heystally!

That's only because Hutton is suspended. I don't think it's ideal for McLeish not having an experienced right back for the game. Also having three centre backs will help tackle the long balls and long throws Stoke will throw our way all game. What we'll have to see is the way that we approach the game. I'm hopeful that we'll play some nice football like we did against Arsenal, and try and feed the wingers so that much more of those crosses against Arsenal actually hit Bent and not the keeper. But we'll have to see. I'm just not going to pre-judge what he'll do.

We'll probably lose both games against Stoke and Chelsea, but as long as we play the same way as we did against Arsenal, and keep improving our defending at set pieces we'll be fine second half of the season. No one can look at the Arsenal game and say it wasn't a massive improvement. That's probably the best we've played this season, and we definitely deserved at least a point from it. It was only Gabby's poor marking at the corner that cost us. Up til then their defending had been solid. However, I worry that when Heskey is fit we'll go back to route one football. If that's the case then it's going to be excruciating second half of the season.

Although I think claiming that you base your system on any team is dangerous, as it inevitebly makes you look silly if it doesn't work, I do remember our first goal against Bolton was scored by Albrighton, coming in off the wing to support Bent in the box.

Surely this is McLeish's decision? I'm pretty sure he didn't say to them "Spend the whole game lumping it to Heskey" and then the players turn around and play a passing game. McLeish gave in to the pressure about his style and tried to change it. Well, when those players have been playing route one football all season, how likely is that a passing game is going to be perfect on a cold evening against a better side? Barcelona didn't become pass masters during one game. You need consistency for anything to get good. McLeish just doesn't seem to know what to do with the team. If he wants to do route one then fine, it's not pretty, but he's got to make it work, not just change it because we're having a moan.

I definitely agree that the change in style against Liverpool was a reaction to the negative comments made about his style. But then surely that makes him look like a weak manager? I know he can't win: he's plays crap football, he's boring; he changes it, he's weak. But it does make me wonder whether he knows what our best formation is, or our best style of play. I feel confused watching us, like we have no real concrete approach towards winning games. Even MON had a strategy: get it out wide and ping as many crosses in as possible. Wasn't always the nicest, and rarely changed, but players knew what they were doing. I've got a feeling we'll finish about 14th or 15th. I don't think we'll ever be in danger of the drop, but I doubt we'll be competitive at mid-table.

I think this is clearly part of the club's attempts to punish him. I know it doesn't sound like a punishment, but if he was silly enough to go out drink driving, I'm sure he's not the kind of person to volunteer for this. More likely the club told him to do it, to show he's trying to move on and be professional. Part of his education.

Whilst having some optimism is obviously a good thing, there are a few points there I would challenge: Although some of the passes were just bad mistakes that anyone should be able to make, it's unsurprising that we weren't that good as a passing team when we've playing long-ball football season - and that is McLeish's fault. Although it is, we're at mid-table with a ridiculously difficult Xmas schedule - I think we'll actually be lower than 12th after the Chelsea game. And we've dropped points against sides that really we should be beating. Also the league this year is pretty misleading, considering we're just 6 points from the relegation zone. No hoofing vs Liverpool, but the first time we try and play some passing, our best finisher is not even on the pitch. Bent would relish some balls into the channels but when he's playing we just start hoofing. We were also 2-0 down at the time, so neat football with no purpose was just ridiculous to watch.

Anyone think McLeish is going to get sacked for not trying to compete against the top teams in the league? Of course not. Results determine whether he gets sacked or not. At the moment, we're mid-table. Considering our finances, I'm pretty sure the board will be delighted with how progress is going.

And the other thing is, who's looking at the Blackburn job and thinking "That'll be a nice place to go, lovely fans too"? If we start acting like them, that'll give us a really nice image for a potential future manager.

