MessiWillSignForVilla

Hope McGinn gets a warm welcome when he comes on, not his fault that Gerrard's decision made him a focal point for criticism.

2 minutes ago, CVByrne said:

This is the best first half of football we've played since we were promoted

I reckon the time we were beating the Champions 4-1 at half time might have been slightly better 

That guy next to Lange looks a bit like Paul Lambert 

I think Gerrard may have been holding us back. Just a feeling

Are you watching Mauricio? This is the sexiness you could be working with!

Danks sets em up, McPhee knocks em down

1 hour ago, Adam2003 said:

Hadn’t read this post but per my post above, I’ve been told this directly by a player - and for a much smaller team than Liverpool. I’m surprised by Carragher actually as vs Liverpool I don’t think we expect anything, and I think we get up for big games - my guy was telling me about when we play a Burnley or a Wigan and think we should beat them easily.

To be fair, I've always attributed it to Carragher but was never 100% about it, it could well be something I read on here that my brain has then inexplicably linked to him.

30 minutes ago, duke313 said:

Just seen Conte’s interview on Sky Sport. Definitely sounds like he’d walk away at any minute if he’s not backed. Poch would be crazy to take us as if there is a chance Spurs job will be available in 6 months.

I think the greatest chance of us getting Poch would be if Spurs announced a new contract for Conte in the next couple days. His reputation with the top teams took a hit with his PSG spell, and I think Spurs are currently his best option for an immediate return to a Champions League level team,  which I think is the one he's holding out for.

I've always thought we had one of the worst fanbases in the country ever since I started supporting Villa. It's easy to say it's because we've been shit for a decade, but I distinctly remember thinking the fanbase was too negative even during the MON days which is the most successful period I've seen since I started going. One game that sticks out is I believe our first round in the League Cup in 09-10, and we beat a Championship team 1-0 (I think we scored really early on). Not long in to the game we started hearing moans and groans around us because we weren't winning by more, one complaint I'll always remember "We'll never do anything this season playing like this" - we got to the final that year. Even when we were doing well the crowd had the capability to turn and make things very negative at VP.

I remember a pundit once said about us (I think it was Carragher) that they always knew that to win at VP all they needed to do was not concede in the first 15 minutes, and then the crowd would turn and do the rest. I can't count the amount of times I've been to VP and the atmosphere has been great initially, but as soon as there's a mistake or a couple chances aren't taken, you feel negativity creep in, the anxiety and nerves that no doubt transfer in to the players too, and the crowd ends up going silent, so much so that it feels like you can hear every moan and groan. If I was ever Villa manager the first thing I would say (and no doubt alienate the entire fanbase ) is that I know the Villa fans can be a sour bunch that the players need to just ignore. Hell, some fans even made a joke about that during the MON years with the "We do like you, we're just fickle" banner, playing on the reverse one to O'Leary. My username even comes from the fact I got so pissed about putting up with the atmosphere for so long I intended to come on here and troll that we were going to sign Messi, that Lerner was going for broke with getting in to the CL, but I ended up not bothering after I made the account.

Personally it's why I liked Smith's reign so much, it finally felt like everyone was on the same page, and the fans didn't seem to turn as quickly as they have done in the past. In that first season back I'd put the Everton, Brighton and Leicester (EFL Cup) wins at least down to the fans and specifically the way they stuck with the team throughout. I think Grealish leaving shattered that illusion though, and whilst Smith had rope before the fans turned at the ground, I don't think we were far from the moaning-groaning atmosphere coming back under him.

Maybe it is the same with other teams, but it always felt unusually negative at VP for me. Perhaps it's just a brummy pessimism that causes the fans to be so down, the same reason I think Birmingham isn't as well regarded as it should, because brummies don't shout about how great the city is enough like Mancs, Scousers and Geordies do, but whatever it is, I've always felt as a fanbase we were overly negative and had greater capability for toxicity than other teams.

Officially a worse start than Smith last year now, there is no argument for him to be here by tomorrow afternoon.

5 minutes ago, blandy said:

She didn’t. This is where Twitter is dire. What Norton said was terrific, btw. But Bragg and Rowling were not talking about the same thing. Rowling was and did highlight a leading figure in a trans charity who had actually made rape and death threats against feminists and was therefore making a point that “consulting [that person] wouldn’t be a smart move”. Bragg took that to be “you’re accusing me of supporting rape and death threats” and got all cross. But she wasn’t and Bragg isn’t trans, anyway. It’s just 2 high profile people getting the wrong end of the stick (both of them) and shouting at cross purposes, while their more excitable followers pile on in their tribes. Horrible.
others may see it differently and that’s fine, but that’s my take on it.

