danceoftheshamen

Regarding the fan base & the attendances under MON i don't believe that we really ever saw the full potential of that. I know quite a few Villa fans who were right on the brink of starting to go up regularly again but then things started to sour & it put them off again. These aren't glory hunters they are Villa fans who basically stopped going because of Ellis & the dismal 25 years we suffered after winning the European cup etc... Talk about an anticlimax!.. The problem is that for such a "large" club we have consistently under achieved ever since those heady days apart from the odd flicker here & there. This has in my opinion distanced the club from it's fanbase to a point. Many are simply fed up, sick of false dawn after false dawn & broken promise after broken promise & it will take something significant to awaken that fan base fully again. A cup win or top 4 finish even would help. In my memory Villa have always had a marque player or two as well. Ginola, Yorke, Bruce Rioch, Andy Gray the list is long...But if you starve someone long enough their stomach shrinks... & to me this is what happened to Villa's fan base.. they couldn;t stomach the monotony anymore and attendances along with interest were waning. So then Finally!!. After a quarter of a century in which we had to endure a shocking lack of ambition displayed by the previous chairman... Finally he sold up!.. To a Billionaire!! The future was bright the history was proud & the lion was about to awaken again... All the fans needed was a bit of evidence now.. many started to come back straight away many others like the ones i mentioned earlier were a touch more cautious having had there belief battered for over two and a half decades. They wanted to believe but just wanted a bit of evidence first maybe?!... It started ok too, A few 6th place finishes were ok, not brilliant but ok but then when qualifying for Europe we strangley kept throwing in the towel?! So it never quite happened really in my opinion & the football was pretty ordinary too in all honesty. Then just as quickly as things were flickering into life & people were daring to believe again...Disaster! Randy pulled the plug..finito! .. Thats yer lot!... Mon walked & the rest is history (although not of the proud kind). So it was finished just before it actually got started properly. Now it's even worse if anything than Pre Lerner.. Yet another huge let down for the fanbase & this time it could be terminal for many.... What a shame!

Having slept on it (Kind of) it just looks now as the Everton draw was a very good point in reality but has also highlighted that we need really around 4 goals to win a game due to how shockingly bad the defence is. That is undoable in the Premier League so sadly, i fear we are doomed.. despite what was really a good point. We have 39 points left to play for & we need around 18,19 or 20. So we can lose no more than 19 or 20 points from here on in... Thing is 4 losses & 4 draws has us losing 20 points!.. thats a scary thought! Though 5 wins & 4 draws takes us to 40 points!

Villa are like an an inverted version of the saying "Every cloud has a silver lining".. It's more like "Every chink of light has clouds attached to it".. 2-1 up with minutes to go at Swansea...Draw... 2-0 up at the Hawthorns...draw!... 2-0 up at home to Man U..Lose, & now the latest installment... 3-1 up with minutes to go... Draw! You just cannot sustain that amount of cock ups & expect to survive in the Premier League.

I would too goota say it's highly unlikely though.. every man & his dog will be after him i should think... His Agent will no doubt pressure him & then of course we have Randy "Flog em quick" Lerner to contend with.

That was our chance & surprise surprise this lot screwed it up... Yes of course a draw at Everton on the face of it is a decent result but to lose in that manner....Again!... Is pathetic whoever the opposition. How long has it been since we were 2-0 ahead with 2 minutes to go? Doesn't happen often & doubt it will happen very often in the next 13 games either.... We had to win that to help make up for the losses against Wigan, Newcastle & Southampton.... We need wins not draws & to throw 2 points away like that in our predicament is shameful.

They just cannot do it can they... Never have i before seen a team that no matter who they are playing & no matter how strong a position they find themselves in during a match & no matter how little time is left in that match, they will always but always find a way to **** IT UP! Watching this lot is the most frustrating thing i have ever had the misfortune to do...ffing numpties!

That was actually a good result for us today.. Last thing we wanted was QPR getting on a massive high by winning there first game after buying their 3rd new team in a year...They needed to win that today as they have the hardest run in of any of us. If only we could somehow get a lucky win today ...(Lifts shoulders & lets out a huge ....Sigh!)

Just been comparing the games from the Prem to those in the Championship Obviously we would miss the massive games against Man U, City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs, Everton, etc But when you look at the rest??? PREM (Compared to) CHAMPIONSHIP Wigan....................................................Bolton Southampton.........................................Brighton QPR......................................................Leeds Utd Stoke.....................................................Derby Reading.................................................Blackburn Sunderland............................................Middlesboro WBA.......................................................Wolves Fulham...................................................SHA Norwich..................................................Ipswich Newcastle..............................................Sheffield Wed West Ham..............................................Nottm Forest Are they really that much worse? I feel there could even be a case for saying there are more exciting games there than the Prem ones?

