Are we in worse shape than 1994/5?

[COYBL25]

The way I see it, is that we won't know until the new manager comes in

The parallels with Walkers team are almost identical.

Royale came in, galvanised and changed the midset of the players almost over night.

If the new manager can't do this, I'd say yes. ( and we'll go down )

 

[Del-boy]

Better players individually but there is no fight, no heart in this team.

 

[Khalekan]

Another thing.

At the comparable time in 1994 we lagged way behind the life raft, which remember was set at five places above the bottom that season.

We needed snookers to get out the relegation zone before Christmas.

At the time of going to press we sit a mere three points off’ve the top half of the table.

The more I think about it the less I am seeing us being worse off now than then.

 

[Khalekan]

Better players individually but there is no fight, no heart in this team.

There wasn’t in that team either before Joe came in.

That is why we had gone into November without a single victory.

Our first win came against Hammers in the 13th game though I think Walker was still in charge that night.

 

[royalbalou]

Lets Take a Look

Aston Villas best result in that season might have been the 2-0 win over Norwich in February There line up was

Bunn
Richards
Lescott
Okore
Cissokho
Gueye
Bacuna
Westwood
Veretout
Gil
Agbanlahor

How many of those players would pick ahead of our line up right now?

Doubt I'd choose that Gueye...been awful for his current club

 

[maccavennie]

There wasn’t in that team either before Joe came in.

That is why we had gone into November without a single victory.

Our first win came against Hammers in the 13th game though I think Walker was still in charge that night.

He was in charge for that game mate ( won 1-0 and I'm sure Lee Chapman missed a free header 2 yards out that smashed off the bar at the end ), we were bloody awful and it was a misty night. I think next game we had Norwich away and got best 2-0 and Walker was rightly sacked.

 

[davids]

You are letting your unreasonable hatred of Davud cloud your vision, orly.

He was fine young centre half in 1994.

And if he hadn't got that early goal in Moyse first game...

 

[toffeejack]

nah, i don't think we're worse. We have one of the top 6/7 squads in the league, they're just all playing with no confidence or care and they don't have clear plans or instructions to follow either. It's definitely a better squad than back then imo. A good manager with a style with a centre back and striker with a few important players back and things look a lot rosier. New stadium a few years away and a millionaire owner willing to spend - we didn't have anything close to that in the mid 90's. I really do think we're guilty of being way too pessimistic here, things will start to get a bit better after the last europa game as well.

It's a one off season for me, the 90's we were constantly down there

 

[Stan Lee Park]

No

We have a lot more quality, and once they actually get a manager in to train them and/or beat them with sticks, we will move up the table. The teams who currently are so bad that they are below our woeful team and a couple of others will be the ones in an actual relegation battle.

Last night was horrific but a dead rubber. We have 4 points in the last two games in the league despite being absolutely scheisse.

Still hate the complete shower though

Four points against Wadtford and Palace and far from convincing in either game.
I suppose we have to have realistic ambitions with this set of incompetent players.

 

[Stan Lee Park]

Lets Take a Look

Aston Villas best result in that season might have been the 2-0 win over Norwich in February There line up was

Bunn
Richards
Lescott
Okore
Cissokho
Gueye
Bacuna
Westwood
Veretout
Gil
Agbanlahor

How many of those players would pick ahead of our line up right now?

About 8 of them.

 

[TGW89]

He was in charge for that game mate ( won 1-0 and I'm sure Lee Chapman missed a free header 2 yards out that smashed off the bar at the end ), we were bloody awful and it was a misty night. I think next game we had Norwich away and got best 2-0 and Walker was rightly sacked.

It was 0-0. Mike Walker was sacked after two consecutive clean sheets - then it became six after Royle took over.

How the hell are we going to score two cleanies in a row this season - let alone SIX?

If you can't score regularly, at least defend. If you can't win, then don't lose - there will be chances. It was that mentality which not only secured survival, but won the FA Cup.

