icouldtelltheworld

I wasn't going to contribute to this thread, but I will as I think that I may be able to make a few points that are worthy of consideration. As a disclaimer, I've not read through all of the replies on this thread, so apologies if any of this goes over old ground - I'd like to point out that from what I've read through there seems to be a good and reasonable standard of debate here on what is a very sensitive issue. It's really refreshing to see when you consider some of the vitriolic discourse that takes place on other platforms.

There are a few points that I think are worth bringing up in relation to the wider trans debate that is currently playing out in society. This is an issue that I feel we have only begun to touch the surface of, and I imagine in 20 years time we will look back on our debates around the topic and will probably conclude that there was a fair deal of ignorance and bad-faith arguments from both sides. I'm certainly no expert on trans issues, but I have tried to follow the gender debate and to approach it as rationally as I can.

The first thing to note is that we used to talk of people being transexual, whereas we now talk about people being transgender. This is a significant shift in the language. As I'm sure has been covered in detail elsewhere, there is a distinction to be drawn between biological sex and gender roles, which are generally considered to be a product of social construction. The degree to which gender is socially constructed is up for debate - I think that most of us would probably think it's fair to state that gender roles are partial social constructions with at least some basis in biology. Some adherents of gender theory argue that the idea of biological sex itself is socially constructed - this is pretty loopy thinking IMO, but your view may differ from mine.

It is important to mention here that many transexuals who have been through sex-reassignment surgery are critical of gender ideology, and reject the premise that gender identity is the central defining issue in the trans experience (I'd be happy to provide links to some videos etc. if anyone would be interested in hearing those voices).

It is important to look at what groups such as Stonewall and the more vocal trans rights advocates are campaigning for. They are arguing for a demedicalisation of gender dysphoria and for the right of transgender individuals to 'self-ID'. In layman's terms, they want to remove the need for formal diagnosis of gender dysphoria and allow people to self-determine their gender identity. This is already the case in some other countries (Ireland is a good nearby example), where people have the right 'identify' as being of the opposite gender if that matches their 'gender identity'. At this point, the person must legally be treated as being of their self-declared gender. The introduction of self-ID was recently rejected by the UK government - I don't often agree with our current Tory overlords, but I do agree with their decision on self-ID.

As we are now concerned primarily with gender and not biological sex, there is no requirement to undergo any reassignment surgery. All that a trans woman (or trans man, for that matter) needs to do is to begin living as their preferred gender. I have two transgender friends, and am largely of the opinion that we should live and let live.

However, in a situation where someone can legally change their gender without any particular medical or professional process in place, you can begin to see why some women and women's groups are concerned about the capacity for changes in the way we treat gender dysphoria to begin impinging of hard-won sex-based female rights. I think the sensationalisation of this issue doesn't help - the point isn't that trans people are a threat to women per se, but rather that a significant minority of men are a significant danger to women, and a system of self-ID is potentially open to abuse. That women in prisons (the vast majority of whom have experienced abuse of some kind) and those in domestic abuse shelters may be wary of male-bodied people in single sex spaces is IMO fair enough - it is an unfortunate fact of the world that a significant number of male-bodied people do pose a threat to women, and there is clearly a risk of retraumatising survivors of physical/sexual abuse by admitting them into single-sex spaces.

This is where the issue becomes tricky, and a you get into a situation where trade-offs need to take place. There are factors within this debate where giving rights to cisgendered people takes away the rights of transgendered people, and vice versa.

We must also note some of the other arguments being made by Stonewall and other trans-advocacy groups and individuals. A key issue here is 'affirmation'. What certain trans-rights groups and individuals are advocating for is that people who present with gender dysphoria should be affirmed in their new gender identity as the main course of treatment. What this means, is that 'gender non-confirming' children should not be challenged, but rather affirmed that yes, they do indeed have gender dysphoria and that a medical route of puberty blockers and eventual reassignment therapy could be what is needed. This is a very hot topic and there have been dozens of resignations of doctors from the Tavistock and Portman NHS gender clinic around this issue. A growing number of people are seeking to 'detransition', and I'd imagine there will be lawsuits over this over the coming years.

