A.V.F.C

Quite embarrassed by some of our fans directly addressing Given, calling him shit, etc. I was never bowled over by Given when we signed him, I knew he was a good keeper and had been a great keeper but he'd had some long injuries at City and I thought he was winding towards the end, imagine my horror when we gave him a 5yr contract. We did that though, and despite a bit of a lengthy injury where Guzan came in, he has been generally good this season, on occasion exceptional. He wasn't fit or prepared for those Euros, he played because he was Shay Given, the whole squad were awful and the reality of that is because the team is crap on paper next to their competitors. Dunne was brilliant for Ireland in the run up to the tournament, how frequently we moaned when Irish members told us how quality he was playing, and how shit he continued to play for us. Given did fine for Villa, all that matters, this tournament means and proves nothing whatsoever. Lets give him a fighting chance without such a shower of **** shit in front of him and put the pitchforks away.

Quite the character this Wiz guy is. Seriously mate, why are you still on this forum. Lambert is gone, everyone bar your ridiculous fans knew it was over as soon as we went for him. What's sad is the obsession you've all got. Naturally, it is shit losing someone you clearly really want to keep, and who has brought your club from the pile of shit you were in league one to Premier League mid-table, but that's what happens in football. There is always a bigger fish unless your Real Madrid/Barcelona. 2 years ago you were in League One, if you genuinely believe Norwich have a better long term outlook than us then I applaud your positivity and sympathise with your delusion. Were I in your shoes I would not in a million years be on a Villa forum, why would you want to be here bathing in the positivity of a fanbase Norwich clearly have zero time for anymore. Were I you, i'd be off the forum and under a rock for the fact that one of the worst ever Villa teams was still a more attractive proposition than the best you have mustered for many a year. Even at our most inept, it was a simple and straightforward appointment for us. Again, were I in your shoes, i'd be trying to forget about it (having had my eyes opened about the stature of my club in the grand scheme of things). I am so tired of hearing the names Culverhouse/Karsa. If we can get Lambert then REST ASSURED we can get them if we want. The fact you are clinging onto his backroom team as some sort of face saver in this situation is pathetic and small time, much like the attitude of your whole **** club throughout this. We have him now, why on earth would we give two shits about Norwich or the views of your fans now that this is wrapped up, and why on earth would you want to associate with/extend said views to us. Keep your fat old striker who I am also tired of hearing about (but who is also clawing his way out of your club right now). Keep whoever you want, I am not alone in being entirely uninterested in signing any of your players. I hate taking this stance, I even feel a bit of a rocket polisher typing it, but sometimes facts and home truths are all thick fans respond to. Anyone we want from Norwich, with the right amount of money, we'll get. If we both bid for Kyle Naughton, he'll be in a Villa kit next season, you have had one season of finishing 12th, outside the Norwich bubble in East Anglia nobody gives a ****. Accept your role in football, embrace the great times you had with Lambert, and whilst nobody expects you to like him at least appreciate what he's done rather than suggesting desperate points or reasons why his rebuild may not work. Back your new manager, if you channeled as much effort and passion into that as you do into moaning about Villa then maybe you might just recover and continue to do fine. I can't predict the future, but in a couple of years 99/100 neutrals will expect to see Villa in this league. I reckon a quarter at best would say the same of you. This season will put you in your place. See where we both finish, see what we both invest, compare the quality and stature of who we bring in, and review it at the end. Then you will see why Lambert was completely right to grasp the chance as openly and enthusiastically as he did. While this is harsh reading, take solace from the fact it does happen to everyone. If under any unlikely circumstances Man City wanted Lambert in the future, I think all our fans would agree he'd more than likely take it.Footballs a bit shit like that. I know full well i'll react v.differently to the sad cases on your forums. Didn't see me on Sunderland forums when they were boning over Martin O'Neill, I wasn't irritating them by letting them know about his awful financial mismanagement and non-existent scouting system, because fans learn things for themselves and form their own opinions via what happens at their OWN club, not based on the bitter ramblings of the club the manager doesn't give a dam about anymore. Now **** off, grow up, and support Chris Hughton, to avoid me ever having to be such a superior rocket polisher again.

He was rumoured to have made v.disparaging comments about the fans and club under Houllier, obviously we aren't there so we never know but if you asked me to guess who the 'bad eggs' were, I'd probably predict him being one of them.

