Papillon

Yeah they did over two legs, in both matches really, but the main thing worth mentioning here was motivation. The United players didn't give a shit, just like Man City's players, and Bilbao were lucky to get them really. They upped their game against players giving 90% of their effort, and an easy stroll. People say this game alone highlights the difference between Spain and England, but I stronly disagree.

What is the point? Well it is not like football is not suited for only him, that it is just him that suffers. Everyone sucks in this team, and even less so Darren Bent. Yeah he does not get the chances he needs, but he scored 9 goals in 22 games this season. That is 0,41 goals pr. match. Gabby has 5 in 32 games. In fact I would say Darren Bent has a very good goal tally this season, and comfortably would have reached 15+ if he had played on without injuries. Our game has screamed for that striker to put the goal in the back of the net, and we have seen Heskey (!) being up there fumbling the ball around like an idiot.

Nice to meet you, you must be the new village idiot on here! Why protest against McLeish? Pretty obvious why. He is not capable of performing his duties to a satisfactory level, even though his leaders believed so one year ago. The manager galvanizes the players, but he has not done so. Another manager will, the right one would have easily handled a better point tally and a better position in the table. McLeish out, and perhaps forever from this league.

Olof Mellberg on his way to Everton

Well first and foremost Joey Barton will always be a worser influence on any club compared to his overhyped talents. He is NOT that good, and has never been. Thus he is soon 30 years old, plays for QPR and has one game for England. A piece of shit person and a mediocre footballer.

"It happens at even the top clubs.." Well **** you and **** off McLeish! What are we now? Coventry? Aberdeen? Crystal Palace? We are top club you absolute clown of a manager, it is not something that is washed out over the course of a season or two.

I think it is safe to say that being a footballer is not the same as being a tax attorney or a busdriver when it comes to contractual obligations. They represent the club at all times, every move they make is scrutinized. And they are never off the clock, which is also part of why they are paid so much. Because they have fans, millions of people know who they are and thus it is the norm to be fined when acting out. Try bringing that to Human Resources dep.

Storm in a teacup. Well not even that. People drink and get in trouble sometimes, it's not a new scenario it's just that everyone has iPhones to broadcoast it seconds later. I am sure it was even more hopeless back in the days, when people got proper drunk and took a swing at each other. Too bad it wasn't McPenis, he would have been fired instantly.

Capello has managed Milan, Real Madrid, Milan again, Roma, Juventus, Real Madrid again and then England. He won 7 Scudettos, a Champions League trophy, 2 La Ligas etc. Roy Hodgson has won stuff in the Swedish and the Danish league, and nothing else, and he is hired for probably the most difficult job in football. Got a job too big for him at Liverpool, and he failed like everyone in the world anticipated. And now the ENGLAND job? Wow, someone is **** with him bigtime. You know, except the huge payoff package he is getting in 12 months.

Hysterical. So you sack one of the toughest guys in the business in Capello, and then hire Roy Hodgson who was fired from Liverpool one year ago? The guy who was hunted out like a witch from Anfield. The guy who at the prime of his career manages the mighty West Bromwich Albion? He has very few honours to brag about in his career, mostly league titles in Scandicavia. This is a disaster waiting to happen, and he will probably be without a job in year. As per usual with England.

Here here. This is one of my ultimate pet hates. So many people bandy it around nowadays without actually knowing what it means. But people who don't know it's "Hear, hear", not "Here here" may not be best placed to give us lectures on the meanings of words! :winkold: zing! LOL!

Even Mourinho and Wenger would struggle to win with Wigan.

LOL!

Darren Bent is our best player, and people talking about selling him do not know what they are talking about. We are lucky that he is not good enough for any of the top teams, at the same time too expensive for Liverpool. And Spurs has already had him before.

Tottenham have won 6 out of 17 away games this season, we have a big chance of securing a point against them.

A home-team winning over a not so top side? Hardly a surprise I would say.

Going to watch my first Villa-game in quite a while. Guess it is the horror of relegation setting in... I have seen bits and pieces, but some our games have been so incredibly dull. This is not the Villa I support, this is something else, something that will not stay for long luckily.

If we lose today and lose at home to Tottenham, where we can find ourselves in the absolute trouble, I really fear for his safety. The crowd will be extremely hostile and he should get the **** out of the pitch before anything happens to him

Why exactly? Why would local investors be the best for a global sport like football? I want the best out there, from players to managers and owners. And where you are from does not matter.

Given was the obvious choice and a wanted player by almost everyone on here. He has been solid. N'Zogbia was the logical and obvious choice as well, most people on here was positive to that transfer after all - and his career at the Villa is not over. Jenas was injured, we never got to see the true potential and value of his ability. Not the best player, but just a loan deal after all. Hutton, not going to comment on that, I despise his irrational tackles and poor defensive displays.. Robbie Keane, as much as we believed we were a bigger club than him, was a huge hit and got us that win against Wolves. All in all not that bad given his budget. Only huge outlay was CNZ and we all wanted him here, barring a few people.

As much as I hate Alex McLeish, I really do not think we should fire him right now. The satisfaction of him leaving would be equivalent for a Chelsea-fan of winning the Champions League of course, but what the squad needs for the next three games is full focus on the pitch. They too would be pleased with him leaving, but in the immediate aftermath it would be difficult for any manager/caretaker to get 100% out of the players. 3 games is too short of a time to get a stable outcome of a new manager, even if it was Mourinho or Wenger so to speak. If a decision was to be made, it should have happened in February. Again, I despise him and because he earns so much money I would never feel bad for saying exactly that. He gets enormous amounts of money for doing a job he is not shaped to perform, and if he is kicked he will get a sum near 20x what normal people make in a year. Nobody should feel bad for this man. Football at this level is business, and he is our leader. If at any other sector, he would be fired.

If we lose 20% and you sing 20% louder it will still be less than the original though

1. Faulker could not give a shit about your e-mails and all you would get back is a standard phrase about operations and faith in the manager. I am pretty sure you would not expect anything else, so why bother e-mailing him with such ignorant stuff? 2. Nicky Keye? A woman that has got nothing to do with the current state of affairs at the club, who controls communications and ticketing. Yeah good idea, I am sure you would come up with a lot that would steer our club in the right direction. Again, what makes you think this has any point? She will, at best, give you a few standard lines about her trying to do her best and that everyone is working in the same direction. All in all a waste of time for everyone included, with an outcome that is already given and with no value to anyone involved. Great job buddy. Fan-mail and e-mails are worthless. They will not put any effort into it, because the right people (media, FA, fans worldwide and players) will not read it if it is not in the newspaper, and because of the risk of indeed writing something edgy it WILL reach the media and not in a good way. So again, congrats on wasting your time and theirs. Much like me writing this piece.

Patrice Evra is pretty much one of the best backs in the world, not many better I can think of. As for the worst player I would go for Richard Stearman. He just makes the simplest thing look incredibly difficult!

He was pretty great if you ask me. Old, but played every match and had a very stable stint. Then he was bought by a bigger and better club challenging for Champions League, where he has also been solid. He is in the top bracket, with Szcezny, Howard, de Gea etc. Behind Hart of course, but not much between the rest.