CBGB

This squad has had three consecutive top 6 finishes. Today it looks sub-Wigan.

What BOF said.

Last week, there were signs of profligacy in front of goal and serious defensive frailties. Today there were glimpses of great attacking play.

It will take a while for the team to find its balance, something that's off without Milner.

Also just perhaps Newcastle were spurred on by the fact the last time we played them we relegated them.

Basically KMac gambled and lost badly.

Reaction? WOW

Hear, hear BOF. A nice change from all the childish recriminations flying between the "MON acolytes" and "anti-MON brigade".

For the record, IMO MON did a good job and we've got very accustomed to top 6 finishes. I'm skeptical that the next manager will achieve as much with the new financial restrictions. Obviously MON knew he couldn't and quit.

A friend of mine who is close to Vicente Del Bosque's agent says he has thrown his hat into the ring.

The Bullring? He'll feel right at home.

Really don't want Bon Bradley here

Him neither

Bob Bradley is a shrewd cookie. He was the coach who sussed out Rooney at the World Cup & laid down a blueprint for all the other Countries for how to stop him. Don't underestimate him he is no fool. That said I would still prefer Magath.

To be fair, I don't think Rooney took much sussing out this World Cup.

I just don't get all this talk about we sign anyone before we have a new manager, it doesn't make sense at all,am I really the only one there can see that??

I see it too. In fact I would be mightily surprised to see anyone sign this summer which would suit the club financially

... if not our ambitions. From the club's perspective, I suppose our ambitions are whatever we can afford, so que ser sera.

Going into the season with an (at this level) inexperienced temporary manager, an unsettled squad, and no new signings is not great.

For "Sven on a budget", see Notts County.

If any of those three became manager of Aston Villa, then I would start to cry.

Bob Bradley

Gareth Southgate

Alan Curbishley

Wow, I've never agreed with anything you've written before

Said it this morning and I'll say it again ,,, Shearer

You can keep saying it, but it'll make you look a bit silly.

GT MkIII...

...or Dave Basset

The best of the realistic ones is Jol, but I don't see him as a major improvment on MON. I seem to remember Spurs wasting all kinds of money he spent on players in his time at Spurs?

Klinsmann is not a serious choice. If he can't do anything with the players he had at Bayern Munich, how's he going to do anything at Villa? His success managing Germany may have had something to do with having a certain Joachim Low assisting him...

As for some of the others - Curbishley, Allardyce, Bob Bradley - FFS! How average do we want to be?

Southgate?! Come on...

If there's ever been a better piece of writing on Villa Talk, I havent read it.

One of the things that annoys me most about this Milner situation is, that only about 6-8 months ago Milner was singing MON and Villa's praises. He was basically saying how playing for a settled club with a settled manager, not a manager conveyor belt like at Newcastle, was improving his game. Now 6 months down the line, Man City wave a wad of cash at him and those thoughts leave his mind, the manager conveyor belt won't be a problem for him anymore, because let's face it Mancini will probably be fired by Christmas if they don't look like getting Champs League.

Footballers eh, imo you can't believe a word that comes out of their mouths.

Totally agree and thats how the Villa management feel !

Quite right.

He is worth what ever we say he is worth.

Only if they pay it.

I think Mr Lerner is a very shrewd businessman. Such losses are set off against taxes, etc.

Villa are not indebted to banks or other organisations who could pull the rug from under us at a mere whim, but primarily owe RL the figures stated in the accounts. To him, it is a sustainable level of debt, and indeed, most commerce in the entire world moves on credit, as opposed to cold, hard cash.

I think the whole 'sell to buy' thing has been over-egged somewhat. This stemmed from RL's comments, which could have been interpreted in a number of ways. Alas, the media, an hence you lot here, decided to take the negative path.

Villa are a business and if another company wants to make an over-inflated bid to buy an asset, and you make a hefty profit on that, then you go for it, and re-invest in your business to take it higher and further. JM is not God and if you read many of the comments about him here, he's good but not even that great. If he goes (and he has not yet indicated he wants this!) then he will be replaced by one or more other players from that fee. It's not the end of the world. Players even leave the biggest clubs: how many good players left Arsenal, despite them offering CL football? Alonso left Liverpool, Ronaldo left United, blah, blah, blah...

LIfe evolves, and maybe he'll go, but he will be replaced and forgotten about in time by someone more worthy...

Shame to let the most sensible comment in a while pass unnoticed.

Pointless question.

It's Citeh, it'll all end in tears. Not tears of joy, either. It's just the way it is.

Delph will be quality, just you watch!

Milner is a known quantity and is quality. Delph may get to the same level, but may well not. Selling Milner, with the assurances that Delph's bound to come good, is a risky way to progress.

Me, I'd much rather we kept Milner and bought a decent striker.

Milner makes us tick.

We've got decent defenders, Delph will be coming back, Delfonso should be kicking on... but we need to shift Heskey and bring in someone to score goals.

But it's the price of being a decent team that our best players get cherry-picked, so we'll see...

Not sure any tackling would get done in a Downing - Ireland - Carrick - Young midfield

Hard to see anything other than a home win. We haven't won at city for ages, and they are stronger than ever. Which means it's still likely we'll finish 7th. Still a good season AFAIC.