Not a song from the 80's, but according to Andy: The only way is up
Tuesday, 23 September 08, 12:31 PM · Comments (21)
So let's get carried away with this Villa start which if it hadn't been for an off day at Stoke would see us now sitting top of the league. A start that has seen Villa score twenty-one goals, win three away games in just six days and sit 4th in the league.
Can it get any better than this? I believe it can and it is about to really take-off.
So far we have seen that Liverpool are nothing special and that this Villa team are capable of giving anyone a very good game. Last season we took four points off Chelsea and were unlucky against Arsenal both times. Only Man Utd really turned us over and we are already 5 points clear of them.
This season, unlike last season we have a squad which, despite many people stating otherwise, is very strong. We have over £20m of talent who haven't even started a Premiership game for us yet. So let's get excited and start to really see the possibilities. Yes, Man City have loads of cash but we have already put four passed them.
The team really on the up are Aston Villa. The team built around so many young English players who will just get better and better. I don't understand the Gabby critics because I think his finishing so far this season has been exceptional. My own personal doubts about John Carew have now gone and I can see that he is capable of scoring twenty goals (the new Peter Withe). Ashley Young is looking phenomenal and our set pieces are as good as ever.
In midfield Petrov and Reo-Coker have shown how good they really are and I am just delighted to see Gareth Barry still there. I am still excited about having Steve Sidwell in our team but how is he going to break into that midfield.
At the back we have a future England's defensive star in Curtis Davies. Curtis can be anything he wants to be and even his major injury has not stopped him developing. Martin Laursen is not quite performing as he did last season, but is not far away and will get his head on most things in either box.
The two new full-backs are starting to settle in and are both starting to get forward. That leaves Brad in goal and even though he has made a few mistakes I think he is marshalling the defence better than any Villa goalkeeper has done for a number of years. So that is twelve stars already before we talk about Milner and Cuellar.
Add fringe players like Routledge, Gardner, Salifou, Osbourne and Harewood combined with the managerial skills of Martin O'Neill and we have a squad that is ready to challenge the big boys.
Let's get excited because the Villa are ready to really hit the big time. I am not just talking about nicking 4th spot and qualifying for the qualifying round of the Champions League I am talking about challenging for all the four competition we have entered this season. This includes challenging for the Premier League title.
Let's start by taking QPR seriously in the Carling Cup then victories at home to Sunderland and at Chelsea should see us top of the league. I believe this is Villa's season so let's get excited.
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21 Comments · Add yours
the league andy, that might be just a little out of reach at the moment, but i agree with you on the other three
Andy, soz mate but is this another doc wind up?
Realistically, the league!!
I think not, though i admire the sentiment the fact is we are not that good yet.
The team we have is (and i mean this not to be argumentative), not good enough or experienced enough. Though i have no doubt we can give the big boys a run for their money, our inexperience will be our downfall. Villa can be great but lets not believe we can run before we can walk.
Great confidence booster for us fans though mate!!
Let's be the team who finally goes to Stamford Bridge and takes away that flashy home record of theirs! We should have done last year, but our chances are even better this year.
Up the Villa!
I recall Damian saying something like 'forget the cups, Europe and all, the main aim of any club is to win their league" (sorry if I miisquote, but that's the gist anyway). He's right - the league is the most important target, and why not believe that we can do it? Read the article again and try not to find a smile creeping onto your face.
UTV indeed!
you cant forget the cups they are the most winnable honours we can achieve this season, thinking we can win the league is a bit far fetched.
good start to the season lets not get too carried away lads.
I was just going to copy/paste Sams reply above, but it would be inappropriate to nick a pals thoughts...So……
Although I already have a warm fuzzy sort of feeling about the mighty Villa this season I keep my feet on the ground and I'm sorry to piss on the parade, but this year is about consolidation within the Villa camp. Yep, they are exciting to watch when on form like at Spurs and it does look like we could be unstoppable, but I really think MON will prioritise this season and consolidate. I’m sure Mon’s main aim is to finish top 4 and probably the Uefa Cup. The domestic cups are not ‘bankers’ for success, because as we all know they can be a bit of a lottery with freak results. With the games schedule the best players will be needed for the league and Uefa games. So I can’t see too many risks being taken on the CC..? We don'y have the squad like Man U, Chelsea and Arsenal to battle on all fronts...simple as..!
Looking forward to some steady progress this year and when we have the squad that has ‘real’ strength in depth we will have the glory days back at VP. And you know what, we will be the proudest frickin supporters in the league, because they will have done it on merit. (wouldn’t mind the odd Johnny Foreigner with flair though!)
Not a bit of negativity in there was there….!
The league would be wonderful but a little our our reach for now but a cup this is within our reach, here's hoping we can make up for that terrible FA Cup final.
arsenal are playing a very very young side against sheff utd and are 5-0 up are we in the same class as that yet?????
me dont think so.
