Dark Times
In recent years Aston Villa supporters have had to endure some pretty awful new worst records at Aston Villa, as the custodians of the club have led the club into one of the most shambolic periods of its history. From new records in terms of most home defeats in a season (10) to embarrassing long goalless stretches and losing streaks.
Over the past few seasons, when you’ve thought ‘it can’t get any worse’, it has. Now, though, Villa are staring relegation in the face, but worse than that, they are on track to break the most embarrassing record of all.
The lowest amount of points in a Premier League season.
Looking at the Premier League table now, Villa on five points are actually on a lower points tally after 14 games than the team who finished on the lowest ever Premier League tally were on at this stage.
Derby County, who finished the season with a woeful 11 points in the 2007/2008 season, actually had one more point than Villa currently do this season at the 14 game stage.
It’s amazing to think that Derby went on to get only get six points (from six draws) during the remaining 24 games of the 2007/08 season. Imagine Villa not winning again…
While Villa haven’t won at home in the league yet and some Villa fans will find it hard to come up with a list of teams Villa can beat to get over 38 points to survive, lets not get too depressed just yet. At the very least, surely they won’t end up like Derby?
Villa Hope
The defining difference between Villa and Derby is Villa’s defeats this season, bar two, have all been by just a single goal, which suggests Villa have been in most of the games they’ve played. They’re far from the whipping boys of the league like Derby were. After the first 12 games in 2007/08, Derby’s goal difference was -28 compared to Villa’s current -15.
Derby finished the season on a -69 goal difference as they received several beatings along the way, including getting thumped 6-0 by Villa.
On the evidence of Villa’s last defensive display in Rémi Garde’s first game in charge, the 0-0 draw with Manchester City, the Villa defence can defend if focused, even though that isn’t too often. The return of Jores Okore, should help.
The most important requirement though for Villa to survive doing a Derby and indeed getting relegated will be sorting out the other end of the pitch – goals. That remains Rémi Garde’s biggest challenge this season, finding to solution to replace Christian Benteke’s goals that have kept Villa up in the past few seasons.
UTV
Updated to 14 games of season
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Did this one a while back when Timmy was here, I worked out we’d get about 15 points this season and that is expected, It means I have a perspective that anything above that is a positive result, my hopes are not unreasonably high and therefore watching the team is not the same miserable experience I have had for 4 seasons, having said that I do hope to the gods of football that we are more competitive, stay in the Premier league and get some respect back.
This article is an embarrassment. Don’t know why you felt the need to write it.