Raver50032

That point about making up the numbers... at what point do we just turn our back on it all then? At what point do we accept that there really is no point? Sure, we'd all be going down the Villa to support the team, but in actual fact, all we would be doing is turning up to watch the opposition, as Manure always sing at Villa Park. If I had a crystal ball and saw all the way into the future of my lifetime and recognised that we didn't have a chance of winning anything ever again while I was on this planet, I wouldn't put another penny in the club. Might as well go and play Fifa or something - at least then I could live my dreams for the club. I could spend half the money I pay Villa each year watching any number of 'half arsed' clubs across the divisions in the Midlands that simply exist to 'make up the numbers.' As a Villan, a paying customer, why should I accept just making up the numbers every year? I don't subscribe to the notion of blind loyality. Some do, and fair play to them... but I don't. I don't love football quite that much. The Club wouldn't give a **** about me if I were destitute on the street (even if I were wearing a Villa shirt), so why, as a paying customer, should I accept us just making up the numbers? I've never been so out of love with football, and I've never been so embarrassed to be a Villa fan than I am right now. Yes, I have been more angry than I am now - Swansea last season taught me that. But this is just embarrassing. If you can't beat them, join them - if an insanely rich owner is what it is going to take, then so be it... The world has gone to rat-shit anyway, jumping on the consumerist bandwagon with the rest of football/Sky etc would just seem like falling in line with everyone else.

Yes it is... much bigger than February by 2 days. Sorry - I know what you meant, I just couldn't resist... xx :-)

Actually, didn't we get turned over for 5 at home by Blackburn and the Sutton/Shearer show?

There is a feeling isn't there that we are approaching a game (Wigan) with the same 'must win' pressure that we were feeling a few weeks ago prior to the win we 'fortuitously' stumbled upon against Reading. I'm going to throttle a rabbit today and start stroking it's foot in readiness for Saturday. I have read all the reaction to yesterday's match and have started to digest it all. All I can say is that I felt embarrassed again after the performance last night. 12-0 over two games, to two London clubs and all in front of the live TV audience. I mean, what do I say when someone asks me if I have had a good Christmas. I'm at work this morning and I've really had to bite my tongue. People are laughing at us folks... I was really hoping that following the Chelsea game, we'd be alright against Spurs - but look at the stats from that game. It really is embarrassing. I'm with you Paul - I really am... but it's just not good enough right now. I feel sorry for your players as they will feel no-end of pressure this week up to that 'must win' game against Wigan. It's a fickle game - the club made my birthday by winning at Anfield. Then it spoiled my Christmas. Come on, we're better than this surely.

I have had my doubts about Delph for a long time - a walking yellow card really. The good news (for me) is, somebody else will have to be picked ahead of him against Wigan. To be clear, I have nothing against the lad, I just think that with his injuries, he has lost a great deal of ground on other players of his ilk across the football league. He just isn't good enough.

Yeah, I didn't come on here last night as I knew just how it would be - and looking back over the last few pages, I wasn't proven wrong. 8-0 stings - it **** hurts. It's downright embarrassing - but the law of averages suggests it will happen to everyone one day - yesterday it was our turn. C'est la vie.. Last season (ish) - didn't Arsenal (the mighty Arsenal) get fingered for 8 at Old Trafford? Didn't United themselves get hammered by 6 against City at the Trafford? After our recent upturn - I am hopeful this is a blip. We have a couple of opportunities to put it right again now. Let's get behind the team and see what happens. Jesus, 8-0 is bad... God... Facepalm... Blushing even... We'll get over it...

I'm with you on this one... that's how I understood it. And I think it was most disrespectful of Gary Neville to state that this particular teddy bear bored him to death... Happy Christmas folks - and if you don't do Christmas, happy Winterval etc...

Yes, sorry, I didn't think it was very respectful for a 'professional' pundit to comment by saying that the club bored him to death. I'm all for freedom of speech - but pundits are supposed to be 'goody-goody.' That is quite a damaging thing to say about our club. But I guess winning everything so regularly kind of does that to you - I should imagine that any club is seen as boring by him, if they don't win trophies as often as United have done.

This all the way - I remember feeling that Tranmere was the dream draw in the 1994 Semi for us. That nearly went skywest didn't it... For once, in the second leg, we benefitted from a Shit Ref decision - I seem to think Bosnich was very lucky to still be on the pitch come the penalty shoot out.

Difficult to see, the future is... January window, save us it can... 12th - nothing more, nothing less.