The squad is stale. The manager is **** rotten.

I hear that a lot but fact is, Wigan are shit, sell their best players each year, sign rogues for a pittance to replace them, and alaways stay up. Who actually cares how he does it, and what sequence he gets the job done, is it any better winning one losing three winning one, than just losing like 7/8 as he did then winning game after game at the end. Fact is he keeps one of if not THE worst premier league club up. How is irrelevant and a side talking point. He beat Man Utd, Arsenal (away) and Newcastle, won at Anfield to, we wouldn't suffer the same long runs as we have a better team. Their results are so false as well when you actually watch them aside from the odd mare they are always in the game and normally miss chances on the way.

Definitely want Roberto Martinez, think he's ideal. I do understand the reservations people have about him but I think he is ready for a step up and I think it could be a really successful pairing. Some of our technical players, Bannan, Ireland, Zog, just haven't been performing, I really think he'll be able to get the best out of them and play them to their strengths, Wigan create so many chances they just unfortunately have a lump of shit in Di Santo and a sporadic Sammon finishing them off, assuming we keep Darren I could see us being involved in some exciting matches and with Darren getting service that he thrives on. He'd prob bring Moses as well being as he's already refused to sign a new deal there. I think he'd do a really good job, I think he's a much more exciting prospect than Lambert as well.

Lennon really needs to be a banned discussion. He is a disgusting human being, and surely isn't ever gonna get the job.

He is overly lauded by some of our fans, that much is certain, but on the other hand he is being written off unfairly by some. It takes time to get used to the league, he wasn't given a chance this season despite having a decent pre-season in my eyes, where he featured quite a lot, so I was surprised with our squad as it was that he was allowed to leave. Everyone was well aware that Delph has suffered some serious injury problems. We were always going to end up short if we had injuries and the previous season dictated....we get injuries. We shouldn't have sold ourselves short in the way we did and there is no way Makoun could have played much worse than the majority of the side this season. If there is a decent new manager next season then I think we may see him again, and hopefully see the best of him because we were all very positive when he arrived here. I don't think Olympiakos have a clause to buy him and even so I am sure he will get some say, I reckon he'd be up for another try under new management, Olympiakos move strikes me as a 'what was there at the time' move. It's a shit league and who the hell wants to live in Greece atm anyway. It all relies on how quickly and decisively we sort this situation out, I am (rather hopefully I imagine) relying on us binning McLeish pretty much ASAP at the end of the season and making our move early for who we want next. The future of many relies on us fixing this early, we need to bin some of the serious shit in this squad and that relies on someone coming in quickly to evaluate and conclude they are shit so they can sell them. Just hope Lerner and the imp Faulkner don't piss around.

Many may well disagree buy i'd go for Chris Herd. I get the Ireland shouts but for me he could still do more, I expected him to chip in with more goals and we're yet to see the player that was so liked by many City fans. Ireland will always be contested against what we know him to be able to do and what we consider as good performances from him in our current plight. For me, Chris Herd came into the team, anyone saying they weren't apprehensive is lying. I don't think he's ever really let us down, he puts in the tackles and he's matured a lot as a player to the level where I feel he is missed in our line-up. He deserves to be discussed imo.

hallowed be thy name....

his boyhood team was actually arsenal so he isn't as big a fan as people think. I have a hard time believing this. That's because it's bullshit.

Marlon Harewood. Didier Agathe Chris Sutton Emile Heskey Eirik Bakke Wayne Routledge Nicky Shorey

Stan went from everybody's scapegoat and unable to get a game, and responded with the players/supporters player of the year awards and fought his way to club captain. It is a remarkable story and turnaround. I know he'll beat this. Top pro and what a nice bloke, if people do a little research they'll see just how much charity work he does himself. He doesn't deserve this but he will beat it.

Thank you. Some serious idiots on this site, obviously I am fully aware that we are in this position because of our own inability to win fixtures and, would you believe it, I know we play every side twice. There is definitely an element of luck when it comes to 2 fixtures in 3 days and one team is at home to a relegation candidate and one team is away to a Europa League candidate prior to the fixture where they meet, as there is an element of luck that a fixture we were positive about, was one we'd expect to win, is suddenly re-arranged because Muamba suffers a serious heart scare. The Bolton we play that day could well be a different proposition to the one we play. Also, I am not making excuses for McLeish, I dislike McLeish with intensity, it was merely an observation of when it rains it pours and looking at those remaining fixtures and their placement, it's going to pour.

