largelugs

He's the greatest of his kind in the world. He is a very unique striker that can score from angles you'd think were impossible. .

.

The greatest kind of what?? He isn't even a fantastic finisher, he gets the goals from getting in the right position so often, he certainly isn't clinical.

He will score goals but has many limitations which is why he will never play for a top club.

Think Lambert needs to explain this to the players again on Monday, that he meant they had freedom, not to give freedom to the other side.

Think that testimonials have changed with the income players have. Think they still have a place to give appreciation for excellent service but only if the money is given to a charity. I'm sure if Petrov decided to call it a day, a testimonial with all money going to a leukemia charity would attract a huge crowd.

when Darren Bent, one of the most prolific scorers in the prem in recent years, says he's the best finisher at the club and has a great future i suggest you listed up.

just as an aside, i recall michael owen and wayne rooney having poor loan periods in the lower leagues not to mention Denis Bergkamp scoring only 5/6 goals in 48 games in the prem - i guess those guys must be shit players too then yeah?

I agree that Weimann should be given time, but there's no need to mae up imaginary loan spells to prove a point!

I've seen Foday play a lot of schools football and he is the best player i have ever seen at that age, by a long long way. However, he was also twice the size of nearly every kid he was playing.

Seven defensive players. Now who can correctly guess where they will play.

A CB at RB, our RB at LB, our LB in midfield and i'm guessing one of our attackers on the wing.

Goodbye Emile - never worked out as we'd all have hoped, in his defense he always gave 100% and if any of the idiot managers had played him up top instead of wide we might have seen a better output.

Pity that most of teh fans have been on his back throughout his time here - he's not a goalscorer but is a far better player than is given credit for - he always gave his all and helped us at the end of this season when Gabby has done **** all and looks disinterested.

His wages were a disgrace but MON squandered ten of millions on wages, so hardly a surprise, at least he played a few games unlike Beyte etc.

Goodbye Emile and good luck!

Always given his all? The games when he has bothered stand out a mile, the rest he lumbered around and cried like a baby at the slightest bit of contact.

He's also had plenty of opportunities up front and proved equally inept under each manager.

Semi finals should be at Villa Park & Hillsborough

Fact

And deny thousands of fans the chance of being a the game?

I've always enjoyed the pitch invasion photo, with the grown adult in the full kit carrying a Lidl bag!

So as goodwill messages come from throughout the football world, all the English football followers looking for news, even teams like R.Madrid making gestures, yet all Michael can think of on twitter:

Not even allowed a lemsip as that, just like most other things, has banned substances in. Strepsils are about as much as we are allowed.

One of the worst things about being a footballer is being ill. I've got a sore throat and a bunged up nose but not allowed anything for it!

I don't get all this "specialist player" bollocks, as if he can only be bought on for 15 minutes a game.

He plays as an attacking mid/second striker. He can play in almost any formation you can think of that involves a front two.

There is no way he is a second striker, he doesn't make runs beyond the other attacker, he has very little urge to even score goals. He is a lightweight midfielder who plays the advanced role because of his aversion to hard work.

Will he play for the reserves tomorrow? I think he should.

He only played for a short while and no game til a week Tuesday, makes sense.

Another goal or two and he will be full of confidence for Bolton.

Throw him in against Bolton. Stick Gabby on the left (because he plays out there anyway) and Zog on the right, with Ireland just in behind.

Give the lad a chance.

Or maybe the bizarre concept of playing two up front at home against one of the poorest sides in the league!

Luxury player is a good way of describing him.

Albeit yesterday he was tracking back & tackling & stuff, you know like a proper midfielder

It was impressive

If only he could be a proper midfielder, with the quality he has he could be amazing.

However, i think we will always notice the games where he makes a few challenges as they will stand out as the exception . Playing either him or N'Zog in a 442 would be suicidal.

Wages, talent, attitude and positioning. He can only play behind a front man - the problem we had in the first half yesterday IMO was that we needed two up there - gabby does certain stuff but after he's chased the ball there's no one in the box.

Spend the wages on a proper out and out winger who can cross the ball and take a corner.

Hope he plays well and impresses another manager enough to let them think they might make a star out of him.

Then we can buy a player to fit into the team, not one we have to fit a team about.

Not saying he's not doing ok, just some of the comments in here and you'd think we've got a world class player on our hands!

He's decent, but with a lot of flaws.

He has done reasonably well this season, more so lately. That said he is still a long way off the player who was linking with Robinho and scoring/assisting great goals at Manchester City. We don't have many players, if any, with the technical ability he posseses so I'd advocate just getting behind him because a few more footballing brains around him and a good positive vibe around the team and club and he could become crucial for us next season.

I think some of the praise is unwarranted though, I think Keane was better than him in that AMC role when he was at the club.

Agree about Keane.

If your playing as the withdrawn striker, you need to pose a goal threat yourself.To need to get past the attacker at times and drive into the box.

Ireland looks pretty at times and links things together, but if you're an opposing defender you don't fear him getting the ball.

If he could play a proper central midfield role with his talent, he could be a great player, but due to his lack of application/discipline this won't happen.

The fact that he was totally isolated up front, with Ireland and N'Zogbia farting around amount themselves too much, the fact that he had two big centre backs right behind him yet we still played high balls, the fact that when Fulham had the ball he was expected to drop behind the ball deep into his own half, has nothing to do with his performance.

Bent has received a lot of critisism this year as well. Any striker playing the lone role in our team at the moment is going to suffer. The team is currently set to flatter Ireland, a midfielder who is too half arsed and indisciplined to fit in a two man midfield, and N'Zogbia, a winger who is too lazy and positionally unaware to play in a 442 with out leaving a huge gap behind him.

So many times Gabby is the only man in the box, making him so easy to mark. So many times he received the ball and our so called attacking players were miles behind him.

Gabby didn't play particularly well yesterday, but i couldn't see many players coming out with credit from the role.

Saw those comments earlier and thought what a jumped up little____.

One min raving about Villa, next minute throwing a fit.

However, he's a young kid and all young lads make rash statements and think they know best.

Hopefully he will receive the support from his family and coaches to develop his talent and mature.

Think it shows that twitter can be a very bad idea. Young kids don't need to do their growing up in front of the world!

He limped off in the last game with an ankle injury and was a doubt for tonight.

Yeah it is pretty much that simple and sadly I can only see one of those being realistic.

That's what I was thinking too. They seem to have been in administration for ages and there always seems to be some supposed takeover that never happens. AFC Portsmouth to appear in the bottom leagues soon?

Their ground will fit right in!

Why had Warnock been totally sucked infield ??

I put more blame on him than Albs, and Given was very slow off his line

Because Collins had gone up for the set piece, leaving Dunne and Warnock back. If he'd stayed in his left back position he'd have been leaving a huge gap in the middle. For all his mistakes recently, the goal wasn't his fault.

Just as he was being linked with Collins!

Looks like his confidence is shot.

From Twitter

Carlos : Hi @juanmata10 Hope u've all ready for New Year's Eve.It's going to give me much grief embitter ur night ahaha ;-) U must to be ready crack!

Mata: Hi @cuellar24!! It's a shame you have to go home tired and angry on New Year's Eve...;-). Be ready!! #Chelsea#AstonVilla

Carlos : @juanmata10 I'll return tired because I wont stop running celebrating #AstonVillaGoals and angry cos after the match u wont give me ur shirt

Carlos was never in doubt