briny_ear

Why would Clark start over Bannan? I guess because they need a DM and Bannan wouldn't do so well at that.

The Guardian - which has a pretty good track record of getting these things right - is saying this morning Guzan Hutton Dunne Collins Warnock Petrov Clark Delph Albrighton Agbonlahor N'Zogbia So those who are wanting Clark to start may get their wish but maybe not in the position they expected. Collins is doubtful, though, so maybe Clark will have to go back 4 and someone else -Bannan or Ireland? - might go midfield.

I'm sure there's something missing here that explains some of the more subtle tactics. Let me think...Ah, yes:

I've ben very disappointed with Bent's attitude and performances so far this season. OK, so he's lost Young and Downing and the team is not playing very well, but he's still got Gabby putting in excellent crosses and he's spurned a lot of chances. If we could get someone less "iconic" but more consistent, I'd gladly sell him. Not sure Zamora is the guy though.

Although he showed some nice touches with his passing, I don't think he ever showed the pace and strength needed for the premier league and he would come back with a big learning curve still to cope with. Wouldn't recommend him to come back into the current side and management set up tbh. It might finish him off for good.

I thought it was standard practice for a senior player that, if he's not actually on the treatment table, or immobile or incapacitated in some way, he should attend the match to support his team mates. DB doesn't seem much of a team player.

For the first time for a long time, I can't actually think of a man of the match.

Who do you think would play left back when Warnock was gone? Not that any of this has much credibility. The laziest journalism and punditry in the world is to link a manager of a new club with players from his old club.

Didn't a chap called Harry Redknapp have a few problems with him as well?

Sadly, it's looking like 13-17 atm. Depends a bit if we do anything in the transfer window.

Oh dear.

Hutton. Not doing his job.

Oh well, we are gonna get stuffed now I expect.

Hint to Villa fans at VP. Don't boo Downing, it wil just make him more determined to score.

Yes, well done to the two newcomer lads. However, I find that team and bench rather scary. We could be in for a pasting here. Having said that, now they will probably put on a storming performance and win, and Heskey and Delfouneso will form the perfect striking partnership we've been searching for.

That's what I love about him. Loved his goal against Chelsea last week - the way he pulled up & just let the ball bounce gently into the net and then just looked down, sort of "this is just routine for me, scoring against Chelsea". Also loved his shoulder goal against Norwich - here We don't have enough genuine eccentrics in the PL any more. More power to his elbow (apols to his team mates who are going to have to take a few beatings/darts in the head in the cause )

Summed up nicely but totally wrong so far as the 2nd part is concerned.

He was pretty good when he was with Leicester and in the early days with 'pool, to be fair - definitely someone you'd want on your side, not your opponents, but that was getting on for 10 years ago.

That's a big ball park! Young's fee was around 20% higher.

Don't think many think he is "so bad" just that he has not been good value for an £8.5m acquisition on £50k+ p.w. and was the weak link in a midfield with Young, Milner and Downing or in a CM pairing with Barry. They are all top players, acquired for not dissimilar money (with the exception of Barry obviously), and now playing at big clubs (in the PL era) challenging for Europe. I don't think any of those aspiring clubs would have come in for Stan at any point. He has looked better this year in a more advanced role BUT still lacks the pace and energy, IMO, to be a complete PL CM'er, particularly in a two man CM. Don't know where you got the £8.5m from. The generally published figure is £6.5m, potentially rising to £8m (We don't know how much of the extra has been paid of course*). So, your "Not dissimilar" transfer fees are in fact S Petrov - £6.5m rising to £8m A Young - £8m rising to £9.65m J Milner - £12m S Downing - £10m rising to £12m That's not exactly my idea of "not dissimilar" sums of money! (* or maybe someone given to poring over the AVFC accounts does!)

Is "half decent" the same as "bog standard", then? Both underestimate what he has brought to the side IMO

Must say that Heskey this season is looking like a shadow of the player we bought - and even when we bought him he was on the way to becoming a shadow of the player he was in his prime. Given that he often gets put in midfield these days, I would much rather see a concerted effort to get Bannan settled in the side.

Thank heavens we've had him at the club over the past 3 seasons. The absolute bedrock and centre of stability amongst slash and burn chairman/chief executive, doolally/out of depth managers, glory-hunting/ship-jumping stars etc. He's one of the main reasons it hasn't all been disastrously worse.

quoting some highly selective stats is a bit sneaky and not the sort of behaviour to be encouraged on Villatalk IMO. Who is it who hates Houllier BTW? Do you not get that whole point I was making, firstly, it wasn't all that serious, hence the wink rather than a very serious comment.. Sunderland, 1-0 down to Blackburn at half-time, won 2-1. "Houllier would never win a game like that" His very first game, 1-0 down to Blackburn at half-time, won 3-1 ....do you not see the slightly funny side to the original comment. think you took it all abit seriously .. Cripes, if you think I take any of this discussion about Houllier seriously, you really have not been getting the point of my my posts. Let me steer you back to my original response to your post, which included a very early outbreak of Did that not give you any hint about my state of mind when posting? He would have then taken the metro to St James Park, raced to the players' tunnel and kissed the black and white scarf above the entrance...

He looked a bit more lively and made an effort. Wouldn't say his football was very good quality though, still passes and shots going astray. Some much bigger tests for him coming up if he stays in the first XI