Intercourse_The_Penguin

Yep. Feeling we can extend our lead today. Not felt that in a long time. A long time.

Way to bury a header. Beautiful!

That home game against Rapid Vienna remains a particular sore point also. Water under the bridge. Quite. It means nothing to me. Indeed, I've already expressed my feelings on his appointment as assistant. This was simply in response to the claim that he did 'quite well' as manager. Well, I agree it was a bit annoying at the time. In fact I do still occasionally think to myself "arrrgh... Vienna!" (I'll stop now)

That home game against Rapid Vienna remains a particular sore point also. Water under the bridge. Quite. It means nothing to me.

As usual, it's the day before a Villa game and I'm getting slightly uncomfortable sensations in my stomach. These are a bit different this week, though. I'd got used to the heavy, leaden feeling of dread. This is definitely different. It isn't confidence, not even hope, really, it's.... hang on, I recognise it from the dim recesses of time... excitement, that's it! Ok, I'll take that for now.

Didn't BFR say that same about Staunton? I assume this is a general footballing cliche and not something only Villa managers are allowed to say...

Not sure we can put this down to training methods. My guess is Lambert just asked Keane if he couldn't help twist Delph's arm over signing a new contract, and it was all a terrible misunderstanding.

A point a game from here on in would give us 44 points, which would have been enough finish 11th or 12th over the past two seasons. We managed a point a game last season and a little more the season before. I can't imagine we're going to get worse than that this season with what looks like a squad that has improved markedly in areas we were weak in previously. So I'm seeing 12th as a kind of floor for my expectations. If we regress to being as bad as last season from now on we can expect 12th. I think we can be looking for around 50 points and a comfortable spot somewhere in the relegation zone of Ceefax page one.

I was pleased with this initially given how Hutton's been performing in the first few games and in pre-season, but then I thought... hang on, if this works out it will mean we have decent options in both full-back positions. But this is Villa, so we know that's not possible. Ergo this can't work out and it must be a bad idea. QEf'ingD!

And the team should at least play with more than 110% effort This is why I'm not getting carried away yet. Against Hull in the first half we were near 110% effort, sure, but second half we were only at around 106%. Against Newcastle the second half they only gave 103% by my calculations. I think if we're going to have any chance against Chelsea we really need to get up to 115%.

But why would these people lie? And on the internet service? One of the trusted things of today's society.

Even Lambert's socks finish in the bottom half (of his calves)?

Surely Hoolahan wouldn't need an assistant?

I remember the positivity I felt regarding Bent with that goal he scored against Man City just after he arrived. Following up play and just being in the right place to knock it in. I said to my mate at the time "it's been so bloody long since we've had a striker who would have been in the right position to score that." I can't believe he's just lost that ability, and given how poor we were at making space in the final third and putting away half-chances last season I'd like to think we can find a way to use that. Then again, another of our problems has been keeping the ball high up the pitch and relieving pressure on our defence, which I guess he's not exactly going to help with. Can we find a way to utilise his talents without having to change our whole style of play to "having Bent in the team" tactics? I'd like to think so, but god knows how we do that with our current crop of players, and even less so given the way Lambert likes to set us up.

The summer "just like having a new signing" thread.

Maybe this is a sine of things to come. Just need randy to cosine a deal for the sale of the club now. Just hope the deal doesn't go off at a tangent. I feel dirty I thought you approached the joke from a good angle. Same old hacks, coming around here talking old arse.

Well, mine have. I'd honestly lost patience with the standard of football this season. Not so long ago it was really hard to see progress. Quite the opposite, I thought. Too many players going backwards, and tactics being ossified and predictable. I'm prepared to admit now I may have been a bit hasty. Not only a couple of good results, but some of the progress we thought we might have been seeing with key players last season is in some evidence again. But then again I never liked DOL, so it's clear I've always been fickle...

It makes my knee hurt just thinking about flicking the ball like Delph did whilst running at a good pace. Actually, it makes *both* my knees hurt... the standing leg because of the twisting and bracing it has to do, and the kicking leg because of the lightening-quick inward flick. I don't think I could do that movement even without worrying about hitting a ball with one foot - let alone hitting the target... Deft, instinctive, and athletic. Super goal. Super player.

