The clanging chimes of doom

Amazing how the “the clanging chimes of doom” merchants and the wild optimists are often the same bunch of people.

“Wahey! We've won three one away and the only way is up” and “Bloody Hell! We've been massacred and we're doomed!” has been the sentiment from people who seem incapable of understanding that it doesn't have to be just one thing or the other.

In fact any who had watched the away adventures at Norwich and Liverpool would not have been overly surprised by the fact that we would eventually take a caning.

At Norwich, Grant Morison – a striker we are allegedly interested in signing – had a Savo of an evening, missing gilt-edged chance after gilt edged chance and had he been on form, we wouldn't all be looking a London hotel prices in late February.

In Scouseland, we were more on the rack against Brendan's men in the first twenty minutes that ever we were in the early stages of the Stamford Bridge. The big difference here is that while Liverpool squandered chance after chance, Chelsea pounced with a ruthless efficiency.

So while in Lambert I still trust, I've not been a massive fan of this formation, even though when we do get the chance to go forward, it has at times given us some much needed width. This width was not in evidence at Chelsea, as the full backs were too timid to risk forward runs, our midfield seemed contempt to step back and admire Chelsea's passing skills rather than close them down and Chelsea's well marshalled offside trap was all that was required to nullify the threat of the Beast of B6.

Men against Boys? I don't buy into that argument. 23 years old is hardly a boy, they are getting games under their belts now and they are all in the side because of an injury crisis, seasoned professional and experienced Premier League campaigner N'Zogbia didn't even make the bench.

For me it was the subs that finally sunk us (not that we weren't doomed by then anyway), I found the replacement of Westwood with Ireland particularly puzzling, while this probably wasn't the best moment to throw a Joe Bennett who has yet to win the hearts and minds of the Villa faithful back into the fray.

Still, although the goal difference column looks a tad on the bleak side, we should dust ourselves down and get on with it. After all a loss against Chelsea isn't the end of the world, no matter how apocalyptic the scoreline may looked.

It would be an understandable reaction if a bit of fear crept in now but a few fresh faces in the Christmas games could see a whole new attitude and I'm sure that Delph, Concrete and El Dave will be chomping at the bit for another chance to establish their credentials. Taking nothing away from Ciaran Clark, who has been a able deputy, I'd like to see Vlaar back in the team and in the armband, providing the sort of gutsy leadership that galvanises teams and supporters alike. I certainly don't think we've seen anywhere near of El Ahmadi's best yet and still think that could come off as a great signing while Delph seems to split opinion but when on form, but I've still not given up on him.

I'd always said that it would be January before we started to see the best of the new intake and it well be that the severe thrashing we've just taken could be the springboard we need to graft our way up that table. Certainly, any complacency will have been banished.

8 – nil might have made Christmas less merry but it might, just might herald a happy new year...