HolteExile

If we're sitting on circa 30 points by the time the January transfer window opens, we have a great chance. That sounds a tall order, but we have 10 games between now and then (6 in December alone), and 5 home games against Blackburn, Cardiff, Wigan, Burton and Leeds. Win our home games (ha!) and scratch out a draw or two away from home and we are just about there. There is no such thing as a home banker for Aston Villa anymore, but -in isolation- those are games we should look to win. It won't happen like that. I don't ever recall being anything other than arse biscuits against Wigan at home, for starters. But as a guide to where we need to be (roughly halving the 74 point mark that has been good enough for the play-offs in recent seasons) it shows that the thing is not insurmountable. We would need a good run between now and Jan, but not an incredible one. There is still room for error. If we gob it at home against Wigan or Blackburn, say, we need to pull out an an away win against, Norwich or QPR et.c. Despite their start to the season, I fancy us against Norwich, for some reason. The play-off's need to be the first aim. Then if we have some purple patch in the second half of the season where we win 4 or 5 on the bounce, we can dream of automatic promotion.

It's a tough one. On the one hand, Pompey fans always made a fair old racket and that didn't stop them plummeting through the divisions. And Arsenal easily have the worst home support in Western Europe and probably beyond. That hasn't hindered their CL qualification prospects one jot. On the other, I have been to Villa Park when the right song or an increase in atmosphere has acted like an adrenaline shot to the team. You only have to go back as recently as the Newcastle game. First half, moribund -like a Brentford and so many other games. Second half -after the Jedinak goal was given offside- and it's a different game. Perhaps as a fanbase we need that sense of injustice to get us going. Contrived attempts from the club or fan groups don't seem to work. Direct appeals from Graham Taylor and Ron Atkinson in the programme notes and even on the electronic scoreboards did seem to generate a response many moons ago. Not sure Bruce would have the stature of standing to make those type of requests.

True. And how effective was the gegenpress when we bitch slapped his Huddersfield side all over the park for 60 minutes and should have been 3-0 up? The personnel you're able to put out and the quality of the opposition always dictate the effectiveness of such things. We looked a confident, attack minded side at the start of the season and his lot couldn't get near us for a large part of that game. That said, Wagner is an intriguing one, worth keeping an eye on. My heart was keen on a punt like that, but my head said get it wrong and we're looking at League One football. Maybe one to look at again in future if he gets Huddersfield up and his approach has a degree of effectiveness in the top flight. Naturally we'd have more competition for his signature, but there it is. Bruce's record indicates he's adept at getting sides up. He has also kept the likes of B-lose, Wigan and Sunderland up, so he could be the man to stabilise us and give us a season back in the topflight, as per Allerdyce and co. Reassess then. The situation is fluid. If we have learned nothing else over these past few years, you don't keep the wrong man (or a guy who was right for specific situation but that situation no longer applies) in the job just to avoid looking reactionary.

Bruce and Hughton would be the obvious, if uninspired choices. Both managed basket case clubs, so have a track record of dealing with pressure over an extended period of time. I like the cut of Wagner's jib, and with Klopp's star in the ascent, having a Klopp clone complete with gegenpress and all those other modern things appeals on some level. But the gig might just be too early for him. There is also no real pressure on Huddersfield to go up. He does it there, and it's some achievement. It opens more doors for him than doing the same here or (cynical hat on) bombing here and being punted at the end of the season. For all that, I reckon Tone will probably go with a 'name' in world football, with an eye on the Asian and other markets. Lothar Matthaus, or someone of that ilk. Zenga at Wolves looked barking, but that seems to be working out OK for them.

Villa fans are -on the whole- a contrary bunch, and tend to reject anything that feels coerced. I generally associate that song -and ones like She Wore a Claret n Blue Ribbon with better times for the club, league title challenges, cup runs and so forth. And usually sang away from Villa Park, rather than at home for some reason. I liked what that Brigada lot were trying to to in the Holte Lower (except the banners against Di Canio -keep it light) and it's a shame that seems to have fizzled out. Loathe as I am to criticize paying supporters, but the atmosphere against Brentford and Newcastle first half was eerie. With a few exceptions, derby games, European nights et.c, we have usually been the type of fans that need to be lifted by something on the pitch first. But even when we had that against Brentford, the atmosphere died soon after. The last 20 minutes against Newcastle were better -on and off the pitch.

Very selfish player. Apart from his assists this season and the f**kton of chances he's created that duff teammates couldn't convert, what has he done for us? The player you've described above sounds more like N'Zog. But whereas N'Zog would invariably find blind allies from initially good attacking positions, Ayew has the awareness to draw two to three players to him and then slide a teammate through.

