Stan Collymore has delivered a brutal verdict on former club Aston Villa’s chances of making the automatic promotion spots in the Championship this season.
Steve Bruce’s side were in a good position to finish second behind Wolves, who look like they are champions-in-waiting, but have dropped several points in recent weeks to drop seven points behind Cardiff.
The Villans won seven games in a row to take the league by storm, but three defeats and a draw in their last seven matches means that they may now have to settle for a play-off spot.
In column for the Mirror, former Villa striker Collymore has now delivered a short but brutal verdict on the club’s automatic promotion chances, questioning their backbone.
“I got really excited when Aston Villa won eight and drew one in a nine-game run but, after back-to-back defeats by QPR and Bolton, I don’t know if Steve Bruces’s squad — arguably the best in the division — has the character and bottle to go on and finish second,” said Collymore.
Villa now sit in fourth in the table on 69 points, level with third-placed Fulham and seven points behind Cardiff City.
OPINION
Collymore’s short verdict on Villa is hard to argue with at the moment. Steve Bruce’s side have struggled to keep up their good form on a consistent basis, mixing in results like a big win over Wolves with a loss to relegation candidates Bolton. Results like that will be damaging come the end of the season, and it looks like Villa will have to settle for a play-off spot come May.