Copey11

Come on Rangers!

Potvin Sucks!

yes you can, but you have to run the laptop through the x-ray by itself outside of the case/bag.

people who stop at the top of the escalator, or when they exit the revolving door. You do realize that people are coming behind you, right?

People who don't let the others get off the subway before trying to push on.

I guess I didn't have the best commute to work today

My beloved Tribe (Cleveland Indians) have become the Stoke City of the AL.

no money, small market, and we have created a "style" of play that involves a pitching staff that doesn't strike anyone out but delivers a lot of ground balls, an excellent defense that can't score any runs, and a very good bullpen (read: we can park the bus when we go up 1-0).

Perhaps McLeish was actually meeting with the Indians instead of the Browns and giving advice on how to draw or keep the scoreline down.

They will be competitive though, and with the extra wildcard spot might sneak in (doubt it). Sigh.

as for the suspensions, they are truly "no contact" and is supposed to include email/phone/text/contact between the coach and any part of the team and coaches.

If you get a chance, check out the audio of Gregg Williams captured by some documentary filmmakers during a pregame speech. Chilling, calling for specific players and specific body parts to target.

what else are they going to do I guess. Lost out on RG3 (were never really going to win that, and I am glad they didn't given what Washington paid - we have too many holes to afford losing multiple years of 1st round picks), I don't think they were interested in Flynn (rightly so, same as Colt only more expensive), and that is about it.

I am not convinced by Tannehill at 4 because he can't start for a year at the earliest and really has a lot of bust potential, and we need to turn our early round picks into starters. The roster is very young, and adding young starters and re-signing quality starters (Thomas, DQuell - we don't have many) and finding a quarterback next year (deep QB class and a lot of teams have committed to QBs last year) somehow.

Slow and steady wins the race. This team was so old and bad it really will take time.

Well, on a serious note...

I believe in the CLUB. A club that consists of youth players with fantastic potential, a fantastic academy, world class facilities, loyal supporters, charitable contributions to the community, and a proud history known well in the football world.

My belief in that definition of the club is what helps me get through the inevitable low points of senior team results, any single player or manager that I don't like, and acute turmoil. Those things are passing, but the above will remain.

That definition of club also helps me truly appreciate and be proud of accomplishments when they happen, and is something that money cannot buy. Man City may have success one day, and while sweet, it won't be as sweet as the success Aston Villa Football Club will one day have.

I think it's as good a choice as any, and maybe a bit of man management to give Gabby a bit of a kick for the run in, as we need him to produce badly.

One of my favorites is "The Assignment" with Donald Sunderland, Aidan Quinn, Ben Kingsley. Great spy movie about trying to catch Carlos the Jackal.

Live, hands down hockey, especially play off hockey. One of the few times these days that you see millionaire athletes really, really giving it their all and putting their bodies on the line, and everybody, I mean everybody is playing hurt. And the only North American pro sport where the players really do want to win the actual cup itself. Then they each get a day with it in the offseason, they drink out of it, etc. One legend is that the Penguins actually lost it for a couple of days only for it to be found at the bottom of Mario Lemieux's pool.

On television, NFL. The perfect television sport. Played on sunday starting at 1PM, roll out of bed with hangover by 12, greasy food, a bit of the hair of the dog and your off and running. No need to pay attention too hard because they show every relevant play 3-4 times, then some guy actually "chalkboards" the thing in case the replays weren't slow enough for you. Any excuse for wings and beer as well.

Well, it depends on what you like to do. If you go to Philly, there are some things to do for a day, and you are a short train ride/drive away from New York City.

Portland is nice and outdoorsy if that's your thing, but it is far away. Chicago is a great city with a lot to do for a couple of days for sure. If you were going to only one for 2-3 days, I would recommend Chicago for food, nightlife, music.

Love my Browns.

Heavy sigh.

watching the film will definitely not spoil the series, and reading the book won't spoil either.

The book is great, and it is a journalistic recounting of the time at the school so it is non-fiction. It also gives a good background on the socio-economic situation of the town and state of Texas, helping you understand the cultural importance (though slightly depressing) of high school football in Texas. If you read the book, and it is an easy read, you will enjoy the TV series and the movie more.

I fail to see how it is pointless or a waste of time.

the article states that they are going to share insight on player scouting, training, and other elements of running a club that are common to all sports, and the NFL is probably the gold standard in the use of technology, data, and advanced medical practices regardless of the actual results of any given team, and the Browns have state of the art facilities. And the business sides sharing best practices is surely a good thing as well, as both the PL and the NFL are incredible global brands.

