paulanddonya

Well no more talk about injuries - because apart from NRC for Hogg I believe this is our strongest side. Freidal Young Dunne Collins Warnock Albrighton Bannan (NRC) Downing Ireland Gabby This year I would put Marc over Ash and Bannan over Petrov THIS IS IT (well the defence is open to question - Cueller and Clark have a shout over Dunne and Collins - but thats the managers choice - not injuries This is it - I expect ! (especially as they have a weakened side)

An interesting one for me, but a lot harder to judge is how is gary Mcallister doing ? I'll be honest, I thought when it was announced we had a "dreamteam" - Gerard with the experience, McAllister with the balls, Cowans with the brains. I've been very disappointed I got to be honest. Now, looking objectively - I think only time will tell with Gerard - I think we will have a better idea after Feb 1st. Sid - well the brains seem to be the high spot - Bannan came through Sid and seems a very classy player, same as Clark and Albrighton. I have also been impressed with Downing, his vision (nobody really mentioned his pass down the wing for our goal on Wednesday - it was superb). However, it's the balls that I see us lacking. Maybe I'm being too simplistic - but thats what I expected McAllister to excel at. Maybe I was just stereotyping him because he is scottish !

To be honest, I'd take the money for Young and buy n'Zogbia I'd put it this day At their best Young is a 9 out of 10 player N'Zogbia is an 8 out of 10 player However Young has that one game every 10 N'Zogbia has that game 6 in 10 Think he would be the better, and younger player long term !

I accept he has injuries, so I take this into account - but I'd still only say 40% I think there are certain things he could have sorted, and hasn't 40% - thus no I am not happy

However, having read a few pages about corruption - can I just point a few things out. Remember (around the mid-late 90's) Lennardt Johannson went up against Sepp Blatter for the Fifa presidency. Everyone knew then what Blatter was about, and the FA stated publicly they supported Johansson. Guess which FA changed the mind at the last second to vote for Blatter - I wonder why ? and then About 10 yrs ago, when the FA did a deal with Blatter that if Man U quite the FA CUp to play in the World Club Tornament - he would support the bid for the 2006 world cup. Guess what happened then. So WE have been just as bloody corrupt in these matters as every other nation. You never know, maybe that was the reason no-one voted - the "he who throws stones" proverb !

Forgetting the result - we all know it's corrupt and I don't know why everyone was so surprised. I mean - Qatar !, I can actually understand Russia, but bloody Australia must be well peed off !! Anyway , back to my post:- I want to say, as a) A football fanatic A lifetime Labour voter How absolutely proud I was of David Beckham and David Cameron yesterday. Beckham - tell you what - I'd have slept with him after that speech - I was in tears ! - the guy is a true gent, a true role model, a true ambassador - and he should be knighted for services to football and charity. Cameron - I don't care if he is a tory or not - he made me proud to be English. His speech, his manner, his delivery was absolutely spot on in every way. Can you imagine Gordon Brown standing up there doing that. We didn't win it - that's another debate - but bloody hell , our guys were good, and they deserve praise.

General , sorry forgot to ask and the above post reminded me. Forgetting the ins and outs of why he left, can I ask this Did MON / Villa sign an agreement not to release any details of the matter. This was common practice under Ellis, with everyone expecting JG to give us all the ongoings at VP when he left only for him to actually say in his own undeniable style "Do you think I;m gonna blow a million quid by telling you" I just find it really strange - for all we all know - Martin O'Neill could be lying under 10 feet of concrete under Spaghetti junction. Not a single person in football, media - NOWHERE - has seen or heard from him since. Not commentating on games, not sitting in stands, not even watching Celtic and his good friend Neil Lennon - absolutely ZILCH. Why ?

To be fair (and I'm with the bloke above about his political views) Cameron has probably got closer connections to the Villa than any of us. (and I bet we all wish we had done what he has down Villa Park) His uncle William Dugdale (Chairman for those who don't know, but I presume many do) took David down to many matches , whereby David sat in the directors box. Yeah - he probably hasn't been to many games since, but he clearly keeps an eye out for us. Can I ask a lot on here, especially the people from abroad - why did you support the Villa. Coz personally, apart from changing the line "sit in directors box" to "stood on the Holte End"- I supported us for the exact same reason. And many many of my mates (some who post on here) don't go down the game, and just listen / watch / or look for the results. They are still fans of Aston Villa I am labour through and through - but fair play to the guy. And you can also say - if it wasn't for his family, I wouldn't be sitting here at this very moment is a shirt that says "European Cup Final - Rotterdam"

