El-Reacho

How's Manchester City's business model any different to how ours was (other than sheer amount of spending obviously)? They're just spending money like it's going out of fashion. They don't have any business model other than trying to get round FFP rules by doing a stadium naming rights deal that's still not anywhere close to giving them financial sustainability. The business models that work are the ones that have been in place for 10 years+. Even with all their stability Everton's model barely stacks up. They'll sell Fellaini this summer to service their debt. We are now at the beginning of a very long process of building - wouldn't surprise me if RL has begun a 10-15 year plan now.

Was going to look up Cannavaro - knew someone else would do it. Would he have been as world class if he were a premier league player though?

Good post. I'm sticking with what we've got.

I've no real sympathy toward Randy - but no real malice toward him either. He says himself he took a gamble by trying to get CL football under O'Neill. He took his manager's advice on what was required and backed him. It didn't pay off and he has no regrets. Live by the sword - die by the sword. IMHO - he has subsequently made two serious mistakes in sacking Houllier when he did (if he had any choice with respect to GH's health), and his subsequent appointment. We're now on a very tight budget because the expensive gamble didn't pay off - but I'm positive that the future of the club is not in doubt in any way even if worst happens in May.

Particularly in that position. The best defensive midfielders tend to grow into that position over the course of a career. Pirlo was in his late twenties before he became properly adept as a deep midfielder- likewise Makelele, Carrick's playing better now than he ever has for Utd. Younger players like Tiote and Mikel have shown flashes of quality but when they subsequently get singled out and closed down quickly they get found out. It's a far harder position to play than a more advanced midfielder - much higher risk.

I wonder does PL see Lowton at CB eventually? Hence Cavanda at RB?

I heard 6 months on twitter ;-) I think if our younger players had been brought through the ranks the way most younger players do - with lots of experience around them, they would be thriving a lot more more than they currently are now. When Albrighton was an understudy to Downing and Young he showed his greatest potential and was able to match their crossing ability. You can imagine how good for his development it would've been training with Young and Downing every day - but now he's the only winger at the club. Training must be shite for him. Look at how good Ireland was at City, both Westwood and Bannan would've been capable of achieving what he did there - if they'd had that chance. Likewise Baker and Clark. Compare them to Smalling and Jones at Utd who are training with Vidic and Rio every day. If Clark and in particular Baker were in that learning environment imagine how much better they would be. Unfortunately they're all coming through together at Villa with not too many to lead the way - to establish the standard required in the PL etc.

Apparently Dortmund are using a special training facility where the players stand inside a square with miniature goal posts around the perimeter. A player stands in the the middle and a ball comes toward him from any direction and one of the goals lights up and he has to pass it in first time. Be nice if we were looking at something like that.

Zenit St Petersberg not exactly making the Russian League particularly attractive to black players are they. Having said that you could say the same about certain PL clubs....

I mentioned this in another thread but Sean Ingle said on Football Weekly that Villa's Press Manager was at Dortmund's last CL group game last week. I don't think he'd have anything to do with recruitment but thought it was interesting all the same.

Why would it matter if he's not a CB if he's done very well? Herd has looked like a natural where ever he has played for us. He was exceptional at RB for the one or two games he played there before Hutton arrived. He did well with Petrov in midfield and I think he's done as well as Clark and maybe even Baker in the last few games. He doesn't look out of place. He's not a player that you can pigeon hole into a position.

I hope that Herd keeps his place (and Clark and Baker for that matter). I don't think it sends out a good message to have players who will walk into the side regardless. To have a fit Vlaar on the bench will only focus the three academy players' minds even more on keeping their places. Apart from perhaps Herd getting caught out on Saturday - they've done nothing to get dropped, and that result will have spurred them on even more. Was really pissed off with McLeish when he dropped Guzan last season just because Given was fit again. I don't think we have any players that are good enough to play regardless - perhaps Benteke, but no one else.

I was pleased with what Neville said about us the other night - the negative stuff he was saying I took as him pointing out the difference between the current regime and previous regimes when he would have played here.

Did anyone see Gary Neville last night before the Arsenal game? I'm sure it's been mentioned somewhere else on the forum, but he had a fair bit to say about us. He said that when he came to VP as a player it was a 'nice' place to come to. There were lots of good 27-30 year old established premier league players who didn't really try hard enough. But Lambert had completely changed that. Did a good analysis of the goals - plenty of praise for Benteke and Holman. Also said Weimann's goal was the best team goal you will see all season. Nice to hear. I've been tuning into every football show since Saturday to hear the plaudits. Football Weekly on the Guardian spent a bit of time talking about us and again they talked about previous un-named players (presumably Warnock) blaming everyone else for their shortcomings all being gotten rid of and how the new squad was running through brick walls for Lambert. Apparently Villa's Press Secretary was in Dortmund last week - interesting perhaps.

I was hoping for Chelsea win today as they would hopefully relax this week as a result. Either way they don't get back here until Tuesday and play Leeds on Wednesday I think. Leeds to win on pens after a gruelling 120 mins would be ideal. Would make us favourites for the League Cup and would really soften Chelsea up for next Sunday.

It's seems a bit different to John Gregory's in that it's 5-4-1 when we don't have the ball and we just let them have it in their own half. It springs into life and becomes 3-5-2 when we bring the ball forward short quick passes. I don't remember JG's being as sexy as this, or as counter attacking. We had Merson, Dublin, Taylor, Carbone, and Boateng then so we could keep the ball better in the final third but it was still much more direct IIRC?

Will be good to see Villa among the goal of the month contenders again - maybe goal of the season contenders too? I haven't seen Weimann's goal from the very start of the 16 passes - MOTD only showed the last couple of passes when Bannan left Lucas (I think) on his arse and played it forward. Would love to see Benteke's goal against Norwich in its entirity too - 18 passes? I remember Argentina scoring a goal like that in the World Cup a few years back and they repeated all 20 passes or whatever it was over and over.

Forgot about Routledge! Amazing that him and Luke Moore are both playing great football in one of the slickest sides in the PL. And people said our bunch couldn't be converted into a passing team.

Sidwell and Collins? Maybe Freidel? Don't think many have left us to go on to greater things. Milner and Barry the obvious exceptions but Milner certainly not starting games. Most Utd fans I know are so underwhelmed by Ashley Young he's becoming something of a hate figure for them.

Villa probably a perfect club for him in Wilmot's eyes - playing PL football, starting every game but not having to deal with Wenger or Ferguson stopping them from coming to international games.

Whittingham suggested a few pages back - it would be great to have someone in the side who can take a free kick - and score. Haven't had anyone that would get you excited about a free kick in a while. Young thought he was CR9 with his stance over the ball etc. but was pretty crap. Seem to remember Milner scored a peach against Everton at VP a few years back - haven't had anyone who's in any way prolific at free kicks in an age. Not many about in the PL as a whole at moment.

He was one of the few positives to come out of the McLeish 'experience' - had a good partnership with Petrov, and was the best RB we had last season.

Imagine we'd had him in that O'Neill side with Milner, Young, Downing, and Gabby. I know he was only 16 or whatever but just imagine..........

Their comments remind me of the Arsenal fans singing 'We want our Arsenal back' at Wenger.

Getting lots of plaudits for our slick 3-5-2 on the twittersphere.