Simon

Huge thanks for the Nike deal. The new kits are wonderful. A far cry from the tat we've been served up in recent years. I haven't bought a replica shirt for years - i'll be buying both the home and away tops this year!

Also, please wish Nigel and Marlon a warm Villa welcome from me when you bump into them.

Up the Villa!

I disagree with Simon all Villa fans are the same, we love this club.

Try reading what i wrote - "vocal minority" i believe is how i termed it.

So do you think MON, Randy and the General have been lying to us all along? Have you not learned from January? Do you really think we're not gonna bring in some quality players this summer transfer window? A window which, i might remind you, still has two months to run. Hmm?

Have some faith for Christ sake. We're not dealing with Arkwright Ellis and David "Me, Myself and I" O'Leary anymore. We now have professional, dynamic and ambitious people running the club and we should be damn grateful for it.

We've been getting rid of the dead wood this summer - a process which is a lot quicker and less complex than tying up deals for their superior replacements.

Some people need to cut loose from the neg-head bullshit attitude we became accustomed to under the previous regime.

The Aston Villa of 2007 couldn't be more different or in better hands.

Bouma is better than Bale as it stands

Hmmm, we might be getting a surprise next season me thinx.

I don't. Not for one minute. This Bale reminds me of Ian Harte. Okay, he has potential but the only part of his game that has made him stand out is his freekicks.

Exactly. I've seen him play a few times and i fail to see what all the fuss is about. A very average left-back who hits a very decent free-kick. Of course he's very young and has scope to improve but then so does every other young player.

snus

I vaguely recall Esther Rantzen having a campaign about something similar many years ago on 'That's Life'. Are they basically little tea bags full of tobacco that you suck?

Yep. Though its much better in loose weight. Or without tee bags

I thought tea-bagging was illegal...

McCann expected to sign for Bolton today, subject to a medical, for a fee that could rise to £2m, according to the Express & Star.

Four years decent service and our money back now we've got bigger fish to fry? Yes please.

It's not a direct comparison and I didn't say that people drinking were poisoning others around them. But if you think about it it's quite ironic that some people who go to pubs are complaining about other people in those pubs damaging their health, when they themsleves are sitting there drinking a pretty poisonous substance that is going to damage their health and kill their brain cells (through their own choice though - so that's fine).

Just thought i'd point out that it's been proven that alcohol does NOT kill brain cells, actually.

Can't say I noticed the smell of sweat last time I was in a Dublin pub. I also can't see how the the smell of cigarette smoke can in anyway be described as 'nice'.

I'd rather stick my face in Barry Austin's armpit than have someone blow their filthy cigarette smoke in my face.

AND I'M NOT **** JOKING.

Can't bloody wait - it's about time the inconsiderate smokers union were put in their place... OUTSIDE! ha ha

"Roll" on winter...

Actually the Danish coach rates him higher - that's why he played against Sweden and Laursen didn't

Is that more to do with the fact that Laursen's been out for so long and Olsen wants to be seen to be being "loyal" to Gravgaard who has probably done little wrong in SuperMart's absence though?

Michael Gravgaard would be a great signing. He has the potential to be as good as Laursen.

Aaargh! Freaking txtspk!

How about some of the dutch players? RVP, Robben...

Dream on.

What's that supposed to mean? World class players i think i heard somewhere...

Yeah, because players will be tripping over themselves to leave Arsenal and Chelsea and Champions League football for 11th placed Villa.

Get real.

We'll be signing some good players this summer but some people really need to buy a ticket into the real world.

WOW! And to think some of you would of liked Owen Hargreaves at villa...

Some of us would HAVE liked Owen Hargreaves at Villa but unfortunately realism got the better of our delusions.

Yeah mate, i would of liked someone who can run down the opposite wing than ashley young and another striker that can finish

Some of us would HAVE liked someone who can run down the opposite wing TO Ashley Young and another striker WHO can finish too but unfortunately realism got the better of our delusions.

How about some of the dutch players? RVP, Robben...

Dream on.

What's that supposed to mean? World class players i think i heard somewhere...

Yeah, because players will be tripping over themselves to leave Arsenal and Chelsea and Champions League football for 11th placed Villa.

Get real.

We'll be signing some good players this summer but some people really need to buy a ticket into the real world.

WOW! And to think some of you would of liked Owen Hargreaves at villa...

Some of us would HAVE liked Owen Hargreaves at Villa but unfortunately realism got the better of our delusions.

How about some of the dutch players? RVP, Robben...

Dream on.

What's that supposed to mean? World class players i think i heard somewhere...

Yeah, because players will be tripping over themselves to leave Arsenal and Chelsea and Champions League football for 11th placed Villa.

Get real.

We'll be signing some good players this summer but some people really need to buy a ticket into the real world.

Viduka is 31 years old (two years younger than Patrick Berger)

Doesn't rely on pace.

Offers us something that we don't have at the moment.

Free transfer.

14 league goals, despite being out injured for two months.

Why the hell wouldn't we want to sign him?

