GrassyNoel

Not signing a proven, top class forward last summer and placing all chips on Wesley was a howler. It wasn't quite like playing with ten men at all times but felt that way sometimes. A lot of us felt it at the time, then the football fan rationalisation starts to kick in where you convince yourself it'll be OK. We should never, ever have been in that position.

Yeah but Brady & Co have probably put them on a 1M per man bonus if they win. Long memory that Brady!

Can’t say it better than this. It was bang on the other night. More please.

And what bugs me is I can never see a team like Chelsea getting relegated. All sorts of action would be taken the moment it seemed even remotely likely. Villa, on the other hand, now seem to aim lower.

100%. Of course you take promotion whatever way it’s presented but I didn’t like coming up via the playoffs. I wanted us to be worthy by dominating the league and the best teams in it. For me Sheffield United played the best last season, and they murdered us at VP first 45. Looked the real thing. Enjoyed the comeback sure enough but it left me uncomfortable also. I wanted that to be us doing the hurting.

Mike Walker.

Nah, maybe not. Why not do you think? Financially we could compete, but is it too much work for a manager like him? Is he more of a “take over a good team and tinker“ type? Villa / Birmingham just not glam enough?

Mourinho 10/1 for the boot. Could him and Terry do bits at Villa? Would he be welcome? Depending on survival of course.

Definitely not the minute things go bad, we struggled first season when Graham Taylor got us promoted - this doesn't feel like that though. I can't get Graham Turner out of my head. Or Mike Walker for that matter.

How come though if we have, say, four not-quite-good-enough managers, we HAVE to stick with the last one because apparently we can't keep chopping and changing? I say you can and you should until you get the right one. Don't just stick with what you have in the hope it works out and call it "long term planning and building" when it is clearly failing. Might just be being petulant but I am truly sick of Villa being a joke.

Also illuminating... http://clubelo.com/AstonVilla

A bit was made of Smith being a chess player, metaphorically and literally, when he joined us. I'm no GM but do play a bit and I'll tell you this - any player that goes balls out on attack might pick up wins against lesser opponents, but as soon as you come up against better players it becomes an absolute liability of an approach. It's certainly entertaining to watch this sort of game, but if you don't know how and when to defend once the wheels come off an attack, you are done. In fact, you soon realise you don't even go on the attack until you are safe to do so - all foundations laid and defence organised. It may seem like the top players play with overt aggression but that's an illusion, there's way more going on than attack. Liverpool and Man City have styles of play we can drool over because they have taken care of all the prerequisites first. Just trying to emulate that style without really understanding the foundations is doomed, like a club player mimicking Kasparov but without the insight.

What's the matter with you lot?! We were 4-0 down at this stage last game - massive progress!! /s

When we’re properly established in the Prem I want to see us gunning for cups. Until then, be shrewd and plan accordingly.

Al Ghazi really getting on my nerves at the moment. Not sure it’s entirely rational on my part.