Don_Simon

I think we will get N'zogbia in to replace Ashley.

Sad, but true.

As the poll is still open, im going to go with Russia. They may not be the most profitable bid (official), be the best techincal bid (official) and be the highest risk bid (official), but god damn, the Vodka is tasty and the bribes beautiful. Theyre a dead cert to win!

My £1 on Larsson to score first goal was bitter sweet. My £1 on Villa to win 3-1 (courtest of my two year old picking the only numbers he knows), would be **** sweet. With zero bitterness.

Looks like you had a brilliant time mate, the flag on the holte looks awe inspiring! You should definitely come over for a Second City derby, the atmosphere is like nothing ive ever witnessed, and ive done Real v Barca (which isnt a patch on the support out boys get!).

Good to have you as part of the Claret and Blue army, keep us updated as to your game plans!

That was without question 90 minutes i would like back. Utter, utter garbage. Houllier needs to buck his **** ideas up asap.

My stand out points:

NRC - Man of the match by a country mile. Without him Blues would have thraped us. His energy, drive and yes, occasional temper problems highlights one alarming factor: He **** cares. Im glad he lost his rag, weve been a bunch of pussies as a team for as long as I can remember, we need a nasty streak and he provides one. Yes, he's not Zidane in the skills department, but he's also not Steve Sidwell, who i will come to later. He wins the ball, and gives it to others to create goals. Its not his fault that today he had a Centre back masquerading as a midfielder and Steve **** Sidwell as his fellow midfield troops.

Steve Sidwell - Who? Get him out. Appalling signing.

Ciaran Clark - Good game, surprised me. If only he could have scored at the end.

Richard Dunne - I now see why the Citeh fans told us to expect at least one **** up a game. He's a liability, and should be dropped. Cuellar in. I understand Zigic is 17ft 8" tall, but Dunne was no way near him on the majority of Blues corners and free kicks. Must do better. Cameron Jerome had the better of him, bad times.

Emile Heskey - We could have had Cristiano Ronaldo up front, but he would have made zero difference given the appalling service from the most defensive midfield possible. Heskey won the headers, made some nice runs and is doing ok despite playing in front of a central midfield bereft of any creativity.

Ashley Young & Stewart Downing - They did ok. But when your crossing a ball into the box, and have only Heskey to pick out amongst 6/7 Blues players, it was always going to be a difficult game for them. The three centre mids being so defensive made it difficult for the whole team today. I can only presume they were told to stay back.

Gerard Houllier - I know there are players missing and he's new to the Second City Derby, but to so obviously play for a draw at home against Blues is unacceptable. Stephen Ireland must be thinking he's made the biggest mistake in his life (ignoring his pink car). For Sidwell, Clark and Bananaman to all be in front of him in the pecking order is bonkers. Im not impressed at all so far with Mr Houllier and I expect some **** magic in January to freshen up what was a top 6, yes, top 6, team last season.

Randy Lerner - Open your wallet. Please?

Ladies and Gentleman!

The game will be shown live at Rococos onBroad Street. Those that cant make it to the hallowed turf of VP, head to Rococo's. Lets drown the cretinous sloths out.

As rumours seem to be growing in strength about MON possibly heading up to Scouseland (or Kiev?!), I was just wondering what reception he would get if he ever does grace the away dugout at VP?

Will you boo him due to the way he left us in the lurch?

Will you applaud him for three consecutive top six finishes?

Will you be non plussed by the whole thing and sing songs aimed squarely at encouraging the French Revolution!?

I'd be in the latter group. I was glad he left, a bit narked off it was so close to the season, but think he did a good job for us, at the start of his reign at least. However my focus is solely on Team Houllier.

Morning General,

Hope you are well and enjoying a lazy Sunday.

Im going to give you a little insight into my VP experience yesterday, it will probably bore you, and you may even ignore it altogether (i probably would!), but getting it off my chest may help me put it into perspective, so here we go...

Yesterday at VP, when sat in the Holte, I see the screen by the North Stand has been taken away. I understand this has been discussed already, possibly many times, but it does detract from the experience for fans in the Holte End who cant see any replays of action. Fortunatley, the "football" on offer yesterday was so woeful, i wouldnt have wanted to live through it twice.

The PA system in the Holte End seems to have reached an all time low in terms of audible quality. Literally not one announcement was understandable, which although not a great concern, is something that should be addressed, for safety purposes if nothing else.

At half time, when we had hit our inevitable apathy and lethargy on the pitch, my brother and I decided to nip down to one of the concourses in block K2 to get one of the tasty new Heineken beers, with the intention of hopefully raising our spirits given the players were doing such a grand job of dampening them. Having queued at the woefully understaffed concourse for 10 minutes, we were told very abruptly that the Heineken's "not working, just pick something else". Thus, we were left with paying, i think, £2.80 for a bottle of warm Fosters.

