Straggler

Bingo, we have a winner! ;-)

I think you just picked the first two subs that Black will make.....

West Ham have offered £31m to Marseille for Michy Batshuayi according to the Grauniad. That new TV deal kicking in then, or is that what you can afford when you get a brand new massive stadium for chump change?

We aren't that far off £25m now. My bet is sold for a single pound after administration.

If it is indeed true that we are up for sale for 40 odd million it is the clearest indicator yet just how hopeless Lerner is. He has sunk hundreds of millions into the club whilst in real terms halving the value of it. It is so spectacular that you imagine a deliberate act of malice would be less effective. He isn't going to get back 10% of the money he has invested and he has earned every penny. His relatives must be so ashamed of him.

You are not alone. I've been doing the sames since I heard his name.

The problem with Chinese owners is half a season later you want another one.

Don't know. I'm not Pearson. However as a precedent for what he will try to do it seems reasonable.

I heard that when Pearson joined Leicester one of the first things he did was get rid of the bad attitude players. He didn't ttry to tame them or bully them into submission he just got them out of the club. This included some of the more talented players. First thing he wanted to create was a culture where everyone was pulling in the same direction. This was said by a psychologist still working at Leicester interviewed on the BBC about the amazing rise of lcfc. Doesn't sound so bad to me.

It is weird that he feels his priority is winning games. That ship has sailed. A win is as relevant to us now as a 20% off petrol voucher to a dead goldfish. Our priority should be preparing for next season, which may include blooding a few players who may be of use in place of the players we know want no part of it. I'm thoroughly fed up of the woolly thinking that come out of Villa Park these days.

To be fair to Grealish, Sinclair did dummy the run inside then didn't make any run at all.

Nice dummy by Gestede there. He can't have been aiming at the ball then surely?

Was Hutton holding that up in our own corner?

Looking great today. To clarify, his football is shocking, but the hair is on point.

What a croc of shite team.

Nope, Gabby is playing the anti Tardis. Massive on the outside and a small man inside.

That is a very good point. His message does completely lack a next step. He needs to go and soon, his inability to lead is crippling the club.

He is in breach of his contract. It baffles me how he isn't fired and possibly even sued. That we have yet another freeloader player for us hardly comes as a shock, but the reaction of the club defies logic. Okore has refused to perform his duties, for which he is handsomely rewarded and as an employer the Villa have gone "yeah fair enough, I suppose it's your decision". To an extent it is his decision. He can refuse to play and we can refuse to pay him. That seems reasonable. The whole part where he can refuse to play, so we continue to pay him, to provide facilities for him to stay fit, to provide him with coaching to help improve him, to provide him with medical facilities to help his recovery and to stick him with the kids so he can be yet another stunning example of a model pro confuses me. The day he refused to sit on the bench he should have been suspended and sent home. Where has the god damn leadership gone in this place?

Et tu Okore?

He is still a child. He writes like a 10 year old who has been told by mummy that he is a super writer and should probably be an author. His privileged position has got him to the point where there is no filter between brain and pen and no one who can tell him he is spouting crap. I get the feeling he thinks he is writing poetry, in much the same way he thinks he is able to run a football club. I can see now why being in his employ and being critical of him can make your position untenable.

Not only that, he was confrontational about it and backed Wilkins down. It really is no wonder the players are getting away with half arsing everything. A joke of a club from top to bottom.

Thank God you replied, I love that gag, was worried I had done the set up for no punchline for a minute there.

My understanding is that we can move back as and when we open it back up. Sadly there is so much that can happen between now and then. Unless a new owner comes in I see div 1 as the more likely destination than the Prem. As group we have decided to give it a few days to mull the decision over. It is so much more than just not getting the tickets. Whilst I've had these seats for 15 years we have been going to Villa together for 30 years. It is the camaraderie with our friends and the tradition of the event that is so hard to give up. Genuinely torn on what to do.

My seat gone too. There are 5 of us that have sat in the same seats for 15 years. A great spot we had too. It is a perfect storm of kicks to the gut from the club at the moment. I told the others I don't want to renew now, although I think the news from the football board had done most of the work on that decision already. To think that just 3 days ago despite everything I was ready to renew without hesitation.

A journo needs to get to one of theses guys and get to the bottom of the reasons for leaving. The boot is already in from the letters so all they will do is being clarity and it is badly needed.