Lowest point.

[Pat McMahon]

That performance yesterday was as bad as Coventry boxing day 1992

I’d forgotten that game - probably because it was absolutely freezing and the fog came down like in a horror film.

But that was admittedly a poor performance in a decent season, so was forgiveable. I also don’t recall anybody not seeming to care, or give their best. We were just on a collective bad day.

[hilts_coolerking]

People will predict we'll win 5 as it matters not, so why not imagine you'll win rather than lose?

It's a bit like Glenn McGrath predicting before every Ashes series that Australia would win 5-0, i.e. meaningless, self-noshing bluster that made him look like a pillock.

[pooligan]

I can never forget that boxing day game at Coventry in 1992 because that fat pillock Micky Quinn reminds us all about it all the time on Talkshite

[Chico Hamilton III]

Unfortunately so many lows to pick from in recent years. Walking out of Stamford Bridge after their 5th went in and hearing the other 3 go in as we tried to find a pub was hard to take. For me though, I think the debacle at Wycombe, when the players clearly didn’t give a shit and we could all see that the wheels had well and truly come off the wagon. Richards, Guzan and the other subs pissing around in the dugout while we were being passed off the pitch by the mighty Wycombe

[Mister E]

Wow, this is a bit over dramatic. We are in a bad run but it’s hardly the lowest point. A few good results and this will be forgotten about.

Yesterday was abject, in every way.
The players looked disinterested, the manager made some weird substitutions, the fans were leery and there was an underlying current of entropy.
All of which may sound melodramatic but that's how it felt.

[Ivo Stas]

Chins up.

You can lose many a battle and still win the war. You can lose many a battle in spectacular fashion and still win in the long run.

Cannae in 216bc, despite all the horrors of Stalingrad or the Somme, it stands out as the largest loss of life in a single days battle in the history of warfare. And it was the third catastrophic loss in a row and there'd be one more to come. But who won the 2nd Punic War.

Right now, we need to do something we've not really done for a while; have a plan and feed it life and character. There is no short term fix to the, and I paraphrase, Strange Decline of Aston Villa.

I love a post like this, it has spurred me on to do a bit of research and I'm going to posit that the following were even darker days in human martial history (than the 60,000 who died when the Romans were crushed by Hannibal and his over-the-Alps elephants):

Battle of Borodino (Sept 7, 1812): 65,000 slaughtered in a French-Russian clash during Napoleon's ill-fated invasion of Russia.

First Day of the Somme (July 1, 1916): 68,000 mostly British men's lives were tossed away in a battle that decided nothing in France.

Battle of Leipzig (1813): between 80,000 and 110,00 casualties in a multi-nation pile-up between (on one side) Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden and (on the other side) the French (again). This battle was a three-day affair however (Oct 16-19th) so may not count.

Operation Meetinghouse (9-10th March, 1945): this was a two-day affair being a night-time air raid on Tokyo by over 300 American bombers which led to a terrible fire-store that cost 100,000 city-dwellers (and thus non-combatants) their lives.

Getting back to the topic of this thread, I actually think we are past our lowest point: that was Tony Xia's near-administration chaos in the summer. I've been feeling upbeat ever since being rescued by the new owners who seem to be serious players with a long-term turn-the-club-around strategy who aren't betting the farm on an immediate promotion. However, there will be hiccups along the way. As to Dean Smith, I'm still supportive and there were recent-ish performances (with Axel and Jack in the team) that were very promising. Dean will know that failure to make the play-offs this season will surely see him exit the club in the summer so he won't be lacking for motivation to get us playing properly again.

As for that infamous Coventry game away in 1992, I was living in Brum and a season ticket holder back then. I went to most games home and away that season, but missed that one. I always wondered what went wrong because on my end-of-season-review video cassette, they simply skipped the game saying something like "we'll draw a veil over the next performance, Villa simply didn't turn up" and failed to show any highlights, not even the Coventry goals.

