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Aston Villa Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2013/14

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Comments

  • #3422
    Mr Alan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 29,372 ✭✭✭✭Mr Alan


    Actually you're wrong Helix
    IF CHELSEA WIN THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
    The Blues will qualify for the Group Stage of next season's tournament as winners.
    If Chelsea also finish third in the Barclays Premier League (their highest-possible finish as of April 25th), then the fourth-placed team will enter the competition at the Play-Off stage (which follows the three qualifcation rounds) - the final obstacle ahead of the Group Stage.
    If Chelsea finish fourth, all four Barclays Premier League teams will enter at the Group Stage.
    If Chelsea finish fifth or lower, they still enter at the Group Stage as defending champions. Because no nation can have more than four teams in the competition, the team that finishes fourth in the Barclays Premier League will qualify for the UEFA Europa League, not the UEFA Champions League. The top three clubs will enter the UEFA Champions League at the Group Stage as normal.

    From premierleague.com


  • #3423
    Helix
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,661 ✭✭✭✭Helix


    G.K. wrote: »
    Actually Helix, Chelsea would qualify if they won the CL, wherever they finished.

    http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/fans/faqs/who-qualifies-to-play-in-europe/

    i stand corrected

    that's new

    either way, it'd be a hell of a risk wouldn't it... resting all your players on the basis that there's no CL football if you don't win the final with half a starting xi suspended


  • #3424
    cgpg5
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,656 ✭✭✭cgpg5


    Helix wrote: »
    i stand corrected

    that's new

    either way, it'd be a hell of a risk wouldn't it... resting all your players on the basis that there's no CL football if you don't win the final with half a starting xi suspended

    Exactly they have to go all out tomorrow. As I said they can play Terry, Ramires, Ivanovic and Meireles with no fear of them missing the final if they acquired an injury.


  • #3425
    Mr Alan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 29,372 ✭✭✭✭Mr Alan


    It's not new, the rule was changed back after we won it.


  • #3426
    Patser
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,077 ✭✭✭Patser


    Either way, there's a long gap to the CL and FA cup finals for Chelseas now, so unlike last weekend, they don't need to be resting players.

    Also to be 100% fair, Wigan have now beaten 3 of the top 4 over the last few weeks. Back then, with that run ahead, Wigan looked dead and buried. After beating Utd, Arsenal and hammering Newcastle today, they deserve to stay up. If QPR can go on a similar run and beat Chelsea and City, it'd be hard to begrudge them safety too. But that's if they go on that run.

    IMO it's looking like it'll all come down to the last day of the season, same as last year, and at a guess I'll say Blackburn will be gone by then too. So it'll be us, QPR and Bolton fighting it out for survival that day. If so and given the stakes, I'd rather be playing Norwich than a Man City side possibly chasing the title. Monday night's game suddenly has a big impact on our season.

    It's all so very, very frustrating. How many times over the last few games have we looked suddenly safe - ahead against Stoke, ahead against Bolton, 0-0s with Sunderland and WBA where any jammy goal would have sealed it. And still we're down on the mix.:(


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  • #3427
    pavb2
    Registered Users Posts: 3,024 ✭✭✭pavb2


    20 points dropped from winnng positions isn't it?

    I think Blackburn are gone, so QPR looking most likely to join them with Stoke (H) Chelsea & Man City away. But as Wigan have shown......

    Think we need a City win on Monday


  • #3428
    Patser
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,077 ✭✭✭Patser


    Well Blackburn's loss today makes it all but impossible for them to catch us - 6 points and 14 goals behind us. And QPR's thrashing by Chelsea doesn't bode well for their fighting abilities since they'll need to get something from the City match, regardless of what they do against Stoke.

    So it is starting to look like we're dragging ourselves slowly over the finish line. Hopefully this will act as a wake up call the Randy Lerner, that flirting with relegation last season, then selling all our most creative players, is not going to make us any more competitive the following year. It's starting to feel like the Villa Thread belongs in with the Irish Economy forum, we've gone through so much austerity the last few years after our MON Tiger years but really there's not that much more left to cut from the team. Instead it needs investment and some excitement back for next season to get us, the fans, back interetested.


  • #3429
    Doodee
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,420 ✭✭✭Doodee


    Patser wrote: »
    Well Blackburn's loss today makes it all but impossible for them to catch us - 6 points and 14 goals behind us. And QPR's thrashing by Chelsea doesn't bode well for their fighting abilities since they'll need to get something from the City match, regardless of what they do against Stoke.

    So it is starting to look like we're dragging ourselves slowly over the finish line. Hopefully this will act as a wake up call the Randy Lerner, that flirting with relegation last season, then selling all our most creative players, is not going to make us any more competitive the following year. It's starting to feel like the Villa Thread belongs in with the Irish Economy forum, we've gone through so much austerity the last few years after our MON Tiger years but really there's not that much more left to cut from the team. Instead it needs investment and some excitement back for next season to get us, the fans, back interetested.

