Good  srticle.

Sums it up well.  For well over half of the teams, staying in the league is the only the goal.  So much so, that the cups are seen as an unwanted distraction. 

Good article Dave.

If you feel beaten before you start then there is really is not much point. Football at any level is about hope, hope that this is our year for the league, cup, promotion, Europe etc. As it becomes obvious that if the majority of clubs in the leagues only "hope" is to remain in it and maybe record a victory over the "big clubs" then that malaise will spread from supporters to players to owners.

It really is depressing at times especially for us older fans who remember villa glory times