[villa `cross the mersey]

Back in the 1960's the players were poor but at least they tried to the best of their abilities, albeit limited - now I  am sick to death of millionaire prima donnas who pick up their ridiculous rewards whether they play, win, draw or lose . I realise that money is awash in the game and players are entitled to their share however I do expect them to at least earn the right to pick it up.
The loan system hasn't worked particularly well for us with just a few exceptions - the current crop anticipate that their contracts will not be renewed or reconsidered in May and their commitment to the new manager and the club is virtually  existent.
With two weeks to the close of the transfer it will be telling what further moves are made, if any.
I expect a mass clear out in the summer .... whatever happens  it will reflect the direction of the owners


 

[Ads]

Casualties isn't deaths. Usually a casualty rate will be 3:1 to deaths.

Cannae was a battle of annihilation. Very rare in warfare. The Somme was around 20k dead on day 1.

Interestingly enough the double line envelopment was so successful Stormin' Norman used it for GW1.

Essentially placing the weaker north African light infantry in the centre, with the heavy Gallic and Spanish infantry on the flanks and in reserve to draw the Roman centre in and push on at the point of least resistance; the centre. Roman Army (sans cavalry which was garbage and chased from the field) gets caught in a pocket and is annihilated.

[Risso]

As bad as those days were, yesterday was worse.

[Ads]

Well the answer to that defeat was to stop engaging Hannibal in open battle. The Romans Bruce-balled him.

[brian green]

I have a "lowest" loop in my brain.  Whenever I have the flu or have been given a heavy duty kicking and I am lying in my bed of pain it come swimming out of the darkness of the past saying "you think this is bad Bri, what about this?"

It all comes back in super slow motion, in black and white.  There I am, as ever, on the Holte just above the crossbar to the left.  We have to get a point to stay in the First Division.  The ball comes high towards the Villa goal line.  It hangs suspended for ever.  It drops so slowly towards our goal.  Only Jimmy Dugdale stands between us and the Second Division.

Now remember at this point we are a football club founded for the men of a Wesleyan church congregation.  A heartfelt prayer rises from the entire Holte End.  The prayer says "Please God.  Right foot.  RIGHT FOOT."

Jimmy Dugdale was the most one footed player I have ever seen in  Villa shirt.  His left leg was just for standing on.

The ball fell a foot in front of our goal line on Jimmy's left side, he swung a left boot and we were relegated.

A whole season encapsulated in ten seconds.  The pain was unbearable because each and every one of us saw it coming.

It still gives me nightmares.

[PeterWithesShin]

Assuming you mean 58/59 our last 3 games were all away and it was one of those that relegated us.

[wittonwarrior]

Would have hated to have been at the Hawthorns when they sent us down.  Couldn't think of anything worse. 

Luckily however most of our worst ever results have come in cup games.  There were even a few of these during Saunders era such as Everton away 3rd round  the 1/4 final at Upton Park and for you Brian Cambridge United in the league cup -we bored our way through the FA Cup at the Abbey.

Then we have MON's surrender in Moscow.

Chelsea 2000 was the point when I started to have serious thoughts as to whether I would ever see us win  the cup and it wasnt so much the game itself but the aftermath of last season's playoffs.

Overall I  have enjoyed 90% of my matchdays sonot a bad return of over 45 years home  and away with my great club.

[Damo70]

This thread is turning into the H&V version of Monty Python's 'Four Yorkshiremen' sketch.

And yes I know it wasn't originally a Monty Python sketch.

[XXVilla]

Would have hated to have been at the Hawthorns when they sent us down.  Couldn't think of anything worse. 

Luckily however most of our worst ever results have come in cup games.  There were even a few of these during Saunders era such as Everton away 3rd round  the 1/4 final at Upton Park and for you Brian Cambridge United in the league cup -we bored our way through the FA Cup at the Abbey.

Then we have MON's surrender in Moscow.

Chelsea 2000 was the point when I started to have serious thoughts as to whether I would ever see us win  the cup and it wasnt so much the game itself but the aftermath of last season's playoffs.

Overall I  have enjoyed 90% of my matchdays sonot a bad return of over 45 years home  and away with my great club.

Ahem... 8-0 Chelsea. Oh, and being knocked out of a cup semi final by fecking Bradford