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My first and probably only game at Villa Park. I would first say I fell immediately in love with the place. Walking up from the train station and hearing the Villa faithful in full voice raised hairs on the back of my neck. As I entered the stadium , I was greeted with hail from the heavens, and took the long walk up the stairs with ice in my hair. The pitch looked marvellous. This was going to be a wonderful day. And then the game started. Oh dear. We were playing so poorly, I checked my ticket at half time in case I walked into the circus instead. Defending seemed optional, and taking a shot at goal seemed like the worst idea in the history of football. There seemed to be no structure, and a lot of the players needed to revisit what being a professional means. That was the worst they had played this season, and reminded me of our relegation season. Despite the result, I am glad I went. Cant say if I would be back again, but if I could, I would. A bad day at Villa Park will still be better than a good day watching a crappy stream at stupid o'clock. We can turn this around. UTV.

It's a tale as old as time. "I'll take 17th right now." "If you had told me we would finish 17th at the start of the season I would have bit your hand off" ...yet whilst in the process of finishing 17th.....some people go bloody mental. They seem to forget that to finish 17th you will inevitably have some right old rough patches.

Still think we play the best football for years. I'd rather watch us play football than defend for 90mins and hope for a goal. I still think we'll finish 17th or higher.

I think a lot of fans on here just don't appreciate how much a good / bad run of fixtures can affect results. Here are a few clubs from the 2018/19 season, who finished mid-table, had the same manager throughout the season, but had some really bad runs of "form" which were mostly fixture list related: West Ham - lost opening 4 matches of season (including games vs. Liverpool and Arsenal), leaving them in 20th place. Ended up in 10th. Bournemouth - matchday 11 onwards they lost 17 out of 28 games. But they had an easy start to the season where they banked a lot of points. Their only big scalps all season were Chelsea and Spurs (at home). Burnley - were in 18th place on Boxing Day after losing 13 out of 19 games. They turned their season around with 3 wins against West Ham, Huddersfield and Fulham. Was that because Burnley suddenly "found form" or because Huddersfield and Fulham were crap? The fact is that unless you're fighting for Champions League football, you will go through these runs of form. It's almost a statistical certainty. It does not mean you're going to get relegated. All of those teams avoided trouble because they had a good run of results when the fixture list was kinder to them. They did it without sacking their manager. There were other factors at play, of course - injuries, tactics, etc. - but the point stands. This season isn't going to be much fun at times. A lot of the criticism being levelled at Smith and the players is fair, but try and keep it all in perspective. He doesn't have a particularly expensive or experienced squad, he's had only 3 months to work with most of them, and he's just had a brutal run of fixtures.

Is that so?? Burnley have conceded 29 goals, we have conceded 28....solid foundations there!!

Hey, well look as long as you will be ok for £200 a month, **** the rest of them. To be honest, anybody that can’t afford that is probably not worth keeping alive anyway. No brainer, that pretty much sums it up.

Yes, but the nuance is that... all of those in the upper (i.e., with a full-time job) classes with health insurance don't see this. They simply walk in and get treated much like in the UK, for the most part. If you get cancer or another such chronic illness even good insurance won't protect you. My insurance got billed $7.5k for an ER visit due to knee weirdness last year. Nothing damaged, just some odd serious pain that vanished after a few hours. Got murdered by evil sized needles searching for fluid in my knee and left with my knee the size of a balloon as a result. That'll be fine in a few weeks they said, "do no harm" I thought! And this was after I had an ortho surgeon show up and tell me I was going in for surgery - knee flush - who I promptly told to do one. Basically, they saw my insurance and saw me as $$$. I have no idea whatsoever, how they could bill that much, utter madness. Of course, never looking down is the endemic problem. So messed up. I really hope you lot realize what Johnson/Gove are up to.

