The season overall

[Beard82]

A lot of it is marred by the fact that given results else where, and the fact we were playing the lowest ranked team out of any of the UCL challangers, we should have qualified.

If you say - all you need to do to qualify for  UCL next season is not loss on the last day against a team with 39 points - you would expect us to qualify

[paul_e]

We need to look back at the manager a bit . I know that won't be a popular view , but he has somehow got it wrong in the big games , big style .

7th, 4th, 6th. Great stuff, new contract please.

[cdbearsfan]

A lot of it is marred by the fact that given results else where, and the fact we were playing the lowest ranked team out of any of the UCL challangers, we should have qualified.

If you say - all you need to do to qualify for  UCL next season is not loss on the last day against a team with 39 points - you would expect us to qualify

Unless the team on 39 points is Manchester sodding United or Crystal twatting Palace. ☹️

[PaulWinch again]

Tim’s just upset that Unai signed Pau Torres, who’s played a lot of games in those 4th and 6th placed finishes.

[Randy Gurner]

6th place & Europa League feels very disappointing this evening, but all things considered, it's still a great achievement given recent times.

The Palace Semi and today's surrender at OT stirred up some of the same emotions from the playoff final defeat to Fulham, or the Chelsea no-show in 2000 or years of watching England bottle it in big games. There's an air of inevitability that sets in quickly and you know it's going to be one of those days.

I really hope Unai can break through that barrier with us and actually win something. It's going to require some new faces because it's clear a few of the players have reached their ceiling this season.

[Drummond]

2 points worse than last season, 2nplaces worse off. Team in 4th got 69, a point more than we did last year.

6th, European Football for the 3rd year in a row. QF Champs League, SF FA Cup.

All in all it's not a bad season. We had so many injuries that we struggled to cope with 3 competitions at once. In the end we came up short in all 3.

It's gutting. But I'm proud of what we've done. A full period of rest and a full pre-season and this lot can win something under this manager.

[LeonW]

Really strange season.  I would have probably settled for it at the satrt of the season but feels like a massive missed opportunity.

We bottled it when it really mattered.  But was a good acheivement, but lingering feeling of this is as good as it gets.

The odds are stacked against anyone breaking the enforced concrete ceiling - and feels like missing out on Champions League well have to take a step or two back when in retrospect we should have avoided it. Feels like potentially another sliding doors moment where doing "well" is as far as we get.

I agree that I think this is as good as it gets at present. We’d have to have a spectacularly great transfer window where we get so much right which is difficult. I think it’s the end of the cycle with a number of these players.

One thing we do need is to look at bringing in some experienced leaders into dressing room. Players who have won and know what it takes to do so.

[Beard82]

Really strange season.  I would have probably settled for it at the satrt of the season but feels like a massive missed opportunity.

We bottled it when it really mattered.  But was a good acheivement, but lingering feeling of this is as good as it gets.

The odds are stacked against anyone breaking the enforced concrete ceiling - and feels like missing out on Champions League well have to take a step or two back when in retrospect we should have avoided it. Feels like potentially another sliding doors moment where doing "well" is as far as we get.

I agree that I think this is as good as it gets at present. We’d have to have a spectacularly great transfer window where we get so much right which is difficult. I think it’s the end of the cycle with a number of these players.

One thing we do need is to look at bringing in some experienced leaders into dressing room. Players who have won and know what it takes to do so.

I agree - we lack leaders.  McGinn has been good - but not today.  Martinez messed up, and Mings was on the bench.  We need some people who really hate losing

[itbrvilla]

Doesn't look bad on paper, but we fucked up when it mattered and it will have long lasting effect on the club and as others have said. This is as good as it gets.

[OzVilla]

I hate the fact that I’m more pissed off about the financial implications of whether we are now required to sell some prized assets based on bullshit PSR rules.

Success used to be about football not clever accounting.

[Randy Gurner]

I hate the fact that I’m more pissed off about the financial implications of whether we are now required to sell some prized assets based on bullshit PSR rules.

Success used to be about football not clever accounting.

The fact that most supporters now have to be arm-chair accountants is a sad indictment of the game and the times in general. PSR is a disgrace.

It won't be long until the European Super League conversation comes back around.

[brontebilly]

I hate the fact that I’m more pissed off about the financial implications of whether we are now required to sell some prized assets based on bullshit PSR rules.

Success used to be about football not clever accounting.

Well it did but football clubs need to be regulated as when cheerleaders take over board rooms then you have Leeds, us under Lerner/Tony et al

But they completely messed us PSR. The unintended consequences of it, academy farms and incentivising experienced players running down their contracts (Kamara, Tielemans...) are not in the interests of player or club development.

I just fear that capitulation today could have far reaching consequences today for us. Instead of one big name going , are we now looking at 2 or 3. I guess we will soon find out.

[PaulWinch again]

I think in reality we veered too much between hot and cold in the league. Our run at the end, up to today, was incredible. But it needed to be incredible to keep us in the hunt because we’d been too poor earlier. Hopefully the Europa League will allow us to rotate a strong squad a bit more, that will mean our level won’t drop so much in the league. If we raise our floor a bit and maintain our ceiling we’ll be strong.

[KevinGage]

A lot of it is marred by the fact that given results else where, and the fact we were playing the lowest ranked team out of any of the UCL challangers, we should have qualified.

If you say - all you need to do to qualify for  UCL next season is not loss on the last day against a team with 39 points - you would expect us to qualify

Exactly.

I honestly didn't expect us to win at Old Toilet today.

It's Yanited, doesn't matter what personnel we have or the manager in the dugout. If Aston Villa need to go up there and win - even in a season when everyone else is going up there and taking the piss - it ain't happening.

But a draw would've been enough and we weren't even able to scramble that.

If we'd gone up there, played them off the park and died with our boots on that's one thing. But we stank the place out.

[SoccerHQ]

In the context of 5 years ago it’s a 9/10. In the context of half time today it’s a 6/10.

So it’s probably somewhere in between. 5 CL places and we finished 6th on GD. Went further in the CL than I expected. FA Cup SF no show. A season of highs and lows. Just need to win something though. 7.5/10.

I'd widen the context further. In the Context of Aston Villa for the last 40 years it's well above average, 8/10 for me and a ref decision away from 9/10.

I think it's a solid 7/10. The complete no show v Palace was a massive disappointment considering we appointed Unai to make a difference in those type of games e.g. get the tactical plan right to win us trophies at business end of competition.

I think we're under selling ourselves a bit if we're just dismissing no shows in crucial games as "at least we're not in the championship." Not sure Man. City fans give Pep a free pass because they were still rubbish twenty years ago. Or Newcastle fans for being managed by Steve Bruce last than three years ago.

We need to back ourselves a little more and then we will win something significant, possibly as soon as next season.