Villa in the Championship

[Ralph]

Looks like it. Not won in the 5 games since RG came in. Were like lambs to the slaughter at home today. Heard a stat on TV that they have not won at home in 4 months. There was another stat that i can't remember all of, but it was that they had only won at home 4 times in a considerable amount of home games. Might of been almost 30

[Malabus]

The most hated team after West Brom. Good riddance.

[The Old TomCat]

The most hated team after West Brom. Good riddance.

Untrue, untrue.

The most hated team by a mile and half in Man U ******* nited

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

And a bad year to go down - the TV deal which starts paying next year will be transformative.

If Villa go down, and a team like Derby or Boro come up then it will be sometime before Villa will have the funds to compete with them.

I think this window and the manager merry-go-round in the late winter and spring will go into overdrive. Same way we have to view it as a promotion at all costs, clubs like Villa and West Brom who have ambition of top half Premier League consistency cannot afford to go down this year.

[Malabus]

The most hated team after West Brom. Good riddance.

Untrue, untrue.

The most hated team by a mile and half in Man U ******* nited

Ohhh I forgot Glawster

[Robin]

Amazing to think they could drop out of the Prem as they are a genuine big club which has been run extremely poorly. Would seriously love to see us play them in the league cup next season as a number of my family are avid Villa fans.

[Malabus]

Chelsea in the Championship would be a better story.

[Shade]

I reckon Villa will be ok still, but it all hinges on the transfer window. Remi Garde has got some proper s**t to get rid of, and replace them with half decent quality. Tim Sherwood signed some right c!#p. Not that he had much to start with. But the kid they brought on yesterday, Armana Traore (sp), 19 year old they apparently signed for quite a lot of money from Barcelona, and he hasn't started a game yet, just been used as a sub a few times. He did one excellent run and shot wide, but other than that he looked like Bambi on ice.

[asl]

I reckon Villa will be ok

Starting from 6 points from 16 games? That'll be some turnaround!

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

I reckon Villa will be ok

Starting from 6 points from 16 games? That'll be some turnaround!

Yup, probably need 30 points from 22 games. No evidence at all they can achieve that.

[Shade]

There was no evidence Leicester could do what they did and are continuing to do.

[Ralph]

looking forward to them v Chelsea later .. If Chelsea lose that, does Jose then go

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

There was no evidence Leicester could do what they did and are continuing to do.

Indeed. There was no evidence either way for Leicester as no games had been played. There have been 16 games to judge Villa on and there is no evidence they can get 30 more points. There is evidence from those 16 games that they are a very poor side.

Hopefully Randy will Lerner lot from his mistakes.

[asl]

Any idea how many points the team at the foot of the table had at this point last season?

[Malabus]

Any idea how many points the team at the foot of the table had at this point last season?

Leicester City with 10 points (17/12/14).

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Any idea how many points the team at the foot of the table had at this point last season?

The Derby side that finished the season with the record low 11 points had 5 points after 16 games, Villa have 6 points.

However, whilst Villa have scored 13 goals in the first 16 games, that Derby side had only managed 6 goals.

Either way, it's a terrible start by Villa with no sign of recovery yet.

[Shade]

Indeed. There was no evidence either way for Leicester as no games had been played.

Leicester City with 10 points (17/12/14).

I meant last season when they were bottom, RCS, and now are at the top of the league. I know Villa are worse off, but there is some dross above them that i believe they can catch. Ya know, if they get rid of some of their dross themselves. Anything can happen in this season Premier League.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Indeed. There was no evidence either way for Leicester as no games had been played.

Leicester City with 10 points (17/12/14).

I meant last season when they were bottom, RCS, and now are at the top of the league. I know Villa are worse off, but there is some dross above them that i believe they can catch. Ya know, if they get rid of some of their dross themselves. Anything can happen in this season Premier League.

Oh, I thought you were talking about evidence this season about this season's Leicester squad and their new manager this season.

In terms of last season, yes Leicester's storming finish was unexpected and incredible and there was little evidence it would happen. However, the reason it was amazing was because it was exceptional - and although anything can happen, it is prudent (by definition) not think the exceptional will happen year in year out.

[Si Robin]

In fairness, Leicester never looked particularly poor last season, they were more unlucky than bad, and whilst their run was exceptional, going down would have been very harsh on them.

The fact they've carried that run on into this season is even more remarkable.

