Who is going to be 4th in the Prem in 4 games time?

March 5, 2009 by Martin Banks
Filed under: Aston Villa 
4th place

Has 4th place always been such a bitterly rivalled aspiration?

Many Arsenal fans seem to be getting carried away for a team that has only won 1 game in their last 6 and that was against West Brom, who everyone knows are sooooooooooooo crap! ;-)

But with the form Villa have been in who can blame them for getting cocky? We are beginning to look like a team buckling under the pressure and some of the real tests are still to come.

I like to remain confident, even if I end up disappointed (we’ve had far bigger disappointments at Villa than a 5th place finish after all!) because it would be such a shame for us to waste all the hope and excitement we’ve experienced this season. It’s season’s like this that make us so addicted to this game of kicking around a pig’s bladder after all.

That said, you can’t help but look at the fixture list and feel that it is going to take huge courage and determination from our boys to still be 4th after the next four games.

Here’s who we’ve got:

Villa:

Tottenham (home)

Man Utd (away)

Liverpool (away)

Everton (home)

…and who our nearest rivals have got (you know the team I mean, the ones with Arse in their name ;-) )

Arsenal:

Blackburn (home)

Newcastle (away)

Man City (home)

Wigan (away)

It’s going to be tough for us to get as many points as Arsenal from these games, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do it. Don’t forget how much better we play against the stronger teams.

Who believes?


Comments

7 Comments on Who is going to be 4th in the Prem in 4 games time?

  1. Nave on Thu, 5th Mar 2009 12:18

    2. Mate, Arsenal won 1 game out of last 6 but still are only 3 points behind Villa. How come ? How many did you win in last 6 ? This is the crunch time and who ever can keep cool will finish 4th. Last season Arsenal were 5 points ahead in March and lost title by 4 Points in the end. Its good to be confident, but your problem seems to be over confident. You should have killed Arsenal already by taking atleast 10 points lead by now which you havent. Remember last weekend ?

  2. mb on Thu, 5th Mar 2009 12:44

    3. Sorry, I’m not believing on this one, MON has f****d it now. I think 5th is a (slight) step up from last year, the team is doing well overall and MON is (for the most part) doing a very good job at making things happen and is the right manager for us. That said, we’ve all but thrown 4th away – our points cushion over Arsenal was meant to be for big teams, not the likes of Stoke and Arab City. Confidence is shot to bits, Gabby needs a good kick up the backside as he’s producing nothing and with player numbers low (for which MON only has himself to blame) I think the wheels are coming off in what could be a big way now. Even Everton must be thinking “maybe we can get 5th”. I don’t think you could slice it any other way than it is. We can take a great many positives away this year, and had we been in 5th or 6th all season then I’d feel fine, but the fact is we’ve been 4th for the most part, and if we don’t keep it it’ll be a case of us having thrown it away while it was in our grasp rather than not having quite achieved that step up in the first place – two very different things. MON must feel an idiot because not only are the players visibly low on confidence (anyone see Gabby looking like a moody teenager at Stoke and being the only person not to celebrate Carews goal), his scheme of resting players (and thus throwing the European cup away) only so they can be energised enough to simply draw Stoke at home is laughable.

  3. worto03 on Thu, 5th Mar 2009 12:56

    4. can’t argue with that, we’ve blown a few chances to build up a much bigger lead while you’ve been drawing games. The pressure is back on us big time now.

    It’s certainly going to be an interesting end to the season for Villa and Arsenal fans, what this article leaves out is that our fixtures after these next 4 until the end of the season are a lot easier while you still have Liverpool, Chelsea and Man U to play.

    I think you’ll overtake us in the coming weeks but we’ll have plenty of chances to get back above you in the final 6 games.

  4. Simeon on Thu, 5th Mar 2009 13:41

    5. Although recent results have been disappointing, the performances have actually been good – yesterday’s first half aside. How we react to the twin setbacks of Sunday and yesterday is crucial, and I believe we will react positively. I also wouldn’t be the least surprised if we are more than 3 points ahead of Arsenal after the next three fixtures, because we are a (relatively speaking) good team, and every single one of our fixtures between now and the end of the season is winnable. I sincerely hope that MoN and the squads sights are on Liverpool and Chelsea rather than Arsenal. Our fate is entirely in our own hands. As for Arsenal, they are only a theoretical distraction. They are simply not good enough to keep pace with us between now and the end of the season, unless the, in my opinion, highly unlikley happens and we bottle it.

  5. prashant on Thu, 5th Mar 2009 18:27

    6. I would like to point out that arsenal still have to play chelsea, liverpool and Man Utd. and they play these three during there last 6 games of the season, with the last three being Chelsea, then Man Utd, finishing with stoke, who they will beat. So this will go to the wire.

  6. Paul on Fri, 6th Mar 2009 9:23

    7. I believe d gunaz are up 4 da kill,their destiny is in their own hands not in aston villa’s hands.look up to d 2nd,3rd or if da worst comes to it,4th.

  7. Luvdavill@ on Fri, 6th Mar 2009 13:10

    8. I have believed in a top 4 finish for most of the season but having been a Villa fan for 40 + years im beginning to get the familiar sense of disapointment over the last few games.Its starting to look like a 5th place finish and next season do we commit hari kari again if we get another chance near the top?Success breeds Success ,I honestly think we would have had more success from the last 2 games if we had won in russia. Once you start to lie down its hard to get up again.I would rather have Martin than not have him but he does need to learn how to use his subs now and then.

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