astondalston

Funny how an Egyptian construction Company CEO now becomes involved in AVFC leadership at this moment...

Jeff Stelling on Talkshite this morning mentioned that the buyback clause is only functional if we are in the same league as Hull. FWIW...

I’d just like to take a moment to remember the time, not so long ago, when we had to rely on Jan Bednarak.. Thanks for reading, I’ll be on my way.

Drives me nuts how little coverage Villa get in the Grauniad. The Europa Conference games didn't even get mentioned at the start of the season. I realise this is my problem and I'm working on solutions...

What’s Boubs doing on Page 3?? makes difference having him back again…

Castore hope ‘wet-look’ issue solved as Aston Villa finally accept shirt delivery Exclusive: Despite the new shipment, it is still expected that the club and kit manufacturer will cut short their ‘multi year’ deal Matt Law, FOOTBALL NEWS CORRESPONDENT 11 December 2023 • 12:45pm Aston Villa have finally taken delivery of a new shipment of Castore shirts with the sportswear manufacturer hopeful they have now solved the club’s ‘wet-look’ issue that prompted complaints from players. News Sport Money Business Opinion Israel Ukraine Royals Life Style Travel Cul Log in 1 11/12/2023, 13:58 Castore hope ‘wet-look’issue solved as Aston Villa finally accept shirt delivery https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2023/12/11/castore-wet-look-issue-aston-villa-shirt-delivery/ 2/6 Telegraph Sport understands that Castore are still due to supply Villa with technical details over the changes that have been made before Unai Emery’s players test the new shirts out. No matter whether a solution has been found, it is still expected that Villa and Castore will cut short their ‘multi-year’ partnership that was announced last year at the end of the season. But the two parties have been working amicably and continue to do so. Players from Villa’s men’s and women’s teams had raised complaints about this season’s shirts that quickly become wet and cling to their bodies. Villa felt the problem with the shirts represents a performance issue, with men’s players claiming they become heavy and uncomfortable, while women’s players also raised concerns. The ‘wet-look’ issue was glaringly obvious during the warmer months of the season, when the shirts became much darker as they absorbed sweat. The cooler temperatures mean television pictures have not picked it up as easily recently, but the problem is understood to have persisted, despite Villa’s incredible form. In September, Castore promised to “address this issue as quickly as possible to meet the standards we expect” and the company finally delivered a new batch of shirts to Villa last week. Villa’s players did not wear the new shirts for either of the victories against Manchester City or Arsenal, which propelled Emery’s team into third place in the Premier League table. They are not expected to do so in their next two fixtures, either, against Zrinjski Mostar in the Europa Conference League and Brentford in the Premier League, but the shirts could be used after that if Villa receive the technical details and are happy with them. Castore felt the issue had been caused by an imbalance related to the BK8 sponsorship logo emblazoned across the shirts, but accepted full responsibility and vowed to find a workable solution. Given Villa’s excellent start to the season and the superstitious nature of some players, it is unclear whether or not any of the club’s stars could request to keep playing in the batch of shirts they have used up to now, regardless of whether others eventually change to the new shipment supplied by Castore.

No Boubs, No party...

I'm another that's not been a huge fan of his, but fair play, i thought his confidence (and therefore mine...) has turned a corner. Seemed a lot more assured last night and that pass to Bailey.... (no chefs kiss emoji available alas ...)

“The consequence is coming……”

Excellent news... made up about this!

Getting frustrated with his lack of peripheral vision….

Made it to the top of VT league!! This is the summit of my life's achievements, exceeding even my long distance swim in my pyjamas at the age of 7.. Its all downhill from here...

It's an all too familiar cycle... Great performances building up to the international break, followed by a balloon popping defeat on our return. But if anyone can break the loop, its this man...

Not sure if that’s quite correct….

It’s all gone a bit quiet in here…. we don’t talk about Diego , oh, oh…

Looks more likely it’s a genuine sabotage mission to distract/confuse.

Missing Buendias through balls.. he'd be making hay today.

Dead on... the exact same thought went through my head...

First time I've pulled in years!

Amazing... I spend three months in Abu Dhabi and finally the Villa come to me..

Theres also this...... Why you should always pour your beer out of a can or bottle.

Speaking of larger international construction companies, and at risk of veering off topic, this is a good article on the choices made and the damage done before a shovel hits the soil "Architects working on the Neom mega-project in Saudi Arabia, including the 170-kilometre city The Line, must decide whether they are content to be complicit in an "ecological and moral atrocity", writes Adam Greenfield." https://www.dezeen.com/2022/11/02/neom-the-line-saudi-arabia-architects-opinion/#comments

I'm not sure if Lusail was built for the World Cup? The stadium for sure, but the rest of it Similar construction can be seen in any of the Gulf states or further afield. That's what development looks like.... I'm bemused by the amount of scorn and indignation that gets thrown in Qatar's direction. Whilst it is totally absurd that the WC is hosted in what is basically a City state, I would be interested to see the figures for deaths/injuries on construction sites in KSA, Egypt, UAE. Same practices in place here for a long time and barely get a mention in the bylines..