shambles

Just like last year this is as much about weakening their rivals as it is strengthening their own squad. 2 seasons in a row we lose our best player. Nice.

The new kit is hideous, especially Brads yellow goalkeeping jersey. Nike have done a number on us here.

About time someone realised starvation is the best way to shake people up a bit. Let's bring back workhouses for the destitute too. D-Cam rolling back the years. :adore:

We're already going down that road mate. We've been making parts for wind turbines recently. Price is becoming less of an issue too, as China has seen cost increases in raw materials, labour and processing too. There is also the case that people can't wait 3 months for their bits and then have to throw a third of them away when they get them. We pick up a lot of short lead time stuff on which we make nice margins. I see this all over the West Midlands, people are still making a living in manufacturing by being innovative. Unfortunately, one thing this area has not done very well since the days of Joe Chamberlain is sell itself and what it is good at. Whereas Manchester is all "look at me, look at how great and cosmopolitan I am, come and locate your business here because its great for business and we're going to be the second city etc etc", the West Midlands and it's residents just quietly do their thing. If we could let other people know what we can do and how we can still help them then we can again take the lead in what will be the next industrial revolution in the UK.

I work in Engineering and I've sat here for the last 10 years and watched business after business either move it's supply base to China or fold completely. This area has lost Rover and LDV in the last 5 years alone and god knows how may of their suppliers. Labour supporters should not get all high and mighty about other parties not supporting manufacturing, especially not on a forum on which a large percentage of the users will be Brummies whose families and friends have been affected by their party looking the other way while the regions largest employers closed their doors.

Villa all the way. Villa winning the league cup this year would have brought more joy to my household than England winning the WC.

Scottish Munchy Box 8)

PMSL, a Labour supporter moaning about another party not keeping it's promises.

Willie Walsh.

But by not pulling in the reins, you are prolonging the inevitable. It's like borrowing money to pay your mortgage. At some point, you have to stop and take the consequences of not paying it on the chin. We don't have the money to keep spending to support the economy. For the last 10 years as a nation, we have lived beyond our means. lets not forget which party encouraged this policy and blame Gordon, don't blame Cameron. In some respects, he's been given the poisoned chalice.

I expect this to happen. And we are going back to the dark days of the 1980s with millions unemployed. I'd be very worried if I were a civil servant right now. But after 13 years of Labour, we've already got millions unemployed :? In fact, it's worse now than then due to the horrific number of people who are not included in the figures, i.e. people who are not 'economically active' - not looking for work, which I believe includes the horrifically large number of people claiming disability benefits and the long term unemployed. As for your line about civil servants, I think the axe will fall sooner rather than later. Someone has to pay for their £40k a year and gold plated pensions as the state doesn't generate money for itself; and as it hasn't exactly helped private enterprise and industry very much (particularly manufacturing) -other than banks- we need to pull the reigns in. What annoys me is that the Tories will now take the blame for the mess Labour created, and every civil servant made unemployed will point to David Cameron instead of Gordon Brown for his mismanagement of public finances.

Coach Wren

What do you mean by 'on the verge of'? We already are broke.

Crikey. One would hope they were doing that anyway!

Hi General, I saw online that this seasons replica kits have been reduced in price to £20. Not wanting to pay £5 carriage as I only live a short drive away, I nipped down to VP after work on Friday afternoon and they are still full price in the Villa Village at £36. The guy in the shop didn't seem to know when they would be reduced in line with the online store. I don't really want to pay £5 carriage for something I am able to collect, but neither do I want to pay full price for something that is nearly half price online. Is it just a case that I'm going to have to choose between the lesser of two evils?

Who says Brown will be head of the Labour party much longer?

Saw that briefly on Sky news this morning, what happened? I'd be interested to see what time these people converged on the polling stations. I'll reserve judgement for the time being. some of them went back a few times throughout the night, as the queues were so long. You shouldn't have to queue for an hour or more to vote. Shocking :shock: I that's the case then I agree it's abysmal. I had to wait about 15 minutes FWIW and that was at about 5.30 pm so not too bad.

Saw that briefly on Sky news this morning, what happened? I'd be interested to see what time these people converged on the polling stations. I'll reserve judgement for the time being.

Because he knows that had the boot been on the other foot you wouldn't have shown your face again until next season.

If Downing hadn't stood there ball watching and actually tried to get the ball or block the shot it'd still be 1 each. The bloke shows about as much fight as a manatee.

Came here to ask this very same thing. We all know RJW63 is a well known but I don't think it's fair for it to be advertised in front of 42000 people.

Dunney, no improvement on Zat Shite?

To be fair, this is probably the only fixture of the season which is like this. It's utterly ridiculous. All this is caused by probably less than 50 mindless idiots (out of 42,000 attendees) who probably don't bother attending any other games all season anyway and are only there to stir shit and hassle the police.

Cracking penalty. Right, Petrov and Gabby off, Reo and Fonz on now. Hull are down and out, we need to have an eye on the filth on Sunday.

Just said on the stream I'm watching that JVOH has come round and being taken to hospital after being knocked out. Hope he's OK.