The Fun Factory

Like the old days waiting for the scores to update on Ceefax.

Contact Nicky Keye.

Damm it, missed the 300 page spectacular. Was it as good as I imagined it would be?

Is the Barkley link from anything at all? I thought he was playing fairly regularly for Chelsea now.

Good got rid of some dead wood and wages. Championship is probably his level. It was a stupid signing as Bruce never, ever, played to his strengths.

So what did happen in Copenhagen? Replace nuclear physicts with aston villa players.

Didn't NTL buy into Villa in the late Doug years? Strangely fairly soon after that they got bought out.

He will end at someone insipid like Everton.

Is the Traoe interest just a tactic to move this one along?

Quoting the much maligned David O'Leary I think sometimes we are a bit fickle. We don't seem to give players a second chance if they have a couple of bad games, the new person is always better until they become rubbish as well. We need to build a strong squad and I think AEG can help to that. Does that mean he should always be first choice? No but competition for places is important. He scored 6 goals, 4 in the league last year in a low scoring and struggling side.

I think we should give him another year. It was a difficult season for all last season. I admit I thought he would have adapted better to the prem given his record playing at Ajax and Lille but he was not very consistent. Look he is 25, didn't cost a lot and scored one of most important goals in our clubs history. Give the lad a break.

That's pretty close to my standard work posture nowadays...

I am fairly confident he is slightly more professional than Bozzie.

Friedel was really good, it was just the fact that he was never going to be a long term option as he was old. Fair play to him he kept himself fit and was playing for Spurs into his 40s. Since then we have had a lot of keepers who have been mixed bag. Brad Jnr had his moments but he could't really organise the defence. Good shot stopper but his confidence totally went at the end. He was kept busy as the team was shite. Gollini we never gave him the chance. Johnstone was a solid keeper but his kicking was awful. Tbh he looks just a decent championshio goalie. Then loads since. Heaton would have been good but yet another injury for him. Its a good chance to have someone behind the sticks for 4-5 years and to build a team now.

Yes Given was disappointing. It was crazy to give a 35 yr old who was already showing signs of decline a 5 year contract. Again Heaton on paper a good signing but well into his 30s with a couple of injuries already. Tommy Sorensen was a good keeper, he was a victim of MON of getting rid of all the existing players to bring in his lads. Tommy, Aaron Hughes, Steve Davis and JPA could have easily have been kept on but hey ho all in the past. Feel a bit sorry for Heaton but they must have big concerns for his rehab to bring in Martinez.

Friedel was a good signing but he was already well into his 30s when we signed him. Same for Given. David James?

I think this and Jack signing his new contract have made people sit up and take notice over what is going on at B6.

Bonetti lives on.

Welcome Emiliano. Hopefully he will turn out more like Jimmy Rimmer rather than Stuart Taylor.

Oh whoops. I meant Ollie. Not Ray coming back from the dead. RIP.

Are we going to see a Dublin like start to his Villa career?

A footballer rather than an athlete. About 20 years ago he would look quality but doesn't have the pace or natural strength to make it at the top. Going off topic a bit but should football be like that? Its all pressing and work rate and less about skills. Starting to ramble a bit here.

Mucky can be sexy. Well that's what my browsing history suggests.

Slightly reminds of Le Tiss at Southampton. I hope we can get some better players moving forward so we are not just scrapping to stay up every year.

No its fair enough. Its good that he is ambitious and if the board and Deano were not able to show the same ambition, he would want to leave. I think that is fair enough, I don't want any player just to coast along at Villa. The project is there for all to see and that is to make Aston Villa a force again in English football.