Is this what transition looks like?

[Toronto Villa]

Just like Sunderland there are going to be shit games. Like everyone I hope this doesn't last much longer because it's fucking murder to watch.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Can somebody change the title of this thread and replace 'transition' with 'train crash'-

[Ad@m]

Can somebody change the title of this thread and replace 'transition' with 'train crash'-

Oh behave you drama queen!  We're 10th in the league, 3 points behind Man United after almost half the season!!

[Ross]

What worries me immensely is the way we set out to play. I genuinely cannot remember a Villa side so hopeless in retaining the ball.  As soon as we are pressed its hoofed away.  Our possession stats are embarrassing. I do not believe that these players can suddenly become more progressive.

Is there a point when a Stoke/Pulis moment comes?  Can PL move us forward, because the budget issues don't cut it anymore, we should be more organised, drilled and competent than we are.

[PaulWinch again]

Can somebody change the title of this thread and replace 'transition' with 'train crash'-

Oh behave you drama queen!  We're 10th in the league, 3 points behind Man United after almost half the season!!

I think this is about performances, no-one is denying the results have been ok overall. However the performances have been horrible, look at Wednesday we got a result and a good one but we played really poorly. If you play the majority of your matches with less than 40% possession you'll probably lose most of them.

[Jon Crofts]

As much as I hope I'm wrong I don't think this is transition, this could be it.

[pauliewalnuts]

As much as I hope I'm wrong I don't think this is transition, this could be it.

A single line to send a chill right through you.

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

Can somebody change the title of this thread and replace 'transition' with 'train crash'-

Oh behave you drama queen!  We're 10th in the league, 3 points behind Man United after almost half the season!!

So? We're not going to win the league or finish high enough to play in Europe, so why not play to entertain. The team is so fucking boring.

Where has the team from the end of last season gone?!?!

[PaulWinch again]

Villa actually remind me a bit of the England cricket team at the moment, although England have reached much greater heights. Throughout the summer and before that there were signs that England weren't performing, but because results were still going our way a lot of people chose to ignore that and trotted out stuff like 'we won the series 3-0 imagine what we'd do if we played well.' Now look at England, getting hammered by Australia with continued poor displays. You can only go on winning for so long if you keep playing poorly.

[London Villan]

That's the thing with transition... it's a journey. The players have actually gone backwards this year... Vlaar is the only one that has improved... and even he is only an average premiership footballer.

With the cost of the players and the lack of pedigree of so many of them we will just bob along in mid-table with the odd flirt with relegation...

[Chris Smith]

Can somebody change the title of this thread and replace 'transition' with 'train crash'-

Oh behave you drama queen!  We're 10th in the league, 3 points behind Man United after almost half the season!!

So? We're not going to win the league or finish high enough to play in Europe, so why not play to entertain. The team is so fucking boring.

Where has the team from the end of last season gone?!?!

I think there are a number of factors, a few players clearly off form most notably Benteke; injuries preventing us playing any sort of settled side; the opposition knowing a bit more about how we play.

Just hoping we see a similar post Christmas improvement as last season.

[ciggiesnbeer]

Can somebody change the title of this thread and replace 'transition' with 'train crash'-

Oh behave you drama queen!  We're 10th in the league, 3 points behind Man United after almost half the season!!

So? We're not going to win the league or finish high enough to play in Europe, so why not play to entertain. The team is so fucking boring.

Where has the team from the end of last season gone?!?!

It is a bit of a mystery I admit. I have rewatched some of last seasons games, we really did play better and defended a lot worse. I am really not sure why things have changed.

I just hope we dont have our traditional christmas collapse. I really would like to enjoy the holiday football for a change.

[Ad@m]

Can somebody change the title of this thread and replace 'transition' with 'train crash'-

Oh behave you drama queen!  We're 10th in the league, 3 points behind Man United after almost half the season!!

So? We're not going to win the league or finish high enough to play in Europe, so why not play to entertain. The team is so fucking boring.

Where has the team from the end of last season gone?!?!

I think there are a number of factors, a few players clearly off form most notably Benteke; injuries preventing us playing any sort of settled side; the opposition knowing a bit more about how we play.

Just hoping we see a similar post Christmas improvement as last season.

Exactly.

To answer the question of the thread, yes, this is what transition looks like.  Sometimes it will be great (Arsenal away, 2nd half of Man City at home, 2nd half of Baggies away, etc) and sometimes it will be horrible.  This is still a team of kids put together on very little money playing in the richest league in the world.  If we stay up without being involved in a relegation battle this year then that's further progress.  Then next year we can push on again.

People need to stop being so impatient.  You're not going to turn a relegation threatened team in to Barcelona overnight.  Even Man City took four years to win the league after the Arabs arrived and threw over half a billion quid at the team.  I'd love to see the reaction of some on here if we were in that situation given the complaints after less than 18 months when we've been trying to build a team from scratch.

[PeterWithesShin]

Traditional Christmas collapse?

[dcdavecollett]

First half possession was 50% -not exactly 'hoofing the ball anywhere', then.

Haven't seen he stats for after the break but I can't imagine they were significantly better/worse.

Still, at least the folks complaining about our possession stats at Southampton will have been cheered by this 'improvement'...