collapse collapse

* - On Sale NOW -

Claret Blue and Green

The story of Aston Villa’s Irish connection

£9.99 plus postage

For ROW Postage please email iotp@heroespublishing.net

Postal Location

Recent Topics

Villa Park Redevelopment by PeterWithesShin
[Today at 12:26:32 PM]


Evann Guessand (on loan at Crystal Palace) by aj2k77
[Today at 12:26:23 PM]


Other Games 2025-26 by paul_e
[Today at 12:18:30 PM]


Emi Buendia by paul_e
[Today at 12:01:08 PM]


Aston Villa Kit 26/27 by Brazilian Villain
[Today at 11:58:45 AM]


FFP by paul_e
[Today at 11:46:09 AM]


Emi Martinez by Brazilian Villain
[Today at 11:34:15 AM]


Morgan Rogers by Tuscans
[Today at 11:13:05 AM]

Recent Posts

Re: Villa Park Redevelopment by PeterWithesShin
[Today at 12:26:32 PM]


Re: Evann Guessand (on loan at Crystal Palace) by aj2k77
[Today at 12:26:23 PM]


Re: Villa Park Redevelopment by paul_e
[Today at 12:26:17 PM]


Re: Villa Park Redevelopment by LeeB
[Today at 12:25:20 PM]


Re: Villa Park Redevelopment by VILLA MOLE
[Today at 12:21:09 PM]


Re: Other Games 2025-26 by paul_e
[Today at 12:18:30 PM]


Re: Evann Guessand (on loan at Crystal Palace) by paul_e
[Today at 12:16:14 PM]


Re: Other Games 2025-26 by cdbearsfan
[Today at 12:07:27 PM]

Follow us on...

Author Topic: Evann Guessand (on loan at Crystal Palace)  (Read 111321 times)

Online Somniloquism

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 38206
  • Location: Back in Brum
  • GM : 06.12.2026
Re: Evann Guessand (on loan at Crystal Palace)
« Reply #1380 on: Today at 11:17:34 AM »
Good point. Whilst the mention that we are the only English side who haven't won it when entered (which is wrong anyway), both Spam and Palace finished towards the bottom of the table where we finished 4th. We also had to put up with one of the biennual January Kamara injuries as well. I suspect if Rice had been injured in January for Spam during their season, they wouldn't have won and might have been relegated that year. Chelsea are ones who qualified for CL whilst winning it, but had a bomb squad who probably would have finished top 10 of the prem anyway, and without getting too blues, had no EL drop downs like we did.

Online paul_e

  • Member
  • Posts: 39366
  • Age: 46
  • GM : July, 2013
Re: Evann Guessand (on loan at Crystal Palace)
« Reply #1381 on: Today at 12:16:14 PM »
More simply, we qualified for the conference when we weren't really prepared for it and that weaker squad left us in a place where we had to pick between trying to get into the top4 or pushing for a trophy and we (correctly in hindsight) went with the longer-term benefits of making the Champions League.

Online aj2k77

  • Member
  • Posts: 12528
Re: Evann Guessand (on loan at Crystal Palace)
« Reply #1382 on: Today at 12:26:23 PM »
The Conference was a little different when we were in it too. Just as the Champions League teams used to drop in to the Europa, the Europa teams would drop in to the Conference making it harder to win.

For comparison, some teams that were in the Conference league in our year went on to become Champions League sides in the league phase the next season.

Villa
Lille
Slovan Bratislava
Dinamo Zagreb
Brugge
Sturm Graz

I'm not sure if it's still like that now but on paper the quality seems much thinner and more padded out with Eastern European minnows.

 


SimplePortal 2.3.6 © 2008-2014, SimplePortal