Me and some of my mates from uni/brum are actually planning a big night on the date Heskey's contract expires. It expires on June 30th, a Saturday night, I'm buying a bottle of champagne, and we are going out to celebrate his lack of presence at the club, the absolute waste of time, money and space. Midnight of said date will be like New **** years.

I can't help but feel the fixtures are really against us at the moment. I think most of us were quite positive about the Bolton home game, was a good chance for back to back wins and then we could have gone to Arsenal in a better vain than we did. Obviously it was right to cancel it but just making the point that the rearrangement has put us in a more perilous position than we might have been with shit like Wigan winning at Anfield/Blackburn improved form etc. Then looked at the fixtures and saw that we play at Anfield on the 7th of April, then at home to Stoke on the 9th. Stoke was one of the few winnable games we had left and we face it after in all likeliness running around being smashed by Liverpool. Stoke have to contend with the same shit resting time but play Wolves at home before playing us, they have more squad options to rest because our seniors are dead. It feels like everything is conspiring to make this an absolutely miserable run in, we could well end up in 17th come the end (heres hoping it couldn't possibly be worse than 17th).

Gabby is not keen on Eck or Grant and is not happy at being put out wide all of time and is contemplating leaving Such shit stirring.

His time has come. End of the season should be a parting of the ways.

Completely agree. He is being made a scapegoat. He's shown quality in the past, they've all been **** shit this season, nobody has shone, they can't all be useless. He's devoid of confidence, like many of them, and our bad football doesn't suit any of our attacking options. He's a kid still really and he's one of our own, he cares about the club and we should be behind him.

I met Bannan last season, he was in Mechu on a night out with Kyle Walker and David Bentley was there. He didn't seem like he was being a cock then? Bentley on the other hand was trying it on with my manager.

People seem insistent that AZ are letting him go, what's this based on? Of all fanbases we should know after Barry and Young that you can want somenoe to stay however much you like but its in their hands if they sign. I doubt they are having a party about him leaving for a free to Aston Villa.

Welcome to Villa Brett, hopefully the move works out well and if it doesn't...well...we'll just sell him for more than we got him, which was for nothing. Hoping he can make an impact as part of the squad!

I'd be happy to see Gary get a run now. Lichaj has never particularly impressed me but if he can play LB i'd play my gran over Warnock who I sincerely hope we see the back of in summer. Gary looks to have something a bit special about him, we have a serious talent on our hands I reckon, so I really hope we nurture him in the correct way. Games now could have him ready to play a big part next season. I want Bannan to get more of a go most of all though, he's not always performed this year but he's got such a nice touch and passing range and he could get a lot of confidence if he got a run now.

It was great to see him score a goal, I think we were all really rooting for him and I for one went crazy when that went in, it felt a lot more than a 1-0 home win at Fulham after the disastrous 4 months of winning no home games. I like the academy group we have playing, I have a lot of time for Bannan, Herd, Gardner, Clark, Weimann. If anyone follows them on twitter they are a very close group of friends and I think this can help on the pitch.

It really depends on what happens in the remaining game, all the indications are that unless their is complete meltdown then Lerner will keep faith with McLeish. I think it was an awful and frankly quite insulting appointment. I don't hate McLeish, I just don't rate him and seriously think he lacks the nouse to do anything at a club like ours, he doesn't understand the club or the fans. That said, there is no doubt the negative atmosphere affects the club and the performances, it does at any club, i've avoided becoming embroiled in booing etc myself, that said I don't blame those that have as it was the only real means of letting the chairman know what the fans wanted and how unhappy they were. If he keeps his job in summer amongst all the current discontent then that is time to draw a line under the protesting against his position. It will be the first time in a while now that we've started a season with the same guy who finished the last. We cannot have another season of booing and misery, if he keeps his job we must take a step back, see who leaves and joins, and then get behind what I am sure will be a quite changed squad, I don't want new players coming to this club experiencing the worst of us, because we are a great influence on the team when we are all pulling in the same direction. I want us to be a success whoever is in charge and if a year of complaining and abuse hasn't got rid of him then nothing bar meltdown will, so we should change our approach and attitude.