Well, whatever disrespectful things that Gary Neville has said about our club, I can't believe I am gong to have to listen to him and his horrible accent for the next 20 to 30 years as a pundit. I am hopeful he does a Richard Keys to spare me that fate...

Banana skin... for who? Bradford, or us? Only joking of course...

Keep up the good work Paul... The stats suggested we got a battering before we went ahead, but we stayed solid. Which was nice. As their manager acknowledged, we could have been a few goals down early doors, but we weren't and we capitalised on it with some really sexy goals and tenacity. I almost expected a man with a brolly to be waiting for Benteke when he scored his second of the game - it felt like 'half an Atkinson' goal to me... And that Benteke back heal for Weimann - maybe our goal of the season so far. . All we need now is for Dirty Leeds to knock Chelsea out of the Cup and we have a lot to be optimistic about in the New Year... Assuming the world doesn't end this Friday. Up the Villa - made my Birthday weekend...

I watched the Tanmere Semi on my very poor picture quality portable (no TV license either then - big risk) while at Uni. A real nail biter of the highest order and the atmosphere came across very well on the TV. The 1994 final I watched with my family back home, and with a United supporting friend of my brother's - I was so nervous for us during that game. We were in poor form at the time and we were playing the favourites for the treble and all the jazz that goes with them etc. I didn't really feel relaxed until Kanchelskis got sent off and we scored the penalty - that was THE moment. Atkinson's goal was surreal - I couldn't believe it... I was at the 1996 final (that cup run made me go £5 overdrawn in my final year at Uni as I attended all Villa Park matches in that competition) - almost the perfect Wembley performance. I saw Savo's shot and knew it was in when it left his foot - I had a lovely view of it. I was so pleased for Taylor when he netted - one of my favourite Villa moments. Roy of the Rovers stuff etc. The icing was Yorke's goal, I used to love my Yorkie Bar. I will never forgive that smarmy, smug little bastard for his goal celebration at the Holte End when he returned in the FA Cup while playing for Blackburn. On the train home from Wembley (out of St Pancras as I was going back to Uni with my mates), I heard people singing 'Super Tom.' I thought it was Villa fans singing about Tommy Johnson, but instead, as I was joining in, I realised it was Leeds fans sining about porky-boy Thomas Brolin. I was lucky to get away with my teeth to be honest, though I did get quite a lot of spittle all down me. The one reason I was truly glad to see Leeds slide to League 1. I like Leeds, it's the fans that are poisonous. I was at the Blackburn semi second leg in 2010 - party football. The final was great up until that 'Dowd' moment - I knew then, even going a goal ahead with that penalty that we were probably going to get fingered. But at least we were in the final... and we only lost to United. It wasn't a brilliant game and the day out will last longer in my memory than the match.

I was under the impression that Wills was a Villa fan as he had pulled our name out of a hat while at School... Still, he's one of us, as is Tory Boy Cameron - no reason to vote Tory though. Robbing bastards.

Tezz - post above this - well said, I fully concur... Mark - interesting stats you post from last night's match at Norwich. It seemed to be a goal fest, and so it turned out to be late doors. I recall after the Stoke game though that we had similar statistics in terms of chances/chances on target/possession, yet VillaTalk is full of doom and gloom again about that game. It was a dreary nil-nil... We seem to be getting the possession - but consistently creating and pocketing the chances is where we seem to struggle. I have lost count of how many games we are unbeaten now - if that's not a green shoot of positivity, then there is something amiss. Even the really nice gentleman who referred to me quite disrespectfully as 'fella' somewhere else on this forum would struggle to disagree. Keep going Paul...

Full of optimism - 3 games on the spin without a defeat. One lucky win, and two plucky draws against opposition and at venues where a point is always good no matter where we are in the league. Stoke will be a tough match, but at least we are at home. Let's hope some sort of crowd actually turns up to cheer us on.

I missed your response in amongst the other tit-for-tat exhanges on that page. I suggest you read my comments again and then come back and have another go. But I will make it simple for you so that you understand... Firstly, let me be clear... I do not suggest that this season is as bad as last season... I concede that I did compare last night's match with any number of equally dire home displays from last season. To be crystal for you and anyone else, in view of the opposition last night, and the fact that Lambert had all of his non defensive squad available (excluding N'Zogbia, who would've been unlikely to start anyway), we posed very little attacking threat and never really managed to break down a poor, poor side who conceded 3 to Wigan just a a few days earlier. We got lucky courtesy of some 'stray leg defending' and super Christian. Apart from the result, it was rubbish. I would have been better served with a blinfold as you so 'eloquently' put it. Hopefully, it was just a blip given the promise of prior performances this season. Oh yes... one final thing, the word 'faceing' is the only thing that seems to have failed you. I'm not normally one for such grammatical nazism, but hey, you want to try being a keyboard warrior, so can I...

