GaztonVilla

Ah, in that case, he's a crock, a liability, get rid

MON is on a one-year rolling contract. Basically, what this means is that it is always 12 months away from expiring. As of today, MON is contracted to Aston Villa until 23rd May 2008. As has been said before, this arrangement suits both MON and Randy Lerner as they are honourable people who believe more in a strong working relationship than in a contract which only guarantees a pay-off in the event of termination.

By the way, wouldn't it be wonderful to sign Buffon? Apparently, he's not sure if he wants to stay at Juve next season. Clicky

I fear that he could be just another Richard Wright.. An excellent young keeper, was thought to be far far far too good for Ipswich and eventually made his dream move to Everton. And from then on, it was pure downhill...

Maybe we're in for their keeper? Just heard that Neil Lennon has announced he's leaving Celtic in the summer... Uh oh.

First time it maybe but if you've got more like that i'd like to hear it as that was hilarious I love telling it in a pub and watching the looks on peoples faces as they try to work out whether it was a joke or not...

I understand your concerns, but after the surgery his knee has been fine. Steadman is the best in the world at what he does, and with good reason. I am very confident that, barring a huge disaster, Laursen's knee problems are behind him. I remember another commanding centre-back with knee problems who should have been written off shortly after he arrived at Villa Park. If Laursen can be half the player he was (and I think he's already past that line), then he's worth keeping.

Not sure if I've contributed to this thread or not before.. But I remember my Granddad having really bad lung problems. When he started getting really sick, my Gran would rub lard or vaseline on his back to try and help. To be honest, he went downhill pretty fast after that...

Some bloke called Angel from New York Red Bulls? Might be worth a punt MON?

If thats the case, I hope the FA drag Newcastle over the coals... They're not allowed talk to Sidwell until the end of his contract.

Ahem. He likes to go out to bars and dance and have a generally happy time. Its tough to do that in Newcastle. Have you ever been to Newcastle? :? I live in Newcastle.. I'm trying to be delicate in the type of happy bars I'm talking about.

Forget Distin, I have it on good authority that Mr Woodgate isn't too keen on a permanent stay at Middlesbrough... Can Randy speak Spanish?

Why not? He comes from Nottingham... Jenas moved to London from Newcastle because it suited his lifestyle better, his private life was under far too much scrutiny in the "goldfish bowl" of Tyneside. I'm not sure how Birmingham would compare in terms of offering him the personal privacy he craves, can anyone comment? What is his lifestyle? Ahem. He likes to go out to bars and dance and have a generally happy time. Its tough to do that in Newcastle.

Why not? He comes from Nottingham... Jenas moved to London from Newcastle because it suited his lifestyle better, his private life was under far too much scrutiny in the "goldfish bowl" of Tyneside. I'm not sure how Birmingham would compare in terms of offering him the personal privacy he craves, can anyone comment?

I think Saturday was a very important day for Gabriel Agbonlahor. MON has definitely seen something he likes about Gabi. Until recently, when his legs looked like they would fold underneath the tired weight of his body, Gabi had played every minute of every game this season. Initially deployed as a right sided attacker in a 3 pronged attack, and more recently as a right winger, Gabi has seen his ability to influence the game dwindle and almost disappear. Being played away from his favoured striking role was appearing to suck the enthusiasm from his play and many fans were questioning his inclusion in the side at all. Injuries to Carew and Young before today's game forced a rethink from MON. Striking options were available in the form of Moore and Angel; players who could most likely fill the role of the injured newcomers with minimal tinkering required. However, Gabi was selected as the great goalscoring hope for Villa, unleashing his pace and enthusiasm on a tired and lumbering Blackburn defence. One school of thought has been that by placing Gabi on the right of midfield for so long, it has allowed him to gain valuable Premiership experience without the pressure of needing to score regularly to justify his selection. Its an opinion that I subscribe to and I believe that strategy bore fruit today. Gabi was excellent as Villa's sometimes lone striker. Pace, movement and aggression were to be seen in abundance. His heavy first touch was apparent at times, but his pace running at the heart of Rover's back line caused them panic. And, most tellingly, it appears that his time in midfield has allowed him to understand the importance of a well timed run. At Watford early in the season, Gabi was caught offside more than 10 times when he seemed to be the victim of his own pace, misjudging his own runs and squandering numerous good attacking opportunities. When Patrick Berger picked up David Dunn's loose pass, it would have been easy for Agbonlahor to instantly fire up his fuel injection white boots and hope for Berger to play him in. But when Berger needed to see off some close attention from Tugay before being able to chip the ball through, Gabi had the presence of mind to delay his run and when the through-ball eventually arrived, the linesman's flag stayed rooted by his side. At this stage, it appeared that Gabriel was the calmest person in Ewood Park. He rounded Friedel, a keeper of huge physical stature in great form, without breaking his stride and slotted a cool finish to put Villa ahead. And his celebration of the goal showed supreme confidence and awareness of his own abilities. He accepted the adulation of the excellent Villa support, emphasised his dedication to the club with a badge kissing gesture which was infinitely more genuine than those offered by numerous mercenaries in the game. All this in a week where he has been rewarded with a new contract, I think this is a turning point for Gabriel Agbonlahor. A coming of age, you might say. And I think I've rambled enough for now...

General, George Gillet and Tom Hicks, former owners of the Miami Dolphins and Texas Rangers, has just completed his takeover of Liverpool FC. Do you know these men, and what do you expect they will do for the Scousers? G.

Fight, fight, wherever you may be. We are the boys of the Holte Army, 2nd Brigade, USMC.

So he's converting his diploma into the badges. Nice one TS, thanks.

General, I have to admire how you can come on here and respond to those 3 points, without reference to all the speculation that is flying around today. Just shows how important the off-field stuff is to the board as well as the playing aspect. Your point re sponsors, and ensuring that AVFC's board are well known for being honourable and straight-talking, is refreshing to hear. The goodwill that this will engender is invaluable, I'm delighted that you can see that as well. How refreshing this is.. And we'll forgive you leaving the "u" out of honourable

We've already been in for Milner, NUFC quoted almost double what was agreed in August last year. Needless to say, the deal didn't progress much further.

Cristiano Ronaldo or Luke Young.. Who would you prefer?

Yes Well in that case, I'll be expecting Randy Out protests, and Anti-MON banners on Saturday?

If this were true (and I'm not saying it isn't), do you really think that MON (a hugely experienced manager) and Randy Lerner (an experienced sports franchise owner) would sit on their hands and watch it happen? MON knows the situation better than anyone on here (possibly better than all of our knowledge combined) and Randy will not allow relegation to happen and damage his pretty huge investment. So, do you really think that MON and RL are just sitting around hoping for the phone to ring?

Christ, why didn't I think of that? This management stuff is simple really...

Hooray!! Rentaquote Delaney returns.. I was worried about him.