    I must say that given how Wigan appear to fight through the rough times I would welcome Martinez as club manager.
    Too bad he is not interested :/


  • #3430
    cgpg5
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,656 ✭✭✭cgpg5


    Ye can now afford to lose ye're remaining games and still stay up imo. But boy do improvements have to be made


  • #3431
    Helix
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,661 ✭✭✭✭Helix


    Doodee wrote: »
    I must say that given how Wigan appear to fight through the rough times I would welcome Martinez as club manager.
    Too bad he is not interested :/

    to play devil's advocate there, it's also worth remembering he's the manager who was in charge to get them into tough times to begin with. this run they're on seems to be making people forget that they got into that mess with him as manager too

    that said, i think he'd do a decent job


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  • #3432
    Paully D
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,710 ✭✭✭✭Paully D


    cgpg5 wrote: »
    Ye can now afford to lose ye're remaining games and still stay up imo. But boy do improvements have to be made

    Bent will be back fit at the start of the season which is a big boost to Villa. They've struggled to score lately and he's good for 15 a season.


  • #3433
    Helix
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,661 ✭✭✭✭Helix


    Paully D wrote: »
    Bent will be back fit at the start of the season which is a big boost to Villa. They've struggled to score lately and he's good for 15 a season.

    assuming there's a new manager in and the way we play is changed, he's probably good for 20 tbh

    our problems run deeper than our manager though. our lack of movement has been a problem since before lerner bought the club, and it continues to be our biggest issue. that doesnt get fixed overnight, so it's something that we're going to have to deal with for the best part of another decade


  • #3434
    O.A.P
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,379 ✭✭✭O.A.P


    My stomach is churning watching this, hopefully Villa stay up and then get rid of the hired help from over the road,
    Wigan hopefully stay up too they play nice stuff and definately deserve a place in the premier league more so than Villa I'm afraid.


  • #3435
    Paully D
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,710 ✭✭✭✭Paully D


    Wigan and Villa will stay up.

    Blackburn and Wolves are gone now and it's between QPR and Bolton for that last spot. QPR will take it IMO.

    I have to say I've taken Helix's view with regard to Villa's relegation chances and basically said there's no way they'll go down. I know it has looked hairy at times but it's never really got as bad as most of you thought IMO.


  • #3436
    Helix
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,661 ✭✭✭✭Helix


    twitter chatter reckons we're making an announcement tomorrow. im sure it's crap, but if it was about getting rid of mcleish i think it would make a bit of sense. it'd definitely eschew convention, but i think it makes perfect sense to get rid of him next week. i doubt lerner wants a repeat of bolton from the home crowd, not for the last game of the season with season ticket renewals not going too well. if, and its a big if, they have decided to get rid of him now, it'll mean a great atmosphere at villa park at the weekend now that we're all but safe. the fans will be happy, the players will be happy (assuming they dislike playing for him) and the overall vibe will be a lot more positive

    as an aside to that, perhaps mcleish has also decided that he'd rather go now, when he can claim he got us safe, rather than facing more abuse. it's probably as good a time as any to get rid for both parties, so it genuinely wouldn't surprise me


  • #3437
    Neil3030
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,154 ✭✭✭✭Neil3030


    Hodgson approached re: the England job. Surely Eck would relish the chance to take down the last remaining West-Midland club :P


  • #3438
    cgpg5
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,656 ✭✭✭cgpg5


    Paully D wrote: »
    Wigan and Villa will stay up.

    Blackburn and Wolves are gone now and it's between QPR and Bolton for that last spot. QPR will take it IMO.

    I have to say I've taken Helix's view with regard to Villa's relegation chances and basically said there's no way they'll go down. I know it has looked hairy at times but it's never really got as bad as most of you thought IMO.

    Agree. If QPR fail to beat Stoke 34/35 points could be the cut off. Has to be the lowest in a while.

    Always knew Villa had done enough. If it was another year Villa would be gone, but ultimately this season proved quite an easy year to stay up!


  • #3439
    Patser
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,077 ✭✭✭Patser


    Suddenly I'm nervous again about Villa and I think it's all this talk that we're safe. Yes we look safer than before the week-end, yes we have the advantage but with Spurs winning yesterday and locked in a fight for 4th, I can see them winning at Villa Park next weekend.

    If that happens and QPR and Bolton (again assuming Bolton lose their mid-week Spurs game) get wins - quite possible - then we'll all go into the last game pretty much equal on points and then you have to worry that QPR could steal a point against a City team that may or may not be in the hunt for a tite.

    Ow! The maths of all this are hurting my head. Why can't we just fast forward to the season's end and just get it done.


