Jordanderve

People cancelling/returning tickets?

Not sure but if you click on select a seat, even in the majority of blocks which are still green (except the wings), a lot of the seats have gone. From the ticket website, it doesn't seem too far off being right.

Someone mentioned the other day that 3k left.

i understand the reasoning behind not releasing these tickets on general sale but this game has to be a sell out. The club should do whatever it can to get people through the door. It's a FA Cup quarter final under Saturday floodlights vs a team only 4 miles away from us. It doesn't get much bigger than this.

Lets do it. I am so excited.

I live in Leeds but managing to get down for this game. It is going to be the best game since the Ajax game for atmosphere I reckon. Unfortunately, I'm in the Trinity Upper but my heart will forever be in the Holte! Is the atmosphere that bad in the Trinity Upper?

How many people said that McLeish could never become Villa manager? Like many, I thought it was a joke when I heard. The managers the bookmakers have as candidates did Sunderland are so utterly dour. I can't remember seeing a worse list of possible managers as that which have been drawn up for Sunderland.

McLeish has already been to Forest and lasted as long as a bad rash. Ha, I'd forgotten about him at Forest. I feel McLeish, like McClaren, has finally been found out. There must be better options than these dinosaurs. Yep, Kevin Ball, Stuart Pearce & Tony Pulis. I haven't had this much fun at work since we beat them 6-1 last season

I really do hope this happens. It is said that it isn't necessarily a certainty but the Mcleish interview is the sole reason why Poyet hasn't already go the job. Word is that McLeish would take GMac as his number two. Odds have come in on betfair today too (it doesn't take much for this to happen, I appreciate).

Hi Everyone On a reasonably grey, gloomy and dreary day, I thought I would pass on some possible news to cheer everyone up. I work with a Sunderland season ticket holder and there are certain snippets coming out up there that McLeish is a very strong possibility for Sunderland after 'interviewing very well'...sounds familar. He enjoyed every minute of taking the piss out of me when that clown was in charge of us and so in the words of a certain Mr Keegan ..."I would just LOVE IT!" if McLeish ended up at Sunderland.

Season starts 2nd November. 6 of last seasons top 7 in the first 9 games! If we are mid-table at the beginning of November, we could be in for a good season.

It is on SkySports' live transsfer centre too with 'reports emergin gfrom Holland'

I think programme sales will go through the roof early season as we will all need them in order to work out which player is which from the squad lists.

Lambert is the most interesting manager we have had since Gregory. I love what he is trying to do with us. Whether it works is a different matter but I am enjoying the ride.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/aston-villa-sign-leandro-bacuna-1950316 Aston Villa to snap up highly-rated Dutch midfielder Leandro Bacuna 13 Jun 2013 13:39 The Holland Under-21 international was at Villa to undertake a medical today before completing his switch from FC Groningen Aston Villa are set to sign highly-rated Dutch midfielder Leandro Bacuna. The Holland Under-21 international moves to Villa Park from FC Groningen. Bacuna was at Villa to undertake a medical today before completing his switch. Despite only being 21, Bacuna has made over 100 appearances for Groningen since making his debut in 2009. Bacuna is most comfortable in midfield, but can also operate as a wing back on either side. Villa manager Paul Lambert hopes to make at least six new signings this year Having wrapped up deals for Aleksandar Tonev and now Bacuna, Lambert is aiming to seal the transfers of striker Nicklas Helenius and Jores Okore. We don't seem to be hanging about this year do we!

Top of my head but Dean Ashton? McLean last season for Sunderland?

Getting behind the team is going to games and cheering them on. I do enough of that. I don't class writing on the internet that everything will be great as an important aspect of getting behind the team. In my view Big John, you are under estimating the power of the internet. Instantly, such views have an audience of potentially millions of people. How many views has this thread received? Constantly airing negative views, time and time again, infects a fan base and negativity spreads like wild fire. Within a crowd, a negative voice can be drown out, if, it is a minority view. On an internet forum, it is so much more difficult for such views to be drown out, even if the views are that of the minority. I am not solely pointing out your posts and I am not saying that people do not have the right to air any view they wish. However, getting behind the team on an internet forum is an important aspect of 'supporting your team' and it isn't just the fact that you turn up every week that makes you a 'good supporter'.