This is something that JK Rowling alluded to her 'transphobic' essay - given the propensity of teenagers to go through phases and experiment with things like their sexuality, it is not too much of a stretch to consider that they may also experiment with their gender identity. In most cases, it could be argued that no medicalisation is needed and things will work out the way they work out. There is also some fairly troubling evidence to children with autism and certain other conditions may be more prone to gender dysphoria - it is far from certain that an affirmation of gender identity is the best course of action here.

It is not just feminists that are concerned about affirmation - a number of my gay friends have concerns too. There is a risk that children who would have grown up to be effeminate gay men or butch lesbian women are being set on a path of gender reassignment that may not be appropriate for them. Some gender dysphoria doctors have hypothesised that the recent growth in young people presenting with dysphoria may be driven by their parents' internalised homophobia.

This is a topic that we need to have a reasoned and open debate about, I don't think idiots like Germaine Greer are helpful, but nor do I think that the shutting down of any questioning of the accepted tenets of gender theory as 'transphobic' helps either. Unfortunately, this has become an issue in the wider culture wars and I think a large number of people on both sides of the debate are merely picking sides and shutting down reasonable debate.

There is an interesting and detailed article here from a doctor who resigned from the Tavistock centre that people may wish to read through:

https://quillette.com/2020/01/17/why-i-resigned-from-tavistock-trans-identified-children-need-therapy-not-just-affirmation-and-drugs/

As a final point - it's refreshing to have a space on the internet where these things can be spoken about rationally and sensibly without the hatred that you encounter elsewhere. If we can agree on one thing I'm sure it's that VT is a great place to be.

Great article from the Athletic about the changes we've made - some really positive and exciting stuff here

Quote

Dean Smith has enjoyed the wild celebrations as Aston Villa secured their Premier League status.

He has decided that rather than going home after a boozy end-of-season knees-up, he will instead sleep in his office at Bodymoor Heath.

Jubilant players, coaching staff and backroom staff had all made the bus journey back from West Ham United’s London Stadium after the crucial 1-1 draw on the final day of last season. Songs were belted out all the way up the M40 and back into Birmingham where the party started close to the training ground.

As the players partied long into the night, Smith sneaked out early and settled for a spot on his office sofa. Villa’s head coach already had one eye on next season, which had to be a drastic improvement.

“Nobody was satisfied with finishing 17th in the league”, he would later say.

It was while nursing a hangover after avoiding a crushing relegation that the start of Villa’s transformation took shape.

Lockdown was a tough period for Smith who lost his father, Ron, to COVID-19 in May.

Before the pandemic suspended the season, it looked as if Smith might lose his job. But after an upturn in results when the league resumed, there was never any chance Villa would go into the new season with a different man in the dugout.

It was reaffirmed to Smith that he would lead the challenge of establishing Villa in the Premier League. Smith postponed a family holiday to Scotland to discuss the way forward in 2020-21 alongside chief executive Christian Purslow in the days after. He also wanted to meet new sporting director Johan Lange. Less than 24 hours after that crucial final day result, Jesus Garcia Pitarch left the club and three days later, Lange was announced as his replacement.

Before new targets were drawn up, it was important to re-align the “triangle of power” between CEO, sporting director and head coach. Pitarch wasn’t to blame for all of Villa’s shortcomings last season but when the relationship between the Spaniard and Purslow soured, it was clear that change was needed.

In his place came Lange, who feels very much like an ideal assistant to Purslow, the man who typically rules the roost at Villa. An intelligent 40-year-old who worked wonders in a similar role at FC Copenhagen in Denmark, Lange has so far remained in the shadows to those on the outside but internally, he’s already making his mark.

Purslow is the leading force when getting the deals done for the players Smith has targeted, but Lange, with his superior understanding of data, helps Villa in other areas. He’s also a tough negotiator, as numerous sources have explained to The Athletic. For all of Villa’s wealth, they’re not giving money away easily.