We are worse off now, because there are no Watsons, Unsworths or three dogs of war to get us out of the mess.... in fact, 1 to flucking 11, let's compare with the squad that beat Liverpool in Royle's first game:

1) Instead of Southall, we have a guy who is all bravery but (as yet) insufficient brain for a relegation fight.

2) Instead of the firey, die hard blue convert scouser Watson, we have geriatric nice-guy Jagielka from Sale or the firey but unsurprisingly shot-of-confidence Keane.

3) Instead of Ablett, a former red - but with more integrity in his little finger than any of our shythouses - we have Agent Williams, a boyhood kopite doing the footballing equivalent of pulling his C4 from underneath his flak jacket as he lies dying from a hail of bullets, and taking his boyhood club's enemy with him.

He's coming to the end, so what has he really got to lose? All that shirt pulling over the mouth after another fluck-up? Just to hide his laughter! Think I'm being libellous? He's certainly playing badly enough to back up this idea.

4) Instead of Hinchcliffe we have Baines. He is not as injury prone, but again, the end is nigh for him and his set pieces (apart from pens) are a joke.

5) Instead of Horne, Parkinson and Ebbrell, we have a raft of midfielders who are either OLD, INEXPERIENCED, OUT OF FORM or INCAPABLE of passing the ball forward more than 5 yards.

6) Wingers? We have them, but unlike Limpar, they don't play regularly enough as part of a wide system (ha!)

7) Instead of Ferguson, we have timid strikers, and the only one who isn't has been banned at a time when we need him most

And finally

8) Instead of Royle, we have someone with zero top flight experience. Royle had three years at Oldham and remarkably kept them up twice, with no money and only tactical nous - he was not a caretaker dredged from lower down the club.

We also have a board that unwisely dithered BEFORE the October international break, so there is no possibility of 2017's Royle (Dyche?) making the sort of impact he could, as Royle did in 1994.

So yes, we ARE worse off than in 1994. Lose the next two (and we will) and we are down. Without question.

 

[bicycleheader]

Four points against Wadtford and Palace and far from convincing in either game.
I suppose we have to have realistic ambitions with this set of incompetent players.

But that's the point. We are godawful. Like really really bad.

But we have still managed to pick up 4pts in our last two games and there are still 4 teams worse than us and another 4 only 1 pt better than us.

 

[Khalekan]

nah, i don't think we're worse. We have one of the top 6/7 squads in the league, they're just all playing with no confidence or care and they don't have clear plans or instructions to follow either. It's definitely a better squad than back then imo. A good manager with a style with a centre back and striker with a few important players back and things look a lot rosier. New stadium a few years away and a millionaire owner willing to spend - we didn't have anything close to that in the mid 90's. I really do think we're guilty of being way too pessimistic here, things will start to get a bit better after the last europa game as well.

It's a one off season for me, the 90's we were constantly down there

Very true.

The grim autumn of 1994 followed hot on the heels of an even grimmer spring which saw us all but fall through the trap door.

 

[maccavennie]

It was 0-0. Mike Walker was sacked after two consecutive clean sheets - then it became six after Royle took over.

How the hell are we going to score two cleanies in a row this season - let alone SIX?

If you can't score regularly, at least defend. If you can't win, then don't lose - there will be chances. It was that mentality which not only secured survival, but won the FA Cup.

We are worse off now, because there are no Watsons, Unsworths or three dogs of war to get us out of the mess.... in fact, 1 to flucking 11, let's compare with the squad that beat Liverpool in Royle's first game:

1) Instead of Southall, we have a guy who is all bravery but (as yet) insufficient brain for a relegation fight.

2) Instead of the firey, die hard blue convert scouser Watson, we have geriatric nice-guy Jagielka from Sale or the firey but unsurprisingly shot-of-confidence Keane.

