Editors James Clark and Matt Lynch have decided to put Read Aston Villas team through their paces asking a variety of questions ahead of the new season. Here are what they had to say.
Oliver Mackenzie
Who will be Villa’s surprise player this season?
Scott Sinclair has that feeling about him. He now has his dreadful time at Man City behind him after signing for us permanently.
What do you make of our signings so far?
Whilst none of the signings will grab the back pages, Sherwood has been pragmatic and logical with his buy. Amavi is a great purchase and Jordan Ayew is an attacking midfielder who will get us goals.
Will we finish in the top 10?
Aim for tenth at the start of the season then before you know it you’re in a relegation battle we need to aim slightly higher; Paul Lambert’s negative approach hurt us for too long.
Who’ll be our No. keeper?
Hmm tricky because you can make a case for all of them. Guzan is clearly the best in terms of ability but didn’t cover himself in much glory last season, Bunn has experience but has never been a first choice and Jed Steer has potential but has only played one game. Steer needs a chance.
Who will be our top goalscorer with Benteke leaving the club?
Jordan Ayew is the only player in the team that could realistically be expected to get more than 15 a season.
Can our new team do it on a wet Tuesday night in Stoke?
Stoke can’t even do it on a wet Tuesday night in Stoke nowadays so it doesn’t matter.
FM or Fifa?
FM, I can’t control myself playing FIFA
What are your favourite colours? (Only one answer)
British Racing Green
Where will we finish?
14th
Louie Littlewood
Who will be Villa’s surprise player this season?
Ashley Westwood
What do you make of our signings so far?
Impressive, looking forward to seeing them perform for Villa this season.
Will we finish in the top 10?
No the signings made will catch us up with other sides who have also strengthened.
Who’ll be our No. keeper?
Brad Guzan – he has the proven pedigree to gather himself together and build up his reputation again.
Who will be our top goalscorer with Benteke leaving the club?
Rudy Gestede- just look at his Championship stats. He is going to cause defenders nightmares.
Can our new team do it on a wet Tuesday night in Stoke?
Definitely. Even though a lot will not be acclimatised to the weather up at the Britannia.
FM or Fifa?
Fifa. I am easily immersed with an Aston Villa career mode.
What are your favourite colours? (Only one answer)
Blue
Where will we finish?
15th
Ed Payne
Who will be Villa’s surprise player this season?
Jores Okore. Showed a lot of promise before getting injured 2 seasons ago and has struggled since he came back from injury. However, with a full pre-season behind him under Sherwood I think he will form a very good partnership with Richards at centre back.
What do you make of our signings so far?
I think we have spent the Benteke and Delph money well, aswell as utilising all the free room on the wage bill now that the high earners such as Benteke, Bent and Given have all left the club. I think the permanent signing of Sinclair will turn out to be very good for us, as well as Jordan Amavi who hopefully will solve the problematic left back spot for us. The only drawback to all this signing’s is trying to get them to gel as quickly as possible otherwise we could be left behind by other clubs in the league table.
Will we finish in the top 10?
If we get off to a good start than who knows, however, I think we will be more likely to finish around 13-15th.
Who’ll be our No. keeper?
It should be Guzan, unlucky to be dropped after his unfortunate mistake at the Etihad against Man City and now that Given has gone he shouldn’t have a problem establishing himself as no.1. Jed Steer and Mark Bunn are not really good enough to start in the Premier League.
Who will be our top goalscorer with Benteke leaving the club?
If he carries on his pre-season form then it will be Sinclair. However, Kozak has a good chance as does our new forward Jordan Ayew. Who knows, it might even be Adebayor if he actually joins us.
Can our new team do it on a wet Tuesday night in Stoke?
No, because I would say Stoke are better than us at the moment!
FM or Fifa?
I play both but it has to be FM.
What are your favourite colours? (Only one answer)
Claret, of course.
Where will we finish?
Somewhere around 13-15th, we have a decent squad so we should not be as close to the relegation spots as we were last year.