Agreed for the most part although I personally wouldn't like us to go near Dawson (high wages, no resale value and slow). We have Dunne who has these attributes. Also, the team you have outlined includes 5 signings!

Lerner has spent money... Source: http://www.transferleague.co.uk/league-tables/transfer-league-table-last-five-seasons.html Last 5 seasons Premier League transfer spends by club. Purchased Gross/ Sold/ Net/ Per Season Man City £498,450,000/ £102,800,000/ £395,650,000/ £79,130,000/ Chelsea £293,300,000/ £77,600,000/ £215,700,000/ £43,140,000/ Stoke City £71,225,000/ £8,650,000/ £62,575,000/ £12,515,000/ Man United £180,950,000/ £120,800,000/ £60,150,000/ £12,030,000/ Aston Villa £144,100,000/ £89,350,000/ £54,750,000/ £10,950,000/ Liverpool £239,150,000/ £192,050,000/ £47,100,000/ £9,420,000/ QPR £36,500,000/ £850,000/ £35,650,000/ £7,130,000/ Fulham £46,800,000/ £24,700,000/ £22,100,000/ £4,420,000/ West Ham £70,400,000/ £53,300,000/ £17,100,000/ £3,420,000/ W B Albion £38,725,000/ £24,810,000/ £13,915,000/ £2,783,000/ Tottenham £163,700,000/ £152,250,000/ £11,450,000/ £2,290,000/ Nrw City £12,050,000/ £1,100,000/ £10,950,000/ £2,190,000/ Sunderland £101,900,000/ £91,550,000/ £10,350,000/ £2,070,000/ Wigan £54,600,000/ £50,250,000/ £4,350,000/ £870,000/ Sthamton £16,450,000/ £14,600,000/ £1,850,000/ £370,000/ Swansea £16,430,000/ £21,860,000/ -£5,430,000/ -£1,086,000/ Reading £9,200,000/ £25,850,000/ -£16,650,000/ -£3,330,000/ Everton £57,000,500/ £75,816,000/ -£18,815,500/ -£3,763,100/ Newcastle £72,850,000/ £109,550,000/ -£36,700,000/ -£7,340,000/ Arsenal £137,400,000/ £181,400,000/ -£44,000,000/ -£8,800,000/ Total gross spend under Randy Lerner £177,500,000. Doesn't include wages. Randy was worth approx £600m prior to our takeover if I recall correctly, has spent approx £200m on Villa and sold the Browns for approx £600m. If we have to start breaking even, so be it. Lerner has invested in Villa and cannot continue to do so at the same level!

Exactly. We might as well close the match threads because you might as well wait for the final whistle instead of discussing what might happen. If match threads start having comments in like FFS how did we lose that 10 - 0 before the game has been played. Absolutely, close the thread. What people get frustrated about is when people with downbeat/negative opinions are speaking as a matter of fact, when actually the window hasn't closed hence the 'moan after the window closes' comments. The 10-0 before the match has started is a poor analogy, more like 2-0 with 10 mins to go in this transfer window . Apologies

Exactly. We might as well close the match threads because you might as well wait for the final whistle instead of discussing what might happen. If match threads start having comments in like FFS how did we lose that 10 - 0 before the game has been played. Absolutely, close the thread. What people get frustrated about is when people with downbeat/negative opinions are speaking as a matter of fact, when actually the window hasn't closed hence the 'moan after the window closes' comments.

This is looking like the best case scenario at the moment ! There is quite a strong chance now that we will go with what we have - this would be the weakest squad I can recall since the mid eighties. On the balance of the rumours and market we are in - I think we will get Olson\cresswell and Jones Its already stronger than last season.... How do you figure that? We have replaced Petrov with KEA (not sure if that is an imporivement or not) and Collins with Vlaar (that looks to be an improvement) then brought in a league 1 RB and have released or transfer listed a load of players. It looks like it will be a struggle to name the 7 players on our bench this season. When the injuries and suspensions strike we are going to massively struggle. The squad is extreamly weak. This is one of the weakest and worst villa squads for some time. We need to bring in about 8 players to the squad to be any good. We need another 3/4 minimum if we are going to avoid a relegation battle Agreed, it is a weak squad but it is weak because of the ridiculous amount of overspending on wages that occurred when we were buying players left-right-center. Lerner should have had a tighter grip on this but can we criticise him if he was giving the top four his best shot? That is what everyone is asking him to do right now - overspend. The club has no money. Lerner has invested hundreds of millions to date. Our most recent accounts showed us that we have to cut our on-going liabilities if we are to be run a self sufficent football club. Lerner is not rich enough to be able to absorb £50m losses year after year and as a fanbase we have to accept that. How many Billionaires with excess of £2b are there out there who would be willing to invest in a club outside of London. Not many I would suggest.

