nick76

1 hour ago, duke313 said:

They might have a seat at the big boys table, but they’re left feeding of their scraps.

Ok, we just don’t agree and that’s fine.

4 hours ago, DJBOB said:

8 hours ago, magnkarl said:

What do you think is the chance of the discharge petition going through? How long can Maga-Mike keep up this idiocy? Does it take another Iranian attack for him to buckle?

It's an interesting contradiction for the GOP because no matter what, there's a strong contingent of warhawks and national defense types. With the resignations bringing the majority to a razor thin amount, it would only take a few defections for the discharge petition to go through.

I think most of them are doing a wait and see approach with MAGA-Mike to see if the separate Ukraine funding bill is a trap or actually a good faith effort to pass it. It's genuinely hard to tell with the margins as thin as it is, but not only on the GOP side. Could see a few Dems taking umbridge with a combined discharge petition that would include Israel as well.

Yeah, while I believe up to 195 signatures (including some Republicans) as of this morning they are still 23 signatures short of the required amount and a number of Democrats have issues with it because of the Israel part.

This is from a few days ago…

2 minutes ago, duke313 said:

We'll still lose players, even if we qualify for CL or not, there will always be bigger teams.  United at their absolute peak in 2009 lost Ronaldo to Madrid, Liverpool lost Coutinho to Barca, Spurs lost Bale and Modric to Madrid, Arsenal lost Henry and Fabregas to Barca.  All happened while they played CL football regularly.  That won't change if we suddenly get CL for a season or two.

Of course but to a far greater extent for us.  More chance of our players overall stopping with us than pushing for a move, we’ll also have more bargaining power if a big club comes in for one plus we’ll be more attractive for possible replacements.  Plus that PSR/FFP/UEFA rules will give us more leeway than having to sell players.

We can both see the positive sides of the argument, it’s such a fine line…let’s just get both CL place and a trophy this season, so this argument is put to bed.

2 hours ago, duke313 said:

What long term success have Spurs had?  Hosting a Beyonce concert?  A Patriots game?  I'd say the majority of their fans would trade all that in and CL football to win a few trophies. 

Very valid points, I just want us to be consistently competing with the Top 4 places regularly and the revenue that generates than having to sell our best players every season just to comply with FFP/PSR/UEFA rules or those players getting poached by the big 6.

As for Spurs fans, yes they would be it’s ok for them because they are already at the big boys table.  Ask them if they would give up being at the big boys club and I’m not sure they would be as keen, that they would be equivalent to West Ham, I don’t think they would.

2 hours ago, Mic09 said:

So you would rather have the money generated in order to win trophies rather than... winning trophies? 

I’d rather be at the table with the ability to win trophies consistently than win a trophy every 30 years…..Yes!  Added that winning that trophy would be likely at the expense of having to lose key player or two so one step forward and two steps back.  Having that money strengthens us to keep key players, add key players and take us another step forward.  If we can stabilise at this ‘competing for champions league places’ for a few seasons then I would pick trophy every time then.  Our future has to be in the game regularly rather a plucky winner once every thirty years imo.

16 minutes ago, duke313 said:

Seems like Arsene Wenger convinced a lot of people that winning the "4th place trophy" is more important than winning actual trophies.

No, the money generated is more important to the long term success of the club.  

Winning one trophy is always special but hopefully the money generated will aid us be more competitive so we can win multiple trophies in the future, but the longer the money divide in football continues the further away we fall.  

So winning one trophy is fabulous but I think we need the money to remain competitive and not lose our key players and maybe even our manager.  

Nothing to do with Wenger but more to do reality of being competitive and not losing key personnel because other clubs offer them CL and more money.  

Currently, financially because of FFP/PSR/UEFA rules we are going into a gun fight with a pea shooter in regards to elite end football.

2 hours ago, Nicho said:

Do we sign some free transfers like Hermoso, Ndidi and Ilheanacho so that we can sign 2 expensive players? One of them being Zaniolo.

Zaniolo is ok but if he’s what we are spending a lot of our budget on then no thank you.

18 minutes ago, Wainy316 said:

 

Wow!  That’s too random not for me to get unrealistic hopes up.  I mean we aren’t a foreign neutral’s second team…

Nah too obvious, maybe Villa are Massssssssiiivvvveeee!

edit: it was a present from Diaby apparently and him, Bailey and Diaby are close friends

Just now, Vive_La_Villa said:

Are people really getting stressed though? I thought it was all a bit of banter during the games. 

Just reading last week and so far this week, it feels like some are suffering more than just banter to be honest

2 minutes ago, PaulC said:

At their best they can do it 

Yeah I still think Liverpool are in it, they just have the firepower to score 6 or fluff loads and score none.

Too many fans getting twisted up not only on the week but per night and even within games. Too many twists and turns by other teams, let’s just focus on us and the rest will be what’ll be.  It’s interesting to speculate but I think too many are getting worked up with each goal.

12 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

I hate having to think about Spurs.

With their ego, imagine Spurs fans hate having to think about little old Villa.

4 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

I suppose we should want Arsenal to win really I just can’t do it ! 

Although city should do them over 2 legs anyway. 

Oh I hate Arsenal but like you say City can take them out next round.

Just now, Vive_La_Villa said:

Whilst 4th now sort of in our hands I’d still like to see the following : 

City through, Bayern through, Atletico through and Villa through. 
 

City then beat Bayern and we win our semi. That gives 5th place just in case right ?

