Villa averted financial turmoil in the summer only to struggle under Steve Bruce early in the season, but Dean Smith seems to be putting things right.
The 2018-19 Championship season is now at the exact halfway point, with 23 out of 46 league games having been played just in time for Christmas Day.
Aston Villa fans will surely have mixed feelings with regards to how the campaign has gone so far, but despite a rollercoaster seven months, there now appears to be a good springboard upon which to build.
Ahead of the start of the season, the Guardian ran a fan-led preview with supporters of each team predicting how their side would do – Josh Smith thought Villa would challenge for the playoffs “at the very least” and predicted a fifth-placed finish, though “automatic promotion should not be beyond our wildest dreams”.
Following the playoff final defeat to Fulham last season, things looked in real danger of unravelling at Villa Park, with several media sources including the Telegraph reporting on their bleak finances, but the fears were subsided when Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens bought a controlling stake in the club.
The takeover also allayed fears of the team’s star players having to be sold to raise funds, but despite things getting better off the pitch, they would not be good on it – after the first 11 games of the season, they were 12th in the table, having to rely on a late equaliser to draw against bottom side Preston.
Steve Bruce was sacked by the board after that game, with some fans having called for the veteran manager to be dismissed due to his poor results despite a good team on paper (one win in nine at the time of his sacking), playing players out of position, a dour style of football and his criticism of the fans after the win over Rotherham.
Since then, Dean Smith has set about restoring the relationship with fans and getting more out of his players – prior to Sunday’s 3-2 loss to Leeds United, Villa were unbeaten in seven, scoring 21 along the way.
However, the defence remains an issue – 37 goals shipped in 23 games is an alarming tally, with bottom side Ipswich Town having conceded just one more – and the way Villa relinquished a two-goal half-time lead to lose 3-2 late on against Marcelo Bielsa’s side will be hard for fans to swallow.
Much depends on how the January transfer window pans out – Villa already boast a superb attack, and should they successfully shore up the defence, then there is no reason why the Guardian fan prediction can’t come true, even if it’s currently wide of the mark.
Given Fulham’s late run to the playoffs last season and Leeds doing so well this term despite defensive issues of their own, anything is possible.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
