HolteExile

Is The Donald breaking in a new set of dentures? Or is it just a really shit video.

Always disliked that stand from a young age (the 60s revamp, not the original). The rest of Villa Park looked genuine top draw - even the North Stand set the standard for new builds across the country, which is easy to forget now. But the Witton looked like something out of the third division compared to the rest of the ground. Anfield, Man Citeh etc all had single tier main stands that had more about them. Particularly dispiriting when you seen what it replaced. I know money was tight for the club early 60s but shirley there were better options than that dull nonentity.

I'm not convinced he'd come back (or that I'd want it, in truth). But maybe winning summat at Citeh and playing with De Bruyne etc was an itch he needed to scratch? Now that he''s done it, he could come back to VP with a different perspective and focus.

Probably all part of the dance for is agent to get him a better deal @ Palarse. Doesn't feel like the sort of player we'd go for.

Surprised we haven't looked at some of the higher profile Japanese or South Korean players before now. Or maybe we did, and a deal didn't make sense. There are a few playing in Germany, Italy etc who could make our squad at the very least.

I don't see Ukraine agreeing to a ceasefire/ peacetalks with the immediate prospect of losing land. But one way it *could* be sold (to Russia) is if Crimea immediately reverts to Ukraine now (or attains neutral status)- but there is a genuine referendum on sovereignty a number of years down the track. Crimea was viewed as different even pre 2014. I don't have the reliable stats to hand - I couldn't say it was the majority. But there was always a significant pro Russian population there. Since 2014 there region has obviously been Russified further. Many of a pro Ukrainian (or Tatar/other) persuasion have left. A genuine referendum that occurs in say 6-10 years offers the chance to those so inclined to return, Russian arrivals since to 2014 to scarper home and provide a more accurate result. No concessions on Donbass; other than the rights of minorities and Russian language rights to be protected by law with the UN/ EU or whoever as guarantors. I accept this will be moot if Ukraine push on now and continue to make the gains they have. More power to them if they achieve it.

No to Hazard for me. I don't watch enough CL football to know if Nacho still has enough in the tank. He's vice captain at Real, so still seems to be thought of highly. Probably a decent option if we're looking to play out from the back etc. And the fee isn't too mental - seeing as he's 31.

Unless we're offloading Coutinho I don't think we'll be taking a punt that Hazard's fitness is still up to it.

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery wants to sign two players from Real Madrid - Belgium winger Eden Hazard, 31, and Spain defender Nacho Fernandez, 32. (El Nacional - in Spanish)

I don't see us signing any players from Villareal in our immediate future - unless they're close to the end of their contract or the release clause is ridiculous. If there's one club the hierarchy won't want to sell to it's us. More likely is that Emery will know some of the targets Villareal had lined up and we might gazump them on a few of those. There's generally better value in the Spanish market.

How do you negotiate with a despotic criminal regime who literally want to wipe you from the map. You can't if you're Ukraine in this moment. If Russia is seen to suffer and it bites hard enough to force regime change - and ipso facto - they gain a leader living in 2022 and not 1822, there is a chance of a normalisation of relations.

Strikes totally the wrong tone for me. Ukranian civiliians have suffered the most. It's for them to decide if there can be talks and a negotiated settlement at some point in the future.

Apologies if covered elsewhere: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/06/us-says-zelenskiy-risks-allies-ukraine-fatigue-if-he-rejects-russia-talks-report

Re the CL winning coach: At a guess, I'd say Hierro, Morientes or Juan Mata.

I can't imagine Villarreal will be in a rush to deal with us after we've swiped their manager. It generally doesn't occur in the modern game anymore, a coach departing and taking a whole raft of players with him from his former club. But he will know Villareal's intended transfer targets and the Spanish market (where there's usually a lot more value in terms of fees and wages). So there is that.

Don't think too many have rated Dyche, in fairness. More just using as an extreme version of how the Villa can let you down. As an aside: For a mad moment yesterday I wondered if the massive upturn in form was because the players were threatened with Dyche or similar. I'd run through brick walls as well, to avoid that possibility.

If we do go all in for Amorim it won't be a total punt/ flavour of the month move. NSWE were looking at a Portuguese club to invest in, ultimately opting for Vitoria Guimaraes. If they've been following the game there, they'll know one of the more charismatic managers in the league. And what he has achieved for a (usually) underperforming big club in a relatively short space of time. Amorim seems to take a more academic approach to the game as well, qualifications in psychomotor therapy, which is supposedly based on a 'holistic view of human beings that considers each individual as a unity of physical, emotional and cognitive actualities.' Of course. So he's closer to a Potter-type, rather than Stevie G's 'look me in the eye' nonsense. In short, he values the individual. And will try and get the best out of them, rather than trying to play real life Championship Manager and burn through a whole raft of new signings. An intriguing option. FWIW, I'd still hope for a Mancini or similar. But I could get behind this.

Re Beale's comments: If the manager has been hamstrung by a weak squad, or a heap of big name players all over 30 and on the way down = blame recruitment. If he inherited a good squad and has been given substantial resources to push that on further = manager is to blame. The signings that were clearly Gerrard's have been our biggest letdown, in fairness. Phil has faded badly after a promising start. And Digne hasn't looked up to covering both facets of the role he was meant to occupy. In fairness, it would prob take one of the best left backs in the world to cover two positions, in that weird set up. But with signing a French international we did for the fee and wages we did, you'd hope for a standard closer to that level than what we've seen so far.

One upside to Dyche is we wouldn't need to worry about expanding the stadium. Or if we did, we might as well turn the new North Stand seats away from the pitch and towards Witton island. There will be no waiting lists for that muck.

People like Roberto Martinez at Wigan and Brenda when he was managing Swansea in the Championship had teams playing good football on a shoestring budget, so it's not about the resources Dyche had at Burnley. It's a choice, to play that way. He believes in it. Give him more money and he'd just have more expensive players playing that system. And it's a style that never evolved (unlike Moyes in his latter years at Everton).

Gus Hiddink retired from management after a stint as Curaçao boss last year. Managing Leandro Bacuna will do that to you. But he likes money. Him and JT on a short term basis? Would look at it, if our top choices are out for whatever reason. Talk of Sean Dyche is just too depressing for words.

Aye, but 'biggest club in the Midlands' is tallest dwarf territory. Look at the dreck we are surrounded by. Aston Villa are one of the biggest clubs in British football and should have a manager to match.

A manager like Gallardo (or of that ilk) would be better coming in during the summer and having a full pre season to get across his ideas. Any manager coming in now will be firefighting to an extent, so it's best if they know the division and can hit the ground running. Previous PL experience shouldn't be the main factor in any decision. But it is a pretty important one.

Indeed. Shades of O'Leary,

It's a poor start, carrying on from a poor end to last season from Soton at home early March onwards. You can't get away with four > five months of duff form and performances in the top flight now - if you ever could.