Raver50032

Hi there (Barney?)... It would be an invisible statement if I let somebody physically sit in my seat. So, other than offering the card to a Manure fan (who would stand... boom boom), I am playing the martyr, and I have offered my card to my mate who sits behind me so that he can rest his feet on my seat... If any jobsworth steward tries to intervene, my mate will have the season card with him to show that he is quite within his rights to have his bodily parts in residence. Good request though...

I'll boycott with you. I am 37 (my regular attendance goes back to Graham Turner days) and this season has been a total rip off for my money in terms of my season ticket purchase. That free pie I nearly choked on against Liverplop. Anyhow, I had a 'dizzy spell' on 83 minutes against Swansea such was my anger and rage at what I was watching. No fight, no passion, silly subs, silly starting line up (some say) etc. Going to the Villa has gotten me so wound up, making me miserable and feeling as though I am not getting value for money/entertainment, that it is starting to impact on my health and welfare. That in turn has the potential to impact on my family. One of my friends is concerned about depression... As such, I am away now for the rest of the season and do not expect to be returning. I know that I need to take a chill pill and not take it so seriously... but football gets you, and grabs hold of you and makes you hold on too tight. I'm at the stage where I can't just sit there and watch that week in week out and seeing zero progress. It takes up too much of my hard earned free time that I should really spend with my lovely family. This isn't the beautiful game any more - it's all lies, overpaid fancy dans, false dawns, false hope, shit refs etc etc. And then there was MON's debacle... and then Gerard's pointless era... and then Eck... I said last summer that I thought it inhumane to appoint somebody that would not benefit from a honeymoon period (I guess the early fixtures were a tad kind to him) and who would be under so much pressure had they lost to Blackburn as the first home match. And so it is panning out. And I really wanted him to do well and prove me wrong. I don't give a toss about his SHA connections. When it gets you so bad that you feel yourself wanting to lash out and you feel as though you are turning into a thug, outbursting profanity, the like of which you never considered yourself previously capable and making yourself look a fool, and then getting so wound up you think you're going to collapse - it's time to walk away. Time to leave it alone and put your money elsewhere. That's what I'm doing. Sorry - I can spend 400+ quid on something that is guarenteed to bring enjoyment and last many years. I see all those players (not just at Villa) getting paid all that money to prance around the pitch like billy-big-balls on the pretence that they are professionals. Do you really believe that you get value for money from them? Do you really think footballers deserve all that doe? No... they really don't. When you've got firemen and little kids rattling buckets and begging me for a donation outside the ground - that's perspective for you. Fickle? Half-arsed supporter? I'll take that on the chin... But I tell you this, my health means more to me and my family than it does to Eck and Lerner. I'm better off health-wise and financially without the misery of VP 2011-12. Why put myself through it? If you don't enjoy it, and it makes you feel ill - it's time to stop. I don't mind losing... this isn't about losing football matches. I almost enjoyed the Arsenal game. It's the nature of the defeat, the clueless and powerless performances on the pitch. That rankles - and straight back into the debate about whether you think footballers per se in the Premiership are really worth those wages. If I performed as badly in my job, I'd be down the road. Simple as that. The club won't miss me, I know that... but I see a brighter future for me and my family than I do for the people that are hell bent on watching that clunge week in and week out for the remainder of the season, or however long the tenure lasts. (tin hat on... retreat from the firework... fists up...)

I think maybe he thinks 2-0 doesn't look too bad and can be swept under the carpet a bit easier than 3-0, 4-0. That was something I loved about MON (sorry to compare). Even when we were 2 goals behind I always believed we could still win with 10 minutes to go because we always went for it. He would then say he didn't really care about conceding a goal or two because you pick up the same amount of points. Sometimes it would work, sometimes it wouldn't, it was exciting McLeish's game plan doesn't seem to change from start to finish I get your point Paddy, I really do... but I think you will find that under MON, we seemed to more regularly concede stupid late goals than score them... I get your point though - we are getting nothing at the moment other than a random 'freak' result at Stamford Bridge...

Wasn't the second goal actually a snifter of offside when the initialy shot to the post was hit? This would exonerate Cuellar, Collins and Guzan, and in fact incriminate the ref and assistant ref? I seem to recall Routledge was offside initially, for the shot that came in and hit the post. He then mesmerically darted back onside only to then quickly latch on to the rebound and score the goal. Happy to accept that I am wrong here, but for me, that is an unfair advantage and a piss-take of the offside rule. Don't flame me - point your anger where it belongs. I'm venting, just as much as the next fan...

