Lerner's Driver

Taylor is 100% guaranteed to lose the ball, or more typically give it away in any attacking move he is part of and he is only just about okay as a Championship defender. Surely we shouldn't be relying on a player with those qualities, even as squad filler?

Please let this summer be the end of Taylor and Hutton in a Villa shirt. They have put in a shift and I thank them for that, but their limited abilities would be even more sorely exposed in the Premier League. Does anyone think there is a chance Smith will want to keep either of them because I really hope not!

He backed it in!

Just hope we don't show early signs of fannying around at the back, cos if we do that will dog us for the rest of the game. Baggies closing us down when we tried playing it out is what caused us problems in the semis and that's how Derby beat Leeds, so we can expect something similar today. If we see confident, crisp, simple passing from our centre backs to the midfield from the off, then I will be able to relax, but until then, no chance.

Your interest in the degree to which other people celebrate something is clearly an indicator of something pretty odd going on. You're not the manager, you're a fan.

How do you feel about birthdays? Hold the bubbly til your dead?

It is a concern that we struggled for clear cut chances throughout despite the possession, last night. Not sure, what Smith can tell them to do different to change that. We've obviously managed it in plenty of other games recently, but when we have, it has typically been against lesser opposition who to some extent 'let us play'. The new found spirit we now have might just be enough anyway, irrespective of performance. You can tell Smith wasn't entirely happy last night because he doesn't want us to just squeak through. Happy Days!

The stars are aligning.

Disappointing, given our possession, but we also haven't really looked a genuine threat yet either. I hate how predictable it is that Neil Taylor is guaranteed 100% to lose the ball, or give it away in an attacking position. We can and still should win this, but we need to show a lot more in the second half. Mings casual and weird again.

I can't tell if you are joking. The Mail is still a printer of vile, unfounded, hate filled lies and fully complicit in the fact we find ourselves mired in the shit swamp of divisive opinion we find ourselves currently. Indirectly, it is they and others like them, who write the stories that make it feel naughty, fun and 'okay again' to sing songs like the one we are discussing.

Yeah, explains just how uncritical the consumers of our modern media actually are. Hook, line and sinker comes to mind and Nigey boy, with his inflammatory talk and simplistic non-solutions, is the big winner.

Exactly, calling it out isn't whingeing, political correctness, it's necessary. 'Leaving it be' legitimises the racists and encourages them to carry on.

Exactly. Some refuse to 'get it' though. Quite apart from the racism (or otherwise) of the situation in question, it baffles me as to why any Villa fan would think being a black man was something even worth noticing. We have had and continue to have, a whole host of black heroes play for our club and their colour made **** all difference when we celebrated their play.

Well said.

Technically correct, but also a red herring given most of the singers were white men identifying a black man by his skin colour.

The level of debate on Facebook regarding the song is horrifically simplistic in missing the point and wanting to excuse the behaviour, which itself is indicative of why there is a problem in the first place. Most excusers bang on about there being no intent, which might be a mitigating circumstance, but does not exonerate the perpetrator. In this modern age, white people shouldn't need reminding (or even having it explained to them for the first time), why identifying anyone primarily by their skin colour can cause offence. If you do acknowledge that and you mistakenly, or unwittingly sang the song, then recognise your error, apologise and move on. Do not continue singing the song, even though you now know it's offensive, just because you think it's your human right to express your freedom of speech or you dislike being told what to do. To carry on defiantly, with full knowledge of the offence, proves you are not only stupid but also a racist. No excuses.

They are obsessed with how much they think he dives. I'm biased, so assume they are all fouls.

Game changing substitution. Hourihane you beauty. Superb second half and Gale, the scabby word removed, is suspended. Utterly delightful, my dear Sirs!

On our run we beat teams who were trying to win and so created gaps for us to exploit. West Brom are sitting back and that's always when we struggle. It's like we have the potential to beat anyone, but we only seem to impose ourselves when it feels like it would be rude not too. Gayle is the opposite, he is a hard working, clinical machine from minute one of the game and he personifies the West Brom spirit. In a nutshell, we are a team that fannies around far too much. Rarely do we take it to the opposition and effectively dominate, when that opposition is very good at defending. There needs to be more tempo, guile and precision. We can still win this, but it doesn't look likely right now. A superb away performance from Albion who are clearly the better team despite their lack of possession. And Whelan can **** off.

It's a tough one and on balance, I probably just about agree, but Davis does a hell of a lot more work by hassling opponents and bringing others into the play. He's also a lot less clumsy than Kodj. I really wish he would just score because he's capable of being very good I think.

Irritating because we didn't really deserve to lose that. They have some nice passers of the ball and looked dangerous whenever they attacked. Worthy champions. I get the logic of resting players and support it, but I suspect we would have won with our strongest team out today. Our fullbacks were once again our weakest link. Gaping holes down Hutton's side and if there's one thing you can bet your house on, it is that any promising attack will die when Neil Taylor gets possession. Ultimately best to get the loss out of the way now though. Overall, a super second half of the season, so well done to all concerned.

Credit to Hourihane for standing up for our rights. Credit to Bielsa for ordering his team to be sportsmen. Jannson is cheating scum.

Neither team at their fluent best, but I think that is partly our game plan to let Jack win free kicks and so far it's working. Breaks up their play and frustrates them winning us free kicks and buying us time. A few decent headed chances we might have done better with and a decent shout for a peno, so I'd say we're going in just about on top. Don't like how much room they've been allowed to run at us with in midfield at times, but that is their game and has been one of our weaknesses all season. That said, their shooting has been off and we've looked decent when they do attack. If they don't significantly improve in the second half and the pattern continues, we can win this.

Can't work out if opposition keepers are regularly having blinders against us, or our finishing is just poor. A bit of both, no doubt, which gave the game a degree more jeopardy than it deserved. Millwall weren't in the match at all, other than as a reasonably effective defensive unit. Won at a canter.

We are utterly dominating this game and it's beautiful to watch. Stroking it around, fluent, patient passing. A delight to watch.