DublinVilla

I know top 5 has been effectively secured for a few weeks now but after tonight’s result we are now mathematically guaranteed top 6. Again before anyone jumps on this, I know it’s been a certainty for a while now, but to have it mathematically sealed in mid April with 4 games left to play is just wild to me! What a season this is.

Not a fan of this underhanded tactic, as already pointed out by many above, there is one reason and one reason only for this change and that’s to capture those who forget. It also means they don’t need to incentivise renewal. Last year there was an offer if you renewed early you got a few quid off (around 20% I think), this made it worth my while for our 3 memberships as it effectively covered the huge postage cost that comes with being an overseas member, with this change its unlikely we will see similar offers again. Will I renew anyway? Yeah probably. Has it pi**ed me off? Definitely. Another step in the “customers, not fans” direction.

Also being on a Monday night could be quite beneficial, if we beat Lille on Thursday, as we will then be playing the conference league semi final second leg the Thursday before so the extra day of recovery will be very welcome before that game.

There’s no dropping into it next year with the new format.

Hadn’t really thought of it before but having a link with Comcast could be quite valuable, as owners of Sky, they must have some influence on what games they choose to show and if I’m not mistaken don’t we get more money they more we are shown? Could they drive up our revenue my ensuring more of our games are chosen for TV coverage? Probably wishful thinking on my part as Sky haven’t shown any change in their opinion (dislike) of us since the takeover!

It’s factoring in 5 CL places, so essentially saying there’s a >99% chance they will finish top 5, which there is.

Nothing dodgy about this at all….. Not sure how they can tell him he can only sign for Chelsea if PSG have triggered his release clause.

They play Leeds in Oz in July not June so he should be there.

Keep seeing this but that’s only for domestic loans of which we have none. Our current loans are international so don’t count to that limit of 2. So we absolutely could loan him in if we wanted to.

Signed up 15th July. So far received Cub, still waiting on Claret and Little Villans packs. As has already been said here, considering how well the club appears to be ran now in many areas, the entire membership process, from signing up, and activating memberships for kids etc is appalling. Hopefully the club improve this area in the future.

“If” Grealish departs…..they’ve changed their tune a little. More false hope I’m sure but bread crumbs!

I used the contact email address and got the below back! Email address was membership.help@avfc.co.uk but apparently I’m meant to know that this isn’t actually a Villa email address. He even signs it off as AVFC. Obviously it’s outsourced but this type of reply is nonsense. Maybe the club need to reconsider the amateur outfit they are outsourcing this to. How hard would it be for him to even forward my email to the ticket office. It was a pretty standard query to be fair, or at least I thought it was!

Thanks for that, sent them off an email so hopefully they can sort it. A family membership option would make things like this so much easier. Thanks again

It’s a pretty awful system. And not family friendly at all. Set up membership for my two young boys, got around the silly email rule by using + and their name on my gmail address but no matter how many times I try to “link their fan ID” it just loops and loops and doesn’t work. They are too young to have ever been before so had to set up new fan ID for both but no matter what I do I can’t get back to the page where you enter the Fan ID number to link it. Almost regret buying them a membership now! (Well I say them, it’s really for me to start subliminally pointing them towards villa at a young age by getting the birthday card and Christmas card from the club for them!) Any tips on getting out of the endless loop would be much appreciated!

How would that work after Brexit? Would having an EU passport make getting a work permit easier at that point? I know it’s a standard process now but curious if it will have any benefit from next year on. Either way, if this rumour is true then I still think it is great for us even if it is just for youth development.

Can't see it being a legit account. Sure didn't he say a few years ago that he didn't want to be called gabby that he wanted to be called Gabriel. Or am I imagining that? If that was the case why would he set up his account as gabby. That and I don't see what he has to gain with lambert gone. He was a regular under lambert and you'd have to assume his position is under serious pressure with a new man coming in given his lack of productivity.

It's one thing starting Bacuna ahead of Lowton but I don't understand not having Lowton on the bench if he's not injured. No cover for centre back which seems mad with the amount of injuries we've had in that position.

Just seen the rovers line up and Enda has been left out, gone for the more experienced Patterson. In fairness to Enda he's only played a couple of games since losing his sister.

Honest answer, no he's not, but how many 21 year old full backs are stand outs in any league. It's not a position that grabs the headlines too often. He's a player with great potential, whether he fulfills that potential remains to be seen but he's a great attitude and gives his all and also has a great cross on him. Tune in tonight to see him first hand yourself, I just hope this place isn't overrun with negatives if he makes a mistake!

Posted this in the Transfer speculation thread, got a bit lost in there tho with all the mayhem deadline day brings, to see him in action follow the link at the bottom, highlights start about a minute in. Thanks for that. Do you think he could ever be moved further up the pitch like Coleman has seen as you mentioned his attacking abilities, or do you think he is best as a defender? Hard to say really, had never really thought about it to be honest. He could probably do a job in a 4-4-2 but not so sure with villas current formations. He doesnt tend to take on players too much, more looks for the give and go on the overlap so to play left mid i'm not so sure. I think he definately has what it takes to be a good defender but definately needs some work in this regard. I think the experience he has gained in his 10 european games with us over the last two seasons have done him the world of good and the next 6 games will help his development a lot, he has also come on a lot since Jim Magilton came into the coaching staff so i would think that working daily with top coaches and top pro's can only make him better, remember Rovers are only part time. Take a look at the highlights here ( http://tiny.cc/89bc2 ), its at the start of the show, particularly the accuracy of his cross for Turners header.