As the second half started, the football was typically abysmal for Aston Villa when playing at home. Cant be bothered to go into the match itself in any detail, im sure you are well aware that Messers Houllier and Mcallister have a great deal of work to do. I dont know the exact statistics, but I would hazard a guess that our home record over the past 3 seasons would see us hovering slightly above the relegation zone in terms of league placing. Something must be done here, otherwise the 10,000 empty seats we saw yesterday will become the norm, rather than a blip.

The reason for this post I guess is just to make you aware that yesterday, were it not for a bit of banter with my chums, was a truly rubbish experience at Villa Park. It seems more and more that a total overhaul of all things Villa is needed at the moment, and im not quite sure where you guys should begin.

My faith in Randy, however, is unwavered.

All the best General,

Don Simon.

What an absolute knob cake. Would've been the sweetest retribution or Strasser to knock him down on his arse.

Prick.

I confidently predict that Mancini will falter and be sacked rapidly. Martin O'Neill will then take charge and be an overwhelming success.

It's written in the stars and it would hurt like hell to see the bastard in a big job.

I have thought the exact same thing myself this weekend.

But then i think, MON would **** explode with the expectation there now. He struggled to rotate our measly squad. Imagine him dealing with Tevez, Adebayor, Jo, Balotelli, Johnson, Barry, Silva, Viera, Milner, De Jong, Kompany and all the other superstars.

It would be a laughing stock.

And thats before you consider how the fans would react when his scouts dont get as far as the M6.

In my humble opinion, MON reached his glass ceiling not only with Villa, but with him as a manager.

But as this topic is about Citeh, ill say only one thing. I prefer them to Liverpool.

So that's Modric probably out for a while, with van der Vaart ready to step in, or Kranjaer. Dawson out, giving them a defense of Bassong, King, Woodgate and Gallas to choose from (when fit). Defoe out leaving them Crouch, Pavyluchenko and Keane up front.

Gotta admire their squad, really. Can you imagine if we were to lose Dunne, Ashley Young and Agbonlahor for an extended period of time?

And up until not too long ago, their wage bill was lower than ours!!

MON should never dish out contracts ever again! (Unless he becomes manager of Liverpool. I hate Liverpool).

General,

Ive been concerned for a little while now that the snide, accusatory comments youve received here over the past weeks will result in you having enough, and leaving these "fans" to dwell in their own satisfaction at driving you away.

Please be aware that these people represent only a tiny, tiny microcosm of Villa fans. Clearly this summer hasnt been our finest hour, and not ideal for our preperations for the upcoming season, nor our perennial challenge for the holy grail of Champions League. But you can only play with the cards in which you are dealt, and our previous Manager did the club a great disservice by leaving when he did (and buying the inept messers Beye; Sidwell; Heskey and a few others!).

Having spoken to a few fans at VP last Thursday for the Vienna game, in both the incredible new Holte Suite, and in the ground, a lot of people have utmost faith in Randy and the Board, and are still utterly grateful for hiim reviving our great club, like he has.

The new manager may not be everybody's cup of tea; but he doesnt need to be. Randy will be paying his wages, so Randy decides and as fans of Aston Villa, not Houllier, Curbishley, Svennis or Bradley, we should support the team regardless.

My question (as i think i need to ask one to meet the rules!), is, will you please pass on to Randy that my five-a-side team needs some investment, and i promise our fans will not give him half the stick the Villa fans have. Therefore, does he fancy buying us a sparkling new kit?

Cheers General,

Don Simon.

My question General is whether the seeming failure of Kevin MacDonald as Caretaker Manager will have any bearing on him returning as Reserve Coach? I hope that isnt the case.

Chin up General!

Hmmm, interesting.

First big test for Kevin now, lets see how handles it...

Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish was promised £40m for new players...but will he ever see the money?

Birmingham City are the latest Premier League club to reveal potentially worrying financial problems as a report admits 'significant doubt' over the viability of the club's holding company just eight months after the much-vaunted takeover by Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung.

Yeung claimed that manager Alex McLeish would have £40million in each transfer window to spend on new players when he took over the club last October.

But the businessman has now been asked to give a written assurance to the Premier League that he will keep the club afloat this season with his own funds after an interim financial report from the board for the period April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010 revealed that the liabilities of the parent company, Birmingham International Holdings, exceeded the assets by £31.9m.

Alex McLeish

Sold short: Alex McLeish is still waiting to see the colour of Carson Yeung¿s money

Yeung has become a high-profile figure in the Premier League with his bold promises of major investment in the team. But, so far, the club have signed Ben Foster and Nikola Zigic for undisclosed fees, brought in Matt Derbyshire on loan and Enric Valles on a free transfer this summer and signed Michel for £3m last January.

The Premier League are aware of the potential shortfall highlighted by the interim report and, under new rules designed to avoid another Portsmouth debacle, they asked Yeung for a written guarantee that he will keep funding the club throughout the season.