[Shade]

The thing for me is I think that any or most of 4 or 5 clubs could hit a run of not winning a game for 2 months. One of those might be Villa, continuing to not win. But it could also be Sunderland, Norwich, Swansea or West Brom. I'm not including Chelsea, Newcastle or Bournemouth in the list because I think they have enough quality and/or spirit. A lot of it depends on whether the top of the table sides pick up the consistency of their performances.

I saw Norwich on Saturday and they were very lucky they weren't dead and buried by half time, their defence looked horrendous and on another day Lukaku would have had a hat-trick inside 25 minutes. Alex Neil isn't going to do the job they need, imo. Sunderland & West Brom are just never convincing, even if they do have the scrapping managers in charge. Swansea will depend a lot on who their new boss is. I just get the feeling Remi Garde is going to pull a few decent signings out the bag in January and they'll squeak to safety.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Yes agree that Norwich and Sunderland could well be overtaken by Villa. Swansea depends on which manager they appoint and West Brom I wish would go down so Pulis the thug nonce gets his pikey smirk washed off his face.

[Ralph]

Meanwhile Chelsea are now 2 down. Both goals world class.
Commentators here said they don't appear motivated, just going through the motions..

Who knew it was difficult for players on a 120k a week plus to be motivated

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

I don't think that is motivation Ralph. If I knew I was going to earn five million quid this year even if I put in half a shift or sat on the bench I would be less motivated to bust a gut than if I knew if I failed to perform I might lose my house or struggle to eat. And players who have big contracts at big clubs think they have made it so no need to be motivated to fight.

Same as why in individual sports like Tennis we see players from poorer or rougher backgrounds as becoming a pro is a way to get out of the gutter or the ghetto so to speak. Or why in football even players from poor small countries who grow up kicking cans on a dusty street who want to make a better life for themselves have more determination and motivation than a British kid given a £5k a week contact before he even plays a first team game.

[Robin]

looking forward to them v Chelsea later .. If Chelsea lose that, does Jose then go

Do you really sack one of the best managers in global football? Surely it would be refreshing to see some loyalty and a clear out of the players instead.

I'm no Chelsea fan but if they sack Jose who do they realistically get? Same for the Man Ure fans wanting Van Gaal sacked, who can come in and do better?

[Ralph]

looking forward to them v Chelsea later .. If Chelsea lose that, does Jose then go

Do you really sack one of the best managers in global football? Surely it would be refreshing to see some loyalty and a clear out of the players instead.

I'm no Chelsea fan but if they sack Jose who do they realistically get? Same for the Man Ure fans wanting Van Gaal sacked, who can come in and do better?

I have a feeling that he might just stay and Roman will tell him to rebuild. Get all the loans back and stick some of the unmotivated in the window in Jan. They are out of the CL and might miss Europe altogether. The players need to learn that they are not the bosses, Jose is. Have some of the kids that are out at other clubs playing first team for Chelsea

Its about time an owner took a stand and said that i'm standing by the mgr. its the players fault

[Shade]

looking forward to them v Chelsea later .. If Chelsea lose that, does Jose then go

Do you really sack one of the best managers in global football? Surely it would be refreshing to see some loyalty and a clear out of the players instead.

I'm no Chelsea fan but if they sack Jose who do they realistically get? Same for the Man Ure fans wanting Van Gaal sacked, who can come in and do better?

Listening to Jamie Carragher last night he was asking the same question, if you're Abramovich do you stick by the manager or the players - he's always stuck by the players before. I also agree he should stick by Mourinho and have a clear out if he can in January. Terry is now past it, Ivanovic isn't what he was, half the midfielders only got by because Oscar, Willian and Hazard were running the show and it made them look better than they are, and now only Willian is showing any form. And I always thought Costa would be a one or two season wonder when he was at Atletico. Remy is a much better striker imo, but Mourinho doesn't seem to like him much, same as he didn't seem to like Demba Ba.

[Robin]

I agree with both of you, for me I think there is unrest in the camp with key players, I have no inside knowledge but I can certainly imagine Terry and Costa being influential characters and if they are not happy it may unsettle the others. In my view Terry is past it and should have been replaced in the summer with Stones but Chelsea couldn't get the deal done because they left it late. I have the feeling also that both Hazard and Costa have fallen out with Mourinho. They are top players but I think it would make more sense to sell them both and keep Mourinho, just write this season off.

