Lerner's Driver

Clearly you are not the Average Joe Villa fan, so how would you define the thing that makes you different?

Yes, that did occur to me too, a bit like Terry's last hurrah. He was injured a fair bit for Palace though, as you might expect at his age. Not convinced he would be a safe back-up if/when one of our preferred pair gets crocked!

Don't know anything about the source...

Bit unfair, he was actually just paraphrasing that infamous modern parable... He who goes farther, has big mouth and ego.

Depends what you mean by solid. Admittedly, it doesn't say we have bid or will bid, but (if you believe Percy has credibility), it does at least confirm our interest. I think our series of exchanges began because you said there hadn't been one solid link. If you think what Percy has said is trash then you are probably right! I frequently see lesser journalists given credence on here as back up to support the noise around rumoured moves.

Only way we avoid that is if there's no release clause in the new contract... Assuming we even get to that point.

Yes, it's in the horrible scroll font article Useless posted last night... "Villa have interest in other players this summer and made bids for Emile Smith Rowe before he signed a new contract at Arsenal. Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham, who was on loan at Villa Park three seasons ago, has been on their radar along with Burnley winger Dwight McNeil." The story does represent a shift in style from his previous material. Much looser.

Percy not solid?

Well he did say it, so it's fairly safe to assume it's his opinion, no?

10 days ago City hadn't triggered Jack's release clause.

Unless there is a release clause, which it now seems fairly obvious there is.

Easy to say with hindsight, but thinking back, my bullshit detectors were alerted when he signed the new deal last year. There was something about the way he declared his undying love for the club and Birmingham which seemed contrived, clichéd and even a bit as if he was just saying what you are supposed to say in those situations. It wasn't very convincing, but we all bought it to some degree because we wanted it to be true. In short there just isn't any room for sentiment in a game that is awash with money. The emotional incentives are still there in every player of course and in Jack's case his attachment to the club he grew up supporting will have been greater than most, but just like all other elite level modern footballers, his main motivators will always be money and success because that brings more money. So eventually, once a certain level of performance has been reached, the club stuff just melts away into irrelevance. It's just not as important when a short cut transfer can bring everything you desire overnight. I suppose I could be wrong and he might still turn them down, but I'm not and that isn't going to happen. Time to swallow that bitter pill again chaps. At least we are in better hands this time.

Rarely.

That's pretty negative to be fair, but also potentially true. We didn't create much without Jack last year, so let's hope Buendia turns up regularly.

The shell suits you mean?

It's Pep's porn star name. He was on Facebook earlier and one of those memes came up that he can't resist sharing.

He is.

Anyone been to the Villa boxed on a dove, or the modern equivalent, whatever that might be?

Okay, does he know we are coming?

Fax mate, we are talking about faxes.

And as an extension of that, it's actually de rigeur in certain circles these days to aggressively state the opposite of commonly accepted reality. Hence, commonly accepted reality is fundamentally undermined. All thanks to the internet and the current crop of cynical proto facists who see an opportunity to twist our melons.

The same David Luiz who mysteriously got several contracts at top four clubs as a ball playing centre back, that frequently proved he was better at giving the ball away than passing it to a team mate?

I reckon Tro is pretty humble. Verbose, but humble and often right. I share his anxiety about our soft midfield and the potential for it to reappear in the upcoming season. Hope I am wrong. We have lots of other attributes, but it was horrible watching us give the ball away and be overrun again and again in the second half of last year. And yes, sure there were reasons, but we need to have an answer if those reasons recur.

They are virtual. Not quite. Just like their 'stories'.

I know you get carried away and can't help embarrassing yourself at times, but "zero ability" is just ridiculous isn't it mate? Even you have some ability. He's a Premier League and Welsh International winger.