Ghost_of_Pongo_Waring

Totally shocked. I remember his last game, away at Everton, when we all knew he'd be leaving to manage England. "Graham Taylors" claret & blue army was sung not only throughout the game but non stop through the half time break. At the end of the game they had to get him out of the dressing room back & onto the pitch because the Villa supporters just wouldn't leave. Rest in Peace

Just shocked. R.I.P. Dalian. Thanks for the great memories.

You are a hero.

Actually he was paid £60k-per-week to be our goalkeeper. He had no obligation to help out on the coaching staff nor did he owe Lambert any favours after being 'bombed out' by him. Except Given wasn't 'bombed out' by Lambert. He was dropped and rightly so at the time. Wasn't he dropped from the bench in favour of Steer? I'd count that bombed out He wasn't training with the bomb squad.

Actually he was paid £60k-per-week to be our goalkeeper. He had no obligation to help out on the coaching staff nor did he owe Lambert any favours after being 'bombed out' by him. Except Given wasn't 'bombed out' by Lambert. He was dropped and rightly so at the time.

Exactly.

I find it interesting how long it took Lambert to start getting serious criticism and how quickly some want to give it to Sherwood. I think Sherwood made mistakes today, luckily it didn't matter. The interesting thing (and something we should all look for) is how the team reacts next week. Yes it is a nothing game, but in a way that makes it even more important to see how they react. Under the previous manager, we'd go on really awful runs where we would lose a lot of games and play really poorly. So, all eyes on next week. Not sure the Burnley match will tell us much. I think he will rest players. Can he afford to rest players now? Do we want players running out for the cup final with their last performance being yesterdays debacle?

I find it interesting how long it took Lambert to start getting serious criticism and how quickly some want to give it to Sherwood. Mate, we just got smashed 6-1. Lambert took a hammering after the Chelsea 8-0 and rightly so. However, he is also getting lots and lots of praise for the work he had done. Again rightly so. We are Premier League thanks to him. It's still OK to be annoyed at taking a pasting yesterday, especially those who travelled and nobody is calling "Sherwood Out" because of it! I think those who travelled have a right to be annoyed but like I said, as soon as the spurs whistle went the result is meaningless. Its been a hard task, that didn't look achievable a few months back. Now it has been, along with getting us playing great stuff and to a cup final I have no idea why anyone (apart from those that went) would want to focus on it or criticise the manager for it. So only those that went have the right to be annoyed? What a ridiculous thing to say. Just because you don't care about Villa being humiliated yesterday does not mean everyone has to follow suit. People are maybe focusing on it because the result was far from meaningless. In two weeks time we've got a huge game in the FA cup final. We're playing one of the best teams in the league and the confidence we've built up since the baggies double will be a big factor. The defeat, and more importantly the manner of the defeat, yesterday is very likely to have an effect. Sherwood has done a tremendous job so far, but that does not mean he's immune from criticism. It's not like it was just a defeat, we were ripped apart by a side who had one point from their last four games. If the team, and management, perform like that against Arsenal it will be a massacre.

Three points will be enough. Hull have to better both our final two results to go above us.

What a ridiculous statement. Really? Which bit? You don't think we already give them 6 points a season? I doubt he does think that, no. Have you followed us at all this season? You might recall we picked up a point just four months ago at home, a point that may well be the difference between survival and relegation come May. Think before you post. Think before you post? What an utterly patronising thing to say. Just for future reference, it's not needed. Thats hardly patronising considering you posted "You don't think we already give them 6 points a season?", when Man Utd haven't taken six points off us. I see that as him, maybe indelicately, informing you that you've got a fairly basic fact completely wrong.

He was the guide for a tour of the ground I went on in the eighties. So knowledgeable and passionate about the Villa. Another Holte Ender in the Sky. Rest in Peace.

You can imagine some poor kid working as hard as possible, in all weathers, to improve himself, to realise his dream of being a professional football. Then, hailed as one of the brightest prospects of his generation, he's drafted to Small Heath I used to dream of being a Mitre Ultimax when I was a kid but then I found the booze and ended up as a 99p beach football. Oh the regrets... obviously that was deliberate, just to see if anyone was paying attention.

