The run-in for the "looking" doomed

[PeterWithesShin]

Newcastle is no gimme.

Sporting Bromsgrove reserves would be no gimme the way we're going.

[CJ]

I'll say again, who would you replace him with?

No idea but we're down under Houllier.

Sid in the short term? Dullins and chair leg aside  - someone who bleeds claret and blue for the club. Then a more considered long term replacement in the summer

Ian Taylor.

Agree Ian Taylor bleeds claret and blue but Sid clearly has proven coaching skills too

edit sp

[KevinGage]

I think under normal circumstances we could look to target three wins from Stoke, Newcastle and Wigwam at home.

That ignores the fact that we're not operating under normal circumstances at the moment - and we haven't beaten Wigan at VP since they came up in 2005.

I'd expect us to get at least a point at the Olbiyun as well.

Football being football, if we needed to win against Liverpool last game of the season I reckon we could do it. Though not with GH as manager. We do have a pretty dire record against sides managed by Dalglish though. I'm not sure I've ever seen us beat one.

[Ads]

If we are making predictions, I think we'll draw with Everton, West Brom and beat Stoke, The Jawdees and Wigan. I can see us losing the rest. The league position will make it look more comfortable than it will be.

Small Heath, Wigan and Blackburn to bite it.

I'd take Alladyce now to be honest.

[JJ-AV]

All this talk of passion, energy, someone who bleeds claret and blue etc. is all a load of bollocks really isn't it?

It's not 1974 and we don't need Mike Basset.

What we need is some sort of continuity at the back for the remaining games, Makoun to get back into the swing of things and Bent to start closing the opposition defenders down, and we shall be back winning games again.

Failing that we could put KMac in charge and bring back the highly paid footballers who currently aren't getting a look in, go back to basics and stay up using the counter-attacking style the majority of them are used to.

[PaulWinch again]

To be frank calling for a manager who is a Villa legend, I don't get it really. It didn't work to well for Shearer at Newcastle in a relegation scrap.

[eric woolban woolban]

We're fooked and we know we are.

[Risso]

To be frank calling for a manager who is a Villa legend, I don't get it really. It didn't work to well for Shearer at Newcastle in a relegation scrap.

We just need a manager who knows what he's doing. 

[JJ-AV]

Friedel
Cuellar - Collins - Dunne - Walker
Downing - Makoun - Petrov - Delph - Ashley
Bent

Is how I'd go for Everton, Newcastle and West Ham (maybe bring in Clark for Cuellar/Dunne and reshape to give us better balance when he's available).

Christ, we need some stability and the team to get some bloody momentum.

Albrighton, Gabby and Heskey give us options to change it.

[PaulWinch again]

To be frank calling for a manager who is a Villa legend, I don't get it really. It didn't work to well for Shearer at Newcastle in a relegation scrap.

We just need a manager who knows what he's doing. 

I don't disagree with that, so therefore Martin Laursen and Ian Taylor as much as they were great for  us, they are not the men for the job.

[pauliewalnuts]

The scary thing is I am now starting to think that that stuff like this:

Friedel
Cuellar - Collins - Dunne - Walker
Downing - Makoun - Petrov - Delph - Ashley
Bent

... doesn't matter for shit.

The spirit is so pathetic, the spinelessness so complete, changing the line up isn't really going to help.

it is like watching 1986-7 again in that sense.

[JJ-AV]

It does though. We're fragile in terms of confidence. Our defence is absolutely dreadful, it has been all season, and we're down to the bare bones there. The midfield is incapable of playing with confidence 'cos of the nervous crap we've got at the back.

Before today, we were the better side in our last 4 league games. I know, it's the results that count. But the signs are there and if we can get some sort of defensive stability back we'll be all right.

I said after the Sunderland game we needed 6 wins. I wasn't sure if Ged would get it us. We've won 3 (Man City, Wigan, Blackburn). We need 3 more from Everton, Newcastle, West Ham, Stoke, West Brom, Wigan, Liverpool, Arsenal.

It'll be tight, but we'll do it.

[Witton Warrior]

All this talk of passion, energy, someone who bleeds claret and blue etc. is all a load of bollocks really isn't it?

It's not 1974 and we don't need Mike Basset.

What we need is some sort of continuity at the back for the remaining games, Makoun to get back into the swing of things and Bent to start closing the opposition defenders down, and we shall be back winning games again.

Failing that we could put KMac in charge and bring back the highly paid footballers who currently aren't getting a look in, go back to basics and stay up using the counter-attacking style the majority of them are used to.

With you on this JJ

Pain comes with passion remember

They need to play like the footballers they are supposed to be. A solid team mentality with an objective mindset. A plan. Firstly to stop conceding.

Just do the simple things right!

[KevinGage]

I love bold, console inspired formations as much as the next man (if the next man hates them. Or is Martin O'Neill). But I reckon to give GH any chance, we need to think so far outside the box on this one we'll require a bus pass to get back.

How about:

10 players lined up behind Friedel on the goal-line and snipers in the crowd trained on the oppositions forward line just to make sure. As soon as they get near the 18 yard line, kapow! Let the Springfield do it's worst.

Ok we might still not actually win many games, but we should be able to grind out enough draws to see us safe.

[The Moose]

You can't even get a bottle top in to the ground, I don't see how you'll get a gun in...

...oh, you're joking, aren't you?