Fair enough, you watched a different game from me and you have your opinion. Kindly do not bracket me with the handful of negative dissenters on this forum. I am an advocate of Mr Lambert and the big plan he has. Last night was dire viewing, for whatever reason. It's not my joy in life to be negative about Aston Villa - I told last night how I saw it and how the people around me saw it too. We were lucky last night, which is great. January cannot come soon enough - I agree entirely with your last sentence, just not your first (in my particular case anyway).

For me, this is all about the club being too embarrassed to acknowledge that their prized asset is approaching an appearance clause in the deal. Performance in training or not, Bent not even being on the bench against a club like Reading is an indicator that he is on the fast route out of the club. Any bad press about Bent allegedly leaving the ground and being coaxed back to sit in the stand for the cameras was totally papered over by our manager. Good PR by the club. Saves them a lot of face. Part of me can't wait until January, then we can start building again.

Fair do LSV... 2011/12 is a scar forever on my memory. Last night's performance was every bit as bad as last season. Stark contrast to what we have seen them do this season and know they are capable of. We got lucky last night, nothing more. If anyone is positive about last night's performance, they are lying to themselves. It wasn't just shit, it was dog shit. One of few who actually turned up, I left the ground with us having won the match. But so poor was the performance, it left me feeling as though we had actually lost. The result is what matters yes, and brilliant (I guess) to get second successive clean sheet from such a young team. But ignore that performance at your (the royal your) peril. QPR will be a different kettle completely. These youngsters need to man-up and get wise. On recent showing, this is a performance blip... I prey that is all it is. Better oppo, and we would have been lanced in the eye last night.

Yes, a very nervy night indeed... and on balance, a lucky win. Sometimes you need a bit of luck according to Tom Ross. The weak link last night was a poor performance from Bannan, very below par and looked frustrated and out of sorts with himself judging by his wayward passing and body language. Actually, from the Holte End, I had a better game than little Baz last night... I thought Albrighton's introduction was one of the most ineffective substitutions I have seen in recent memory - if the boy has ability, he needs to start showing it and stop dining off 'That Match' against United two years ago. Presently, he is nowhere near good enough for the Premier League. There was no tempo from the start and it was more like watching a chess match than a footballing tussle of any urgency. Maybe, an end of season 'nothing match.' Itself, this was strange given the stakes at risk to both clubs. Very dull football, every bit as bad as 12 months ago. Anyhow, a moment of magic from Benteke secured a very much needed win. And where was the crowd? 28000 was our lowest PL attendance for 6 years. Come on, let's be having you. Last season we got beat at Villa Park by Arsenal, but we amazingly gave them a good game and I went away from the game feeling positive and almost as though we had actually won the game. Last night however, is the first time I have left the ground after a win, but feeling as though we had been beaten. The paradox of football continues.

I really think Villa will smash somebody soon - however... (No Richard Keys... not that kind of smash...) As the match draws closer and my nerves start jangling, my sore head is telling me that we will start like a house on fire, peppering their goal with chances... We will nick a goal around the 25 minute mark and half time appears. I then have a hunch we will start to tire and fade in the second half, leaving us with our almost trademark late goal concession to finish 1-1. Hope I am wrong. Benteke (if selected) will win everything in the air - but will we be able to capitalise?

Well, the club have won twice at home the best part of 12 months. Even with the summer break, that is dogshit. Richard, you talk a lot of sense for pretty much the whole time and I fully respect your opinions. That said, I can't help feeling that the longer it goes on without consistent point collection by Villa, the harder and harder it becomes because of the pressure. Whilst not 'catastrophic' - a failure to win against second from bottom Reading would be a very big dent in our endeavours to stay in this division. We can't afford to take unrepairable damage into the veritable unknown quantity of the January transfer window and leave ourselves with too much to do. With that in mind, I do not believe we can be blazé about there being still 24 games to go after Tuesday. The team is improving, it really is - but we have got to start getting those points on the board, particularly against our closest rivals like Reading, and the now the 'fearsome' QPR with their RedKnob factor and all the car-window-down-interview rhetoric that goes with him. We must beat Reading, or I cannot really see where we will actually pick up the results to match our improving performances. C'mon Villa... sooner or later you are going to meter out a stuffing...

Is anyone able to confirm the last time we actually beat a Harry Redknapp team? I certainly believe that MON was never able to... And Spuds have been a different league to us since 2010 for sure.