You can imagine some poor kid working as hard as possible, in all weathers, to improve himself, to realise his dream of being a professional footballer. Then, hailed as one of the brightest prospects of his generation, he's drafted to Small Heath

We are. People noticed your suggestion the first time. it was bad then, and it's bad now. Slightly off topic, but I like when foreign clubs, after a goal, have the announcer say the first name of the player who's scored and the crowd chant the surname. If we are talking about the team we support then I go along with my original song of " Simply the Best" ( we are talking about our team ) Would you prefer something like " My Old Man`s a Dustman"or something simelar ?! I think everybody understands the connection you're making but it's a crap song. We want something rousing to get the players fired up not have them coming out with their fingers in their ears to try and drown out the music

I'm a season ticket holder 'mate', so you can stick your 'better fan' crap. What were all these off the ball incidents between them then? Where was the provocation for that particular piece of stupidity. Are you saying Berahino was goading Hutton into a stupid challenge? Well if he was then Hutton is an idiot for falling for it. If that was the case then Berahino has got one over on Hutton and you're applauding Hutton for being stupid enough to take the bait and weakening our side. Berahino will be getting himself ready for a major cup tie, Hutton won't. We're down to the bare bones in defence and Hutton makes it worse, what a hero. 'Better fan crap'.....where are those words?.....they are not there....like making things up do you?.......Blue Peter badge is on its way to you as we speak lol The 'better fan crap' is an obvious implication when you've got somebody making up rubbish about being an 'armchair fan that takes every word spouted by tv pundits as gospel.' Then there's the ridiculous assertion that if you weren't at the game you can't comment on an incident. Somebody watching that on TV would have had a better, and more detailed, view of it with replays and different angles etc than I did from the Holte in real time. Your like a 6 year old kid in the school playground. Making stuff up to fit your opinion. Hope your not the whinger who sits near to me moaning at every mispass.....certainly sounds like it. Love to moan and get disappointed when we win (warped mind syndrome).. So when we 'deservedly win', you have to have a go at someone to ease your obvious pain. FFS its football NOT ballet dancing!......he kicked him......so what?.......he was instrumental in winning the penalty that ultimately won us the game...ah now I see why your so disappointed and bitter........ffs.....get over it....back to school on Monday? There's no point in trying to have a discussion with someone who has to resort to pathetic insults.

Well said mate..... He also played a part in setting up the penalty! You just cant please some Villa fans.....win, lose or draw, they love to moan. Makes you wonder why some of them bother! Exactly I did forget to add, those saying he could have been sent off do realise he wasn't even booked for the tackle... Which makes his conduct worse and less worthy of the praise some are giving him over it. He makes a stupid, pointless challenge, and instead of walking away and thanking his lucky stars that he was still on the pitch, he decides to get involved in afters and gets booked. If he'd got booked for a regular foul of course we wouldn't be discussing it the same way. It's precisely the fact that it wasn't a booking through a regular foul, a mistake or mistimed challenge that I, and others, are pissed off with him. Both the challenge, that he should have walked for, and the afters that he got booked for were unneccessary and avoidable. I'm delighted that he put the cross in that led to the penalty. He's been one of the better players this season and I want him on the pitch, playing. I'm surprised that some are applauding him for doing something that didn't benefit Villa in the slightest and is instead detrimental to our chances against West Brom & Sunderland.

I'm a season ticket holder 'mate', so you can stick your 'better fan' crap. What were all these off the ball incidents between them then? Where was the provocation for that particular piece of stupidity. Are you saying Berahino was goading Hutton into a stupid challenge? Well if he was then Hutton is an idiot for falling for it. If that was the case then Berahino has got one over on Hutton and you're applauding Hutton for being stupid enough to take the bait and weakening our side. Berahino will be getting himself ready for a major cup tie, Hutton won't. We're down to the bare bones in defence and Hutton makes it worse, what a hero. 'Better fan crap'.....where are those words?.....they are not there....like making things up do you?.......Blue Peter badge is on its way to you as we speak lol The 'better fan crap' is an obvious implication when you've got somebody making up rubbish about being an 'armchair fan that takes every word spouted by tv pundits as gospel.' Then there's the ridiculous assertion that if you weren't at the game you can't comment on an incident. Somebody watching that on TV would have had a better, and more detailed, view of it with replays and different angles etc than I did from the Holte in real time.

You do realise the reason he's not playing on Saturday is because of that incident, the one you're happy with? Personally I'd rather see Villa progress in the cup and get Premiership survival than see a opposing player get kicked. Huttons kick has made those two things that little bit harder to achieve. Of course I realise it.....I was there AND I am talking in general and NOT about one isolated incident. His main offence was getting caught! No, his main offence was doing something so stupid in the first place. Something that wasn't in any way helpful to the game last night and is now detrimental to two extremely important games coming up. We need to build confidence. To do that we need to have a run of good results. That is easier with our best players on the pitch playing football. It isn't helped by kicking an opponent for no reason and it isn't helped by having one of this seasons better players sitting in the stands because he's been suspended for ten yellow cards. You can play hard & with passion without being a thug. 'For no reason'......you know that for a fact do you?.....impossible mate. Were you there? Did you hear every word spoken between the two?......did you see all the off the ball incidents that I saw. I am guessing that you watched it on the box, in which case you cant really comment on the incident! TV viewers NEVER get a true picture of what goes on....your probably an armchair fan that takes every word spouted by tv pundits as gospel......its just NOT that simple! I'm a season ticket holder 'mate', so you can stick your 'better fan' crap. What were all these off the ball incidents between them then? Where was the provocation for that particular piece of stupidity. Are you saying Berahino was goading Hutton into a stupid challenge? Well if he was then Hutton is an idiot for falling for it. If that was the case then Berahino has got one over on Hutton and you're applauding Hutton for being stupid enough to take the bait and weakening our side. Berahino will be getting himself ready for a major cup tie, Hutton won't. We're down to the bare bones in defence and Hutton makes it worse, what a hero.

