GaztonVilla

See ya James.

Don't let the door (bounce before you totally lose the flight of it in the air then desperately try to get a head on it / swing a boot at it hence causing more defensive chaos) hit you on your arse on your way out.

So, do we know if Lambert had a chat with Ron at all?

Thought i'd bring up some stats of another tall, strong striker who is a familiar face and we could even sign for free. Let us compare his stats to those of Carroll:

Carew (@ Aston Villa) - 2007-2011, 113 Apps and 37 Goals

Carew (@ Stoke + WHU) - 2011+, 29 Apps and 3 Goals

Carroll (@ Newcastle) - 2006-2011, 80 Apps and 31 Goals

Carroll (@ Liverpool) - 2011+, 42 Apps and 6 Goals

Can't remember what Carew cost us at first unless it was just a swap for Baros? Either way, with Carroll touted at approx £15-20m, it is safe to say there are much better options available for such a price, i'd probably even take Carew at 32 years of age for free and spend the dosh elsewhere.

To turn your statistics back at you..

Carew took 33 more games to score 6 more goals than Carroll in the period 2006 - 2011. All this in the period where Carew was an experienced, international striker having played in the some of the greatest leagues in the world as well as the Champions League.

Carroll, while still learning his trade and playing in a Newcastle team going through what could be kindly described as a transition, has a greater goals to games ratio in that period. Granted, some of those games will be in the Championship.

Carew was swapped for Baros but valued at a notional £7m I think? Carroll is now valued at a notional £15m, which includes the English player premium. Carroll is in his early/mid twenties and has time on his side and the potential of a high re-sale value.

To allow all this speculation is a bit poor in my view. Why can't the club just put out a statement explaining what's happening?

Because the statement would just say "There's an administrative hold up in Makoun's registration due to issues with international clearance. We're working to get them resolved as soon as possible."

That's something we already know so what's the point in them even saying it?

At Newcastle he was the New Alan Shearer and it went to his head. It went to his head because everyone kept telling him he was the New Alan Shearer. At 21. Of course it went to his head. It would go to anyone's head.

At £15m plus add-ons, we would be mad NOT to take him. He's a significantly better player than he showed in a Liverpool shirt.

The atmosphere is pretty good but the stand itself is a bit of a dump with no legroom and tiny toilets plus poor facilities for a beer and pie etc.

What about the view mate got some concerns over that

Ask Ron Vlaar, he had a good luck around on Sunday

These Feyenoord types can stay..

After all, you've enjoyed playing on our pitch in the past...

Shaw, Williams, prepared to venture down the left. There's a good ball in for Tony Morley. Oh, it must be and it is! It's Peter Withe

this mb is for Villans.

After all, you've enjoyed playing on our pitch in the past...

Shaw, Williams, prepared to venture down the left. There's a good ball in for Tony Morley. Oh, it must be and it is! It's Peter Withe.

That's too easy. That's like Van Halen waiting until the end of the concert to play "Jump"!

You crowd pleaser you..

I love it, Ajax v Feyenoord on a Villa site. Only on VT, this why I love this site.

Horrific off-topicness though. Losing your touch Mods

It just makes a nice change from reading about what some attention seeking bedroom dweller has made up and posted on Twitter in between knocking one off into his sock and getting told to tidy his room by his mum.

Gaarrggh. I've been rumbled

I love it, Ajax v Feyenoord on a Villa site. Only on VT, this why I love this site.

Horrific off-topicness though. Losing your touch Mods

Just got 2 free tickets to one of the knockout games in Newcastle. Could be Spain vs Brazil if it works out that way.

Somedays, today being one of them, my iPhone refuses to talk to the work wifi. The wifi isn't password protected, it gets the connection made but no data moves in either direction.

My laptop and iPad talk to the wifi without a problem. iPhone just says no.

It also pisses me off when people say "This should belong in the Tech Room thread". You've been warned

It he wants to come and they are letting him talk to us then what can stop it?

He might get on one of those olympic buses and never be seen again...

Just watched episode 4 of The Newsroom.

More education from Sorkin but it's really watchable and powerful.

