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And here he is, a new addition to the Villa family - Rafe William Woodcock Just remember boys, whatever Jack decides, it’s only football!

The absolute don.

What a day to be both Jamaican and a Villa fan! Clean sweep in the 100 m Womens at the Olympics, then Jamaicas best player joins my beloved club!!!! Truly an overjoyed Jamaican Villan here!

Of course.

NOT ANYMORE YOU AREN'T...

I couldn't resist

What a man.

So imagine how the abused black players who play football, to enjoy football feel?

What point is it that you're actually trying to make? Are you guessing that Grealish didn't want to take one? What is that based on? Because all the evidence suggests otherwise... Are you saying he doesn't have the bottle to take one? Because again the evidence suggests otherwise... Proven he can do it in the most pressurised scenario. In what very well might have been his last kick for the club, had we lost. Is your evidence that he is not Villa's first choice taker? Is that all you've got? Well... 18/19 - Abraham was our designated taker because he's a penalty specialist. 19/20 - We only had 3 penalties all season. Grealish took one. Wesley was given one of the others to try and give him a hat trick. El Ghazi took the other and was designated penalty taker at that stage. 20/21 - Watkins started as designated penalty taker as Smith wanted his first choice striker to get goals early on in his career for us. He missed and then El Ghazi has taken over since because he has a 100% record from the penalty spot. Are you saying that every penalty we've had last season that Grealish should have disobeyed the manager's instructions and taken the ball off a player who has literally never missed from the spot? Just so he can take one himself and prove that he's got the heart for it? Is that what a captain is meant to do? Be selfish like that? Grealish actually handed the ball to El Ghazi for the 90th minute penalty against Wolves because he'd just had a load of unacceptable stick from our fans online and he wanted to give him the chance to re-build his confidence. That is what a captain does. They don't take the ball off a player whose confidence is rock bottom just to prove they can do it themselves. Are you saying he should go against manager's orders for club and country and just forcibly take one himself? Need I remind you what his manager thought the last time someone did that... And before you say otherwise, it was Southgate's decision who took them... So, back to this post... Tell me where I've used one instance to prove my "narrative" and "conveniently forgotten the rest of the evidence". You said you're not my mother and to do some research. Well, how's my research? Still waiting for your evidence...

You assume I care about trying to “win over” or “be inclusive” to racists. That would be a mistake, I’m not trying to be inclusive. I don’t give a bollix about them. What I want is anyone wearing a Villa shirt, white or black, is not subject to racist abuse. When the abuse stops being endemic, the lads will get off their knees. Not before. One hundred percent. We can then move on to calling Tyrone a muppet or a liability or whatever we want, once it’s not about race. Just look at the comments Saka got the other night. Just look at them. Did Southgate or Waddle get that? This isn’t Tory versus Labour. This isn’t the national anthem. This isn’t even WWI commemoration and poppies. This is players in our squad saying they want the racism to stop, and for the good people in the Holte to have their back. It’s not a big ask.

I'm not sure whether Jack sneaks a quick peek at these pages, but I'm pretty sure his brother Kevan does. So here goes a heartfelt message to our Jack. I'm an old fella who's supported the Villa since the late 1950's. I've loved the club and been there through both it's ups and downs. Message to Kevan, tell your brother this .... I watched Jack play in what I believe was his first match at the beginning of 2015 against Blackpool at VP, and I've been a huge fan ever since. I can't imagine a Villa team without Jack's name being the first on the list, but I can imagine him as team captain leading us to the very top of the Premier league with the huge support of Nassef and Wes. These guys are consummate professionals at achieving goals and Jack is the guy that's going to make it happen for them. They're building a top quality team around Jack, and if he's as frustrated as I and most Villa Talk posters are about being recently sidelined by an international manager with his own agenda, and concerned about signing for another manager who thinks he's bigger than his players, then now's the time to sign an improved and extended contract with AVFC and become both the most iconic Aston Vila player ever, and possibly the worlds greatest player also. See you next season Jack.

There is an awful lot of this going on.... From the site guidelines "And please agree to disagree, rather than prolonging debate or argument of the same points." This topic has become page after endless page of the same thing. If you've said something once, trust us, it doesn't need saying again. Find something new to say or don't bother saying anything. The same people are arguing with the same other people over the same point, over and over and over. Quite frankly it is BORING for everyone else to read.

Slightly worried that you’re talking to my missus.

SJM wondering when he can breathe out.

I’ve been stitched up here

Caught up on the last few pages and seems we're having another wobble. A few people seem resigned already and are wishing him well. If he does leave then quite frankly I hope he never wins anything in his career. Why would I want him to do well elsewhere? Especially at some plastic, meaningless club like Man Shitty. Nope, sorry. If he leaves I don't wish him well and I'd actually be pretty let down. We're not a go nowhere club. The dark days are well behind and under NSWE, we have a real chance of doing something special. Jack should want to be a part of that and if he gives up that chance to do something special just to win a pointless few trophies at a plastic club with fans that mean sod all to him then I think he'd be a very stupid man. How bad would he feel if we went and did it without him? I think he'd regret it forever. He said he was sold on the project last summer and I don't see how anything in the last year could have changed his mind. I will say this until I'm blue in the face; there is absolutely nothing more ambitious in football than starring for your boyhood club and helping them back to glory. Nothing comes close. He has the chance to do that.