Furthermore, the GM of the Browns (reports to Holmgren) probably has a lot of insight on how to value players/positions vs. wages as the NFL has a salary cap that must be managed to.

Obviously they aren't going to talk about specific tactics of either sport, but perspectives on man management, preparation, use of video, etc. could be beneficial to both sides. I think it would actually be criminal if Aston Villa and the Browns did NOT take advantage of each others resources.

great post MMFy, and I agree with most, but not quite all, and other things seem to be unclear rather than factually stated.

The part I can't necessarily agree with is that even if we achieved 4th with Bent, and the departed staying around, I am not so sure it was sustainable. Granted we would have the increased revenue from the CL, that would have allowed us to buy players or increase wages (though I am not sure it would be enough to do both), the players bought and style MON would have played seems to be unsuccessful in staying in the champions league places.

When I think about those years and the style we played, it was completely different to the existing contenders. We lacked possession and were direct (nothing wrong with that), or counterattacking depending on the pundit of the day, defended valiantly if not composed, and were mainly English based (again, nothing wrong with that). We had difficulty with teams that defended us deep, especially at home, as we were not great on the deck or in possession, nor did we have any one player that could unlock a defense. All things the top teams have/had at the time. Even when we would turn one of those top teams over it was due to a force of will rather than a thorough domination - we wanted it more, but weren't a better team, and that is tough to replicate year in and year out.

Spurs got top 4 playing direct football, but with players that could also possess and unlock defenses (Modric, VDV), and they didn't get back right away, reloaded, and are making another run again playing great football in the process. I think they know the type of football that will get you there and keep you there, and are trying to build a team to do that.

As for having no plan going forward, to me this is unclear - not necessarily fact. Whilst I don't understand the AMC appointment, it is clear that the wage bill must come down or be rationalized to the value of the players as soon as possible, and it is something that cannot be done overnight (length of contracts, high wages making it difficult to unload some players), and that is part of the plan. The rest of the plan? Not sure about it because Randy doesn't say anything about it, which is par for the course.

so I think to say there is no plan (and then insult Americans with that "fact" - I am looking at you JamesWithe), is premature.

Just my two cents. Great post MMFy

the most impressive thing about Carlos last night was his concentration levels. He never let Cisse get anything on the break in the second half at all, especially when we were short numbers and they had opportunity.

we have seen our defense fall asleep at times and while not necessarily resulting in a goal, the opposition was able to regroup and release pressure. Not last night. Carlos cut out every outlet ball and put it back to the feet of the midfield.

No way he goes to Spurs. Levy is too powerful and respected, and Jose will want full control.

I don't think he will go to United, though it is the second most likely scenario, because I am not sure how good United will be by the time Fergie goes, nor am I sure who is actually "running things" there.

Liverpool owners too want a lot of control, so I don't think there, and they won't be in CL anytime soon.

I think Man City, if they don't win something soon, is a possibility as they seem to be name chasers and will want to win CL ASAP.

^

I agree as well on the 8:22 post. in my earlier response I alluded to my definition of form as 'performance relative to the expectations for the player".

the same holds true for the squad as a whole. I expect less from this squad than in years past. We lost Downing and Young, haven't had any real squad enhancement, bar Bent, but have rather attempted to plug holes that emerged, so yes, expectations are down. I also referred to the MON years, where both the players and squad were in top form, meaning outperformed expectations, which was great while it lasted, but was destined to end at some point.

It remains to be seen in the summer is AM is the man to both manage this squad to at minimum my expectations, but more importantly to change my expectations with improvements to the squad in the transfer window when some big contracts come off the wage bill. I am not too confident he is that man, but I also am willing to give him the chance to try.

I am quite ambivalent on the merits of McLeish as a manager but I don't get the criticism of a hard fought and well won local derby away from home.

We were the better side for the first 20-25 mins and for the whole of the second half.

The team selection was both brave and correct, by that I mean he dropped Warnock from the starting eleven because he needed to show that you play badly and you get dropped. It didn't work out as Clark was a little out of his depth so he brought on Warnock (plenty of managers wouldn't have done that) who then came on and played very well. His Half Time reshuffle was good, he could quite easily have made a double sub, replacing Warnock for Clark and Weimann or Bannan for Gabby. He'd didn't however, he chose to keep Clark on the pitch which in itself was inspired, it showed the lad that he appreciated his efforts in an unnatural position and allowed him to regain his confidence in the second half in a more familiar position, great for the kids confidence and it meant he still had two substitutions left. His one substitution and the subsequent reshuffle, completely changed the dynamic of the second half, something his counterpart didn't seem to have an answer for. He played Gardner from the start and took him off with a couple of minutes to go so the crowd again would be applauding him and him alone when he came off, another great confidence boost for one of the youngsters. His reshuffle also gave him evidence that Albrighton can play on both sides (you could argue he's better on the left, he certainly was in this game.)