Must be word filter, surely?

I have 10 episodes of 'Awake' stored up and I've set it up to record 'The Newsroom'. I'm also waiting for 'Breakout' (3 part mini-series) to finish and I'll be set. Summer is quite a quiet time for good tellybox fodder.

The Newsroom is very good. I think it's made by the same dude who made Studio 60 which was awesome too. Shame the American audience didn't go for it.

Tbf, it suffered by being one of two shows about Saturday Night Live to debut on NBC that season (the other being 30 Rock) and that diluted things a bit.

Yep, Aaron Sorkin of The West Wing, Studio 60, The American President and The Social Network.

The mistake he made with Studio 60 was going on NBC (a mainstream network) and taking the piss out of Christians. All the time. Then he took the piss out of the war, which made sense, but was painted as being anti-troops. So the NBC bods panicked, and pulled the plug.

It looks like Sorkin is going the same way with The Newsroom. He's trying to educate the American audience and he needs to avoid the tendency to talk down at them in the same way that he did with Studio 60.

The good thing is that the show is on HBO in the US, so the ratings are likely to be more solid and he'll get away with his political soapboxing better than he will on NBC.

For the record, after 3 episodes I absolutely LOVE The Newsroom. Jeff Daniels is exceptional, and very credible as a news anchor.

Sometimes I think we over-analyse things. I've never thought of the average American voter as a sophisticated, widely read person - he/she would probably be unaware of Rice's pro-choice stance, for example.

Or even worse, he/she might not even know who Rice is - "Rice? Mmmmm like rice, risotto ommnomm"

I think you do the American conservative right a bit of a disservice.

The VAST majority of GOP voters will listen to conservative talk radio and will be guided in their voting decision by religious commentators/analysts. If you think that the far right Tea Party commentators won't talk about her pro-choice standpoint, you're sadly mistaken.

They might not carpet her for it, but they will highlight it and use it as a discussion of whether Romney is truthful in his pro-life beliefs, given he went public as pro-choice some years ago but has reversed his position.

A big question for GOP voters will be whether President Romney would seek to appoint a VERY conservative or just SLIGHTLY conservative Supreme Court judge, if the need arises. And having a Vice President Rice weighing in on that discussion would scare far-right GOP voters rigid.

As for the Rice/Risotto thing, seriously???

It's a little known fact that all US citizens get one free Customs block to keep whomever they like out of the country. I wish I didn't have to use mine now but it seemed like the best option for all of us.

:winkold:

7 posts in, you're already a VT legend for that

If you had the choice between Alan Hutton or Mohammed al Mohammed al Mohammed Bin Bizir for your Homeland Security block, you're better off choosing Hutton

Hard worker ?? He largely ambles around the pitch without a care in the world

Still we've only paid him about £7m in wages so far & he did play ok at Chelsea

Last Year, Player of The Season with 1 goal & 2 assists. That is so ridiculous its funny

He played OK at Chelsea? This is the one half decent game you're talking about, I presume?

He was the reason that we beat the future European Champions. He ran the show in that game. He was significantly better than "half decent".

However, you're refusing to consider that he may be a good player worth having in the team/squad based on a spell that has included a lying manager who tried to paint him as a troublemaker and the fact that he's a bit flamboyant with his cars. So, I won't try to convince you any further.

Habib Beye was twice the player Neil Cox was.

Honestly, he was garbage. Even Alan Hutton was twice the player Neil Cox was.

As good as we were in 1994, the memory of Neil Bloody Cox still haunts me.

Worst player I have ever seen in a Villa shirt.

Neil Cox???

He's had one half decent game for us in 2 years

Which game was that?

Does not want to leave. Is loving his football at the moment, for the first time in years, and is excited about what this year could bring.

That's great to hear Gazton, more importantly does PL see him as part of his plans?

You'll have to ask PL that but the impression I'm getting is that everyone is part of his plans at the moment. No favourites.

Does not want to leave. Is loving his football at the moment, for the first time in years, and is excited about what this year could bring.

He wants to come, its all down to crossing the I's and the T's!

Doesn't crossing an I make it a T?