SHAKE EUR-O-PA! Official Countdown to Europa League 2009/10

Please tell me the top four/five queered the rankings.. it figures

 

I can't help feeling a little sorry for Aston Villa. A month ago, their fans probably looked ahead and figured they'd be coasting easily through the last few games of the season, what with the middle-to-bottom-of-the-table opponents.

...but the reality turns out to be a final three matches againsts a surging Fulham squad with European ambitions, and then two opponents that are desperate to claw their way out of relegation. So much for coasting to the finish line.

 

I wonder whether Chelsea and Man United fucked us over with their antics in the CL semis.

 

I'm not sure if they did or not, but I'm fine blaming the scum for anything that goes wrong.

 

That could very well be us next year. Europe took a toll on Villa and they carry a squad about the same size as ours. That's not to say I don't want to see us get the bid, I just hope we approach our league and cup play intelligently and also add some depth.

 

And Howard Webb's card-a-thons.

Ah bummer...

 

I'll second that!

 

Ditto -- something I see occasionally is the fear of success in the fans of our club. Theirs is a small, well-meaning, but misguided minority. However, I will happily take a European place next year. Don is right -- making Arsenal crap their pants for 25 weeks and pushing the big boys is a pretty good run. Villa had a great year. Sure it is a little disappointing, but their fans should be proud of their organization. Heck, if Laursen holds his leg together, who knows how it may have ended for them. They would have had a better game last week, definitely.

I'd take Villa's season next year. Maybe there will be a few rough spots in the league if that happens. Is it going to be all smooth sailing for us in any event? How many teams have years like that -- have any since They Who Will Not Be Names won their first title in2005?

I hope I didn't just jinx us. Come on Fulham!!

 

I hope you didn't get that "fear of success" bit from what I wrote. I was merely pointing out the similarity in squad size and the fact that Villa ran out of gas late in the season.

As such, if we get out of the group stages and we line up to face Hamburg or Shaktar Donetsk, and Roy trots out the likes of Julian Gray, Olivier Dacourt and Frederick Stoor, I'll be the last to carp about it. I would like to see us field a better squad to get through the group stages though so we can maximize the profit potential of a Europa bid.

 

With their win at Wigan today, Man United can clinch the title with just a draw at home against Arsenal in the early game this Saturday. Not directly relevant to the race to finish 7th, but indirectly related in that a settled title race could, in theory, increase the chances that the Everton match will be televised. (Setanta and Fox haven't yet announced what they'll be covering on 5/24 and presumably will not do so until after this weekend's games are in the books.)

 

Nah, not here so much as some things I saw on the offal, the UK media, admittedly much smaller than the people that say we should go for it.

 

You were saying? :lol:

Spuds have to go to Liverpool next week though. Hopefully 'plod will be looking to end the season in style rather than looking to get to the golf course ASAP.

 

Loverly!!!!

 

I MUST add, this is our rightful place. This is, where we belong (and possibly then some).

 

Why not us?

 

Oh my goodness, little Fulham has the mathematical inside track on the last Europa spot.

 

At the seasons final whistle we are going the Europe!

Let the transfer speculation truly commence.