Heskey was genuinely 20x the football Wesley is

I think we have it all wrong with parenthood. We seem to give the most praise and admiration to the people doing the easiest bit (unprotected sex, squeeze a baby out, keep it alive). Save the praise for when that kid has reached adulthood and we can judge the outcome! I'm much more in awe of the parent who has had to deal with a teenager's mental health problem, or their child's divorce or whatever. That's the heavy end of parenting where you really prove your worth. Cleaning up a diarrhoea explosion in a nappy is nothing compared with that.

Liverpool FC informed by the FA that they won't be eligible to host any England matches if they don't allow The S*n back into the Anfield Press Area LFC informed the FA they didn't wish to be considered for any England games. Credit where credit is due

That's a particularly good example of an EU citizen adding to our country, of course, but he shouldn't feel able to say it about Pawel who picks apples on a farm in Herefordshire either. EU citizens had a right to be here, which our government gave them. They didn't have to earn that right through heroic acts or being excellent people (though of course we should salute those who did those things).

What's the point? He will just rise again.

17th is the goal and we are 17th after a very hard run of games. I don't see what the problem is.

I was there yesterday and i just fail to see how this guy is our main striker. A few times good balls were played into the area and he didn't even make the run required of them, so how exactly are our players supposed to know where to play the ball in? If they do he doesn't make the necessary run so what do they do with it exactly? They either try the impossible and dribble around the entire defence like Grealish often has to resort to doing, more often than not getting crowded out and losing possession or they shoot from distance as there is nobody making the runs. I've lost count of the times this season when we've had great positions but the player on the ball has no options in the box whatsoever. So for me this is my summation of Wesley thus far (Not saying he can't improve) Shooting from distance - Non existant Heading - Atrocious (Especially given his height) Control - Poor Positioning in the box - Poor Movement in the box - Very poor Movement outside the box - Average Hold up play - Occasionally average, usually poor Close range finishing - average Poachers instinct - poor Pace - average (Once he's built up a run) Reaction time - Slow Instinctive play - poor Link up play outside the box - Good Tackling - Poor (For such a big unit) Effort - Generally good Strength - Average (Should be better for his size though) A few weird things in there i know but that's just my honest assessment from what i've seen. He doesn't seem to have the goal scorers instinct required which may be down to age or simply not having played in the Prem long enough. I see him as a good prospect who should be nothing more than a sub coming on to get minutes late on at the moment. A bit like a youngster breaking into the team from the reserves where they get the last 20 mins here & there initially. I like him though and i do feel there is a player in there but he is a slow burner and we need a first choice striker or two ahead of him. Where he's at actually reminds me a lot of where i've seen Andre Green of the last couple of seasons. You know there's a player in there but he's just not having much of an impact and it's like the game passes him by for the most part. Lets put it this way... If he was at Chelsea he'd be loaned out a bit like Tammy was until he'd matured a bit more.

As much I don't like Corbyn, I'm not sure how it's how it's his fault the BBC is complicit with the Tories. Cameron stacked the management.

Why is "growing up" considered a great thing? Not convinced I ever really have, nor would I want to You should have seen me strop when the misus cleaned the man cave, I still can't find half my stuff!

Well, we'll see about that piss poo piss man!

