Don_Simon

Not sure about the lap times, but im loving the idea of the team co-op concept.

Started a game as Wigan last night with the challenge of keeping them in the Prem. Shipped out in pre-season N'zogbia, Kirkland, Boyce, Hendry Thomas amongst others and have accumalated about £16,000,000 for a transfer war chest.

Brought in Joe Lewis and Alex Smithies for GK duties for less than i sold Kirkland for, and theyre collective wages are less than he was on! They have about 7,000,000 defenders, all either Scottish or Spanish so I wont be touching that part of the team, and they have a surprisingly decent midfield with McCarthy, McCarthur, Diame, Gomez competing for CM. Need to bring in a couple of wingers however, and definitely a striker to compete with the black Messi, (his words not mine!), Hugo Rodallega.

Gone for a 4-1-2-2-1 formation, hopefully to be solid at the back with creativity to from the wings to get the goals for big Hugo!

This will be my last game before FM 2012 comes out, wish me luck...!

Just finished watching Season 1 & 2 of The Wire. LOVED the first season, but the second season was overwhelmingly "meh" for me.

So, im torn between sticking with the wire and purchasing season 3 & 4, (ive heard 4 is very very good!), or going for something new. I hear the killing is very good, or could go for a classic ive never seen such as the sorpranos, or the west wing.

Thoughts ladies and gents? (i'd ask the General, but he's awol!).

Stick with the Wire its some of the best tv ever, you won't regret it.

Original Killing or the naff American one?

Cheers for the advice buddy!

Without question the original, I despise the "Americanisation" of most things! (I am curious about the US Millenium Trilogy films however....)

Opted to stick with the wire and bought season 3 from amazon for £15. The Wire is super expensive, £30 for te first season! So ill wait till that comes down a bit in price.

Just finished watching Season 1 & 2 of The Wire. LOVED the first season, but the second season was overwhelmingly "meh" for me.

So, im torn between sticking with the wire and purchasing season 3 & 4, (ive heard 4 is very very good!), or going for something new. I hear the killing is very good, or could go for a classic ive never seen such as the sorpranos, or the west wing.

Thoughts ladies and gents? (i'd ask the General, but he's awol!).

Stick with the Wire its some of the best tv ever, you won't regret it.

Original Killing or the naff American one?

Cheers for the advice buddy!

Without question the original, I despise the "Americanisation" of most things! (I am curious about the US Millenium Trilogy films however....)

Just finished watching Season 1 & 2 of The Wire. LOVED the first season, but the second season was overwhelmingly "meh" for me.

So, im torn between sticking with the wire and purchasing season 3 & 4, (ive heard 4 is very very good!), or going for something new. I hear the killing is very good, or could go for a classic ive never seen such as the sorpranos, or the west wing.

Thoughts ladies and gents? (i'd ask the General, but he's awol!).

I'm not warming to him but a few things that do make me smile

* The first manager who wins something for them in 100 years and he jumps ship for us

* He took our dead wood like Davies to the sty and now could go back for their best players

* The turn around on their boards, yesterday they were celebrating their new found riches thinking they had got £2m out of us and now there all gutted

I'm not happy with McLeish but every cloud and all that

Have i missed something Trent? I thought we paid the incestuous ones £2,000,000 for Mcleish' services?

Yeah you have mate, I believe we paid £0 and they are shouting about taking it further but I suspect they have no chance.

Brilliant news! Only yesterday at work i had a gaggle of noses gloating that although they take our rejects, weve given them top dollar for the "King Reject". Idiots.

I'm not warming to him but a few things that do make me smile

* The first manager who wins something for them in 100 years and he jumps ship for us

* He took our dead wood like Davies to the sty and now could go back for their best players

* The turn around on their boards, yesterday they were celebrating their new found riches thinking they had got £2m out of us and now there all gutted

I'm not happy with McLeish but every cloud and all that

Have i missed something Trent? I thought we paid the incestuous ones £2,000,000 for Mcleish' services?

Hi General,

I hope this finds you well and enjoying your day. I was having a lovely day in the sunshine until I read the Boards most recent statement.

There is a delicious irony to the fans absolute last choice manager possibly being appointed on your watch. When you first arrived on the forums, I thought it was fantastic! A real opportunity for the fans to have their ideas, opinions and values expressed to someone who really matters at the club, something that would never in a bajillion years have happened under the previous regime. Fast forward five years, and probably the one time that the fans have begged you to listen, you wave them away like a mosquito thats a mild irritant as evidenced in todays statement.

I understand fully that money the club makes from merchandise, season ticket sales and the occasional pint of warm beer at the holte end kiosk isnt what keeps the club ticking. TV money does, (and dare i remind you Mr Mcleish has thus far lost his previous team two lots of this income). Yet what really keeps us ticking, is our values, that we're AVFC.

Champions League football has probably never been further away; we actively give up cup competitions these days instead of at least trying to win and our best players leave on a yearly basis. So its our values that keeps us obsessed with AVFC and these values are even more important than ever in what seems a closed shop in the Premier League. This (possible) appointment will trample on those values and alienate the fans even more than financial constraints, Arab Billionaires and messers Barry / Milner / Downing already have.