Seven goals in a wank team with zero supply illustrates he has some quality. I don't recall many of those goals being tap-in's either, so his finishing is alright. He wasn't -when we signed him- a forward who was expected to come in to the topflight and score 20 and create nearly as half as many again. Because if he was, he would have been costing a lot more than the £10 million + we paid for him. He was Weimann's replacement, and on that score, he was an upgrade. Based on the Derby game, I'd be interested at looking at him more centrally over a period of games. He is direct, can take people on and beat them with ease, so that even if he isn't scoring, he will open up space for others.

There's no point in reading too much into the signing captains as leaders approach we seem to have readopted. We tried that to an extent with MON, with the likes of Knight, Davies, NRC, Shorey and Friedel et.c. Being a big fish in a small pond is quite different to coming to a club like Villa (even if we are on our uppers at the moment) and being the big cheese. But you generally look for leadership in defence and midfield, and we finally seem to have that now with Elphick and Jedinak. McCormack seems quite a ballsy player too. Whether that three have the legs to actually be a big influence for us this season, only time will tell. That is my concern for all three. Most sides will make a bit more allowances for your flair player being a bit more of a mercurial type, but if you have a wide forward/ attacking midfielder cut from a similar cloth to the above with similar leadership instincts and pride in his performance (ie Ayew) you will usually be in good shape. He will probably be the first to say he hasn't been at his best so far this season, but he doesn't hide even if things aren't going for him. In an unfamiliar role against Derby, I thought he was our best player. He was still getting back to make blocks and last ditch tackles even in the last 10 minutes.

Remember Newcastle away last season, when he was dishing out the bollockings for people (mostly Sanchez) not marking up properly at corners. Countless other games where he was the only player on the pitch who looked like he was trying to arrest the slide. So, I couldn't care if he's laughing like a simpleton or has a face like a smacked arse, personally.

Look at that. Couldn't even break into a smile playing for his country. Ayew is everything that is wrong about modern football. Revoke his passport.

Maybe because -unless we are talking Man Citeh petrodollars- that money if finite, and £30 million+ plus on two Championship forwards this window means less in the pot for future purchases. Particularly when you see a Bristol City fan coming on here and saying their gun centre forward is probably worth closer to £6-8 million.

Smegg Evans has been taking a crash course in SEO. Now if he could just get along to a few writing classes in the evening he might work his way up to mediocre.

He already has a song. I hope we hear it full volume tomorrow. Could fully understand a few hearty renditions of '**** the police' tomorrow an' all. But we don't want anarchy.

I don't think we'll need to spend anywhere near £30 million to see the back of them, thankfully. Out of the Fetid Five, Richards is probably the most saleable asset. Some mug might pay £4-5 million for him based on his age and his previous reputation. A Big Sam (if he stays at Slumberland) or Bruce might be deluded enough to think they can get a tune out of him. I can't see it at all if he insists on playing centre half, he just doesn't have the positional sense or nous. But let them work that out for themselves. Bacuna might generate interest back home, can't see many top flight sides here going for him. Ditto Guzan. There was interest in Lescott from US sides last summer or Jan, so hopefully the appeal of an ex England international might still make that a goer. Out of all of them, Gabby will be the hardest to move on. Truth is, none of that lot will be towards the top of anyone's wish list so we will probably have to wait until well into August before we see the back of them. That might even mean punting some of them out on loan, paying some (or even most) of their wages). Gabby as it is won't be an attractive option for most sides, but if we're paying say £30K per week of the reported £50K per week he's on, Hull or similar might bite at 20k. At that price, he might be OK as a back up option. It's shit, but even at that figure I would probably do it, just to get shot.

Tommy Doc is notorious for speaking a load of old cock at the best of times, so we can't really take that to the bank.

Hmm. Still not sure what to make of this year's version. There have been improvements, the flow of the game is more realistic than last year. I flit between Professional and World Class, I'm a competent player, rather than outstanding. If I played the CPU 10 times last year, I'd beat them 8. But games always followed a similar path, I would dominate the ball, pepper their goal with shots -yet they would score from just about their only shot at goal. Usually a Pele-style dribble and shot past a defence that -to a man- all decided to stand aside for that one occasion. I'd finish games with 12-14 shots on target, and either win 4-1 or lose 1-0. The CPU would ALWAYS have close to a 100% conversion rate with their one shot, regardless. This year, I cannot (yet) dominate games in the same way, and passing is a bit more arbitrary - but that is no bad thing. Real games rarely have one side on top for the entire 90 mins. The CPU does create chances, but they seem to miss a few too this time, so it all balances out. Opposition GK's are less bionic too. That's the good. The bad is that even the goals I have scored so far seem a bit fortuitous, and all seem to end up bottom or top corner. The ball physics seem a bit off too, a hark back to pre 2009 FIFA's. Giving it time, but not blown away so far.

