Marka Ragnos

10 hours ago, Stevo985 said:

That's not true though.

Realistically we "must" win one of those. 

I know, we need not — but we still must.  

Blah blah blah blah if this or if that that or if the other ...

We simply must beat Brighton, Pool, and Palace, and I think we can. Won't be easy, but when, tell me, has being a Villa fan ever been that?

9 minutes ago, CVByrne said:

I think you must don't bother reading the wider forum. You're just a sheep poster. Background noise, nothing worthwhile to say. Just kind of like .....

Seems a bit unfair. There are no greaters or lessers here, I thought. 

I’m glad people have a place to dump their feelings. But it’s hard for me to understand how it could not be perfectly obvious why we ended up with a draw after being ahead by two, considering the injuries. We had two massively important injuries. Martinez is our de facto captain. the question should be, how did we not lose 2 to 5?
 

Does anyone remember how we did when we lost Mings against Newcastle last year?  No surprise this happened.  I think the claims of “weak mentality” and “disgrace” are pretty irrational. Yes, we have bewilderingly lost some recent games where we were ahead earlier this season, but they were very different in so many ways, and actually, considering everything, I feel pretty good about this game. It’s a miracle that we got a point.  I also think we have to give a little bit of credit to Chelsea — and to ourselves!— because they are desperate to claw their way into the conference league, clearly. 

Deus ex machina. 

Really excited about this match. Feeling pretty good about it. Goals. Villa 4-2. 

8 hours ago, Captain_Townsend said:

It's a culture war here.

Some of us can see the badge issue has been a dogs dinner, the comms have been absolutely pathetic, and the drips and drabs on the future of Villa Park leave more questions than answeres while others have determined this man is a genius and mere villa fans couldn't possibly have a valid opinion compared to the confident American in a suit.

That’s an interesting observation. I think I’m an expert on the UK-US dual national experience, but it never fails to surprise me how much English and American people actually secretly admire each other — but how neither seem to imagine the other feeling the same way.

What hits me about match day revenues — when looking at the data — is that they are important, relatively stable and smaller compared to commercial and broadcasting revs.

Yes, in absolute terms, especially at the big clubs, match day revenues are huge, but they’re still the smallest and seemingly less immediately less quickly expandable of streams compared with which commercial and broadcasting revs, I think? 

Just for reference from Deloitte if it's been a while since posted. Villa are just below the lowest on here. It is dramatic how matchday revenues offer so few opportunities to bring in new money. Commercial revs are obviously the pot of gold.

3 hours ago, OutByEaster? said:

I think there's an argument about how good a job he's doing, but he's hear to raise incomes and incomes are rising - I don't think you can say he's doing a bad job and he's at least doing okay and probably a little better than that.

He's here to make us money, not happy.

This. If Villa don't find a ways to expand revenue as dramatically our club's football has improved, the project will eventually run low on petrol. We've got to get the revenues up and up and up.

Really impressed by Serie A lately. Seems to me the quality is big improvement over last year. So many cool players! Taty. Scamacca. Chiesa. Ivanovic? Spelling.

I don't mind seeing the Toffees do that. Where was this Everton all year?

9 minutes ago, 479Villan said:

Predictions on which Klopp we get in postgame: jovial "what a league" or "snarky petulant dickhead"?

Sometimes, they're the same in Klopp -- joviality laced with d**kheadedness.

AC/DC via Florida Death Metal filter ...

Like everyone wants him? Sorry, no can have. 

On 17/04/2024 at 17:45, PieFacE said:

Love the new Fontaines DC track
 

 

Quite excellent.

I don't think I'm authorised to post something so Brummily hip, but here goes ...

General reminder about the potential horror of avalanches. This may be behind a paywall, but you get a few free stories, I think. Tragic but also eye-opening, for me at least. I don't ever do off-piste (backcountry) skiing, and probably never will, but I still find this fascinating.

Quote

 

The day after their world crumbled, Sue and Reg Franciose arrived in Switzerland to search for their daughter. It had been 24 hours or so since the phone call — “There’s been an accident” — and ever since, they had been sprinting through the fog, each frantic step darkened by questions with no answers.

 

They knew the likely outcome but had to come see for themselves what happened on the Wellhorn, a rocky peak that towers over the Reichenbachtal valley in the Bernese Alps.

A dash through multiple airports, a race through the mountains, and now they ambled through a small mountain village. That’s when they saw him, sitting in his car on the side of the road. Sue stopped, unsure what to do.

 

5 hours ago, est1874 said:

PGMOL and VAR have conspired to make a mockery of the offside rule.

Even if you could make an argument that he was clearly offside (which would take a United fan or a PGMOL employee, but those are the same thing anyway), surely the whole basis of the offside rule is that an attacking player shouldn't have an advantage over a defender when the ball is played.

Please tell me how an attacker turned away from goal has an advantage over a defender facing the goal at full pelt?

It's a total joke. Drawing lines (which doesn't work anyway, as anyone can see from that image) is not what the rule is **** for. 

The **** goblins.

Very well said. That totally cuts to the core issue: What is the purpose of rules? How can these negligible, microscopic after-the-fact determinations about lines on screens really have anything to do with protecting against some practical disadvantages on the pitch?

52 minutes ago, Mantis said:

Well well well. Seems 4th wasn't as gone as people thought.

We need to go for third. 

Speaking generally, I think we need to get past the idea of thinking of “who is best?” in this or that position, and think always about pairs of players. We absolutely will need two superbos for every position. 

11 minutes ago, Davkaus said:

As much of nobhead as Martinez plays during the game, I loved that shot of him and Solanke at full time, they're clearly talking about the penalty and about how he knew which way he was going and he's violently gesturing to his eyes  

I also like that theater late in the game when he was “slain in action” during a save, and then he lay down with the ball cradled in his arms, … but then he cheekily lifts up his gloved hand and waves at the crowd to make more noise whilst holding his fetal position.   
 

And the north stand roared  

10 hours ago, romavillan said:

Ollie is totally irreplaceable as well. Who would you conceivably buy with the return Watkins gives us in terms of goal involvement a that is 27/28 years old that would not cost £100m+?

I feel like all of our players are irreplaceable at different times -- but none of them really are, we all know. I guess I am more smitten with this cast of characters on this squad than I have been with any Villa squad. I don't want any single thing ever to change. 

And while I do hope we hold onto this charmed squad and manager as long as possible, intellectually, I know football seasons are long and short at the same time, and change inevitable, awful, and yet redemptive, too. It's like love. Enjoy what you have while it lasts, because in the end, it will always change.

When I see the Olympiacos' badge, I sometimes think of old Ultravox album covers. I think Peter Saville were involved in that one? I love that Downcast & Pouty Greek Dude look.