Relegation?

[Legion]

Even since times under Gérard Houllier and Alex McLeish came to the forefront I was convinced that we were not going to get relegated. Even last season under Paul Lambert I just knew we were going to be safe. This season, though, I am no longer quite so sure. Please prove me wrong.

[barrysleftfoot]

 I can't see us winning another game.I have never been so down as a Villa fan, theres not one player who excites me, not one who i want to get the ball, the quality of passing is the poorest i have seen, we haven't got one good passer in the team, or an enforcer, or a player who can beat a player.CB is a good player, but who creates, no one.Only one man is to blame PL, and i believe we are on a slippery slope with this bloke, not only Championship football but lower.Awful, awful football, full stop.

 Relegation?.......a certainty in my eyes, get rid of PL, we might have a chance, but even reasonable players in the team are very poor atm.No i agree Legion, there is a stink of decay down VP atm, and i don't like it.

[Isa]

The home-form is of relegation-standard and has been for a long time whilst the away form has abandoned us recently. Add in the fact that we are really struggling to score with no reliable source of goals at the moment. Hope that helps put your mind at rest...

[supertom]

I think, by virtue of how bad the other teams are, we'll scrape by this season. However we can't always rely on the badness of others and lost 1-2 key players this summer and replace with dross (strong likelihood) and I think next season has a rather ominous feeling about it.
If we're looking at how we've been since football began in 1992, generally when we've had a flirt with the drop, we've seen a marked improvement the year after. The more money orientated this game has become, the more difficult that becomes too because we can't really rebuild in the same way Little did in 94. Lamberts tried that, but with far less quality players coming in. Little didn't spend huge amounts in those early days, but tot it up now with inflation and inflated values (particularly for Brits) and his spending level would look a lot more MON-esque than Lambertesque.

That is of course Lerner's stance, which has to change because we've now been flirting with relegation for 4 straight seasons. In Houlliers season we got a bit of a grope in. In McLeish's season we bedded her and escaped down the drainpipe before daybreak. Last season we played "just the tip." If we keep this up, we'll not only go to bed with relegation, but we'll marry her and have a couple of kids and be well and truly tied down (in the championship).

Lambert's not Premiership standard. Most of the squad aren't. Whichever way you look at it, we're heading for one outcome. It might not be this season, but it will happen. Just ask Wigan.

[eastie]

 I can't see us winning another game.I have never been so down as a Villa fan, theres not one player who excites me, not one who i want to get the ball, the quality of passing is the poorest i have seen, we haven't got one good passer in the team, or an enforcer, or a player who can beat a player.CB is a good player, but who creates, no one.Only one man is to blame PL, and i believe we are on a slippery slope with this bloke, not only Championship football but lower.Awful, awful football, full stop.

 Relegation?.......a certainty in my eyes, get rid of PL, we might have a chance, but even reasonable players in the team are very poor atm.No i agree Legion, there is a stink of decay down VP atm, and i don't like it.

Sadly I agree totally.

[dave shelley]

I posted on another thread that, as much as I didn't want it to, my mind kept telling me that this season had 1987 written all over it.  I really can't see where another win is going to come from.  That a total lack of activity in the last transfer window in the areas that we all could see were crying out for that little bit of quality is what has convinced me that relegation is only just a matter of time.  Sadly, sooner rather than later.

[Legion]

I don't think it is a certainty, yet, but I do fear for next season unless something changes drastically. Championship players on a Championship budget will eventually end up where it belongs.

[rob_bridge]

We have been in terminal decline for several years. Bad decision after bad decision, most of which cost an absolute fortune and for which will be paid for many years to come. These decisions - starting with giving MON too much money in his last transfer windows to spunk on wages and all of which directly affected the on field performances but permeates at all levels of the club.

I though under Houllier we could go down, especially after the Wolves game before one or two stood up to be counted, then promptly fucked off.

Under McDoom we scraped points v Albion and Spuds when I feared the worse.

Last year until the Sunderland game I was worried though we had played better after the wretched January.

This year I have not been comfortable as we have had chance after chance to pull away and each time failed miserably. This more mirrors McDooms season but we had more points at this stage of the season under him - I think we got 4 from the last 11 games.

If we don't go down this season and we continue with existing 'strategy' then I think we will next season.

[Isa]

On a serious note, I think that fortunately they'll be three worse teams again. Which will say a lot about those teams.

[supertom]

I posted on another thread that, as much as I didn't want it to, my mind kept telling me that this season had 1987 written all over it.  I really can't see where another win is going to come from.  That a total lack of activity in the last transfer window in the areas that we all could see were crying out for that little bit of quality is what has convinced me that relegation is only just a matter of time.  Sadly, sooner rather than later.

Sadly too, a rebuild was more feasible in 87. To do what we did then, again (if we had to) would take some doing in the modern game. You look at the table and see how much money has killed the game and the bottom 10 teams are complete and utter dross. Newcastle and Southampton have largely punched above their weight too.

If we want to get out this mess we're gonna have to spend some money to do it. We've tried the no money experiment and it's not working.
If we went down I'd see us either going the Leeds, Forrest route, or at best becoming a West Ham yo yo sort of club.

[Legion]

On a serious note, I think that fortunately they'll be three worse teams again. Which will say a lot about those teams.

I think (hope!) that aswell, this season, which is why I do not think it is a certainty.

[the hole in the wall]

unfortunatley the whole clubs in a mess...remember the 5 year plan?? sorry mr lerner..you promised us champions league..but your gonna gives us the championship league.

[PeterWithesShin]

We won't go down.

[Des Little]

If we do go down, we will be getting what we deserve. And Lambert will tell us that it was all part of the plan.

[Steve kirk]

We will just survive this season ( see my ides of march post) our fall into the championship will happen next season.