cheltenham_villa

Great tip, Ive just asked my son and now know who that is. Will drop him a message

A shameful request for help from my fellow VTers. At the end of the recent Villa Norwich game my son was lucky enough to be thrown the match ball (or one of them anyway) from Tyrone. He is absolutely made up and has slept with it every night since. Unfortunately as a dad the wrong side of 40 I was more interested in singing than capturing the moment on video. I wondered if any others may have accidentally recorded this and wouldn't mind sharing, we sit in the lower holte end. Ps he's not a sign taker, just lucky enough to be picked out, I'm not a fan of the begging signs, begging posts are fine though. PPS many others have already shared the "first time Mings has picked out someone in a villa shirt" so we're going to need something a little more original than that.

A great day for him and he certainly didn't let himself down. I'd like to see a few more starts between now and the end of the season and then a solid loan next year. I really hope that this position is a strong priority for us next year.

Always impressed when I watch him, just feels solid. He also gives us another option to play out from the back, for some reason Konsa doesn't seem trusted with this.

I really hope this isnt our good half.

In the games I've watched, hes struggled to make an impact. They tend to be a hard working midfield so Ramsey is competing for one of the flair slots with Calum Wright who is probably up for player of the year. He's probably learnt the need to take his chances, he's had them and has struggled to make them count. I think it's been a good loan, he's had a lot of minutes and will have learnt how much harder league 1 is over the under 23s.

Cheltenham played their fixtures when Ramsey was involved with the England juniors. Not sure if it would be different if he was a senior player.

I'd give him another year on loan in the championship, ideally at a club where he has a change of being the top scorer in the league. No rush and don't want to see him coming off the bench for ten minutes every week

The transfer window prevents this surely? You could bid less, even agree a deal but you cannot transfer the players registration.

That cult like grip got him rumoured to be 450k per week from Barca. We might not like it but he's hardly holding coutinho hostage.

I don't see how, if this little secret had made it to the highly confidential VT, I reckon Putin has one or two spies who might work it out as well.

I think that's often deliberate, I noticed Mcginn telling him to get really wide yesterday as soon as he was on. I think they wanted to stretch Southampton.

If we're honest we will certainly have some competition to keep him. A few things in our favour though: 1. The Gerrard connection. 2. We've got him enjoying football again and we're building a side around his strengths 3. A strong South American contingent. In Gerrards book he references the strength of these relationships for the south Americans, particularly in helping the family settle. 4. Sell him the dream and show him the others we want to add. It might not be enough and if not then hopefully we'll have enjoyed one hell of a 6 month spell.

Played so well today, when he's on form and hassling defenders we play further up the pitch. I think this is the reason Coutinho was getting so much space. They seem to be developing a great relationship.

Very impressed. I think his distribution is better than Konsa, it means we don't constantly play out through Ming's. Konsa still the better defender but some competition is emerging

I think this is the future, go to the new spurs ground and they capture all of the money you spend for about 2 hours before and after the game. The recent introductions of outside bars by the north stand and some decent eating places have surely shown a demand for this.

To be honest, I had assumed we were 100k per week, so that half a million is a lot less than I think most of us thought we were paying.

As someone who's probably at a different career stage to yourself, I can offer two completely contradictory bits of advice. 1. Never move jobs for money. You spend far too long at work and if you're not happy in the role then I'm not convinced an amount of money can make up for that. 2. Your 20s are the easiest time to move between roles and maximise worth. When you've got kids, mortgages, etc then you need to make different decision. Move frequently and often if it's right for you, of the CVS I see these days, it's not uncommon for people to move every 18 months and this is no longer the red flag it used to be. Ive spent 20 in data science and analytics if you want to DM me I'm happy to try and help advise on how best to find a career in that field.

Yes quite normal I think. In most instances the reference aren't taken, it's just to make sure that any potential candidates have committed to providing some. The rising costs of recruitment have driven some of this behaviour. It's fair to ask, it's not controversial but it's also fair for you to not give a current employer and also stipulate that you would like to be informed before references are taken.

I agree, its a terrifying decision. For me the reality is we now live in a world where the vast majority of us would not get involved and just hope for the best

Surely that's the goal, avoid conflict at all costs. I think it's easy to say the west isnt reacting when you live in the west. Are you prepared for you or your loved ones to go off to a war in Russia? I'm not.

I agree, I think that's his level currently. The experience he will get from doing that every week, building his physicality and dealing with the real pressure of trying to deliver results is a really good one. I think we all hoped he would be smashing in goals and assists. That's not happening but it also doesn't mean he's failing.

My weekly Aaron Ramsey update. Cheltenham secured a ni nil draw with Ipswich last night, Ramsey played for about 60 minutes, he had a slight know before going off but was more likely withdrawn for tactical reasons. For context Cheltenham had about 35 percent of the ball and managed about 4 shots. They played in front of 20k fans (impressive for league one) and this was the equivalent of Burney going to Old Trafford. He did ok, it's a steep learning curve I think for him, hes playing lots of minutes but has very limited opportunity to impact in the final 3rd if that's where we see him. Rightly though he was withdrawn after an hour as he was struggling in the game. I still think it's a good experience for him, he's playing in a good team and learning about the importance of taking opportunity when you have it. He's playing in front of big crowds and he's understanding the physicality that comes with league one football.

Maybe even swap Ramsey and Mcginn so they were constantly forced inside where the rest of our team was stood

This is what I wanted, some different thinking. We can't keep relying on Digne and Cash for width. Ming's and Chambers were bringing the ball inside the Watford half, at time Mcginn and Ramsey ended up next to them. I would like to have seen Bailey play really wide and maybe Watkins as well.