  • #3440
    Clanket
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,087 ✭✭✭Clanket


    Have to agree. It's in no way certain that we're safe. We're showing the worst form of the teams battling relegation and we all know what happened McUseless when in the same position last year. If QPR beat Stoke at home next week, Bolton beat West Brom at home (or get something out of Spurs on Wed) and we lose to Spurs we're rightly fooked. I just can't see our players being able to motivate themselves away at Norwich on the final day. So then if Bolton and QPR get something on the final day we're gone.

    These relegation battles always throw up suprises. For me at the moment, the suprise will be if we manage to stay up.


  • #3441
    invinciblePRSTV
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,017 ✭✭✭invinciblePRSTV


    I won't be optimistic about Villa's survival until such time as they either pick up a win (not likely) or other results go our way (quite likely).

    McLeish's puke football means its squeaky bum time until safety is assured.


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  • #3442
    cgpg5
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,656 ✭✭✭cgpg5


    Patser wrote: »
    Suddenly I'm nervous again about Villa and I think it's all this talk that we're safe. Yes we look safer than before the week-end, yes we have the advantage but with Spurs winning yesterday and locked in a fight for 4th, I can see them winning at Villa Park next weekend.

    If that happens and QPR and Bolton (again assuming Bolton lose their mid-week Spurs game) get wins - quite possible - then we'll all go into the last game pretty much equal on points and then you have to worry that QPR could steal a point against a City team that may or may not be in the hunt for a tite.

    Ow! The maths of all this are hurting my head. Why can't we just fast forward to the season's end and just get it done.

    QPR will not get something off City, they'll even do well to beat Stoke so ye can relax.

    Ye are safe. End of


  • #3443
    Clanket
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,087 ✭✭✭Clanket


    cgpg5 wrote: »
    Ye are safe. End of

    Thanks, I feel much better now :rolleyes:


  • #3444
    cgpg5
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,656 ✭✭✭cgpg5


    Clanket wrote: »
    Thanks, I feel much better now :rolleyes:

    You really think City will drop pts at home to QPR? QPR were awful yesterday looked disorganised and dis-interested. Even Stoke will feel they can get something at Loftus Road. City will tear them apart league or no league title


  • #3445
    cgpg5
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,656 ✭✭✭cgpg5


    Clanket wrote: »
    Have to agree. It's in no way certain that we're safe. We're showing the worst form of the teams battling relegation and we all know what happened McUseless when in the same position last year. If QPR beat Stoke at home next week, Bolton beat West Brom at home (or get something out of Spurs on Wed) and we lose to Spurs we're rightly fooked. I just can't see our players being able to motivate themselves away at Norwich on the final day. So then if Bolton and QPR get something on the final day we're gone.

    These relegation battles always throw up suprises. For me at the moment, the suprise will be if we manage to stay up.

    So basically you'll be surprised if City beat QPR? Get real


  • #3446
    Helix
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,661 ✭✭✭✭Helix


    city: dropped just 2 points at home all season

    clanket: will be surprised if they get anything from a qpr team with the worst away record in the league

    villa: lost less away games than anyone in the league except city

    clanket: will be surprised if they don't lose against a norwich side in woeful since march

    good man clanket


  • #3447
    Clanket
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,087 ✭✭✭Clanket


    Granted QPR are our best bet of joining Blackburn and Wolves. However, as the saying goes lads, it's a funny old game.


  • #3448
    Clanket
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,087 ✭✭✭Clanket


    Helix wrote: »
    city: dropped just 2 points at home all season

    clanket: will be surprised if they get anything from a qpr team with the worst away record in the league

    City could realistically be out of the title challenge this evening. Might they play a weakened team then?
    Helix wrote: »

    villa: lost less away games than anyone in the league except city

    clanket: will be surprised if they don't lose against a norwich side in woeful since march

    good man clanket

    Are you seriously trying to say we'll be safe based on form?


  • #3449
    Helix
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,661 ✭✭✭✭Helix


    city are more likely to murder qpr if they've got nothing to play for than if they're playing for the league


  • #3450
    Helix
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,661 ✭✭✭✭Helix


    Clanket wrote: »
    Are you seriously trying to say we'll be safe based on form?

    check out the form for the games played so far this season, the only form that actually matters, and we've done better than those 2 teams you reckon will manage to pass us

    even qpr's wonderful recent form has beatings against wolves and bolton


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  • #3451
    cgpg5
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,656 ✭✭✭cgpg5


    Clanket wrote: »
    City could realistically be out of the title challenge this evening. Might they play a weakened team then?



    Are you seriously trying to say we'll be safe based on form?

    City can play their 5th team they'll still beat QPR. League title or not its their last home game and they'll try put on a show for the home crowd.

    Doesn't matter about form ye're still safe. Ye don't even have to turn up for the next two and ye'll still stay up.


This discussion has been closed.
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