TB

Ok, re-read your post, but I'm still none the wiser. English (obviously) isn't my first language, so I'll happily stand corrected (even without orthopaedic shoes...). AFAIK, argue means presenting reasons for your stance/opinion. If you can't argue there's no valid reasons supporting your opinion. I'm on the same page as you with regards to Xia, but I'd write "you can't argue that he isn't creating a positive atmosphere", or "he is creating a positive atmosphere, and you can't argue otherwise." Two hours of sleep during the last 48 hours. Probably isn't the best scenario for posting in a second language. Sorry.

Erm... Why? Seems to me that's exactly what you're doing.

Right :-) I've always thought of tessellation as a repeating pattern. Apart from that it seems we're on the same plane...

Um. Tesselation is another thing altogether. A pattern made up of various blocks, repeating itself, and I'd hate that based on the last seasons. A jigsaw is a set of pieces that makes a picture when joined up correctly. Last year's Villa team reminded me of a late 70's MAD 'advertisement': "The ultimate gift for the family member you absolutely hate. 500 jigsaw puzzle pieces from at least four totally different puzzles. Guaranteed not to fit. At least five pieces missing. Instructions in Japanese."

Villa doing Parkour now? (The US equivalent is Ptossing - silent 'p' - Terry Pratchett describing last season?)

Or maybe he all of a sudden finds himself in a team with a fairly competent and organised back four for once, and players in front of him making runs and taking up positions to provide some passing options?

He might have played/talked himself out of the squad for the foreseeable future. But then again, RDM might have decided that a stressed young CB in a back four lacking a proper leader should have some time out of the limelight. Who knows? I had the feeling that the team selection on Wednesday was the manager giving some players enough rope to hang themselves with. Perhaps Micah needed some more rope?

2 down already. 9 more to go...

On another forum, someone wanted Roman numerals on the back of the shirts. #40 would then be XL (Gabby?). I think several in last season's squad might deserve #504...

Probably need to light up some more... (Bastard? Depends on the definition. Not born out of wedlock, but in any other meaning of the word: yes, possibly.)

No, not mine, at least. I prefer to choose my pals myself.

Sure about that? The guy is useless at centre back, never done anything particularily useful down the left or up front, and usually meanders mindlessly up on the righthand side on his own, and then disappears altogether. (I actually started to type this when you were talking about him painting your gutters...)

I didn't mention any bishop being present...

OK, I see. I was thinking more of RDM, not Dr Xia, really. I don't really want to think that Dr Xia is involved in who to keep and who to sell. As for other people in the club at the same time: we don't really know, do we? If it was a show-down on the training grounds: fair enough, that would have been rather public. But I'd think your average Dane (not knowing Okore is!) wouldn't have this out in public: he'd seek out his manager in private and ask to have a word. Then it's one's word against the other's. If any witnesses were at hand and Okore was at fault I cannot understand why he wasn't fined. The fact that he wasn't suggests to me that the club knows it's word against word.

No, they were not. Agreed. But then again, hardly anyone in the squad were. A shambles altogether. I believe that this squad shouldn't be relegated. Near the bottom end, yes. A proper manager in charge that could unify the squad, decide on a playing style and tactics, and giving them a proper pre-season might have changed things. And for your second paragraph: I would amend this to 'it appears we let some players get away with anything they wanted'. Don't you think that would add to the frustration levels of anyone in the squad that really wanted to perform in a professional manner?

I'm not Danish, I'm Norwegian. But I have worked with Danes, and they tend to be quite outspoken, not beating around the bush. This is a player that didn't want to sign for Chelsea, because he wanted playing time and join the Danish national team. After joining Villa, he played with an injury to help the team even when the doctors warned him this would aggravate his injury (according to Sherwood - if he can be trusted). And then watching the shambles in central defence, when he wasn't picked, I can easily imagine a young Dane telling an interim manager that he felt he belonged in the 1st 11, and an interim manager feeling the need to lay down his marker as the boss. And even after the relegation, he said that he wouldn't mind staying, and would like to help the club back up again (even though he was unsure whether the new manager would give him enough playing time for him to be included in the national team. Playing in the Championship wasn't a problem. Not having enough time on the pitch was. By all means, criticize his performances when on the pitch. If you don't think he's good enough, then fine - I have no quarrel with that. Not sure he is myself. But don't accept any 'truths' from newspapers or any online sources that you would read with a large pinch of salt if it didn't concern a Villa player. </rant>

You really think that the club was that much of a shambles that when the acting manager was publicly criticizing a player for refusing to be a part of the squad they wouldn't react? OK. a real shambles, then.

Not this again... Badly translated article from a Danish interview. Bacuna's comments were also badly mangled online. Why is it that every Villa fan pooh-poohs online news except when they may slate their own players? I'm confused. Give them grief when they're not doing the job on the pitch.

Well, Okore was never fined by the club. Disagreements between manager and player happen. But if a player refused to be on the bench, as Black claimed, I cannot understand why the club didn't react.

If the new management have cchosen to go with Eric Black's version of his spat with Okore I'm not too impressed.

You might then have to call every poster on here filthy names* in order to be able to post. Either they hold a view that you disagree with, or they have wilfully distorted their views so that you have to disagree with them. And even if they appear to agree with you, that might just be irony. Or sarcasm. (ducking to avoid the first volley of filthy names...) *Better not try that with any of the Mods.

Why shouldn't he be? And yes, I believe you are missing the small print.

That was a post by tommybread, wasn't it? Edit: This one?

Firmly on the fence with regard to Gil's abilities/inabilities and how suited he is to the English game, but haven't this phenomenon been a recurring theme at Villa over several years? New player arriving, looking confident and quite a coup / looking decent / showing some definite potential in the first games, and then never showing anything close to those first few games while still at Villa.

Agreed - though I think Benin might have good chance to qualify with a draw - they would end up with 12 points. Oh, and Wikipedia has put a 'Q' and 'Final Tournament' next to Mali in the Group C table for some strange reason.