You are basically suggesting I have nothing better to do than take time out my week away to settle some insignicant pathetic point scoring, over a forum post from 5 years…
Luckily, quite easy to do with Ai…
Posters who doubted twoblue’s prediction, in order of appearance:
@chicoazul (#2) — Dismissed the post entirely with a joke, refusing to engage with the substance.
@Nymzee (#5) — Argued Villa finishing one place behind Everton was unremarkable, since ~10 mid-table clubs all sit in the same “not good, not crap” tier.
@Zatara (#9) — Rejected the premise that the signings were astute, calling Traoré a donkey and undermining the “wise investment” framing.
@zukai12_ _ (#12) — Said Villa were nothing without Grealish, framing their progress as one-player dependent and fragile.
@PaulPowersTash (#13) — Deflected with a fan-bashing line (“absolute balloons”), not engaging with the trajectory argument.
@GrandOldTeam (#14) — Pointed out Villa had stayed up by a single point two seasons prior, suggesting the upward trajectory was overstated.
@ClausThomsen (#19, #40) — Twice argued youth trophies rarely translate (citing Everton’s own U23 winners going nowhere), and that “rebuilding from the ground up” is what every Premier League club is doing, so Villa weren’t unique.
@Yarrgh (#20) — Sarcastically dismissed it, noting Villa were in the Championship recently, mocking the “panic” framing.
@Kantareller (#23) — Reinforced the youth-doesn’t-translate point, asking where Everton’s own previous youth winners ended up.
@degsy (#32) — Deflected: Everton’s problems are internal, Villa irrelevant to the real threat.
@Toast (#33) — Reinforced the Grealish-dependency argument by noting he was leaving for Man City.
@Tigger (#44) — One-line dismissal: “We got 99 problems and the Villa ain’t one.”
@gazzaa2 (#45) — Direct factual rebuttal: Villa spent £100m+ and were a goal-line technology malfunction from relegation; needed playoffs to get promoted despite the biggest budget — therefore not actually well run.
@Thomasc (#48) — Sarcastically dismissed the idea Villa could overtake Everton’s 10th place.
@Forever Blue (#58) — Flat statement: “Villa won’t overtake us.”
@hktoffee (#61) — Suggested twoblue had picked the wrong club — Leicester were the real threat.
@GrandOldTeam (#62) — Returned five months later to gloat that Villa had just sacked Smith, implying the well-run thesis had collapsed.
@Bohemian Toffee (#112) — On the Gerrard hire, predicted it was a misstep that would push Villa to 12th–14th rather than progressing them.
@No8Bally (#113) — “It will be fun watching The Vile slipping down the leagues.”
Pattern across the doubters: most opposition clustered around four arguments — (1) Grealish-dependency, (2) recent Championship/relegation-fight fragility, (3) youth trophies rarely translate, and (4) heavy spending rather than smart structure was doing the work. With hindsight, twoblue’s directional read was closer to right than the consensus on the thread.
