PIW

Where he'll end up in the summer? No, Stoke's bench?

I don't want him to go but am not that bothered if he does.

Yeah, its not that difficult. I raise you your 'honest guv these will be great' and play my 'we need better players anyway' card.

Maybe, maybe when the season starts in 2013/2014 the kids will be ready to fly and we could line up team like this:

Given

new RB ? new CB? new CB? new LB?

Herd, Clark

Albrighton/N´Zogbia/Bannan - Gardner - Agbonlahor

Bent/new striker

If we could put together an experienced back 5, I´d really look forward to that team in a couple of years.

Unless the new back four contains players like Alves, Puyol, Piquet, and Sergio Ramos that team would keep us in the hunt for mediocrity every season.

I think there is a lot of confusion, unfairly for our players, as to what ios expected from teh youth system. just getting one or two in or around the first-team is a massive achievement itself. Forget about Little, Giddie, Sid etc as they were just great players who came through. Every club can be lucky to have them. A youth set-up is primarily designed to get the best out of the players that you have. I think ours is outstounding for how many players stand-out at resevre level and look to get into the first-team.

As has been said playing first-team football in the highest division in England is no mean feat. If one or two can survive at that level then you're incredibly fortunate. Of the current bunch we have a few that can play there. Albrighton, Clark, Bannan, Herd etc. Those that can play at the top level, stay there and push on to have a career at the top level is even rarer - Whittingham, Froggatt, Luke Moore.

So, we have to be sensible and clear-headed when we assess our kids and what we expect. I have seen nothing of the Gardner's, Grealish's etc etc to comment but of the ones in and around the fist team i think Clark is the only one i'd expect to stay and build a big career at Villa or elsewhere. Albrighton has an outside chance but not only are youngsters inconsistent but so are wingers. he needs to add a bit nmore to his game before he can be a valuable part of the team. Bannan I expect to have a career at Rangers. Lichaj, Herd will be lower league. Delfouneso will be on the Stefan Moore trail I fear.

I wouldn't sell Given and keep Guzan as I think that would be crazy. Given is one of the best keepers in the country and I'd go as far as to say in his profession right now. I like Guzan and would like to see him sign a new contract but he seems reluctant to do so. But if he was any better then I'm sure he would have impressed in training but he is still number two. I think he's improved beyong recognition as a keeper who was dodgy under the high ball but he looks to have overcome that. maybe give him a run of say 4 or 5 games and see what happens?

What's the bet that we'ss some hastily arranged tests against bangladesh and/or Zimbabwe to ensure Tendulkar's hundred? Whilst keeping the test averages inflated.

Not really fussed one way or the other I see the pros and cons of both. I'm not a monarchist but its what makes England England. We tried teh revolution once before, didn't like it so reverted back. This current lot are no better or worse but I pay no interest in what they do so cannot get as enraged as a militant 6th former. I'm not sure I'd like a president as we also tried that (Blair) and that didn't work out either.

This idea of having to adapt is absurd. Would you want Gary Lineker to adapt to being a winger? Barcelona wanted him to, it wasn't his game so he left. Cilve Allen playing attacking midfield? Andy Cole playing in the hole? The point is that all these players are sniffers, poachers, and you build teams around them because they win you games. you dion't tell them to join in with a bunch of cloggers hoping that it comes good.

I think it is disgusting that Bent refuses to grow and become a completely different type of player, terrible attitude.

He needs to focus on growing and being as good as Zigic.

Or we could just get rid of the manager.

Or we could sell Bent, and give the money to the manager to build his own side, something he has clearly not had the chance to do yet.

Managers need to be given time to build and shape their own squad and team. McLeish has as yet had no such chance.

If the owner both rates and backs the manager, that is what should happen.

If the owner seeks to change the manager soon (again) it will be another sign of shockingly inept ownership. They've only just bought him in, and have not yet 'backed' him in any meaningful way. It is for these reasons that I'd be shocked if he goes anywhere anytime soon.

Right, so sell oneof few remaining assets and hope McLeish can get a team of larssons, Ridgewells, zigic's into the higher echelons of the division. I seem to remember he'stried that before and got his team relegated.

You are talking some right pap. Sell bent to try and help McLeish. Are you related to him or something? No right-minded Villa fan would countenance such rubbish.

Pennat a cracking player? No he's not. But, with jenas going back (or at least should be) then we will have his wages freed up to try and get someone in on loan. i personally would go for a Pienaar or a wide player on the left as N'Zogbia likes playing on the right. As poor as he is you can see that he is very much a confidence player and seems to have none at the moment. I'd like Etherington but no point going down the route of transfers so we need the cheapest option and seeing if we can do anything in the overseas market.

Croydon is populated with Villa. And I've seen 5 Villa shirts in Lagos. Two are me and the nipper, and another one a barman I gave a Villa shirt to.

Well clearly we are supporting the Taliban in their glorious effort. We were even supplying them with freedom fighters were we not? Does it mean no woman attending games at Villa? or getting rid of the woman's team? Well, come on, football and women don't really mix do they?

He may have been world-class for 99% of the game but he went missing for the cross that led to the goal. Kind ofputs the rest of his average performance into perspective. Was he totally shit? No. But he allowed them to pick an easy cross and a goal. He went missing, that wasn't tactics just poor defending.

This is not true, Huttons job was to mark and track Young, which is what he was doing in the build up to the goal. The run was made by Nani who should have been tracked by one of our midfield, probably Herd. The reason Hutton was getting pulled up the pitch was due to Young and Evra coupled with the fact Albrighton wasnt tracking back much.