Fair enough General - the past is as it says the past. So can I ask a question, and would hope you give an honest answer. It is now 28 days until the transfer window officially opens. Given that 5 of those days are bank holidays, and we will also have a hectic festive period to contend with. Can I ask , given that a) Gerard has made no secret of his desire to add players You, yourself (as well as many on here including me) have criticised the last manager for, the way we dealt with transfers - which was basically leaving everything to the last minute c) Clubs have already started to announce deals o sell / sign players with a view of it being made official on Jan 1st (Raul Fernandes to Nice, Van Damme from Wolves to Standard Liege, and man U have bought someone but I can't remember his name, sure it is a goalie) We are already in negotiations to buy the players we need. If, you say, everybody is pulling together then I would have thought a) Gerard would have announced which players he wants Randy would have agreed to finance them c) Paul Faulkner will already be talking to agents / clubs / agreeing fees. Because, we need players Jan 1st - I hated the way MON did transfers, and feel we missed out on players we desperately needed and could of got (Defoe, Bent, Sturridge, G Johnson (from Chelsea not Pompey) and a few more. I would hope we don't go down the same road again. And I seriously, seriously hope, come Feb 1st - I am not reading "It is difficult to buy players in January". I don't want you to name names - I just want you to assure me we are prepared, that we have already began taking steps, and we shall be addressing the areas that are desperately needed.

I just can't see anything other than a tonking to be honest. I know Gerrard and Carragher are out, but Carragher against Gabby would have been a liability anyway - and therefore, for them, I reckon that is a blessing. They have had a poor season, but even then, their home form is good, add to the fact Torres against Dunne / Collins is laughable. Kuty will be too strong for our midfield. I'm expecting 4-0 The only saving grace I can see is that the clubs below us have got sod all chance of winning either !

Honeymoon = OVER ! You go on about Gerard doing a remarkable job. Sorry, as said above, it was not Gerard it was YOU who came on here stating "sell to buy" well, General - the board have shown what that means. Disgusting. and you are right - it's not Gerards fault - it is THE BOARDS Having lived by one of the Villa greats - Gary Shaw, and spoken to him on many occasions, I once said about how Graham Turner ruined the club. His response - "don't blame Turner, blame Doug Ellis - Turner was told to get rid of all the high wage earners. Well that sounds familiar doesn't it. And the "kids" that took over - well some of them went onto great careers - unfortunately, not at our club - because they left as well soon afterwards and left this club in Division 2. History seems to be repeating itself. Oh - and if you don't believe me about the above story - go and speak to our first team coach because he was one that was sold !!!!

Sorry Gen but I dont agree - if Houllier is trying to be a Chess master he is clearly failing. Don't get me wrong - I can see what he is attempting to do - ie: make us a better passing side, and as with the team that destroyed us today - attempt to keep the ball for long periods. However, you can't win the Formula 1 Championship or NASCAR series driving a 48 tonne truck ! He doesn't have the players to do that General ! - in time, he may buy them, but you cannot get Richard Dunne and James Collins to suddenly become Bobby Moore. Thus, he has, in the space of three months took what was a no-nonsense solid defence (what I would call an old fashioned "you don't score from row Z" defence) to an utter shambles ! And lo-and-behold - we are fighting relegation. Now, lets take for example Owen Coyle - who played a passing, very attractive style at Burnley that even in the Championship were beating the likes of Spurs and Man U !. He went to Bolton and took over the masters of Hoof ball - but has he tried turning Kevin Davies into Ronaldo ? - has he tried to turn Gary Cahill into Paulo Maldini - has he heck ! He has played to Bolton's strengths whilst he slowly buys his own players so he can change it gradually. Sorry General - I've said it before, I am now sick of the spin - I want action. And it is sodding obvious what the Villa have needed for 4 yrs, and for 4 yrs you have said "MON sees what you see" "Gerard sees what you see" and now above "Randy sees what you see" So one question If you can all see it - why haven't you done something about it ? and I know I am like a stuck record but I will say it until it sinks in - and if you don't know what I mean - look it up. The non-signing on Darren Bent was our Juninho moment Our chance for 10 yrs has gone ! You know - I was no Martin O'Neill lover - but I am absolutely amazed his name has not been chanted at Villa Park yet - lose Wednesday and I will guarentee it will be next game ! Oh Gen - before I forget - injuries ? Weren't Arsenal missing Fabregas, Van Persie, Walcott, Vermaalen, Diaby, Eboue today, so please don't use our injuries as an excuse for today ! Lets face it, even with a fully fit squad, the only players we would have had back in the line up today was Gabby, NRC and maybe Petrov (however that one has to be debated as Clark and Bannan would surely stake a claim to that spot at the moment) Oh and if you say Albrighton - so who you gonna drop - Ashley Young ? - apparently the manager thinks he is worth 80 million !