Well, leaving aside the obvious options of Roy of the Rovers, Ball Boy and Billy the Fish, I'd have to go with Plug from the Bash Street Kids. Squint your eyes slightly and you could swear we'd got Sticks back in the side... Plug "Sticks" Ormondroyd and friends See what I mean? Wonder if he could do Sticks' trick of heading the ball into the box instead of controlling and crossing it...

Another player who crossed my mind when I saw this thread. He got dogs abuse down Villa Park almost constantly it seemed, yet was actually a pretty decent attacking full-back/wing-back. Covered an immense amount of ground, set up some good goals and wasn't too shaky in defence. Much of the crowd in the Trinity Lower seemed on his back constantly through the mid-90s. He just couldn't win. Shame. Good player. We'd be lucky to have someone as good in his position now.

I actually agree about the spitting thing being a bit blown up. It certainly soured the feeling many have for him, though, and I can understand that - and I must admit one image that most often comes to mind when I think back is that defiant pose as he spat towards the fans at Ewood. Which is a shame because I've always thought he was a really good player for us and elsewhere. We really could have done with hanging on to him for longer. But,yeah, I mean if we're talking under-rated... this guy was positively slated. I can't think of another player I spent so much time defending to other fans (both Villa fans and fans of other clubs). Scored as many goals as Bergkamp on his debut season and was still called Mis-a-lot-evich by almost everybody it seemed. Can't get much more un-rated than that!

Anticipating getting slated for this, but... Savo. There, I said it. (Ok, it ended horribly and the spitting at the fans things was appalling, but... for all the abuse and ridicule he came in for, I thought his all-round play was good, he was a tidy player with the ball at his feet, brought others into play well, had some intelligent running in him when he was on form, and his goal-scoring record wasn't actually that bad)

There are a few different ways I could think of games being the worst, and the ones that actually came to mind when reading this weren't necessarily the worst in terms of performance alone, but were the most deflating in therms of their effect on me. And all ones I've not seen mentioned yet. First up was Villa 0 - 1 Oldham in the 1992-3 season, which officially ended our title chase. After such a brilliant campaign to surrender at home to Oldham (who complete the double over us with that win, I believe) was a huge shock and a real emotional blow to me. (Actually, notice on preview this was mentioned a couple of pages back...) Then there was Villa 0 -2 Newscastle the following season. Not one of our worst performances, but the first game that brought home that that season was not going to live up to the previous one, and that we were a team on a downward slump. Then Villa 0 - 4 Blackburn in August 1997. First home game of the season. I had a season ticket in those pre-marriage and kids days, and was really full of enthusiasm for the coming season after 4th and 5th placed finished under Little previously. I thought Blackburn were a team past their best and anticipated a nice opening win. I vividly remember the utter disbelief and sense of unreality I felt seeing the ball ripple our net over and over again. The season that spelled the end for Little as manager, too, which I was pretty gutted about.

Jeez, guys. I had heart palpitations just now jumping to the last page of this thread to check for any updates on Ron's injury. And what do I see? Talk about out for the season, not rushing these things back... Was a very nervy few minutes before I realised the thread conversation had deviated into talk about Okore and the depth in our centre back contingent as a whole. Really need to see Ron back sooner rather than later. Been such an important player this season.

Resentment? I honestly don't think I'll feel resentful if/when he goes in the next close-season. Admittedly I flew off the handle and may (*may*) have posted some rash and uncharitable comments on my social network pages about big CB when he put his transfer request in this summer, but I doubt things will play out the same way again. I am firmly convinced that at the end of this season he will be widely regarded as one of the best attacking talents in Europe and we'll be juggling offer from the top clubs and more focused on getting the best deal rather than worrying about keeping him. I mean, could we keep Messi, Eto, Ronaldo or the like if we'd discovered them? That's how I feel we'll look back on CB. Imagine being able to tell your kids when you see Messi now at the height of his powers "hey kid, we discovered him, made him what he is". I really believe that's where we'll be with Benteke. In 10, 12 years, telling youngsters, "he got his big break at Villa, you know..." And yes, I am saying that by the end of his career he will be being compared with the greatest players in the whole world of the past 25 years or so. And justifiably so. If there was a way to bet on such an indistinct outcome, I'd lump all my savings on it...