These are my feelings exactly. Why can't we just look forward to the season. People are writing off our youngsters but they have only really had 1 season in the prem and that was with McLeish as manager. I said it last season but Gardner's development would have been better suited by sticking in the reserves with KMac. At least in the reserves the ball didn't bypass the midfield. All of the youth lads last season must have gone from playing decent football, on the floor with the reserves/youth to coming into the 'big-time' with the first team and thinking what the hell is this when 'tactics' were being given out by McLeish. Signings or not, I believe that with the crowd behind the team, the team will progress this season. Prior to Swansea being promoted, how many of there team would you have been happy with if we had signed them! I want AVFC to be here for the next 100 years. If that means that we can't sign Fletcher, Jarvis and Dawson for £30m, what a shame.

Now Brunt_ear, I do not disagree with the points which you have made and would actually say that I agree with you for the most part. We were not great against West Ham, however I found the performance encouraging. If other fans viewed the performance as disappointing but didn't feel encouraged, fine. I am not suggesting that everybody looks at each performance through rose tinted glasses. I just don't get the negative posts that are made about all manner of Villa related topics on every forum when we are so early into a new season, the transfer window is open and we have a new manager who has generally been well accepted. In relation to the cliches you say I have used i.e. where I believe Lerner invested enough money to get us there, it is my opinion that he did. I am not suggesting that we would have stayed there, but we could have and I believe that with the money we spent we should have got there in one of those early Lerner seasons. That is not a cliche, that is my view.

Source: http://www.transferleague.co.uk/league-tables/transfer-league-table-last-five-seasons.html Last 5 seasons Premier League transfer spends by club. Purchased Gross/ Sold/ Net/ Per Season Man City £498,450,000/ £102,800,000/ £395,650,000/ £79,130,000/ Chelsea £293,300,000/ £77,600,000/ £215,700,000/ £43,140,000/ Stoke City £71,225,000/ £8,650,000/ £62,575,000/ £12,515,000/ Man United £180,950,000/ £120,800,000/ £60,150,000/ £12,030,000/ Aston Villa £144,100,000/ £89,350,000/ £54,750,000/ £10,950,000/ Liverpool £239,150,000/ £192,050,000/ £47,100,000/ £9,420,000/ QPR £36,500,000/ £850,000/ £35,650,000/ £7,130,000/ Fulham £46,800,000/ £24,700,000/ £22,100,000/ £4,420,000/ West Ham £70,400,000/ £53,300,000/ £17,100,000/ £3,420,000/ W B Albion £38,725,000/ £24,810,000/ £13,915,000/ £2,783,000/ Tottenham £163,700,000/ £152,250,000/ £11,450,000/ £2,290,000/ Nrw City £12,050,000/ £1,100,000/ £10,950,000/ £2,190,000/ Sunderland £101,900,000/ £91,550,000/ £10,350,000/ £2,070,000/ Wigan £54,600,000/ £50,250,000/ £4,350,000/ £870,000/ Sthamton £16,450,000/ £14,600,000/ £1,850,000/ £370,000/ Swansea £16,430,000/ £21,860,000/ -£5,430,000/ -£1,086,000/ Reading £9,200,000/ £25,850,000/ -£16,650,000/ -£3,330,000/ Everton £57,000,500/ £75,816,000/ -£18,815,500/ -£3,763,100/ Newcastle £72,850,000/ £109,550,000/ -£36,700,000/ -£7,340,000/ Arsenal £137,400,000/ £181,400,000/ -£44,000,000/ -£8,800,000/ Total gross spend under Randy Lerner £177,500,000. I do not feel insulted by Mr Lerner looking at these figures above.