Sharp versus blunt. In general play, in the stuff that happens between the boxes, we matched them, we had plenty of the play and we created opportunities for things to happen in their box - they did the same to us - the difference tended to be that Leicester are a six foot hooded man with a straight razor in a badly lit alley and we're a four year old with a nerf gun at the wacky warehouse. They are clinical in finishing off attacks, they're quick, they're smart and they finish - they didn't misplace much in the final third and the whole team plays to make sure the strikers can score goals. For us, we're the opposite, we're good at getting to the opposition box, but from there things break down, we overplay, we get clogged up, we don't threaten, the whole team plays to make up for our lack of threat - for me, we matched Leicester outside of the final act of scoring goals - but it's the final act that counts and they were a class apart from us at doing it. In the first half we huffed and puffed and eventually got a goal we deserved through Grealish, I thought 2-1 was a reasonably fair reflection of things and I felt we were still in it - we opened the second half well and then after four minutes gave away a corner on the break and decided not to mark the most obvious threat that Leicester have from set pieces - game over on 49 minutes. It was the worst bit of defending I've seen at Villa Park for years - a corner floated over to the man everyone knew the corner would be aimed at and him allowed to head unchallenged and unmarked into our net. It finished things - sometimes even when the opposition have advantages, you still have to not beat yourself. I thought tactically our style suited them more than theirs suited us - we try to play with the ball and get high up the pitch, they break and murder you with pace - and whilst Jamie Vardy may be a truly repugnant piece of human filth, if you give him space to run into he'll score goals for fun. We gave him space all day. They're smart, they play with seven behind the ball then break with two very quick strikers and a clever attacking midfielder in Maddison and they're hard to stop without numbers staying back - it's a good system - most teams leave more men back, which is one of the reasons that they have such a good defensive record. They're hard to attack because you need to stay nervous about the counter and we attacked more than most teams will, largely because we have to attack twice as much as most teams do to score. Wesley, Wesley, Wesley. It's now been at least two whole games since I can recall our only passable striker having an effort on goal - that's not two games since he scored, that's two games since he tried to score. He works hard at times, he can be a nuisance to defenders - but he's not a goalscorer and he's not a goalscoring threat - and we desperately need someone who is. Kodjia was always selfish and unreliable, he's now also old and disinterested, Davis is injured - which means we either have to stick with Wesley for the next four or five games until we get to the window - or we have to find a system that doesn't need a striker - neither of those things sound like a good idea to me. It's a big problem. It was a strange game - I thought in some ways the 4-1 scoreline flattered them, but then it's also true that they could have scored another two or three quite easily - if we'd made anything of our huff and puff it could have been different - but we didn't and more worryingly perhaps we can't. Their fans were very good on a strangely quiet day at Villa Park - they were very respectful of the applause for Ron Saunders at the start of the game and earned the right to be annoying at the end, it's a great time for them and they're enjoying it. They're really well organised and whilst Brendan Rodgers is a weirdo who you wouldn't leave alone in your house, he's proving a very good football manager. Good luck to em. We got a bundle of things wrong, tactically and in our play and we were punished. On top of that we've further exposed a massive glaring weakness that we don't have the ability in our squad to address. It's been a difficult day. I don't think we need to panic, thankfully we're now through a very tough group of fixtures with a much friendlier looking set of games ahead of us; I still think we'll be fine this season. Leicester will make the Champions league on this showing, we'll stay up reasonably comfortably I think - but to make this game different next season we're going to need reinforcements at the business end, because today was pat-a-cake against a dagger.

OMG I was getting tingles watching that.. And agree hopefully washes away the memories of the reboot

He was superb against Everton, he honestly was. Benteke would have been proud of that performance. It's the only reason I still have some faint hope he'll eventually come good. He absolutely dominated that game and the 2 Everton CBs that night.

He reminds me of Kevin Philips. They both worked in a factory to they were 17-18. There ends the comparison.

Exactly right? To be fair she drew the short straw this last week massively, last Tuesday I busted up my foot pretty bad trying to play football......she'd been away for two nights staying at a friends dogsitting. Anyway, during those two days I managed to properly block the toilet up, like real bad, the worst shit smelling foulness imaginable, had a go at unblocking it myself but couldn't make any headway....... then I came home injured and in relative agony so she sorted it, elbow deep in a toilet filled with my shit/piss/spunk. What a trooper she is.

