PhilGibson

Delph has some excellent close control in tight spaces, very much like most Arsenal players. Good signs. Early in the game but I also really like the look of Clarke thus far.

Absolute class player Iniesta. I will be surprised if Spain do not win next years world cup they have so many class players.

Barcelona have got this one all sewn up. Best team in Europe this year no doubt about it.

I would like a similar season to the one Everton have had this year. A cup final and 5th place would be very good.

The pundits and Richard Keys sound so gutted on Sky. Shame for them!

Why? You can swear on TV at 10pm cant you? Not that you cannot swear they just did not mean too. After they apologised the first time and the had to do so again. I still think it was funny, will make a nice GIF in the amusing GIF's thread if anyone knows how to do it. Dam shame for Chelsea!! but the ref was a complete joke for both sides.

Funny Sky just played back Drogba swearing after we all heard it the first time. The muppets.

Essien is a very special footballer, one of the only Chelsea players I really like.

General, The next step was always going to be the hardest to make. Randy purchased the club just over 2 years ago and the turn around in this time has been very positive. The club was in the doldrums and in a decline not seen for a long time. Randy and Martin have restored ambition to the fanbase, we have been proud to wear our shirts and to beat our chests and proclaim we are Aston Villa! This summer was set to be the next and hardest step on our return to the promised land. The squad had been trimmed of the deadwood and we were set to invest in bringing in the quality to make an all out assault on the UEFA cup and Champions league places. All of us care deeply for this club it is in our blood. Today we are hurting because some of us perceive that our club is being ridiculed in the press and by our former captain. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out the glaring holes in our squad, we are desperately seeking a shot in the arm or a ray of light to convince us that this return to the top table is possible. Signings are not the be all and end all, however they do matter and are part of the overall puzzle that makes up a football fans feelings. Villa fans desperately want to see there club fighting it with the big boys for trophies.If anyone comments that fans are fickle I believe this is very wrong we just care that dam much. Sometimes we do not articulate our concerns in the most constructive way, but each and everyone of us feels the same, the overwhelming desire to see us succeed. I know you have answered this in other ways beforehand, but my direct question is how much have our summer plans been effected by Mr Barry acting in the way he has with the club? From the outside looking in it appears to have been very detrimental and has undone a lot of the good work carried out.

Deal

The natives are restless!

UP & AWAY Blues will splash cash if promoted Exclusive by Adrian Milledge DAVID SULLIVAN has revealed he is prepared to spend "big money" to turn Birmingham City into a Premiership force and put Aston Villa in the shade. The Birmingham City co-owner has come under fire from fans after questioning whether some of them deserve to see the club back in the Premiership. Multi-millionaire Sullivan's blast came in anticipation of Steve Bruce's promotion-chasing side being watched by the lowest league attendance at St Andrew's since 2000. Just 15,854 turned up to see Blues beat Stoke City and go second in the table, six points behind Derby but with two games in hand. But Sullivan refuses to be sidetracked from the mission he began 14 years ago when he rescued the Blues from the brink of bankruptcy. Neither will his willingness to sell his stake in the club get in the way of his aim to make City a major player. He said: "My motivation is to do the best job I possibly can while I'm at Birmingham City. That's my nature - I plan for all eventualities." Sullivan's tantalising vision for the future includes giving Bruce the financial backing to make the Blues Champions League contenders compete with a new 55,000-seater stadium. He added: "We will throw some big money around if we go up. There's a big pie [TV money] you get a slice of and we're not carrying a lot of baggage from previous years. "We've got very few high-earners and we will have the capacity to sign four or five players on huge wages and pay huge transfer fees. We'll be looking to do that." Sullivan and his partners, David and Ralph Gold, were anything but miserly the last time the Blues were promoted but he admits mistakes were made. Huge transfer fees were paid to sign established stars such as England internationals Emile Heskey and David Dunn. Others, such as Mario Melchiot, were rewarded with big wages. But the payback was relegation and some hard lessons were learned. Sullivan added: "We spent a lot of money on wages but didn't have a lot left when we went down. A lot of it went on players who we could walk away from but were supposed to keep us up. They didn't do that." Now the cash will be splashed on talented young players who are hungry to succeed. And, after seeing big-money buys Dunn and Mikael Forssell spend more time in the treatment room than on the pitch, recruits will be subject to a rigorous medical examination. Sullivan said: "We are going to aggressively acquire a lot of good young players in the summer. Hopefully they will be the future of Birmingham City. "But we had an awful lot of players injured last year and we'll be looking much closer at people's medical history than before. "If we spend the money wisely and luckily we could be very competitive." Sullivan envisages his new-look Blues will also play in an arena befitting the team's talents - the proposed City of Birmingham Stadium. He said: "The City Council have said they are committed to build a stadium to hold major events. "It wouldn't be built for at least five years but things are happening now and a decision may be made in the next six months. That will bring a completely different feel to the club. "And if the World Cup comes to England in 2018 there will be matches at the City of Birmingham Stadium. "Games will be played at big grounds such as Manchester United, Newcastle and Arsenal. "Our capacity would be 55,000, so we'd should stage some. Villa Park won't be big enough, though!' http://tinyurl.com/2qq3ey Cannot resist talking about us can they!