Hopefully McLeish will have learned a lot about his squad and a little bit about himself and I can't see where any criticism is due to him from that game tbh.

this is a good post, especially the end where hopefully he has learned a lot about the squad.

I am not sure about AM, but I do feel he has been trying to do something that is incredibly difficult for any manager, and that is managing a squad that has too many key players in bad form at the same time.

I know it is part of his mandate to get the players in form, but I do believe he has tried this, and tried to put players into situations or positions to succeed when not in form, or dropping them after a period of time, but bringing them back into the squad to see if they can play their way out of it.

Examples of players with talent and ability in poor form for some period of time this season:

Albrighton - awful early on, got sat down, looking better recently.

Ireland - given a chance but not working, injured sometimes, now brought back in and starting to come on.

Nzog - out of form and match fitness, given plenty of opportunity to play himself into shape, hasn't been able to do so, and rightly not playing. I expect to see him come back in the squad soon, because he is needed.

Warnock/Collins/Hutton - all inconsistent or in poor form, but I think AM wanted to keep a consistent back four to give them every chance to play their way into form. Warnock went off the boil, and got replaced for a half, came on looking more solid (though he scares the hell out of me even when he is "in form"). I have never actually seen Hutton play well, so he may just be crap. Collins tries hard?

Delph - given plenty of time early in the season, couldn't play himself into any sort of form, now on loan.

Bannan - given a lot of opportunities, I would say with mixed results. Sometimes he looked great, other times the game passed him by. Shot himself in the foot with the drinking incident, sat down, has been brought in as a sub recently. Jury is out.

So my point is, it seems to me that AM puts out in many cases a team on paper and in a formation to succeed, but we are often let down by too many players on the pitch in poor form (by the way, I use "form" to represent the performance vs. expectations of the player, not effort put forth). This is difficult to overcome. If the team is playing well but Nzog is out of form, it can be overcome with a single sub. But if Nzog, Delph, Albrighton, Warnock and Hutton are all over the shop at the same time, we look a mess.

I am hoping that getting 2-3 of these players performing closer to their expectations and ability, we will see results come. it is probably too much to ask for all of them to come good (something MON actually was able to achieve through his management style and an unbelievable amount of luck with injuries). If poor form continues for an entire season I expect some of these players to be moved on. But it certainly seems to me that AM is trying to help these guys play to their expected level.

UTV!

Do we know if RL is attendin g Brown's games ?

Is he pumping any cash into them of late ?

he is attending most, but not all (when he is in England). He spends more time in Cleveland, but that is down to his son playing school american football in town.

He doesn't have to pump any money into the Browns, as they make money every year and the NFL has a salary cap.

I have seen him slagged off for his failures in Cleveland with the Browns, and some of the more ignorant Browns fans may say they want him to sell, but that is really just talk. He spends as much money as anyone else in the NFL, and his style is very hands off.

He gets criticized for his managerial appointments, but only one stands out to me as "his fault" and ironically it is one that put the Browns in a better position from a forward looking perspective. All of the other failures were lauded at the time as good hires, only to fail due to their own shortcomings (perhaps unknown at the time), rather than any interference or lack of backing by Lerner.

It seems to me that perhaps Randy is getting the house in order to make another run in a measured, realistic way. Many businesses here in the US, especially in the financial industry (where Randy learned his trade) have really battoned down the hatches over the last 2 years, getting their expenses down, reducing debt, and hoarding cash waiting for a moment to "take market share" as it were.

over the next 1.5 seasons, with bad contracts coming off the books, and older players moving on, and a better wage structure I wouldn't be surprised to see Villa be much more aggressive. I think he felt that we would be safe from relegation for a year at least and rather than spend big money that would only allow us to tinker on the margins, he has tried to position us to build aggressively when the house is in order, something that wasn't done under MON (again, a hire that made a ton of sense at the time only to be questioned later - similar to the Browns history).

I love the Browns, love the Villa, and support Lerner. But the McLeish hire still has me befuddled. I can only assume that Randy's plan just didn't fit the egos of some of the more "known" managers, as they would have to wait a bit before being able to spend money.

I think he stayed back because while probably not told specifically to play so deep, he was told to play the DM role and he was being conservative and making sure he did his duty. I think as he gains more experience and awareness he will feel more comfortable getting more involved in the attacking play at the right moments.