Following Lange’s appointment, the focus shifted to the following campaign, with a strategic plan quickly drawn up. As Villa sit pretty at the top end of the Premier League, having won all four of their league games this season, the benefit of such early planning can be felt.

After some questionable transfer windows in recent times, Villa recruited well this summer. However, the most important signatures of the window were those of England internationals Jack Grealish and Tyrone Mings, who signed contract extensions with the club.

Addressing the goalkeeper issue was crucial and already Emiliano Martinez looks to be a bargain at £20 million. It was not lost on those at the club that this was a problem area, with goalkeepers signed in the last five consecutive transfer windows.

Striker Ollie Watkins, signed from Brentford for £28 million, Matty Cash from Nottingham Forest and Bertrand Traore from Lyon have also hit the ground running. Acquiring Ross Barkley on loan from Chelsea already feels like a game-changer. His two displays so far have helped maintain a faultless start to the campaign.

Aligning the set-up behind the scenes is one thing, but getting it right on the pitch is another.

Smith has found a winning formula of which other teams in the division will quickly become envious if it continues. At a time when questions have been asked of the defending at the so-called “big six”, Villa have mastered the art of keeping out goals by going back to basics.

“We are a hard-working team that fights for every ball,” says the impressive Cash, who has settled into Premier League life as a duck settles into water. “We also have staff and a manager who keep us on our toes.”

Three clean sheets in four games is a result of what Smith describes as an unrelenting effort from every player to stick to their job. Often, his final message to the players before a big game is “be a good team-mate”. This season, more than ever, it’s evident they are taking that on board.

There was a touching moment after the 3-0 win over Fulham when, in the dressing room, youngster Jacob Ramsey was given a round of applause by the players for making his Premier League debut. That is the culture Smith has set at the club.

“I want the players to come into work every day and be happy and proud to play for Aston Villa,” the head coach has said.

Villa’s early-season form is a result of the end of last season’s hard work. There is a self-policing feel to the squad these days and that has been encouraged by Smith.

When football stopped for three months between March and June, he tasked his players with the challenge of devising a plan to stop leaking so many goals. First, the team was split into small groups and each one had to come up with a way of making Villa hard to beat. At that stage, Villa had shipped more goals than any other team and faced the most shots at goal.

They conceded 67 goals last season, the second-worst total in the Premier League behind 20th-placed Norwich City. Defensively they were a shambles, and that is what makes the turnaround even more impressive.

When Smith had viewed all the findings, he worked on a way to put it into practice. In short, it is largely down to a no-nonsense approach and a reduced level of risk-taking in dangerous areas.

Developing young Brazilian Douglas Luiz into a disciplined defensive midfielder rather than a player who wanted to roam forward and join in the attacks too often has improved the team. Luiz studied English to help speed up his transition and is now thriving for club and country.

Trezeguet, the Egyptian winger, is the team’s unsung hero. As he’s one of only a few players not to have access to his own private garden, he was allowed to exercise alone on the practice pitches during the shutdown months when others trained at home. The effort he puts in on match days often gets overlooked, but not from within. He is a popular player among the squad because of his tireless work ethic.

Villa’s leading Premier League goalscorer, Gabby Agbonlahor, once told how the teams of 2008 and 2009 used to go into games with cocky discussions about “which player was going to score first”. That level of confidence cannot be felt around the current camp just yet, but there’s now a feeling that if Villa continue to get it right at the back, there’s finally enough quality in attacking areas to punish opponents.

“Our mindset is to make sure we’re tough to beat and tight at the back because we know we’ve got players who can score us goals,” Smith tells The Athletic.

After signing a contract extension at the club, captain Grealish spent three weeks sending daily messages convincing his pal Barkley to join on loan and already the pair are causing havoc breaking from midfield. During the 7-2 win over Liverpool, the duo exchanged 17 passes between them, the biggest passing combination of any two players on the pitch.

Smith’s additional sales pitch to Barkley was simple. “I told him I’ll get him in the Euros squad if he comes here and helps us win football games,” he says.

