Con

Since you love the club, how about we go lower. Would you get out of bed for training for £500 per week? If we brought in Jurgen Klopp? I guess for some the ideal wage for Albrighton to earn is about the same amount as they earn. The point is though that would be extremely unfair on the players because their career lasts about 15 years at best and involves a high degree of risk (career ending injury). It is right that they earn vastly higher sums per week than regular workers because their career is high-risk and condensed into so few years.

Most definitely, from memory, gabby only played for England at u20 and u21 levels, Robinson has played all the way up from u16 to u19 still at U19s then. he needs to continue his progress to the U21s. there is much more competition for places in the England U21s than the U19s.

You're not a very good footballer though. You don't know what it's like to be a good footballer with options. Take a movie star analogy again: does he or she take the role offered with the Oscar winning film director or the role in his favourite TV show? If it's your job and you have ambition sometimes you need to move on, especially when money is involved. Yes, but I think your opinion would be different if you were actually good enough at football to play for Villa. If I was good enough to play for villa I'd happily see out my time for as long as they wanted me on £20k per week. I can promise you that. Times are tough. Would you take a pay cut to £5000? Just asking because you love the club.

I get the impression he is better at England youth level than Agbonlahor. Correct?

Diego Godin, where will depend on his performance at the World Cup with Uruguay. If he does well against England he would be a good pick-up for Man Utd.

You're not a very good footballer though. You don't know what it's like to be a good footballer with options. Take a movie star analogy again: does he or she take the role offered with the Oscar winning film director or the role in his favourite TV show? If it's your job and you have ambition sometimes you need to move on, especially when money is involved. Yes, but I think your opinion would be different if you were actually good enough at football to play for Villa.

So to be consistent, do you accept that actors at the top of their profession should get paid millions for their roles in movies, when there are local enthusiasts acting for nothing at the local amateur dramatics club? Billionaire is a magnitude more wealthy than a few millionaire. 14 million isn't even in the ballpark of rich.

This might be the only job he's good at in his whole career, and his career might but cut short by injury at any time. Shirley as a professional footballer it's his right to ask for as much money as he's worth on the market. Doesn't change my view of him all if Albrighton wanted more money for his peak years with us. As a villa fan and in his position I'd have signed & continued to play for the same wage. £20kpw, £80kpm, £960kpy, he's already made over £3million from us, what more could you want from your boyhood club? You'd have turned your nose up at a 1 million pound a year pay rise? Yeah right. As a villa fan who would love to play for my team while already earning more money than I'd ever need yeah. If you get £20k per an wage for 40 years you will have earned £800,000. If Albrighton earns £8 million in a 15 year career that's 10* the amount but not stupid money given he is at the top of his profession. there are at least 500 people with more than $3 billion. that's stupid money.

McMananman didn't score the game winner but it was a great goal. Vertical scissor-kick volley from the edge of the area.

Nearly half a billion pounds worth of footballers on display. Or not much less than this

He's a modern attacking defender. Can make great surges against siege defences creating the extra man and causing havoc.

This might be the only job he's good at in his whole career, and his career might but cut short by injury at any time. Shirley as a professional footballer it's his right to ask for as much money as he's worth on the market. Doesn't change my view of him all if Albrighton wanted more money for his peak years with us.

Nonsense. Huge rebuild is needed. Defence - Even with De Gea, walking-yellow-card Rafael, Calamity Jones, Biggies Smalling and Evans is a mid-table defence. I would not settle for that at Villa. They need some quality there. Vidic and Ferdinand are also leaders who need to be replaced with leaders. They're getting Shaw, but they'll also need two CBs, unless Shaw is going to play CB. That could easily be a £75 million spend. Strikers - Van Persie will need to be replaced after next season. Rooney also could have passed his peak already according to Paul Scholes. Kagawa is good in theory but has yet to make the big impact. Hernandez is a squad player. However, I rate Wilson. Januzaj and Mata. This is their strongest area and don't urgently need to spend there this summer. Midfield - Carrick needs replacing.If Van Ghoul can't persuade Kroos to come to Old Trafford they might have to hope Fellaini comes good. Or maybe he'll go for one of the Benders. Giggs has retired. They might want an experienced player to help the likes of Januzaj come through. That's probably £50 million spending needed immediately in midfield. Five players needed. They've got in Mata last transfer window which would make the rebuild total six players. That's a major rebuild. They might even replace either or both of Welbeck and Hernandez.

I predict a Real win but I support Afleti. Bale and Ronaldo to score.

one to take your girlfriend to

Vlaar could get into Tottenham or Everton as a 2nd/3rd CB. His fitness stops him being first choice anywhere better. You won't get 38 games out of him in a season.

