The Villans currently have thirty-five points, five away from the magical forty mark, and sit in fourteenth, above Newcastle United on goal difference. Below that lie Hull and Leicester on thirty-four points then, in the relegation zone, we find Sunderland with thirty-three points, Burnley with twenty-seven and QPR with twenty-six. QPR and Burnley seem as good as down but, with the final place still waiting to be filled, the Villans are still in a precarious position.
The remaining fixtures for Aston Villa have led some to believe that finishing above the dreaded drop zone is a mere formaility but doing so is easier said than done. It is shameful to see Villa and Sunderland, both teams that have been on a downward spiral for many years, narrowly avoiding relegation on more than one occasion, in the dogfight once more. It seems to be this struggling Sunderland side’s time to go: with Hull, Leicester and Villa all winning, the Black Cats are on the last of their nine lives.
The boys from B6 do not need to worry unduly about results around them, in my opinion. Fans and players should be confident and looking forward to the 2015-16 Premier League season. The team has three winnable fixtures to play and a win in the game against West Ham next Saturday could keep us up.
After that we face Southampton away from home in what is likely to be the trickiest of the final three games. The Saints still have a lot to play for but, recently, have not reached the high octane levels that saw them pushing for Champions League football for so long. Southampton’s European ambitions may already been realised or relinquished by the time Sherwood’s side travels to St Mary’s so, potentially, our hosts may have nothing to play for.
The last game of the season is at home against Burnley. Last time the sides met, they drew in Lancashire, with Joe Cole scoring for Villa. The game was close but The Clarets have not had the rub of the green this season and sit bottom of the Premier League. Their fate will surely be settled before they turn up at Villa Park, which I expect to be rocking for the last home game of the season after Sherwood has succeeded in getting the heart of the club truly pumping again.
The idea of relegation is unthinkable to me. Dropping into the Championship would be an embarrassment to Aston Villa Football Club, much as it was humiliating when River Plate suffered relegation in Argentina. If the inept Scot were still in charge, our club would be down. Sherwood has talked the talk but also shown us good football. The whole club is bouncing again. I no longer fear relegation. With Benteke and Cleverley reformed under our adopted Cockney, it is exciting to watch the team again: goals seem to be coming in twos and threes of late, Grealish is finally playing, proving the doubters wrong, and the injury-riddled defence is doing enough. Things have changed. Why should fans fear relegation? Can you honestly see Sherwood letting that happen? Look at the emotion on his face and I think you will find your answer.
