Will we qualify for the CL?

[Demitri_C]

Probability says we can't be shit forever. I'm still a believer. Just.

I’m also still a believer. We’ll turn the corner at some point and as proved by the Liverpool and Man United results the teams around us will drop points as well. Still all to play for.

Certainly not giving up.
Things will change for us and there will still be opportunities for us to achieve success this season.
The majority seem to have lost it, but we should keep the faith as we're still in the game.

Its not just the fans its the players as well. All their belief has completely  gone.

[ChicagoLion]

Probability says we can't be shit forever. I'm still a believer. Just.

I’m also still a believer. We’ll turn the corner at some point and as proved by the Liverpool and Man United results the teams around us will drop points as well. Still all to play for.

Certainly not giving up.
Things will change for us and there will still be opportunities for us to achieve success this season.
The majority seem to have lost it, but we should keep the faith as we're still in the game.

Its not just the fans its the players as well. All their belief has completely  gone.

I am worried the manager has aswell.

[Rigadon]

We’ll probably finish 6th or 7th.  Our head has bumped against the glass ceiling again. 

[Beard82]

Don't really know where to put this. Like, to answer the thread title, obviously not. The top five will be the top five, who could have possibly imagined otherwise.

I just don't think I like football anymore. The only thing keeping me following this horrible, hideous, degraded, suppurating zombie of a sport was the thought that, maybe, at some point, the Villa might reward my long stupid patience with some random one-off success that I could enjoy enough to let my stupid interest die in peace.

But honestly, all those things that make the sport horrible have coagulated into a great big embolism right in the lungs of even our modest ambitions. Chelsea lose a billion quid? Ah, but it's the right sort of losses! Man Utd have more debt than your average post-Soviet pseudo-democracy? Ah, but we don't count debt!

And the compliant, acquiescent media, really just what journalists so often are, giddy mediocrities just overwhelmed with glee to even be near power. Of course we'll intimidate refs on behalf of the chosen clubs by scrutinising every tiny decision that goes against them. Of course we'll ignore every decision in their favour. Of course we'll act as (one assumes) unpaid marketing departments to help them fluff their fucking Brands. Of course, we may tut when the chairman of Man City does something awkward like fund genocide, but Man City play such good football, wow they're just so elite, really we're so lucky we let our country and its culture and its institutions be flogged off to foreign dictators like this, we should be honoured to have the eyes of the Americans on the PremEar League.

Football as it is sums up everything to hate about our modern world perhaps most perfectly because it's such a grotesque perversion of the thing it was, the thing that oligarchs bought like they buy everything from us to sell back to us as engagement, luxury, status, CONTENT (also, all football CONTENT CREATORS, with their BANTZ and their utter slavishness to just the idea of the Powerful and their divine right to win everything, can get in the re-education camp where they belong, fascist running dogs). The Villa is my link to my late grandfather and to his grandfather. That kind of thing used to mean something. Now, it's just Legacy Branding.

So, fuck football. It's sad, but it's dead. Maybe I'll take up croquet, or woodwork, or fishing. You know, while there are still fish.

I missed this brilliant post

[ChicagoLion]

So beautifully written Monty, you have put into words how I am sure many of us feel.
Well done mate.

[N'ZMAV]

Don't really know where to put this. Like, to answer the thread title, obviously not. The top five will be the top five, who could have possibly imagined otherwise.

I just don't think I like football anymore. The only thing keeping me following this horrible, hideous, degraded, suppurating zombie of a sport was the thought that, maybe, at some point, the Villa might reward my long stupid patience with some random one-off success that I could enjoy enough to let my stupid interest die in peace.

But honestly, all those things that make the sport horrible have coagulated into a great big embolism right in the lungs of even our modest ambitions. Chelsea lose a billion quid? Ah, but it's the right sort of losses! Man Utd have more debt than your average post-Soviet pseudo-democracy? Ah, but we don't count debt!

And the compliant, acquiescent media, really just what journalists so often are, giddy mediocrities just overwhelmed with glee to even be near power. Of course we'll intimidate refs on behalf of the chosen clubs by scrutinising every tiny decision that goes against them. Of course we'll ignore every decision in their favour. Of course we'll act as (one assumes) unpaid marketing departments to help them fluff their fucking Brands. Of course, we may tut when the chairman of Man City does something awkward like fund genocide, but Man City play such good football, wow they're just so elite, really we're so lucky we let our country and its culture and its institutions be flogged off to foreign dictators like this, we should be honoured to have the eyes of the Americans on the PremEar League.

Football as it is sums up everything to hate about our modern world perhaps most perfectly because it's such a grotesque perversion of the thing it was, the thing that oligarchs bought like they buy everything from us to sell back to us as engagement, luxury, status, CONTENT (also, all football CONTENT CREATORS, with their BANTZ and their utter slavishness to just the idea of the Powerful and their divine right to win everything, can get in the re-education camp where they belong, fascist running dogs). The Villa is my link to my late grandfather and to his grandfather. That kind of thing used to mean something. Now, it's just Legacy Branding.

So, fuck football. It's sad, but it's dead. Maybe I'll take up croquet, or woodwork, or fishing. You know, while there are still fish.

this is me now, I thought similar to this as Joao Pedro tapped in the equaliser, I just felt a bit 'meh' - for some reason, I wasn't even angry.

It might seem dramatic, especially, as all things being considered, we're still in with a chance of winning something, and we're not in a bad position in the league - but, I just can't get over the feeling that the game, in general, is ruined. But, it's too far gone for an overhaul.

Maybe that moronic European Super League proposal of a few years ago should have happened, then we could have had a more organic Premier League without the bias and bloat of the media darlings.

and the thought of a World Cup in America makes me want to be sick - the shouty wotsit and his earthworm Jim FIFA waste of oxygen smiling whilst the world burns makes me wish I was ignorant to what was the beautiful game.

[N'ZMAV]

It's the hope that kills you.

[PaulWinch again]

We’ll probably finish 6th or 7th.  Our head has bumped against the glass ceiling again. 

I fear this is the mentality being exhibited by management and the team - they felt sorry for themselves at the start of the season and they are now. There are evidently up against it, with losses of key players - but in spite of all that we are underperforming with what we do have. If we had a better mentality, willingness to adapt, and were maximising what we do have we should still be getting passable results. That would comfortably have us making top 5 - we’ve dropped off way more than we should have. We didn’t need to be good in this period, just not fucking appalling.

Whether it’s conscious or unconscious they’ve been weak in this period and need to change something fast.

Just to be clear not having a go at you for feeling like this - I get it as a fan. But as a team and management they can actually do something about it, and I think as a collective they are sulking.

[Richard]

Only hope is that the others around us are not convincing either so if we get players back and stop feeling sorry for ourselves its still on. Goal difference concerns me though as can also see a repeat of just missing out as per last season.