Lerner's Driver

Exactly. Well said.

Take no chances. Fair enough.

I like the idea too. Options are important for any club serious about pushing on. One question then, would Tammy be competing with Watkins for the number 9? If not, then on what basis would he be joining?

I certainly hope he stays, no question there. We could be shit hot next year if he does

I have merely reported what Gabby said. I have no opinion either way as to whether it will happen or not, but it's definitely possible. People who think otherwise are wrong.

Gabby has said on Talk Shite that he will want to go and the deal will be done if the money is what Villa want.

I said I'm open the possibility he could be off because it's perfectly possible. And what I have said is different to the thing that makes you sick and tired. You shouldn't let other people's perfectly reasonable view points affect you that much.

I'm not choosing to believe anything, the guy I quoted has though, if his post is anything to go by. I am retaining an open mind on the likelihood that Jack will leave because it definitely could happen. That's not negative, it's realistic based on what has happened with other players in other clubs before.

Absurd, ridiculous statement. 'Negative' fans are protecting themselves from what... the criticism from 'positive' fans like you, who haven't 'given up'?! And how have you not 'given up'... by passionately believing the opposite? You can believe whatever you like, we all can, but it makes no difference at all. If Jack wants to leave and he is fully entitled to do so, then he's off. Same as for every other player since Bosman. I'm not saying it's definite, I don't know any more than you do, but don't waste your time 'getting pissed' at fellow fans for being negative when they are just observing what has happened before and could well happen again.

Interesting, Mr Awol. I guess you would know better than most.

Perhaps he meant literally. They could have gone shopping together.

This feels right to me. He sounded hyped to be back and ready to compete. Excellent signing to keep the good vibes coming.

Yup, the latest in a growing line of strangely familiar posts from 'different posters', which appear strident without reason.

Hark and pray silence, the soothsayer has spoken. Soothsayer, please continue...

Spoken like a true Philosopher.

He will play, even if only primarily as a sub and I for one am looking forward to him doing so because he definitely still has something to offer.

The whole idea of fan perceived 'player loyalty' is totally unrealistic, sentimental nonsense. Obviously, we invest our hopes and dreams in the players and to some degree, they play along with that narrative, but at the end of the day, they are just doing a job in a fairly short career... Just as we all do from time to time, sometimes they think... yeah, I like it here, but I want to get paid more, so it's time to leave. And if our employer rates us and doesn't want to lose us, they might try all sorts of things to keep us, but if we've made our minds up, we'll do whatever it takes, including being difficult, to make the exit happen more quickly. Equally, if after leaving, we've done well somewhere else, it's natural our old employer will think seriously about taking us back, irrespective of how we left. Real life.

Those lucky enough to have the choice know what WFH really means.

Exactly. They are solving our biggest weakness from last year. Imagine supporting a club that shares the same concerns you have and then sorts them out, one by one, properly. I can't remember Villa ever being this efficient and I've been following 'em for forty years!

Another example of hearing about it as being possible one minute and then getting it (as good as) done the next. I LOVE the way we are being run, but even more so, I love the experts who have been stating with absolutely certainty it ain't happening because he doesn't fit the policy. What's that? Ahh yes, it's the sound of the rule book being torn up!

lol. Cheeky!

Exactly. Thanks to the internet, we live in a binary world with no nuance, which isn't real. The challenge is to not get drawn in. Fact is, there is more than one way of skinning a cat.

International football is different... in a way the stakes are higher. Villa bias aside, I think it was decent and certainly won't be complaining just because Jack didn't get on. He will get his chance. Nothing wrong with easing your way in, particularly when you haven't previously won the first game in this tournament. Well done England, Raheem and Gareth.

The important bit is not IF, but how many of our top performers go and when. More than a few at the same time and the risks increase. As you say, if we can limit it, stagger it and seamlessly introduce our replacements, then the current level of progress, or something close to it, can be maintained. In years gone by, we might have one or two assets other teams wanted and they would be picked off with someone unsatisfactory brought in to replace them, or we wouldn't get anyone at at all, so you would end up with a bunch of square pegs in round holes. We do at least have some structured momentum and intent now and that is a very pleasant change for the better. I was one of the moaners in the season just gone when our form dipped in the second half, but mostly because the prospect of yet another false dawn was just too painful to contemplate! Like many, I have since accepted that we are on a journey, but clearly heading in the right direction. There are going to be more bumps in the road, as we continue making progress, including the loss of key players to so called bigger teams. As fans, I think we have to trust these owners for a while and try enjoying the journey for what it is, for better or worse. That won't always be easy when jumping to conclusions and assuming the worst is our more natural inclination!

Your first paragraph is interesting. You say the national flags have been hijacked by the far right, so doesn't it logically follow that it is they who have turned those flags into a symbol of racism? What role are the liberal left media playing? Also, could you explain which outlets you are referring to when you talk about the liberal left media because again, it's not clear who you have in mind. I could be wrong, but the way you used that phrase implies that you think most media is liberal. If that is what you think, which outlets do you have in mind? The second paragraph is interesting too. You refer to the self loathing of the liberal elite as being strange, so again, I'm interested as to who you think these elite people are. If you hadn't already noticed, we currently have one of the most divisive right wing populist Governments that this country has ever seen. Aren't the people in power the elite? Finally, regarding that self loathing, if you are correct about the far right hijacking flags and using that to stir a culture war, isn't it inevitable that some of us are going to feel repulsed by the version of nationalism we are being told to accept?