Take it easy General, sorry for my ramble.

Simon Faulkner (not a relation to Paul).

I blame myself for this. I celebrated so wildly on the day blues went down, mocking their fans for their turgid play, minimal shots and goals that it was bound to bite me on the arse.

And what a bite its been.

Im speechless, yet full of the most profane swear words imaginable all at the same time. Houllier doesnt seem so bad now does he guys....

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Its going to be Mcleish isnt it?

McCleish would "welcome the chance to speak to and manage Aston Villa" according to SSN.

**** sake Randy, I want to see a video of an aeroplane flying over VP with a banner trailing it stating the following:

"Alex McCleish? **** no chance".

Someone please reassure me that theres no way on this planet Lerner would appoint McCleish?

Please?

OMG

LMAO!

Surely a windup

I think someone (AshVilla), didnt read the whole article...

I mightve missed the sarcasm in this, but if I didn't, on a day of ridiculous posts entering a whole new stratosphere, this one really takes the prize.

We "couldve" written a letter to Mick McCarthy hoping to enter discussions for our vacant managerial position?

Utter mentalism.

Just a quick summary, we obviously sent out letters to a lot of clubs within the premiership.

Arsenal - Wenger - Hardly sent a letter

Birmingham - McLeish - Could well have sent a letter

Blackburn - Kean - Hope we didn't.

Blackpool - Holloway - Hope we didn't.

Bolton - Coyle - Could well have enquired.

Chelsea - ? -

Everton - Moyes - More than likely enquired.

Fulham - Hughes/Jol - Probably didn't.

Liverpool - Kenny - Most definitely did not.

Man City - Mancini - Most definitely did not.

Man Utd - Fergie - Most definitely did not.

Norwich - Lambert - Could well have.

Newcastle - Pardew - Pray we didn't.

QPR - Warnock - Unlikely we enquired.

Stoke - Pulis - Possibly.

Sunderland - Bruce - Possibly but unlikely.

Swansea - Rodgers - Unlikely.

Tottenham - Redknapp - Highly unlikely.

WBA - Hodgson - Possibly but unlikely.

West Ham - Allardyce - Highly unlikely.

Wigan - Martinez - Enquired.

Wolves - MacCarthy - Could have but hope not.

Does anyone think there's like a bit of teasing going on between the managers who got a letter and those who didn't?

When Peter Andre wrote the anthemic classic that is "Insania", he was clearly looking into the future and describing Villa's hunt for a new manager.

I would go as far as saying that if there was one manager on the planet who seems to represent all the things that Randy doesnt want in a manager, its Neil Lennon.

Overly agressive.

Zero Premier League managerial experience.

Overly agressive.

Controversial.

Suspect transfer market dealings.

Ginger.

The list could go on, but I think my last point sums it up nicely.

McClaren can drive us forward.

I'll have some of what youve been drinking mate, McClaren is awful and his appointment would show a complete lack of ambition from the board and we would become a laughing stock, he could easily relegate us next season.

Nothing like a mass overreaction to start the day.

McClaren would develop our youth setup, whilst having an eye for talent abroad.

Is he perfect? No. Is he even in my top five choices? No.

Would he be an utter nightmare? No. I'll leave that to an Alan Curbishly / Gary McAllister dream team!

I dont understand all this about Ancelotti only coaching a team in the Champions League, he said this a couple of weeks ago:

"I would coach West Ham - why not,” he told News of the World.

"It's a challenge to manage a team outside of the top four and even in the Championship.

"The atmosphere at West Ham is amazing and I can say the same about football in the Championship.

"I have respect for every team and the job of my colleagues. It is the same and it doesn't matter if you can manage a top team or a smaller team.

"It's your job, and for me it's important to work. I was happy to train in the second division when I was learning.

"If a club said to me, 'You can manage this club without money', I'd have to decide whether to accept or not.

"Money is not a motivation. The money has never been a motivation for me.

"I don't think it's a motivation for the players either. It's not a strong motivation to play for the money at this level.

"The motivation is to play, to win, to be the best. To stay at the top as a player, as a manager, this is a good motivation. To give a good image of yourself, this is a good motivation.

"The Championship is also fantastic, the stadiums are fantastic. I have seen a lot of games on TV and the atmosphere is fantastic.

"If you watch a game in Italy in the second division, then in the stadium there will be say 2,000 people. It is totally different in England."

So, either that is a total fabrication, he's had a u-turn of Stewart Downing proportions, or literally no-one bar Lerner and Faulkner has a clue whats going on. I pray for the latter as I really want Don Carlo at the helm!

astonvillalife Aston Villa Life

@ @mjhall39 just had message. Friends with a lot of people at be club including most of the players. Also work with Acorns #avfc

What? And does this 'astonvillalife' actually have contacts?

2nd on the "What?" its not even legible.

I have no idea what he is trying to say, something about friends and acorns...

