Now the dust has settled on yet another Premier League season, it’s time to reflect on what was a below-par one for Aston Villa.
A 14th place finish is far from what anyone envisioned at the start of the year.
After a club record signing in Emiliano Buendia, a proven goalscorer landed in Danny Ings and the exciting addition of Leon Bailey from Bayer Leverkusen - the optimism was high.
But it soon faded and before we knew it, we were saying goodbye to boyhood Villan Dean Smith after he was sacked and replaced with a legend of another club, Steven Gerrard.
Gerrard promised a clean-slate for all of the current group of players and a chance for all to impress as he looked to assess the team ahead of two busy transfer windows and he stuck by his word.
All the first team squad were given a chance by the new man between his arrival and the end of the campaign - some impressed whilst others certainly did not.
There will now be no doubt in Gerrard’s mind who he wants in this squad, where he wants to improve and how many additions he needs to do that.
But we’ve had our own go at the judging with an end of season review.
Here’s how BirminghamWorld rated every member of the senior squad from the 2021/22 and for matter of fairness - all made at least five appearances for the club.
17. Philippe Coutinho - 8
Some real magic moments from the magical Brazilian but also some real quiet games too. If Villa struggled he tended to struggle but when they were on it he was a class above. Finished the season off nicely with a superbly taken goal at the Etihad. | Getty Images
18. Ollie Watkins - 7.5
If Ollie could find his finishing boots he’d have been closing in on a 10/10 year. His work-rate is second to none and he still finished as Villa’s top scorer but with only 11 goals. With the chances he’s had you’re probably thinking that should be more near the 20 mark. | Getty Images
19. Anwar El-Ghazi - 6
Had an OK spell with Villa before being loaned out to Everton in January. Another one whose time in the West Midlands appears to be up. | Getty Images
20. Bertrand Traore - 5
If the man could stay fit and on the pitch for more than one game we could be looking at a decent score but his season has been absolutely hammered by injuries. It left Gerrard, the fan base and his teammates extremely frustrated because there’s obviously a player there. | Getty Images