Realistic Expectations

[David_Nab]

It doesn't seem as if many other teams in have been that active in the market either? Think Arsenal have been as busy as us but that's about it.

It's the same in Europe ..Inter won the league and are 50mil in profit in transfer before selling Lukaku .Juv have spent about 20mil ,Real 2.8 and Barca don't look like they can register the free transfers they brought in .

[Mister E]

It's inevitable that the media see us as mid-tablers since we've won zip-all in the last 20 years, we have an unproven manager (in the top flight) and have just sold the bestest-ever player not to have made an England berth his own.
Great! - Let's sit below the radar, take the oppo by surprise (who will probably think they're going to get an easy ride now that JG has gone) and ram it up their backsides this season!
I do think that we will take a while to get going: Bailey has had no game-time with us and may not get much training with us before the season starts; Luiz is obviously not going to simply slot in from day one; we're going to have to work out how Ings and Watkins are going to work together; and, Sanson and Traore are still not 100% fit.
However, with another CMF, we'll be absolutely fine and surprising a lot of people this season.

[danno]

It doesn't seem as if many other teams in have been that active in the market either? Think Arsenal have been as busy as us but that's about it.

It's the same in Europe ..Inter won the league and are 50mil in profit in transfer before selling Lukaku .Juv have spent about 20mil ,Real 2.8 and Barca don't look like they can register the free transfers they brought in .

I guess what I meant to say was that the gap between eleventh and fifth can't be that wide if most teams are largely the same as last season. Assuming our new signings improve us.

[paul_e]

It doesn't seem as if many other teams in have been that active in the market either? Think Arsenal have been as busy as us but that's about it.

It's the same in Europe ..Inter won the league and are 50mil in profit in transfer before selling Lukaku .Juv have spent about 20mil ,Real 2.8 and Barca don't look like they can register the free transfers they brought in .

If Barca need money we should help them out by taking a few youngsters off their hands, Ansu Fati and Ilias Akhomach will do.

[LeonW]

It's inevitable that the media see us as mid-tablers since we've won zip-all in the last 20 years, we have an unproven manager (in the top flight) and have just sold the bestest-ever player not to have made an England berth his own.
Great! - Let's sit below the radar, take the oppo by surprise (who will probably think they're going to get an easy ride now that JG has gone) and ram it up their backsides this season!
I do think that we will take a while to get going: Bailey has had no game-time with us and may not get much training with us before the season starts; Luiz is obviously not going to simply slot in from day one; we're going to have to work out how Ings and Watkins are going to work together; and, Sanson and Traore are still not 100% fit.
However, with another CMF, we'll be absolutely fine and surprising a lot of people this season.

The only I'd say is that I think the media have always been like this with regards Villa. Can you imagine the outcry from them if Spurs had won the league in 1981 and the European Cup in 1982 and had just ONE player (who didn't get a single minute) selected for the England World Cup squad in 82?

[Steve67]

LeonW, that would be a good quiz question.  Which league title winner went to the World Cup in 1982...........

I hope this is one of those seasons where we do the opposite to last season and get stronger as the season goes on.  We will certainly have goals all over the pitch from now on.  And with a set piece expert amongst the coaching, Hopefully our new Captain, Mr T. Mings, will start using his 6'5' frame to better effect in opponents boxes.

[enigma]

We'll be in the mix for a Uefa Cup place for much of the season but end up around 8th I reckon. Could be higher depending on what business our rivals do. Not too impressed with Everton's signings so far for example.

[LeonW]

LeonW, that would be a good quiz question.  Which league title winner went to the World Cup in 1982...........

I hope this is one of those seasons where we do the opposite to last season and get stronger as the season goes on.  We will certainly have goals all over the pitch from now on.  And with a set piece expert amongst the coaching, Hopefully our new Captain, Mr T. Mings, will start using his 6'5' frame to better effect in opponents boxes.

Definitely. I bet there are quite a large number of people who also couldn’t name the English club that won old big ears in 82 as well.

A few years ago a friend of mine said that Villa were “-your classic early season team.” When I stopped and thought about it, that tended to be accurate more often than not. There are a number of new players to bed in so I could see us finishing more strongly than we start. Not a bad first 3 fixtures to get us going mind.

[SoccerHQ]

Arsenal and Spurs have actually strengthened so surpassing them will be especially tough. Gil and Romero will make Spurs better, while White, though overpriced, will definitely stop the Arse leaking so much.

