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Welcome back to Setting the Table. We've got everything you need to start your Aston Villa week, all in one handy column!
Just The Facts, Please
| Position | W | D | L | GD | Pts | |
| Aston Villa | 11th | 6 | 5 | 9 | -6 | 23 |
Form (Last 5, most recent first): W D L L L
Results Last Week: Sunderland 0-1 Aston Villa (EPL), Aston Villa 1-2 Sheffield United (FA Cup)
Upcoming Fixtures:
- First Team:
Arsenal (EPL) - Monday, January 13, 2000 GMT, 1500 Eastern
Tracking Villa's Progress
A look at how Aston Villa are doing compared to corresponding fixtures from last season. For a more full explanation of the corresponding fixtures table, see here.
| ∆ Scored | ∆ Allowed | ∆ Points |
| -10 | -15 | 0 |
Well then. Villa have wasted their early-season gains on last year's squad. But at just a bit more than the halfway mark, it's as if the club are starting over again. If they can average 1 point in their remaining 18 matches, they'll end up where they were last year. Even with how the club has looked recently, that doesn't seem so implausible, does it?
Injuries
New Injuries Last Week:
- Libor Kozak - broken leg (out for season)
- Nathan Baker - not sure (injured during warmups for Sheffield United match)
Transfer Rumor Roundup
- Make sure to check out our transfer rumor hub, where you can find all of our transfer stories.
- Aston Villa are seemingly not content with their growing Belgian contingent, and are looking at Porto and Belgium international Steven Defour. The midfielder would certainly be a nice boost to the squad.
- Paul Lambert apparently is looking elsewhere for midfield help, and has apparently offered £1.5 million for Norwich City's Wes Hoolahan.
- And Stoke City would like to make Stephen Ireland's loan move permanent. Please. Please do.
Looking Ahead
- There are no matches for Aston Villa this week, so I imagine the prevailing story lines will be: 1) Paul Lambert and the fans and 2) any transfer news.
- To that point, it wouldn't shock me to see a somewhat splashy move this week. Lambert is undoubtedly on the hot seat with fans (whether or not that's fair is irrelevant), and with no match to divert attention, a quick way to make everyone shut up would be a good move.
- Of course, that doesn't guarantee a move, and it doesn't guarantee a good one. Lambert could sit back and wait for the right move to open up (probably the smart thing to do), or he could make a move simply for the sake of action. Often, the latter course leads to overpaying or picking up players that aren't all that good.
- And even more of course: this is all speculation. We'll definitely keep you up-to-date throughout the week with anything that happens.
Miscellany
Vote and tell us how you feel about the club | 7500 to Holte
I know, from our emails, how the writers here feel about the club right now. But I'm really curious as to how you, the readers, feel. So give us a quick vote and if you've got a second leave a comment.
The rebuild isn't working | Up The Villa
Cup exit "Shambolic and unacceptable" | Villa Talk
Fans throw torn-up tickets at Lambert | Birmingham Mail
A quick smattering of some of the reactions to Villa's recent form.
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Thanks, as always, for reading. Be sure to join us in the comments, where anything goes!