3) Instead of Ablett, a former red - but with more integrity in his little finger than any of our shythouses - we have Agent Williams, a boyhood kopite doing the footballing equivalent of pulling his C4 from underneath his flak jacket as he lies dying from a hail of bullets, and taking his boyhood club's enemy with him.

He's coming to the end, so what has he really got to lose? All that shirt pulling over the mouth after another fluck-up? Just to hide his laughter! Think I'm being libellous? He's certainly playing badly enough to back up this idea.

4) Instead of Hinchcliffe we have Baines. He is not as injury prone, but again, the end is nigh for him and his set pieces (apart from pens) are a joke.

5) Instead of Horne, Parkinson and Ebbrell, we have a raft of midfielders who are either OLD, INEXPERIENCED, OUT OF FORM or INCAPABLE of passing the ball forward more than 5 yards.

6) Wingers? We have them, but unlike Limpar, they don't play regularly enough as part of a wide system (ha!)

7) Instead of Ferguson, we have timid strikers, and the only one who isn't has been banned at a time when we need him most

And finally

8) Instead of Royle, we have someone with zero top flight experience. Royle had three years at Oldham and remarkably kept them up twice, with no money and only tactical nous - he was not a caretaker dredged from lower down the club.

We also have a board that unwisely dithered BEFORE the October international break, so there is no possibility of 2017's Royle (Dyche?) making the sort of impact he could, as Royle did in 1994.

So yes, we ARE worse off than in 1994. Lose the next two (and we will) and we are down. Without question.

Sorry mate you are correct. I think his first return there we got beat 3-0 which is the game i was thinking about.

 

[Alanbileysfeathercut]

It was 0-0. Mike Walker was sacked after two consecutive clean sheets - then it became six after Royle took over.

How the hell are we going to score two cleanies in a row this season - let alone SIX?

If you can't score regularly, at least defend. If you can't win, then don't lose - there will be chances. It was that mentality which not only secured survival, but won the FA Cup.

We are worse off now, because there are no Watsons, Unsworths or three dogs of war to get us out of the mess.... in fact, 1 to flucking 11, let's compare with the squad that beat Liverpool in Royle's first game:

1) Instead of Southall, we have a guy who is all bravery but (as yet) insufficient brain for a relegation fight.

2) Instead of the firey, die hard blue convert scouser Watson, we have geriatric nice-guy Jagielka from Sale or the firey but unsurprisingly shot-of-confidence Keane.

3) Instead of Ablett, a former red - but with more integrity in his little finger than any of our shythouses - we have Agent Williams, a boyhood kopite doing the footballing equivalent of pulling his C4 from underneath his flak jacket as he lies dying from a hail of bullets, and taking his boyhood club's enemy with him.

He's coming to the end, so what has he really got to lose? All that shirt pulling over the mouth after another fluck-up? Just to hide his laughter! Think I'm being libellous? He's certainly playing badly enough to back up this idea.

4) Instead of Hinchcliffe we have Baines. He is not as injury prone, but again, the end is nigh for him and his set pieces (apart from pens) are a joke.

5) Instead of Horne, Parkinson and Ebbrell, we have a raft of midfielders who are either OLD, INEXPERIENCED, OUT OF FORM or INCAPABLE of passing the ball forward more than 5 yards.

6) Wingers? We have them, but unlike Limpar, they don't play regularly enough as part of a wide system (ha!)

7) Instead of Ferguson, we have timid strikers, and the only one who isn't has been banned at a time when we need him most

And finally

8) Instead of Royle, we have someone with zero top flight experience. Royle had three years at Oldham and remarkably kept them up twice, with no money and only tactical nous - he was not a caretaker dredged from lower down the club.

We also have a board that unwisely dithered BEFORE the October international break, so there is no possibility of 2017's Royle (Dyche?) making the sort of impact he could, as Royle did in 1994.

So yes, we ARE worse off than in 1994. Lose the next two (and we will) and we are down. Without question.

Good points
I hope you're wrong about the next two games though
Whatever the outcome