Taris is okay yes - some really nice music in the background adds to the eerie atmos experienced there. I have found it to be a 'long' planet i.e. lots of missions and mission extenstions. The heroic missions are quite interesting and daunting too, so be warned. Pesky Rakghouls... I am up to Level 22 Gunslinging Smuggler now, having finally got my ship back during my character's 'end game' on Coruscant. Loving the experience at the moment. My PC is an 'Acer Predator' gaming tower. I do not know the natural spec for it, but this can be looked up. If you are into games, a gaming PC is always going to be the way forward. Sacrifice your season ticket and maybe you can upgrade....

Hi folks, still smuggling (gunslinger) on Coruscant and trying to track down the tw@ who stole my starship (Skavak). By doing all the questing missions offered (currently struggling with a heroics into a shop!!) I have reached level 17 and I am totally immersed in it. This is going to provide a lot of fun for a lot of time into the future. Anyway - I look around and see people on higher levels and fair play to them. No shame in going at your own pace, even if you have put in the hours and think you should be further on... I know some people in our guild (Red Five - on the Kellers Void server US EST) have advanced levels quickly and not taken all of the missions on offer. They are now going back to do them, but I guess at a reduced rate of XP? Had a fine session last night (over 4 hours in one go) - and I spotted someone who appeared to be a Villa fan roaming around Coruscant. I believe he was a Republic Trooper of some descriptioon and his toon name was... wait for it... 'Bannan.' We exchanged greetings and he confirmed that his toon name was Villa related, which was nice. Anyhow - look me up on Kellers Void if you fancy a bit of group questing. I'm always up for a bit of ultra-violence in the 'heroic' style.

This thread? Or the football at VP (other than the Arsenal game)?

Hi gang, this is my first MMO and I went at it with a vengeance - snapping up a Collectors Edition on pre-order. After having a fine time on early access (played from 15th December to 21st December), I am now in the queue to register my box set (it came today) and setting up the subscription. As I said, this is my first MMO of this kind. I love the game. I am playing a Smuggler (Brae Fentos) and currently at level 13, waiting to get on the shuttle to Coruscant and hoping to finally get my starship. I am a member of the Red Five guild and we play on a US (EST) server called Kellers Void. Look up Braefentos for some 'up the Villa' comradeship. Not done any PvP in it yet - scares me to death with all you MMO veterans. http://www.redfivegamers.com/forums/

Not gonna shoot you naz... If you are happy to waste that money on anti-football next season, get yourself all revved up for another 19 matches of miserability - then you are a richer man that me. I will support and follow AVFC through thick and thin as I have done for most of my life to date - having a season ticket or not does not a 'deserter' make. And those that abstain can hardly be called glory hunters can they... A whole generation of fans has now materiliased not knowing what glory is - unless you count that recent away win at Old Trafford, the Inter-Toto win against Basle and the Peace Cup. Mmmm, maybe the good times are still here. I didn't enjoy last season, I am hating it this season and the best part of a grand down the drain that could have been spent on a decent holiday in a warm climate, by the sea, plenty of beer and women to peruse. Nah - not gonna shoot you buddy - different strokes for folks. Wrap up warm next season, it might be even longer than this one...

I've said before in other threads that I fell out of love with the game during the 2010 World Cup - and then MON occurred. I was prepared to give Eck a go and I am desperate to see him succeed, but I have seen scant little competence from him, and our (controversial debate coming up?) average squad of average players this season. As a club, we are now paying the price for a manager (MON) who was able to make average players really exceed their normal abilities (Downing and A Young aside). Going into a potentially pointless December, I have been bitterly disappointed with the kind of football we are being subjected to. We can't 'expect' to beat Manure, for sure, but I expect an ounce of committment and attacking endeavour from my team. I have better things in my life to spend my ST money on - I am currently out of love with the game sorry. If that makes me less of a fan then so be it - it's a frigging game for overpaid tw@s and their agents with careless primadonnas rife in the once beautiful game. Doubtful I will renew with Eck in charge. Sorry Alex - I really want you to succeed and I want to like you and what you do. Epic fail at the minute. Happy Christmas.

