Blog: Norwich win a sign of progress for Aston Villa?

With a 4-1 win under Aston Villa's belt after last weekend's match against Norwich City, the mood at the club seems higher than it has been in recent weeks. Villa, a team who have been erratic in recent seasons, are still struggling to hit any level of consistency, a source of major worry for fans.

Despite these issues, it does appear - at least in theory - that the Midlands team will survive yet again this season, though the fact that this will be the fourth consecutive season in a row where relegation has been a real threat is starting to grind with supporters.

In a sense, such upset is understandable - nobody likes their team to be at the wrong end of the table, but Villa's situation is a complicated one, and whilst the angry narratives that often put forward an argument of "should do better", the reality is that the infrastructure to actually do better hasn't been either set up or stable.

To Villa's credit - if one can call this a credit - they appear to be getting by this season on a meagre level of budget. Sure, Paul Lambert has been afforded around £20m per season - a figure many could suggest is far from miniscule - but Villa's problems have centred more around wage payments rather than transfer fees.

With all that in mind, it is perhaps fair to say that Villa are beating the odds in terms of players who are being unearthed. Last season brought the now-integral duo of Christian Benteke and Ron Vlaar to the club. This season, Leandro Bacuna appears to be the big find, though the versatile Dutch player may well be hoping for a little more positional stability going forwards.

However, as has been stated many times previously - by myself and others - this penny-wise, pound-foolish method is far from perfect. Yes, Villa are getting by spending less money than in past seasons and, yes, they are surviving, but one has to wonder how enjoyable this kind of a plan is going to be long term.

Rumours indicate that the spending levels may well increase in the summer - a suggestion largely made more viable because of recent announcments regarding a more stable financial situation for the club - but what that figure might actually be is still far from clear.

Some fans have been touting suggestions that budgets could be doubled or perhaps even tripled, though one has to admit that the idea of Randy Lerner suddenly spending huge fortunes again still seems remote - it isn't so much a case that he hasn't got it, but a combination of Financial Fair Play and a "once bitten, twice shy" mentality seem to point to more modest increases.

Looking at the figures, and assuming Villa do manage to stay up this season, I would expect a net budget of around £27-30m - a figure higher than recent years, but not so high as to gamble the club's future.

In addition, the sale of Benteke may well release funds for the club to progress, though one has to wonder if a sale will cause progression or regression - there's little doubt that Villa's Belgian number 20 will have a significant sale value but, as the club's fans have found in recent times, it is infinitely more preferable to have a guaranteed talent rather than money to risk on unknown players.

Of course, Benteke was - at one point - unknown to fans, and therefore Lambert could do it again, but the truth is that a player of the calibre of Villa's Belgian striker is one that is a likely rare occurrence. Be honest - how many individuals have you seen at Villa Park (playing for Villa) in recent years who have had the potential of Benteke? I'd suggest very few.

What Villa must focus on now is getting to safety. Given the tightness at the bottom of the table, three wins may well be enough to keep the club up, with even two wins a theoretical possiblity for survival, though it would be foolish to gamble on being so close to the bottom come May.

If Villa can find some form - and they certainly have the potential to do so - they can put this season behind them in short order.

What will matter then, after years of struggling, is how the club is progressed. Should Villa find themselves in a similar situation this time next year, fans will likely start getting bored and/or angry, leaving the future of Lambert's career at the club at risk.

Can Villa move forwards? The heart says yes, but the head is never as confident. Whilst survival remains a strong possibility, how the club will be developed by a board who lack both communication and a footballing ethos is something that worries many fans, especially since Lerner's past hiring and firing choices with regard to the Midlands club have left a lot to be desired.

You can follow Matt Turvey's regular opinions at his own site, Aston Villa Life at www.astonvillalife.com, via the site's Twitter account @astonvillalife, or via his own Twitter account @mturvey_star.