bigwheels

Win some games. 

Blame Ellis. 

Long LONG time no see.

:shock:

Turns out spending money isn't going to make everything better - you might just spend vast sums on Harewood, Heskey and that thug Hutton.

I've been away, I'm going away again. But ... but ... whilst there is a ripple of vindication running through my fingers ... dear CHRIST we're tedious this season.

The whole conclusion rests on the assumption that we have awarded Barry with what is effectively the ceiling of our wage structure

And that's the big flaw in it.

8

just like the last summer under O'Leary

Oddly, we were interested in Sidwell, up until Davis came through. With Davis in the side, the link to Sidwell waned.

They're very similar in style, very similar in impact.

Anyway. An aside.

McShane is 29?!?!?!

Where's he been all these years?

He's 21.

Worth a cheeky punt if West Brom don't go up as he's looked pretty solid all season.

He knows that he has to prove himself to stay here.

I think he knows that his goalscoring days are rarer than they used to be.

Shame.

So, lets not focus on our own negativity, or lack of ambition, for the height of our ambitions must surely be to create a team full of spirit and belief, ready to work and battle for one another and for our cause. Rest assured that these qualities now reawakened will bring us points in the weeks to come.

And that is a superb ending to an article, if you don't mind me saying so.

One of the Sundays seemed sure it would be Keane as an early big signing.

I don't know if this is based in fact or just newspapers being lazy.

Are we still going to get Lucas Neill?

That cant be true? Surely not I mean he signed last year so that would have meant a 4.5 year contract. Surely not

Signed January 2005, so a contract to 2009 seems absolutely ridiculous.

We might even get rid of Djemba-Djemba ...

So, where does this leave Steve Stride, I wonder?

As far as I was aware, Stride was kept on as he has direct knowledge asto how to run a football club, something which the new guys won't have.

So, he stays there to teach them about his job and will step back in the near-ish future.

In general, the last season and a bit, you had a group of fans downplaying the ability of the players as it suited their POV and the manager downplaying the abilities of the players as it suited him.

With a decent manager, the latter doesn't happen.

With the change in board, the fans with a point to prove don't have to.

So can't we accept that our players are a bit better than they managed to perform last season? O'Neill has admitted already that he was shockewd that the squad e inherited finished as low down the table as it did.

Chewbacca is a Wookiee from the planet Kashyyyk who carried a gun and ran from the mob. But Chewbacca lives on the planet Endor.

No, no he doesn't

There's a flaw right at the start of that.

Schmeichel left before the end of 01/02 season. We had Enks or Postma 02/03 - Sorensen/Taylor is better than that.

We lost to Sunderland. Imagine what would happen if we lost to Sunderland this season.

Third - the playing squad. I don't think this season's is better at all. I'd say it's worse.

I'll give you the expectation part as I said more money - which is certainly true - and I really did dread 02/03 due to our shocking run in after Gregory left and Angel being cold shouldered for Crouchio.

That said, the players in 02/03 were of a lesser calibre than this season but this season, some are seriously underperforming, imo.

It was the following season under Venables (after, admittedly selling Ferdinand and not replacing him and bringing in Okon, Barmby and Lucic) that they plummeted.

O'Leary left Leeds in June 2002, Leeds had just finished 5th and were still in Europe in Feb (round before quarters?)

If O'Leary is still as tactically and organisationally poor under a new board, will tunes change? I wouldn't mind giving him the chance, a period when he can't hide behind Ellis, just so that I can be sure.

In my memory, 02/03 seems a lot worse. I think we hit lower lows in that season. But then, Doncaster (away) thrashed vs one of the best games I've seen Villa play at home to Liverpool. We lost but not as prostrate as in that game.

But the facts make this worse. More money spent preseason, better players in the squad (Kinsella, Leonhardsen, Allback, Crouch, an ageing Wright, Joey Gudjonsson, Dublin just past his best. Sorry. Its true. We have better players now)

Anyone want a little wager that Ellis will only go once the new training centre is complete?

"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject"

Very appropriate for these discussions, wouldn't you agree?

There has been since 1983.

Serious