chrissmith921

Villa have only one the title once since the Titanic sank, and that was thirty years ago. Villa are hardly heroes of the modern age either.

Spurs have 0 European Cups since the **** dinosaurs, whats your point?

Also general, if you visit http://avfc.co.uk it takes you to a 400 error - easy to fix - pass onto your IT team

(ie no www.)

General Krulak here:

1. Marketing the brand: Yes, we are very interested in moving our brand world-wide...and have been focusing on doing that ever since we teamed with Nike. Obviously, we need to do our part...which is that part that we all want...to win!! BUT, I can say that I do a good deal of traveling and I have been seeing Villa shirts more than ever. Anything like ManU? No!

This point I have to agree with - went to New York in April 2007, visited a lot of sports shops in hunt for NFL jerseys - never saw anything Villa.

Went April 2010 - and saw them in pretty much every shop that handled football shirts.

Good work there

General - a question I'm wondering is have the club got any major ties with any MLS/Australia A-League teams? Reason I ask is because these two are growing year after year in terms of both quality and revenue - they're also potential markets for us - if not, are we open to the possibility?

Indianapolis Colts.

PS 99.999% of games both sides give the referee abuse.

You have to look into it when one side does. Not both. Both is because all the 50-50's didnt go their teams way. One team moaning is because the 50-50s all went against them.

I think you'll find our players do get up and dust themselves down. I'm sure your not aware of the amount of times a lot of our players have played on with knocks and injuries because they actually want to carry on playing. There comes a point though that the tackles that hit them are causing injuries. Neville bad tackle by Pantsil/Etuhu (cant actually remember which), Pienaar bad tackle by Mokoena, Anichebe bad tackle by Nolan.

And theres the problem.

If you ask me Everton have just had a prolonged spell of bad luck.

I've said that previously. We do get kicked a lot though Trent, hence why we was most fouled team last year :winkold:

A foul is not always a kick. Certainly not in the Premier League.

Hmm, I dunno, I reckon if you've got a screech lookalike in midfield throwing elbows into people, an Aussie who makes Bellamy look a calm and gentle character and are previous employers of Duncan Ferguson, a man so nuts he fought his own reflection and won, you kinda reap what you sow when you get the youngsters of your side getting a **** booting.

Yeah cos Fellaini throws elbows every game don't he? Doesn't make a difference what he looks like, and I'm not getting into a debate. Cahill, understandable but everyone hates him. Past players are exactly that, the past. It doesn't mean anything with regards to the way our players are treated now.

It's not youngsters though is it? It's all of them.

Fellaini is a dirty ****. I dont care whether you want to get into a debate, a debate is where you can actually back up your idea to disprove the other. I'd say he's got his elbow in someones face 9 games out of 10. I think you might do well to step back and see both parts to an argument involving Everton... Granted I've not read every post of yours however a quick glance over the past few pages and its how Everton were robbed by the ref against Wolves, then poor Everton are getting kicked and referees arent doing anything about it... etc.

You've got some nasty, horrid little **** in your squad who do more than a good job of kicking other players - Fellaini & Cahill are just two of those. I believe you get what you get because teams know they're in for a physical, aggressive game against you lot so give it back given the chance. Trouble is, you've got a team who can give it, but clearly can't take it.

Hmm, I dunno, I reckon if you've got a screech lookalike in midfield throwing elbows into people, an Aussie who makes Bellamy look a calm and gentle character and are previous employers of Duncan Ferguson, a man so nuts he fought his own reflection and won, you kinda reap what you sow when you get the youngsters of your side getting a **** booting.

someone needs to beguin questioning your gaffers training methods if you keep getting 'bad luck' with injuries

It's nothing to do with training. They've had it all looked at by specialists. I think it's more something to do with players like Stephen Warnock tackling and injuring them... :x

How come other sides dont have the same number of continual injuries that you lot have?

Its not like its the same 2/3 players consistently either - so that would suggest theres something up.

It more than likely does stem from training methods too - leaving players weaker going into games where collisions & impacts are more likely to cause them an injury.

Perhaps Everton have very little 'live' training so they'd realistically get a lot of these sorts of injuries then as their players wouldnt be physically set for games.

