Final League Position

[maidstonevillain]

Have a listen to this. It makes a lot of sense when you look at last season,  substitute Sheff Utd for Newcastle and then compare last year and this year.

https://url6.mailanyone.net/v1/?m=1kVXip-0006KJ-4n&i=57e1b682&c=bM9rasQklnM-qveksUPaXdABTfGnU9kAIhuv1fGLCAUoYhBGq1rXa5MS7euvsyNmT4EdkwsEnJsS0LyNRxSn74mGbXH3p67k_S-Y5U2V4mUCXa-jpgyNl0X8ymziL16dLTf0XJ8SDypZlJFJr3ulXxKWy9LXvz3D4-Hpjm-trPsWtM6aIm1SaQI0BDZIgQ6uGYPPs3POkqz0XtsYMtry6OEs-2F23dLbYCg-YXBwz4s

...

Thanks for sharing - really good.
Question is: how is scoring differential (as opposed to goal difference) calculated?

Could some one clever do the sums for Aston Villa over the past two years and prove we really are on the up and that this is nothing to do with luck?

On the basis of last season, WBA and Fulham, and either us or Newcastle are going to be relegated.

[TaxDodger]

After tonight I think we might have to settle for 4th

[SoccerHQ]

Finishing above Leeds will be a good season given what we saw tonight. They certainly aren't finishing in the bottom 6.

[PaulWinch again]

14th.

[SoccerHQ]

14th.

Bit harsh.

It's one bad game and premier league has shown already every single team is capable of this sort of defeat.

It's how you react that's the key. Wolves lost 4-0 at West Ham and have won the next two 1-0 so that's the sort of mentality you need to be a proper top half team in premier league.

Next week will tell us plenty if we're capable of that yet.

[Risso]

Danny Ings will have watched that tonight and will be rubbing his hands.

[SoccerHQ]

We've just got to show some bottle and grind up an ugly 1-0. Wolves actually done that, were abysmal at West Ham losing 4 nil and plenty thought they were in crisis and two 1-0 wins later they're right behind us again.

[Richard E]

After last night we might have to settle for only winning the title by 10-15 points rather than 20+.

[kippaxvilla2]

When did Leicester lose their first game in their PL winning season?  That’s the barometer. 

[stubbsyandy]

Lost their seventh game 2-5 to Arsenal at home. Three draws and three wins

[kippaxvilla2]

Blimey we’ve got our work cut out then!  The alternative way to look at it is we are probably only 25 points away from safety with 33 to okay.  Less than a point a game.  I would’ve taken that after five.

[SoccerHQ]

Lost their seventh game 2-5 to Arsenal at home. Three draws and three wins

They actually didn't have that great a start to a season (for a title winning team). Even after beating us they only won 1 of their next 4 and overall 4 wins from their first 9 games so barring a disaster over next month we should do better than their start.

They then went on mass winning run from November onwards and didn't really stop.

[CT]

I’ve gone for 7-11 which I’d take gladly now, but just feel we’re an injury to Watkins&Grealish away from easily being the level below.

[Toronto Villa]

Watching Everton's movement right now vs Southampton you can see that they are a few very signings ahead of us. And that over the course of ther season will apply to a number of sides who over a number of years have been buying just overall better players. I think as superb as our start has been it's inevitable we will fall back into mid table. We need to find a way to overcome defeats quickly, turn losing positions into points, maintain winning positions are at minimum not lose all 3. Things that we triggled to do last season. That would be progress. And then next summer build with 2 or 3 more Barkley level players, maybe even one Jack level to just improve the first XI and strengthen/deepen the options off the bench. So for me after 5 games I can see us finishing worst 11th, at best 7th, so I'll go for 9th this season.

[Vegas]

Watching Everton's movement right now vs Southampton you can see that they are a few very signings ahead of us. And that over the course of ther season will apply to a number of sides who over a number of years have been buying just overall better players. I think as superb as our start has been it's inevitable we will fall back into mid table. We need to find a way to overcome defeats quickly, turn losing positions into points, maintain winning positions are at minimum not lose all 3. Things that we triggled to do last season. That would be progress. And then next summer build with 2 or 3 more Barkley level players, maybe even one Jack level to just improve the first XI and strengthen/deepen the options off the bench. So for me after 5 games I can see us finishing worst 11th, at best 7th, so I'll go for 9th this season.

I agree with pretty much all of that, but would be a bit more pessimistic on finishing position. I would say most likely is 10th-12th or so. Think the self-styled big 6, Everton, Leicester, Wolves, possibly West Ham, possibly Southampton and annoyingly possibly Leeds have a bit more depth than us. With a favourable run of form and injuries we could get top 8 maybe but that would be a very good outcome.