Villa predictions for 2012/13 (fans & media)

[bilsim]

10th and early cup exits. Evolution not revolution.

[JJ-AV]

Would like to give it another few weeks until the squad is closer to completion. Right now we'll struggle to get near the top half IMO.

14th.

[Brend'Watkins]

Most bookies have us at odds of 16/1 or 20/1 to finish in the top 6.  Sunderland and Fulham are on shorter odds unbelievably. 

I might well have a punt.

[not3bad]

I'd like to see who we sign before making any predictions. In the general optimism, let's not forget this is a squad that performed poorly two seasons ago

When we finished 6th and got to Wembley twice?

[not3bad]

Would like to give it another few weeks until the squad is closer to completion. Right now we'll struggle to get near the top half IMO.

14th.

So you weren't one of the many people who thought Mcleish should be doing better with the resources that he had? 

[Billy Walker]

Most bookies have us at odds of 16/1 or 20/1 to finish in the top 6.  Sunderland and Fulham are on shorter odds unbelievably. 

I might well have a punt.

We're very much under the radar at the moment.  The national press (Talksport) seem to be all AVB/Big Sam/Liverpool focused whilst paying very little heed to the goings on at Villa Park.  I reckon we'll surprise a lot of people and the key to my feeling this is not the new manager and the new signings (who are all making me feel very positive) but rather the core of young lads coming through.  They're that bit older, wiser and toughened as a group and I don't think many clubs out there will have as hungry and committed a core of players turning out for them.  Potentially it's a superb platform upon which to build a team.

Prediction: Top eight this year followed by a top 4/6 push next year.

[nigel]

I've said for some time that the expectation of some supporters is way bigger than the capabilities of the team.
Because we'll be playing a different style with plenty of new faces to get used to, I'll be well pleased with a decent cup run and 10th in the league, anything else will be a bonus.
I can see it being similar to Houliers season, without the flirtation with relegation, with us getting stronger towards the end of the season.

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

I think all the players this season have a clarity with Lambert that there is someone right behind them to take there place if he does not see the commitment and required effectiveness he demands. Last season a lot of the players were in the first team under little or no pressure. Think we will have a slow start but as Lamberts coaching and philosophy becomes more apparent he will get better performances. 9th-12th with a quater final in one of the cups .......

[Villafirst]

16th unless things change on the transfer policy. The deadwood needs to replaced with some quality, but, after the Vlaar farce it doesn't fill me with confidence.

[ASHTONVILLA]

Depends on what happens in the rest of the transfer window, but regardless of that I do think we will much stronger than last season as I have a lot more confidence in the manager and coaching staff.

Even if the squad now stays as is then I think we will do better this year. The manager has recruited a midfielder that can win and keep the ball which will take pressure off the defence and help set up our better attacking players, this has been our biggest weakness for two seasons now. He is clearly looking at improving the defence and will likely give Clarke a run which will help a lot. I like the look of Holman (might be the one good thing TSM did for us), and I do think the kids will respond well to a more expansive passing game. Predict 10th to 12 and decent cup runs.

If we can move on one or more of Collins/ Hutton/ Warnock/ Dunne/ NZogbia and use the wages / transfer income to recruit another centre back, fullback and possibly a centre forward then I think we could be back in contention for a European place and maybe a cup final.

[davevillan]

I think we will be at least top half, as take out man utd/city, arse,spurs, chelsea, then there prob isnt that much between the rest...How will newcastle cope with europe, tbh no one thought they would do as well as they did last season,i think they will find it hard to do as well, liverpool are not that good imo, the rest are much of a muchness so there is no reason we cant be top half, and with favourable draws a good cup run or 2.

[Ger Regan]

16th unless things change on the transfer policy. The deadwood needs to replaced with some quality, but, after the Vlaar farce it doesn't fill me with confidence.

What, the transfer policy that appears to have unearthed an absolute bargain in KEA? A transfer that was done very quickly and under the radar? That transfer policy? You really will use anything to have a dig at the board, won't you?

[N'ZMAV]

Bent to be our top scorer? are we all predicting that?

[CJ]

Even with some deadwood still in the squad I think PL will do hugely better than TSM with the resources in hand.  We'll play better football, keep the ball better, and hopefully cut out the inability to defend set pieces.  Shit - we might even score from a corner this season!  I think we'll end up mid table with at least one decent cup run.

[richard moore]

I think we will be at least top half, as take out man utd/city, arse,spurs, chelsea, then there prob isnt that much between the rest...How will newcastle cope with europe, tbh no one thought they would do as well as they did last season,i think they will find it hard to do as well, liverpool are not that good imo, the rest are much of a muchness so there is no reason we cant be top half, and with favourable draws a good cup run or 2.

Agree with you Dave, always said that outside the current top 5, it is very much of a muchness with an awful lot of teams at the same - very mediocre for me - level. We could easily finish around 8th with more confidence instilled in the team. It still staggers me that we could be so appalling last season and win so few games and yet still stay up and not be that many points off teams a good deal higher up the table.