IN fairness we needed somebody in midfield with a bit of presence and on our bench Heskey was best the only player capable of this. wouldnt throw Ireland or Albrighton in to centre midfield in a game like that Was Clark on the bench today? I'd have had him instead. Normally I'd have no problem with bringing Heskey on in a situation where we need a bit of presence, but he was so diabolical against Man City that I didn't feel it could be justified today. In the match thread some said they thought Heskey was 'great', personally I saw him as diabolical once again - and like I say, normally I'm among the minority who appreciate the role he plays. Where Eck fell down was he had a chance to do the right thing before we were pegged back to 1-1 in the first half. IMO he should have taken the largely ineffectual (again) Insomnia off and replaced with Clark to at least provide a bit more metal/tackling nous in the centre of midfield. It was the lack of this change at half time (down to 10 men, obviously going to have to sustain a bit of pressure in the 2nd half) that resulted in 2-1. We got bossed for ages from the start of the 2nd half, and even earned Shay a yellow card. Sadly - today will all be about Phil Fecking Dowd. The cheating word removed. Again. The cheating cu*t. The ****. He had such a strange game. Even his tits are larger this term - gonna get him a bra for Christmas.

You watch, Gabby is really this good again, a Sky 5 club will no doubt turn his head with the prospect of almost guarenteed Champions League wa*kfesting and England Caps (you came from Villa didn't you? Well have a cap then old bean... bellissimo!). You can almost smell the vitriol here... "A source close to Manchester City has revealed that Roberto Mancini will swoop with an audacious bid of £1 for Aston Villa's superstar striker Gabriel Agbonlahor... Mancini faces stiff competition from Arsenal, Manchester United AND Tottenham Hotspur who look set to try and outbid the blue half of Manchester with a prospective cash and player offer. Speculation that Agbonlahor does not want to leave Villa have been pooh poohed and denied by sources close to the player." As Eric Cartman once said, 'that was just a little joke.' Sorry. Sky 5 - step away from our players for a bit. Go and raid some other 'try hard' club. You bastards.

If you heard Ray Wilkins' comments at half time, he made a lot of sense about where we had been going wrong - he knew our players better and what their capabilities were. Maybe he should be our manager ... He could see exactly what I saw in the first half - it just wasn't us. Not what Sky know us for. The flip side of the coin was that their overall research before the game was very lame - Messrs Tyler and Neville showed a woeful lack of how things were for us this season. Gary Neville said - "Villa fans should be grateful to have such a quality manager at the healm, someone with such pedigree and his track record" or words to that very close effect. You **** poisonous little dwarf Gaz. If I had got a gun, I would shoot you. Anyhow, back to my point about Ray (thanks very much) Wilkins; it was as if Eck's half time team talk focussed around having watched Ray's comments on TV. We came out and played a bit like the AVFC that the wider watching public would have expected from us. Almost prophetic from Ray, a much different/better second half. We got lucky with our penalty, though a shirt tug in the box is a shirt tug (something that should be penalised more across the whole of football in my opinion). I was surprised that the ref did not try and level that up, though we picked up some very interesting yellow cards. Then it was back to late drama freak football that us Villa fans enjoyed so often under MON. Good times are just around the bend? Or maybe, we're all round the bend.

This - I thought (and said at the time on here) it against basic human rights to appoint somebody so 'hated as a result of his previous club' and with 'such a dubious track record' to a job of such high importance. It was inhumane to put somebody in post who would not benefit from a honeymoon period with the fans. I knew that the first bad result (and NOT the first bad performance) would result in a negative uprising. Hell, I feel the same right now. The team/club pissing the chance of cup football up the wall and in such tepid fashion really rankled with me. But who do you realistically blame? Should it be 'Eck? Should it be Ged? Should it be MON? Or should it be the Board? I see issues with all of them, but there is only one that has to take full responsibility. Randy - le jeux sans fait. Malhuereusement.

Well for me, staying in the league and certainly take this cup seriously. The club can bugger off if it tries to sell me tickets for games that we don't want to win.

I think getting on his back if we go 1 or even 2 down is a bit narcisstic. He was far from my No. 1 choice, but this will be make or break for him. For me, I felt it was inhumane to appoint somebody that will not even benefit from a honeymoon period with the fans. That said, we got stung a couple of years ago in the press for booing after our first home fixture - the loss to Wigan. Let's not end up in the paper for the wrong reasons folks. This is about the Club, not the manager. UTV...

I did my predictions today and with the current squad, Insomia included, I am going for 54 points - which would have been 7th last season. Bring it on.

Must admit, I have held off commenting on this journey into the black hole, though I have been trying to keep up with the pace of the 'Next Villa Manager Part x' threads. I agree fully with this post. It just doesn't add up and I fear the circus currently doing the rounds - all the mindless pontificating and protesting (vandalising club property FFS?) just reminds me of Newcastle and the mess they got in. Maybe that is what's best for us until we get over the hype that we were spun by the Bright Future ethos. This appointment will set Villa back a decade when we are already years behind in the race for 4th. I will be there and I will support the team come kick off - but Eck will be on to a loser before he has kicked a ball, whether rightly or wrongly. He will have no benefit of a honeymoon period because the fans (Sky Sports saying we've all changed our tune and become more positive???? Have we bugger...) hate his CV and hate the club he has just dumped into the Championship again. Why would the club set him up to fail like that? It's inhumane... Why give a new manager the stress of having a fan base that hates you and is unlikely to warm to you?? It's madness folks. As Graham Taylor said when he took over for the first time - the club smells all wrong at the minute. Maybe MON was right to walk after all...