I seriously cannot beieve people on here think that was anything near acceptable today. I've just read four pages of "we werent that bad", "Warnock was solid" "Got to give them time" and so on.... Can you wake the f... up !!!! - we have played 15 games - and won 2 - putting us 6th from borrom - 3 points out the relegation zone !! WE ARE ABSOLUTE SHITE !!!!! And I am sick of the excuses as well. Lets look Friedal , L Young, Dunne, Collins, Warnock, A Young, Downing, Carew THAT IS 8 OF LAST YEARS STARTING 11 !!!! And I tell you what, player for player Pires is better than Petrov so that one can't even be used ! You are all banging on - "We need NRC" "We need Albrighton" - WELL WE SODDING DIDN'T LAST SEASON !. We were an embarassment to football in the first half, it must have been getting towards 90% possession for Arsenal. The only miracle was it took them 4- minutes. And the guess what - A LAST MINUTE GOAL - I wonder where we have seen that before ! 2nd Half - yea it looked better, but only coz Arsenal were trying to outdo Brazil 1970 in the goal charts - so many times they were through and tried to pass 30 times without putting it in the net. We got a goal out of nothin, then guess what, Arsenal took it seriously and scored within 3 minutes !. Then they took the pee again, and we got another goal out of nothing, and then guess what - A LAST MINUTE GOAL AGAIN !. Absolutely shocking. We are in for a relegation dogfight. Wigan will be below us, but I tell you this, I ain't confident the others will be ! MOTM - Delfonousu - who at least actually tried to look like he knew what the job of a forward was ! Oh - by the way, quizz question - our 80 million pound player - when was the last time he scored in the Premier from open play - coz from what I reckon it was the Everton last minute goal - and that was 3 years ago !

Come on AVFC - you're just being ridiculous now. Before they scored the first, they had free kick after free kick banged in, most of which Fredial was muscled out (sometimes by our own players), it was just a matter of time before one went in. If you can't see that, then sorry mate, you are short sited. Coupled with the Diouf miss, the Richard Dunne mircale tackle and many more, it could have been a rout. And this is Blackburn we are talking about not sodding barcelona We have played Blackpool, Wolves, West Ham, Blues (home), Blackburn, Newcastle, Stoke, Sunderland And we are 3 points off the relegation zone - THAT is worrying. And the most worrying for me, is who the hell will join us in January now. I know football isn't played on paper, but come on, how many points do you think we will get out of Arsenal and Liverpool. We will then be 3 weeks from the transfer window possibly, or maybe probably in the relegation zone. And we think we have a chance of Benzama ! we couldn't even attract Bennie from Crossroads if we are near the bottom 3 !

Well Pederson got two. Diouf had a one on one and he also missed a header (somehow) from two yards when he only had to put it in an empty net (should join us - he'd fit in !) So that is 4 absolute clear cut chances just from Diouf and Pederson ! Us, two long range efforts from Downing that no one followed in (when 10 yr old strikers are tought to do just that !) an Ash header against the bar - thats it really I can think of. I cannot believe we are three points off the bottom 3, have got 4 points away from home by December. The much forelorned Marlon Harewood has scored more goals than our entire forward line put together, we have a starting line up with players like Jonathan Hogg in it - a bench consisting of 5 kids, all under 20, a goalie and a 37yrs old And people seem content ! tell you what, Collins header in the last minute could be th emost crucial goal of this season, without that, we'd be 4th from bottom !

I will tell you why its the boards fault shall i. Coz Mon quit on Aug 5th. Everyone with any sense said on here at the time, an appointment wouldnt be made until it was too late for any transfers, and guess what happened. So don't slag off injuries, their short sightedness and the infamous sell to buy policy has now come home to roost. WE ARE ONE LOSS FROM THE RELEGATIO ZONE - FOR F SAKE WAKE UP AND REALISE IT AND STOP COMING OUT WITH THIS THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT CRAP Listen, i didnt expect miracles from houllier but i certainly didnt expect this. Oh and by the way, apparently we are missing cueller who played right back last season when no one could see why, nrc who never played last season, delph ditto, heskey ditto, sidwell ditto, etc... The only players who played a significant part in he last few seasons were petrov, carew and gabby. Put those with milner in that side AND THAT WAS LAST YEARS FIRST CHOICE SIDE so dont start this crap that we are crippled

Utterly disgraceful, inept and disinterested performance. Where do you start. Another last minute goal for a start, truly unprofessional, how many games has it happened ?. Ireland was an utter disgrace, if he don't want to be here then just let him go. Bannan was only one ho looked anywhere near interested. After 27yrs a sason ticket holder and someone who has been to over 500 away games at 62 grounds, it is getting to the point where i am wondering whether there is more to life than this. Could be bottom 6 tomorrow after a third of the season, with arsenal and anfield to come. Can I ask where was the bright future pldge, coz all i see is good old yankee spin. The future could be bright, then again we may sell our promising youngsters to balance the books, Cahill, Milner and Barry and more than likely Young don't fill me with much hope

