Promotion Maths

[Richard E]

If by some miracle we did go up we would need 8-9 new players, otherwise we would get fewer points than last season.

We need title winning form pretty much, I've seen nothing to suggest we're capable of it. Even teams like Barnsley look better than us. We don't even have a shot in most away games, never mind win.

I agree. We're nowhere near ready to go up yet.

[SoccerHQ]

I don't think it would be a bad thing to have another season down here, only one mind!

I'm of the same thinking.

The championship will be much weaker next year....two of Swansea/Hull/Sunderland coming down who all have their off field issues like we did. There should be no excuses for an automatic promotion challenge next season.

If we don't go up then then yes the fear is we could be exiled at this level for a good while like Leeds, Forest and Sheff Weds.

[BOB MANSFIELD]

If he buys young talent - and can COACH them into being a good, fast-playing TEAM then we have a chance next season. Otherwise it will only get harder as our better players are tempted away and good ones won't join.

[Ads]

Going up is never a bad thing and can never be done too soon.

I agree with the point though that we'd be a lot stronger next season and the squad more balanced.

[BOB MANSFIELD]

This current side.........well, last week's current side......is well, as bad if not worse than the lot that brought us down. And unless you subscribe unswervingly to the famous " you lot got us into this, now go and get us out of it "....they would slide straight back through like the yo-yo stripey lot from Sandwell.

[preston28]

Need to win at least 10 of 19 games now to have a realistic chance?

[Ad@m]

We have the 5th or 6th best defence in the league.

That doesn't make our back line "good".  Like you said elsewhere in that post, this league isn't very good.

[Steve67]

Need to win at least 10 of 19 games now to have a realistic chance?

I think it might need to be more like 12.  Very difficult but I honestly think that if we make the playoffs, we will............

(Don't want to hex it! Silly me, I still have faith!)

[Ad@m]

Need to win at least 10 of 19 games now to have a realistic chance?

I think it might need to be more like 12.  Very difficult but I honestly think that if we make the playoffs, we will............

(Don't want to hex it! Silly me, I still have faith!)

Quite.  Let's just say that we win 10 out of 19 and lose the other 9 (not crazy - it's essentially how Newcastle's season has panned out so far).  We'd then be relying on Wednesday getting less than 21 points from the 57 available - that's relegation form.  Oh, and the six other teams between us and Wednesday dropping off as well.

I know that hope's a wonderful thing but it feels like it's better to accept the inevitable now!

[Ads]

We have the 5th or 6th best defence in the league.

That doesn't make our back line "good".  Like you said elsewhere in that post, this league isn't very good.

It makes it better than the vast majority. I'm not sure what your point is?

If you've got the 5th or 6th best defence in the league, then its not an area of the pitch to be hugely concerned about and it should give you a fighting chance of doing something.

[Ad@m]

We have the 5th or 6th best defence in the league.

That doesn't make our back line "good".  Like you said elsewhere in that post, this league isn't very good.

It makes it better than the vast majority. I'm not sure what your point is?

If you've got the 5th or 6th best defence in the league, then its not an area of the pitch to be hugely concerned about and it should give you a fighting chance of doing something.

My point is that a "good" defence manages to keep a clean sheet more often than once every five matches.

Even though we absolutely hammered Preston in the first half today I turned to the fella I sit next to and said that if we sat back in the second half, as Bruce has tended to have us do when we go in front, we'd end up losing or drawing the match, because we simply can't keep clean sheets.  And so it proved.  Whether the rest of the division has got a better or worse defence is irrelevant to that issue.

Having a leaky defence puts pressure on the rest of the team and drains their confidence, something this club has been sorely lacking for years.  It needs sorting or we'll never get out of this league.

I get that you're Mr Positive around here and see the claret and blue in everything but whilst it might have worked for President Trump, blind positivity is not going to help the Villa.

[Ads]

Fuck off with your patronising.

We have the 5th best defence in the league. 7 clean sheets and we concede less than a goal a game. I think that's good, you don't. That seemingly makes me some dribbling fool for thinking being the 5th best is good? Ok.

[Ad@m]

Fuck off with your patronising.

We have the 5th best defence in the league. 7 clean sheets and we concede less than a goal a game. I think that's good, you don't. That seemingly makes me some dribbling fool for thinking being the 5th best is good? Ok.

When did I write that? Behave.

Point me to a single critical post you've made on this site? If you're going to portray such a one sided opinion expect to be pulled up on it.

[Ads]

Pull me up all you want, but have an argument about the topic at hand.

[Ad@m]

Pull me up all you want, but have an argument about the topic at hand.

Have an argument?! I realise we're in a post truth world but your last comment said we'd kept seven clean sheets and conceded less than a goal a game, neither of which is true.