Sure. Absolutely. But that misses at least half my point. Put simply, he is unfit and has always been unfit to be leader. I'm not talking in the hypothetical about, really, how he could have done better, because he's frankly not capable of that. Others are and were. Labour choosing him (at the time he stood as a "buggins turn to be the token arse") was a massive howler, and a massive shock when he won. (the reasons why are another subject altogether, Blair, wars, multiple failings... etc). But I suppose it depends on your (anyone's) perspective. Mine is that I want to see an end to the tories, for ever. I'm not pro any particular party, I'm not a "loyalist" to any party political cause. I know I detest the tories, I know that the closest parties to my personal take are a mix of Green, Lib Dem and Labour when you look at the current manifestos (as per that thread that had graphs from a survey in it). So in order to get what I personally want, an end to Tory rule, and [all fluffy things and harder things I like], it needs the Tories to get hoofed out. For that to happen with the current system (FPTP) then Labour needs to be not the recipient of some tactical votes out of sympathy, but an actual electoral force, a genuine alternative government. It is none of those things with Corbyn in charge, you're right. He does scare the horses. So maybe more of him in front of voters, putting a case for something he doesn't believe, like Remain, might have re-inforced those opinions of him as a voter scarer. yeah. With the time machine, him never being made leader is what I'm thinking. Not specifically Corbyn could've done better, but Starmer, Cooper, Benn, Burnham..many names, would have done better. The likes of Corbyn, Len McLuskey, Abbott, and others of that ilk are basically bumbling fools at best, or poison at worst. Their incompetence is enabling tories. Their incompetence enables the BBC and other broadcasters to reflect the reality that these effwits are not going to solve anything, when the country is crying out for credible politicians and leaders.

I was pretty gobsmacked when I read @KHV's post about getting rid of the NHS. I read the other poster's post about how they do it in Australia, with the heavily taxed rich etc.. And I've been told we can't really compare the UK to the USA (why not?). Then I read this article from CNBC about the cost of private medical insurance; https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/23/heres-how-much-the-average-american-spends-on-health-care.html So, whilst £200 month sounds quite reasonable to people earning the UK national average wage of £25k - £27k per year, it's going to be pretty hellish for half the people NOT earning that salary. I earn quite a bit over the average salary (hard work and luck I guess), so £200 a month doesn't sound too bad. I could afford it. But when I look at that £200 a month, on top of my already expensive child care...hmmm... I have 2 kids, when the youngest who is 7 months joins nursery in 4 weeks, I'll be paying around £700 a month for him (4 days a week, not even full time). My wife works, so we'll have to pay for before and after school clubs for my 5 year old, that's £192 a month - so that's £900 a month just to look after the kiddies. Thankfully, I didn't stretch myself too far borrowing money on my mortgage, so that's a paltry £600 a month (I know people with a mortgage over £1k a month for a house in a "nicer" area than mine for the same kind of property). So that's £1300 a month for a mortgage and childcare. Doesn't take anything else into consideration. I'd rather not pay another £200 a month for insurance if I didn't have to. Then, if you read the article I've put, you'll see that that £200 a month will go up, because the pharma companies know you need the cover. So since 1960, medical insurance costs have gone up 9x (adjusting for inflation too), so that £200, will go up if everyone switches to medical insurance. The NHS kills that market in this country because the majority of people would say "why, when I have this free?". Poor and elderly people are already suffering as a result. I was in Las Vegas last month. I used the bus that travels the strip to get to places. Some of the sorry looking homeless people getting on that bus, one guy I remember had actual maggots infesting what I can only describe as a weeping lesion covering the back of his left hand. I don't know his circumstances, but he was in a very bad way physically, limp almost. He couldn't get that seen to i imagine. It looks incredibly uncomfortable too. We just don't know the half of it.

I can confirm, as a British citizen living in the UK with a white Canadian wife on a spousal visa, that the British government does everything possible to make the process of immigrating here completely miserable even for white English speakers from developed Commonwealth countries.

I pee in the shower every single time I have a shower irrespective of whether I need a wee or not. I recently told my girlfriend and she thinks it's disgusting but I kinda thought most people did it.

Well, I'm 76, I've seen some shit players in my lifetime, and he is certainly one of them.