Well probably not but even so the point still stands... If Uefa are going to dish this stuff out they are potentially putting some clubs at risk whilst allowing others to carry on regardless & not bringing them to book as a result... Surely that opens the door for compensation?

So if we get relegated through being the only club abiding by the FFP regulations (How typical Villa is that) then when we lose out on a 70m windfall as a result due to other clubs blatantly flouting those rules at our expense & UEFA do what its highly likely they will do, "nothing whatsoever", apart from a few pathetic "Oooh there are a few naughty boys out there stop it else we'll tell you off & hurl a few harmless threats at you...(Now where's our backhander?!)" comments, Will we as a result of the damage caused be able to put in a claim to them for damages? I mean surely if we lose out on 70m as a result of them telling us to do one thing & then not punishing those clubs who don't do it giving them an unfair advantage, it is only right that they compensate us right?

Sigh.... & to think i was there that night... scary

Do we know when his contract runs out? That'll be even more space on the wage bill although we must only be paying part of his wages surely?

I agree that we would be decent at that level.. the players who it's clear were bought with this possibility in mind would have had a season to settle in & adjust. I agree we would lose Benteke for sure Dunne for sure Not sure about Gabby Given possibly Nzog i think would want out but may get no takers Ireland hmmm How long has he got now on his contract? Dawkins likely would go back to Spurs too. I actually think Guzan would stay as would Vlaar unless he gets pushed away by a call from Holland saying he must be playing at the highest level or to get considered or something. As for the rest? Well i would hope that Weimann would stay but of course we could lose him too.. Maybe if he was given a good new contract & told he would be the mainstay of the attack? But the thing is we would surely be the biggest & wealthiest club in the Championship? So yeah we should be able to attract some decent players & i do think we would have a better chance than most to get promoted. Team: ......................Guzan Lowton.....Vlaar.....Baker.....Bennett Albrighton...Sylla....Westwood....Gabby ............Weimann.....Bowery Subs: New GK?? Stevens, KEA, new Striker? Clark, Bannan Think we would buy New CB or possibly 2 New Striker New GK New Left sided midfielder Back up DM for Sylla

Thing is whichever way we look at it we have been pants at scoring goals as well as conceding them.. Maybe it just gives us another option as we have struggled to change things if events are going against us. Perhaps Lambert has a plan B up his sleeve or something? Anyhow Good luck to the guy & Welcome!

Yeah confirmed on SSN now to

Thing is like it or not we are the laughing stock of football in this country at the moment.. You can't expect to be anything other than ridiculed when you have lost 8-0 to an average Chelsea team then proceeded to lose almost every game since then including a pathetic 2 legged semi final exit to a 4th tier team.

Just a thought Now we have Benteke & Sylla both whom i assume are French speaking.. Would this effect Makoun's position?

Looks like thats the lot Better than nowt i guess welcome on board Sylla & good luck. I do fear for us defensively as does everybody else by the looks of it.

Yeah we desperately need to replace Dunne now as he is looking finished here with that injury / contract ending soon. Can't help but wonder where we would be now had Dunne's injury cleared up quickly... certainly think our GD would be somewhat better thats for sure. I think this has been more of an issue than realized. Maybe Lambert thought that being just a groin injury he would have no problems getting fit? So he agreed to let Collins & Cuellar leave?.. Don't think anyone thought we would lose him for the season thats for sure.

The thought of what a Villa commentary would sound like "Banana to Banan,,Bent.. Banana" Ohhh he's booked him... Banana's on a ban now just like Banan! Banana bread anyone

They really are just taking the "p" & this is the exact thing UEFA should be targeting in their (apparent) quest .. I mean come on how many does their ground hold? How big is their fan base? & i would love to know what their income to wages ratio is?! Its frankly pathetic... & there's us being squeaky clean & trying to operate within our means etc... No wonder we are where we are. We are all operating from different rule books by the looks of it so are UEFA going to pay this club 70m when we go down for abiding by their rules?

If so hope he doesn't get a cob on about it all!

Yeah its a bit OTT what QPR are doing currantly, I mean they only just got Granulary too for goodness sake

lol!.. touche! MBV Will have to change it now

I disagree we need need someone a bit more "multi grained" if you will as at the moment every ball our defenders try to clear is either sliced or over cooked in some way.