Where have you got that from, because it's not true, you can read the exchange for yourself, Rowling very much seems to be getting upset at the prospect of talking to Trans people.

Rowling's response was strawman galore and made no mention of trans charities.

12 minutes ago, Pinebro said:

Makes no sense going from spurs, psg to Villa.

As much as I would love for it to happen this simply isn't happening.

David Ornstein mentioned on The Overlap about a month ago that he thought Pochettino would consider us and explained his reasoning (Edit - misremembered slightly, it was two of the others that explained their reasoning, Ornstein just said he thought he'd consider it with the owner's amibition).

I think his stint at PSG has put a question mark next to his name for the top clubs about whether he can handle big names that he hasn't nurtured into being those players, and it makes sense he may need to "prove" himself again.

Just now, ml1dch said:

Apparently the biggest lead on a "best Prime Minister" poll in history. 

I think that's just the biggest lead Starmer has ever had reading the article as that refers to Johnson.

4 minutes ago, Mark Albrighton said:

 

I did think after my post that "Biggest lead since/bigger lead than 1997" could be what it was referring to. I also think this line in the article may be part of why Election Maps were saying it was so big;

Quote

After weighting by likelihood to vote, more respondents say they do not know how they would vote (17%) than say they would vote Conservative (16%).

Also, Tories Fourth...

Election Maps on Twitter are teasing a Redfield & Wilton that is due to come out at 5pm, which to me suggest one (or some combination) of three things - 1) Tories below 20%, 2) Labour above 60%, or 3) Lib Dems surge to second.

1 minute ago, Mr_Dogg said:

He can't get in the Brighton team, he's a long way off Chelsea.

The point was more that he only moved because of Potter who promised him first team football, but then was there for 1 game before Potter went the other way, if Potter rates him he might want Chelsea to bring him back, which would be another player inbetween Chukwuemeka and the Chelsea first team.

15 hours ago, villa4europe said:

Jorghino and Kante are both out of contract next summer and expected to leave, so is ziyech and zakaria was a complete waste of time

So that just leaves Mount, kovacic, RLC and Gallagher

I wonder if they'd try to bring Gilmour back too? The only reason his move to Brighton happened was because Potter wanted him, he might rate him enough to go for him again.

56 minutes ago, av1 said:

Notice it’s for attempted rape rather than rape. 
 

The audio seemed to contradict that. 

Goes to show how hard rape convictions are, CPS would've just gone with what they felt was the best chance of getting a conviction, especially in a high profile case.

Is it just me or have the press been getting at Gerrard more since his comment to Ashley Preece about Archer?

9 hours ago, bickster said:

One of my colleagues put on a xmas music channel in the office.

He will be gaffer taped to his chair when he comes out of his meeting

An entire team in our office has had tinsel and other christmas decorations covering their block of desks for about 2/3 weeks now and they somehow keep adding more.

I'm pretty sure they're not even the team that deals with our Christmas planning/promotions.

Truss' awfulness has gone too far now, she's made me agree with Nadine Dorries

Last year we were 7th for most goals from Set Pieces, and whilst we are in 14th for them so far this season, they still make up a third of our goals, equal to Forest and only Bournemouth with a higher proportion.

Clearly Set Pieces aren't our issue, and without them we'd be well and truly ****.

I was really not expecting another poll lead in that range 

10 minutes ago, markavfc40 said:

21% of the vote can't get you just 2 seats surely? if that is the case the Tories will be scraping first past the post and rushing in PR 

More an indication that those types of tools aren't built to handle such extreme results, Electoral Maps on twitter for example has the Tories at around 60 seats.

6 hours ago, Wainy316 said:

It's not him leaving after what he said in January that pissed people off the most. 

It's this that he came out with after being strongly linked with City a week before actually making the move...

Fabian Delph rules out Manchester City move and commits to Aston Villa | Aston Villa | The Guardian

Wasn't he even spotted at the hospital that City use for medicals and rumours that it was basically agreed? Then he backed out and did this.

Also, if I remember rightly the prevailing mood was "well what you gonna do, of course he'd leave for City" before he did this.