Interesting that our 55 points last season would have us 8th pushing 7th now and European qualification so that does reflect how disappointing this season has been. Like it or not, losing our best player in a generation has set us back.
Quote from: olaftab on May 20, 2022, 05:01:55 PMQuote from: Nelly on May 19, 2022, 10:05:41 PMI hate to say this, but being honest, we've been mediocre for way more than ten years. More like thirty. Not that I care, but I think the general public's consensus of Villa would be a middling, do-nothing club, because a whole generation has grown up with us being also-rans. I'm not sure how to change that.Saying that, in this timeframe we've lost more cup finals than some clubs will see forth-rounds.Not 30 years but close. 1996 was a very competitive season end for us. Won the League cup, semi final of the FA cup and 4th place in the League. it was the "love it" season but after that Doug decided to prune us down a little like his roses and restricted the fertiliser and here we are. Brian Little would tell you that the money was there, he just bought the wrong players. I think history has shown that the big mistake was appointing John Gregory; however well you may or may not have thought he did, a bit more imagination from all concerned could have been massive.
Quote from: Nelly on May 19, 2022, 10:05:41 PMI hate to say this, but being honest, we've been mediocre for way more than ten years. More like thirty. Not that I care, but I think the general public's consensus of Villa would be a middling, do-nothing club, because a whole generation has grown up with us being also-rans. I'm not sure how to change that.Saying that, in this timeframe we've lost more cup finals than some clubs will see forth-rounds.Not 30 years but close. 1996 was a very competitive season end for us. Won the League cup, semi final of the FA cup and 4th place in the League. it was the "love it" season but after that Doug decided to prune us down a little like his roses and restricted the fertiliser and here we are.
I hate to say this, but being honest, we've been mediocre for way more than ten years. More like thirty. Not that I care, but I think the general public's consensus of Villa would be a middling, do-nothing club, because a whole generation has grown up with us being also-rans. I'm not sure how to change that.Saying that, in this timeframe we've lost more cup finals than some clubs will see forth-rounds.
Breaking our transfer record two seasons in a row with Sasa Curcic and Stan Collymore were huge mistakes. We totally lost momentum and although we signed some good players between 98 and 2002 we also lost quite a few. Doug then pretty much gave up by 03 and took 3 years to sell us.
Gregory was fine for first 18 months. Was in danger of getting sacked when we had that poor run in early 1999 season but then we responded with incredible run of form that should've got us to two cup finals and also a solid league position.At the start he thought big with the signings but mistake was giving him a new contract just before the cup final (reminds me of Arteta getting one and Arsenal immediately implode to miss out on top 4).Should've waited and perhaps we could've still kicked on after the trauma of the Chelsea match with new manager and group of players. Instead we've never recovered at all from losing that game.22 years today btw, a few 6th place finishes is all we've mustered in the league since then and two cup finals.
We are also spending more money than any recently promoted side ever, I imagine. There can be no excuses for not challenging for Europe next season. We shouldn't be finishing below nonsense clubs like Brentford and Brighton.
appointing McLeish was the moment we decided to cement our place in mediocrity forever
Brian Little, Ron Atkinson and Martin O'Neill are the only appointments I have ever really been excited about. I was a tad young when Ron Saunders was appointed, God bless him. The appointment of Lambert, I thought at the time was a good one but turned our to be poor. McLeish, wow, just wow!