I'm pretty sure the constant abuse towards the manager doesn't do the team any favours. I haven't seen Blackburn gain any real momentum forward, and they're now bottom at Xmas. I of course want McLeish out, but I won't go to these lengths. If we play shit, I make my feelings known. Eventually Randy will have to make the decision to let him go for the benefit of the club. Until then, we are not going to influence that decision, and anyone who thinks that banners or personal abuse or boycotts will help get rid of McLeish is pretty silly. The only thing we can do is support our team during the 90 mins. The only way McLeish will go is if things get so bad that Randy swallows his pride and does the right thing.

5-0 to the Villa?

Has Suarez essentially made a racist comment, got a fine of 40% of his weekly wage, and eight weeks at home with his feet up? Might have to try that at work. Two months on holiday or not being a racist...

According to BBC site, a fan got onto the touchline to exchange words with Kean. And a fan text in saying he left at half-time because he was scared. Obviously melodramatic, but is that one manager who we wouldn't want to replace McLeish?

He's got to try and stick by the players though. Same as Steve Kean. He knows the fans aren't liking it. If he starts publicly criticising the players then he'll lose them and he's got no one. I'm not saying that those quotes are accurate, or that I want him here as manager. But no one should be expecting to hear him say anything different. Nature of the game.

To be fair, what do people expect him to say? I'm pretty sure that's how people from Scotland talk? Anyway, he's going to continue to say the generics, but that's not why he should do one.

1 word: IVANHOE. I've been called some pretty harsh things in my time, but that really takes the Heskey.

So we swap Bent for Dembele to create loads of chances? Great, so then we just need a proven striker to take those chanc....oh.

Villa winning and playing great football>>>>Villa winning>>>>Villa playing great football>>>>shit Unfortunately we're at the bottom of that scale right now. As others have mentioned, the relative success of the likes of Paul Lambert and Brendan Rodgers shows how ridiculous that one of our main criteria when finding a new manager was "Premier League Experience". Really what we need is ambition, desire and good ideas (and not being too bothered about the lack of money). Then the rest will fall into place. I'd happily look at a Championship manager like Adkins or Mackay or Poyet or Howe or even go to League One for someone Clark. Just someone with a point to prove, who's ambitious, and won't be satisfied by playing negative football and being more concerned with not losing than actually winning.

But so far we have seen three of his signings - Given has been a good one, but Hutton hasn't offered anything better than Luke Young would have, and N'Zogbia has just been pretty poor overall. If he's getting time and some money, I'm sincerely hoping we get better results from other transfer targets.

On a related note, just seen this quote: I don't think it's because of the way the game was going. There were some passes that really should have been so easy to do, and individuals have to take responsibility. But I'd argue that because we've been so focused on long-ball football this season, we can't suddenly decide in a game against Liverpool that now we're going to play a passing game. It's going to take a while to gel to that style. It's like McLeish reacted to the negative reaction to the ugly style we've seen so far, and expected immediate results. If the team are going to play a passing game, they need to do it consistently on the training pitch and on match days before it's going to pay dividends.

Do you not look at the squad he built at Blues though, when he had time to bring in his players, and get concerned that if Blues played this brand of football, and now we are, that things won't actually change? Don't get me wrong, if he brings in his own players, and the team start performing then fair enough. But I just don't see it happening really, judging by the way he's set the current team up and the use of players in certain positions.

Ok, different definitions of shocking: I was using it in the latter sense.

By themselves, maybe terrible. But because even before today we had conceded more goals from corners than any other team, you'd have thought it'd be something we'd work on. But we then go and concede another two. For me, it takes it into the next bracket on the scale of shitness.

But he is right to say they were shocking goals. But I agree it seems as though he'll do very little to change it.

Getting rid of Bent would be an atrocious move. Yes he doesn't look like the player we bought at the end of last season. His movement is poor, his desire to get to the ball first is poor. But who wouldn't be when we've just sold our two most creative players, the ones who he relied upon to get decent service? We shouldn't be selling him, we should be building a team around him. I know that sounds silly, and that we're not a one-man team, but when he's happy he's clearly a class act. We need to start playing a brand of football that will help him get goals. None of this long ball shit, more passing into the channels, get Bannan regularly playing and further forward. Then we can start getting Bent going and start moving up the table.