Paul Faulkner interview.

[Damo70]

I think it is fair to say that whilst most of us quite correctly point out we are currently in mid table, our recent performances and results mean we are tending to look behind us rather than look up when it comes to the league table.

[chrisw1]

edit - reply to Westley

Yes, of course we would.

That's the point I'm making - last 10 games, including cup humiliation

LLLLDWLL

Those games reflect our recent form since early December.  I say again recent 'form'  If we carry on like that we will be in a relegation battle.

Is that really such a controversial statement? 

[WestleyArmsAV]

I think it is fair to say that whilst most of us quite correctly point out we are currently in mid table, our recent performances and results mean we are tending to look behind us rather than look up when it comes to the league table.

Completely agree tbh.

[WestleyArmsAV]

edit - reply to Westley

Yes, of course we would.

That's the point I'm making - last 10 games, including cup humiliation

LLLLDWLL

Those games reflect our recent form since early December.  I say again recent 'form'  If we carry on like that we will be in a relegation battle.

Is that really such a controversial statement?

So where is our win at Southampton on your LLLLDWLL??

[chrisw1]

The game before.  If you include southampton its

WLLLLDWLL

Does that look significantly better to you?

Why are you even arguing this point other than to be a troll?

Do you think our form has been good?  Mid table?  Or relegation battle standard?

[WestleyArmsAV]

The game before.  If you include southampton its

WLLLLDWLL

Does that look significantly better to you?

Why are you even arguing this point other than to be a troll?

Do you think our form has been good?  Mid table?  Or relegation battle standard?

I'm not saying it looks better, you just proved my point that people of your outlook chose to start the form from the defeat at Fulham despite a win three days earlier.

And yes our form as keep saying has been poor of late, but despite a shocking run the fact is we remain mid table.

[chrisw1]

And what has that got to do with my controversial statement that you are insisting on challenging that

"5 point cushion or not, unless our form changes dramatically we will absolutely be in a relegation scrap"

I say again, you appear to be picking a fight for the sake of it.

[MarkM]

The game before.  If you include southampton its

WLLLLDWLL

Does that look significantly better to you?

Why are you even arguing this point other than to be a troll?

Do you think our form has been good?  Mid table?  Or relegation battle standard?

I'm not saying it looks better, you just proved my point that people of your outlook chose to start the form from the defeat at Fulham despite a win three days earlier.

And yes our form as keep saying has been poor of late, but despite a shocking run the fact is we remain mid table.

For balance our results since the start of the season:

WLLWLWLWDLLDWDDWLLLLDWLL

[WestleyArmsAV]

And what has that got to do with my controversial statement that you are insisting on challenging that

"5 point cushion or not, unless our form changes dramatically we will absolutely be in a relegation scrap"

I say again, you appear to be picking a fight for the sake of it.

By having an opinion different to yours?

Dear.

[chrisw1]

For clarity when I say form, I mean recent form.  I would have thought that most people would consider form to mean how you are playing lately and recent results, say the last 6 games (as the BBC form league seems to adopt).

I apologise if the phrase is that confusing and some people took it to mean results over a whole season, disregarding quality of recent performances.

For the pedants, I will amend my statement to "if we carry on playing with the style, possession levels and results as we have done over the last 6 or so games, then I think it is likely that we will be in a relegation scrap notwithstanding our 5 point cushion"

I am amazed such an obvious innocuous statement required defense, explanation and qualification - surely the gist of what I was saying was blinding obvious?  But such is the nature of internet forums.

[WestleyArmsAV]

By that notion then, after the first 6 games we should be top 8, we are not, similarly after the last 6 games doesn't mean will continue in that form. 

.

[eastie]

 By James Nursey | 14/01/14 

Randy Lerner is giving Paul Lambert his full support after Aston Villa insisted he will not be axed despite some “brutal” flak.

Some Villa fans have been bombarding radio phone-ins and Twitter calling for the Scot’s head.

Monday night's home defeat to Arsenal was the Villans’ sixth loss in eight games - including an FA Cup exit at home to a Sheffield United side fighting against relegation to League Two.

But Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner says there has been “definite clear progress” at the club since Lambert took charge in June 2012.

Villa came 15th last season - despite some humiliating beatings - with 41 points, after finishing 16th with 38 under Alex McLeish a year before.

Now the Midlands club, owned by American Lerner, sit 11th with 23 points and six clean sheets this term.

Lerner’s right-hand man Faulkner, who also sits on the FA Council, said: “Football is a harsh, brutal business. Criticism and stick goes flying about. But being in the middle of it, you have to stay strong together and support each other.

“If you don’t keep going when there is a little bit of stick, then you won’t achieve anything ultimately. With the right guy, you have to weather those storms when they come.

“Twelve months ago, we were in a really bad run. We stuck together during that and saw the benefits in the second half of the season.

“We know what the manager is trying to do, we believe it is a good way. Over time it is going to allow Aston Villa to put ourselves in the best position to compete and challenge in the right half of the table where we want to be.

“If you just look at the short-term you can cause yourself real problems. And equally if you are too fixated on the future in two or three years’ time you can get too caught up in events over-taking you.

“It is about how do we keep making those positive strides forward and making this club bigger and stronger again. Those are steps along the way and I am a big believer in stability and continuity giving you more of a competitive chance. But it is never linear and you are not going to go up in a smooth line.”

Villa have slashed their wage bill since Martin O’Neill quit as manager and have loaned out big-earners such as Darren Bent and Shay Given, while Stephen Ireland has now joined Stoke permanently following a successful loan spell.

With Lerner anxious for Villa to become self-sufficient, they have opted for cheaper signings from abroad or England's lower leagues.

Lambert’s side are now no longer prone to the thrashings they endured last season like the club-record 8-0 loss at Chelsea.

But fans are frustrated at only two wins at home in the League this season as Villa are regularly booed off.

Faulkner added: “It is very understandable frustration - people want to see their team win. But there is very clear definite progress in terms of points and league place.

“The team is also a lot more solid. Last year one of the statistics that got thrown about was the lack of clean sheets. This year we are a harder team to break down and beat.

“Now we get into the second half of the season where we are trying to look upwards and are desperate to improve the home form.”

Villa continue to scour for bargains this month and have snapped up striker Grant Holt, who played for Lambert at Norwich, on loan from Championship side Wigan.

But Faulkner has ruled out a January spending spree. He added: “We were busy in the summer and brought in seven players, that [the summer window] is always going to be the bulk of your business.”

[chrisw1]

By that notion then, after the first 6 games we should be top 8, we are not, similarly after the last 6 games doesn't mean will continue in that form..

 

No, you are quite right it doesn't.  But I said if we do continue the form.  More importantly our poor form has been a trend since early December and is probably therefore a reasonable barometer of where the team currently stands quality and performance wise.

sorry for being so controversial.

[paul_e]

The problem with looking at form of a short run of games is that it doesn't really tell the whole story.  Of those 6 games Vlaar and or Benteke were missing from a fair number of them and we had 3 or 4 suspensions as well.  Most clubs would wobble a little in that situation.  If you take a snapshot of 6 games from any point in the season you'll see it averaging at around 6-7 points, leading to 23 points from 21.

The other thing that often gets ignored in these discussions is that the teams below us have been less consistent than us.  We might see a couple of sides turn things round and get a run of 24-25 points from the last 17 but we're not going to see 4 or 5 clubs do that.  We'd have to hit a sustained rut in our form to get sucked into it in real terms.

If you're of a mind to see things badly it's really easy to say it's only 5 points so we could be down there by the end on January (I think it was before the Arsenal game that people were talking about us being in the relegation zone after the baggies game) but as soon as you start looking at the specific results required for that the chance of it happening gets very small, in real terms we'd have to lose, in my opinion, 5-6 of the next 7 games to be genuinely in danger and, whilst we've had a bad run in the last 6 earlier in the season we had a decent unbeaten run with the same players and largely similar performances.

[Villafirst]

So this is Lerner's ''Bright Future'' - worrying about getting sucked into a relegation scrap season after season.