Yet a few days ago you were trying to lecture people about the great AC Milan side that you never actually saw play based on……. highlight videos. And writing off Luke Shaw because he didn't have a good highlights video. I didn't "write him off", I said he wasn't the offensive wingback *(like Coleman, Baines, Zabaletta) people were hyping him to be. It's for that reason I said he'll migrate to CB, perhaps a lot earlier than Maldini did at AC Milan.

The answer to the question in the second quote lies within the quote above it. Ronaldo and Bale. Suarez and Sturridge. Messi. Diego Costa. Agüero. Lewandowski and Reus. They're all absolutely lightning quick. It's the new breed of attacking player, and playing a high line means you'll get absolutely ruined against them. For reference look at how Arsenal got on utilising a high line against Liverpool and City this season. Surely such an enthusiastic analyst as yourself could've figured that out? It was a rhetorical question which, as you noted, I then answered. I didn't mention speed of the player but that is related to the rule change to the offside trap (around 1994?). Made it much easier for attackers to stay onside which helped speedy forwards. Now when you're playing a possession game you want speedy defenders (like Okore) to defend against fast counter-attacks, but now you don't need especially fast attackers (like Agbonlahor). What you need to break the defence are little nippy players like Iniesta, David Silva, Messi, Aguero and Neymar... and other little nippy players of their ilk. However if your Plan A is possession football it helps to have Plan B of speedy counter-attackers and slow meatwall defenders.

wasn't your main argument for months a gif of a 5 yard pass that was the least important part of a goal? it was an illustration of link-up play. it was also more than 5 yards and more important to the goal than you give credit. nobody has yet made an argument Giggs was anywhere near Ronaldo or even Bale in ability which all this hype implies. realistically he was fast like Agbonlahor and he had dribbling skill, which Agbonlahor does not. Agbolahor scores ~ 1 in 5 to Giggs's 1 in 6, but considering slightly different positions and different quality of teammates I rank them about equal there. Giggs had two careers. In his 20s he was a winger. In his 30s he played in the centre. he was closer to greatness in his second than the first. That's my opinion!

I was making conversation and referring to something in the video, which I think was the offside trap. Sacchi's back four rushing out like a tsunami wave, catching the hapless Real forward line like stranded fishes. Of course, I can't say much more than that but in terms of making conversation I did the best I could with what I have available. What happened to the off-side trap anyway? Changed the rule (level with last man okay) and it got easier to beat. Now teams either play for total possession so the opposition doesn't get a chance to attack themselves or give up possession, defend deep, and counter attack. Teams just don't play a high line off side trap any more. The approach Man Utd under Van Gaal will take should be - with players like Mata and Januzaj - a possession game. Fergie was more of a counter-attacking manager, so they could have a completely different style team next season. Fabregas would be a great signing.

I can understand how people think I'm posting for effect but really this is my personality and these are my own opinions. A more skilful version. Highlight videos don't tell the story. Those are the few times when his shots hit the net. I was always disappointed with him in the Champions League when I wanted Giggs to impress the continentals for Britain. Apart from running fast he usually failed to put in a good cross and missed the net with his crosses. When Ronaldo came along scoring from everywhere Giggs was revealed to be a fairly limited player. I was embarrassed for him but with hindsight Ronaldo is a legend even among legends and is in a completely different category. Giggs's 30s were his great years because he left the wing and reinvented himself into a more central role as a get-and-giver, which he was very good at. No doubt he was a good leader. The only thing I really criticise is the idea he was this great winger which apart from two seasons he really wasn't - by modern standards (Ronaldo, Bale etc).

Ward-Prowse is a great talent who will get an England call up next year. They still have Rodriguez. Chambers has also proved himself decent this season. They may have more youngsters coming through. Plus they will spend millions on some fancy name. Betting on them for relegation is a waste of money.

If they got all that then Champions League place should be easily within their reach, especially as they don't even have the Europa League to compete in to provide a distraction. To compete for the league though, they really need to sign 2 CBs. This summer they lose the experience of Vidic and Ferdinand. Although I think Shaw may be a long term CB he won't play there much next season. The CB signings will be the key ones. Players like Terry, Kompany and Ferdinand win you titles.

Pele's list is also out-dated now. He compiled it in 2004, when Giggs was 30. There is no Ronaldo or Bale on it, as you'd expect. Now, that's just one person's opinion but the fact Pele didn't have Giggs on his list but did have a (younger) contemporary like Michael Ballack suggests that he left him out deliberately. It would be harsh to judge him only on his pre-30 playing days. I think people forget how frustrating he could be in front of goal.