Same situation at Man Utd in my eyes they are not playing great but are doing well in the league, they are simply not good enough to win it and throwing bundles of cash takes time to build a team. If they sack Van Gaal then they are back to square one, unlikely to find anyone better - word on the street is Guardiola has agreed to join City already - and you would imagine the bank accounts are getting low given the amount of panic buying that was going on in the last two years.

Finally, Garry Monk being sacked at Swansea after a poor run, I mean seriously what the f...k??? He'd worked wonders there, they'd be a small team in the Championship!!

[Ralph]

looking forward to them v Chelsea later .. If Chelsea lose that, does Jose then go

Do you really sack one of the best managers in global football? Surely it would be refreshing to see some loyalty and a clear out of the players instead.

I'm no Chelsea fan but if they sack Jose who do they realistically get? Same for the Man Ure fans wanting Van Gaal sacked, who can come in and do better?

Listening to Jamie Carragher last night he was asking the same question, if you're Abramovich do you stick by the manager or the players - he's always stuck by the players before. I also agree he should stick by Mourinho and have a clear out if he can in January. Terry is now past it, Ivanovic isn't what he was, half the midfielders only got by because Oscar, Willian and Hazard were running the show and it made them look better than they are, and now only Willian is showing any form. And I always thought Costa would be a one or two season wonder when he was at Atletico. Remy is a much better striker imo, but Mourinho doesn't seem to like him much, same as he didn't seem to like Demba Ba.

And there's the fella at Everton banging them in as well.
There is only one club and one mgr where the mgr may outlast the players and that's now at Chelsea. I hope it happens too. About time players realized that they are employees. Roman will demand CL next season if he does this though. There can be no time that this happens again

The fans were still chanting Joes's name last night at the game

[Ralph]

I agree with both of you, for me I think there is unrest in the camp with key players, I have no inside knowledge but I can certainly imagine Terry and Costa being influential characters and if they are not happy it may unsettle the others. In my view Terry is past it and should have been replaced in the summer with Stones but Chelsea couldn't get the deal done because they left it late. I have the feeling also that both Hazard and Costa have fallen out with Mourinho. They are top players but I think it would make more sense to sell them both and keep Mourinho, just write this season off.

Same situation at Man Utd in my eyes they are not playing great but are doing well in the league, they are simply not good enough to win it and throwing bundles of cash takes time to build a team. If they sack Van Gaal then they are back to square one, unlikely to find anyone better - word on the street is Guardiola has agreed to join City already - and you would imagine the bank accounts are getting low given the amount of panic buying that was going on in the last two years.

Finally, Garry Monk being sacked at Swansea after a poor run, I mean seriously what the f...k??? He'd worked wonders there, they'd be a small team in the Championship!!

Costa and Hazard are bad. Hazards girlfriend wants to be in Paris or Madrid. Terry, kick him out. They should never of sold Cech to Arsenal. A team can not go from winning the PL one season to nothingness the next unless there are bad apples.

If your a team with a player like Stones that you know they want, add 10mil to it in Jan

[Shade]

And there's the fella at Everton banging them in as well.

Good point. Ba, Lukaku and Sturridge as well...even if he is the new "Sicknote" Anderton, Chelsea have got rid of quite a few decent strikers in the last 4 or 5 years that they could do with now. They'd be well advised to get Patrick Bamford back and in the first team going on that.

[Ralph]

http://www.chelseafc.com/teams/on-loan-players.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not sure how current this is, but its 33 on loan elsewhere

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/footba ... ayers.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm sure a load of those would love to be playing first team at Chelsea

[Robin]

Media suggests they are making a play for a new striker and John Stones in January. If that's true perhaps I was correct about Terry and Costa making negative noises in teh dressing room.

[Shade]

Well Costa would be no surprise after the bib incident. He's a stroppy twat at the best of times. And the way he was having a go at his defence the other night whilst failing to do his own job very well wouldn't have exactly gone down well, I wouldn't have thought. I'm not sure Terry would be a bad apple in the dressing room, I just don't think he's good enough anymore. He's always been supportive of Jose and I don't think he would do anything to jeopardise Chelsea. Say what you want about him, but he's a Chelsea clubman through and through.

[Shade]

http://www.chelseafc.com/teams/on-loan-players.html

Not sure how current this is, but its 33 on loan elsewhere

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/footba ... ayers.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm sure a load of those would love to be playing first team at Chelsea

And a load of them would probably walk into the first team, if it was based on form this season alone.

[Ralph]

Viila just been turned over 2-0 by Norwich. They are done, not showing anything at all