Quote from: UK Redsox on July 25, 2022, 09:41:23 AMAs is....11th > 13thWith a new forward (or if Cam proves that his potential is real) and, maybe, another midfield option....8th > 10thNo cup winsYou honestly think our squad is 11-13th material? A squad with the likes of Coutinho, Kamara, Digne, Carlos, Buendia, Bailey, Ramsey, McGinn should righly be finishing below the likes of Brighton, Southampton, Wolves, Newcastle and Palace?
As is....11th > 13thWith a new forward (or if Cam proves that his potential is real) and, maybe, another midfield option....8th > 10thNo cup wins
Quote from: chrisw1 on July 25, 2022, 10:11:47 AMQuote from: UK Redsox on July 25, 2022, 09:41:23 AMAs is....11th > 13thWith a new forward (or if Cam proves that his potential is real) and, maybe, another midfield option....8th > 10thNo cup winsYou honestly think our squad is 11-13th material? A squad with the likes of Coutinho, Kamara, Digne, Carlos, Buendia, Bailey, Ramsey, McGinn should righly be finishing below the likes of Brighton, Southampton, Wolves, Newcastle and Palace?It should......but I have my doubts that it will.How much can Bailey be relied on ?Same goes for Phil, to a lesser extent ?McGinn is not the force that he was since opposition started backing off him and not 'engaging with the arse' to let him roll off them.I've no real confidence in Ings or Watkins and I think Gerrard will try to shoehorn both into the starting lineup.Other teams have also improved
Quote from: LeonW on July 24, 2022, 08:26:48 PM60 points is realistic and achievable. That should give us a decent league placing on average. Plenty of game time for the likes of KKH, Archer, Tim, etc. That will enable us to see which areas need strengthening next summer (hopefully reduced). Could be break through years for a number of those lads and will show a pathway for future youngsters. I think Villa can steal on march on other clubs by becoming the best club to develop at with realistic opportunities to impress. Finally, developing the culture at the club. The players need to see that if they perform they play and that reputation guarantees nothing. That being the case, Archer, Bailey and Chambers would probably all be starting against Bournemouth.All achievable, all indicating further growth. I’m not sure basing team selection on alphabetic order is the right way to go.
60 points is realistic and achievable. That should give us a decent league placing on average. Plenty of game time for the likes of KKH, Archer, Tim, etc. That will enable us to see which areas need strengthening next summer (hopefully reduced). Could be break through years for a number of those lads and will show a pathway for future youngsters. I think Villa can steal on march on other clubs by becoming the best club to develop at with realistic opportunities to impress. Finally, developing the culture at the club. The players need to see that if they perform they play and that reputation guarantees nothing. That being the case, Archer, Bailey and Chambers would probably all be starting against Bournemouth.All achievable, all indicating further growth.
Quote from: chrisw1 on July 25, 2022, 10:06:25 AMWith our squad and funding anything below 8th is a failure. We need to stop thinking 10th is progress and good enough. It's not. We underperformed last season - 14th isn't an acceptable starting point to base our aspirations for this season on.That’s how I see it. This is the first pre-season since promotion where there have been no undue disruptions. No replacing loan players or Covid and no players leaving to throw a spanner in the works.Gerrard has been backed we’ve got competition for places so I’m hoping that coupled with some increased use of the whole squad we have a much more consistent season.
With our squad and funding anything below 8th is a failure. We need to stop thinking 10th is progress and good enough. It's not. We underperformed last season - 14th isn't an acceptable starting point to base our aspirations for this season on.
The Guardian Villa season Previewhttps://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jul/25/premier-league-2022-23-preview-no-2-aston-villa
Quote from: villabear on July 25, 2022, 04:19:05 PMThe Guardian Villa season Previewhttps://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jul/25/premier-league-2022-23-preview-no-2-aston-villaI read this, it's disappointing. Surely in the close season when there is no football and everyone is eager and full of optimism they'd benefit from actually spending time to do some in-depth analysis and writing something insightful? Instead it's nothing more than a quick google will throw up and any football fan could put together.
That squad, as it stands, should finish 8 or 9th, any deviation on that is what Gerrard adds/subtracts.