In the build up to the game yesterday Sky interviewed Rodgers analysing on the tactical board how he sets up Leicester to play. Rodger’s specifically concentrated on not leaving too much space between defence, midfield and indeed their attack which meant they were compact and could press as a team leaving Vardy to concentrate mainly on his forward play. Every time I’ve seen Villa this season the opposition play through far too easily. There is too much space between defence, midfield and attack. No wonder McGinn in particular looks jaded now. He has to cover far too much space between the Villa defence and midfield and it’s not just McGinn. After seventy minutes of each game I’ve seen Villa play this season most of the players look out on their feet even in the games they’ve won. Continue playing like this then Villa’s squad are going to be decimated with injury and fatigue while also having one of the poorest goal averages in the Premiership. Dean Smith and John Terry would do well to have a look at that interview with Rodgers.

Still Bowen for me and a good proven striker

Kirk Douglas celebrating his birthday. 103 years old today. He’s just trolling us now.

Continuity is essential. Whatever happens he's deserved his job. The fact that we are even discussing this makes me sad.

The irony of this post is that the main reason private health insurance is so much cheaper in the UK than in the US is that having the NHS as the dominant player in the market drives costs down.

You call getting us promoted against all odds sentimental value? He's not in the job because he's a Villa fan. He's in the job because he's the best manager we've had in a decade. Literally performed miracles to get us in this position. But I guess we should sack him and get in Sam Allardyce or something.

Got a pile of old Harry Potter books for sale Quid each

I made a post in the Nyland thread....tbf his finishing in the goalkeepers warm up borders on outrageous at times. He has great technique. I'd have him up front instead of Wesley. Am I joking? I am not sure anymore.

Just shows that 'concerns about immigration' are not in good faith. Come over here, don't speak the language, don't work. **** off. Come over here, have a job, speak English, pay taxes, INTEGRATE. **** off. Sickening.

Well it is nearly Christmas

Depending where we are come January we may have to divert slightly from our normal transfer model. A quick fix may be necessary, especially up front.

I'm assuming the role of those who have annoyed you. The truth is, you have kids and it still doesn't make sense. There's a reason for making some of the potentially life-changing decisions you'll make, but other than that you're still just the same person - blagging it and waiting to get found out. We all are. I don't think you should be annoyed with your family, but equally don't believe the hype. There's no big reveal. We're all winging it - kids or no kids.

Don’t encourage Boris to say ‘Australian system’ anymore than he already is.

We will get unexpected wins. It's a long season. Try and be positive about where we are and where we've recently been. Makes life a bit easier following this club. Overreacting every time we lose a match is just pointless. The way I see it there's only two things we can legitemately complain about. And that's Wesley still playing and Deano doing the same mistakes over and over. Like playing McGinn too advanced.

I just think the timing on that new contract was wrong. If Smith takes us down he should get the sack imo. Because it proves he doesn't got what it takes at this level. Im not Smith out btw.

Chelsea was the wrong game for him. Leicester was the wrong game for him. Sheff Utd I think is the wrong game for him. Watford and Southampton... I want him on the pitch.

Pedro would be absolutely fantastic.

Your health and wellbeing is provided for by the NHS. This is how you came into the world safely, how you were protected against childhood illnesses, how your employer can maintain a workforce without paying daft sums to rentiers. If you prefer a system that leaves many people uninsured and dying on the street, or committing suicide because they can't afford the drugs and can't stand the pain, or don't want to impoverish their surviving relatives through the cost of caring for them (as happened before the NHS), that's pretty sick. The irony is of course, that your preferred solution is still insurance. Only, except it being national insurance, that looks after all of us, it's insurance for those that can afford it, and everyone else can go sit and spin. You clearly have a bigger income than most people. Instead of being grateful for the life chances that brought that happenstance upon you, you would argue that poorer people should die in pain to satisfy your ideology, or perhaps your wish to revel in your advantages. The good news is that the NHS, if properly funded, can deal with all kinds of sickness, perhaps even yours. If they can fit you in, you won't have to pay.

When you're a responsible grown up with kids of your own it'll all make sense.

Interesting new policy initiative being planned by Trump.

My friends lost their kid. 5 weeks old. There just aren't words.