Personally, I think our home support is pretty phenomenal considering the absolute dirge being served up since 2010. I'm amazed we still get the gates we do. As for the whole noise aspect/ lack of variety in songs argument: Fratton Park was always one of the nosiest grounds in the country when Pompey were in the top flight. It didn't make a whole pile of difference to them in the longrun. In contrast, Arsenal fans are by far THE WORST fans in the country (and possibly Western Europe) for atmosphere and song variety, yet it doesn't seem to have held the Gooners back much.

Test

Is a VPN pretty much the only way to access sites such as Kick Ass and EZTV now? Not that I approve of that sort of thing at all.

In answer to the above post: A poor man's Gareth Barry. Decent height, but doesn't rely on physicality. Quick feet, good control, a decent passer of the ball but not someone who is necessarily going to play the killer final ball. Quicker than Barry, but wheras Barry will constantly deliver 7/10 performances and above, KI is inconsistant.

Despite how it has turned out, Lambert seemed a reasonable choice. A young manager on the up, who had earned his stripes in the lower divisions. It hasn't worked, but that's the risk you take with a younger manager. Depending on the ownership situation, we have to be honest and say we can't realistically target a manager whose career trajectory has only shown an upward curve again. The Villa job is a big one, probably too big for Lambert. And it has finished people before. That doesn't mean we can't target a decent coach or manager, but we might be facing a scenario similar to when Fulham appointed Uncle Woy. They opted for a bloke who had managed teams like Inter Milan and so forth in the past, but whose career looked like it was hitting the skids, with stints in Scandinavia that were nothing to write home about. They took a gamble and -despite a setback at Liverpool- Hodgson's career has largely been on the up again since then. I would look at the Dutch trio of Van Basten, Rijkaard and Koeman. Of those three, only Van Basten is currently managing now, and last season took Heerenveen to mid table in what is a pretty mediocre league. You don't manage the calibre of sides he has previously if you're a complete numpty though, ditto Rijkaard and Koeman. All three would probably have a more defined way of playing than PL, and are not currently in a position to make ridiculous demands re budgets or salary. What is more important than that is that we get the structures right above them. Lerner and Faulkner might have many gifts, but the football aspect of things is clearly where they struggle. We need a competent, respected DoF, who has plenty of contacts in the game, and knows the true worth of players and the contracts they might demand. It's too much to leave big financial decisions and transfer policy to a GH, McLeish or Lambert, who are only in the job for a short time themselves. Get the structures right, and you can survive the turmoil of a manager leaving every year or two. It's not ideal, but it seems to be the way of things at many clubs now. Any manager lasting three years in the job just about qualifies for a long service medal today.

Wouldn't question that your source may have heard that. But it could be Barry's people simply angling after a better deal at Everton and throwing our name around.

Every single Macron kit we have had so far has looked too 'busy.' Like most of their shirts for other sides. The Lazio and Napoli ones stand out because there is less clutter. Whatever design we opt for, I hope we keep it simple. Maybe even make those ridiculous Macron men the same colour as the sleeves (but embossed) if we have to have them at all.

I'd urge caution on this one. Yes, he seems streets ahead of Luna and Bennett already. But he wouldn't be the first player to have a promising debut and then fade. After seeing Scott Carson in his first few game for the club, I'ds have been quite happy at the prospect of him being between the sticks for the next decade. Then he had that 'mare against Croatia on England duty, and his confidence was shot. The point being, we have time to assess this one. Naturally the player (and his parent club) do too. But if he can maintain the form he has shown initially, it will be a big bonus to us for the remainder of the campaign. It closes off a very obvious weak area that opposition of all shapes and sizes were exploiting again and again.

Sid by a mile -and I can only base that on his second spell, as I was too young to remember his first. Just a ridiculous player at times, probably the only player I have seen who could volley passes (with pinpoint accuracy, and with either foot) into space to set up attacks on the flank. Just for his workrate alone, he'd have got into many sides. But with the craft and guile he had too, he was one of the finest players of his generation. I do wonder whether he'd have had more recognition for his talent had he been playing for a Liverpool, or even Spurs. The counter argument to that of course is he won the biggest prizes in football with us. But between that EC win in 82 and our runners up push in 1990, we were off the radar somewhat, and Sid's international career suffered too. But it's no surprise that when Kenny Dalglish first went to Blackburn he signed Sid. All the money that side had at the time, they could have had a pick of many players and they opted for him. Dalglish had said he always wanted to work with him too. McGrath, who -let's be frank- played alongside some outstanding players in Bryan Robson, Ronnie Whelan and Liam Brady said Sid was up there in the very top category. Even Houllier, who quite obviously knew next to nothing about the club or it's traditions when he took the job in 2010 name checked Cowans as one of the players that had always stood out for him in the 80's. People in the game (and Villa fans, naturally) had far more appreciation of his talent that the media and gormless bandwagon jumping fans of the Sky 4/5 lot, it seems.