Ponky

So a ball that goes in off the woodwork is a shot off target, even though it's a goal?

John is another element of that fear-factor with our team. Defenders hate playing on him and obviously it's hard to double team Gabby with him there too.

He can rip teams apart on his day and for that reason he directs attention away from other players.

In addition our set-pieces are nowhere near as dangerous without him IMO

Hello General

I don't want to ask you your opinion of the John Carew incident - as I think that has been handled very well by all concerned. However, I am just curious as to what happens when a player is fined. Does that money just remain in general coffers or does it go into a special account or fund and get put to a specific purpose? I'm just curious.

Also, and this is not 100% serious, if you get a chance to talk to MON can you please ask him to try and remeber to open his water bottle with his hands instead of his teeth during a match. I am always admonishing my children for doing it because it is bad for young teeth but I am sure it is bad for the teeth of a man MON's age too, and I'd hate to see him pull one of his choppers out while trying to prize open a particularly stubborn pop-top.

I know it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks, but it sets a bad example to all the little Villans out there.

Cheers General.

Captain Cook might have had a lazy cruise down the east coast in 1770, but the Dutchies passed us on the left hand side 150-odd years before that (1644 for this map):

Something called a Chayote, which we here in Aus call a Choko - which I believe is the sound you make trying to get the bastards down your gullet.

see here.

What you guys call courgettes - isn't there a Prince song about them (red ones?).

Oh, just looked that one up and it's a zucchini. Shame on you all for even including the magnificent zucchini on that list. It's a magnificent vegetable, very versatile for all sorts of cooking. Beautiful salted up and flame-grilled on the barbie.

And besides, thousands of lonely housewives couldn't be wrong could they?

I would have given 8 but subtract 1 for selling Maloney. Maloney was our back-up striker, like-for-like replacement for Ashley Young, and our next most creative player after Ash. It worries me slightly what we are going to do when Ashley is being rested, suspended or god forbid injured. Milner on left and Routledge on right?

I guess the potential silver lining in all this is that it will create some opportunities for kids like Delfouneso, Stieber and possibly even a kid like Sam Williams.

What about doing something with the old Talking Heads classic:

"Psycho Cuellar, Quest-ce que c'est?" etc

There was also one Ashes test match where the dismissal was:

Lillee, caught Willey, bowled Dilley.

Also, not clever per se, but one of the best commentary slips I have heard on the cricket was a simple Freudian slip by Ian Chappell. A batsman had just snicked the ball off the inside of the bat and missed the stumps by a millimetre and Chappell says:

"Ooh, that was a lucky French Cu*t" (insert "n" here).

I was just wondering what people think about our right-back situation. I have been searching through VT trying to find some discussion on it but my searches have been drawing a blank....

General, Bill Howell's gonna have a field day with that post

I think O'Neill should start sending Barry's fingers to Rafa in the post one by one to show he means business.

General

I really appreciated your response a few pages back - while this is a great act by the Villa, it is worth remembering that the kids and their families with what they go through are the real heroes in this picture. The health & wellbeing of our families is worth so much more than a game where 22 men kick a ball around and anything that can be done to ease the suffering and stress of these gutsy families is a real dose of perspective.

We need some euro nights at VP next season, we best not mess up against odense.

When was the last time the Villa was involved in any sort of penalty shoot-out?

Considering the mismatch in quality I agree the way Pompey approached the game was pretty appalling. But I guess winners are grinners and losers can do whinge all they like....

By all means shave but don't wear polyester undies or your crotch will get very itchy...

People calling Martin O'Neill British pisses me off more. He's Irish, people could at least give him the couteousy of getting his nationality right.

Villain is annoying too but I don't see it that ofter to be honest.

Q'est ce-que c'est? Last time I checked N.Ireland was part of the British Isles....

Makes him British in my book. Can see where you're coming from though :winkold:

I always thought it was the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland so...

Old Classic and fits his newly found role

He's here

he's there

he's every f***ing where

Ashley Young, Ashley Young

I hear MON sings that to him before the game as part of his match-day instructions :winkold:

Yes Please.

Although I would like to see an armed General Krulak in charge of team talks.

Man City are gone, Pompey are slipping too far behind. It think 4,5,6 will be decided by us, Everton and the Pool. I think we will probably be alright injury-wise unless something catastrophic happens, because unless I am mistaken there is only one game per week from here on in.

And who knows, if Routledge turns out to be the missing piece of the puzzle we might turn a few more draws into wins...

I think Liverpool will recover and take that 4th spot back, pushing Everton and us into 5th and 6th respectively.

I think West Ham are the dark horse. They are getting results, even with so many missing.

Ian Holloway described him as "Toad of Toad Hall". Pretty apt I'd say.

Americans make such sappy sheite when it comes to Christmas. Some of it is very puke-worthy.

Do bears have a Pope? If yes, then he DOES shit in the woods.

In fairness... if it was the other way around with those penalty incidents we'd be livid.. so I see where he's coming from..

But in football you have to adjust as the game goes on. They spent the rest of the game complaining that decisions weren't going their way.. while we just got on with it.

In fairness we have had about 10 of those shouts this year and how many pens have we been given?

One from memory from a clear as day handball in the first game of the season (which was quickly canceled out by a woeful free kick to Gerrard).

So if we don't get them and we don't give them away, I guess it all comes out in the wash.

I'm going to single out one player that has recevied a ton of stick this season. PETROV - well done. Played a good game and bled for the claret and blue today

I agree - despite the stick he has taken - especially from the boo-boys at VP, he looked every part the Villa player and was totally up for this game.

While there is probably some justifiable criticism of MON's "playing for places" philosophy, you'd have to say Petrov has really responded to it.

Gotta say my heart dropped a little when I saw it was Ridgey who put the ball in. Poor bugger.

We are bossing the midfield and they don't seem to have much clue in our half of the pitch. If we keep it nice and tight at the back (you listening Zat?) we will win this, and if Gabby and Carew can settle together a bit more we will win it well.

I have an inkling Petrov is close to a goal. Let's have it Stanny-boy!!