This is the season...

[Ad@m]

Ultimately if you keep buying players from the second tier (either in the UK or France) you're going to end up there.  This has been coming for seasons, compounded by crazy managerial appointment after another.  The only hope we had this season of staying up was to get a manager in who'd been there and done it before (a la Allardyce, Pulis, etc).  For a young manager learning his trade this was always going to be near-impossible.

So there are now two objectives for the next five months - try to salvage some pride (ie don't break any more records!) and prepare for the 2nd tier (bring some horrible bastards with experience in who know how to deal with the bullying we'll undoubtedly get down there).

[SoccerHQ]

Off where?

I don't see them being poached by anybody outside England. We paid a lot for both and we pay both a lot, with good length contracts.

The domestic market is about to inflate to more ridiculous proportions, so even with parachutte payments, we won't be stuck for cash and with little need or interest in selling, so if they go, then somebody will have to make it rain.

Lescott is likely beyond being a first team centre half in the top flight, but with a mobile centre half, like Okore, he has something to offer in the second division.

Well after last summer it would be wise to assume there will be relegation release clauses for some of the Foreign lads.

If Ayew scores another 10 goals someone will want him.

[olaftab]

We are technically relegated and actual numbers will follow in due course. This is now very painful. Very painful to be the laughing stock of not just fans of our neighbours but the ridicule  on twitter/facebook/press/radio. This is going to be very difficult time till the end of season and  pain will subside for few weeks and reemerge with extra sharpness once the fixture list is published for next season. I want to disappear somewhere remote from now till start of next season.

[Ads]

And they will have to pay an awful lot more for him.

People keep.sprouting this nonsense that this is the worst time to be relegated. As if there was ever a good time, but they talk as if there is to be some sort of revolution when all we will see is further inflation of fees and critically, wages.

As with other financial crimes, if you follow the momey back to 1992 its gone by and large into the pockets of average players. This new influx of cash will do the same. Ayew is a good player; if somebody wants him, they will be paying a lot for him.

If this club have got one thing right in the past five years, its selling high.

[PeterWithesShin]

Only Sunderland (six in 2005-06) and Derby (seven in 2007-08) have had fewer points at the halfway stage than Villa this season.

[UK Redsox]

I'm not sure anyone would buy Traore, not for the money required. What's he done that is going to get someone paying £15m or whatever? And up to now he's played for Barcelona reserves, a year in Division 2 is hardly going to be a step down.

Maybe he'll even get at least half a game.

However, if he tries to much of his 'stand still, knock the ball past a player and run after it' tactics in the Championship, someone's gonna kick him into the middle of next week

[russon]

Someone on here described the modern day AVFC as grotesque and I think that's the most apt description. Over time we've gradually morphed into something horrid yet most of us on here grew up with a completely different Villa. The ground felt different, the club carried itself with pride and players were proud to represent us. Today we have a pretty stadium with disillusioned inhabitants, players who treat the club with utter contempt (gabby, Richardson, bacuna...) and a rudderless leadership team from a planet far far away. My default line on here is l could weep and with a couple of minutes to go today I nearly did. What the hell happened to our club?

[Hillbilly]

I wonder what odds on all six west Mids teams being in the second division next season? Blues and Wolves aren't going anywhere, we'll be there and Walsall look a good bet for promotion. Cov are there about and West Brom aren't entirely safe. West Mids Police would have a field day.

[rob_bridge]

I wonder what odds on all six west Mids teams being in the second division next season? Blues and Wolves aren't going anywhere, we'll be there and Walsall look a good bet for promotion. Cov are there about and West Brom aren't entirely safe. West Mids Police would have a field day.

I think Albion will have enough. Important win for them today. 4 is a distinct possibility.

[villadelph]

The Mirror's post-match report/poll.. sheesh.

[ChicagoLion]

While I was looking at the table this morning, one thing did come to mind and kind of cheered me up.

Sure, we have to get another 35points, but Newcastle and Bournemouth have also got to get another 30 points from somewhere, and Sunderland another 28 and Norwich another 27.

It seems like we are miles behind and cut adrift, but there are still so many points to play for. We just need to get 5-8 points more than those other teams, and it's not like there are half a dozen games left. There's still more than half the season left!

Anyone feeling better?!

That's more like it. We need dooers like you in our movement! As glum as it looks, it's not over yet.

Or we could just prepare the squad for the championship.

So you agree now?

[Tony Erdington]

Ultimately if you keep buying players from the second tier (either in the UK or France) you're going to end up there.  This has been coming for seasons, compounded by crazy managerial appointment after another.  The only hope we had this season of staying up was to get a manager in who'd been there and done it before (a la Allardyce, Pulis, etc).  For a young manager learning his trade this was always going to be near-impossible.

So there are now two objectives for the next five months - try to salvage some pride (ie don't break any more records!) and prepare for the 2nd tier (bring some horrible bastards with experience in who know how to deal with the bullying we'll undoubtedly get down there).

agreed, although I was in the moyes camp. Remi seems a nice guy, but it appears he don't know how to set a side up to win "a" game.

[Phil from the upper holte]

Like most of us have been saying for ages, it's been coming for a long while. Just shame it had to happen this way. I don't know what's worse though. Going like this or going last day of season. Either way it's horrible. A big fuck you to everyone at Aston Villa shame on you from Randy, to Fox and the playing staff. They don't deserve us

[aj2k77]

The club thought that selling Christian Benteke, who has almost single handed kept us up for a few seasons and replacing him with a 27 year old with pretty much 1 good season in the championship was a good idea. Amateurs and chancers. We now have 5 months of slowly drawn out defeats.

[andyh]

Circle the plug hole for long enough and eventually you will drip through.