The Fun Factory

This is our first proper genuine European tie at Villa Park for over 15 years when we drew with CSKA Moscow. A lot has happened then with stagnation, relegation, near administration, promotion, stability, and finally back to where we were a decade and a half ago. It has been some journey so we should try to appreciate tonight. We should play to the current players of Ajax, not the storied history of the club. A few linkages between the clubs. Cruyff's last game in England was at Villa Park with Barcelona in the Uefa cup. And arguably the entire philosophy of total football was started by the great coach Jimmy Hogan who coached Villa just before the outbreak of the Second World War. He influenced Rinus Michels who then managed Ajax and the Netherlands. I just hope we can put in a positive performance and do the business tonight.

I can't see how labour and materials will magically decrease in the next five years, unless someone invents a modular stand design and we bring in cheap overseas labour.

Just makes the decision to loan out Dendocker all the more baffling, unless we were so close to the FFP rules we had to get rid.

How difficult is it to get a reputable sponsor and clear branding? That is a fail for both for Villa this season.

It's usually restricting access on witton lane as that is where the away fans are. Like they used to do when we played Blues.

They must have a copy and paste no confidence letter on all of their laptops. Dear Sir or Madam I have come to the conclusion that our insert pm name, no longer carries the confidence of the conservative party. Yours etc.etc.

Starmer will do something to play on his man of the people stuff.

Him and Diaby have seem to become the whipping boys for some reason. He hasn't done as well as I hoped but hasn't been that bad, as a stop gap loan signing. A lot left in the season, he could play a big role.

Hmmm- I wonder why? Villa Stella Balti

No I love McGinn but that looked a straight red. He was just pissed off and made a stupid challenge.

Good luck! Normally I do but last train back for me is 11pm at Snow Hill so if it went all the way I would either have to miss extra time or find a nice bench. So the pleasure of the rush hour it is then.

I don't know why they even list a season ticket holder criteria on sale date as for all prem matches they get sold out before then. The only tickets I have managed to bag this season were in our short lived FA Cup run at Boro and the first Chelsea game.

Are you his agent? He is very much play only in the event of an emergency type player now. I expect we will pay off his contract in the summer as Emery doesn't rate him. He is probably on a good whack, so he is still here. Any move now will probably be a lower division and pay/

Yes and if you are planning to get home by train forget it.

It is quite sobering to think that our yearly wage bill is nearly double the original quoted cost of the new north stand.

CSKA/Stoke omnishambles. Please to the love of Mcgrath don't do this again Villa. What really annoyed me was not just blowing 4th, but letting Everton overtake us for 5th when we were the better side the entire season.

Before or after lock down? Wasn't that good, we were largely shite. Everton and Watford were good.

You mean public address system. Tannoy is a brand name.

People referring to food as scran and not being northern. Just stop it.

It's all been downhill ever since the Bartons closed. The two are interlinked cosmically.

Maybe not overrated as such but Kompany has done a poor job this season. Or if you are being kind he hasn't been given enough advise and guidance. They walked the championship last season and he hasn't really changed the system despite the massive jump up in quality. It was going to be a tough season for them but they gave failed miserably. Shef Utd have terrible owners but the set up at Burnley is decent. Dyche gave them crap football but did make them a fairly solid lower table prem side for a good few years.

And they have rebuilt it too, which is fairly unusual in Italy as most stadiums are still stuck in the 1980/90s.

Cate is obviously in the same location as Elvis and Lord Lucan in the middle of the Bermuda triangle. Clearly.

Yes but how many amateur photographers have a whole media team on standby? All very odd.

And that is why we haven't seem the Duchess of Cambridge for three months