I think the most important thing he brings right now is assurance to the other CMs and attackers that they can be more aggressive because someone is covering. Hopefully when Bannan or Ireland get a chance they can really open up and attack more aggressively.

Some positives:

It was clear from the off that AM wants us to press harder, something many on this board (myself included) were calling for. It just seems it took us 30 minutes to settle into that style as the players weren't sure when to press and when to set up more defensively. This is an important dynamic because if one presses and another makes a different decision, gaps are opened up. We seemed to get more of a collective sense of when to play that way after 30 minutes, and grew in confidence thereafter.

Ireland and Bannan will benefit from this style greatly, as I think that they are very effective both individually and together when we pressure and create turnovers in midfield that they can quickly counter using their quick touches and good vision. Ireland made some excellent passes and runs off the ball. It will come with more time together, but his quick distribution from the center followed by his runs made some openings that we just didn't exploit.

Richard Dunne is playing really really well right now, very unfortunate OG. He spends A LOT of time covering for Collins, and a bit for Warnock as he not only gets beat occasionally, he also gets himself in very bad positions at times, though I can't fault his effort.

Also, Petrov played very solidly yesterday. He really does make a lot of good decisions in possession, if taking the conservative route a bit too often for my liking. He has a good sense of the tempo of the game, and it is good to see, again from the off, that both Delph and Petrov were given license to get forward.

Negatives:

Collins is a mess right now. While a little better at distribution today (read: less hoof), he still makes poor decisions about when to clear, distribute, or hoof. His positioning is all over the place and gaps are being created. So many times Dunne and Warnock had to both slide to their right to cover because Collins got beat or chose to mark the wrong man.

Delph and Bannan. This is not a severe negative, and I do believe this is a sympton of being inexperienced at this level, as they both clearly have talent. As referenced by many, Delph's touch really let him down the last few games, and it really kills us. It was clear that we wanted to press and create turnovers in midfield, and we did only to have Delph give it back with the whole team moving in the wrong direction, especially the first 30 minutes. As for BB, I like his willingness to take on a player, his technical ability and linking with Ireland, and I want him to keep trying, but when he gives it away, or we lose possession, he becomes a real liability. Don't get me wrong, he hustles, but I never really see him win the ball back, and combined with the fact that his style of play will always result in giving the ball away at times (I don't have a problem with that), it hurts the midfield at times.

Zog. There's a player in there, but now he's pressing - making poor decisions as he tries to do too much and make an impression, taking a man on when there's a pass to play and vice versa. I don't fault him, he's putting pressure on himself to perform, but again it results in giving the ball away when we are going the other direction.

Stu is right about the shoulder injuries. I know firsthand that the likelihood of the injury to recur is very high, especially if he is playing everyday. And goalkeepers essentially spend the whole game putting themselves in exactly the situations that have the highest likelihood of separating the shoulder, which no matter how long the recovery time was will always be weaker.

I think he is an excellent keeper, and would be fine with him here, but we better have a contingency plan because the odds say that his injury will happen again.

I think Bicks is partially right, and partially wrong.

I think the pre-season is important not necessarily for fitness in Makoun's sake, but to learn how to play with the rest of the (quickly disappearing) squad; how they move, where they like the ball played, what sort of runs they make, which foot they like, etc. It is this type of repetition and awareness that he didn't get to take advantage of.

As an example, world class players can be put together and it doesn't necessarily work straight away (I have seen Drogba, Essien mentioned). I remember thinking several times on Makoun passes that went awry that the player he passed to stopped or changed direction just as Makoun was releasing them, arguably putting themselves in less advantageous positions and the pass looked bad when I felt his target made a bad choice and Makoun had already committed (sometimes before he had even received the ball, which I thought was the most exciting part of his game).

Where Bicks is correct though is that I don't think AM is going to set up the way GH had planned, nor buy the players GH would have bought to play with Makoun, making him a bit of a non-fit in the squad. I for one would like to see him given the chance though, he certainly had the skill to adapt, whether he and the rest of squad actually do remains to be seen.

I read that article as laying groundwork for DOF/going upstairs. GM references the work outside of training, contracts, who is in / out of plans, moving onto the business of summer and spending a lot of time with Faulkner.

Not sure I am too bothered by him moving upstairs, as long as GM is not anywhere near the team. He seems like quite a flashpoint, and certainly without having been GED #2 would never have been considered on his own for Villa. May pave the way for a less experienced but up and coming manager who would welcome a guiding hand in GED for scouting, etc.

Does anyone have any sort of idea how much, if any, the lower league teams have in terms of scouting networks? It seems that this would be one area that a less experienced manager would struggle with, having relationships and a trusted network of scouts when moving to a bigger club.