villaboyjay

It has taken me a while to accept our fate, but after watching this match, I now have woken up and smelt the coffee, unless QPR, Burnley and Leicester have worse results than us for the rest of the season, we are going down. Hard to see where we will get ANY more points this season.. Burnley on the last day of the season is going to be agonising..

Ron Vlaar doesn't want to commit to us so why are we allowing him to play for us? We look more solid when Okore is at the back...

Frank Rijkaard anyone? Currently out if work... Stuart Pearce? I know he didn't do too well at Forest, but he did well with the English youngsters and may help develop our younger players?

Keep the faith please guys.. I have been supporting Villa for 41 years now and we have been through some really tough and dark days, but the club NEEDS us fans to support them. It is hard, but all the frustration and negativity isn't going to help....

I don't know why there are so many disappointed voices on here tonight, we were expecting us to lose earlier in this topic..

That would make the attendance swell to about 12k then?

Sounds more interesting than listening to Villa..?

Ciaran Clark is having an absolute nightmare... He is trying his hardest to lose us this game, come on PL, do something!!

Villa 1-0 up? Bent with a mis-cued shot?

Excellent, but found an even better Irish bar by the name of Fibbers... Irish Village was a good crowd, drinks were a tad expensive though (£6.25 for a pint of kilkenny)

I have no radio commentary out here in Dubai, due to broadcasting licences, so am relying on you kind people at VT to keep me informed of whats going on

Come on Villa, just to shut the dickheads in Fleet St up for a while... Not sure I can handle much more abuse after the Xmas period and Bradford..

I hope PL has told N'Zogbia to play in a free role and just roam around the midfield and attack the defence every time he gets the ball. Will the real N'Zogbia please stand up tonight?

In front of the nation and Scum Sports cameras, come on Villa raise the roof, raise your game and lets start shoving words down the 'supposed' experts and critics mouths, with a truly excellent performance, a convincing win, great football, amazing support and above all a place at Wembley.. Come on Villa...

Correct... Away goals dont count till after ET

Ender, No is the answer. I am just accessing VT via my mobile,

Cheers CI, I am only about 5 minutes taxi ride from there. Does the Irish Village stay open that late? Considering it may go into ET and Penalties, the game might not end till around 0230hrs (Dubai time) in the morning!

I am out in Dubai on business at the moment. No Sky TV in the hotel room. Anyone know of a recommended place to watch the game on TV or even a TV Channel that I should try in my room that might show football? By the way, There is a +4 hour time difference, so not sure if any local bars will still be open at kick off time (23:45hrs)

With us signing and playing so many youngsters, it makes me wonder what the average age of our playing squad is now? Not transfer related, but we must be close to having a team/squad with the youngest average age in the Premier League?

I am a bit underwhelmed by our transfer dealings so far, although, there is hope for the future with Bennett, Lowton, Enda Stephens.. It dissapoints me a bit when there are young starlets out there that are within our grasp, but going to lower league clubs: Jordan Rhodes being a prime example of someone , I think, would fit in very well at Villa, however he seems destined to got to Blackburn!! The two players I would love to see and could be tempted, if RL offered a little bit more cash than he would like to? Clint Demspey Andy Carroll (Don't all laugh at once, but I truly believe he could be a big hit for the Villa)

I dont think we will actually sign anyone.....

How about Huntelaar? Apparently he could be on the move for around £8 million (According to football rumours website) Essien could be a good buy, but at a risk regarding his fitness. As for Owen or Hargreaves? Blah, too much of a risk.

I fell out of love with the Villa a few years back (under DOL), this was mainly due to 3 reasons. Money - I felt I had been priced out of the game, having just had a new born daughter, a lot of my money was spent on her, I struggled to find enough money for the 350 mile round trip to Villa Park and couldn't justify it. I did attend a few 'local' away games though, but didn't really enjoy it like I used to. Greed - It seemed to me that in the space of just a couple of seasons, the game had turned into nothing short of a lucrative money spinner, players moving around clubs for astonishing amounts of money (maybe Abramovic and the Chelsea regime are to blame). It seemed that to even get close to a top player, you had to offer him a mind blowing amount of money per week. Although it ties in with my own personal circumstances, how could I justify £130 to go and watch my team to see a player on £130K a week for 90 minutes, who had no heart, passion or real interest in the club he played for, except to pick up his weekly wages? Finally, The break away - For me, Villa seemed to become a 'nothing' team. Sky hated us, the media rarely wrote anything good about us, other fans detested us (We are not fickle, we just don't like you), the negativity around VP was unbearable. I had no buzz about me going to the game, to face a snoozfest of 'entertainment' that would inevitably end in a loss, Villa fans hissing at each other, I mean, OMG, I even saw a couple of fights in the Holte End between Villa fans break out!! Nothing felt right about going to VP. To add to that, the football clubs that we classed as lower level than us, passed us by, teams like Spurs, Everton, Man City overtook us easily. Teams like Wigan, Fulham, Stoke, were all mentioned in the same 'category' as the once mighty Aston Villa. I couldn't handle it. So my love faded away, I still watch from afar, but don't get any excitement. I was a season ticket holder for 15 years. Even whilst being in the British Army and based in Germany, I used to drive for 11 hours solid to get back for the game on the Saturday, then turn straight around after the match and drive 11 hours back to be back in time for duty. Now, I look at the fixture list when it is released and nothing 'sparks' me, I will now just check the results and 4.40PM to see how we have done or maybe randomly on my phone during the match. Villa, however are an addiction. I am still a fan (not a supporter, I suppose?). Villa are still in my heart, they have been a massive part of my life and I can NEVER EVER forget about them. Villa Park is still my mecca, but i just don't pray there anymore. Gazton, I see your point completely, but like with every true love you have ever had, the pain and wanting will ALWAYS be there and will never truly go away.

Break the bank and get Clint Dempsey in.. I think he would be the ideal partner for Bent..

The quote above and the 'there will be some players moving on' are the only two concerning quotes for me and my 'being let down too many times by our club' red light started flashing.. 'We'll be making some smart moves' - (Could interpret) - bringing in loan signings, grabbing a few 'cheap' has beens via free transfers or replacing old with young in terms of using our youngsters for a while. 'There will be some players moving on' - (Could interpret) - with not just some of the deadwood being sold, could we also cash in on a couple of our assets (Bent, Gabby). this would enable us to have that money to spend that PF spoke about. Ever the negative I know. Overall though, i am delighted that we have got Lambert and we are once again in high spirits. I am looking forward to the summer now, just to see ij which direction our club is heading.