Arsenal's problem is they still have loads of underachieving senior pros all doing little. Last season we beat them home and away with likes of Willian, Auba, Lacazette and Xhaka all starting so same will likely play again as they haven't signed anyone yet in final third and they're incredibly going to give Xhaka a new 4 year deal!

Spurs hinges on whether Kane stays or not. He goes and we have a big chance of finishing above them for what seems like first time since 1998. They haven't replaced Bale either and Son was pretty poor from Feb onwards so their attack is actually much weaker currently than last season so can see them having a slow start to the season and London press getting into a panic. Romero at the back is a very good defender though, someone Mourinho really needed when he was there.

[SoccerHQ]

For us it hinges on whether the players can step up or not post Grealish.

Too many of them hid for months after the injury in Feb and produced some really awful performances, Sheffield United and Newcastle away and Wolves at home we were completely hopeless in final third and Fulham at home was one of worst performances all season for 70 minutes until the late comeback.

Too often in the past we've lost a big player and the others around suddenly don't know what to do when they're not there as an outball. At least towards end of the season we were starting to play reasonably well, brilliant away to Everton and played fine v Man. United for an hour before the predictable collapse.

Really need a couple of Buendia, Bailey and Ings to hit the ground running as that should give confidence to the rest of the team and we also will have a better bench this season so hopefully DS can change things quicker in second halves when we haven't got control or are behind.

[robbo1874]

I'm split. I think, given we've lost our talismanic rat, if we stay in the top 10 we'll have done alright really in the circumstances. However, I can't help looking at the table and thinking that we should aim higher than that.

If we get in to Europe (any competition), i think we'll have had a successful season. Really wonderful progression as a club and a good base to work towards CL football from. A tiny part of me thinks that the summer's events might actually have a positive effect on the squad and push us on to 4th-6th territory.

i’m with your 2nd paragraph Algy. Can’t wait for the season to start now!

[Ad@m]

For us it hinges on whether the players can step up or not post Grealish.

Too many of them hid for months after the injury in Feb and produced some really awful performances, Sheffield United and Newcastle away and Wolves at home we were completely hopeless in final third and Fulham at home was one of worst performances all season for 70 minutes until the late comeback.

Too often in the past we've lost a big player and the others around suddenly don't know what to do when they're not there as an outball. At least towards end of the season we were starting to play reasonably well, brilliant away to Everton and played fine v Man. United for an hour before the predictable collapse.

Really need a couple of Buendia, Bailey and Ings to hit the ground running as that should give confidence to the rest of the team and we also will have a better bench this season so hopefully DS can change things quicker in second halves when we haven't got control or are behind.

I actually think we'll be better in that respect without Grealish.  For too long, the tactic when things are tough has just been to give the ball to Grealish.  Now that's not an option I can see more players stepping up and the team being much more balanced.

[Rigadon]

I've just watched stuff on youtube about Leon Bailey and Emi Buendia and I'm a lot more confident about the season having done so.  I don't watch any football outside of Villa and a bit of England in the big competitions (but that might wane from now on), so I have no view / opinion on any players that either don't play for us, or stand out when we play other teams.  Those two look fucking ace! 

[tomd2103]

For us it hinges on whether the players can step up or not post Grealish.

Too many of them hid for months after the injury in Feb and produced some really awful performances, Sheffield United and Newcastle away and Wolves at home we were completely hopeless in final third and Fulham at home was one of worst performances all season for 70 minutes until the late comeback.

Too often in the past we've lost a big player and the others around suddenly don't know what to do when they're not there as an outball. At least towards end of the season we were starting to play reasonably well, brilliant away to Everton and played fine v Man. United for an hour before the predictable collapse.

Really need a couple of Buendia, Bailey and Ings to hit the ground running as that should give confidence to the rest of the team and we also will have a better bench this season so hopefully DS can change things quicker in second halves when we haven't got control or are behind.

That's the question I suppose.  We have largely been poor over the past few seasons when Grealish was out, so there is somewhat of the unknown going into this season without him.

I do think we have bought well so far this summer, but central midfield remains an issue for me, especially as Douglas Luiz probably won't be starting the season.  Along with Bailey not ready, I think the first couple of weeks might be a bit of slow start.

[wince]

I’m getting nervous now, sensing a disturbance in the force. I hope we just give it a massive go and not be the club who lost their best player.