Worst signing in Premiership history surely has to be Francis Jeffers to Arsenal. Mainly for the shock factor that no-one expected him to flop that much. I seem to remember at the time alot of people saying he was going to be the signing of the season.

Although we've made a couple which could certainly compete. Balaban aside, there's Djemba Djemba and Mattheiu Berson who could certainly be in contention. I know Berson wasn't a bad player, he couldn't settle in England - but he was still a bad signing.

Jo to Man City for 18m or whatever is a strong contender too. Along with Josemi to Liverpool; a right back who couldn't defend, or attack, or run, or tackle, or jump or pass.

I just saw that Franny Jeffers, at the ripe old age of 29 is currently unemployed. How the mighty have fallen.

Oh, and the worst signing in the Premier League has to be Schevchenko, surely? That cost Chelsea £30m in a transfer fee, £5.5m a year (£110k a week) for three/four years* in wages and the services of Jose Mourinho.

*depending on who paid his wages during his season on loan in Milan.

Winston Bogarde.

someone needs to beguin questioning your gaffers training methods if you keep getting 'bad luck' with injuries

To Randy and General K , as they say in Paris "Muchas Gracias" :winkold:

I am delighted with this appointment.

Best man for the job out of all the candidates.

Welcome to Aston Villa "Mr H" ( as our favourite General addressed him.)

I'm pleased - I give him my full support but on the other hand he aint a miracle worker so can only do with what tools he has.

Houllier*

Dunne and Collins, has a better defensive partnership ever been bought for so cheap? What £8.5mil the two cost us. They are warriors.

Cuellar is a very good centre back too, and any defensive injury will result in him coming into the team, be it at right back or centre back. I think we'll all agree Cuellar is a better right back than Beye.

my nan is a better defender than Beye, and she has severe dementia.

I read on here that Delph is apparently much better than Dawson.

I have already explained about that. In the same way that a player like Shaun Maloney is a better player than Carlos Puyol.

You just put words in people's mouths and then use this for your arguments against nobody.

These are your exact words concerning Dawson in comparison the Delph (I have not put them in your mouth): "... a much better talent and much better player like Delph".

Now you follow it by saying that Maloney is better than Puyol, again "technically" I suppose. Well, technical or not, Maloney doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as Puyol: your statements become ever more ridiculous.

I don't want to get into a debate about this but Delph is a much better talent and much better player than Dawson in the sense that I'm talking about. For example, Dunne is not the best football player but he's great at defending.

As for Delph, just wait a couple of years, unfortuantely I don't see Delph being at Villa in 3 years time as clubs like Man City will be after him. That's how good he will be. Leeds fans rate Delph above players like Rose and Lennon.

GlastonSpur in complaint about players being compared against one another, yet King apparently is the new McGrath.

Sky Sports reporting John Toshack to retire as Wales boss.

I will hang myself if that useless fat shit is anywhere near the club I love.

I've just come from the Wrexham club shop, buying a new tracksuit and I over-heard murmerings of Dean Saunders' last game being this Sunday against Newport County before a trip down the M6.

Given Wrexhams performances, it might be his last game, but not because he's choosing to leave...

People are clutching at straws thinking that because of this photo shoot he is going to come here. Not a chance.

Its probably more to the fact he's Ginger, and well... do you want a ginger in your photos?

Having been beaten 6-0 at an average recently promoted side, dumped out of Europe and lost their best player, Villa's McDonald ranks only behind Ian Huntley in terms of poor caretaker appointments.

He refuses to buy Anelka and then buys Diouf lol!

a terrible decision with the benefit of hindsight. Diouf had just had a stormer at the world cup though

Nobody questions Wenger's transfer record but one thing to point out is he signed Jeffers for just shy of £10m and rejected the chance to sign Van Nistelrooy as he was 'overpriced'

Which part of what you very selectively quoted is 'nonsense'? ...

All of it, including the non-quoted part.

Anyone with a grain of sense could see that signing VdV for 8m does not equate to a "piss poor window". He is a fantastic player, and if you aren't aware of that then it speaks volumes about your knowledge of football.

If you want the real definition of a piss poor window this summer it's this: losing your manager, losing your best player and replacing him with a mentally fragile lightweight. I've read various posts from VTers who are desperarately trying to convince themselves that Ireland will turn out to be great for you, but I think the truth is already starting to dawn on some ... and that's why City were so eager to swap him for Milner and give you 16m on top.