NSFW

Gareth Southgate is a lovely man - he's dignified, he's got a moral courage, he's a leader, he's intelligent and he speaks well; sadly he's not a great football manager. We've ultimately lost that game on the manager's two weaknesses - an over-reliance on his favourites, regardless of how they're performing and a natural negativity in his approach to the game. The early goal should have seen us press on, but we stopped playing after twenty minutes and hoped we could sit in our shape for the remainder of the game. Mount did nothing, Henderson was worse than awful and the last two substitutes were a bad idea that worked out badly. We handed over control of the game to Italy in the first half and then struggled to get back into it, only showing any spark when Grealish eventually came on. It's a good effort, and they've done well to reach a final, there are some very good players in the England squad, but it could have been more; we'll never win anything under Southgate.

Barca and Madrid couldn't move past the era where they could just buy all the best players in the world and continued to try to outspend everyone as other clubs caught up with them financially. It's good for football for them to be in this situation. They should have to sell their stars. They should have to live within their means. They've ruined football for the last 20 years with their reckless spending and then the absolute gall of the Super League stuff. A couple of big fish falling down the table in the aftermath of the Super League scandal would be an excellent result.

When people are referring to The Simpsons being the best TV show ever, they’re referring to seasons 2-10 and they’re correct. It’s rated exactly as it is. 10 onwards was a slippery slope and it’s now really bad, but they don’t count. Either way it’s wildly off topic, this is the thread for

Afternoon Villans. Mods like having fun, too - including page count fun. But there's a serious aspect and it's this - we all post here under the site's guidelines and there's an extract below: Guidelines - VillaTalk The page count only goes back down because posts which breach the guidelines get removed. We're not removing posts which comply. We're not even removing all the ones that breach the guidelines, but you lot are creating a lot of work for people who are already busy. So please play nice. Ta.

Everyone’s focused on Grealish but nobody’s concerned about the ginger kid being kidnapped!

As VP of Milwaukee’s Villa fan club, I can confirm our Prez was waving a Villa flag at the Bucks’ celebration parade today. Wes and Mallory spotted him and got pretty excited. Represent!

It's a shame we didn't sign Eberchi Eze instead of Palace because then we could have the full Pokemon Evolution. Eze > Chukwueze > Chukweumeka

For once a worthwhile post from the Mirror

I just unfollowed him on Instagram, that will learn him

Im not concerned. Lange is just level one If Jack completes him he must go through the gazeebo through the mystic swamp where he’ll meet this boss

The ITK really earned the money on this

I've been banging on about signing him ever since i saw his highlight video 3 minutes ago . He's been one of the best wingers in world football since late July.

Just tweeted saying that Delphino123 is a word removed

Worst signing in the club's history? I'm leaning towards yes. Makes no sense at all, injury prone, old and not needed in any way

Been a huge fan of CJ ever since he started tweeting last night at 9.30pm, top bloke

Is this the declaration of independence?

Another highly rated youth prospect through the door, who’s played for the Bournemouth first team. A substantial fee involved. I absolutely love what the owners are creating at Villa. Welcome Ajani.

I don't find it a very nice place to be here if I simply search for my name and see the abuse I receive about my appearance and the way I look I find to be quite hurtful. I'm all for people disagreeing with my footballing opinion, it's the beauty of football, but that shouldn't result in people being personal with me, there's just no need for it.

I heard City used the code VILLAVJHDVYUAYUDVAUKYS for £30 off

I know I’m opening a can of worms here. Ive mentioned before, I know a relative of Jacks. Last I heard was Jack was aware of all the City talk, it was his agent out for a best offer out of us. But that his intention was always to stay, that was about two weeks ago. I can’t say if anything’s changed, but I’ve remained fairly confident he’ll be staying.

Which one constitutes being ambitious? Attempting to win a trophy at the club you love and using your ability to help drag them up to your level or Being parachuted into a squad that has already won the league before a ball is even kicked, with absolutely zero soul and romanticism. Whilst spending half the time picking splinters out of your arse (even DeBruyne is rotated).

Watkins wood off bin 110% more affective than Cane.

Biggest England win of my lifetime and I spent the last fifteen minutes of it absolutely furious. It's not tactics, it's not tiredness, it's not injury, it's just favourites by a manager who hasn't got a clue. Thoroughbreds managed by a donkey. He's taken the joy out of the occasion in his desperation not to upset one of his mates or miss out on the opportunity to have three full backs on - and to do it, he's slaughtered the best player in the squad; my captain. Brilliant England - F*** you Gareth.

There is no doubt this is a big test for the club now. We are building to be competing for a champions league place within the next 2-3 years. Some great foundations have been put in place. Now we have to build on them. Sell Grealish and you are taking out a big part of the foundation and it threatens us being able to build and compete for top 4 within the next couple of years. Stating the obvious here but I think this will all be down to what Grealish wants. The club will not sell him unless he states a desire to leave and then the club will rightly in my opinion say if we get offered X amount you can go. I don't see NSWE, Purslow or Smith wanting to keep any player that no longer wants to be here and doesn't believe in what they are trying to build. As a fan I wouldn't want a player here who didn't want to be here. More so a player who claims to love the club as much as I do. Don't for one second believe Jack is irreplaceable as he is far from it. You may not replace him with one player but we can adapt. It is the wider implication that the club need to be wary of. That we can't keep hold of our best players. That we can only get so far before our best players are taken from us and we have to start again. If we don't kick on and make big strides again this season then next year it will be Martinez, Watkins, Konsa having their heads turned. The biggest disappointment of all this would be if it is Jack that decides he wants out now and potentially threatens the whole project. The project he bought into 10 months ago where by the club have kept their part of the bargain by rewarding him handsomely and making big strides last season as promised. I hope he decides to stay not just for what he gives us as an individual player but because by doing so it would send out a huge message that our momentum won't be derailed and we are full steam ahead in our pursuit to reach the top.

Any relation to Julie?