014.

[SamTheMouse]

Sums up nicely what most of us are thinking, as ever. Particularly agree about Garde perhaps being the right man at the wrong time. I thought that when he was appointed. A good coach, but one who had never really been tested in this kind of adversity, and had already left his previous job of his own free will because he felt something wasn't quite right. It's so frustrating. Even when the powers that be do make a decent call, their timing is bloody awful.

Ideally, you'd want to see him given the chance of a fresh start and the opportunity to build his own side. I think he could do good things. But I do fear spending six months at the helm of a total shitstorm will take its toll on him and he'll just walk away.

[darren woolley]

I have to agree with you Dave.

[LeeB]

Sums up nicely what most of us are thinking, as ever. Particularly agree about Garde perhaps being the right man at the wrong time. I thought that when he was appointed. A good coach, but one who had never really been tested in this kind of adversity, and had already left his previous job of his own free will because he felt something wasn't quite right. It's so frustrating. Even when the powers that be do make a decent call, their timing is bloody awful.

Ideally, you'd want to see him given the chance of a fresh start and the opportunity to build his own side. I think he could do good things. But I do fear spending six months at the helm of a total shitstorm will take its toll on him and he'll just walk away.

I said this back at the start of his reign, and it's most likely what will happen.

A shame though, because having lived through exactly how fucking useless this squad is, he's best placed to sort it out given proper backing.

[mrfuse]

As usual you have put my thoughts down in a way that I cannot convey so aptly.

The only Villa related thoughts I look forward to currently is, How can Dave find alternative ways to write about the same shit in his article this week? ... you never let me down.

[Fin Feds Dad]

Sums up nicely what most of us are thinking, as ever. Particularly agree about Garde perhaps being the right man at the wrong time. I thought that when he was appointed. A good coach, but one who had never really been tested in this kind of adversity, and had already left his previous job of his own free will because he felt something wasn't quite right. It's so frustrating. Even when the powers that be do make a decent call, their timing is bloody awful.

Ideally, you'd want to see him given the chance of a fresh start and the opportunity to build his own side. I think he could do good things. But I do fear spending six months at the helm of a total shitstorm will take its toll on him and he'll just walk away.

I said this back at the start of his reign, and it's most likely what will happen.

A shame though, because having lived through exactly how fucking useless this squad is, he's best placed to sort it out given proper backing.

And you can add poisonous and moronic to fucking useless. Telling supporters to 'Fuck off' whilst spitting out chewing gum and tweeting pictures of cars after getting humped six nil at home - then coming out with 'it happened in my pocket' bullshit.

It beggars belief.

[Boz]

Sums up nicely what most of us are thinking, as ever. Particularly agree about Garde perhaps being the right man at the wrong time. I thought that when he was appointed. A good coach, but one who had never really been tested in this kind of adversity, and had already left his previous job of his own free will because he felt something wasn't quite right. It's so frustrating. Even when the powers that be do make a decent call, their timing is bloody awful.

Ideally, you'd want to see him given the chance of a fresh start and the opportunity to build his own side. I think he could do good things. But I do fear spending six months at the helm of a total shitstorm will take its toll on him and he'll just walk away.

I said this back at the start of his reign, and it's most likely what will happen.

A shame though, because having lived through exactly how fucking useless this squad is, he's best placed to sort it out given proper backing.

It's sad but if I were Garde, I'd be off, as there's little chance he'll be given any realistic backing by the lot at the helm of the good ship Aston Villa.

We're on the rocks and sinking lower every week, holed below the waterline early in the season and the holes have grown larger week by week. We seemed to have been bailing out some of the deluge, until we failed to plug the holes in January, and now it's just how long until we submerge completely. Just don't throw the useless squad of players any life jackets, the majority deserve to sink to obscurity.

 

[Villafirst]

Good article Dave. Sums up the current plight which started in August 2010. I like Garde but suspect he doesn't command the respect of several of the players. Lack of commitment is unforgivable.

[ez]

Sundays game was a real kick in the nuts. Just when i thought there was some progress comes that reality check.