I’d just like them (English) teams all through this round, I know one or two highly unlikely but let’s just get this 5th place coefficient thing sorted so we can relax and enjoy the rest of the season fighting for fourth and a trophy.  All five of our teams can still go through, West Ham being the most unlikely by some distance imo, Liverpool have a very tall order but they have the firepower that will either miss 30 chances or score 6 so I wouldn’t rule them out yet and the rest of us, have challenging but achievable games if we are in the right mindset.

50 minutes ago, magnkarl said:

It's weird to me how Biden (and allies) can be so up for defending the country with the most advanced air defense shield in the world from the same volumes of drones and missiles which Ukraine gets lobbed at it in a week, but yet refuses to go to the same steps for Ukraine.

The drones are made by the same people, Russia and Iran are intertwined at this point yet Biden can only defend the country that is being attacked by the country without nukes. I feel like his foreign policy is slipping all over the place (not that the republicans are any better). He's letting Putin show China and any other country that if you just get a nuke you can do whatever you want. It's a dangerous foreign policy from the world's largest and most powerful military.

We could in example extend the black sea patrol corridor and shoot down Russian ballistic missiles with a trajectory towards Poland/Romania or other allies. That would alleviate the pressure on Lviv and many of the Western cities. We could do it without killing any Russian soldiers and we'd only be shooting down metal and chips. 

Dems going to great lengths to get help to Ukraine…

But like some of his fellow GOP colleagues, Johnson not doing anything…

34 minutes ago, magnkarl said:

It's weird to me how Biden (and allies) can be so up for defending the country with the most advanced air defense shield in the world from the same volumes of drones and missiles which Ukraine gets lobbed at it in a week, but yet refuses to go to the same steps for Ukraine.

The drones are made by the same people, Russia and Iran are intertwined at this point yet Biden can only defend the country that is being attacked by the country without nukes. I feel like his foreign policy is slipping all over the place (not that the republicans are any better). He's letting Putin show China and any other country that if you just get a nuke you can do whatever you want. It's a dangerous foreign policy from the world's largest and most powerful military.

We could in example extend the black sea patrol corridor and shoot down Russian ballistic missiles with a trajectory towards Poland/Romania or other allies. That would alleviate the pressure on Lviv and many of the Western cities. We could do it without killing any Russian soldiers and we'd only be shooting down metal and chips. 

Eh? Biden’s fault? Are you completely missing the House GOP blocking every avenue taken by the White House and even the Senate?

17 minutes ago, DaveAV1 said:

Which is one of the reasons why the future isn’t in bums on seat, it’s all about selling the club to the world not to a few thousand locals. People live their lives on the sofa these days, everything is available on line now, that’s just the way it is and NSWE are savvy enough to realise this. Covid proved that fans at grounds are no longer necessary to keep the money rolling. We need to get ahead of the game not stuck in the mud of the 1970s/80s. Before moving away from Brum I had a season ticket, so I don’t get to games very often now and so I’m probably less bothered about the subject than I was. Ok my situation is not necessarily the same as those who do live within reasonable traveling distance of B6 but the world has changed since I saw my first game at Villa Park when we were a third division club but it has definitely changed a lot and continues to change, with or without my permission. The future isn’t the same as anyone can reliably predict either now or what we thought 20 years ago. So I’m not claiming any wise vision of the future but spending millions or billions of pounds on bricks and mortar infrastructure, I would guess isn’t likely to happen. There has to be a better way and hopefully the decision makers at the club make the right decisions or we could suffer for a long time in the future. I’m reasonably confident that the digns seem right at this important point in our history. At least we’ve stopped appointing rubbish people to run the playing side, which I’d like to think will always remain important no matter what the future holds for us. Aston Villa Football Club will remain a football club for another thousand years. By which time we may have even won the FA Cup again!! Fingers crossed UTV!!!!!

I was with you all the way through that argument, nodding my head and having many of the same feelings but then you blew it and said we may have even won the FA Cup again by then and I was lost….just pure fantasy land

3 minutes ago, tinker said:

The King Emery Villa Park 

Yeah but then opposition fans will nickname it The KEV Park….I’m not buzzing for that….

14 minutes ago, bobzy said:

Rogers doesn’t count!

Can he get some math lessons?

20 minutes ago, DJBOB said:

Would be nice if we could finally get a win over Liverpool at home to secure 4th and then play all the kids away at Palace on a sunny day to end the season.

‘Selhurst Park’ and ‘Sunny’ are three words that are never together.  Every time I’ve gone there it seems to be horrible, miserable weather.

Anyway I don’t think Emery will let up even if we have secured Champions League because he’ll want to keep the first XI match fit for the Conf Final if we make it.

10 minutes ago, AVFCDAN said:

If Spurs are within 6 points of us come the last few games its going to be squeaky bum time as they should beat both Burnley and Sheff Utd, feels like a bonus that the city game now separates the two of them so they cant gain any momentum.

 

 

Spurs will probably beat City but lose to one of them relegated teams knowing their volatility.  Saying that we concede 3 goals in 10 minutes to Brentford but keep out Arsenal so we are just as bad.

5 minutes ago, sidcow said:

Better double check those waiting list figures. 

I’m more worried about the parking around the ground, I’ll be buying a monster truck next so I can park on top of other cars.  Plus I’ll have sleep in it because it’ll take a week to get away from the ground with all that traffic.  Feel sorry for those looking to get a pint at half time.