Villa Show Signs of Disintegrating

Few Aston Villa fans would have gone to St James's Park expecting a defeat and certainly no one in the travelling crowd would have expected them to ship six goals in the process.

However, no matter which side you support one thing that yesterday's result made clear was the fact that Villa have serious problems. They certainly looked the brightest during the opening quarter of an hour, but a missed penalty seemed to break their spirits and they never looked the same afterwards.

Of course, the fact that Joey Barton fired home Newcastle first shortly afterwards didn't help matters, but it is the manner of their capitulation and that should give Villa fans most cause for concern. They don't look like Premier League best bets right now.

After going in 3-0 down at half time the home side would have no doubt been braced for a backlash in the second half, but it never materialised. The Villa players came out looking as lacklustre as when they went in - whatever the team talk was it had little or no impact. For 45 minutes Newcastle bossed the game and looked like scoring every time they had a chance to cross.

Villa on the other hand, failed to get a single shot on target over the course of 90 minutes and looked a pale imitation of the side that challenged for fourth last season. The club's fans must now surely realise what a fantastic job Martin O'Neill did for them and adjust their expectations downwards. Without serious investment - and that doesn't look like it will be forthcoming - they will struggle to finish in the top ten, let alone improve on the sixth place they have made their own in recent seasons. The latest Premier League odds make them more likely to be relegated than in the past few years.

Over achieving is fun while it lasts, but as Newcastle fans themselves will tell them, the Villa supporters are in for a torrid time now.