Hughes

Why are we talking about these guys (realistic or not)? If Monday was a Saturday the weekend would be longer than it is...

Exactly, is there no effing due diligence on players? Everyone else buying something for 12 million quid would do intensive investigations. And surely Dr Tony must be extremely embarrassed by this since he said that we would only sign players with the right attitude. You really could not make this shit up.

Great post!

Can he run?

1. Norway - Trondheim now Oslo. 2. Rosenborg Trondheim- born and bred not far from their ground. 3. Been Villa since 1979-ish. Back then we all collected football cards (not the stickers, I am too old, the proper cardboard cards). All my friends supported red or blue teams but the claret and blue together with the name (John Gregory is right) completely convinced a 6 year old. We all have a cross to carry in life and since then Aston Villa has been my cross to carry. Have been to VP numerous times and seen Villa on TV in almost all corners of the world on travels (my wife calls Villa fans "the football answer to local Star Trek conventions", but by God she has had to put up with a lot of strange stuff and crap football). My experience is that there is always someone- not many but still someone- who turns up in that famous shirt, no matter where in the world or when during the day. My love for this club has just grown over the years and it is definitely VTD. See you away at Leeds!

Definitely not. One of the absolute best features with Villa Park is that we still have 4 stands. Proper football ground. Redeveloping Villa Park into a sterile shit-boring bowl would be a travesty. I am all for developing the ground and the nearby areas and by all means; knock down North Stand but please do not create another Reebook Stadium...

Ha! Like you would not want to be on the Villa board if you actually had the chance! You would jump at it I am sure...

Well, of course DDID; we are and will forever be ASTON VILLA FC!

Seriously? This thrump the Dr. Tony's tweets in terms of "embarrassing" every day and twice on Sunday. Please read back stuff you type before you post, this is just utterly stupid. IMO.

Unless that official statement from Huddersfield becomes their "Delph statement" Wagner is not coming.

Strange. I read the last sentence to refer to the decision on RDM. Surely no "decision WAS made" in relation to the incoming guy?

Truly one of the best posts on VT for quite some time.

Anyone know where to meet up before the match?

Joe Lolley taken off....

1 nil to us is clearly more dangerous to them....

Thank God. Now, let's focus on the next match, harder and again we "need" to win.

I agree but I do not see this as giving him another chance. I read this to mean that "we told you to find another club. However, no one wants to buy you. We sure as hell do not want you around so we will offer to loan you. If you refuse you can stay on that bike in your living room." And then, about "next year", I think this is Xia being polite, I do not think he will ever play for us again. And I sincerely hope I am right.

Exactly!

They won't.

Well, that is quite pedantic, I did not expect to be drafting legal briefs at VT. If you turn up drunk at work you are most likely "able" to be at your workplace and do some of the work - you will, however, be in "less than an ideal shape" and although not "unable" to work you will perform substantially below any reasonable expectations of your employer and there will (at least if this happens for some time) clearly be legal reasons to terminate your employment relationship. Now, footballers have contracts which differ from "ordinary employees" in this respect, so this is not comparing apples to apples. However, as I have argued on previous occassions, even for footballers there need to be some kind of a minimum expectation level and if you need to, as you say, be sent to fat club it really should be possible to sack you. I for one would welcome and support Villa if they did and took the legal fight. Anyway, too late now but thankfully it looks like he has no part to play this season.

Interesting. Are you a labor law lawyer? I would 100% object to that view, espeically the later part of your legal assessment.

Agree it is too late now.

What do you mean by that?

for being physically unable to train with the first team last season and quite simply not fit to be a professional footballer?? The club confirmed this much themselves. In any other trade it would without a shadow of a doubt be sufficient to sack someone - he was declared unfit to do his job!

Well, Doug may think he is all that but the Chinese government he is not... Guys, not saying this will or even is remotely possible to happen but the Chinese government (if they are or somehow will be involved) has a completely different way of thinking than you and me. Mergiung clubs have not happened a lot yet but if you directly or indirectly own a lot of clubs in the same region and they are competing with each other; why not merge them together. I promise, I will now leave this topic...