TB

Hopefully. But he says could, not should or will. And it's on Twitter. Do you really think that'll stop anyone from suggesting Allardyce?

You wouldn't?

Yes, that enthusiasm might prove useful in some way. As a bouncer, perhaps?

Umpteen times, at that, I guess.

19%?

Ah, the Astra is hardly that bad, is it?

That's why not. IMO. I don't want him to finish this season in the same way that he started last season.

You described that idea perfectly.

Perhaps they think sacking him just once wasn't enough...

0-10-0 formation?

Sorting him out? Or Jack being out of sorts?

Eh? Surely 46 points was enough to stay up for the last 3 seasons. Blackpool: 20th with 46 points in 2013/14. Rotherham: 21st with 46 points in 2014/15. Rotherham: 21st (again...) with 49 points in 2015/16, but the three relegated teams had 40, 39 and 30 points. So 46 points would be enough. Barnsley needed 55 points to stay up in 2012/13. But that's one season in four, not three in four. I'd suggest you're fractionally incorrect ;-)

No, that's not what I trying to say. I wasn't disagreeing with your rant ;-). The odd drink or two is perfectly fine with me, even during the season. I just meant that Jack needs to behave in a professional manner when off the pitch - trying to stay out of the limelight, not allowing any media to report anything to do with Jack or Villa with a negative angle.

I don't even think he's done anything wrong this time (I tend to take any online news with a triple helping of salt) - except not understanding that he's not the average UK 21-old. He's had media focusing on him previously (apparently passed out drunk on the road on holiday, doing hippy crack etc) - I'd just expect him to wise up and avoid unwanted media attention. I cannot fathom how he hasn't yet understood that he needs to stay out of the limelight when off the pitch.

I'm expecting him to be acting as the professional he's supposed to be. At least during the season, but preferably for the remainder of his time with Villa.

That's hardly a fair comparison, is it? There's umpteen people working for Google in some way or another. Those in top positions and known to the world-wide public (whoever they might be) would gain the attention of any click-bait media whenever they put a foot wrong, and they must know it - and act accordingly. Their average Joe wouldn't attract any attention at all, even though he might be absolutely brilliant at his job. In those terms, Jack is one of the top (well, in the top 20 or thereabouts) employees at a well-known company trying to cope with a media circus. He's not an average young adult. I wouldn't say he's in a shit situation. But if he makes the wrong decisions, it may be. His choice. I agree that he should be allowed to have a life and enjoy himself in his free time. But he has chosen a profession that limits his freedom during the season, both in terms of not attracting unwanted media attention and in terms of being able to perform at the top of his ability. A professional footballer should be allowed to do what he wants in his free time as long as he's fit for work on Monday morning? Really? I mean: REALLY?

For some absurd reason, every time I read the topic title I read that second 'c' as 's'. And I have a (possibly equally absurd) hunch that this just might be a Villa win. A game where the Villa team is perceived by all and sundry as the underdog (even at home) and thus under less pressure might work in our favour, . And if that turns out to be the case, I would just love someone equally absurdly optimistic, but able to attend the game, to have brought a Ant & Dec and Sob on the Tyne style banner to the ground.

Hilarious? I'd say absurd. I'd have Sherwood over Black, but that's the very definition of damning with faint praise.

Sherwood stated for every single player brought in during his tenure that the decision was his, and his alone, and that he had followed several of the players over years. Some of them probably weren't his signings. Some probably were. He washed his hands of all of them afterwards, no matter what. He isn't Disraeli, and he isn't Mark Twain, but I won't regard anything Sherwood says about Villa as statistics.

But that's an entirely different matter. You said in your earlier post "Pepe has had no time and his players are top quality, so its arguably, harder to make a difference". Not "his predecessors were top quality, so it's arguably harder to make a difference", which seems to be your current stance.

Oh yes, there is every reason to disbelieve him. He could have welcomed any new signing without putting himself and his knowledge of young footballers across Europe to the forefront at the same time. Why should I believe him now when he's washing his hands of having anything to do with the Villa signings? I wouldn't trust him further than I can throw him - which would be appx. 4 inches (unless I happened to stand at the edge of a cliff)

I really don't understand why it would be harder to make a difference with top quality players. Top players shouldn't need that much coaching in order to adapt to new tactics once they have understood how the manager wants the team to play, and bought into his vision. The difficulty would be to make them believe in your vision in the first place, so any new manager reputed to be one of the top managers in the game would have an advantage. And any player looks better in a team where everyone knows where they (and their team-mates) should be.

Tim Sherwood has said many things. While still the Villa manager, he claimed that every single one was his signing, and he had been following some of them for years... He's exposing no-one but himself.

Excellent comeback. I'll concede the point :-) (Though it's historically, factually and IMO even semantically incorrect. But this is VT, after all, and I've seen worse on here over the years on the subject of players and managers. )

Surely someone might claim he contributed to it in some way, though? The Great Fire of London in 1666, on the other hand...