Normally when a ‘big’ team have a sluggish start to the season the bookies are wise to the fact, and their odds reflect it. Chelsea, currently 16th in the league table, have made a shambolic start to the season, but some bookies don’t even bother listing them (below) in their relegation candidates odds list.
Chelsea’s current position in the relegation picture is fooling no one, but the same cannot be said about Aston Villa.
In the table below Skybet have Villa at 4/6 for relegation, which basically translated means ‘bye-bye to the Championship’. In comparison, the newly promoted teams Watford (7/2), Bournemouth (5/2) and Norwich City (7/2) are all given decent chances of survival.
Leicester City who spent most of last season at the bottom of the league are a safe as houses 22/1 for relegation this time around.
What is perhaps increasingly worrying for Villa is the odds don’t seem to simply reflect current league positions. Newcastle winless and bottom of the table at 11/10 for survival are given a better chance than Villa. Now that is worrying even at this early stage.
Sunderland have recently acquired Sam Allardyce, who boasts the record of never being relegated. Will he secure the Black Cats Premier League status? It’s not a given considering the lack of quality currently in their squad. Yet, Sunderland showed last season, they can rally to the cause.
Of course, it’s early days, but Villa don’t have a squad of Premier League seasoned players and the odds distinctly reflect this. They also perhaps reflect the confidence draining effect the next five fixtures – Chelsea, Swansea, Man City, Spurs, Everton – could have on the team, if they don’t at least pick up a couple of positive results.
To say this international break is the calm before the storm is certainly an understatement.
Lets hope Villa’s odds for relegation are a tad longer come Christmas though.
UTV
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Frankly, the “gung ho” approach of the latter part of last season was never going to cut the mustard new term. You don’t become a bad manager overnight and you cant fault Tim for his passion it is clearly evident for us all to see. But we do have a an assistant manager, whats his contribution here ? You never see sight or sound of him.
The bookies have it right, we are the poorest team in the prem. If we go down, and I believe we will, the value of the club will be dramatically reduced and that will hit Lerners pocket more than ever and we may just see the back of the yank for good.
Yes, but who wants to go down? The club need to do all possible not to go down. I believe Sherwood will get somthing out of next two games. Worringly, the rub off effect of Sherwoods enthusiasm to win, no longer rubs off on the players and sadly, he’s no tactition at this level.
The line up against Stoke suggests he’s lost his confidence a touch. He thinks in terms of not losing, rather winning. Thats Lambert country, and even if he gets better results, no one wants to watch that again. For me, he’s got to remain confident, pick the flair players that he.’s gone out and bought and if it doesnt work, thanks for keeping us up and the cup run, but that’s that.
Sherwoods shown his inexperience. Like some of his players he doesn’t learn fast. His substitutions are questionable, especially against Leicester. He’s now bottling it on playing our flair players from the beginning, understandable as he probably feels he just doesn’t want to lose. However, up to the Stoke game, we’ve played with more style than a Lambert team.
It’s obvious he wanted certain Spurs players and couldnt get them for whatever reason, but he has good players, they need to be organised and motivated. He did it when he first arrived. Maybe the magics worn off.
mark is absolutely right.- never seen defending the middle third so bad. and he cannot handle players. Sanchez captained Columbia in a 2-0 victory on Saturday, and river plate want him allegedly. Obviously a good player. Yet for villa a bag of nerves who makes mistakes. And I fear Sherwood will lose Jack, either bad coaching or a transfer the one leading to the other.
First things first, we need results this month.
But long term, he either shapes up or goes. And then we need to look at why villa are so awful for so long. 6th year fighting relegation? Step forward Mr Lerner If you know where villa park is any more.
Trevor Fisher
4 points from 8 games during what was a reasonable sequence of fixtures.
I keep thinking about the Leicester game. 2-0 up then he takes off a midfielder and brings on a forward. The midfield gets swamped and well…you know the rest. How can a professional manager make a mistake like that? How can we all see it and he cannot?
Our defending is terrible, we can’t score enough goals. This could be the year.
Does this mean we are 6/4 not to go down then ?
its taking a long time for fans to realise this is a crisis. The Mirror today has Sherwood complaining he did not sign the players, the backroom staff did.
The result is a collection of individuals, not a team.
Get a tin hat. Villa fans will need it.
Trevor Fisher.