I'm not going to get over excited - and it's nothing to do with Nathan - it's just how many times have we been in this position before only for it to fizzle out. Moore x 2, Vassell, Byfield and many before. So I'll keep a level head and say there is clearly something there. Every time I thik "This kid just isn't gonna cut it" he bangs in a goal - thus, give it 3 or 4 yrs he could be our Drogba or Torres But then again, he could be playing for Walsall ! Only thing I will say is I hope Houllier has the guts to play him alongside Gabby with Young back on the wing (giving Marc a rest). I think most of us thought we would see Gabby / Fonz as our strikeforce this season - I would love him to try it. However, I get the feeling everything is being done (to Villa's detriment) to give Young what he wants at the moment so I erckon we will only see Fonz for the odd 15 minutes here and there. Shame

Cant believe we are talking this way in the first week of November, but it really is must win game! Comfortable win by 3 or more, we are above Spurs and can start planning for january. A win on any kind and it will at least (or should) put us top half, and only a matter of goals from the Top 8 - which, lets face it, is the minimum we should be looking at. Anything other than a win and we really will be looking at a lower half / relegation battle. However, optimism overcomes me - 4-0 ! (I agree wih dropping Ash - or very least putting him back on the wing. I would lik eto know how many goals he has scored from open play, and when the last one was, Everton away i nthe last minute springs to mind and how long ago was that !)

The BBC News room are on strike - maybe the cleaners are doing it !!!

Funny that - coz I've just said to me dad. For those who can remember the end months of Dwight Yorke - the same is happening ! Young is anchoring for a move / a ridiculous wage increase. He started the "I want to be....." last season, he's doing less and less... The next will be his agent saying he wants to talk to other clubs. Hard decision to make - we have downing and Albrighton - maybe its the time to cash in.Coz one things for certain, on current form, Ash should not even be in the team at the moment !

oh yes, because its the boards fault we didn't take our chances, its the boards fault albrighton gave away a stupid freekick and its the boards fault we cannot see out the game I have got to say (as I have done in the Generals thread) - they have to take some / or maybe even a lot more of the blame. 4 yrs we have needed a striker - 4yrs the manager didn't fix it, and 4 yrs we were told "The manager knows what he needs" Well for 4 yrs the manager whould have been told what he was being paid for - if I (or anyone else on here) wasn't doing something right at work, and continually didn't take action - their bosses would !!!!

Only one word fot it............... Predictable ! How many times have we done it !

General It's kind of the same as above really. We are at the moment winning 1-0 so fantastic. However, again its Magic Marc that scored - who scored our last goal, some 397 minutes earlier. Apparently, Heskey is in the form of career, and yet, in November - he is on 3 goals ! - three goals in 4 months is the best form of his career ?. Now, each time I have raised this in 4 yrs (our lack of strikers) you have said the same thing "MON is watching what you are watching, he knows what we need". Well, quite clearly, he didn't. THEN, we have, as above, the Ireland deal - and thats put beautifully above so no need for me to go further. Then, when I raised our lack of strikeforce last week you said "Houllier knows what we need". Well, my observation is this. From May 2006 (was it ?) I have supported the board, and, each time, I have questioned MON about ridiculous transfers, and, not addressing what we all could see (RB , Forward etc.) I am always supporting the board to my friends I go with, who think I am just gullible, and taken in by the famed American Spin machine. Well there is another 56 days until we find out who is actually right. January - I want answers !. If we do not address what we have all seen for 4 years, then it will clearly show that the fault was the board and not the manager. I blamed MON, but then you left yourselves open by buying Ireland without a manager, so, you have got to ask the questions - who actually bought Sidwell, who actually bought Carew, whose decision was it to sell Cahill etc... And please don't give the "Its hard signing players in january" rubbish - Its time for answers. And this isn't in temper - we are winning !. I have never seen our squad so threadbare - Bannan, Albrighton and Clark (a defender) in midfield - Delfonouso up front. No matter what the result - that is shocking. Time may tell that these are the golden generation and we win the league with them. The point is, the manager should be allowed to play them when he feels the time is right - not forced into it because we haven't got anybody else.

Fine lines ! Now I know he spent 11m quid on him once, but although w haven't played well in the last two games if Mr Heskey had put two absolute bloody sitters away we would be sitting here in 3rd and a cup quarter final. He has said, he is happy with our defence, we are solid and has said himself we have conceeded an own goal and a last minute goal in our last 6 games. He also said Ash likes playing up front but he prefers him on the left wing. He also said we don't score enough goals (and we all know our main forward is out) He also said you would have to be blind not to see we need players in certain positions. So I tell you what , lets wait until he ahs had time to play a starting 11 that he actually wants to, instead of being forced to. Progress yes - because although things are not right, I can see and hear that the manager actually knows it, and will attempt to put it right. And with MON - I didn't !