When asked about the possibility of a permanent deal for Barkley, Smith replied: “It’s nothing that has been talked about, our discussions were only for the end of the season.” Villa are paying all of Barkley’s £110,000-a-week wages.

Watkins’ unselfish style adds another dimension to the attack and he takes it upon himself to put additional hours into studying the weaknesses of players he is set to come up against. Watkins revealed that he and Barkley studied how they could get at Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez before the 7-2 demolition of the champions.

“They don’t really get caused too many problems but it definitely paid off,” he told the Telegraph.

As new friendship groups at the club develop, Smith continues to get more from the squad in post-game debriefs, too.

The head coach believes it’s important to share feelings honestly after a match, no matter the quality of performance. It’s an environment that can help solve on-field issues. An emotional contribution from on-loan goalkeeper, Pepe Reina, after the brilliant 1-0 win over Arsenal that effectively saved Villa’s season back in July is said to have been a defining moment. Some of the quieter players in the group have since felt more confident to speak out.

Smith also believes the lack of supporters inside the stadium on a match day is uniquely benefiting his younger players.

“What has helped a lot of the player’s growth is that, because it is so quiet, they have to talk on the pitch,” he suggests. “Also, we know that every message we send out is getting across to the players.”

For Villa, it’s now a case of building on their terrific start to the season.

“When you are doing well, there is always the pressure to keep doing well,” adds Cash. “We don’t want to put too much pressure on ourselves but with the squad of players we have, we have to look towards the top half of the table.”

This season, Smith brought in a fresh voice and new ideas in the form of ex-Leicester City boss Craig Shakespeare, which has also played a part in the upturn.

Villa are now eight Premier League games unbeaten stretching over two seasons. As one source close to the club told The Athletic, “It’s good to strengthen even when you feel like you’re in a good moment. Dean has his long-term right-hand man, Richard O’Kelly, on board because he constantly challenges him. They don’t always agree on everything and that’s a good thing.

“With John Terry being able to relate to the modern-day dressing room and now bringing in Shakespeare, too, Villa have finally got Premier League coaching experience in their set-up.”

Goalkeeper coach, Neil Cutler, is also said to be one of the best in the business. 

It’s no coincidence that Villa’s defence is thriving after two solid years of work with Terry, one of the greatest defenders the Premier League has ever seen. His analysis sessions with individual players are said to be detailed and very productive but the entire group recognise that it’s not just about the defenders. The change has come from a collective team effort.

Although the basic principles have remained in place for each of Villa’s four victories this season, there are still individual plans for each game. Villa tried to draw out Sheffield United by playing slowly and patiently out from the back; against Liverpool, they exposed the champions’ high line and at Leicester, Smith had to flip the system early into the game.

“After 15 minutes, we went man-for-man against them because they were playing through us a bit too easy for my liking. It worked and we grew into the game and got better,” he explains.

Incredibly, Villa need just a point against Leeds United on Friday to move to the top of the Premier League table for the first time since 2001.

They are the beacon of light at the club right now, but there’s also a strategy in place to improve the academy and the women’s team.

Overseeing the whole project is performance director Jeremy Oliver, who, like Lange, hasn’t conducted an interview since joining the club. Oliver, who has an attention to detail in behavioural factors as well as technical, was hired on the recommendation of co-owner, Wes Edens, who initially recognised his work in Australian rules football.

Oliver oversees the backroom staff and sets the framework that they work within. He has input in training plans, schedules, logistics and even marketing. He has also been influential in helping the women’s team grow by making sure the sports scientists and other members of the medical and performance team are available for their needs.

He was entrusted with making Villa Park a fortress again in the promotion-winning year when he pushed to introduce pyrotechnics into the stadium before key clashes.

The saddest part of Villa’s recent rise is the fans cannot fully embrace and experience it. However, there’s a growing feeling within the club that Villa’s faultless start to the season might only be the start and has created a platform for the good times to roll again.

16 minutes ago, maqroll said:

Actual headline on Villa News Now-

"Aston Villa Tipped To Need To Convince Target To Join"

These people are deranged.

Idiots, we signed him last summer FFS!