Hes justifying his previous post. Have followed him on twitter and someone has asked him how he knows his information:

Friends with a lot of people at be club including most of the players. Also work with Acorns

Is his response.

When I watched SSN earlier when the news about Mark Hughes not being considered broke, the reporter added "At this time" - so it's a possibility that may be revisited a bit further down the line.

So if the people who we want aren't interested we may be back in for him.

This all begs the question though..why did Hughes leave Fulham?

Im a teacher, on £27,500 a year. Would i leave my job without another one confirmed? No I wouldnt.

Mark Hughes is a millionaire lots of times over, he doesnt have the financial burdens the normal person would have. He's proved himself at B'burn, Fulham and to an exten Citeh, he can wait now and see what happens. Be it Spurs, Chelsea or Villa.

Its going to take a while to unfold, and its going to be a rollercoaster. I have a horrible feeling Benitez is the one. Please may I be wrong!

If we get Ancelotti & Wilkins we will be in the Champions League within 2 years

Its utter nonsense like this that gives Villa fans the fickle reputation we have.

How is it nonsense, if it's nonsense then they won't come here, simple as.

Because its shows Villa fans up as completely deluded! Get real will you. :?

IF they would be willing to join us then i doubt they would unless they thought we could get in the Champions League, they aren't going to come here to play around in the midtable. Stop being so negative and depressing.

Negative and depressing? Is realistic / not getting carried away perhaps more appropriate? There are other posters wanting Keegan as manager, given Steve McLaren Brummie accents and questioning the merits of GMAC being our new Gaffer, is everone negative and depressing. No, theyre not, more open minded or humorous i think.

I could quite easily come back with "stop being so insanely optimistic / deluded" at your Champions League claim, but I wont.

If we get Ancelotti & Wilkins we will be in the Champions League within 2 years

Its utter nonsense like this that gives Villa fans the fickle reputation we have.

Has he previously stated that under them we would be relegated then?

No, probably not. However I reckon if I trawled through his previous posts at one point he thought we were in danger of going down during the last season. From near relegation, to new manager, to Champions League in 730 days? Ok then.

Fickle:likely to change, especially due to caprice, irresolution, or instability; casually changeable.

The possible appointment of a new manager, even if it were a Guardiola / Mourinho / Ferguson type genius would not get our team in the Champions League in two years. Its ludicrous to expect that.

It took Citeh three years and a Billion pounds of investment to do what Razor is saying we can do with a simple change of manager.

how long took it for red harry at tottenham?? how much money did it take? i think we can compete with them if we get the right type of manager with the ambition and ancelotti is that guy

Within 16 months of managing Spurs, Harry Redknapp had spent £150,000,000:

Tottenham's latest financial results have revealed transfer spending of almost £150m in the last 16 months, surpassing the traditional Barclays Premier League top four and coming second only to Manchester City.

I think its incredibly unlikely Randy will spend that sort of cash.

Anyway, were off on a tangent here. My only point is that expecting mircales of Ancelotti and Wilkins is a road to disaster. However, expecting them to carry on the rebuilding and restructuring that Houllier started, (hopefully in a less haphazard and controversial fashion), could see us challenging for honour in a few years.

My glass is half full, its just not full of a top shelf concoction of strong spirits.

If we get Ancelotti & Wilkins we will be in the Champions League within 2 years

Its utter nonsense like this that gives Villa fans the fickle reputation we have.

Has he previously stated that under them we would be relegated then?

No, probably not. However I reckon if I trawled through his previous posts at one point he thought we were in danger of going down during the last season. From near relegation, to new manager, to Champions League in 730 days? Ok then.

Fickle:likely to change, especially due to caprice, irresolution, or instability; casually changeable.

The possible appointment of a new manager, even if it were a Guardiola / Mourinho / Ferguson type genius would not get our team in the Champions League in two years. Its ludicrous to expect that.

It took Citeh three years and a Billion pounds of investment to do what Razor is saying we can do with a simple change of manager.

If we get Ancelotti & Wilkins we will be in the Champions League within 2 years

Its utter nonsense like this that gives Villa fans the fickle reputation we have.

Mark Hughes would be a terrible appointment. The club would basically make a statement saying they're not ambitious enough to push forward.

Darren Bent would look at that and must think what is he doing at this club. It's no different than Sunderland and I'm sure he would want out next season.

There's no way we would get another Marquee signing, not even a quality signing. I'm sure Hughes would only attract players like Sidwell where he could turn them into a better player. Hell, he may play Ireland and Warnock again. Who the hell wants to see them in our squad? His scouting level sucks.

He isn't even a manager who has stability. I mean come on, he's only been at Fulham for 1 year and he wants out straight away? He seems more of a journey man now. That club seems more his level.

I don't recall him playing much of kids either. How are we suppose to blood our youngsters then?

The only highlight I can see is he'll only trim the wage bill, but that's it. Don't expect any good players to stick around, just average players such as Dunne, Collins etc and don't expect us to do any better than West Brom who imo could do better than us seeing as they have a better manager.

Hughes attracted Robinho to Citeh.

At least do a little bit of research before spouting your incessent bile.