All if's and but's though isn't it. We beat West Brom, we were better than them, their star player got a bit of rough treatment. All in all a good night There's no 'if's & but's' about him being suspended is there. Do you think we'd be stronger against West Brom & Sunderland with Hutton or without him? Is their star player getting a bit of rough treatment more important to you than Villa improving?

You do realise the reason he's not playing on Saturday is because of that incident, the one you're happy with? Personally I'd rather see Villa progress in the cup and get Premiership survival than see a opposing player get kicked. Huttons kick has made those two things that little bit harder to achieve. Of course I realise it.....I was there AND I am talking in general and NOT about one isolated incident. His main offence was getting caught! No, his main offence was doing something so stupid in the first place. Something that wasn't in any way helpful to the game last night and is now detrimental to two extremely important games coming up. We need to build confidence. To do that we need to have a run of good results. That is easier with our best players on the pitch playing football. It isn't helped by kicking an opponent for no reason and it isn't helped by having one of this seasons better players sitting in the stands because he's been suspended for ten yellow cards. You can play hard & with passion without being a thug.

You do realise the reason he's not playing on Saturday is because of that incident, the one you're happy with? Personally I'd rather see Villa progress in the cup and get Premiership survival than see a opposing player get kicked. Huttons kick has made those two things that little bit harder to achieve.

Wether you like to see it or not a hard nasty bastard is what we need in our ranks, yes he left his foot but hey it's a locla derby and we are in the shite. Yes he is a hot head but he gives his all, if everybody in our team had his fight we would probably be pushing top 8, he is class If everyone one in our team did that we'd be struggling to field eleven players. He didn't just leave his foot in he straightened his leg to 'kick' after the challenge. That was thuggish. He is now missing for a cup quarter final and a vital relegation match, yeah well done Hutton. It wasn't as if it was a case of 'taking one for the team' it was a needless moronic kick. If an opposing player had done that to a Villa player I'd have been furious. To not be angry with Hutton for doing it would be hypocritical. I take it next time a player kicks one of ours, and gets away with it, there'll be some on here congratulating him for his 'genius'.

How is being suspended for two games punishment free? It was a bloody stupid thing to have done and could easily have seen him sent off and us fail to win the game. We've had a few games this season where we've been on top and a stupid sending off has cost us valuable points and we were lucky that didn't happen last night. We are now without a player, who has been playing well for us, for two extremely important games. Will all the people who are 'loving' his challenge be so happy if his stupidity helps West Brom get to Wembley and Sunderland increase the gap between us? We've got a lot of injuries in defence, we're down to the bare bones in fact, and one of our better players gets applauded for making the situation worse. Unbelievable.

That is a really good spine. However Benteke has spent much of the last season and half injured, as has Okore, as has Delph, as has Vlaar. Then you add injuries to Kozak, Baker Clarke etc etc etc etc. It doesn't matter how good a spine you've got if they are on the treatment table and they financial restrictions mean the depth of the squad, as far as quality goes, is poor.

Rumours are not proof. All the press at the time said Everton wanted Cleverley but only wanted a loan and Man Utd wouldn't loan him, they wanted a sale. Yet we loaned him. There have been plenty of articles about how Man Utd were going to sign Vlaar, yet Vlaar himself said they were rubbish. Vlaar stated that If Man Utd were interested in him there would have been some sort of contact, and there had been none. Just because it's written in a newspaper, or on a website, does not make it a fact. Neither you, me, or anyone else on here know if we were ever going to offer £8mill for Cleverly. None of us know if Lambert actually made a cash bid for him. None of us know how the 'reported' interest in buying him turned into a loan. For all any of us know Lambert could have been after a loan from the beginning. You're blaming Lamnert for something he not only didn't actually do but you've no proof he ever wanted to or tried to. The only fact about the Cleverly signing is we didn't pay £8mill for him, we loaned him.