The interim report says that the 'situation indicates the existence of a material uncertainty that may cast significant doubt on the Group's ability to continue as a going concern and therefore the Group may not be able to realise its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal course of business'. But the report adds that discussions with banks over the company's loans and the continued support of Yeung mean that the company is considered to be sound.

Yeung

Front man: Despite the doubts over his financial position, Yeung was happy to parade himself in front of Birmingham supporters before the opening home match of the season

A spokeswoman for Birmingham City said: 'We cannot comment as the club is only a subsidiary of Birmingham International Holdings but it would be wrong to suggest the club is in financial trouble.' Birmingham International Holdings could not be contacted for comment.

The warning in Birmingham's interim report comes in the wake of Liverpool's accountants being forced to issue a similar statement last year, the descent of Portsmouth into administration at the end of last season and the financial meltdown of West Ham United under their Icelandic owners, averted only by the purchase of a stake in the club by David Gold and David Sullivan, ironically using money earned by selling Birmingham to Yeung.

Yeung has promised the parent company's board that he will not demand repayment of an interest-free £7.06m loan, a guarantee that has satisfied his fellow directors that the company and club are not in immediate danger.When Yeung took over at City in October, he said: 'The £40m in the January transfer window is my commitment to the fans.

'We have made that decision to spend the money to buy the players. The money is in place and available. The priority for now is staying in the Premier League. Next season we put [sic] more than £40m into the team, making it much stronger.'

Birmingham have also revealed that the ongoing row between the taxman and leading clubs over their players' image-rights deals, which HM Revenue and Customs regard as an income tax dodge, could cost City more than £5m.

Matt Derbyshire

Temporary deal: McLeish signed Matt Derbyshire on loan this week

The row is part of the taxman's war with football clubs, who, they claim, have used image-rights deals, often paid to offshore companies or in the UK at a lower rate of tax, to disguise what is, in reality, part of the players' basic salaries. Manchester United have admitted that HMRC are demanding £5.3m in tax owing to the club's use of image rights, while Portsmouth are being pursued for £13m. Rangers became the first Scottish club to confirm that they were also subject to an investigation by HMRC regarding £5m of image rights earlier this year.

All the clubs claim that image rights are legitimate and contest HMRC's interpretation of the law. Final judgement on the matter will be made later this year. But based on Birmingham, United and Portsmouth's potential liabilities, Premier League clubs could face a collective bill of £100m.

Birmingham also face a battle with the taxman over VAT they claimed back from agents and have set aside an additional £1.07m to cover themselves if the case goes against them.

From the Mail on Sunday.

Oh how i love the Blouse.

Good article that BOF.

I'm tired now of trying to explain to non Villans why O'Neill leaving our club is imo a good thing, so tired in fact I've stopped and just answer with a grunt when they come out with BS about how we've lost one of the best managers in the league etc etc.

Untill O'Neill drops a bollock at some other club, the public will always think he's some kind of wizz manger that's only fit for a top job.

I can't wait to hear what he comes out with once he breaks his silence.

Agree 100% with this. This is the most excited I have been in a couple of years going to a Villa game and not knowing what side or tactics to expect. Will be really pee'd off if we get a 4-4-2 with Stan and Sidwell in the middle and the only sub being Heskey for Carew after 80 minutes!!

The absolutely **** crazy thing about this post is not the post itself, but how many people seem to be of exactly the same opinion!

I concur 100,000,000%. The vast majority of fans seem to agree. ALL my Villa supporting friends and family agree. A lot of them even use the "Heskey for Carew" substitution example as well.

Bring on the good / unpredicatable / adventurous / enthusiastic times.

I'd say his return from Milan has more to do with Milner than a new manager.

Care to elaborate?

So that puts St.Pauli in pole position then.

Hahaha, very true BOF.

And after the thraping HSV gave out to our second / third string that fateful night, maybe i should go for their arch rivals.

Lots of rivalry between them and Werder Bremen isnt their?

Werder Bremen = Des Bremner. Another link for me!

I'll need to get me a team though.

That'll happen naturally. Don't force it.

My Mrs is from Koblenz, and has been trying to force TUS Koblenz on me.

Not. A. Chance.

Went over to Hamburg for the Villa game a couple of years ago, great experience that. I'll see who takes my fancy!

Does anyone know the best channel to watch Bundesliga on? Judging by the players on offer, seems like it could be a good watch.

I'll need to get me a team though.

Will be announced today

I love MysteryMan!

no I meant combined odds for a draw in the SA game and a Uruguay win in the other game

Then your looking at 11/1! Go Bickster! Thats good odds i think.

i think this is a very open group. all good teams on their day, even Japan as they proved against us first half a few days back.

Holland top, then Denmark next, i think.

Whats the draw in the SA game and Uruguay? The first match is ALWAYS a draw its the law ;-)

Do you mean SA v Mexico?!

If so its 11/5. Not great.