... The fact is VDV is a last-gasp panic signing for a position you didn't even nearly need to fill. And you add him to the 3 backups that I mention. ... A like for like to Modric and to a lesser extent Kranjcar, so you bought a backup for Modric. ..

Last minute signing yes, panic signing no: you don't turn down the chance to sign someone like VdV. Levy saw the chance and took it.

The notion that VdV has been signed as "backup" for Modric is laughable: your knowledge of VdV is a joke tbh. Both players will be regular starters if fit - either as part of a 5-man midfield in a 4-5-1 formation, or else, in a 4-4-2, with Bale at LB, Modric in LM, Lennon in RW, VdV in central attacking midfield and one of Huddlestone, Palacios or Sandro sitting behind them. VdV can also play as 2nd striker in a 4-4-2.

Lies, damn lies and statistics. Remove his Dutch career and concentrate on the big leagues. His percentage falls below Lampard. He also 'managed' to score less than 1 in 5 playing for Real Madrid. Bravo, Rafa, bravo.

Why remove his Dutch career with Ajax? It seems that you're the one wishing to manipulate the stats, by selecting those that suit you and deleting those that don't. And we haven't even begun to look at his assists. I'm starting to wonder how many times you've actually seen VdV play.

Keep going, any time soon now you'll manage to convince yourself that VdV is a just a mediocre hack.

All that negativity directed at Spurs must have been quite the shock.

Not at all. This thread of full of it: most of it deluded, innacurate nonsense. I only have to cast my eye back over the last few months to read multiple claims that Spurs had no chance of 4th, no chance of making the CL group stages and no chance of getting improved shirt sponsor deals.

Your team selection astounds me, Football Manager is not a realistic representation of real life....

Why on Earth would any manager field that? Bale is a disasterous LB, as shown by his comical 2nd half at the weekend.

...

He really isn't. You may recall that it was his performances at LB for S'hampton which brought him to prominence in the first place. Sure, in the Prem he's had a few rickety games here and there at LB, but he's also had several very good games at LB for Spurs.

Harry has said that he sees Bale's long-term future as being at LB - and he's not a bad judge of players. Bale is still only 21 remember, and it isn't easy switching back and forth between the LB and LW positions, playing LB in one game, then LW in the next. Once he gets the LB slot on a regular basis I'm pretty sure he'll make it his own and do well there on a consistent basis.

I'm willing to bet that it won't be long before Harry switches Bale to LB more or less permanently.

... Modric, Lennon and vdV in the same midfield? And I think Villa's midfield is lightweight at times! It's also to easy to just nullify your width and smash you on the counter....

Why? We would still have Palacios, Huddlestone or Sandro sitting behind these players. Besides, the main ethos of the Spurs game is to play attacking football, which can mean risking the trade of a few losses here and there for the chance of a larger number of 3 point wins.

No offense Glaston, but you criticise BOF for picking and choosing regarding Rafa's stats (not wanting to count his Dutch League career), yet you basically said half of Villa's trophy count do not count when comparing us with you. You can't have it both ways.

I have never said that half of Villa's trophies "don't count". I have simply pointed out that the value of some of these trophies counts for less compared to trophies won in the post-Victorian era, when the league structure included a much much larger number of teams including teams like Spurs, Chelsea etc etc.

So there is no analogy with the goals scored by VdV for Ajax in the Dutch league. His goals there do count, just as Villa's trophy total includes those won in the Victorian era. You can that argue that his each goal for Ajax counts for less than each goal scored for Hamburg or Real Madrid or Holland - and I'd agree with that argument, But to remove them altogether from his impressive goals stats, as BOF wishes to do, is plain silly.

You can go on about Bale's performances for Southampton as much as you like - it wasnt this that you signed him on.

Firstly, he played left midfield for Saints.

Secondly, hes been known about by those involved with football for quite a while. Players arent suddenly 'noticed' when they have a few decent games at top flight.

I love this clown.

2) I have never claimed that any Spurs player is world-class, with the arguable exception of King and now VdV.

See my sig.

In all fairness, we've got Stephen Ireland, they've got VdV.

I know which I'd rather, and it aint the bald ****.