Agreed. He'd be perfect cover for Carew, especially if Sutton retires as expected. And Martin's worked with him before of course. Cue the groans...

I think we need:

GK

RB

CB/LB

RM

CM

ST

So 6.

Totally agree with the RM also having the ability to play LM. A James Milner type.

The additions of Boruc, Young, Distin, Milner, Emana and Defoe would see us challenging for Europe next season without a doubt.

General,

Firstly, thank you SO SO much for Saturday. I had a wonderful time. It's so pleasing to finally see the '82 legends getting the respect they deserve from our Club. Nothing on that scale would have been organised had the previous "regime" still been in power. I hope Randy appreciated the fans chanting his name because we certainly appreciate what he has done and plans to do for our Club.

Now, onto my little request/suggestion/question. There's a thread further down the page along the lines of "where are they now?" with regards to the '82 team. Now, we know one or two of them have made a decent living since hanging up their boots (Sid Cowans for example) but one or two maybe haven't been so fortunate. At the fans forum on Friday i think it was either Ken McNaught or Alan Evans recalling they each received just a one thousand pound bonus for winning the European Cup and it angers me to read about the likes of Ivor Linton, Alan Evans and Gary Shaw nowadays working as electricians, driving instructors and brewery reps to make ends meet whereas a guy like Jlloyd Samuel (sorry to pick on him), a man with a mere fraction of the talent of the aforementioned legends, can drive around in Bentleys and live lives of luxury in their palatial "cribs".

Now, i know the idea of a home pre-season friendly has been banded about before, but how about all the proceeds being distributed amongst the '82 team, Ron Saunders, Rose Barton etc.?

A sort of "testimonial" to mark the 25th anniversary of their and our finest hour? I'm sure it would be a sell-out regardless of the opposition but it would be great if it was a really big European Club coming to Villa Park. Bayern Munich would obviously be ideal, but Barcelona, Celtic, Real Madrid would all be great.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and thank you, Martin, Randy and Richard so much for everything you're doing to make Aston Villa great again.

Simon

Love it.

surely if our stated aim is top 4 within 4 seasons then he is not good enough for us

would find buying Bellamy a tough one ....

Benitez must have thought he was good enough for his top 4 club last summer. But it appears that Bellamy isn't happy with the squad rotation policy up there.

To be honest, he probably isn't good enough to be a regular starter for a top 4 club but we sure as hell ain't gonna attract anyone of that calibre right now. Bellamy would be a good "stepping-stone" player as we try and improve as a club to one day be able to attract the world class players we all crave.

I think us signing Bellamy is a dead cert, like it or not.

MON knows him from his successful loan spell at Celtic. I think MON has been the only manager capable of "controlling" him.

Could be a good bit of business...

General Krulak here:

All the credit goes to our owner and our Manager. As I have said many, many, times before, we are blessed by who we have at our Club.

We still have a ways to go...that is why it is called a 5 year plan. STILL, progress IS being made across many areas. We all just need to be patient and stick with the Team.

Hello General

new poster here, just a quick question, if you were a betting man would you stick a tenner on more signings?

Are you really expecting a yes or no answer to that?

This aspect of the Club is in Martin and Randy's more than capable hands.

The General will not promise anything one way or the other. He does not want to leave himself open to accusations of telling tall tales as HDE often did. All he will say is stick together, get behind Martin and Randy and we'll get to where we rightfully belong sooner or later. That is the one thing he will promise - that we're gonna give it our best shot.

Actions speak louder than words and, thus far, the "new" Aston Villa hasn't failed to deliver.

Keep the faith.

You are a mighty fine man, General Krulak. A mighty fine man.

Martin, Randy, Richard too. The whole package.

For the first time in about 20 years i can say i support the best darn Football Club in the World and actually mean it.

So proud.

Thank you, General.

Is Lauren even fit, having hardly played for Arse I think ?

He hasn't kicked a ball since January 2006.

Wise move by MON to go for the younger, hungrier Bardsley. I reckon there's a very good chance he'll still be wearing claret and blue next season.

General,

I wish you, your family, Randy and his family a very merry xmas and happy new year. You guys (together with Martin) have made me so proud to be a Villa fan again. The best xmas present i could have wished for i received back in August when you guys rescued my club.

Thank you all so much.

Simon

I liked Baldé a few years back at Celtic, always seemed to put in a good performance when I saw him, haven't seen him play for a couple of years now though so could have gone downhill a bit.

Paddy - the same was exactly said about Agathe and look how that ended up!!!

I don't think Balde is the right option IMO as he's at the wrong end of his career and probably hasn't played more than a handfull of testing games in Scotland - if MON wants back up at the back I suggest we buy another RB and allow Olly to return to the middle (+ buy Curtis Davies :winkold: )

Well Agathe never impressed me half as much as Balde.

Also just because one player ended up like that doesn't mean they all will. Who was keen on signing Sutton? Not me for one, but I hold my hands up and say I was wrong.

That makes you one-in-a-million around here, mate. Fair play to ya.