sharkyvilla

**** no.

He should have got rid of Stephen as well. He's terrible and looks like this knob I work with if you slightly deflated him. Tom or Gabrielle to win

Yeah that is a decent statement from him. I am so glad that he is gone though. I have no issue with the money he spent just the negativity that he brought to the football. Now let's get a 21st century football man in, there are plenty of great managerial prospects just waiting to take a club like ours to the next level.

Horsham got relegated about 2 months ago :cry: They sold the ground about 15 years ago and the council still haven't managed to agree to a site for a new ground. The housing company allowed them to keep the ground for about 10 years before finally building so the club has been without a ground for about 5 seasons and finally got to the point where they can't pay players any more. So I saw them win one game this season out of about 15 that I went to. Sad to see how a club that drew with Swansea under Martinez in the Cup a few years back in the state it is now because of some NIMBY ****. Apparently they've finally been able to get a planning application in but whether it will be accepted I shall wait and see.

Hopefully this means we won't have to put up with Gerrard spraying passes into the stands or any other Scouse garbage. I'd be happy with either him or Harry tbh. I can't see past Spain winning it anyway, a semi-final appearance is the best I'm hoping for.

I don't know of any Englishman that actually has the funds to run a successful and rich PL team.

Who'd have thought having the Prime Minister and (potential) Future King of England as fans, wouldn't be beneficial?

Yep, but the Prime Minister hasn't got any money, and as for the future King of England, we all know what people on here think of people who inherit wealth......

Darren Bent probably earns more in 3 weeks than Cameron gets in a year as PM. The PM gets paid a ridiculously low amount of money for the job he's meant to do, although he is minted anyway I guess. Can't see anyone in England being foolish enough to spend money on a football club at the moment.

He revolutionised the game imo. Nobody else has developed a team that can dominate 70% of the possession against even the finest club sides in the world, and the pressing game he introduced was ingenius. This season he probably went a bit too far in trying to create a team so perfect that it only needed midfielders but I still fancy nobody other than Mourinho would have won the league ahead of Barca.

So the question as I see it is, I'm gonna get my bollocks cut off. You want to know whether I would like that done quickly with a sharp knife, have pain killers administered and then begin the healing process soon......ooooorrr do I want to have them cut off gradually using a spoon that will take around twelve months without any pain killers delying the healing process?? Hmmmm.......not much of a choice there is there?? The sooner McLeish leaves Aston Villa the better. If that means going down then so be it, at least the healing process will begin soon.

HOWEVER.......I cannot see how whether we stay up or go down Randy has any other option but to terminate his employment. For those that argue he can't afford to sack him I would argue he can't afford NOT to sack him.

Our attendance is down around 6000 on average this season. Over a season at £25 average ticket price thats around £3m. That could rise to 10000 or more if AM stays. Thats almost £6m. If we do go down and he keeps AM that will compound the lost revenue from attendances even further so if we go down it makes sense to get rid of him even more because Lerner will realise he will need all the fans money and support he can get.

For those on here that have the opinion Lerner should go and is clueless I would say this. Lerner is guilty of the following:

1. Not listening to his fan base or understanding the gravity of appointing McLeish. I can understand this to a certain extent because as a boss sometimes you have to take an unpopular decision and go with what you believe over the advice of others. The skill in making these decisions is being honest enough to go, ok I **** up there I need to put that right. I think (hope) Randy is wise enough to do this. I'm confident this will be the case if you read point 2

2. Allowing MON to have too much say in the running of the club that ended in poor financial decisions being made that we are having to rectify now. This would have happened regardless of the manager and I believe the way the club is being run from a finance point of view is the right way now to ensure Villa do not become the next Leeds / Pompey.

3. Listening to people who are giving him very poor advice on football matters. I think we'll probably find that Randy has learned (if you'll excuse the pun) a great deal about running a football club, Aston Villa as a business and an institution this season and also whom he should not have any trust in the next time they offer advice.

I think Randy is an excellent patron of Aston Villa who undoubtedly has the good of Aston Villa and its long term future at heart he just listens to the wrong people in the critical matters. I don't imagine a man as wealthy as he is will not use the experience of this season and come back better for it.

For those who want rid of him, I understand that point of view and can see where its born from but as the old saying goes be careful what you wish for cos we might just get it!! ( see Venky's / Gillette's / Shinawatra / Yeung / Sullivans)

That's exactly how I see it too. Good post.

RL can't be this blind, attendances are dropping at an alarming rate, the football is dire, the fans are protesting.. I mean how can RL just ignore all these signs that his project has failed... We need a fresh start, clear out the old players, clear out the old manager (AM) and clear out the old board members and people running the club...we need a re shape of the club from the board level, right down to the Pitch....

I agree. When Randy and Faulker are moved to making a public statement then you know McLeish must be buggered. Let's hope he can do one final decent act and keep us in the league but I am struggling to see where we're getting points in the last few games. If we do get relegated then I don't think it's as financially disastrous as it once was, but only if we bounce back in the first season. We will find it easier to shift the dead wood, the youngsters will get a chance under hopefully a better manager who plays decent football. But hopefully we stay up and McLiesh goes anyway.

I cannot see any circumstances in which he could possibly still be in charge ot the club beyond the last game of this season. Martinez will be our next manager.

It should be a great final. I much prefer to watch this than another classico, as much as I enjoy watching Barca play. Still can't believe they contrived to lose, mind. Great performance by Chelsea.

Maybe he sliced a few clearances, but that's the price they are willing to pay to have a goalkeeper who is such a good footballer, which Valdes undoubtedly is.

That's the crux of it, really. Valdés could probably afford to be a worse shot-stopper then he actually is and they'd still persevere with him, as his ability on the ball and general distribution suits the team's setup and approach perfectly.