Smells about right danceoftheshamen... I'm still smarting from the the shoddy multitude of lack lustre football in the 2010 World Cup (and as regular readers will know, not just England). That and MON walking out, I have been largely bored off my tits at VP this season. They're going up, they're going down was about the best highlight of the season. And the feeling of being 2-0 up against Man Utd, only to be emotionally 'raped' for the usual last ten minute collapse to occur. FFS Villa wake up.

Hey Ferris - my all time favourite film... SAVE FERRIS!

I'm on the fence to be honest - not because of a manager (though I did resign my seat for O'Leary's last season) or a player, but simply I am falling out of love with football full stop. England aside, the 2010 World Cup was a disgrace - lots of crap games (apart from the odd one it seems when I was at work) and all the top players seemingly playing worse than I could. The final was a disgrace of the modern game between two of the most fanciable teams on the Global stage - sexy football it should have been. Then Milner... Then MON... Then Milner again, then the £100k per week Chelsea/Arsenal/Manure smug grins as teams got battered over the first few games of the season. All as if the World Cup never happened. Sorry, the Premier League is just pissing me off. Then the World Cup vote. What a crock of shit. Yeah Sepp, I may be a bad **** loser, but at least I've still got all my own teeth. UEFA and FIFA are corrupt to the extent that I have bailed out of watching any International football. I pay scant regard to the Champions League and I feel we are well rid of the Europa League - does anybody other than the teams involved actually tune in? I'm just sick of it... Fed up with it. Twisting my melon man. And as for the prices at Wembley - you **** robber barons FA. You should be ashamed. You should have built your stadium in Tamworth - much better road links, much better train links and less risk (I believe) of being mugged in the wallet and about the face into the bargain. Your food and drink prices and those of the Gangsta cubby-holes purporting to offer merchandise and food/drink are extortion in the extreme. Mind you, the way FIFA and UEFA make everything so crooked it is only the same clubs you generally see at Wembley anyway and they're all rich cockneys - even the Man U pretenders. I am not enjoying football at the moment. I am not enjoying top-table football at the moment. I am not enjoying being in the ground. Apart from 3-0 against Hammers and when we went 2-0 up against Manure. I'm fickle. I'm sick of the Daily Wank red tops trying to find stories on this board. You lazy words removed. Lazy, lazy words removed. And you get **** paid. You lazy, arrogant, smug grinning words removed. If I had a gun... And then there's Citeh. I'm fickle as I would have loved that to happen to us. But it don't make it right. I bet that Sheikh can't even name his **** squad. And what about all the shit refs? I've been watching football for 30 years. I have never known a period like it where refereeing is so damn shoddy and piss poor. words removed. The last two or three seasons have been ridiculous for ref decisions. You are truly rubbish - Dowd, Webb (not for the WC Final where you did well under shocking silliness from the fancy dan players) and Halsey. The only decent ref this season at VP has been 'Crooked Clattenberg' against Arsenal. Truly tripe the rest of you. And don't get me started on linesmen. Kunts. And, basically football is not my only interest. I could stop myself from working towards an early grave with rage, malfeasance and upset and spend my money where I know I will be genuinely entertained, cared for (not a dig at the Club itself) and get more for my money. I'm sorry guys, the money I spend on a match day ticket (I am a ST holder) and a Bovril cannot match the lasting legacy of building a model or a day out elsewhere. It's not that I don't love Aston Villa. I love Aston Villa. I wouldn't go and watch any other team (other than Nuneaton Town, ne Borough). But when you're not enjoying it for more reasons than just team performance and management/player attitude (sorry, some just ain't trying), it's time to give up my seat maybe and let somebody more deserving than me. I'm getting old. Up the Villa - it ain't really your fault.

It's Stoke in disguise...

I felt like that coming away from the Chelsea game. Before the match, I would have taken a draw. But at 90 minutes, I felt we could have done more and won the game.

Makes a change to see Lee 'Casserole' not blarting like a girl.

Yes Potatoe Head - you may well check your watch. 3 mins of added time were flagged and three mins was all we got. And you, potatoe head, the tw@ that took advantage of all that additional, additional time against Sheff Wed and cost us the flaking league. Carnt.