Watch this its genius
LINK
Cracking piece Andy, I have always been so down beat about the Villa and with bood reason but this season is different.
I very nearly didnt re new my season ticket this year with the lack of transfer activity in the early summer and Barry nearly on his way etc etc but what a turn around, we splash a few quid on quality players play some fantastic football and like you say take away the couple of dodgy throws by Delap at Stoke and were top.
The world is our oyster at the minute roll on Sunderland!
Well you can't beat a pinch of nievety...
Let's keep our feet on the ground. Of course our season could blow up and we go from stength to strength - we're certainly having lot's of fun. But we are 1 or 2 men short and even if we got them in January it might be too late.
Right now I'd like to see how we would compare to Arsenal or Chelsea this minute. The grey Liverpool game was not a good marker. Who knows we may go all the way in the UEFA cup.
But it's really early in the season and it might be a long one.And who knows how far Man City are going to go!...
Mate you wouldn't be nicking them I would gladly donate them to such a warm and honourable cause! lol
Point is, much as we would all love to believe that this is our swansong season, the reality is a harsh alternative. I have money on us winning the CC, i confess now i always have money on us to win something, why not?? But because i give money to the bookies every season doesn't mean that i am deluded (well maybe a little).
Consistency it what separates the good from the great, you only have to look at the Ryder cup to see that. We have nowhere near the consistency of Manure or Chelski and it will show us up!
When Gabby has disappeared, again, and big JC is injured, and its a wet Monday on Tyneside or the like, that is when our resolve will be stretched and we will be found wanting.
I am not a whiner or a sheep just a humble Villa fan with one foot firmly planted on Terra Firma. I want to believe, and do believe that our time will come, but not just yet!
Have to admire the spirit thats for sure. I think we are doing ok, but we really havnt been tested. Liverpool was a poor result in my opinion. We really didnt give it to them and send a message to the league. Missed opportunity. Stoke showed that we still need to iron out those lapses at the back. We have looked rather solid throughout, and like Andyanarchist said, we will be looking to consolidate this year and build on what is starting to look like a capable squad. Unfortunately the simple truth is that we need another three or four decent players to really compete with the big boys all year. Definately a solid start though and one we can build on with a couple more wins against lower opposition QPR and Sunderland.
Ps Good to see Andyanarchist throwing away his Dr Zeuss books finally and posting what has always been a valued opinion again
Andy you can't have any presents before Christmas. We have only played 5 out of 38 games, so it is too early to make any kind of a prediction as to how we will get on in the league. "You can't win the league before Christmas, but you can loose it"
If anyone knows where Andy lives can you pop round and make sure he's ok.
We are just starting the 3rd year of MON's 5 year plan. The league is a bridge too far this season. Champions league qualification and a cup win is not. Believe.
On-going improvement, year after year. Its there for all to see. Its all you can hope for from a team.
I'm not making any rash promises, but I genuinely do believe we will finish higher than we did last season. We will do markedly better than we did in the cups last season.
Once that's achieved, I think next season will be the tricky one. We will require a step change. The gap from 10th to 5th is not that great. The gap from 5th to 3rd is greater. MoN knows this. Randy knows this. We all know this.
So to summarise, lets enjoy this season for what it is. Lets celebrate if we finish 6th. Lets enjoy the local derby wins. Lets not crucify ourselves for the odd defeats we'll inevitably suffer.
God, its fun being a Villa fan at the moment. I LOVE IT.
5,4,3,2,1 - We have lift-off!
It's great to be so positive and I am with Ghosthunter on this one.
If we do the business this year in the league (4th / 5th) and then as David C mentioned a big step change will be required to push on into the top 3.
I am sure that this is in the MON/RL 5 year plan - it will cost another £????? million pounds / euros.
Please keep digging deep into your pockets Mr Lerner and bring that / those "trophy" signing to VP.
UTV
villa were 200-1 for the league at the start of the season and spurs 66-1. You should check now!
I remember when Spurs were going to break top 4. They didn't.
I remember when Arsenal's team was too young to win the prem league. They did.
I remember when Man U didn't have a big enough squad to compete for the title, and they won it.
I remember when this was Liverpool's season, well every year really, and it never is.
I remember when Chelsea sacked their manager, and were thought to struggle for a top 4 place - but far from it.
Anything can happen in this league. I think that includes us winning it. It's far fetched. But why not? People give the 'top 4' too much respect.
Let's not forget we were in the mixd one season in the late 90s, early 00s until we hardly won a game after Christmas.
I think we were even top going into November, with a team that many would have said was incapable of winning the league.
I know they didn't but the point is that with a bit more consistency towards the end of the season we could have been.
It is all about turning our draws, which we seem to have had a lot of in the last few years, and turning them into wins.
The league is still a distant dream in my eyes to find that level of consistency but fourth place is well within reach.