I'm pretty sure that's why Fergie plumped for De Gea as his long-term keeper. He saw how far behind Barca Man Utd were in the final last year and how important even having a footballing goalkeeper is to the way they play and he wanted the same. I like Valdes (btw that Drogba shot was pretty vicious and Valdes had quite a lot of ground to make up so he had to dive imo) and it only highlights how scary the depth of talent in just about every position Spain have that he barely gets a look in.

It's Pep's weird tactics that have given themselves more problems than they really should have. Why when he had the perfect system in place did he feel the need to change it this season?

case of too many cooks, he has perfect system and club signed Fabregas and had to find a spot for him but couldnt drop Busquets, Alves, Xavi or Iniesta.

True. Thiago's progress has been hampered by Fabregas's signing. I would have thought it would be better to develop him by bringing him in and out of the side when Xavi or Iniesta needed resting and then bring Cesc in in a couple of years time when his Arsenal deal was down to its last couple of seasons (I think he still had 4 years on his contract when he signed for Barca) to replace Xavi. Either way I think no other manager than Jose would have won the league for Real ahead of even this Barca side so I have to credit him as much as I dislike his football.

Gabby started the season great which suggests to me that he still has it, albeit he does have his limitations, but he has been dragged down like the rest of the club by McLeish and Houllier. You can guarantee that if he went to Sunderland he would play out of his skin for O'Neill, just like most players do. We just need to get some positivity back into the club starting with the right manager, not just for Gabby's sake but basically every other player we've got.

I thought Puyol was brilliant against Chelsea the other night. It's Pep's weird tactics that have given themselves more problems than they really should have. Why when he had the perfect system in place did he feel the need to change it this season? Still even the greatest managers get things wrong from time to time. Great post by the way Pride of Brum.

Yup spot on. Another weird selection from Guardiola. Cost them a few points this season.

What's this about Bent and Gabby not getting on? Any proof or is this just rumors?

it's garbage. they get on fine. Gabby does not like being out wide which is why he is keen on a move

Well if he put the **** ball in the net when he DID have the chance through the middle maybe he wouldn't be stuck out wide.

I think when he started the season strongly it was starting up front and scaring the shit out of defenders with his runs in the channels. By pulling defenders out of position it frees up Bent to make his runs in the box and put it in the back of the net. When McLeish's negative 4-5-1 really took hold Gabby ended up getting more marginalised and he just hasn't got the intelligence to make it as a winger. Gabby is just one of many who have suffered under McLeish's guidance.

I wish people would stop moaning. It's still entertaining and gets belly laughs out of me a few times an episode. The right person went on this task but he was clearly quite strong so it's a shock to see them go.

To be fair the spirit (hate that word but screw it) between the two sides was great. Drogba was a tit but it had a role in giving Chelsea a breather every now and then, he wasn't trying to get anyone booked. It was also nice that they did it without kicking lumps out of Barca, something hopefully Jose can learn from for Saturday.

Cracking game that. Chelsea were utterly brilliant but still could have got raped so they were lucky but fully deserved it. Terry and Cahill were top notch. I think having Iniesta out left was a bit of a waste as he and Xavi together would have increased the tempo at the right times meaning Messi wouldn't have had to spend so much time on the half-way line. Fabregas was a bit shit in truth so didn't really deserve starting in the middle instead of Iniesta anyway. I fancy Chelsea to score at the Nou Camp so would put them slight favourites as I find it hard to see Chelsea shipping 3.

I think the Chelsea-Barca game will be quite tight. Unlike Utd in the final last year where Sir Alex mentally put Giggs and Carrick up against Xavi, Busquets and Iniesta, Chelsea are quite strong in the middle of the park and have Mata and Drogba who can create something out of nothing. I haven't seen enough of Bayern this season but I would still back Real against anyone other than Barca.

I'd try to get rid of both from our wage bill, they've let the club down too often imo. Jeffrey Bruma is one that interests me alongside Clark or Baker. Maybe a bit too green to go into a season as a centre-half partnership though.

For me a lot of Ronadlo hate/criticism started in 2006 World Cup. If he didnt do the wink he get a lot more praise from media

He wasn't exactly Mr Popular before that though with his diving. I think Ronaldo thrives on the need to be disliked and show he's the best thing since sliced cheese (and know it) unlike Messi who seems to not really care that much either way. He is a truly great player though. Question, do people think Ronaldo's better than Maradona?

Did you lot know that countries such as Japan and Korea have a MUCH lower rate of colon cancer compared to the western world?

It's because they shit standing up and that it's healthier for the bowels. IIRC pooing like that doesn't congest your bowels and cause traffic up insider der. Somethin like that.

That just sounds undignified to me. Also, one would assume that the chance of making a mess were higher. Imagine standing for a curry or Guinness shit, carnage.

Yeah I desperately needed a shit so much when backpacking in Australia I didn't have time to take off my backpack so had to stand and try and get it in, ended up with some on my flipflop. Not great.

There is one downside to wiping standing up which I was just recently reminded of (and hence why I resurrect this thread, one of the greatest in the annals of OT).

When you combine this with being a single guy, and thus not bothering to install the bog roll into a dispensing apparatus but instead just letting the roll sit atop the toilet or a nearby shelf, it occasionally transpires that the roll gets dropped into the dirty water, thereby rendering a roll useless.

This is an event that doesn't happen often enough to make any effort to avoid it worthwhile, but it is most annoying.

My flat has a great bathroom but it has no towel or bog roll rails so the exact same thing happened to me not long ago. I have tried sitting down and wiping but my anus feels a bit too exposed and I'm scared of getting shit halfway up my forearm. So I just stand up and do it.

Madrid will still win the Spanish league.

It would be hilarious if they didn't though