FA Cup weekend, no new news and the need to win two out of every three matches

There is one positive to take from January; it could have been worse. And I apologise for my lack of activity, but this blog isn't going to write the same post three different ways for you in a week. I like to think that the visitor and contributor on this site is a little more aware of what's going on and you don't need me to write a post about every news story that comes out on the official site.

And the minute I write that, here I go; Senderos has gone and Black is in. This isn't news to you but they both deserve a mention. It's an interesting time to be an Aston Villa fan. But the reason I'm not writing about what you all know is because it's what we're not told and what's not happening that is of real concern.

You see, this month has been one of expectation and hope. We've picked up five points from a possible twelve but the club above us have done as well. So the hope that we'd bring in a player early on to boost confidence and maybe provide the much needed spark, has gone. And it's not really about the clubs above us, it's about us.

The chart doesn't lie. When Garde took over we needed to win and draw a match out of every three and it seems like we're at that place now, when that might start to happen, but it's too late. Look at the chart today and you'll see that we need to win two out of every three. And deep down, we know that isn't going to happen.

But what the club are not telling us is that they don't really care. Sure, they care about going down, but they can plan for going down. Sorry, they have planned for going down. And I like Garde, I really do, but if we do go down, I'm not sure he's the right man. Yes, you can win the Championship by playing the right type of football, but we're a long way from playing the right type of football.

It's going to be an interesting few months and I for one have started to accept what is and has to happen. If we do go down, we have a chance of winning something and isn't that what football is about.

FA Cup weekend

Talking about winning things, I'd swap the Premier League right now for winning the FA Cup. And that is a contradiction to something I wrote last season or the season before, but back then I always knew we'd stay up. Today, I don't. Today I'm clinging to blind optimism, so it's easy. In fact, the thought of winning the FA Cup isn't just blind optimism, it's mad optimism. You could call it Tom Fox economics.

But I, like Tom Fox, like to contradict myself sometimes. I like to throw my hands up and say I changed my mind. I'd do anything to win the FA Cup this season and it all starts tomorrow. But did anyone see them play Everton this week; it's not going to be easy, but hopefully they're going to be a little tired.

I'm not predicting a win, but I am predicting a few beers. And please tell me below if I've missed something really important this week. Other than the talk that Randy Lerner was going to put his son on the board.