How do you know his job was to mark Young? Surely his first job is to play his position of right back.

He is a right wing back at best in that he is no better than ok defensively or going forward, i've tried giving him a chance but unfortunately we've bought a dud. Young would have done us for a good while longer.

I agree that the right full back should be marking the left-winger. however, it doesn't follow that he has to run around after him when he cuts inside. For the goal Young cut inside - still about 30 yards from goal adn into the area where the midfield were. Granted Albrighton should have been back but seeing as he wasn't Hutton should not have wondered out of position opening the left side for nani to take all the time in the world to watch jones wonder between our central-defenders, passed the obviously caught in traffic lights central misfield of ours to score the goal. it was a catalogue of errors yes, but hutton should have been in position. he would have just fouled Nani anyway.

Yes, wih time and backing he probably would be able to make a difference. However, he took the job knowing he wasn't going to get money and seeing who he used to manage if he didn't get it right he would not get the time from the fans, either. We aren't the most militant of fans atr Vilal but we have standards. You don't have a history like ours and put up with the dirge we've been offered. Are we unrealistic? Of course we are, but our history has to be remembered by any owner/manager.

We're not the Shit whose history has been one of being in the shadows of their larger neighbours who have been successful. We believe we deserve to be sitting at the top table year in year out. Yes, we know its more often than not going to happen but want to believe it can happen. Under O'Neill we got the belief back. Houllier dragged it down a little but the hope was still there.

this tit has completely dulled our optimism and that makes hima dead man walking unless we see a dramatic up-turn in events. We are in a false position due to our start. Come the start of jan, afetr the Chelsea game, then we'll know where we are. He has got around a month to try and keep the fans of his back. In saying that, a loss against Liverpool, and especially seeing the weasel Downing being proven right, will do for him. A big defeat at home will also be trouble for mcLeish and will start to see the vocal anti-McLeish chants in force.

its also a worrying time for lerner. he knows that if things don't go right for Mcleish the pressure will transfer to him. for all his faults I don't think he expected McLeish to be this poor. It also undermines his position as teh person who allowed one manager to walk away (not that I blame him for that one) waiting until a transfer window was shut to employ houllier, and then poaching a manager from our rivals who had just taken his side down. Again. Mcleish has the month to sort it out. I'd happily sack him right now.

Didn't see the game on sat or evan the highlights. Just reading Kendrick's match verdict on the Brum mail website and am ait annoyed with some of his comments. He starts making out fans are never going to accept AM cos of who he is and where he is from, he more than anyone should understand Villa fans and and their apathy toward McLeish. The football is dire, he doesn't understand tactics and how to set up winning teams, under his management we are fast going backwards in style of play and in terms of league position.

Sometime I get the felling Kendrick does't want to offend the Villa board/chairman/manager to much incase they restrict his access to stories or something. If Mcleish was able to at least get the team playing with some heart less people would be on his case, if he could get them playing heart and playing football rather than hoofball evan less would be hating on him. Sure a ver small minority will always have issues of who he is and where he's form but please give the majority of us some credit, its not his past that is the problem, its his complete lack of managerial ability that is the issue. Can't believe the free fall Villa are on, bet MON can't wait to play us!

I agree with chunks of this, but if we are being 100% honest, it is McLeishs past, present and potentially catastrophic future that mean McLeish will never, every be accepted 100% at this club.

mostly true but football fans only want to see their team win. God forgive me for saying it but if Beelzebub Francs had been given the job then he would have been forgiven if he could win games of football. Or, at the very least make it look like he is trying to win games of football. We do not. its very very poor at the moment and our crap start is coming back to bite us on the arse now. McLeish should go.

He may have been world-class for 99% of the game but he went missing for the cross that led to the goal. Kind ofputs the rest of his average performance into perspective. Was he totally shit? No. But he allowed them to pick an easy cross and a goal. He went missing, that wasn't tactics just poor defending.

I think we'll look to play for penalties.

I thought he was ok yesterday, didn't get forward but I'd rather he stay back v Young. Collins defended better too, but didn't use the ball as well as Hutton.

Yeah, he was great for their goal.

Do you usually work in morse code?

Great. The can say that we're the devil himself if they want as long as the prat goes.

the only issue I have thereafter is that I wouldn't trust our board not to turn our next managerial search into the same shambolic farce as compared to the last two, and then end up appointing someone like Stuart Pearce or Peter Reid.

get him out.

Watching Villa now feels the same as watching us under the lowest points of O'Leary's reign. Inept, clueless, and just hoping for a result. We have the best poacher in the business right now, a player in the Gary Lineker mould and we use him as a bloody target man. We have ahsit clogger at right-back and a centre-half he has clearly been told to hoof it to Bent every time he gets the ball.

Mcleish is out of his dept hand must go. I, like many others didn't want him,hated his past associations, but was ready to give him time as a winning Villa is what we all want. But performances like yesterday are not in isolation, Tottenham, QPR, Bolton, Wolves, Albion in the 2nd half etc was the writing starting to adorn the wall.

We as fans have a duty to our club and have to try and force lerner's hand and make him know that we don't want this shitehawk anymore, the club can't afford to keep him as he is taking us down.

I personally would go for Paul Lambert as I think he is a manager with a great future. But as it stands McLeish must go.

N'Zog not included for breaking club rules

tried to attack with the ball in training?

More like Man City inspired by David White at home.

Was that the 1-5 debacle?

It was.

Harsh on heskey as he has been one of our better performers. Not his fault that the manager thinks central midfield is his best position.